Оnlу thеn did Маdam Song rеаlizе shе hаd been staуing аt Nine Prоsperitiеs Lаnе fоr nеаrly a mоnth.
She hurriedly instructed her реrsonаl maidsеrvаnt tо рaсk hеr bеlоngings аnd went tо bid farewell tо Оld Mаdam Guo.
Old Мadam Guо did not prеss hеr tо stау, but instеаd held her hаnd аnd reреаtedlу advisеd hеr to be саreful оn the journeу. She warmly аddеd thаt if Mаdam Song found thе timе, shе should bring hеr сhildrеn tо Jinling Сitу for а shоrt staу.
Mаdam Song сould nоt hоld bаck hеr tеаrs.
During hеr time with Old Mаdam Guo, the latter hаd not only shаred manу interеsting аneсdotes about official families but also imparted numerous principles on how to conduct oneself and handle affairs, from which Madam Song had greatly benefited.
Choking back tears, Madam Song nodded and said to Old Madam Guo, "You must take good care of your health. If you ever visit the capital, be sure to let me know so I can welcome you properly."
"Don’t worry," Old Madam Guo chuckled. "If I go to the capital, I will certainly impose on you."
Meanwhile, upon learning that he would soon return to the capital, Song Sen immediately ran to the Fragrant Garden Residence where Zhou Shaojin lived and clung to her, refusing to let go. "Sister Zhou, Sister Zhou, come back to the capital with me! After the New Year, I’ll send you back."
"That won’t do," Zhou Shaojin patted his head and smiled. "You want to spend the New Year with your father, and I want to spend it with my sister! When I have time someday, I’ll visit you in the capital!"
Song Sen’s eyes lit up, and he insisted on making a pinky promise with Zhou Shaojin, saying, "Once we make this promise, it can’t be broken for a hundred years!"
Zhou Shaojin laughed and made the promise with him.
Only then did Song Sen leave with peace of mind.
Zhou Shaojin watched Song Sen’s cheerful, skipping figure and shook her head with a smile.
Meanwhile, Huang Yijun, who had come to fetch Madam Song, was summoned by the Second Branch’s patriarch for questioning. As for what was said, no one knew, but judging from Huang Yijun’s fearful demeanor when he entered and his radiant expression when he emerged, it was clear that Cheng Xu had likely praised him.
Zhou Shaojin felt somewhat concerned and went to find Cheng Chi. "Do you think this is appropriate?" she asked.
Cheng Chi was reviewing account books.
He listened to her while simultaneously operating an abacus.
The beads of the abacus clattered loudly, and his eyes remained fixed on the account books. Throughout her speech, Zhou Shaojin suspected that Cheng Chi wasn’t listening at all.
Yet, as soon as she finished speaking, Cheng Chi replied, "What’s inappropriate about it? If I praised you to your face, saying you are immensely learned and talented, and that you would surely pass the imperial examination tomorrow, would you believe it? But is that possible?"
Zhou Shaojin retorted, "Why wouldn’t it be possible? The reason so many people dare to act without thinking is precisely because they believe the impossible..."
Cheng Chi looked up, gave her a cold glance, and then lowered his head again to focus on the account books. "First, you are a woman. Second, you aren’t even a xiucai. How could you possibly take the provincial examination? Why do so many people fall for scams? It’s because there are too many people like you who don’t use their brains."
As he spoke, his other hand continued moving the abacus beads, their rhythm remaining perfectly steady.
Zhou Shaojin was left speechless with frustration. "We were talking about Young Master Huang, not about me!"
"The principle is the same," Cheng Chi turned a page of the account book and said calmly. "So there’s no need for you to dwell on this. If he wants to believe it, let him. The Second Branch’s patriarch isn’t a deity who can turn stone into gold!"
That made sense.
Zhou Shaojin flushed with embarrassment, realizing she had indeed made a fuss over nothing.She said, "I came to see how Miss Nanping's spring dress is coming along. Since I happened to run into you, I couldn't help but ask. Since you feel it's nothing, then I'm relieved."
Happened to run into him... What a coincidence indeed, to have "happened to run into him" in his study...
Cheng Chi's hand trembled, and the sound of the abacus beads became disordered.
Zhou Shaojin was so astonished. She widened her eyes and exclaimed loudly, "Uncle Chi, your abacus beads are all messed up!"
The room fell silent for a few breaths. Then the clattering sound of the abacus resumed, along with Cheng Chi's cool yet composed voice: "Didn't you say you happened to run into yourself? Don't you have anything else to do now?"
"Of course not!" Zhou Shaojin's ears turned red. After thinking for a moment, she still lowered her voice and said, "Uncle Chi, tell me, how could the heir of Liangguo Duke's household form a marriage alliance with the Liu family? The Liu family's reputation is quite poor right now."
Cheng Chi remained silent.
Zhou Shaojin felt awkward.
Asking Uncle Chi about such matters was indeed somewhat inappropriate.
She hurriedly explained, "Uncle Chi, I'm just too curious. But I couldn't ask anyone else, and today I finally happened to run into you, so..."
"So you just casually asked!" Cheng Chi calmly finished her sentence.
That excuse was rather flimsy!
But as long as it could serve as an excuse, it would do.
Zhou Shaojin nodded repeatedly.
Cheng Chi said, "Is Liangguo Duke's household's reputation any better?"
What did that mean?
Zhou Shaojin didn't understand.
But Cheng Chi had already lowered his head to look at the account books.
Zhou Shaojin could only say resentfully, "Then I'll go find Miss Nanping," before darting away in a flash.
Cheng Chi looked at the numbers on the abacus, then at the account book in his hand, and with a "snap," closed the book and slumped into the armchair.
Calculated for half the day, only to be disrupted by that little girl's few words...
He called out irritably, "Huaishan!" and said, "From now on, don't let anyone in when I'm doing accounts!"
This "anyone"... did it refer to Second Cousin?
A few years ago when checking accounts at the Songjiang branch, even though the branch manager had been wailing from start to finish, Fourth Master hadn't made a single mistake in the accounts.
He couldn't help but glance quickly at Cheng Chi.
Cheng Chi was sitting there frowning, looking displeased.
He felt relieved.
Fourth Master's temperament was such that the more displeased he was, the more calm and indifferent he appeared.
He respectfully replied, "Yes," and even breathed a sigh of relief for Zhou Shaojin.
Meanwhile, Zhou Shaojin, who had been running all the way, gradually slowed down.
What exactly did Uncle Chi mean by that?
Liangguo Duke's household's reputation wasn't good either... but that only spread among the wealthy families in Jinling after the heir Zhu Pengju treated his first wife so coldly and heartlessly. What did that have to do with the Liu family?
She pondered this. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks.
That's right!
With the Zhu family being so cold-hearted, what respectable family would marry their daughter to them?
The Liu family of Plum Mansion on Official Street had the nickname "Liu the Millionaire," referring to their immense wealth. Since the Liu family's eldest daughter was the firstborn of the Liu patriarch and was marrying into a household like Liangguo Duke's, her dowry must be substantial!
Zhou Shaojin grew excited and went with Bitao to Ruyi Pavilion, where Cheng Jia lived.
The people from the third branch saw her and smiled with insincere grins.
Zhou Shaojin began to feel some regret again.Fortunately, Cheng Jia rushed out in her slippers and pulled her straight into the inner chamber. As they walked, she said, “Why didn’t you have the maids inform me before coming? I could have gone to welcome you myself.” She added, “Don’t pay any mind to those snobbish people. If they had any sense, they’d have become head matrons long ago. How could they still be idling around here at their age?”
Cheng Jia’s words were as sharp as ever.
Zhou Shaojin chuckled softly and quietly told Cheng Jia why Zhu Pengju had married the Liu family’s young lady.
Cheng Jia exclaimed, “Really? Really? You’re not mistaken, are you?”
“It must be true!” Zhou Shaojin felt that Cheng Chi would never guess wrong and replied with certainty. “If you don’t believe me, you can ask A Zhu.”
Cheng Jia’s eyes darted around, and she actually sent someone to inquire.
The Liu family’s young lady had a dowry of twenty thousand taels of silver.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Jia was speechless for a long while. She ran to Fragrant Garden Residence and asked Zhou Shaojin directly, “How did you know? How did you know?”
How could Zhou Shaojin tell her?
She said disdainfully, “Can’t you use your brain and think about it?”
Cheng Jia grinned.
Zhou Shaojin suddenly thought that Cheng Chi must feel quite pleased when he said such things to her.
Because she felt quite pleased saying it to Cheng Jia.
She pursed her lips and smiled.
Cheng Jia then wrote a letter to Seventeenth Miss Gu, telling her about the matter.
As a result, on the day Madam Song left, Seventeenth Miss Gu accompanied the Gu family’s eldest madam to see Madam Song off. While the elders exchanged pleasantries, she cornered Cheng Jia and pressed, “How did you know? Why would A Zhu tell you these things?”
“You fool!” Cheng Jia laughed. “Of course A Zhu wouldn’t tell me these things. But the Sun family’s third young lady, now the Liu family’s seventh madam, would!”
“You clever little devil!” Gu Shiqigu gave Cheng Jia a hard pat.
Cheng Jia winced in pain but felt immensely pleased inside.
Zhou Shaojin laughed beside them, also thinking Cheng Jia was very clever.
After seeing off Madam Song, the various branches of the Cheng family began preparing New Year gifts.
The eldest master of the main branch, Cheng Jing, sent a letter saying that since he had just entered the cabinet this year, there were many social engagements. Moreover, Cheng Xu was about to take the autumn imperial examinations, so he wanted to keep Madam Yuan in the capital to manage household affairs and look after Cheng Xu.
When Old Madam Guo received the letter, she sneered and slapped it onto the tea table.
At the time, Zhou Shaojin had made two winter vests for Old Madam Guo to wear underneath and happened to bring them over for her to try on. Seeing this, she was startled.
Old Madam Guo quickly reassured her, “It’s fine, it’s fine. It has nothing to do with you. These vests are very well made and fit perfectly. I can see you put thought into them, and I like them very much. They’ll be just right for playing cards with the other old ladies during the New Year.”
Zhou Shaojin said sheepishly, “I know you weren’t angry with me. I’m just too timid.”
Old Madam Guo looked at her standing beside the half-bloomed Camellia ‘Shi Ba Xue Shi,’ her complexion even more delicate than the tea flowers, and her heart softened. She smiled and asked, “Haven’t you gone to play chess with your Uncle Chi these past few days?”
“No,” Zhou Shaojin replied. “I’ve seen Uncle Mian busy every day settling accounts with the estate managers and shop stewards. Uncle Chi manages all the affairs of Nine Prosperities Lane, so he must be very busy too. That’s why I haven’t gone over.”Upon hearing this, Old Madam Guo’s expression grew even more gentle. She instructed Nanny Lu to fetch two boxes of pastries sent by Cheng Jing from the capital and gave them to her, saying, “They say these are tribute items from the palace. Take them back and share them with your sister.”
Zhou Shaojin smiled and expressed her thanks before leaving the main room.
Old Madam Guo sighed and remarked, “She’s not even as sensible as a child. That child knows not to disturb Si Lang when she sees her uncle is busy, but as for her—if she doesn’t want to come back, she just doesn’t. I know no daughter-in-law enjoys leaving her husband and children to look after a lonely, widowed mother-in-law, but couldn’t she have just told me herself? The eldest is also a pushover, unable to withstand three sentences from his wife. I think even if he joins the cabinet, he’ll just follow others’ lead, rarely having the final say!”
※
Sisters, here’s today’s update!
o(n_n)o~
※ (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to...)
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