Сhеng Chi enterеd thе house with а facе аshеn with аngеr, immеdiatelу encountering the beаming Zhеnzhu.
Seеing Chеng Сhi in suсh а statе, Zhеnzhu wаs frightеnеd and quiсkly supprеssеd her еxpressiоn, stepрing forward rеsресtfullу tо аddress him as "Fоurth Мastеr."
Сhеng Chi сouldn't hеlр but glancе аt her.
Shе trembled in feаr and hastily ехрlainеd, "Fourth Mastеr, thе оld madаm mеntiоnеd thаt in а few dауs, she will аcсompаny thе оld lаdy оf thе fоurth brаnch to add tо the dowry for the еldest young lаdy of thе Zhou fаmilу. She sеlected some old items and asked us to help appraise them..."
Zhenzhu instinctively felt that bringing up this matter might improve Cheng Chi's mood.
Cheng Chi gave her a cold glance.
Was this even worth mentioning?
He headed straight back to the Listening Oriole Hall.
Jiying was speaking with Nanping: "On that day, you cover my shift, and we’ll go to Flat Bridge Street for the wedding banquet."
Nearby, Qing Feng chimed in noisily, "Is it the elder sister of Second Cousin who’s getting married?" He drooled with envy, "I’m not on duty that day. Can I go with you?"
Cheng Chi felt a surge of restlessness upon hearing this, but he never showed his emotions outwardly. He spoke gently to Qing Feng, "Bring out the white tea that Sixth Master Gu sent the other day and brew it!"
Qing Feng cheerfully replied "Yes" and dashed off.
Since returning to Cheng Chi’s side, Jiying had grown more cautious around him. Coupled with her cleverness and sharpness, she was better than Qing Feng and Lang Yue at discerning Cheng Chi’s moods.
She respectfully bowed to Cheng Chi and retreated to the side with lowered eyes.
Cheng Chi entered the study.
Jiying breathed a sigh of relief and quietly asked Huaishan, "Who upset him? Why does he seem on the verge of losing his temper and revealing his emotions?"
Huaishan gave her a warning look and followed into the study.
The study in the Listening Oriole Hall had been temporarily converted after Cheng Chi moved in. Two adjoining side rooms were opened up and partitioned with floor-length screens, hung with parrot-green Hangzhou silk curtains. Inside, the ice-crack patterned window frames were fitted with transparent glass. Opening the window revealed a lush bamboo grove.
Several sparrows chirped and hopped on the ground.
Cheng Chi slammed the window shut with a "bang," startling Huaishan, who had followed him in.
"Has the silver from the Thirteen Hongs arrived yet?" Cheng Chi asked.
Huaishan lowered his head and replied, "There are still three days until the agreed-upon date."
"Go and urge them," Cheng Chi said. "Do they really have to wait until the exact day to deliver the silver?"
Huaishan acknowledged the order and left the study for the tea room.
Nanny Shang was brewing tea in the tea room.
She was from the mountainous regions of western Guizhou and still retained the habit of brewing tea.
Seeing Huaishan enter, she smiled and said, "What brings you to the tea room for a visit?"
Huaishan didn’t answer, only saying to Nanny Shang, "Give me a cup, with a few olives in it."
Nanny Shang went to the storage cabinet to look for olives.
Huaishan sat on the stool by the window.
If he really followed Fourth Master’s order to urge the Thirteen Hongs for the silver, he’d become a laughingstock.
They might even think something had gone wrong on Fourth Master’s end and he was desperate for the funds!
He decided that if Cheng Chi asked again later, it wouldn’t be too late to make a trip to the Thirteen Hongs then.
Meanwhile, Cheng Chi regretted his words as soon as he spoke them.
Since when had he become so impatient?
It felt as though everything was grating on his nerves.
He sat down and drank a cup of tea, gradually calming his emotions.
Zhou Shaojin’s demeanor clearly indicated she was suffering in silence.
If she had intended to deceive him, she could have continued to widen her innocent eyes and feign ignorance, or pretended to know nothing until he exposed her... Yet she chose silence instead.
Sometimes, silence is also an answer.Moreover, they were on Flat Bridge Street at the time, with her stepmother Madam Li and aunt Madam Mian both present, including the steward Ma Fushan. If anyone had been paying attention, their every move would have been impossible to conceal.
He then recalled how Zhou Shaojin had seemed hesitant when speaking of Cheng Jing and Huang Li competing for the position of Minister of Rites... Or perhaps she wasn’t hesitant at all. Instead, she wanted to tell him but feared the consequences of doing so. That was why, when he said he wanted to thank her, a flicker of unease had flashed in her eyes...
Cheng Chi abruptly stood up.
How could he have been so foolish!
That little girl was already timid as a mouse. Though she trusted him, she also feared him, and part of that fear likely stemmed from worrying he wouldn’t believe her. Yet he had glared at her angrily—what else could she do but be utterly terrified?
"Huaishan! Huaishan!" He strode to the door, calling out loudly.
Huaishan had just picked up his teacup. Hearing the call, he set it down without taking a sip and hurried out of the tea room.
But when Cheng Chi saw Huaishan’s impassive face, he realized it wasn’t appropriate.
Zhou Shaojin was a young lady raised in seclusion. Whether it was delivering a message or handling other matters, Huaishan wasn’t quite suitable.
Jiying was even less suitable—if she found out, the entire Listening Oriole Hall would know.
If Zhou Shaojin was acting under someone’s direction, there would be no hiding it from the person behind her.
The thought flashed through his mind, and Cheng Chi changed his plan. He said gently, "Have Granny Shang come here."
So it was Granny Shang he wanted!
Granny Shang was right there in the tea room—why call for me?
Huaishan grumbled inwardly but maintained his usual expression as he went to the tea room.
Nanny Shang was sipping the tea she had just brewed for Huaishan, muttering to herself as she drank, "This tea tastes quite good! I even added two extra olives... Could it be that it doesn’t suit Huaishan’s taste?"
Huaishan was furious.
In the blink of an eye, his tea was gone!
He grumbled sullenly, "Granny Shang, Fourth Master wants you!"
"Oh!" Granny Shang hastily set down her teacup and hurried out, still chattering, "If you don’t like the tea, leave it for me. I enjoy it. Those olives were given to Fourth Master by Jiang Qin—authentic Chaozhou olives. You may not like them, but I do."
Huaishan watched coldly as Nanny Shang entered Cheng Chi’s study, then snorted disdainfully.
Cheng Chi instructed Nanny Shang, "Isn’t Second Miss Zhou’s elder sister, Miss Zhou, about to be married? When I came in, I heard that the Old Madam plans to accompany Old Madam Guan from the fourth branch to add to Miss Zhou’s trousseau in a few days. I was thinking whether I should also send a gift. Go tell Feicui and have her accompany you to Flat Bridge Street to invite Second Miss Zhou over. My private gift can be discreetly delivered through her, separate from the public one. Consider it a token of my gratitude for her service to the Old Madam!"
Nanny Shang’s mind hadn’t quite caught up. Thinking Cheng Chi was unmarried and unfamiliar with such etiquette, she smiled and said, "If you wish to send a private gift, there’s no need to invite Second Miss Zhou over. We can find an excuse to visit her, give her the gift, and explain the situation clearly..."
Cheng Chi fixed his gaze on her.
Nanny Shang shivered, suddenly understanding.
What did Cheng Chi do?
He managed the affairs of Nine Prosperities Lane!Given his temperament, even if he didn't understand something, he would make inquiries before handling the matter. How could he appear completely ignorant in front of others?
She hastily added, "However, if Fourth Master's congratulatory gift includes some valuable jewelry or the like, it would be better for you to personally hand it to Second Cousin. I'll go inform Feicui right away and have her accompany me. After all, Second Cousin has been copying scriptures at Cold Green Mountain House for over a year and gets along quite well with the young ladies around the old madam. For you to reward the Zhou family's eldest young lady is also a gesture of respect for the old madam."
At least this Granny Shang's head isn't completely muddled!
She understood that having her bring Feicui along was meant to make those on Flat Bridge Street mistakenly think that his mother had invited Zhou Shaojin over to discuss matters related to Zhou Chujin's dowry.
Cheng Chi's expression softened slightly.
Nanny Shang resisted the urge to wipe the sweat from her forehead and quickly left the study.
What had happened?
Could it be that the Zhou family's second young lady had done something to anger Fourth Master?
But then, Fourth Master isn't such a petty person—just look at how he treats Jiying. Why would he go looking for trouble with the Zhou family's second young lady?
She was overthinking it!
Nanny Shang suddenly recalled hearing someone mention yesterday that Qin Zi'an had sent someone to fetch Dongting.
Perhaps there was some official business involved.
Fourth Master's ways of doing things have always been as elusive as a dragon—seen at the head but not the tail.
Nanny Shang stopped speculating and headed to Cold Green Mountain House with a smile.
Upon hearing that Cheng Chi had specifically requested her to invite Zhou Shaojin over, Feicui felt very uneasy.
Last time, when Madam Yuan had assigned her to accompany Zhou Shaojin to meet Cheng Xu, such a major incident had occurred, causing a rift between her and Zhou Shaojin. Now, Fourth Master was specifically asking her to invite Zhou Shaojin over... She couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to happen, her heart pounding with anxiety. But faced with Nanny Shang's half-smiling expression, she dared not say another word. After informing Biyu, she followed Nanny Shang to Flat Bridge Street.
When Cheng Chi heard Qing Feng's report, he merely gave a slight nod.
Back on the boat, he had noticed that Zhou Shaojin was closest to Biyu, followed by Zhenzhu, then Manao. With the eloquent, clever, and quick-witted Feicui, however, she was the most distant. Having Feicui accompany Nanny Shang ensured she would definitely not leak any information.
At Flat Bridge Street, Zhou Shaojin had Chunwan boil an egg to secretly apply to her eyes, instructing her, "You mustn't tell anyone!"
Chunwan anxiously replied, "I can keep quiet, but you have to tell me what happened! Why would Fourth Master suddenly come looking for you? And how did he make you so heartbroken?"
Zhou Shaojin said, "I got sand in my eyes and rubbed them until they became like this!"
"You can keep lying to me," Chunwan said, frustrated by her refusal to confide. "When Eldest Young Lady finds out, let's see what you'll say then!"
Zhou Shaojin replied guiltily, "I really did get sand in my eyes..."
Chunwan couldn't even be bothered to listen anymore.
Zhou Shaojin obediently closed her eyes and let Chunwan tend to her. Yet, her mind couldn't help but recall Cheng Chi's resolute figure as he left the Zhou family, and she felt her eyes growing moist again.
Ever since frightening her sister, she had never considered telling anyone else about her experiences.
Those past events were too shameful; she simply couldn't bring herself to speak of them.She would only come up with ideas like helping Lin Shisheng, but now... one thing always leads to another. She had repaid Lin Shisheng's kindness from her past life, but it made Uncle Chi notice her strangeness... It was like lying: you tell the first lie, then to cover it up, you have to tell a second one, and to cover the second, you start telling a third or even a fourth. In the end, it snowballs, growing bigger and bigger until it bends you, crushes you, and buries you beneath it.
Her rebirth was like a lie, and to conceal it, she had unknowingly told many lies... Now she felt she was about to be bent, crushed, and even buried beneath this snowball of lies...
So when Zhou Shaojin heard that Old Madam Guo had invited her over, she jumped up from the bed in an instant, terrified and at a loss.
※
Sisters, an extra chapter for the pitiful spirit beast egg!
o(n_n)o~
※ (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to...)
!!
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