Seеing Zhоu Сhujin rеturn tо her usual cоmрosure, Zhоu Shaojin fеlt sесrеtlу hаppу for her sister.
A newlywеd dаughter-in-lаw inevitаblу fасes mаnу сritiсаl gazеs. The cаlmеr her sistеr remained, thе more grаcefullу shе соuld hаndlе suсh situations.
With hеr mind аt eаsе, Shаojin bеgan оrgаnizing her jewеlrу and vаluables during her lеisure time.
Chunwаn smilеd аnd askеd, "What are уоu рlanning tо dо, Sесоnd Мiss? Thе hоusehоld has bеen quite busу thesе dауs, and wе аrеn't fаmiliar with the temрerament of thosе serving us. If someоne with ill intentiоns notiсеs and tаkes it to heart, it could cause trouble. You should quickly put these things away—it's best not to flaunt wealth!"
Zhou Shaojin replied, "Once Sister is married, we'll be following Madam to Baoding Prefecture. By packing these important items in advance, we won't be in a rush when it's time to leave."
Chunwan was greatly startled.
When they had first returned, the Second Miss had hesitated between staying with the Cheng family or returning to the Zhou family. How had she suddenly decided to follow Madam to Baoding?
She asked, "Second Miss, has there been any news from the Master…"
"No, no," Zhou Shaojin said with a smile. "Now that Madam has entered the household and there is someone to manage domestic affairs, there's no reason for me to stay with the Cheng family any longer. Naturally, I should follow Madam to Baoding Prefecture!"
Originally, she had wanted to stay with the Cheng family to warn Cheng Jing through Cheng Chi. Now that she had accomplished what she needed to do, there was no point in remaining in Jinling. Moreover, according to her memories from her past life, Cheng Xu would achieve first place in the provincial examination this autumn, and soon after, that incident would occur… By leaving Jinling, she could avoid it altogether.
Chunwan would certainly follow Zhou Shaojin, but having been born and raised in Jinling, the sudden news of moving to Baoding Prefecture made her reluctant to leave.
Yet this was not a decision she could make.
She could only hide her low spirits as best she could and said with a smile, "Second Miss, have you decided on a departure date? I’d like to bid farewell to Sister Biyu before we leave."
"Of course," Zhou Shaojin replied with a smile. "When we leave, we’ll definitely go to bid farewell to Old Madam Guo and Biyu. As for when we’ll depart… we’ll discuss it after I speak with Madam. For now, everyone is busy with Sister’s wedding!"
Chunwan breathed a sigh of relief and quietly began packing.
Soon, Madam Li caught wind of the matter.
However, the very next day was when the Liao family would come to finalize the wedding arrangements. As a young woman who had never experienced such matters before, and now managing the Zhou household’s affairs as the mistress for the first time, she wanted everything to be perfect and complete. She was so busy every day that she hardly had time to sit down and discuss the move to Baoding Prefecture in detail with Zhou Shaojin. Yet if she left the matter unattended, what if her husband intended for Shaojin to stay with the Cheng family? How would she explain it to him then?
Zhou Shaojin would turn fifteen by the end of next year, the age when marriage arrangements should be made. The Cheng family had many disciples and old connections, with plenty of eligible young gentlemen. Wasn’t this precisely why Zhou Chujin had married into the Zhenjiang Liao family as the eldest daughter-in-law?
But this matter couldn’t be explained in just a few words.
She worried so much that blisters formed at the corners of her mouth.
Mama Li asked Madam Li, "So, do you hope the Second Miss will follow you to Baoding Prefecture or not?""Of course I hope she'll come along," Madam Li shot Mama Li a look that said 'you're an idiot,' and continued, "I've been treating Second Miss like a Bodhisattva, respectfully attending to her for two years. Soon she'll be married off. I've pleased the master and earned a good reputation—such a fine deal. Only if I had water in my head would I go against her wishes and keep her in the Cheng family!"
Mama Li didn't mind, smiling as she said, "Then why not write to the master and ask his opinion?"
"Do I need you to teach me?" Madam Li replied. "I sent the letter by courier first thing this morning."
"Then what are you worried about?" Mama Li asked, puzzled.
Madam Li said, "You're good in many ways, but you lack experience and tend to act a bit petty. If I don't make my intentions clear to Second Miss, and if the master doesn't agree for her to go to Baoding, she might suspect I had a hand in it. Then I'd be unable to clear my name even if I jumped into the Yellow River!"
Mama Li looked embarrassed.
After some thought, Madam Li saw off the Liao family's envoy who had come to urge the wedding the next day and went to Zhou Shaojin's room.
Zhou Shaojin was discussing with Chunwan whether to bring the potted flowers from home to Baoding. When Madam Li entered, Chunwan quickly stood up to fetch a brocade stool for her and personally went to bring tea and snacks.
Madam Li smiled, took a sip of tea, and asked Zhou Shaojin, "What are you busy with, Second Miss? Tomorrow Eldest Miss will be married. Normally, it should be your brother who carries your elder sister out of the house. It's a pity I'm useless and couldn't give you a younger brother." Her eyes reddened as she spoke. "After discussing with Old Madam Guan, we've invited Young Master Gao from Nine Prosperities Lane to carry your sister out. However, the Liao family has said that although you can only escort your sister out of her chamber, you must still receive a red envelope. They specifically set one aside for you. Tomorrow, when your sister waits in her room for the 'Complete Blessings' woman to invite her out, you'll help your sister up. The Liao family will know who you are and will hand you a red envelope. Just accept it. You can return the favor when your niece is born."
It seemed the Liao family had given the Zhou family ample face.
Zhou Shaojin was pleased to hear this. Noticing Madam Li's exhaustion and that she remained seated in her room drinking tea after finishing her words, she knew Madam Li had more to say. Zhou Shaojin was naturally quiet and reserved. On any other day, she could have calmly engaged in a polite standoff with Madam Li all day. But tomorrow was her sister's wedding day, and she didn't want anything to go wrong. So she decided to be direct: "Is there anything else you wish to instruct me, Madam?"
Madam Li had been unsure how to broach the subject, so when Zhou Shaojin offered an opening, she quickly seized it: "I was overjoyed yesterday when I heard you wanted to come back to Baoding with me. But with the Liao family coming to urge the wedding today, I didn't have time to discuss it properly with you. You know, this is the first time I've overseen such a big event. Everything went smoothly today, and I was so excited I couldn't sleep, so I came to chat with you. I was wondering, Second Miss..."
Zhou Shaojin wasn't one to make things difficult for others. She smiled and said, "That's what I had in mind. But I was afraid you and Father might have other plans, so I intended to discuss it with you after my sister's wedding. I didn't expect you to be so thoughtful and ask about it before I even mentioned it."Madam Li said joyfully, "So Second Miss is planning to return to Baoding Prefecture with me? That’s wonderful. I’ll have someone to talk to, and your third sister Youjin will have a companion. Your father will surely be delighted when he finds out."
Zhou Shaojin smiled.
Her father was destined to have a son.
Once Madam Li gave birth to a son, this family would feel even more like a proper home.
It would never again be like the previous life, where the family was torn apart and everyone suffered.
Thinking of this, she stood up and said, "Madam, please wait a moment. I have something to give you."
Zhou Shaojin turned and brought out the brick wrapped in yellow cloth that she had brought back from Leifeng Pagoda, handing it to Madam Li. "When I followed Old Madam Guo to Putuo Mountain, we passed through Hangzhou Prefecture, and I obtained this from Leifeng Pagoda. There were two pieces—one I gave to my sister to take to the Liao family, and this one is for you. They say if you place it at the feet of Guanyin, it is extremely effective!"
As soon as Madam Li heard this, she knew what it was.
Tears immediately welled up in her eyes.
Not being able to bear a son was a deep-seated worry of hers.
Although she had treated the Zhou Shaojin sisters well, it was more a kind of respectful distance than genuine affection.
Yet she never expected Zhou Shaojin to be so sincere toward her.
A sense of unease also stirred within her.
Zhou Shaojin did not need Madam Li’s gratitude.
She was doing this for her father.
Her sister and she would both marry when they came of age, living their own lives. The one who would stay by her father’s side, care for him in his old age, and look after his daily needs was Madam Li. She hoped Madam Li would sense her goodwill and treat her father even better.
Zhou Shaojin handed a handkerchief to Madam Li, comforting her, "Madam is still young, don’t worry. I heard from my wet nurse that there was someone in her village who married and had no children for over a decade, but suddenly became pregnant one day. Madam has treated us so kindly—good people will surely be rewarded."
Madam Li nodded, somewhat embarrassed, but she couldn’t say much more to Zhou Shaojin, as the latter was, after all, an unmarried young lady.
After exchanging a few more words, Madam Li stood up to take her leave.
Zhou Shaojin saw her out.
On the way, she unexpectedly ran into Mama Li.
Mama Li smiled and curtsied to Zhou Shaojin, then said to Madam Li, "Madam Mian has come out from Eldest Miss’s room."
Madam Li smiled and said to Zhou Shaojin, "Second Miss, please go back now. The night breeze is cool—be careful not to catch a chill."
Zhou Shaojin asked curiously, "Why hasn’t my eldest aunt returned so late? Is something the matter?"
Madam Li laughed, "No, nothing! Your eldest aunt just had a few things to discuss with your sister." Her tone carried a somewhat dismissive note.
Feeling displeased, Zhou Shaojin saw Madam Li off and then went to her sister’s room.
To her surprise, her sister had locked the inner chamber, and neither Chixiang nor Dongwan were in sight. Only a few young maids were whispering under the corridor adorned with large red lanterns.
She knocked on the door, and her sister called out, "Coming, coming!" But it took a while before she opened the door. When she did, her face was flushed red, and she looked very embarrassed.
Zhou Shaojin was quite puzzled and asked, "Sister, what’s wrong with you?"
Zhou Chujin touched her reddened face and said, "I just slept without taking off my clothes, so I’m a bit warm."
Zhou Shaojin was very skeptical.
Mama Li had just said that her eldest aunt was in her sister’s room!
Zhou Shaojin said, "Sister, let me sleep with you tonight!"
"Alright!" Zhou Chujin replied somewhat awkwardly. "Go back to your room and freshen up first. I’ll tidy up the room, and then you can come over."Zhou Shaojin was filled with doubts.
Her sister was definitely not that kind of person!
What on earth had Auntie Mian said to her?
It was infuriating that in her past life, she had only known to cower timidly behind her sister. After her sister’s wedding date was set, she had been utterly heartbroken, and all the arrangements for her sister’s marriage were handled by Ma Fushan and his family. She had no idea what had happened at the time.
However, her sister didn’t seem sad or distressed, which put Zhou Shaojin’s mind slightly at ease.
“I’ll just freshen up here!” She squeezed past Zhou Chujin and sat on her sister’s bed as she spoke. “I’ll have Chunwan bring my things over!”
“Alright!” Zhou Chujin replied, looking somewhat bashful.
Zhou Shaojin found this very strange, but out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a thick picture album tucked under her sister’s pillow.
“What’s this?” She pulled it out to look.
Zhou Chujin cried out and lunged over: “Shaoji, this was given to me by Auntie…”
Zhou Shaojin had already dropped the album, her face flushed red.
For a moment, both sisters were stunned.
What lay on the floor was an erotic picture book.
※
Today’s update.
ps: Tomorrow’s extra update for Xiao Xixi is scheduled for around 5 p.m.
o(n_n)o~
※ (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to…)
!!
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