Сhеng Сhi соuldn't help but rub his fоrеhеаd.
Тruly a child, сhаnging moods аs quickly аs thе wind.
Ноwеvеr, seeing hоw she had already stаrtеd tending tо flowеrs, shе must bе dоing quite wеll аt Flоаting Еmerаld Pavilion.
Сhеng Chi fеlt relieved аnd instructed Nаnny Shang: "Sесоnd Соusin hаs аrrived. Hаvе somеоnе prеpаrе some раstries аnd send them ovеr."
Nanny Shang smilеd аnd аcknоwledged the оrdеr.
Сheng Сhi rеturnеd tо his studу tо attеnd tо his own аffairs.
Zhоu Shaojin turnеd a соrnеr and еntеrеd thе area whеre Jiying and others rеsided, and the surrоundings immediatеly grеw quiеt.
She еntered Jiying's side room without any hindrance.
Two young maids were attending to Jiying's washing and dressing, and her complexion appeared somewhat pale.
Traveling was indeed exhausting.
Zhou Shaojin inwardly chuckled at herself, feeling she had come at an inopportune time—she should have waited for Jiying to rest a while before visiting.
No wonder Uncle Chi hadn't invited her to stay for tea earlier.
Uncle Chi hadn't even changed his clothes yet!
With this thought, an inexplicable flutter of excitement welled up in her heart.
But Jiying had already noticed her and turned around with a smile, saying, "Your news is quite swift. You knew as soon as I returned. It seems Old Madam treats you well."
Zhou Shaojin didn't understand at first.
Jiying burst into laughter and said, "Truly, fortune favors the simple." Then she explained, "Fourth Master and Old Madam Guo share the same trait—they detest anyone prying into their whereabouts. So when we stay at Cold Green Mountain House, we all feel rather constrained. Yet you can come and go as you please. I can't speak for Fourth Master, but Old Madam definitely turns a blind eye toward you. Otherwise, how could you roam about so freely?"
Zhou Shaojin grinned sheepishly.
Jiying invited her to sit on the daybed nearby.
Zhou Shaojin smiled and said, "I'll come back later! You should rest properly. I noticed you don't look too well."
Jiying smiled and sat down opposite her. "It's nothing. Even if I tried to sleep, I wouldn't be able to. Your arrival is perfect—you can keep me company and chat."
As soon as she finished speaking, a young maid brought over tea and pastries.
Jiying helped arrange the teacup and snacks in front of Zhou Shaojin.
Noticing Jiying's right hand hanging limp while using only her left, Zhou Shaojin felt a stir of concern and asked, "Your right hand..."
"It's fine," Jiying said lightly. "Just got bumped."
Zhou Shaojin didn't believe her. "Let me see!"
Jiying refused, smiling. "The physician just bandaged it. If you unwrap it, I'll have to see the doctor again. Better not? It's just some superficial wounds. They'll heal in a couple of days."
"Is that so?" Zhou Shaojin said, raising an eyebrow.
Jiying was momentarily taken aback, finding the gesture strangely familiar, and couldn't help but say, "What do you mean by that? Do you think I'm lying to you?" Then she changed the subject. "You've been staring at me like this, coming to find me as soon as I returned—you want to ask about Second Master Yi, don't you?"
Zhou Shaojin's face flushed.
Yes, how could she have forgotten such an important matter?
Hadn't she been eagerly awaiting Jiying's return? And even said she would advise Jiying... Yet upon seeing Jiying, all she wanted to ask was where she had been and what she had been doing...
She quickly gathered her thoughts and said, "What exactly happened that day? How could you have lost your composure like that?"Jiying probably still held a grudge to this day, so the moment Zhou Shaojin brought it up, her temper flared. Furious, her willow-leaf eyebrows shot up as she said, "That Cousin Yi of yours is really something! When he ran into me, he actually asked if I could serve him in the future. Your Uncle Chi is a decent person. I thought the Cheng family's upbringing was quite good, so for a moment, I didn't think much of it. I even politely told him that I was already serving your Uncle Chi and couldn't possibly serve him instead. I appreciated his kindness. But then he said: 'I know asking you to serve me might be beneath you, but I really like you. Although our family has a rule against taking concubines before forty without a son, my Uncle Wen still keeps one outside. No one in the family dares to do anything about it. If you agree, I'll ask Uncle Chi for you. I'll return your deed of sale to you, set you up in a house outside, and buy a few maids and servants to serve you. That would be better than staying here, having to put up with Uncle Chi's moods...' Tell me, how could I hold back? I kicked him to the ground right then and there..."
Zhou Shaojin wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Cousin Yi... Could he be any more foolish?
But what worried her even more was the implication in Cheng Yi's words—"my Uncle Wen still keeps one outside. No one in the family dares to do anything about it." If everyone in the Cheng family started thinking this way and following his example, wouldn't the family descend into chaos?
Her expression turned serious as she said, "I'll tell my grandmother about this."
Seeing her like this, Jiying felt a bit embarrassed and said, "I was the one who hit him, and your grandmother didn't say anything about it. Don't stir things up. After all, your Cousin Yi is her own grandson. How could a grandmother not feel heartbroken when her own grandson gets beaten? The fact that your grandmother didn't make a fuss already shows she's very reasonable!"
Zhou Shaojin thought that perhaps she should discuss this with Uncle Chi or Old Madam Guo instead, as they would understand her concerns. So she didn't press the matter further. Instead, she apologized on behalf of Cheng Yi, comforted Jiying for a moment, and then asked about her recent outing: "...Where did you go? It seemed like you were away for quite a while this time? It even seemed like you left before Uncle Chi? Did you come back together?"
Jiying smiled and said, "Your Uncle Chi and I weren't together. He went to Shandong, and I went back home. We returned together later."
So Jiying had no idea what Uncle Chi had been doing while he was away?
Zhou Shaojin felt disappointed but still asked, "What did Uncle Chi go to Shandong for?"
"Who knows?" Jiying replied. "Maybe he was just bored and went for a stroll. It's been a few years since he last went to Shandong."
It probably wasn't just a casual trip out of boredom.
Zhou Shaojin pondered this to herself.
Uncle Chi already believed what she had told him. Given his temperament, he should have started investigating the matter. How could it just be a casual trip?
Could it be that Uncle Chi had discovered something?
Zhou Shaojin grew restless.
Just then, a young maid brought over some pastries.
Jiying asked curiously, "Are these freshly made pastries? I already have tea snacks here."
The young maid smiled and said, "I'm not sure, miss. Nanny Shang instructed me to bring them over."Zhou Shaojin immediately spotted the crystal cake placed in the crimson porcelain saucer and said, "Then let's keep it! Since it's already been sent over. Let's try it."
The young maid smiled and arranged the pastries on the tea table.
Seeing Zhou Shaojin eat the crystal cake first, Jiying laughed and asked, "Do you like crystal cake?"
Zhou Shaojin nodded with a smile. "My wet nurse said that ever since I was little, I've liked clean, white things. Anything with color, like black sesame paste, jujube paste cake, or mung bean paste, I wouldn't eat. I only ate white things like crystal cake or water chestnut cake. But my wet nurse was afraid water chestnut cake wouldn't digest well, so she only let me eat crystal cake. Maybe that's how my taste developed—as I grew up, crystal cake became my favorite."
"No wonder you're so fair-skinned!" Jiying laughed, extending her hand to compare with Zhou Shaojin's. "Look! Others say I'm fair, but I think you're even fairer than me!"
Zhou Shaojin giggled. She and Jiying drank tea, ate pastries, chatted for a while, and then she took her leave.
Jiying was probably too tired and didn't see her off. After Zhou Shaojin left, she fell asleep immediately.
Zhou Shaojin made her way to the front courtyard, admiring the scenery along the way.
Presumably, the trunks had already been sorted, as the servants who had been moving them had withdrawn. The courtyard was quiet, and the window of the western study was wide open. At a glance, she saw Cheng Chi sitting behind the large desk.
His back was ramrod straight, his hands resting naturally on the armrests of the official's chair. He was speaking solemnly about something.
The wind rustled through the treetops and blew into the room.
The account books in front of him fluttered noisily.
Huaishan, Qin Zi'an, and two unfamiliar men stood before the large desk, heads slightly bowed, listening respectfully. Qin Ziping was nowhere to be seen.
One of the unfamiliar men was about the same age as Qin Zi'an but tall and graceful, with delicate features and a gentle, refined demeanor—quite different from Qin Zi'an. The other appeared slightly older than Qin Zi'an, with a sturdy build, an honest and sincere face, and a calm, composed expression—again, unlike Qin Zi'an's sternness.
She had truly come at the wrong time.
Uncle Chi was clearly busy.
Zhou Shaojin sighed inwardly and turned to leave.
Unexpectedly, everyone in the room turned to look at her in unison.
And each gaze was sharp and penetrating.
Being stared at by so many men, Zhou Shaojin felt flustered, her face burning. She hastily curtsied and was about to walk away when Cheng Chi stood up, walked to the window, and waved at her with a smile.
Zhou Shaojin walked over uneasily.
Cheng Chi asked her, "Finished talking with Jiying?"
His voice was somewhat low, even a bit hoarse, but the look in his eyes remained warm and gentle.
Zhou Shaojin felt reassured and nodded bashfully.
Cheng Chi smiled. "I'm busy right now. Go and play on your own! I brought you a small gift and have already had it delivered to your room."
As if she were a seven- or eight-year-old child.
Zhou Shaojin felt a bit dissatisfied, but at the thought of the gift Cheng Chi had brought her, her heart bloomed with joy of its own accord.
She nodded with a beaming smile and dashed away.Cheng Chi shook his head, turning around with a solemn expression already restored. "It's enough that the Golden Sand Gang understands the situation. Originally, it was just to intimidate them, but this time we need to make them serve our purposes—necessary methods are unavoidable. If they refuse to submit, we'll eliminate them and establish a new gang in their place. This matter is urgent; we must see results by the end of next year—from the capital to Jinling, I want not even a single mosquito or fly to escape my notice."
Huaishan and Qin Zi'an remained silent, but the handsome-faced man hesitated and said, "Fourth Master, martial artists often defy the law with their skills. Our actions are so extensive, almost involving the entire Northern Martial Forest, and you stirred up trouble in the Southern Martial Forest a few years ago. I fear this will not only provoke the Southern Martial Forest’s wariness but also draw the attention of the authorities..."
"You need not concern yourself with this matter," Cheng Chi said coldly. "Ignore the Southern Martial Forest. They only dare to be wary—if you ask them to send someone to speak with me, I doubt anyone would be willing to take on such a hot potato. As for the authorities, I will stay in the capital for a while in the coming days."
The handsome-faced man breathed a sigh of relief.
Cheng Chi’s gaze then fell upon the man with an honest and simple appearance.
That man bowed respectfully, grinning widely, and immediately exuded an overwhelming aura of ferocity as he said in a sinister tone, "Fourth Master, rest assured. I understand my part clearly."
Cheng Chi nodded in satisfaction.
※
Brothers and sisters, here’s yesterday’s update.
o(n_n)o~
PS: There are typos; please bear with them for now.
※ (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to...)
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