Zhоu Shаоjin didn't rеасt immеdiatelу.
Оld Маdаm Guo said, "I seе уour cоmpleхiоn isn't vеrу gооd."
Is that so?
Zhоu Shaojin paused, then sаid, "Unсle Сhi just cаmе bу..."
Uрon hеаring this, Оld Маdam Guо sat up at оnсe, hеr exprеssion turning seriоus. "When did he соmе? Yоu shоuld hаvе woken mе. Did hе saу аnуthing?"
Zhou Shаojin hеlрed Old Маdam Guо by fetching thе sleevelеss jасket hаnging on the neаrbу сlothеs rасk. "Unсlе Сhi cаmе to sеe уou..."
Neithеr of thеm hаd thоught to wаkе Оld Мadam Guo; in fаct, they had delibеrately lоwered thеir voiсеs and mоved quietly to avoid disturbing her... Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Zhou Shaojin knew some matters couldn't be hidden from Old Madam Guo, so she simply mentioned the important points: "Perhaps he was afraid you would worry if you heard something. When he saw you were asleep, Uncle Chi said he had other matters to attend to and left."
Today, Cheng Chi had openly contradicted Cheng Xu in front of so many family members. Regardless of perspective, Cheng Xu couldn't simply let it go without a response. It was entirely necessary for Cheng Chi to make some arrangements and preparations.
Old Madam Guo nodded lightly and said no more.
Zhou Shaojin breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to herself, Old Madam Guo is formidable, and Uncle Chi is formidable too. Yet no matter how kindly Old Madam Guo treats her, she always feels pressured in her presence. On the other hand, even though Uncle Chi sometimes mocks or teases her, she feels he doesn't treat her as an outsider—she isn't afraid of him and even finds him quite approachable...
Why did the two of them leave such completely different impressions in her heart?
Zhou Shaojin herself found it rather strange.
She helped Old Madam Guo get out of bed.
Biyu, who led the young maidservant in carrying hot water, kept making meaningful glances at her.
Old Madam Guo, sitting before the mirror to dress, saw everything clearly in the reflection. She couldn't help but laugh, "Biyu, be careful not to blink your eyes into a twitch."
Biyu flushed bright red.
Everyone burst into laughter.
Only then did Old Madam Guo say, "What do you have to say to Shaojin? If my presence is inconvenient, just take her outside to talk. Winking and gesturing here in front of me—aren't you afraid I'll marry you off tomorrow?"
Biyu was too embarrassed to lift her head.
Both she and Feicui had reached marriageable age. Old Madam Guo had carefully selected two stewards for them, both outstanding in character and appearance among their peers—one named Zuo Xian, the other Ding Rong. They were to be married next spring.
This matter had only been settled a few days ago. On the surface, Zhou Shaojin had gifted each of them a pair of five- to six-fen gold hairpins. Privately, she had added a pair of gold bracelets weighing about four liang for Biyu.
Zhenzhu linked arms with Zhou Shaojin, laughing heartily.
Outside, a downpour began.
Biyu finally managed to raise her head and said to Old Madam Guo, "It's Miss Jia from the third branch. It seems she quarreled with First Madam Lu and came crying to Cold Green Mountain House, but she wouldn't come inside. She just sat dazedly on the threshold, lost in thought. When I asked her, she said she was looking for Second Cousin. At the time, you were resting, so I had Xiao Tan invite her to Floating Emerald Pavilion. Just now, Xiao Tan came to tell me that Miss Jia has been lying on Second Cousin's bed crying for almost an hour. I was terribly worried, so I kept signaling to Second Cousin..."Old Madam Guo frowned deeply and said, "Isn't everyone saying Madam Jiang is virtuous and gentle? I'm not so sure she's truly virtuous. The child is already this old. No matter what happens, you can only guide, not block. If she keeps this up, she'll push her daughter to rebellion sooner or later. Shaojin, I don't have anything pressing here. Why don't you go check on her? Give her some good advice. But don't take her troubles upon yourself. No matter what, Cheng Jia and Madam Jiang are still mother and daughter. If an outsider intervenes now and handles it well, that's fine. But if it's handled poorly, you'll offend both sides and end up with all the trouble and none of the credit!"
Zhou Shaojin nodded repeatedly, saying, "I'll keep your words in mind." But letting go and leaving just like that, she felt a bit worried about Old Madam Guo. She said, "Madam, why don't you play a few rounds of leaf cards with Biyu and the others? There's still an hour before dinner. Whoever wins gets extra dishes from the small kitchen today!"
Biyu and the others also wanted to cheer up Old Madam Guo, but due to their status, none were as bold as Zhou Shaojin to make decisions for the old madam. Hearing this, they couldn't help but join in the fun, saying, "Second Cousin, you can't use Miss Jia as an excuse to run away—you can leave, but you have to leave your silver behind."
Zhou Shaojin also intended to banter with them, saying, "I still have two taels of loose silver, I'll give it all to you!"
"Second Cousin, are you trying to weasel out?" Zhenzhu, being more lively, said, "Two taels of loose silver to brush us off? We won't accept that."
Zhou Shaojin smiled and said, "Then how much silver do you want?"
"At least three to five taels, right?" Zhenzhu laughed.
"Oh dear!" Old Madam Guo couldn't help but chuckle, saying, "My first-rank senior maids, settled for just three to five taels of silver? You really have an eye for bargains!"
Manao and the others laughed uncontrollably.
Zhou Shaojin called Chunwan and Bitao in to set up the table. Only after Old Madam Guo started playing leaf cards did she brave the rain and head to Floating Emerald Pavilion.
Cheng Jia's eyes were red as peach stones, propping her elbow on the large desk by the window in her inner chamber, lost in thought.
The two orioles hanging on the corridor chirped noisily, making her seem even more listless and dispirited.
"What's wrong with you?" Zhou Shaojin sat down at the table and ordered the little maid to serve tea and snacks.
"You're back!" Cheng Jia lazily snapped out of her daze and said, "My mother scolded me again today, saying I don't know how to behave properly..." As she spoke, she started crying again, "Tell me, what mother would scold her own daughter like that... Cousin Jing just got a recipe from some divine doctor, personally brewed a batch of realgar wine and had it delivered. It wasn't even specifically sent to me—she has some, grandmother has some, even you have some. If she doesn't want it, she could just return it in front of the Li family's steward... It's just because I exchanged a few extra words with the old woman who delivered the wine..."
Remembering Old Madam Guo's earlier advice, Zhou Shaojin said, "Forget it, what grudge can last between mother and daughter? And Li Jing too—didn't he already send festival gifts? Why cause extra trouble by specially sending realgar wine? Just avoid his family from now on." Then she asked, "When did you run out? Where's Cuichai? Why isn't she with you? Does Aunt Lu know you came to me? Should I go tell Aunt Lu? Even though Aunt Lu says harsh things, she must still be worried about you deep down..."Cheng Jia listened, then bit her lip and answered evasively in a low voice, "Shao Jin, that old woman said that Cousin Jing has some business to discuss in Jinling City. He's staying at the Gaosheng Inn, not far from our house. What do you think—how about I go see him?"
Zhou Shaojin was so startled she nearly knocked over her teacup. She said sharply, "You—what are you planning to do?"
"Keep your voice down!" Cheng Jia glanced around warily and whispered, "I've only told you about this idea. You have to keep it a secret for me!"
"I can't keep it a secret for you." Zhou Shaojin had suffered greatly from this in her past life, and in this life, she feared Cheng Jia would come to harm—in her past life, Li Jing had been good to Cheng Jia, but circumstances had changed in this life. Who could guarantee anything? "You can't do this. If you do... it will only make Aunt Lu dislike Li Jing even more, thinking it was his idea... He's several years older than you!"
Zhou Shaojin gave a reason she thought Cheng Jia could accept.
Who would have thought Cheng Jia didn't listen at all? She was still muttering to herself, "Actually, I don't really remember what Cousin Jing looks like... I just know he's very tall... But why would he take a liking to me? You were there too! You're much prettier than me... Yet he didn't look at you, only stared at me. It must mean he thinks I'm prettier than you... Tell me, what does he really want? He knows perfectly well my family would never agree to this marriage. Why would he humiliate himself like this? You don't know—the Dragon Boat Festival gifts were delivered by Cousin Jing himself. My mother didn't even tell my father; she just sent a third-tier steward to entertain Cousin Jing... I heard from the old woman in Cousin Jing's household that he's quite a prominent figure in the Luoyang area..."
Zhou Shaojin wished she could have a maid pour a bucket of cold water over Cheng Jia's head.
"You can't go see him!" She had no choice but to threaten Cheng Jia. "If you go see him, I'll tell Aunt Lu."
This finally got Cheng Jia's attention.
She glanced at Zhou Shaojin disdainfully and said, "Do you think I'm stupid? Me, go see him? What if he tries to get rough with me? I'll make him come see me! Isn't he supposed to be very capable? Then let him find a way to meet me." At this point, as if she had thought of something amusing, she suddenly burst out laughing and said, "If he can manage to see me, then... then I'll go talk to my grandmother."
Zhou Shaojin's lips moved, but she was at a loss for words.
Cheng Jia, however, was enchanted by her own idea. She stopped crying and perked up like a flower watered by dew. She tightly hugged Zhou Shaojin's shoulders and said cheerfully, "I know you're busy serving Old Madam Guo, so I won't disturb you anymore. I'll leave first. You should hurry back to the main room!" Without waiting for Zhou Shaojin to reply, she rushed out of the inner chamber in three quick steps.
Zhou Shaojin said nothing.
Cheng Jia was far cleverer than she had imagined.
She knew to make Li Jing come to her.
What more did she have to worry about?
Zhou Shaojin returned to the main room.
A pile of copper coins was stacked in front of Zhenzhu.
Seeing Zhou Shaojin, she quickly pointed at the pile and said with a smile, "Second Cousin, you're finally here. If we keep playing, Biyu's entire savings will be lost to me."
Zhou Shaojin smiled faintly.
Biyu stood up and said, "Second Cousin, why don't you take over? I've already lost nine rounds in a row..."Zhou Shaojin pressed Biyu into her seat and said with a smile, "Don’t worry! I wasn’t here earlier, but now that I’ve arrived, Zhenzhu won’t be able to win all the way." As she spoke, she sat down beside Old Madam Guo and complained playfully, "It must be because the old madam is soft-hearted, discarding whatever tiles Zhenzhu needs. I’ll sit behind the old madam and keep an eye on you all, making sure she doesn’t play carelessly!"
Old Madam Guo laughed heartily.
By the time Cheng Chi returned from outside, the rain had already stopped.
The leaves, washed by the rain, were a vibrant, lush green.
From afar, he could hear cheerful laughter coming from the main room.
Upon entering the hall, he saw Biyu and the others smiling happily as they either gathered the leaf cards or cleared the gaming table, all in high spirits. Only Zhou Shaojin was pouting, clinging to her mother’s arm with her head resting on her mother’s shoulder, looking like a spoiled child who had been wronged.
※
Dear readers, here’s an extra update for Qingtian Moyun.
O(∩_∩)O~
You can read the extra update tomorrow morning!
PS: It’s the end of the month, quietly asking for pink votes here…
※ (To be continued ~^~)
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