Zhоu Shаоjin hаd livеd twо lifetimes, уеt rеmаinеd an ordinarу wоman in both. Нowevеr, hеr уеаrs оf devout Вuddhist practice had ехpоsed hеr tо соuntless wоmеn in tеmрlеs—thosе sacrificеd fоr familу interests or blаmed when things wеnt awry. Тhе fаtеs оf thоsе women still mаdе her sigh with sоrrоw whеnevеr she rесalled thеm.
Сheng Сhi’s words moved hеr almost to tеаrs.
Тhough Unсle Chi was fоrmidаblе, he rеfusеd tо usе his роwer tо hаrm womеn and сhildren. Thеre wаs рrоbablу nо оnе in this world kinder-heаrted than him!
Zhou Shaojin сouldn’t help stеaling a glаncе аt Chеng Chi.
He sat upright, calmly sipping his soup, as if Cheng Jia’s matter wasn’t even worth discussing—as if such an idea should never have been entertained in the first place.
She quickly turned her gaze to Old Madam Guo.
Old Madam Guo gave a slight nod, showing no trace of reproach toward Cheng Chi. Instead, she seemed rather pleased with his response.
Zhou Shaojin was somewhat puzzled.
Then she heard Old Madam Guo say with a smile, "I was judging a gentleman’s heart with my own petty measure. You’ve done well!"
If he could have entered officialdom, his future would have been boundless.
Yet it was this youngest son who remained confined at home.
Old Madam Guo swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue, her gaze growing subdued as she laughed bitterly to herself.
After the evening meal, everyone moved to the resting chamber for tea.
Cheng Chi then brought up the matter of Cheng Jia.
Old Madam Guo couldn’t help sighing with emotion. "This truly is the fearlessness of the ignorant. Thankfully, nothing serious happened. If it had, even if we bore no responsibility, how could we live with ourselves? Who knows if she’ll be able to stand her ground in the Li family from now on…"
Cheng Chi humored his mother, saying, "A married daughter is like spilled water. She’ll be a daughter-in-law of the Li family now—let Li Jing deal with the headaches…"
Zhou Shaojin, however, merely sat to the side with a faint smile, listening in silence.
Cheng Chi grew perplexed.
What was going on with this little girl?
Usually, she had ten retorts ready for every one of his remarks.
This time, he had deliberately brought up her close friend’s matter, yet she remained silent.
Could there be some hidden details about Cheng Jia and Li Jing?
Or had Nanny Shang overlooked something at home and failed to inform him?
He suddenly found himself distracted.
Old Madam Guo assumed her son was simply too tired. After a few more words, she urged him to return to his room and rest. "Since the overall situation is settled, and nothing happened to Jia girl, it’s a good thing she managed to marry Li Jing smoothly after all. We’ll just go and add to her dowry when the time comes. Whatever needs discussing can wait until tomorrow!"
If he wanted to get anything out of this little girl, he’d have to coax her.
How could he coax her in front of his mother?
Better to ask her privately!
Having made up his mind, Cheng Chi smiled, rose, and took his leave.
Zhou Shaojin saw Cheng Chi out of the main chamber, watching until his figure disappeared behind a large tree. Only then did she return to the main chamber, exchanged a few more words with Old Madam Guo, and went back to Floating Emerald Pavilion.
Cheng Chi waited for a long time but Zhou Shaojin never came. Growing uneasy, he instructed Nanny Shang, "Go see what Second Cousin is doing."
Nanny Shang returned to report, "She’s already retired for the night!"
Cheng Chi’s brow furrowed tightly.
Given her nature, if something had happened, she would have come running to tell him nine times out of ten upon his return… Why was she acting so unusually this time? And unusual behavior often meant trouble…He dismissed Nanny Shang and walked to the corridor of the Listening Oriole Pavilion study, gazing blankly at the clear moonlight filling the courtyard.
Huaishan said softly, "Is Fourth Master worried about the Golden Sand Gang? Didn’t they promise to turn over a new leaf and work for you from now on? The new gang leader, Xu Mu, is young but righteous and trustworthy—a true gentleman. Once he gives his word, he won’t go back on it. What else is Fourth Master concerned about?"
Cheng Chi replied, "I have no worries about these matters! What is evil? What is righteous? It’s merely about showing them a better path so they don’t have to live on the edge of a knife. Otherwise, the Golden Sand Gang wouldn’t have surrendered so quickly."
He was worried about Zhou Shaojin.
But he still restrained himself from going to see her.
Cheng Chi still vividly remembered the gaze she had fixed on his back.
If he took the initiative to seek her out, it would only make her grow closer to him.
Feeling restless, Cheng Chi busied himself for two or three days—checking accounts, giving instructions, negotiating the withdrawal of shares with the Wei firm—and deliberately ignored Zhou Shaojin all the while.
Zhou Shaojin spent these days shut indoors doing needlework.
Only this way could she keep her mind from wandering.
She and Cheng Jia were so close, yet whenever she thought of Uncle Chi, all she wanted to ask was whether his journey had been tiring, whether he had encountered any difficulties with meals or lodging, whether matters in Huai’an had gone smoothly, and whether he would need to return to Huai’an in the future... As for Cheng Jia’s affairs, she wasn’t particularly interested. After all, Cheng Jia would be fine—there was no need to worry about her.
On her way back from the main quarters to the Floating Emerald Pavilion, she lingered for a long time on the path leading to the Listening Oriole Pavilion. She wanted to go and talk to Uncle Chi but feared he might be too exhausted and already resting, and she would disturb him.
Finally, when daybreak came, she went to the main quarters to accompany Old Madam Guo for breakfast, thinking she might run into Cheng Chi there. However, Cheng Chi claimed to have business to attend to, and for several days in a row, she didn’t see him at all.
She had to tell Uncle Chi that Cheng Lu already knew it was Cheng Chi who had spoken to Prefect Wu!
Although Zhou Shaojin believed that with Cheng Lu’s abilities and tactics, he couldn’t possibly harm Cheng Chi, open attacks were easy to dodge, while hidden arrows could wound. Cheng Lu was precisely the type who preferred to act in the shadows. Coupled with the fact that in her previous life, the second and third branches of the family had conspired to plot against Cheng Xu, she feared Cheng Chi might fall victim to Cheng Lu’s schemes.
After all, this matter had arisen because of her.
If Cheng Lu were to scheme against Uncle Chi, she would never be able to atone for it, even with ten thousand deaths!
Why was Uncle Chi so busy?
Zhou Shaojin waited two more days, but seeing no opportunity to meet Cheng Chi, she could no longer focus on her needlework. Pacing restlessly in her room like a trapped animal, she couldn’t decide whether to barge into the Listening Oriole Pavilion as she had done before or wait a few more days to see how things unfolded.
After another two days of hesitation, Madam Ma Fushan came to see her, bringing a set of gem-encrusted hair ornaments and a set of pure gold hair ornaments. Smiling, she said, "These were made at the Yongfusheng Nanjing branch, as you previously instructed. The total cost was two hundred taels of silver."
These were the dowry additions she had prepared for Cheng Jia.
In recent days, preoccupied with whether to see Cheng Chi, she had completely forgotten about this!
Zhou Shaojin couldn’t help but laugh at herself.
If she didn’t speak of it, who would know of her feelings for Uncle Chi?
Her constant wavering and anxiety would only appear suspicious in the eyes of those who paid attention!
Zhou Shaojin instructed Chunwan to put away the jewelry, rewarded Madam Ma Fushan, changed into a pale green jacket, and went to see Cheng Chi.Cheng Chi was also pondering that if Zhou Shaojin still didn't come to find him tomorrow, he would go check on her... Unexpectedly, before he could make a move, Zhou Shaojin barged in just like before.
A slight smile touched Cheng Chi's lips as he instructed Nanny Shang, "Go bring over the lotus seeds I had them chill in the well, lightly sprinkled with white sugar."
Nanny Shang didn't dare look up.
The Fourth Master had been having fresh lotus seeds chilled in the well for several days, yet he was too busy to eat them... Today, the Second Young Miss's visit finally put them to use!
She respectfully acknowledged the order and withdrew.
But she ran right into Zhou Shaojin.
"Young Miss!" She curtsied, unable to resist taking a glance at Zhou Shaojin.
Zhou Shaojin's eyes and brows carried a smile, gentle and soft. She looked obedient and well-behaved, no different from usual.
Nanny Shang couldn't help but sigh inwardly, putting on an eager smile as she said, "The Fourth Master has been busy with accounts these past few days, not even having time for meals. He just put down his brush to rest for a while when you arrived. It's perfect timing to keep him company and help him relax a bit."
Uncle Chi was actually this busy!
She couldn't help with other matters, but keeping Uncle Chi company in conversation was something she could do.
Zhou Shaojin's spirits immediately lifted, and she entered the study with a beaming smile, not even bothering to knock.
Cheng Chi was already accustomed to her barging in without announcement. He didn't rise but continued grinding ink while smiling, "What brings you here at this time? Is there something you need from me?"
Zhou Shaojin giggled and walked over, wanting to help Cheng Chi grind the ink.
Cheng Chi teased her, "Unprompted flattery is either deceit or theft. Just tell me directly what you want me to do. Your behavior is making me quite uneasy."
Zhou Shaojin shot Cheng Chi an unhappy glare, saying, "Uncle Chi really underestimates people! Must I always come to you only when I need something?"
As she said this, she felt a bit guilty.
Cheng Chi being resented by Cheng Lu was all because of her.
Cheng Chi noticed the small section of wrist revealed by her rolled-up sleeve. It was jade-like, flawless and pure... He remembered the gift he had brought back for her—a pair of Feicui jade bracelets.
They would surely suit her perfectly.
Especially in the summer, cool and refreshing. She would definitely like them.
But now, it seemed they could only be kept as part of her dowry.
Cheng Chi pushed aside those thoughts and smiled, "Alright then, let's not talk about anything today. How about you help me with the accounts instead?"
Zhou Shaojin didn't know how to use an abacus. She preferred bantering with Cheng Chi and said, "I won't do it! I'm not your hired accountant, and you don't pay me a monthly wage. Why should I work for free?"
The little girl had become much livelier.
Cheng Chi smiled gently.
Nanny Shang brought in the lotus seeds.
Zhou Shaojin was delighted.
Cheng Chi smiled faintly and lowered his head, clattering away on the abacus.
After some thought, Zhou Shaojin picked up a pair of ivory chopsticks and carried the dish over, saying, "Uncle Chi, you have some too!"
Cheng Chi looked up at her with a smile and said gently, "You eat them. I'll be done once I finish these last few pages of accounts."
Zhou Shaojin then helped Cheng Chi grind the ink by his side.
Soon, Cheng Chi put down his brush, and he and Zhou Shaojin sat on the luohan bed, one on each side, eating the lotus seeds.
Zhou Shaojin told Cheng Chi about how she had unintentionally encountered Cheng Lu and overheard his conversation with Cheng Zheng.Cheng Chi was somewhat surprised but not worried, saying, "It's fine if he knows I intend to strip him of his scholarly title. He might even anxiously wonder where he offended me—it’s good to give him a scare."
But this was, after all, not a good thing.
Zhou Shaojin asked, "Will he really not affect you?"
Cheng Chi laughed, "I neither commit crimes nor bully the weak, nor do I frequent pleasure quarters. If I’m not even allowed to look down on the world and discipline an unruly junior, then I’d be living too exhaustingly!"
Zhou Shaojin, however, caught another meaning and asked nervously, "Has someone outside been saying something about you?"
※
Dear brothers and sisters, today’s update is late—my apologies!
Tomorrow’s extra update is tentatively scheduled for around 2 p.m.
o(n_n)o~
※ (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to...)
OpenNovel