Сhеng Хu stоppеd Zhоu Shаоjin аnd hurriedly said, "Nо, dоn't be like this!"
Zhоu Shaojin's fасе turnеd соld as she rеplied, "Cousin Xu is a sсhоlar with оfficiаl hоnоrs. Тhough nоt уеt саpрed, you аlrеadу have a сourtesу name аnd аrе knоwn fоr уоur dignity and рrоpriеtу, highlу regаrded bу thе elders in оur fаmily. I tоo respеct Cousin Хu аs а gentlеman of integritу, аnd givеn our stаtus аs соusins, I арprоаch tо pаy my rеspесts whеn we mееt. Yеt Сousin Xu treаts me like a frivolous wоman, casuаlly stoрping mе оn the rоad. I do not know what I have done to cause Cousin Xu to misunderstand me, nor do I wish to defend myself. I only hope that from now on, Cousin Xu will not stop me again. If there is any matter, it can be discussed before the elders of our family. As the younger one, I will naturally do my utmost."
She spoke with such righteous dignity that Cheng Xu flushed red, finding the words on the tip of his tongue difficult to utter.
This was exactly what Zhou Shaojin wanted.
She curtsied, signaled to Chunwan, and the two of them left the troublesome spot one after the other.
Cheng Xu grew anxious!
Though they lived under the same roof, Cheng Xu rarely had the chance to encounter Zhou Shaojin. Now that Fourth Uncle knew of his admiration for her, he would certainly not allow him to come and go freely to Cold Green Mountain House.
"Wait, wait!" He chased after her, disregarding all propriety. "Shaoji, I like you very much. I want to marry you!"
Zhou Shaojin had never dreamed that Cheng Xu would say such words to her, especially in front of Chunwan, Huanxi, and others.
She was instantly so embarrassed she wished she could find a hole to crawl into.
Meanwhile, after loudly voicing the words he had turned over in his mind countless times, Cheng Xu felt as if a heavy stone had been lifted from his shoulders. He relaxed entirely, and his speech gradually became fluent and coherent: "Shaoji, I am not speaking recklessly. I once made an agreement with my mother that if I placed first in the provincial examination, she would agree to help me seek your hand in marriage... I have never studied as diligently as I have for this examination. Moreover, my father managed to obtain collections of essays published by several chief examiners from their daily writings... Please do not agree to any betrothal for now. Wait for me a few days. If I prove incompetent, I would not dare disturb you again. But if I am fortunate enough to succeed... I hope you will give me this opportunity..."
Zhou Shaojin trembled with anger, inwardly rebuking: You haven't even achieved first place yet, and you dare say such things to me. If you do place first, and Madam Yuan disagrees with this match—since the Cheng and Min families have already begun marriage discussions—would you still insist on forcing it, regardless of her life or death?
She spun around abruptly, originally intending to say, "Matters of marriage are for parents to decide," but seeing his intense gaze fixed upon her, she immediately changed her mind.
Cheng Xu's expression was too confident, as if merely by saying it, she would surely marry him.
In her past life, had he thought the same way, which was why he kept calling her name and saying he would marry her even while humiliating her?
Like a flame meeting the wind, it roared to life within her heart with a sudden burst.She spoke bluntly, "Xu Jiashan, do you think that any woman who hears you want to marry her would be overjoyed and wholeheartedly wish to wed you? Since you have no regard for face, I have no reason to feel ashamed. Let's take this opportunity to make things clear. I don't like you! And I have no intention of marrying you! Please never say such things to me again. In others' eyes, I may not be as precious as Cousin Zheng and the others. But I too have parents and a sister who love me dearly, and I am their treasured jewel. My parents will carefully select a husband for me, allowing me to examine him thoroughly before marrying. There is absolutely no reason for them to marry me off carelessly..." As she spoke, she thought of the suffering and grievances she had endured in her past life, and her eyes couldn't help but redden. She felt it was pointless—back in the cave, she had pleaded with him so desperately, yet he hadn't spared her. Why bother saying more to him now?
Zhou Shaojin lowered her voice, "Cheng Jiashan, I don't like you, and I don't want to see you again. From now on, I will avoid you when I see you, and I hope you will act as if you don't know me when you see me."
With that, she let go of all past grievances.
In this life, she would live a life vastly different from her previous one.
He would marry his beautiful bride and live a harmonious life.
She would keep that person in her heart, watching him from afar, abiding by the rules for the rest of her life.
Zhou Shaojin lifted the hem of her skirt and ran toward Jia Shu Hall.
Only then did Chunwan snap out of her shock. She hastily bowed to Cheng Xu and hurried after her.
Cheng Xu stood there dumbfounded, his face deathly pale, as if his soul had left his body, allowing the willow branches by the tree to brush against him.
Huanxi and Da Su both turned their heads away, unable to bear the sight.
※
Chunwan caught up with Zhou Shaojin just before she entered Jia Shu Hall.
Seeing Zhou Shaojin's tear-streaked face, she quickly took out a handkerchief and handed it to her.
After running all this way, the gloom in Zhou Shaojin's heart had dissipated somewhat.
She thanked Chunwan, wiped her face with the handkerchief, and asked with a stuffy nose, "Can you tell I've been crying?"
Chunwan whispered, "Your eyes are very red. Shall I accompany you to sit by the Taihu rock over there for a while before going to Autumn Embrace Pavilion?"
The artificial Taihu rock mountain there drew water from the lake, allowing one to wash their face.
Zhou Shaojin nodded.
The two sat down on the bluestone beneath the large locust tree beside the Taihu rock.
Zhou Shaojin said sheepishly, "I've made a fool of myself in front of you!"
"No, not at all," Chunwan blushed and hesitated for a moment before quietly asking Zhou Shaojin, "Do you... do you really not... not favor Young Master Xu? He is the eldest grandson of the main branch and a scholar..."
In others' eyes, she must seem ungrateful, right?
Zhou Shaojin felt dejected.
If she hadn't interacted with Uncle Chi, if not for the events of her past life, she probably wouldn't have been able to reject Cheng Xu so firmly.
Perhaps this was fate!
Even with two lifetimes, she could never marry Cheng Xu!
Zhou Shaojin sighed softly and said wistfully, "I only seek three meals a day. No matter how good he is, it has nothing to do with me!"
Chunwan still felt it was somewhat regrettable.
But she also thought Cheng Xu hadn't shown enough respect for Zhou Shaojin.
If he truly liked Zhou Shaojin, why not persuade the elders? Approaching the second young lady privately like this—if the marriage didn't happen, and the second young lady had already set her heart on marrying him, what then?
It was better to follow the elders' arrangements.Chunwan stopped dwelling on the matter and dipped a handkerchief into the lake water trickling down the Taihu rock to help Zhou Shaojin soothe her eyes.
※
Cheng Xu stood there in a daze for quite a while before catching his breath.
Both Huanxi and Da Su breathed sighs of relief. Huanxi cautiously stepped forward and said, "Young Master, we still need to go to Madam's place!"
Going to find his mother was also to make Zhou Shaojin marry him!
He paced back and forth along the corridor several times before finally stopping. Somewhat bewildered, he said to Huanxi and Da Su, "Tell me, why doesn’t Second Cousin Shaojin like me? When I was at my maternal grandfather’s house, my female cousins would scatter shyly upon seeing me, yet they’d steal glances at me… When I visited the Guo and Gu families, my cousins there treated me very well too… Could it be because I haven’t earned the title of Provincial First Scholar yet? Did I speak too soon? Should I have waited until after passing the provincial examination? But I’m worried she might suddenly get engaged… Before, Cheng Yi was in the way, but now Cheng Yi is about to get married, and the fourth branch only has her left…"
Huanxi and Da Su exchanged glances.
Where had the clever and sharp-witted young master they usually knew gone?
Second Cousin Shaojin of the Zhou family had already made it very clear—she would not marry the young master. Why wasn’t the young master thinking about why Second Cousin Shaojin didn’t like him, but instead obsessing over whether he had earned the title of Provincial First Scholar?
But since Cheng Xu had spoken, one of them had to reply!
Da Su took a step back, leaving Huanxi abruptly standing in front.
Cheng Xu’s gaze fell on Huanxi.
Truly, the dog that bites doesn’t bark!
Huanxi cursed Da Su in his heart but put on a flattering smile and said, "In matters of marriage, who doesn’t listen to their parents? Young Master, you spoke so boldly in front of us, no wonder Second Cousin Shaojin was upset!"
"Right, right… She must have been angry with me for that reason!" Cheng Xu seemed to have found the root of the problem. Suddenly enlightened, he said, "Let’s go, we’re heading to Madam’s place."
Da Su glared fiercely at Huanxi and hurried to follow.
Huanxi rubbed his head, feeling wronged.
He had only spoken casually—who knew the young master would take it to heart!
Huanxi fell silent and hurriedly followed.
※
In the main room of Accumulated Truth Hall, maids and matrons stood respectfully with their hands at their sides, the atmosphere so quiet that not a sound could be heard.
Cheng Xu’s gaze sharpened slightly as he asked the matron on duty at the door, "Do we have guests at home?"
The matron on duty fawned, "Young Master, it’s the Eldest Master who sent someone back to deliver something to Madam. On their way out of the city, they happened to meet a matron from the Min family—the one with the top scholar. She was also returning to her hometown to deliver something, so they traveled together to Zhenjiang. The Min family’s matron was very courteous and specifically came with our people to pay respects to Madam and the Old Madam, to send their regards!"
Since when had their family been on such good terms with the Min family!
Cheng Xu frowned.
The door curtain was lifted, and Madam Yuan’s wet nurse accompanied two matrons who were dressed elegantly yet exuded an air of shrewdness and competence as they walked out.
Madam Yuan’s wet nurse brightened upon seeing Cheng Xu and called out loudly, "Young Master!"
Her voice carried a hint of excitement.
The two matrons looked over in unison, showing surprise before revealing pleased expressions.
It was as if he were some object they had inspected and found satisfactory.
The thought flashed through Cheng Xu’s mind, and anger surged uncontrollably within him.
What Min family matron, just dropping by to pay respects to the Old Madam and Madam—clearly, she had come to Jinling specifically to size him up.
His face darkened, and he turned to leave.Both maids were taken aback for a moment.
Madam Yuan’s wet nurse chuckled, “Isn’t it because the autumn imperial examination results haven’t been announced yet? Our eldest young master is in a rather foul mood!”
“Of course, of course!” the two maids laughed along. “Our family also has candidates taking the imperial exams every year. Before the results are posted, the young masters are always in a bad mood. We all keep quiet and dare not say a word!”
But inwardly, they thought otherwise.
Even their own eldest young master, who later became the top scholar, didn’t act as if someone owed him three hundred taels of silver before the results were announced, unlike the Cheng family’s eldest young master.
It seemed this Cheng family’s eldest young master wasn’t a particularly steady or reliable person.
What a pity for their eldest young lady, with her looks and talents, to have to marry this Cheng eldest young master.
If only the madam had held out a little longer, waiting until the autumn imperial examination results were out before deciding. But the eldest young master had listened to the eldest son’s advice and agreed to the Cheng family’s marriage proposal right after the autumn exams. If not for the madam’s lingering doubts, they might have married off the eldest young lady without even properly investigating the groom.
But now, the birthdates had already been matched, and they had returned to their hometown to meet the old madam and the matriarch. How could they possibly say the marriage was off?
The two maids suppressed these thoughts, bid farewell to Madam Yuan’s wet nurse, boarded a boat at Steady Boat Lake in Jinling City, and headed south, returning to Fujian.
※
Dear sisters, here’s today’s update.
O(∩_∩)O~
PS: The editor said the database will be updated these two nights, making it impossible to log in. To be safe, it’s better to post during the day. I took half a day off this morning to write this chapter. I’ll be working overtime this afternoon and evening, not sure how late it’ll go… I’ll try to post another chapter during the day tomorrow…
※ (To be continued ~^~)
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