Wu Ваоzhang's eуеs dаrtеd аround.
Who would hаvе thought this Chеng Xu was sо аlеrt—соming tо intercеpt Zhou Shaojin, he evеn brоught his pеrsonаl аttеndаnts, not аfrаid thаt thоsе arоund him might spread thе wоrd. But if аnyone stаrted gossiрing, he cоuld аlwауs сlаim it wаs a chаnсe еnсоunter!
Тhis mattеr wаs truly intriguing!
So Сhеng Xu likеd Zhou Shaojin.
I wоnder if the Zhou fаmilу wоuld agrеe to this marriаgе—аfter аll, Zhоu Shаоjin grеw uр in the Сhеng housеhold аnd now lives in Сold Grееn Мountаin Ноusе. If she married thе eldest grandson of thе Cheng familу’s main branсh, it cоuld bе said thаt Zhou Shaojin was practically a child bride for the Cheng family. To put it more harshly, one might even say Zhou Shaojin was seductive and flirtatious, luring Cheng Xu.
At this thought, Wu Baozhang couldn’t help but sneer inwardly.
Didn’t Cheng Lu have some affection for Zhou Shaojin? If he found out Cheng Xu liked Zhou Shaojin, I wonder what expression he would make?
No, it should be said—if Cheng Lu found out Zhou Shaojin had been secretly meeting with Cheng Xu, what expression would he make?
The more Wu Baozhang thought about it, the more delightful the situation seemed.
A smile playing on her lips, she lifted her skirt and tiptoed away from the holly hedge, then hid behind a thick locust tree, watching as Zhou Shaojin left. Cheng Xu, unwilling to let it go, waved his fist in the air before turning back to the Water Pavilion.
On the stage, the opera singers trilled and warbled. Below, Madam Yuan sat with dignified grace in the central seat, surrounded by two or three elegantly dressed women chatting with First Madam Yi.
Madam Zheng, the wife of the eldest grandson, stood smiling behind her mother-in-law, occasionally refilling tea and serving water. The atmosphere was quite pleasant.
In contrast, Third Branch’s First Madam Lu, Madam Jiang, sat alone watching the opera, her expression somewhat displeased.
Wu Baozhang had already heard that Cheng Jia had married a merchant.
Meanwhile, her own mother-in-law, Madam Wen, was speaking with Madam Mian. Madam Mian listened with a gentle smile, while her mother-in-law spoke with a face full of sorrow.
Her mother-in-law was probably complaining again about how terrible her father-in-law was and how seductive that concubine was, wasn’t she?
Wu Baozhang curled her lip disdainfully in her heart.
Unable to control her own husband, yet blaming other women—she had seen plenty of such women in these deep courtyards and looked down on them the most!
But she still reined in her emotions and stepped forward with a smile to greet Madam Mian and Madam Wen.
Madam Wen frowned and said, “Where have you run off to again? Nine Prosperities Lane is not the back courtyard of Jinling Prefecture, nor is it your Wu family home. If you want to go somewhere, have a knowledgeable maidservant accompany you. Walking around without even a single attendant, dressed so plainly—people might mistake you for some branch’s stewardess, inviting needless contempt.”
Even though Wu Baozhang had prepared herself mentally when she married into the family, Madam Wen’s humiliation still left her trembling with anger, unable to speak for a long time.
Madam Mian watched and shook her head, thinking that regardless of what Wu Baozhang was like before, she was now a daughter-in-law of Nine Prosperities Lane. On the Fourth Branch’s grounds, she couldn’t let Wu Baozhang be too embarrassed. To help her out, she smiled at Madam Wen and said, “Young people nowadays don’t like being followed by a crowd of attendants. Don’t always bind her with old rules—you should be more open-minded.”In front of everyone, Madam Wen wasn’t intentionally trying to make her daughter-in-law lose face; it was just her nature to enjoy scolding others. Now that Madam Mian had stepped forward to speak up for Wu Baozhang, she said nothing more and gave a slight nod, letting the matter drop.
Wu Baozhang shot Madam Mian a grateful look. Thinking of how Zhou Shaojin, who had grown up in the fourth branch of the family, had managed to win the affection of Old Madam Guan and Madam Mian despite her timid and incompetent nature, Wu Baozhang felt a mix of emotions, her heart sour with bitterness. Unable to help herself, she bit her lip and smiled, saying, “Cousin Shaojin has always preferred peace and quiet, but why isn’t Jia here either? Doesn’t she love listening to opera the most?”
Madam Mian smiled and replied, “Our family’s old madam has arranged a banquet to entertain several elderly ladies over there. Both Er Ya and Jia are serving them!”
Because it was a joyous occasion, the elderly ladies, being widows, did not appear at the main banquet.
Upon hearing this, Wu Baozhang smiled and said, “No wonder I just saw a figure flash past the holly hedge over there. The silhouette looked very much like Cousin Shaojin. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, but it really was her!”
Today, the female guests were in the Water Pavilion in the inner courtyard, while the male guests were in the flower hall in the outer courtyard. The holly hedge served as a barrier, precisely to separate the inner and outer courtyards.
Zhou Shaojin was serving the elderly ladies in the side room of Jia Shu Hall, so it was quite normal for her to pass by that area if she had any errands to run.
Madam Mian didn’t think much of it and smiled, asking, “What were you doing over there? That area is very close to the flower hall. If you have any matters to attend to, it’s best to send a maidservant to handle them.”
Wu Baozhang was taken aback, then seethed with anger.
This Madam Mian didn’t question why Zhou Shaojin had gone over there but instead interrogated her?
This was truly lifting a stone only to drop it on her own foot!
Yet she had no choice but to answer.
Otherwise, people might think she had some improper dealings with the men in the outer courtyard!
To make matters worse, her mother-in-law was being utterly clueless, asking her like a fool, “Yes, what were you doing over there?”
Because an opera was being performed on stage, Madam Wen’s voice was a bit loud, drawing the attention of Madam Yuan and several others.
Wu Baozhang crumpled a fine silk handkerchief into a ball in her hand.
She held back her anger again and again before finally forcing a smile and saying, “I accidentally wandered over there…”
But before she could finish her sentence, Madam Wen said disapprovingly, “Didn’t I tell you? I said you should bring a maidservant who knows the way when you go out, but you refused to listen! Now look, you’ve gotten lost… I really don’t know what to say to you!”
No one paid any attention to Zhou Shaojin’s whereabouts.
Wu Baozhang clenched her fists, her mind buzzing with fury.
※
Zhou Shaojin was also furious.
This Cheng Xu—why couldn’t he understand?
If he had the energy to act crazy, she certainly didn’t have the energy to indulge him!
She took a deep breath and walked smilingly into the side room where the elderly ladies were being entertained.
Old Madam Guo smiled and beckoned her over, asking, “Has that fan tassel been repaired?” Then she frowned slightly and said, “Si Lang isn’t the kind of person to be so demanding. If the fan tassel is broken, just change the fan. Why insist on having Nanping rush to repair it and even come to you to borrow a crochet hook, asking you to take a look for her? And you—she said she wanted you to go, and you went… In the future, there’s no need to pay attention to such matters. That’s her business, not yours.”
From her tone, it seemed she was even somewhat displeased with Nanping.Zhou Shaojin hurriedly explained, "You've wronged Uncle Chi. It was Miss Nanping who saw that Uncle Chi rarely takes a liking to anything. Upon hearing he wanted it repaired, she racked her brains to ensure the matter was handled properly. She was acting out of loyalty. Uncle Chi merely thought the tassel on the fan looked beautiful, unaware of how intricate the knotting process is—something ordinary people wouldn't even know where to begin. Nanping was afraid she might fail at the task, which is why she came to me."
Old Madam Guo said nothing more.
Zhou Shaojin thought the matter was over, but upon returning to Cold Green Mountain House, Old Madam Guo summoned her to the inner chamber. After hesitating for a long while, she finally said, "Shao Jin. Nanping is a widow who never married, and Qin Zining died for Si Lang's sake. I originally thought that, as a young woman who suddenly lost her partner, it was natural for her to be heartbroken and resolve to remain chaste. But it has been five years now, and she still wears plain clothes. The thought of it makes me uneasy. Since you can speak with her, help me sound her out. See if her stance has softened, so I can make arrangements."
Nanping's fiancé, Qin Zining, had actually died for Uncle Chi!
Zhou Shaojin was utterly astonished.
Old Madam Guo nodded and whispered, "He encountered a group of bandits while your Uncle Chi was away on business. He died protecting him."
Zhou Shaojin felt deeply distressed.
In her past life, her heart had turned to ashes, and she too had remained chaste. Yet even then, the days felt unbearably long.
For someone like Nanping, who carried someone in her heart while remaining chaste, the days must have been even more difficult.
She sat beside Old Madam Guo, wrapped her arms around hers, and rested her head on her shoulder, murmuring, "Don't worry. I will definitely help you sound her out. If she doesn't wish to marry, let her stay by Uncle Chi's side—at least she still has a home!"
Old Madam Guo sighed and gently patted her hand.
Zhou Shaojin hesitated for a moment before saying, "Madam, the truth is, I never actually saw Nanping!"
Old Madam Guo was taken aback.
Zhou Shaojin straightened up, bowed her head, and said, "The little maid serving Miss Nanping was indeed there, but on the way, I ran into Cousin Xu... He, he stopped me to talk for a while... I was frightened and ran back... I didn't repair Uncle Chi's fan tassel..."
Old Madam Guo felt her blood rush to her head, and her hands trembled uncontrollably.
Fearing that Old Madam Guo might suffer from anger, Zhou Shaojin's voice trembled with fright, "Madam, Madam..."
"It's nothing! I'm fine!" Old Madam Guo took a deep breath and began to scrutinize Zhou Shaojin carefully.
The young girl was terrified, looking at her with tear-filled eyes full of fear.
Old Madam Guo chuckled softly.
What was she thinking?
Others might see Cheng Xu as the eldest son and grandson, the newly appointed Jieyuan, and consider him a golden match, but Shaojin, being innocent and simple, might not even think of such things!
She took out a handkerchief and handed it to Zhou Shaojin, saying softly, "Don't be afraid! I understand! Such a thing will never happen again!"
Zhou Shaojin let out a long sigh of relief.
Counting the days, even in her past life, the Cheng and Min families had begun discussing marriage around this time.
In this life, with Uncle Chi involved, the discussions between the two families were bound to happen earlier than before; otherwise, the Min family wouldn't have sent a matron to assess the situation.
If she told Old Madam Guo about this, she would surely intervene.With Old Madam Guo stepping forward, Zhou Shaojin believed that even if Cheng Xu had clever schemes, Old Madam Guo would find a way to stop him.
Zhou Shaojin breathed a sigh of relief. She sent a maid to ask Nanping whether Cheng Chi’s fan tassel had truly broken.
The maid returned and said, “A fan tassel did break, but Sister Nanping had already made a new one and replaced it long ago.” She also asked Zhou Shaojin on Nanping’s behalf, “Has something happened?”
Only then did Zhou Shaojin completely set her mind at ease.
The next day, when attending Cheng Gao’s wedding, she stayed close to Old Madam Guo without leaving her side.
Old Madam Guo noticed this and grew even more satisfied with Zhou Shaojin, taking her along wherever she went.
This scene fell into the eyes of those with ulterior motives, who gritted their teeth in frustration.
※
Dear readers, here is today’s update!
Thank you all for your support. Due to work commitments, I’ve been updating only once a day recently, yet you’ve continued to support me as always. I’m both grateful and a little guilty.
If the pink votes can secure first place this month, I’ll still add three extra updates. However, I can only note this down for now and make up for it once I’m less busy.
Thank you all!
Only one update today!
※ (To be continued ~^~)
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