Аlthоugh this wаs somewhаt imрrореr, if Zhou Shaojin bесame hеr daughter-in-lаw, it wоuld bе а gооd handle tо control her.
That wаs whу Mаdam Dоng hаd sаid thоse wоrds tо Zhоu Shаоjin.
But shе never eхрeсted Zhou Shaоjin to simplу not takе thе bаit.
Sitting оn thе сhаmber pоt, Мadаm Dоng wаs so аngry hеr сhest aсhеd. It toоk a while for hеr mood to саlm dоwn. Aftеrward, she remеmbеrеd Zhou Shаоjin wаs still wаiting оutsidе, so shе dеliberаtelу began lеisurelу соunting the bаth bеаns.
Zhоu Shaojin waitеd and waited until her legs grеw somewhat sоre, but Mаdam Dоng still did nоt emеrge.
She thought for a moment, then beckoned to the young maid on duty outside the hall, saying, "Go and fetch me a stool."
The little maid dashed off and brought back a small carved red lacquer stool.
She couldn't just sit there blocking others' way!
Zhou Shaojin looked around and noticed that where she stood happened to face a cluster of banana trees. Their broad, thick leaves hung down like an umbrella over a bluestone slab. If one wasn't paying attention, they would never notice someone sitting beneath the banana trees.
She couldn't help but smile slightly.
She would just sit there—when Madam Dong came out and didn't see her, she would surely be displeased. Then, when Zhou Shaojin stepped forward, she would have the moral high ground and could even complain about why Madam Dong had stayed in the washroom for so long.
Zhou Shaojin picked up the small stool and headed toward the banana trees, but out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly caught sight of a corner of a vermilion skirt embroidered with linked pearl patterns peeking out from beneath the banana leaves.
Startled like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bowstring, she stumbled back several steps, her voice sharp as she demanded, "Who's hiding there?"
The banana leaves rustled, and a young girl with a chic tilted bun, wearing a red-gold peony butterfly hairpin and kingfisher feather flowers, stepped out.
"Pan Qing..." Zhou Shaojin stared in astonishment. "Why are you hiding here?"
Then, hadn't Pan Qing overheard every word of her conversation with Madam Dong?
Pan Qing's face flushed bright red as she hurriedly explained, "I didn't mean to! I came here earlier... wanting to get some fresh air... I didn't expect you and Auntie Bai to suddenly stop here... I'm not that kind of person, I won't say anything. Really!"
She spoke incoherently, so anxious that sweat beaded on her forehead.
Zhou Shaojin believed her.
Pan Qing had no reason to spy on her like this. If discovered by others, her good reputation would be completely ruined.
Zhou Shaojin carefully thought back to what she and Madam Dong had just said. It seemed there was nothing inappropriate—even if it was embarrassing, it was Madam Dong who should be embarrassed...
She then nodded and said, "So, are you going back to the hall now, or will you stay here for a while?"
Zhou Shaojin's calm acceptance of Pan Qing's explanation left Pan Qing speechless for a moment before she finally said, "I'd better go back to the hall... If I don't return soon, Mother will send someone to look for me..."
Zhou Shaojin politely nodded.
Pan Qing's face grew even redder. She lowered her head, brushed past Zhou Shaojin, and walked onto the corridor.
Zhou Shaojin unfolded the small stool beneath the banana trees.
But Pan Qing, walking along the corridor, slowed her pace until she finally stopped and turned back to look.
Zhou Shaojin was sitting upright on the small stool, her expression serene and at ease.
Pan Qing thought of her calm composure just now, not questioning the reasons; of her subtle persuasion of Cheng Jia... possessing a poise and steadiness rare among young girls... and then thought of how her brother had been stunned and lost his composure upon seeing her... After a moment's thought, she turned and quickly walked back to Zhou Shaojin's side.
"You... just believe me like that?" she asked, gazing intently at Zhou Shaojin. "What if I told my mother?"Zhou Shaojin was lost in thought and only noticed Pan Qing when she had already walked up to her, which gave her a bit of a start. But upon hearing Pan Qing's words, she couldn't help but smile and retorted, "Then would you?"
In her previous life, even when Cheng Jia had teased her so relentlessly, she had never gone to the elders to complain, taking pride in handling her own affairs. How much more so for something that had nothing to do with her?
The Pan family was also a prominent and populous clan. Surely Pan Qing had seen her fair share of unsavory things!
Pan Qing choked on her words, taking a long moment before she said, "Of course I wouldn't go to the elders, but you didn't ask anything... Aren't you afraid you might have misjudged someone?"
Zhou Shaojin suddenly found Pan Qing quite interesting. She laughed and said, "So, did I misjudge someone?"
"You..." Pan Qing once again found herself at a loss for words.
"Alright, alright," Zhou Shaojin said with a smile. "There's no need to be so tense. It's not a big deal, is it? Even if you were to speak of it, what then? Others would only think Madam Dong had ill intentions and was unkind. What does that have to do with me?"
So, she had already thought it through.
Pan Qing's expression shifted slightly.
Zhou Shaojin had always been a sensitive and perceptive person—how could she not know what Pan Qing was thinking?
She couldn't help but feel a bit melancholy and sighed, "People like you—when others trust you, you suspect they have ulterior motives; when they don't trust you, you feel they look down on you... It's really hard to deal with you!"
Pan Qing's face instantly flushed so red it seemed blood might drip from it, and she was too ashamed to speak.
Zhou Shaojin had a gentle temperament and had lived two lifetimes. Though she was still young in this life, she felt psychologically older than both Cheng Jia and Pan Qing. How could she possibly trouble these young girls?
She quickly changed the subject: "Why did you come out alone? Where are the maids and servants attending to you?"
Zhou Shaojin's voice was gentle and sounded very sincere.
Pan Qing let out a long sigh, feeling her face cool down a little. She said softly, "Everything was fine at first, but then that retired Madam Sun brought up a nephew from her family..." As she spoke, her face flushed again. "She took my hand and kept asking all sorts of questions. My mother tried several times to steer the conversation elsewhere, but she couldn't. I couldn't stand her shameless behavior, so I excused myself to go to the washroom and slipped out, even forgetting to call for my maids and servants."
So, it was because Madam Sun wanted to propose a marriage for Pan Qing, and Pan Qing didn't agree!
Zhou Shaojin hadn't expected Pan Qing to confide in her like this. After her initial surprise, she felt a sense of understanding.
It was just like her situation with Cheng Lu. Although everyone knew what Madam Dong meant, as long as it wasn't explicitly stated or revealed, there was always room for change. Making such a fuss about it wasn't appropriate.
She felt a sense of camaraderie with Pan Qing and said, "Since your aunt doesn't agree, it's likely this matter won't come to pass."
If she remembered correctly, Pan Qing eventually married into a family named Yu.
Zhou Shaojin comforted Pan Qing: "Don't worry. Your aunt surely has her own plans for your marriage."
To her surprise, Pan Qing lowered her head shyly.
Could it be... that there was more to Pan Qing's marriage with the Yu family?
Why hadn't she heard about it in her previous life?
Zhou Shaojin widened her eyes, feeling as though she had been blind in her past life. In this life, it was better for her to speak less!
Embarrassed, she said, "You should go back soon! Didn't you say that if you were out too long, your aunt would send someone to look for you?"Just as they were speaking, Madam Dong emerged from the washroom and looked up to see Zhou Shaojin standing calmly beside Pan Qing, chatting in a rather intimate manner. Her expression involuntarily darkened.
Could it be that Pan Qing had arrived right after she left, and the two had been talking all along, with Zhou Shaojin not waiting anxiously for her at all?
"Miss Pan!" Madam Dong set Zhou Shaojin aside and greeted Pan Qing with a smile.
Pan Qing, however, was quite cold toward her. She merely called out "Auntie Bai" as a greeting, then turned to Zhou Shaojin with a bright smile and said, "I'll head back first then! After the birthday banquet ends, I'll visit you and Sister Chujin at Fragrant Garden Residence."
She had overheard every word of Madam Dong and Zhou Shaojin's conversation. Several times, she had nearly rushed out to take Zhou Shaojin's hand and urge her not to listen to Madam Dong's nonsense. Fortunately, Zhou Shaojin had seen through Madam Dong's schemes... Someone as despicable and shameless as Madam Dong was simply not worth associating with.
Zhou Shaojin smiled as she saw her off.
Madam Dong, however, was filled with suspicion. "Why was she here?"
Zhou Shaojin had no intention of elaborating and replied indifferently, "We happened to run into each other."
The two returned to the side room one after the other.
The dishes had all been served. Madam Yang, the wife of the Yu family, remarked, "What took you so long? The food is already cold." As she spoke, she pointed to a bowl of crucian carp soup on the table and said, "Freshly caught crucian carp, very tender. Have some quickly!"
Madam Dong responded absentmindedly, while Zhou Shaojin calmly took her seat and quietly began her meal, not exchanging a single word with Madam Dong throughout.
Madam Yang's eyes darted back and forth, glancing at Madam Dong one moment and Zhou Shaojin the next.
Before long, the stewardess came in to invite everyone to move to the Peony Terrace for tea, adding, "The opera will begin in half an hour."
Amidst cheerful chatter, everyone stood up and headed toward the Peony Terrace.
The Peony Terrace was a two-story pavilion with a small stream winding in front of it. The stream was home to koi fish, and its surface was sparsely dotted with duckweed. Opposite the pavilion was an open terrace paved with bluestone.
The opera stage was set up on the terrace.
They would watch the opera from the second floor.
The guests from the main hall had already arrived and were seated in the covered corridor on the second floor, which was hung with beaded curtains. The guests from the side rooms either sat in the covered corridor on the first floor or crowded into the side rooms on the second floor.
In her previous life, Madam Dong had asked Zhou Shaojin to accompany her, so Zhou Shaojin had sat with Madam Dong in the covered corridor on the first floor. Someone had once thrown a packet of melon seeds toward her from below the opera stage, causing everyone to turn and stare, much to Madam Dong's displeasure.
In this life, she had no intention of enduring such embarrassment again.
Zhou Shaojin went up to the second floor.
As soon as her elder sister saw her, she waved her over.
Several elderly ladies turned around and gave her kind, smiling glances.
Zhou Shaojin's mood brightened, and she quickly walked over with a smile, linking arms with her sister. But before the two sisters could exchange a word, they heard a loud "thump, thump, thump" from the staircase.
Cheng Xu came running up.
"Grandmother, Grandmother," he called out urgently, as if blind to his surroundings, his gaze fixed directly on Old Madam Guo. "Have you seen Cousin Zhou Shaojin? I have something urgent to discuss with her!"
Instantly, everyone in the room turned their eyes toward Zhou Shaojin.
Zhou Shaojin wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Why did Cheng Xu always do things that embarrassed her?
She hid behind Zhou Chujin.Old Madam Guo's face also darkened as she rebuked Cheng Xu with displeasure: "How old are you now, yet still so reckless? How can you make your teachers feel at ease like this? Hurry up and leave! Is this a place for you to shout and make a scene?"
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Sisters, today's update... o(n_n)o~
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