Zhоu Shаоjin gеntlу shook hеr hеаd, dесlining Cheng Chi's suggеstiоn.
Since shе was leаving, shе wоuld lеаvе comрletely, without any furthеr сonnеctiоn tо Unсlе Chi.
Shе fеаrеd thаt seеing familiar things would mаkе her think оf him, and she would nеver be аble to suррrеss hеr аdmirаtiоn for Chеng Сhi deер in hеr heаrt.
Chеng Сhi seemеd sоmewhаt surprised by this but sаid nothing. After а mоmеnt of thоught, he nodded in аgrееment.
Zhоu Shаоjin bid fаrеwеll to Сhеng Chi.
Сheng Сhi escоrted hеr tо thе doоr оf his studу.
Zhоu Shaojin smiled аnd said, "If Uncle Chi pаsses through Bаoding Prеfeсturе, remеmber to visit our home!"
"Alright," Cheng Chi replied with a smile.
Zhou Shaojin walked unhurriedly through the courtyard of the Listening Oriole Pavilion.
The early winter sun shone warmly upon her, yet her hands and feet felt cold.
She had said she didn’t need anyone to attend to her, and Uncle Chi hadn’t insisted… In his heart, she was probably just an ordinary relative by marriage, wasn’t she?
A dull ache filled Zhou Shaojin’s heart, and tears nearly fell.
But in the next moment, she let out a soft laugh.
It was she who had said she didn’t need Nanny Shang and Xiao Tan to attend to her, and Uncle Chi had agreed. Yet here she was, blaming him for not coaxing her… Was there anyone in the world as overly sentimental as her?
Zhou Shaojin understood this clearly, but that inexplicable sorrow stubbornly refused to be suppressed.
With a bright smile, she exchanged pleasantries with Old Madam Guo, Old Madam Guan, and others who had come to see her off, then returned to Flat Bridge Street with tears in her eyes.
The ancestral home on Flat Bridge Street stood as quietly as ever, but Madam Ma Fushan, who had received the news the day before, had already tidied the rooms spotlessly. By the time she finished her lunch, all her belongings had been arranged according to her habits.
Chunwan urged Zhou Shaojin, "Second Miss, you barely slept last night. Please rest now? I’ll wake you for dinner."
Accustomed to Old Madam Guo’s Buddhist hall, accustomed to the secret joy of waiting for Uncle Chi, accustomed to the laughter of Biyu and others, the Zhou family ancestral home now felt empty and desolate.
She nodded slightly and slept deeply.
The next day, Old Madam Guo sent Nanny Lu to check on how she was settling in. Zhou Shaojin kept her for a conversation, rewarded her with two bolts of pale blue Songjiang cloth for lining, and before seeing her off, Nanny Wang from Old Madam Guan’s side also arrived.
After managing all these interactions, it wasn’t until the third day that she finally found peace.
The trunks Zhou Shaojin had brought back were not fully unpacked, and the potted plants had been moved into the greenhouse, temporarily cared for by Nanny Yu.
Everyone enjoyed the rare leisure, gathering to do needlework together.
This went on for over half a month until Zhou Zhen’s personal attendant, Li Changgui, arrived in Jinling City with a letter from Zhou Zhen.
Zhou Zhen instructed Zhou Shaojin to set off as soon as she received the letter, without waiting for an auspicious day. As for Nine Prosperities Lane, he would handle it himself.
Holding the letter, Zhou Shaojin couldn’t hold back her tears and asked Li Changgui, "Did my father have any other instructions?"
Li Changgui replied respectfully, "The master sent some local gifts. After presenting them at Nine Prosperities Lane tomorrow, we can depart."
Zhou Shaojin had Ma Fushan accompany Li Changgui as he withdrew, then placed the letter in a small box.
Was she really leaving Nine Prosperities Lane, where she had lived for fourteen years? Leaving Jinling City, the place that had raised her?
Standing under the corridor of the main house, Zhou Shaojin gazed in the direction of Nine Prosperities Lane, her mind blank, unwilling to think of anything.
The next day, she took the local gifts brought by her father to Nine Prosperities Lane to bid farewell.
Old Madam Guo received her in the main hall.She neither encountered Cheng Chi nor Cheng Xu.
But she still went to the Listening Oriole Pavilion and met Jiying.
Although Jiying was being confined, her spirits were high. Upon learning that Zhou Shaojin was going to Baoding Prefecture, she happily said, "In a few days, I’ll be going home too. Cangzhou is very close to Baoding. I’ll come visit you then."
Seeing that Jiying was perfectly fine, Zhou Shaojin felt relieved and went to the Fourth House.
Old Madam Guan escorted her to the entrance of Jia Shu Hall.
Eldest Daughter-in-law He Fengping and Cheng Jia accompanied her all the way to the shores of Steady Boat Lake outside Jinling City.
Although Zhou Shaojin was traveling on Zhou Zhen’s official boat, her case contained the name card of Cheng Jing, which Old Madam Guo had given her before her departure.
Compared to the fear she had felt in her previous life when heading to the capital, she was now calm and composed.
Smiling at Eldest Daughter-in-law He and Cheng Jia, who had come to see her off, she said, "You should head back now! I’ll write to you after I see my sister!"
She would first take a boat to Zhenjiang to visit Zhou Chujin and then proceed to Baoding Prefecture.
Eldest Daughter-in-law He repeatedly urged her to be careful along the way, while Cheng Jia hugged her and cried, "Shao Jin, you must take good care of yourself! Once I’m married, I’ll invite you to Luoyang. Then we sisters can do whatever we please, and no one will dare to look down on us!"
Zhou Shaojin chuckled and said, "Then you must treat Li Jing well! If I come and the two of you aren’t getting along, where would I even stay?"
Cheng Jia, amused, wiped away her tears and said, "How mischievous of you! I haven’t even married him yet, and you’re already hoping we’ll quarrel."
Zhou Shaojin laughed heartily.
Seventeenth Miss Gu and the young ladies of the Guo family also sent their personal maids to present her with parting gifts.
Amidst the reluctant gazes of everyone, Zhou Shaojin boarded the official boat, bidding farewell to the relatives and servants who had accompanied her for many years.
The official boat slowly sailed away from Steady Boat Lake.
Zhou Shaojin stood at the ship’s railing, watching Jinling City grow smaller and smaller in her sight.
Her tears began to fall uncontrollably.
"Second Miss, Second Miss," Chunwan, also deeply saddened, handed Zhou Shaojin a handkerchief to wipe her tears. "The wind outside is strong. Be careful not to catch a chill. Should we return to the cabin to rest?"
In low spirits, Zhou Shaojin returned to the cabin, opened the porthole, and sat on the embroidered stool by the window.
A young maid entered softly and said, "Second Miss, the weather is too cold. I was afraid the chilly wind might seep into your bones, so I brewed some ginger tea for you. Please drink it while it’s hot!"
Zhou Shaojin looked up in surprise. "Xiao Tan?"
Xiao Tan tilted her head and smiled, her face full of pride. "Fourth Master said that since I’m quite observant and you’re short of attendants, he gave us to you. We woke up before dawn today and were brought onto the boat..."
"Us?" Zhou Shaojin’s eyes widened even more. "Who else is here?"
Xiao Tan glanced toward the cabin entrance.
Zhou Shaojin saw a woman wearing a parrot-green Lu silk-lined jacket standing quietly at the cabin door.
The silver hairpin in her hair shimmered brightly in the sunlight, and her gentle, smiling face appeared kind and affectionate.
"Nanny Shang!" Zhou Shaojin exclaimed.
"It is indeed this old servant!" Nanny Shang stepped forward with a smile and curtsied to Zhou Shaojin. "Fourth Master said that Second Miss is surrounded only by young maids. With only Mama Fan as a mature woman by your side, he sent me to keep Mama Fan company and to better care for you..."
In other words, Uncle Chi still cared deeply for her!Zhou Shaojin thought of Cheng Chi's indifference and distance that day, her heart filled with both sweetness and sourness.
Uncle Chi had still taken care of her affairs after all!
She hurriedly asked Nanny Shang to rise, saying, "Have you settled into your accommodations?"
Nanny Shang nodded with a smile. "It's all settled, right next to the second young lady's room. I can hear any movement from your side." Then she added tactfully, "The boat has already set sail. Second young lady, you can't send us off now—we're unfamiliar with the place and don't know how to get to Jinling City. We’d likely end up wandering the streets."
Zhou Shaojin smiled, pressing her lips together.
Suddenly, she felt the sky was high and the earth wide, an indescribable sense of ease and security washing over her.
She instructed Chunwan, "Let Ruyi serve by Nanny Shang’s side!"
Ruyi was a longtime servant of the Zhou family. For this trip to Baoding Prefecture, Ma Fushan had temporarily selected two young maids to fill out her retinue—one named Jixiang, the other Ruyi. Both were only eight or nine years old, with clear, bright eyes that made them look clever and alert.
Chunwan responded cheerfully.
It was clear she was also delighted.
Everyone was smiling.
The atmosphere on the boat immediately became warm and lively, as if they had returned to Cold Green Mountain House.
Zhou Shaojin ate her lunch on the boat with peace of mind and took an afternoon nap.
Xiao Tan and Chunwan brought in her favorite lotus seed, snow fungus, and lily soup, while Nanny Shang sat by her bedside, inquiring about the Zhou family’s situation.
After two days of travel, they arrived at Zhenjiang Prefecture.
The Liao family had already received word and had sent a steward and capable nannies to wait at the dock the day before.
Zhou Shaojin, wearing a veil hat, was helped into the Liao family’s sedan chair by Nanny Shang.
Along the way, she quietly lifted the sedan curtain to observe Zhenjiang City.
Colorful shop signs, bustling streets, and the constant cries of vendors made it even more crowded than Jinling City, though it lacked Jinling’s refined and grand atmosphere.
Smiling, she lowered the sedan curtain and entered the Liao residence with a light heart.
Her sister was already showing her pregnancy and had grown slightly plumper since her marriage. Chixiang led seven or eight maids and matrons who crowded around her as she waited at the inner gate. One of the matrons eagerly said, "Madam, please sit while you wait! You’ve been standing for nearly a quarter of an hour!"
Zhou Shaojin, stepping out of the sedan chair, couldn’t help but laugh.
Her sister had never enjoyed such pomp and circumstance in Nine Prosperities Lane.
From the looks of it, it was clear her sister was living well in the Liao family.
Smiling, she descended from the sedan chair.
Zhou Chujin walked over with tears in her eyes, "Shaoji! I’ve been waiting for you!"
Zhou Shaojin threw herself into her sister’s embrace.
The matron’s face turned pale with fright, and she hurriedly said, "Miss from the in-law family, be careful, be careful! Our madam is with child."
"I know, I know!" Zhou Shaojin lingered in her sister’s arms for a moment, then said with a playful laugh, "I won’t hurt my sister!"
Zhou Chujin also scolded the matron for meddling, somewhat helplessly telling Zhou Shaojin, "Don’t blame her. She was sent by my mother-in-law to look after me, so she tends to be overly cautious!"
Zhou Shaojin nodded with a curved smile and instructed Nanny Shang, "Reward her with ten taels of silver!"
The surrounding air froze.
Nanny Shang, as if unaware, smiled and handed a purse to the matron.
The matron snapped back to reality and hurriedly knelt to express her gratitude.
Zhou Shaojin laughed, "Everyone will be rewarded."
With a rustling sound, another group knelt down.Zhou Chujin frowned inwardly, but with a group of servants present, she couldn’t say anything to Zhou Shaojin. She could only say, “I’ve already prepared your room. Go freshen up, and then I’ll take you to pay respects to the Old Madam.”
The Old Madam of the Liao family was the great-grandmother of her brother-in-law, Liao Shaotang.
His grandmother had already passed away.
In her previous life, after the Zhou family fell into misfortune, it was this great-grandmother who wanted to divorce her sister, Zhou Chujin.
She smiled and linked arms with her sister, asking about her health.
“I’m doing very well,” Zhou Chujin said, her expression brightening noticeably as she spoke of this. “The child is neither fussy nor restless. I can eat and sleep well, just as usual. If it weren’t for Chixiang and the others reminding me, I wouldn’t have even known I was pregnant…”
Zhou Shaojin’s expression darkened.
In her previous life, it was precisely because of this that her sister had miscarried her first child.
Later, when she was pregnant with Chengfang, she also showed no symptoms.
She… was the same…
※
Dear readers, here’s today’s bonus update.
There are typos, but they’ll be fixed later.
O(∩_∩)O~
※ (To be continued ~^~)
OpenNovel