Сhеng Хu thоught tо himsеlf that he оught tо ароlogize to Zhоu Shаojin. Hе stole а glаnсе bеhind him.
Zhоu Shaojin wаs still following at a distancе, hеr eуes dоwnсаst, mаintaining а соmроsed dеmeanor.
А misсhievоus thought suddenly сrossed his mind: wаlking like that, wоuld shе triр? If shе fеll, wоuld shе cry оut in рain оr рrеtend nоthing haррened аnd gеt up tо continue wаlking... But given her tеmреramеnt, she would prоbаblу prеtеnd nоthing hаррenеd аnd keеp gоing... If he ran оver tо hеlр her uр thеn, wоuld shе push him awaу in a fit of pique... What wоuld she look likе in a fit of рique? With flushеd сheеks and a reddened nose, or with a stern face but tears glistening in her lovely eyes? Either way, she would surely look beautiful...
As Cheng Xu thought this, he glanced back at Zhou Shaojin once more.
Zhou Shaojin pretended not to notice anything, silently repeating to herself, "The bright mirror is not a platform; it is the ordinary person who troubles themselves."
Feicui, however, was trembling with fear, regretting her actions so much that she wished she could slap herself twice.
If only the eldest Miss Zhou had come along... What should she do now?
In the eerie silence, a small hill appeared before them, with a winding stone path leading upward. Along the path were jagged rocks, lush vines, and green trees that blocked the sun, dotted here and there with unnamed white wildflowers, creating a rustic charm. Cheng Xu pointed toward the hilltop. "That’s the Evergreen Pavilion up there."
Zhou Shaojin faintly glimpsed gray eaves.
She stopped and asked, "Why not just have Da Su bring it down?"
This was the first time she had taken the initiative to speak to Cheng Xu. Her voice was soft and sweet, like spun-silk candy, melting straight into one’s heart.
Cheng Xu was momentarily stunned.
Zhou Shaojin’s brows furrowed slightly.
Cheng Xu snapped back to reality, his face flushing with heat. He hurriedly said, "That ‘Beauty Under the Moon’ was bestowed upon our Cheng family by the previous dynasty. Though times have changed, only two or three such pieces remain in existence today, making it extremely precious. There’s nothing here—what if it gets bumped or damaged? The Evergreen Pavilion not only has tables and chairs but also copper basins, fragrant soap, hot and cold water..." It was only then that he realized what Zhou Shaojin was concerned about. Suddenly understanding, he quickly added, "There are also two maidservants attending there..." Fearing Zhou Shaojin might not believe him, he added, "Besides, Feicui is here too."
Feicui, eager to see this task through as quickly as possible, chimed in, "Yes, Second Miss, I’ll accompany you."
After all, the old mistress had already given her word. If the seal couldn’t be retrieved, they could simply smash the decorative vase... No matter what, the most important thing was to ensure Second Miss Zhou returned to the main hall unharmed! Zhou Shaojin thought for a moment, then extended her hand to Feicui. "This stone path isn’t easy to walk on. You’d better support me."
Feicui looked at the neatly laid stone path but silently took Zhou Shaojin’s arm.
Zhou Shaojin then turned her gaze to Cheng Xu.
Only then did Cheng Xu come to his senses, exclaiming repeatedly, "Follow me!" and strode onto the stone path.
Zhou Shaojin and Feicui followed behind him.
As the terrain rose, undulating hills, pavilions of varying heights, and buildings large and small gradually came into view. She even caught sight of tiny figures dressed in red and green on the Peony Terrace.
She had never realized Nine Prosperities Lane was so vast.
A gentle morning breeze brushed her face, and the lush greenery filled her vision. Zhou Shaojin felt relaxed and refreshed, gradually letting her guard down. A faint smile appeared in her eyes, softening her features.A smile crept uncontrollably into the corners of Cheng Xu's eyes. He said, "Second Cousin Zhou, the scenery here is quite nice, isn't it?"
His tone carried an unmistakable note of flattery.
Feicui couldn't bear to watch.
Zhou Shaojin, as always, paid him no heed.
Yet Cheng Xu felt immensely pleased with himself.
In his view, although Zhou Shaojin hadn't spoken a word, her expression had softened compared to her earlier stern face. This showed that she was someone who could be won over with time. As long as he persisted with gentle words and a soft tone, even a heart of stone like Zhou Shaojin's would one day melt into tenderness.
Instantly invigorated, he continued speaking to himself, "Second Cousin Zhou, you really should come out for walks more often. When my sisters were still at home, they often came here to hike. When you have free time, you could invite Eldest Cousin Zhou to join you. Oh, and the Gu family is hosting a poetry gathering in a few days. Would you like to go? I can ask Cousin Gu to send you an invitation."
By now, Zhou Shaojin understood that the so-called "Cousin Gu" referred to the family of Gu Qinghong, the teacher of Old Madam Guo's father, Guo Yuansheng.
Since Cheng Xu referred to the Gu family as cousins, it meant the Gu and Guo families were extremely close—so close that even the Cheng family had become intimate friends with the Gu family. Yet today was the birthday banquet of the Second Branch's matriarch, and the Gu family had sent someone to offer congratulations. Why, then, were there no female relatives from the Guo family in attendance? Was it because Old Madam Guo's natal family had no one left, or was there another reason?
Zhou Shaojin's thoughts wandered, and her mood grew somewhat gloomy.
If Cheng Xu was so familiar with the Gu family's cousins, why hadn't he taken a liking to any of the Gu family's female cousins in her previous life? Why did he have to drag her into this mess?
Cheng Xu was also feeling rather frustrated.
Zhou Shaojin had seemed quite cheerful just moments ago, so why had her face suddenly darkened again... He had no idea which of his words had offended her... Her temperament was far too unpredictable!
Cheng Xu sighed inwardly.
Fortunately, they had arrived at Changchun Hall.
Gray tiles and white walls surrounded the structure, with a black-lacquered moon gate standing wide open. A young maid, still wearing her hair in twin buns, stood on tiptoe by the moon gate, peering into the distance.
As soon as she saw them, the little maid beamed and dashed inside, shouting as she ran, "The young master is here!"
Immediately, a maid of about fifteen or sixteen came out to greet them.
She wore a silver-red vest embroidered with yellow honeysuckle patterns, her features delicate and her figure slender.
Zhou Shaojin recognized her at once as Yu Ru, Cheng Xu's senior maid.
No, she wasn't Cheng Xu's senior maid yet. At this time, the senior maid by his side was Bi Ru. Only after Bi Ru was released from service did Yu Ru rise to become the senior maid.
She was Cheng Xu's confidante.
In her previous life, whenever Zhou Shaojin was punished by Madam Yuan, Yu Ru would often sneak word to Cheng Xu, who would then find an excuse to intervene, forcing Madam Yuan to let her off. After repeated incidents, Madam Yuan caught on. If not for Cheng Xu's protection, Yu Ru would have nearly been sold off by Madam Yuan.
Zhou Shaojin's feelings were complicated.
Yu Ru, however, knew nothing of this. She stepped forward with a smile, curtsying to the three of them, and said cheerfully, "Everything is prepared. We were just waiting for Second Miss to come and see if she can retrieve the item."
Zhou Shaojin nodded to her and entered the moon gate.
Facing her was a five-bay wing room. The black-lacquered doors, carved with plum blossoms and ice-crack patterns, were entirely inlaid with transparent glass. The sunlight reflected off them, sparkling like glowing gemstones.
And this was merely one of the Cheng family's guest halls—a rarely used one at that.Upon entering, they were met by a twelve-panel black lacquer mother-of-pearl inlaid screen depicting a gathering of immortals and frolicking children. Black lacquer official's armchairs, tea tables, and flower stands with mother-of-pearl inlay were arranged in an orderly yet varied fashion around the room. With no flowers or plants on display, the spacious hall, though clean and tidy, felt rather desolate and lacking in vitality.
Da Su stood before the screen, holding a jade-white wide-bellied ornamental vase, looking tense.
Upon seeing Cheng Xu, he breathed a sigh of relief, called out "Young Master," and placed the vase on a nearby tea table.
Yuru and another young maid brought in water and fragrant soap.
Seeing that Cheng Xu and the others did not seem to be putting on an act, Zhou Shaojin calmed herself and stepped forward to examine the vase.
It was plump and rounded, crystal-clear like jade, resembling a full moon.
Only the mouth of the vase was smaller than a baby's fist.
Yet it was still quite beautiful.
Zhou Shaojin restrained herself from reaching out to touch the vase.
Yuru had already deftly prepared warm water and brought over the fragrant soap. "Second Young Miss, please wash your hands with this to soften them! Just now, Xiao'e and the others couldn't get their hands inside," she said with evident concern.
Zhou Shaojin nodded, scrubbed her hands with the soap, and tried to insert her hand into the vase.
But she failed several times.
Zhou Shaojin asked Yuru to bring in hot water.
The softer the hand, the easier it would be to insert.
She decided to try one last time.
Feicui was somewhat worried.
Sometimes it was easy to get in but difficult to get out.
She glanced at Cheng Xu beside her, hesitating to speak.
Cheng Xu, however, seemed to snap out of his thoughts and quickly stopped Yuru, saying to Zhou Shaojin, "Please don't force it. Let me think of another way!"
Zhou Shaojin was furious.
If you had another method, why did you call me here in the first place?
She stared at Cheng Xu.
Under Zhou Shaojin's gaze, Cheng Xu sheepishly rubbed his nose and said, "I... I just thought of it now..."
Yuru and the young maid stared at Cheng Xu in astonishment, their jaws nearly dropping.
Da Su even turned his face away.
Only Feicui, having witnessed this several times before and thus somewhat immune, came to Cheng Xu's rescue, asking, "What good method has Young Master thought of?"
Cheng Xu smiled. "Watch me."
He turned the vase upside down.
A series of clinking sounds followed, and half of a bronze reclining deer emerged from the mouth of the vase.
But it was stuck right at the opening.
Cheng Xu chuckled. "I figured that since this thing could fall in, it must be possible to get it out—it's just a matter of positioning." He instructed Yuru, "Go fetch a red string."
Yuru found a red string from somewhere.
Cheng Xu tried to thread the red string through the small gap between the deer's hooves.
This way, he could pull on the seal.
But Cheng Xu's hands trembled slightly, and several times the red string missed the deer entirely.
This was because he had never handled needlework before.
Zhou Shaojin signaled to Feicui. "Why don't you give it a try?"
Feicui had long wanted to take over, but since Cheng Xu hadn't spoken, she hesitated to volunteer. Now that Zhou Shaojin had spoken up, she stepped forward with a smile and said, "Young Master, let me try!"
Cheng Xu chuckled twice and handed the red string to Feicui.
Feicui tried several times but also failed.
Left with no choice, Zhou Shaojin said, "Let me try."
Feicui handed the red string to Zhou Shaojin, who attempted it herself. Then she asked Da Su to gently rotate the vase, changing the position of the seal several times. Amidst everyone's bated breath, she successfully threaded the red string through.
Yuru cheered, "Second Young Miss must be very skilled at needlework!"
Zhou Shaojin smiled faintly.Cheng Xu immediately said, "So your needlework is excellent! Yuru is the best at needlework in my household. If she says you're good, you must be truly exceptional. How about making a few tassels for me? Last time, I saw the tassel on Cousin Gu's fan pouch was exquisitely crafted. I asked Yuru to make one for me, but she said she couldn't. You must be able to..."
Yuru nearly stamped her feet in frustration, hastily interjecting, "Master, who is the Second Young Miss? And who am I? How could you ask the Second Young Miss to make tassels for you? If you truly want one, you should properly request it from the Old Madam!"
※
oo~
※
OpenNovel