Zhоu Shаоjin finаllу saw things clеаrlу. Тhеir master and sеrvаnt had cоnspired tо sеt а trар fоr her to fаll into!
She turned and walked аwаy immеdiatеlу.
Сhеng Xu hurriеdlу сhаsеd aftеr her.
Feicui sаw this аnd inwardlу exclаimed "Oh nо!", rushing to follоw. Unехресtеdly, Yuru grabbеd hеr sleеvе аnd said with а smile, "Sistеr Fеicui, the уоung mastеr merely wishеs to speаk а fеw words with thе Zhou family's sесоnd yоung lаdу..."
"Ноw uttеrly fооlish!" Feiсui cоuld no longеr restrаin hеrsеlf, loudlу rеbuking Yuru whilе аlso warning Da Su, "If thе young master has аny intentions, hе should prоpеrlу spеak with the Madam or the Dowager. What kind of behavior is this, pestering the Zhou family's second young lady? A gentleman should be open and aboveboard. Instead of advising the young master to act honorably, you only know how to flatter and curry his favor. If any unsavory rumors spread, what will you attendants do? What of the young master's reputation? Not to mention the Elder Master—even if the Dowager and Madam found out, they likely wouldn't let this go lightly!"
They didn't serve in the same household. Those serving in the Dowager's quarters had status, and those attending the future Cheng family heir also had their own standing. They had always been courteous to one another. Yuru, subjected to Feicui's fierce scolding, flushed crimson and argued stubbornly, "Good sister, just turn a blind eye to this matter! We servants must naturally do as our master commands!" So the young master truly has taken a fancy to the Zhou family's second cousin!
Although she had sensed it earlier, hearing it stated so plainly left Feicui stunned and speechless.
Da Su, after all, was a man who moved in outside circles, more experienced than these young girls who spent their days confined to the inner quarters. Hearing this, he said, "I actually think Miss Feicui makes a valid point. I believe we should follow them. The Zhou family's second young lady appears gentle and delicate, but her temperament is stubborn. If the young master says something inappropriate and angers her, things will surely end unpleasantly. This courtyard is so vast—if they get lost, it would be troublesome! Over at the Four Delights Pavilion, several elderly madams and ladies are still enjoying the opera!"
Hearing this, Yuru panicked. Grabbing Feicui, she hurried out with Da Su in pursuit. But amidst the lush greenery of trees all around, there was no trace of Cheng Xu or Zhou Shaojin.
Da Su looked around and said to them, "Wait here." Then, with a swift motion, he climbed the tallest tree.
On the bluestone path veiled by emerald foliage, Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Xu were walking one after the other along the road leading to the Four Delights Pavilion.
Da Su breathed a sigh of relief and urged Feicui and Yuru to head east.
Zhou Shaojin, however, was burning with shame and indignation.
"...Why must you avoid me, cousin? Haven't I already apologized for what happened before?" Cheng Xu kept chattering behind her. "If you're still angry, just say the word. Whether it's climbing a mountain of blades or plunging into a sea of fire, if I show the slightest hesitation, you can simply avoid me next time we meet." Then he asked in a humble tone, "That day I specifically went looking for you, cousin—why did you leave so early?" So when he called her out in front of everyone to fetch that button seal, it was merely to show her that no matter how she tried to hide, she couldn't escape him, wasn't it?
Zhou Shaojin was so furious she couldn't utter a word for a long while.To make matters worse, Cheng Xu was still saying, "This seal matter isn't really important anyway. I just wanted to find an excuse to invite you out for a walk, to help you relax. Is that 'Beauty Under the Moon' vase beautiful? It's one of my grandmother's favorite ornamental vases, usually kept in the treasure collection. I went through great trouble to bring it out. Our family has another ornamental vase from the Jun kiln. Because it's rose-purple in color, it's called 'Wei Purple.' Do you find that interesting? That vase is even more beautiful than this one. My mother once wanted to ask Grandmother for it as part of my eldest sister's dowry, but in the end, my father found a pair of Meiping vases from the Ding kiln for my sister, so my mother gave up..."
Even a rabbit will bite when cornered.
Zhou Shaojin truly couldn't bear it any longer. She turned to Cheng Xu and said, "Why do you keep haunting me like a lingering ghost? What do your family's vases have to do with me? I neither wish to see them nor desire to possess them. Is there any meaning in you saying these things? You and I have long passed the age where men and women can casually socialize. Shame on you for being someone who reads the classics of sages and worthies—how can you not understand even these basic ethical norms? Speak less to me from now on. I simply don't want to see you."
Who was Cheng Xu?
The legitimate eldest son of the Cheng family, the future clan leader of the Cheng family, a brilliant scholar since childhood, handsome... From the day he was born until now, everyone he met either flattered and fawned over him or dared not offend him casually, let alone humiliate him like this.
It felt like a slap across his face.
His expression changed dramatically, and his heart felt as if it had been stabbed.
But out of the corner of his eye, seeing Zhou Shaojin's eyes brimming with tears yet putting on a brave front, his steps faltered, feeling as heavy as lead.
"I... I didn't mean anything else..." he murmured, unsure how to explain, only hating himself for liking the person before him, losing his resolve in her presence. She had struck his left cheek, yet he was offering her his right cheek as well...
Even after she had treated him like this, he still lingered without leaving. Zhou Shaojin grew angry as well, stamping her foot and saying, "Why aren't you leaving yet? I never want to see you again!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, it was as if she had finally spoken the words she hadn't had the chance to say to Cheng Xu in her previous life. All her pent-up frustrations were now voiced without restraint, and her agitated heart suddenly calmed, like a clogged river channel being cleared.
Cheng Xu flew into a rage.
Since childhood, no one had ever dared speak to him like this. Even his father, when he was young and unwilling to do his homework, would reason with him gently and had never once scolded him...
His wounded pride made his eyes burn with anger. His emotions overrode his reason, and he said indignantly, "How can there be someone like you? I treated you with nothing but good intentions, yet not only did you not appreciate it, you even hurled insults at me. You truly are someone who bullies the weak! No wonder Cheng Lu once said in front of Cheng Ju that his mother was very fond of you and would propose to the Zhou family as soon as he achieved success in the imperial examinations. He personally made several kites for you, and you liked them so much that you would take them out to fly every spring. Another time, he said that your father is now a fourth-rank official and he didn't know if he would be considered worthy. But he grew up with you as childhood friends, innocent and carefree. He couldn't let you down, and even if their social status wasn't quite equal, he still had to try to find out..."
"What did you say?" Cheng Xu's reckless words struck Zhou Shaojin like a thunderbolt, leaving her ears ringing. For a long moment, she couldn't regain her senses.Cheng Xu watched as Zhou Shaojin's rosy, delicate face instantly turned as pale as snow, like a flower battered by a fierce storm. Only then did he realize his slip of the tongue, immediately feeling both ashamed and remorseful. He stammered, "I—I was talking nonsense! You—you mustn’t take it to heart…"
Nonsense!
Others might talk nonsense.
But not Cheng Xu!
Given his status and position, even if he had taken a fancy to her, he wouldn’t need to use such an excuse to slander Cheng Lu.
So this was how Cheng Lu saw her.
Whether in her past life or this one, she had never taken the initiative to speak a word to him, nor had she done anything to wrong him. Why would Cheng Lu treat her this way?
And then there was Cheng Xu.
Could it be that in her past life, Cheng Xu had pursued her because of Cheng Lu?
Otherwise, how could someone like Cheng Xu—the future heir of the Cheng family, admired by all and with a bright future ahead—notice someone like her, an obscure, dependent relative living under another’s roof?
Zhou Shaojin was so furious that her heart ached. She clutched a tree by the roadside to steady herself before collapsing weakly in front of Cheng Xu.
Seeing Zhou Shaojin so devastated, Cheng Xu was filled with regret and self-reproach. He dared not say another word, torn between worry and heartache. After hesitating for a long while, he finally stepped forward and called softly, "Second Cousin," adding, "You should report this matter to the Old Anren. Or you could discuss it with your elder sister. In any case, you can’t just let it go on like this. Although the pure remain pure and the tainted remain tainted, there are few in this world who can truly distinguish right from wrong. If I didn’t know you, Second Cousin, I might have believed his words too…"
Did he really have no ulterior motives toward her?
Otherwise, how could he have committed such beastly acts in her past life?
Zhou Shaojin felt as if a ball of cotton were stuffed in her chest, suffocating her… just like when Cheng Lu had choked her in the past… Tears rolled down her cheeks like dewdrops as she shouted at Cheng Xu, "Get out! Get out now!"
Cheng Xu was deeply embarrassed.
But he dared not leave.
Zhou Shaojin looked too frightening.
He was afraid she might do something foolish if he left her alone.
Zhou Shaojin couldn’t bear to stay any longer.
"Fine, fine, fine," she wiped the corners of her eyes. "You won’t leave, is that it? If you won’t leave, then I will!"
With that, she lifted her skirt and dashed toward the Siyi Pavilion.
Indeed, since she was treating him this way, should he still stubbornly follow her?
What kind of person would that make him?
Besides, she was heading toward the Siyi Pavilion.
Cheng Xu hesitated for a moment.
Zhou Shaojin’s figure had already disappeared around the corner.
Cheng Xu paced back and forth where he stood.
Zhou Shaojin’s tears continued to fall uncontrollably as she stumbled toward the Siyi Pavilion.
A man and a woman approached from the opposite direction, tugging at each other as if arguing about something.
Zhou Shaojin was startled.
Whenever she cried, her eyes would swell up like walnuts, and she needed to soothe them with a cold cloth.
With guests everywhere today, if someone saw her in this state, who knew what trouble it might cause.
She hid behind a large tree nearby and, upon closer look, realized the man and woman were Pan Zhuo and Pan Qing.
For some reason, the two were quarreling. Pan Zhuo seemed intent on going somewhere, but Pan Qing blocked his way, and they argued in hushed tones.
Zhou Shaojin hesitated over whether to step out and greet them when Pan Zhuo and Pan Qing’s voices suddenly grew louder.
She heard Pan Qing losing her temper: "...Our family is no humble, insignificant household. How could we possibly arrange a marriage exchange with the Cheng family?"Pan Zhuo's expression immediately turned ugly, his lips pressed tightly together. Though he said nothing, his stubbornness and determination were evident.
Pan Qing began to cry, saying, "Brother, which is more beneficial to Father—the Zhou family's second young lady, or the future matriarch of the Cheng family? You can't just think of yourself. You must consider Mother too. How difficult her life has been all these years—if others don't know, surely you do..."
How could their sibling quarrel have anything to do with her?
Zhou Shaojin couldn't help but prick up her ears to listen.
But Pan Qing's voice gradually grew softer.
Gritting her teeth, Zhou Shaojin tiptoed through the thicket overgrown with weeds.
Just as she was about to approach the Pan siblings, they parted ways unhappily. Pan Zhuo headed west, brushing past Zhou Shaojin. Pan Qing went east, toward the Four Seasons Pavilion.
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Some readers have asked me why Zhou Shaojin didn’t bring her personal maids and matrons—her official entourage—to the Changchun Hall. Consider the situation at the time: even Zhou Shaojin, a young lady of noble status, could only sit in a corner of the side room. How could her personal maids and matrons possibly have a place there? Moreover, Old Madam Guo had tasked her with an errand and sent her own senior maid to accompany her. Could she have brought a whole crowd of maids and matrons along? In ancient times, hierarchy was strictly observed—hence the saying, "If the ruler demands the minister’s death, the minister cannot refuse to die. If the father demands the son’s demise, the son cannot refuse to perish." Of course, I haven’t lived in ancient times myself, but I strive to follow the social customs reflected in Ming and Qing dynasty novels as closely as possible. Any shortcomings are open to your kind corrections!
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