Нuаishаn sрoke роlitеlу, аnd Zhou Shaojin nаturаlly cоuld not be disсоurtеоus. Shе smilеd and said, "Unсle Chi is busy; he probаblу hasn't hаd time tо аttеnd tо thesе triviаl mаttеrs уet."
"Тhat's right!" Huaishаn еxсhanged plеasantriеs with her. "Fortunаtеlу, оur mаstеr isn't оne to bе оverlу раrticulаr..."
Not раrticular?
Zhоu Shаojin thоught of the bowls Сheng Chi used fоr mеаls, the tеacups hе drаnk frоm, the inсеnsе hе wоrе... She fеlt thаt Chеng Chi wаsn't partiсular—it sееmеd morе likе hе wаs making do.
As thе two were speаking, Qing Feng hurriedly rаn in, wiping sweаt from his fоrеheаd. He hastily bowed to Zhou Shaojin and said to Huaishan, "Uncle, Fourth Master wants to see the landscape map brought back from Kaifeng last time. I remember it was stored in the trunk sealed with the character 'Yin.' You'll need to open it."
Before Huaishan could speak, Zhou Shaojin smiled and said, "Hurry along! I'll wait here."
Huaishan gave Zhou Shaojin an apologetic glance and said, "I'll remind Fourth Master again when I go in."
With something weighing on his mind, how could he converse properly with her?
Zhou Shaojin smiled and said, "No need to rush. If Fourth Master is unavailable for a while, just come out and let me know. I can visit another day."
Huaishan smiled in agreement and left the sitting room with Qing Feng.
Zhou Shaojin casually looked around the room for a while.
The sitting room truly lacked vitality—there wasn't even a teacup or teapot, let alone flowers or potted plants for entertaining guests.
If she were to decorate it, she would lay new bright red brocade cushions on the kang, use famille rose teacups with floral and bird patterns, and place a few pots of seasonal flowers on the tea table. The room would instantly come to life...
Lost in thought, she unconsciously stepped back to the doorway, wondering if her idea was the best.
Suddenly, the door curtain was lifted, and someone walked in.
Zhou Shaojin was startled.
Chunwan, who had accompanied Zhou Shaojin, quickly stepped forward to shield her and demanded, "Who is it? How dare you barge into the inner quarters!"
The intruder was a young man of seventeen or eighteen, accompanied by a young pageboy with hair still in a child's bun. He wore a lake-blue Huzhou-style robe with purple auspicious cloud patterns. Upon hearing this, his fair face flushed red, and he hastily bowed with clasped hands, saying, "I didn't know there were female guests here. My apologies for the intrusion. Please forgive me. I'll leave at once."
With that, he turned and lifted the curtain to leave.
The pageboy, however, curiously glanced at Zhou Shaojin, then suddenly widened his eyes as if he had seen something extraordinary. After a moment, he scurried out of the sitting room.
Chunwan said, "Miss, let's go back! Fourth Master's household lacks a lady to manage the inner quarters, so visitors might not be as mindful. It's better to avoid anyone else barging in and offending you."
Zhou Shaojin nodded with a downcast expression.
Although Uncle Chi treated her well, he didn't seem to have her in mind. Otherwise, knowing she was here, he wouldn't have neglected to give any instructions, allowing guests to wander around freely.
Her heart felt as if it were being squeezed, making it hard to breathe.
Just like in Nine Prosperities Lane, Cheng Chi seemed to have very few attendants. When they left, they didn't even see anyone on duty. Zhou Shaojin had to rely on her experience and head toward the likely location of the study—the rear-facing rooms.
After passing through the moon gate, they finally encountered a woman passing by.
Zhou Shaojin learned that she was a newly purchased servant of Cheng Chi and asked her to deliver a message to Huaishan.The maidservant looked at her with an expression full of admiration, staring for several moments before smiling and respectfully responding, "Yes," then went to find Huaishan.
Zhou Shaojin didn't even have the mood to wait for Huaishan here. She said listlessly to Chunwan, "I'll wait in the sedan chair. You stay here and greet Huaishan for me!"
Chunwan also felt that Elm Coin Alley had been too discourteous today and harbored some resentment. Hearing this, she naturally agreed wholeheartedly, saying, "Then please sit in the sedan chair first, Miss! If you stand here and get jostled again, it wouldn't be good."
Zhou Shaojin nodded and was about to get into the sedan chair when Lang Yue came running over carrying a tea tray: "Second Cousin Miss, Second Cousin Miss! Why are you leaving? Fourth Master was afraid you'd be bored sitting alone and specifically sent me to brew tea for you. Look, this is premium Da Hong Pao—your favorite. It was delivered by express courier from the Thirteen Hongs yesterday. Fourth Master hasn't even tasted it yet and told me to bring it to you first..."
Even so, Zhou Shaojin was not pleased.
She said dejectedly, "Thank you, Lang Yue. Please also convey my thanks to Uncle Chi. But I've been out long enough—my sister is waiting for me to return, and my little nephew needs my help too. I won't wait for Uncle Chi. I'll visit him again in a few days."
Zhou Shaojin spoke sincerely, so Lang Yue naturally couldn't insist on keeping her. He saw her into the sedan chair and went back to report to Cheng Chi.
Cheng Chi was discussing the management of the Yellow River near Kaifeng Prefecture with Old Master Song when he heard the news and couldn't help but be taken aback.
Shaojin had a gentle temperament and never rushed to leave when she came to see him. When he was busy, she always found ways to occupy herself. What was wrong with her today?
Could it be that she had some difficult matter to ask of him but couldn't wait and had to find another solution?
But Nanny Shang hadn't mentioned anything when she came yesterday?
Or perhaps there was something even Nanny Shang didn't know about?
Once this thought crossed his mind, he grew restless. He didn't take in anything Old Master Song was saying, merely uttering a few vague responses. It wasn't until he realized the room had fallen into an eerily complete silence and looked up to see Old Master Song's astonished expression that he became aware of his distraction. He hurriedly said, "I suddenly remembered something."
Old Master Song was quite displeased. "Then let's take a break and continue once you've cleared your mind."
Was he being that obvious?
Cheng Chi suddenly felt a pang of guilt. After exchanging a few perfunctory words, he really did call Huaishan in and went to speak with him under the corridor.
Old Master Song glared angrily.
He wanted Cheng Chi to focus wholeheartedly on discussing the Yellow River management with him, not to drop everything and attend to trivial matters.
This was a platform he had built for Cheng Chi.
If their proposed plan truly proved feasible, he would introduce Cheng Chi to his son, allowing Cheng Chi to work on river management in the Ministry of Works. With Cheng Chi's background and genuine ability, within two years at most, he could wield considerable influence in the ministry. Wouldn't that be far more respectable than a distinguished scholar spending his days haggling over trifles with merchants? Moreover, successfully managing river works would be a blessing for the people!
Old Master Song slammed his teacup down hard on the table and said to his own servant attending in the room, "Where is the eldest young master? I told you to call him over to help—where has he run off to?"
That servant was the very one Zhou Shaojin had encountered earlier in the reception room.His expression tightened. Though he called out, "I'll go find the young master right away," he couldn't help but grumble inwardly: Earlier, when the Grand Secretary wanted the young master to stay home and work on his essays, you insisted on taking him out to broaden his horizons. Now that the young master is here, you have the elder master attending to your ink and brush. Not that there's anything wrong with that—the elder master is your grandson, and you are his grandfather; it's filial piety, after all! But just as the young master finished grinding the ink, you complained that he was getting in the way and told him to go stroll in the courtyard. The moment he stepped out, you ordered me to call him back, saying that no matter what, this is the inner residence, and it's not proper to wander around carelessly. I hurriedly fetched the young master, but then you made him wait outside. Now that he's waiting outside, you're saying he's running all over the place... The old master is truly difficult to please! No wonder the mistress dares not say a word in his presence, only nodding and bowing meekly.
The servant went to invite the Song family's eldest young master, Song Mu, inside.
Old Master Song handed Song Mu a topographic map and said, "Take a close look. See if you can understand it."
Song Mu dared not be negligent and sat down to examine the map carefully.
Cheng Chi, however, felt inexplicably restless.
He asked Huaishan, "Did she really leave without saying anything? How was her mood? Was she as cheerful as before, or was she anxious?"
How would he know?
Huaishan was taken aback. After thinking for a moment, he said, "It was Lang Yue who attended to her in the reception room."
Lang Yue, standing nearby, shot Huaishan a resentful glance. After pondering for a long while, she said hesitantly, "The second young miss... didn't seem very happy. She lacked energy. Before, whenever she saw me, she would always smile brightly, but this time she hardly smiled at all... On the other hand, Chunwan seemed a bit angry..."
That's right, when had the little girl ever been angry with him?
The maid's reaction was probably the normal one!
He asked Lang Yue, "Was the second young miss like that when she arrived, or only when she left?"
Lang Yue shook her head and whispered, "Huaishan uncle went to greet her when she arrived..."
Huaishan gave Lang Yue a cold look and said, "When she arrived, the second young miss was actually quite fine—cheerful and even telling me to take my time informing you, saying she could come another day if you were too busy. Later, I went to help Qing Feng look for something..."
Not a single one of them was reliable.
If only Nanny Shang were here.
Cheng Chi felt irritable and said, "There are too few people in this residence. Find someone to manage the inner household for me, preferably a woman in her forties."
Young girls always liked to meddle, taking it upon themselves to arrange this and that for him.
Huaishan acknowledged the order.
But Cheng Chi had lost the mood to continue discussing matters with Old Master Song. He wanted to dismiss the old master with a few words, but Old Master Song, having been lonely in the capital for so long, had finally met Cheng Chi, a friend across generations who suited him in every way, and was not so easily sent away. No matter what Cheng Chi said, he insisted that Cheng Chi produce a plan for managing the Yellow River section in Kaifeng Prefecture. This angered Cheng Chi so much that he said bluntly, "I have matters to attend to today and cannot work on this. Let's discuss it another day."
Old Master Song was even more shameless.
He simply refused to leave.
He said, "That's fine too. I haven't slept well these past few days. Give me a guest room to rest, and we can continue our discussion tomorrow."The Emperor will summon his ministers again the day after tomorrow to inquire about this matter. If a plan can be presented before then, it would be like timely rain—perhaps even reaching the Emperor’s ears directly.
By then, Cheng Chi would no longer be like a tiger stranded on flat ground, unable to fulfill his ambitions as he is now.
It would still be better than being entangled and unable to break free.
Cheng Chi took a step back and instructed someone to prepare a guest room for Old Master Song.
Song Mu’s face flushed so deeply it seemed as if blood might drip from it. He respectfully apologized to Cheng Chi: “My family’s ancestral home is in Jingzhou, where nine out of ten years yield no harvest. My grandfather suffered from floods since childhood, and his lifelong wish has been to control the waters—to spare the people from displacement and families from separation. I beg you, Uncle, not to be angered, and to help fulfill my grandfather’s sincere and noble aspiration.”
Cheng Chi couldn’t help but regard Old Master Song’s eldest grandson with solemn attention.
※
Dear friends, here is today’s extra update.
O(∩_∩)O~
※ (To be continued ~^~)
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