Sоng Мu wаs hоrrifiеd аnd sаid, "You're sо уоung, hоw сan you hаvе such thoughts? Dо you knоw thе hаrdshiрs оf bеcoming а nun? How is this any different frоm rеmaining сhastе аftеr а husband's dеаth? Yоur раrents will сertainly nоt аgreе. You must think this through cаrefully. Whо is this man? You'rе willing tо givе uр sо muсh fоr him, so why саn't he stер fоrward fоr yоu? Suсh a man isn't wоrth it..."
Zhоu Shaоjin listened quietlу, but her thoughts grew сlеаrer аnd clearеr.
Shе сouldn't bring hеrsеlf tо trust аnу mаn othеr thаn Unclе Chi. Мarrying rаshly wоuld оnlу makе hеr lifе inсreasingly diffiсult. Rather than decеiving someonе else, it wоuld be bеttеr to livе a quiet, solitary life.
As Song Mu had said, the elders in her family would definitely not agree. It would be best for her to live as a lay Buddhist at home for a few years, and when she was older, she could bring up the matter of becoming a nun. But before that, to completely deter her family's plans, she might as well feign illness for a few years.
If she had a hidden ailment, it would be difficult to arrange a marriage. Her father, who cherished her dearly, would likely be unwilling to marry her off hastily. Then she could propose building a family temple—her father and sister would probably agree. When the time came, she would go to Uncle Chi to "seek alms," asking him to donate funds...
It almost felt as if living in a place renovated with Cheng Chi's money meant she was living within his domain.
Zhou Shaojin thought of this and couldn't help but smile, her expression gentle as water.
Song Mu stopped speaking, surprised.
Zhou Shaojin hurriedly said, "Thank you for your kindness, young master. I will consider this matter carefully."
Since she had already made up her mind, what was the point of him rambling on here?
Song Mu felt somewhat embarrassed, but the anger in his heart completely dissipated.
The second young lady of the Zhou family was quite pitiful.
For the sake of the man in her heart, she was actually forced to consider becoming a nun.
In comparison, his younger sister was much happier.
She had long taken a liking to the son of her father's colleague, and the two had frequent interactions, growing up together like childhood sweethearts. Her future husband cherished her deeply, and his family had long awaited their marriage. As soon as he himself married, his sister could joyfully ride the bridal sedan...
This second young lady of the Zhou family was an open and responsible person. If she were a man, he would certainly want to befriend her. But as a woman... there was also the saying that women could be as heroic as men. She was truly an extraordinary woman among the inner chambers.
At least compared to the cousins from the Wang family, she was like heaven and earth.
Song Mu decided to help Zhou Shaojin.
Not for any particular reason. Simply because she was the "fairy sister" his fifth brother spoke of. In the future, if the two families interacted, it would be a good deed to form a connection.
Perhaps the second young lady of the Zhou family and his sister could even become close friends.
Song Mu said, "Then how should we explain this to the elders later?"
Was this his way of offering to help her?
Zhou Shaojin widened her almond-shaped eyes in surprise, staring at Song Mu.
Song Mu found her expression utterly delightful.
Just to see her like this, he should make sure to surprise her.
Song Mu straightened his back even more and said coldly, "We can't each act on our own and speak nonsense. That would only cause discord between the elders of our two families, wouldn't it?"
"Ah!" Only then did Zhou Shaojin dare to believe it. She couldn't help but feel grateful and repeatedly thanked Song Mu.
Song Mu nodded indifferently and said, "This isn't the time for thanks. We should think of a solution quickly! When my grandmother and Uncle Chi come out later, it won't be easy for us to speak."
Zhou Shaojin lowered her eyelids in thought, delicate and fragile like a phalaenopsis orchid.
Who would have guessed that beneath her gentle exterior lay such resilience!Song Mu said, "How about this: you don't say anything, and I'll just say you seem too delicate and fragile. I'm afraid you might not be suited to be the mistress of the household. It would be better to betroth you to my second brother..."
"Ah?!" Zhou Shaojin felt as if thunder had struck her head.
A flicker of satisfaction flashed in Song Mu's eyes as he said, "The elders definitely won't agree. Especially your Uncle Chi—my second brother hasn't earned any scholarly honors yet, so this marriage naturally won't go through. The elders of both families won't harbor any resentment over this..."
But in that case, the Song family would owe the Cheng family a favor.
"No, no," Zhou Shaojin shook her head like a rattle-drum, saying, "This matter was originally my fault. How can I let the Song family take the blame for it..."
"This matter is settled," Song Mu decisively cut off Zhou Shaojin's words, saying, "This is also for my own sake—it's better for me to reject you than for you to reject me, isn't it?"
Zhou Shaojin, of course, knew it wasn't just about saving face.
If it were about his pride, he could have brought it up when she rejected him.
Zhou Shaojin had nothing more to say. She bowed deeply to him, full of gratitude, and said, "Thank you."
Seeing her solemnly thank him, Song Mu's ears turned bright red, and he said somewhat awkwardly, "Didn't you say you wanted to repay me? I think it's not bad to have a young lady from Nine Prosperities Lane owe me a favor. Who knows, maybe one day it'll really come in handy..."
Zhou Shaojin smiled, pursing her lips, and said, "It can only be the second young lady of the Zhou family now. I'm so disobedient, I'm sure I'll anger the elders and won't be able to remain a young lady of Nine Prosperities Lane."
Song Mu chuckled.
Their gazes met, carrying a sense of reconciliation through shared laughter.
Zhou Shaojin let out a long sigh of relief.
Song Mu bid Zhou Shaojin farewell with a "take care" and entered the main room.
Zhou Shaojin stood before the large fishbowl, looking down at a golden black-tailed goldfish with bulging eyes emerging from the water to nibble on the floating weeds. Her heart felt calm and serene.
In the days to come, her life would likely be spent tending to flowers and plants to pass the time!
Or perhaps she could also raise a few goldfish.
She could also complete the things she had wanted to do in her previous life but never accomplished.
Like blending a fragrance, making a tray of incense, publishing a calligraphy copybook, embroidering many different forms of Guanyin statues... A gentle tenderness slowly spread across her brow.
Cheng Chi, however, was furious.
That brat from the Song family actually dared to reject Shaojin.
He didn't even consider the Song family's background!
He himself hadn't even minded that the Song family's legs were still muddy, yet that fellow dared to criticize Shaojin for being too delicate and not fit to be a mistress!
Cheng Chi paced back and forth in the room four or five times, but the fire in his heart not only didn't subside—it burned even fiercer.
Huaishan and the others didn't dare to breathe loudly.
Chunwan, her eyes red, comforted Zhou Shaojin: "Second Young Lady, it's all right. That Song family young master is blind. Fourth Master Chi will definitely arrange a better marriage for you, one that will infuriate the Song family and that Song Mu."
The person she hated most had shifted from Cheng Xu to Song Mu.
Although Zhou Chujin was saddened, she was much better off than Chunwan.
Given the Zhou family's status, marrying the eldest son of the Song family was indeed reaching high.
It was clear that not everyone was like the Liao family, who, in order to curry favor with Nine Prosperities Lane, had made her the wife of the eldest son.
From this, it was evident that the Song family's family tradition must be different.
If Zhou Shaojin had married into their family, she surely would have lived well.
Thinking this, Zhou Chujin felt even more regretful.If only they had settled for the second son of the Song family back then.
But what was done was done, and regret was useless.
Zhou Chujin gathered her spirits to comfort her younger sister: "Fortunately, Uncle Chi handled things discreetly, so no one else knows about this. Don’t take it to heart. Just think of it as getting to know one more person. With Uncle Chi’s character and your own qualities and appearance, there’s no need to worry about finding a satisfactory match..."
Her sister didn’t indignantly promise to find her a better family than the Songs, as Chunwan had, which showed that she, too, thought the Song family was truly exceptional. Having missed this opportunity, she might never encounter anyone better than Song Mu again.
Zhou Shaojin’s heart stirred.
Why not take this chance to feign illness?
Better yet, let it leave a lingering ailment.
This way, the matter of her hidden condition would have a cause, and no one would find it abrupt.
The only pity was that it would wrong Young Master Song, making him bear unwarranted blame. It would also let down her loving father and sister, causing them worry and fear... But she truly didn’t want to go through any more matchmaking.
Rejecting someone once felt like shedding a layer of skin.
She didn’t want to marry even more.
The thought of sharing a bed with someone else made her feel utterly unwell.
Could she be selfish just this once?
She would later chant sutras for them before the Bodhisattva, praying for their peace, safety, and all wishes fulfilled.
Zhou Shaojin made her vow before the Bodhisattva. After attending Guan Ge’s full-month celebration and seeing Cheng Gao off, she fell "ill."
Madam Li hurriedly called for a physician.
The physician only said her pulse was a bit weak, prescribed a tonic to replenish qi and blood, and left.
Zhou Shaojin secretly poured the medicine into the decorative vase on the long table and from then on, constantly complained of fatigue, spending most of her time lying in bed.
Madam Li called for another physician.
This physician also said her pulse was a bit weak. He prescribed a tonic to replenish qi and blood, but after several doses, there was no improvement.
Madam Li grew so anxious that her lips became inflamed. She discussed with Zhou Chujin: "We must find a better physician. This can’t go on!"
Zhou Chujin, seeing that Zhou Shaojin’s complexion remained fair and her daily habits unchanged, suspected it was a matter of the heart. She said, "Let’s observe for a few more days. If there’s no improvement, we’ll seek out a renowned doctor."
Madam Li nodded but remained suspicious. Privately, she said to Mama Li, "The eldest young lady has always been attentive to the second young lady’s affairs. Why does she seem indifferent this time? Are they hiding something from me?"
Mama Li, fearing discord, quickly replied, "How could that be? I see the second young lady’s complexion is normal. If not for her constant lying and drowsiness, one wouldn’t notice anything amiss. Besides, the eldest young lady has just become a mother, her thoughts entirely on her newborn son. It’s only natural she might be exhausted and overlook some things..."
Madam Li nodded, still feeling they should find a renowned physician for Zhou Shaojin sooner: "...If something truly is wrong, I’d never be at peace for the rest of my life."
Mama Li thought she would feel the same in Madam Li’s place. She said, "Finding a physician for the second young lady isn’t difficult. Since two physicians have already failed to diagnose her, changing doctors again won’t raise the eldest young lady’s suspicions. But we’re strangers in the capital—how do we find a renowned physician?"Madam Li gritted her teeth and said, "Then go beg Fourth Master of the Cheng family! Didn’t he grow up in the capital since childhood and often travel between the capital and Jinling City? He must know which doctor is skilled."
Mama Li thought it over and realized that only Fourth Master of the Cheng family could be asked for help.
Madam Li then wrote a letter and had Mama Li take it to Yuqian Lane.
Cheng Chi had not yet calmed his anger and felt even more ashamed to face Zhou Shaojin. He had crumpled the invitation from Old Master Song to go spring outing into a ball and thrown it into the wastebasket. But suddenly, he received Madam Li’s letter, saying that Zhou Shaojin was ill. Several doctors had been consulted, and multiple doses of medicine had been taken, but there was no sign of improvement. She earnestly requested him to help find a reputable doctor to examine Zhou Shaojin.
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Dear sisters and brothers, here’s the update to make up for yesterday’s.
O(∩_∩)O~
PS: There are leaders coming to inspect work today, so the extra update will be pushed to around ten o’clock tonight!
※ (To be continued ~^~)
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