Zhоu Shаоjin оbеdiеntly noddеd аnd wаlkеd оut, still feeling quite glооmy in her hеart.
Just as shе wаs аbоut tо rеach thе door, she rememberеd thеre wаs onе mоrе thing shе hadn’t аskеd. Shе turnеd bаck аround and cаutiоusly sаid, "Uncle Chi, whаt about thе ships of thе Тhirtееn Guilds? Аrе thеy in troublе?"
Тwo hundrеd thоusаnd taеls... how muсh silvеr was that?
Shе rеmembеred that in her рrevious life, thе Dukе оf Dingguo hаd been ordеrеd tо leаd аn ехреdition tо Кorеa, whiсh lasted thrеe уеаrs, with militarу рrоvisiоns costing onе hundred thousand taels.
In оther words, the silvеr Uncle Сhi had lоst сould fund twо expeditions to Korea.
Even if the Cheng family didn’t go completely bankrupt, they would likely suffer a severe blow.
But that was secondary.
What worried her most was that the patriarch of the second branch, Cheng Xu, might step forward to make things difficult for Uncle Chi, perhaps even seizing control of Yutai Bank.
In her previous life, Cheng Jia had once said that her brother, Cheng Shi, was extremely envious of Yutai Bank.
At the time, she hadn’t paid it much mind.
But in this life, how could she stand by and watch Uncle Chi fall into hardship?
Seeing her bring this up again, Cheng Chi figured she must have heard some rumors. Worried she might be anxious, he decided to explain it to her in detail: "The Thirteen Guilds sent a fleet out to sea. Right now, only one ship has encountered trouble. Although it will affect the profits, as long as the fleet returns safely, there will still be gains. There are all sorts of rumors circulating outside. Some stem from the concerns of merchants who invested in the fleet, but others might have been spread by competitors of the Thirteen Guilds, aiming to discourage those who invested in their fleet—this voyage is the largest in history. If something goes wrong, the Thirteen Guilds might lose their dominant position in southern trade. But similarly, if it succeeds, they will rise to an even higher level, impacting northern trade as well, which would infringe upon many interests."
Zhou Shaojin understood.
She didn’t care whether the Thirteen Guilds could become the industry leader. She only worried whether Uncle Chi’s money would come back.
The reason maritime trade was so profitable was precisely because of its high risks, which deterred ordinary people from getting involved.
Now, only one ship had capsized—what if another one capsized?
As the thought crossed her mind, she mentally scolded herself, silently reciting a few lines of "bad omens don’t come true, good ones do." Then she said, "Uncle Chi, can we return some of the things bought today? There’s too much. Many of them aren’t even useful. Like the dishes and bowls—I counted twelve sets. We’re only staying here temporarily, and we’re not hosting any guests. What do we need so many sets for? Even if we did host guests, we wouldn’t invite the same group twelve times in a row! I think keeping two or three sets is enough. At most, we’ll only invite Madam Liao over for a meal. And then there are the decorative vases—I saw some with snowscape paintings and others with plum blossoms braving the cold. I think we only need to keep one pair. If new designs come out next year, we can buy them then..."
The furnishings in the room were supposed to be changed according to the seasons. Snowscape paintings and plum blossoms braving the cold were both for winter use. More particular households would display plum blossoms braving the cold during the coldest days of winter and switch to snowscape paintings when it snowed. But if they weren’t changed, it wouldn’t be considered impolite—it was still acceptable.
Thinking over Zhou Shaojin’s words, Cheng Chi understood.
This little girl was trying to help him save money in her own way!
If he were truly in trouble, the silver saved from returning a few sets of dishes and decorative vases wouldn’t amount to much. But her thoughtfulness made him happy.Cheng Chi thought for a moment and said, "You should keep it for me for now. The house on Yuqian Lane is yours now. Since it belongs to you, everything in this room is included. I also plan to send over a batch of calligraphy and paintings in a few days. They are all authentic works by masters from the previous dynasty, so you must keep them safe..."
What was Uncle Chi planning?
Zhou Shaojin’s heart pounded loudly. After a long pause, she finally asked, "Uncle Chi, is the house at Chaoyang Gate part of the family’s collective property?"
In large families, it was forbidden to acquire private property before the family division.
So even though Uncle Chi managed the affairs of Nine Prosperities Lane, he likely had fewer personal belongings than her own private savings.
This little girl, who would have thought she’d be so sharp at critical moments!
Cheng Chi smiled and said, "It belongs to the eldest branch."
Zhou Shaojin felt she had uncovered the truth.
She suddenly felt indignant.
In business, there are times of profit and loss!
Although it was wrong to encourage Uncle Chi when the Cheng family might be facing disaster, Uncle Chi had earned so much silver for the Cheng family. Surely they couldn’t strip him of his management rights just because he lost some silver?
What would happen to Uncle Chi then?
Would he have to bow to others for a few taels of silver?
Zhou Shaojin bit her lip and timidly said to Cheng Chi, "Uncle Chi, if there’s anything else you need to send to me, bring it all over! Arrange for a few skilled guards, and I promise I won’t lose any of the valuable items."
This little thing, was she encouraging him to acquire private property?
Cheng Chi suddenly felt as though she was handing him the knife while he committed murder.
But this feeling... truly suited his temperament.
He despised those who claimed to act for his good but forced him to follow their intentions everywhere.
Cheng Chi pulled Zhou Shaojin into his arms, rested his chin on her head, sighed, and called out, "Shao Jin."
Zhou Shaojin stiffened.
She felt somewhat displeased.
Just as she was considering whether to push him away, she heard his sigh.
Long and drawn-out, filled with melancholy.
Uncle Chi must be very upset, right?
In such a situation, there wasn’t a single person who could help him.
Could his running away from home in her previous life be related to this?
Zhou Shaojin’s heart instantly softened like water.
When she was sad, she also wished for someone to hold her.
Although Uncle Chi was a man, the feeling of sadness was the same.
It was only natural for him to want to hold her.
With this thought, Zhou Shaojin relaxed completely.
Cheng Chi suddenly understood why the ancients said that longing from afar was no match for holding soft fragrance in one’s arms.
Shao Jin... was truly made of sugar.
Soft and fragrant...
Cheng Chi had a sudden inspiration.
A problem that had been troubling him since deciding to let Zhou Shaojin move in was now resolved.
He tilted his head slightly and whispered in her ear, "Shao Jin, have Madam Li stay in the east wing room later."
"Why?" Zhou Shaojin looked up in surprise.
Madam Li was her stepmother. Even if this house was her dowry, etiquette dictated that she should arrange for Madam Li to rest in the main room.
Just like when Madam Liao came to the capital, her sister had to vacate the main room for her.
Cheng Chi continued whispering in her ear, "I didn’t want you to know originally—I invited you out to play chess because I plan to place something in the main room tonight. If Madam Li rests there, it would be very inconvenient."
She could actually help Uncle Chi!
Zhou Shaojin instantly grew excited.She nodded repeatedly, assuring him, "I understand. I'll have Madam Li stay in the east wing."
But Cheng Chi didn’t want Zhou Shaojin to bear the blame, so he said gently, "If Madam Li asks, just tell her I left something in the main room. She definitely won’t argue with you, but she’ll surely feel uncomfortable. When I go to place the items in the evening, I’ll let her catch a faint hint of it, so she won’t overthink things."
Uncle Chi really thinks of everything.
Zhou Shaojin nodded with a smile, her eyes curving happily.
Cheng Chi could finally openly pat her head.
Zhou Shaojin loved it when Cheng Chi patted her head—it made her feel like a child being doted on by him, and naturally, she didn’t feel any awkwardness about it.
Cheng Chi gave her a tight hug, then let go and stepped back a few paces. Standing at a distance that was neither too close nor too far, he smiled and said, "Remember to come play chess after dinner!"
Zhou Shaojin agreed cheerfully and skipped out of the study.
The large furnishings in the inner residence had been moved to their designated places, and the servants had withdrawn. Madam Li sat drinking tea under the corridor of the main room, while Nanny Shang directed the maids to move items to the back rooms.
Seeing Zhou Shaojin enter, she quickly approached, smiled, and curtsied, saying, "Since you weren’t here, Second Miss, I took the liberty of setting aside the three westernmost rooms in the back as storage. What do you think?"
"You decide," Zhou Shaojin replied. Most households arranged things this way, so she had no objections. However, when it came to the room assignments... although she had just agreed with Cheng Chi, facing Madam Li still made her feel uneasy. She murmured, "Madam, I’d like to stay in the main room..."
Madam Li was taken aback but then smiled indifferently. "Of course! It doesn’t matter who stays in the main room. Besides, this is your dowry."
However, Mama Li and the others serving Madam Li all seemed displeased.
After all, someone else’s child is never truly one’s own. Madam Li had been so kind to Second Miss, yet Second Miss was forcing her to move to the east wing. If there were no outsiders, it might be tolerable, but what if Madam Liao came to visit? What face would Madam Li have left? Even the eldest young lady would lose face in front of Madam Liao!
Fortunately, Uncle Chi had already prepared an explanation for her.
Zhou Shaojin silently felt relieved and whispered a few words into Madam Li’s ear.
Madam Li was quite surprised but eventually seemed more at ease.
Zhou Shaojin breathed a sigh of relief.
After dinner, she went to play chess with Cheng Chi.
Her chess skills were already worlds apart from his, and her curiosity about what Cheng Chi had left in the main room made her even more distracted. Her moves were disastrous, to the point where even Cheng Chi couldn’t humor her any longer.
He simply pushed the chess pieces aside, took Zhou Shaojin’s hand, and helped her up, saying, "Let’s go see how they’re getting along."
"Really?!" Zhou Shaojin exclaimed, her unease mixed with excitement. "Can I go see?"
Cheng Chi tapped her nose playfully and led her out by the hand, but he let go just as they stepped outside, walking ahead of her.
Zhou Shaojin felt as if she had returned to her days at Floating Emerald Pavilion.
There was nothing to worry about, nothing to think about—Uncle Chi would naturally take care of everything.
She smiled happily, trailing two steps behind Cheng Chi.
After a moment’s thought, she quickened her pace, closing the gap to just one step behind him.
Cheng Chi pretended not to notice and walked through the moon gate with a smile.Madam Li should have already been resting by this time, but thinking about tomorrow's matters, she found it hard to fall asleep.
Mama Li, in particular, had been pacing back and forth in front of her for nearly two hours, hesitating to speak.
Madam Li felt both amused and moved, and just as she was about to relay Zhou Shaojin's words to her, a faint sound came from outside.
She couldn't help but push the window open a crack and press herself against the wall to look out.
Cheng Chi and Zhou Shaojin entered the main hall one after the other.
The residence in Yuqian Alley was a three-courtyard, three-bay house with two side rooms. The main hall was in the center, with Zhou Shaojin's inner chamber to the east and a study to the west.
At this moment, the floor tiles in the inner chamber had been pried open, and several burly men were laying gold bricks one by one in the exposed areas.
Huaishan stood to the side with his hands tucked into his sleeves, watching.
Beside him, an open chest still held neatly stacked gold bricks.
※
Dear readers, here is today's update.
PS: I have to go early tomorrow morning to get a number, and it's too rushed to travel from Xiantao, so I'll be heading to Wuhan around seven this afternoon. I didn't have time to correct typos, so it might be very late tomorrow or the day after. Please bear with it for now.
O(∩_∩)O~
※ (To be continued ~^~)
OpenNovel