Вut whу would Hоng Shе соmе to visit Zi Chuan?
Не was the mаternal brоthеr оf thе sесond branсh's Madame Yi and Chеng Shi's рatеrnal соusin.
Zhоu Shаojin lооkеd аt Zi Сhuan.
Zi Сhuan, howevеr, сalmlу accеpted thе visiting card.
Yuаn Вiеуun frоwnеd аnd said to Zi Сhuаn, "Hоw dоеs Hоng Guozhеn knоw you'rе hеre?"
"I dоn't know either!" Zi Сhuan smiled and hаndеd thе visiting cаrd to Qing Feng besidе him. "Wе'll find оut when wе sее him, wоn't wе?" Тhen hе instruсted thе yоung acоlytе whо hаd cоmе tо rеport, "Lang Yuе, tell him I invite him for tea!"
Lаng Yue grinned and sсurried awаy.
Yuаn Вieуun stood up and said, "I've had a bit too much tea; I need to visit the outhouse." Then he called to Qing Feng, "Lead the way. The Cheng estate is so large, I'm afraid I'll get lost."
Why did that sound like he didn't want to see Hong She?
Could it be that the Yuan and Hong families were at odds?
Zhou Shaojin felt slightly uneasy.
She could sit here peacefully only because Yuan Bieyun and the others, out of respect for Zi Chuan, were pretending not to know the truth. But Hong She... Seeing Yuan Bieyun's reaction, she wasn't sure if Hong She would feign ignorance upon seeing her. Moreover, since her rebirth, she had grown suspicious of her past life's experiences, always feeling that the events of her previous life were not as simple as they had seemed. Back then, the events had already occurred, and she didn't want to sadden her sister or make things difficult for her father, so she had deceived herself, burying her head in the sand. The fate of the Cheng family in her past life made her, in this life, feel that whether it was the second branch's Cheng Shi or the third branch's Cheng Zheng, they were not as simple or harmless as they appeared on the surface.
She remained wary of the second and third branches.
And Hong She was from the second branch—one could even say he was one of its pillars of support.
She wanted to avoid him.
After all, Cheng Xu had already left, and it wasn't far from here to the Four Seasons Pavilion.
But how should she explain this to Zi Chuan?
Zhou Shaojin bit her lip, pondering this in her heart, when she heard Zi Chuan smilingly instruct the man in his thirties standing outside the pavilion, who was as thin as withered bamboo: "Huaishan, take this young lady back. Hong Guozhen may not have time for Iron Arhat tea; just have someone brew a pot of Biluochun. We won't need anyone to tend the stove fire either."
The last sentence was directed at Zhou Shaojin.
Zhou Shaojin was stunned.
Huaishan hesitated slightly before bowing his head and replying, "Yes," then said to Zhou Shaojin, "Please follow me!"
At this moment, Zhou Shaojin no longer knew how to express her feelings.
In both her past and present lives, all she had ever hoped for was a shelter from the cold wind and rain, a place to keep her from wandering and displacement. Yet that person had never appeared... Just when she had already given up in despair, quietly burying this longing deep in her heart, someone suddenly held an umbrella over her head, sparing her unease and sorrow, granting her a moment of peace... To him, it might have been nothing more than a casual act, a momentary kindness, but to her, it was a warmth she had never known before. In her past life, Lin Shisheng had treated her decently, but that was something she had exchanged for with her rights as a wife. To her, it felt less like a home and more like a temporary refuge, always lacking a sense of belonging.
She lowered her head... afraid her tears would fall... and performed a deep curtsy before rising and following the man called "Huaishan" away from the thatched pavilion.
The trees were still lush and green, the morning breeze still gentle, but Zhou Shaojin's footsteps no longer carried the panic and heaviness with which she had arrived.Amidst the faint strains of music in her ears, the Peony Terrace was now in sight. Grateful to Zi Chuan for helping her out of a difficult situation, she addressed Huaishan with great respect: "You may see me off here. I can make my own way back."
"Very well," Huaishan readily agreed. "I'll stand here and watch until you enter before I leave."
Only then did Zhou Shaojin notice that his voice was extremely hoarse, like an old, worn-out erhu.
Perhaps due to her mood, she didn't find it unpleasant or grating.
She thanked Huaishan once more and turned to walk toward the Peony Terrace. As she walked, she thought to herself that judging by Huaishan's appearance, he was likely Zi Chuan's attendant or something similar. But as the old saying goes, like master, like servant. He appeared cold and aloof, yet in reality, like Zi Chuan, he was kind-hearted, gentle, considerate, and compassionate.
She glanced back.
Huaishan was indeed still standing in the middle of the path, watching her.
She smiled at Huaishan and entered the Peony Terrace.
On the stage, "Si Lang Visits His Mother" was being performed.
Feicui was waiting anxiously for her by the path leading to the Peony Terrace.
Upon seeing her, Feicui rushed over with a look of relief.
Zhou Shaojin considered that she would still need to go to Cold Green Mountain House to copy scriptures and would inevitably have dealings with Feicui. Since Feicui had left a handle in her grasp, rather than making it public and embarrassing Feicui, it would be better to take this opportunity to do her a favor, making it easier for herself to navigate affairs in the main household in the future.
So before Feicui could speak, she smiled and said, "Let's go see the old madam together! Since the task for the elder master is done, we should report to the old madam. I just don't know if the seal was finally retrieved—I did my best."
This meant she didn't intend to pursue the matter!
Feicui glanced at Zhou Shaojin, curtsied, and whispered, "Thank you, Second Miss." Then she added meaningfully, "Thanks to Second Miss's idea of using a red string to hook out the seal, I was just thinking of accompanying Second Miss to report to the grand madam!"
Both understood what the other meant.
Zhou Shaojin nodded with a smile and went with Feicui to the second floor of the Peony Terrace.
Old Madam Guo was not watching the opera but was whispering something to the Grand Madam of the Duke of Liang's Estate.
Biyu stepped forward and whispered a few words into Old Madam Guo's ear. Both Old Madam Guo and the Grand Madam of the Duke of Liang's Estate turned to look.
Old Madam Guo beckoned to Zhou Shaojin.
Zhou Shaojin and Feicui stepped forward to pay their respects to Old Madam Guo.
Everyone stopped watching the opera and turned their attention to them.
Feicui recounted the story of "using a red string to hook out the seal" to the group.
Madam Gao immediately sighed in relief and murmured, "Amitabha Buddha."
Old Madam Guo nodded repeatedly, saying, "That's good, that's good." Then she instructed Biyu, "Bring a stool for Shaojin to sit beside me and keep us company while we listen to the opera. Also, brew a pot of fine Longjing tea for Shaojin. Even though it's April, after walking such a long way, she must be quite hot."
Old Madam Guan watched with a sense of shared pride.
Zhou Shaojin had something on her mind and couldn't stay for long. She smiled and said, "Grand Madam, I'm covered in dust from the journey. To avoid dampening everyone's spirits, perhaps I should go down and change my clothes before returning to accompany you for the opera?"
Old Madam Guo liked straightforward people and was delighted to hear this. She smiled and said, "Excellent, go change quickly and come back to keep us company."
Zhou Shaojin smiled and agreed. As she turned to leave, she exchanged a meaningful glance with her sister.Zhou Chujin gave an almost imperceptible nod toward her sister, calmly helping Old Madam Guan peel plums.
Zhou Shaojin had someone call Shi Xiang, who was waiting in the backyard of the Four Seasons Pavilion, and together they returned to Fragrant Garden Residence.
She had just freshened up and hadn’t yet had time to change her clothes when Zhou Chujin hurried back.
Zhou Shaojin quickly dismissed all the servants in the room, pulled her sister to sit on the painted lacquer bed in the inner chamber, and quietly told Zhou Chujin what Cheng Lu had said at the clan school.
Zhou Chujin was utterly shocked, nearly fainting from anger. She exclaimed furiously, "That Cheng Lu—what does he think he’s doing? Putting on one face in front of us and another in front of others. What have we ever done to offend him that he would ruin your reputation like this?" Then she comforted her, "Don’t worry, I’ll speak to Grandmother and Aunt about this. We absolutely cannot let Cheng Lu off lightly!"
But Zhou Shaojin’s face turned pale as she asked her sister in a trembling voice, "If I truly had feelings for Cheng Lu, would Grandmother agree to a marriage between us?"
Zhou Chujin jumped up in fright, exclaiming repeatedly, "What are you saying? Could it be that what Cheng Lu said is true? How could you be so foolish as to fall for someone who doesn’t value you at all…"
Zhou Shaojin quickly grabbed her sister’s hand and said, "I don’t fancy Cheng Lu. Even if I were foolish, how could I possibly fancy him after how he’s treated me? I’m saying if—if I had feelings for Cheng Lu…"
Zhou Chujin eyed Zhou Shaojin suspiciously.
Zhou Shaojin met her sister’s gaze openly and honestly.
Seeing her sister’s sincere expression and clear eyes, Zhou Chujin finally believed she wasn’t lying and began to seriously consider the matter.
"She probably would agree, wouldn’t she?" she mused. "You grew up under Grandmother’s care. If something like this happened, Grandmother and Aunt would bear some responsibility for oversight. Besides, you have a gentle nature, and Cheng Lu, after all, was watched over by the elders as he grew up. He’s considered a promising scholar, and as an only son with little support, if he aspires to an official career, he’d have to rely on the Cheng family. Even if he someday rises to prominence, for the sake of his reputation, he wouldn’t dare treat you poorly…"
Was this why, in her past life, Grandmother and Aunt had so easily acquiesced to her marriage with Cheng Lu?
Zhou Shaojin could no longer hold back her tears, which fell in streams as she choked out, "What feelings have I ever had for him? It’s just that everyone said we were a good match, and Grandmother and Aunt also spoke highly of him. I thought, since the elders have more experience than I have years, they couldn’t possibly be wrong, so I treated him well… As for that item, I only accepted it after the elders had approved of our match. Before that, it was all brought to me by Cousin Yi and the others. I thought, since it was given by my cousin and was openly acknowledged, accepting it wouldn’t be a problem. Who knew he would use it to make a story out of it…"
Why?
Why would Cheng Lu do this?
If her reputation was ruined, wouldn’t his also be tarnished if he married her? Besides, he was someone who intended to become an official—reputation was paramount… Wait, in her past life, he never ended up marrying her. Instead, he became engaged to Wu Baozhang. After being expelled from the Cheng family and stripped of his scholarly honors, the Wu family broke off the engagement. He went far away to Ningbo, married the daughter of a local wealthy merchant, and relying on his father-in-law’s family, became a prosperous merchant himself!
Why would he do this?
He was so clever—couldn’t he understand that his actions would drive her to her death?If not for that incident with Cheng Xu, what would have happened in her previous life?
She would have been taken back by her father and quietly married off!
At that time, her father was already a fourth-rank official. No matter how poorly she married, she would have been guaranteed a life of dignity, respect, and comfort...
Zhou Shaojin shuddered.
Why had she never connected these two things before?
She had always thought Cheng Xu was worse than a beast.
But she hadn’t considered that Cheng Lu was present yet didn’t save her... No, she had once suspected it but assumed he was afraid of offending Cheng Xu due to the influence of the eldest branch... Or perhaps she was making excuses for herself, excuses for having been drawn to such a scoundrel...
Zhou Shaojin wandered aimlessly around the room in confusion.
Zhou Chujin’s voice trembled with fear: "Shaoji, Shaojin, what’s wrong with you?"
Her sister’s voice brought Zhou Shaojin back to her senses.
She hugged her sister, comforting Zhou Chujin: "I’m fine, don’t worry. Nothing will ever happen to me again."
For the first time since her rebirth, Zhou Shaojin felt that to save the Cheng family, she must first save herself.
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Shaojin gradually began to stand on her own... o(n_n)o~
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