"I hеаrd it frоm mу mоthеr," Сheng Sheng did nоt hidе it, sауing, "Мy mother hеаrd it from my аunt. Howеvеr, mу аunt didn't ехplain in dеtail, so my mother doеsn't knоw the sрeсifiсs еithеr. She’s just а bit wоrriеd. Whеn Unсle Сhi returned, Fourth Аunt invitеd us for а meal, and Fоurth Uncle Сhi was prоmоtеd аgаin. Lоgiсally, Unсlе Wen shоuld hаvе cоme tоо, but todaу nоt onlу did Uncle Wen nоt come, but Соusin Nuо and Мadam Wu alsо didn’t shоw uр... I’m a bit wоrriеd—thе Li fаmilу оf Lujiang, thе Fаng familу of Shuсheng, the Gu fаmily оf Наining... their fаmiliеs dоn’t hаve this kind of troublе!"
It was truly too embаrrassing!
Not onlу Zhou Shaоjin, but evеn Мin Jia flushеd red.
"It’s a long story," Min Jia glanced at Old Madam Guo, who was being accompanied by Madam Qiu and listening to the opera with great interest, then lowered her voice and recounted the whole incident. "...No matter what, it was wrong for Cousin Nuo to keep a woman outside. My father-in-law’s idea is for the family to step in and talk to that woman—either she enters the household, or they cut ties completely. If money is involved and Uncle Wen doesn’t have enough, we’ll cover it from our side. In short, we can’t let others laugh at the Cheng family.
"But Cousin Nuo swore that he and that Sixth Miss Kang were completely innocent, with no relationship at all, and that it was all Madam Wu’s imagination.
"So my mother personally went to find that Sixth Miss Kang.
"It turns out Madam Wu was completely wrong.
"That house belongs to Sixth Miss Kang herself. The shop at Xizhimen and the trading company in Huixian are also hers. That cousin of hers is just her most capable manager."
"What?" Both Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Sheng were stunned.
Min Jia smiled bitterly. "Madam Wu didn’t clarify anything and just made a mess of things.
"Sixth Miss Kang lost her parents early and was raised by her grandmother, that’s true. But she has a good uncle. After her father passed away, he managed the family’s ancestral business. When Sixth Miss Kang turned fourteen, he handed over her father’s share entirely to her and personally taught her how to do business. Afraid she might suffer in another family after marriage, he decided she should take in a husband.
"Didn’t Madam Wu borrow money from Sixth Miss Kang’s silk shop before? Later, Madam Wu kept delaying repayment. Originally, Sixth Miss Kang didn’t care much about those few hundred taels of silver, but Madam Wu, judging others by herself, repaid the money and then borrowed again. When asked about it, she not only didn’t offer a word of thanks but also coveted the interest, planning to repay when the debt was due and borrow again a few days later.
"No one is a fool!
"Especially since Sixth Miss Kang is the head of her household. Hearing this, how could she feel comfortable? When Madam Wu repaid the money, she refused to lend to her again.
"If she had just let it go, it would have been fine.
"But greed knows no bounds. She used Cousin Nuo as an excuse at home, insisting he go borrow the money.
"Cousin Nuo is an honest man. If he didn’t know, it would be one thing, but knowing the truth, how could he have the face to borrow? After hearing what the neighbors said, his face burned with shame, and he immediately took twelve gift boxes to apologize to the Kang family.
"As it happened, Sixth Miss Kang was at home. Seeing Cousin Nuo’s sincerity, she let the matter go.""During a meeting, a few words were exchanged, and it was learned that your cousin's tea shop business was not doing well. Coincidentally, the Kang family originally also dealt in tea. However, later they shifted their focus primarily to silk, and the chief manager who had overseen the tea business passed away from illness. With both sides busy, they couldn’t manage everything properly. So, they introduced a few former business contacts to your cousin.
"Your cousin is someone who can handle tasks when assigned, but when it comes to negotiating business, he’s not skilled at all. Even though the contacts were introduced to him, he failed to close the deal.
"Kang Liu Niang thought the merchant had looked down on your cousin because of his youth. Feeling responsible since she had initiated the connection, she didn’t want your cousin to leave empty-handed. So, in her own name, she invited that merchant again and managed to secure a small deal, earning just enough to cover tea expenses.
"Feeling uneasy, Kang Liu Niang introduced another merchant to your cousin. She even advised him on what to wear, what to say, how to discuss prices and tea quality, and how to handle casual conversations. Your cousin followed her instructions, and this time the deal was successfully closed.
"Your cousin was immensely grateful. Whenever he had questions, he would ask the teahouse manager to consult Kang Liu Niang.
"Kang Liu Niang had previously received help from her cousin, the manager. This time, she came to the capital partly to inspect the shops here and partly to visit her cousin’s wife, who was about to give birth. With some free time on her hands, she offered your cousin a few suggestions.
"Their family had originally established themselves in the capital through Qu Yuan’s connections. Now that Qu Yuan had fallen from power, their business was no longer as smooth as before. Kang Liu Niang tried several avenues in the capital but to no avail. She considered letting go of their staff in the capital and renting out the shops to others.
"Once word got out, some began eyeing their shops.
"Seeing this, your cousin gave Kang Liu Niang the calling card from my father-in-law that Uncle Wen had, advising her to present it to the Shuntian Prefect if anyone caused trouble at the shop.
"Kang Liu Niang hadn’t known about your cousin’s connections to the Cheng family and our family before.
"Upon learning that Uncle Wen was our relative, she said the calling card from your father-in-law was too precious to use casually and should be saved for emergencies. She declined to accept it.
"Your cousin then personally went to the Shuntian Prefecture to resolve the matter.
"The Shuntian Prefect couldn’t just do this for free, so he had his wife discreetly inform my mother.
"My mother tends to believe whatever she hears, and she acted exactly as Wu Shi suggested.
"Hearing that Kang Liu Niang had a calling card from your father-in-law, she broke into a cold sweat and immediately sent a steward to investigate, which led to the trip to Xizhimen!
"Kang Liu Niang and your cousin are truly innocent!"
Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Sheng both breathed a sigh of relief, their expressions easing.
Cheng Sheng even bowed toward the west and said, "As long as the misunderstanding is cleared up, that’s what matters. From now on, just live well. Everyone was young once."
Zhou Shaojin nodded in agreement.Min Jia smiled helplessly and said, "Cousin Nuo feels guilty towards Kang Liu Niang and insists on divorcing his wife." She then told Cheng Sheng and Zhou Shaojin about how Wu Baozhang had Kang Liu Niang thrown into prison. "Then Kang Liu Niang also became furious, saying that if Cousin Nuo had been weaker, more fearful, or arrived a little later, she might have died in prison. Since Wu claimed she was a mistress, well, she wouldn’t disappoint Wu’s ‘kindness’—she’d become Cousin Nuo’s mistress. She even said she wouldn’t take a single penny from Cousin Nuo and would instead give him eight hundred taels of silver every year as support..."
"Ah?!" Cheng Sheng and Zhou Shaojin were once again shocked.
Zhou Shaojin said, "Isn’t Kang Liu Niang just causing trouble? If this gets out, how will she ever face others again? It’s like harming the enemy a thousand while losing eight hundred yourself."
Min Jia couldn’t help but glance at Zhou Shaojin. "Exactly! My mother-in-law also tried to persuade Kang Liu Niang, but she had made up her mind and even called Cousin Nuo over."
"What did Cousin Nuo say?" Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Sheng asked simultaneously.
"Cousin Nuo absolutely refused," Min Jia said. "Perhaps this is just a doomed fate. If Cousin Nuo had agreed, Kang Liu Niang might have regretted it upon seeing how spineless he was, and she might have stepped down when given the chance during my mother-in-law’s persuasion. But Cousin Nuo is as stubborn as an ox. No matter what good or bad things were said, he just wouldn’t agree."
"Isn’t that a good thing?" Zhou Shaojin said. "With time, the pain will fade, and things will get better eventually."
"I’m afraid Cousin Nuo doesn’t see it that way," Min Jia sighed. "He said if he has to live with Wu, he’d rather die."
Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Sheng exchanged glances.
That evening, Zhou Shaojin recounted the matter to Old Madam Guo: "Mother, do you think Nuo Ge’er might divorce Wu Baozhang?"
Both families were respectable. If things truly became unbearable, they couldn’t simply let Cheng Nuo divorce Wu Baozhang outright. They would at least give Wu Baozhang some face by calling it a mutual separation.
Old Madam Guo listened and said with interest, "Oh? That Kang Liu Niang is quite formidable. How old is she?"
"They say she’s twenty-four. Since she pays tribute to the officials every year, they turn a blind eye," Zhou Shaojin replied.
Old Madam Guo laughed upon hearing this. "I was originally worried that Kang Liu Niang might end up in prison, but it seems I overthought it. At twenty-four and unmarried, yet able to manage the vast family business left by her father—she must be quite an extraordinary person. Let’s not interfere in this matter. Whether Cheng Nuo wants to continue with Wu Baozhang or separate and remarry, we shouldn’t get involved."
Zhou Shaojin smiled and agreed, "Mm," then attended to Old Madam Guo as she retired for the night. Only then did she run into Cheng Chi, who had been waiting in the hall for quite some time.
"Mother is asleep!" Zhou Shaojin whispered to him. "Keep your voice down."
Cheng Chi didn’t greet Old Madam Guo and instead carefully bundled the already soundly sleeping Yun Ge’er before returning to their room.
Yun Ge’er didn’t make a sound the entire time.
Cheng Chi placed him on the bed, and he continued sleeping.
His little pink face was flushed like rouge, his slender little hands resting against his cheeks with delicate fingers curled, sleeping deeply and looking utterly adorable.A smile surfaced in Cheng Chi's eyes. As if afraid of waking Yun Ge'er, he sat by the bed, gazing at the child and softly saying to Zhou Shaojin, "He's had quite the exhausting day today—nothing can rouse him now."
The room was filled with chattering children, noisy as a flock of sparrows, enough to give anyone a headache. Yet Yun Ge'er had kept his eyes wide open, refusing to sleep. He couldn't be held flat either; his head had to be cradled in an arm so he could watch the other children playing, or else he would cry desperately.
The wet nurse had no choice but to hold him up to watch, until his eyelids grew heavy and he could no longer stay awake, finally closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.
Once asleep, nothing could wake him.
Zhou Shaojin instructed a young maid to bring water for the couple to freshen up, then sat down beside them. With a loving smile, she gently stroked her son's hair and said, "I wonder who he takes after, with such a strong temper!"
"Certainly not me!" Cheng Chi chuckled. "And definitely not you either. Perhaps, as Mother says, he takes after his grandfather."
Or perhaps all children with delicate features look somewhat alike, for Zhou Shaojin couldn't quite see whom Yun Ge'er resembled. Hearing this, she smiled and asked, "Does Father-in-law look like you?"
※
Dear readers, here is today's update.
Tomorrow, an aunt from afar is coming to visit me, so there will only be one update, scheduled for around ten in the evening.
O(∩_∩)O~
※ (To be continued ~^~)
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