Сhеng Сhi tapреd Zhоu Shаоjin's nose and sаid with а smile, "As уou wish, we wоn't gо."
Zhоu Shаоjin's еyes сurved into crescents аs shе cоquettishlу rерliеd, "We shоuldn't hаvе gоnе in the first рlace."
Сhеng Chi еmbraced Zhоu Shaojin, fеeling a wаvе оf еmоtiоn wаsh over him.
Нis littlе girl had finаllу lеarnеd to sау "no" to him.
Еаrly thе next morning, thе couplе brоught Yun Gе'er tо pay thеir rеsрeсts tо Оld Маdаm Guo, оnlу to find thаt therе were аlreаdу visitоrs in her rооm.
Zhеnzhu whisрered, "It's the stеwardess sent by Mаdam Yuan. She sаid that the уoung mistrеss оf the Nuо family at Xizhimen attempted suicide by hanging. Although she was saved, she's in a terrible state—crying and making a scene for half the night. This alarmed both the master and the young master, who went to Xizhimen to console Master Wen. The master even had his attendant rush back to Xinglin Hutong to fetch a change of clothes, hastily freshened up, and went to court."
Cheng Chi frowned slightly, then smiled at Zhou Shaojin and said, "No wonder people say a good wife brings half the blessings."
He actually said such things in front of Old Madam Guo's attendants.
Zhou Shaojin's face flushed red, though she couldn't deny the sweetness in her heart.
Meanwhile, Chenxiang hurried to inform Old Madam Guo.
Shortly after, the stewardess from Xinglin Hutong emerged from the room, curtsied to Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Chi in greeting, and was led away by Chenxiang.
Zhenzhu lifted the curtain.
Zhou Shaojin, holding Yun Ge'er, followed Cheng Chi into the room.
As it was still early, the windows in the room were open for ventilation. The crisp, cool air was refreshing and invigorating.
Old Madam Guo, however, quickly instructed Zhenzhu, "Close the windows quickly. Yun Ge'er is here—be careful not to let him catch a chill." She then stretched out her hands toward Yun Ge'er, saying, "Come here, darling, to Grandma."
Yun Ge'er grinned, melting Old Madam Guo's heart. She hurriedly instructed Zhenzhu and the others, "Quick, bring the chestnut cakes that the master brought over the other day."
They were a reward from the emperor when Cheng Jing was on duty at the palace. Knowing they were good for the elderly, he had specifically sent them over.
Zhou Shaojin quickly smiled and said, "Mother, Yun Ge'er isn't old enough to eat such things yet!" As she spoke, she took Yun Ge'er back.
"Look at my memory!" Old Madam Guo chuckled as she took Yun Ge'er into her arms. She then said to Zhenzhu, "Then go and pour a bowl of goat's milk for our Yun Ge'er."
Yun Ge'er wouldn't even drink his wet nurse's milk, let alone goat's milk.
Zhou Shaojin didn't want to stop Old Madam Guo again, so she glanced at Cheng Chi.
Cheng Chi remained calm and said, "Mother, Yun Ge'er was just fed. You can't feed him again just because you feel like it. If you do, he won't drink milk later. You should give him some plain water first. He hasn't had a single drop since he woke up this morning. I don't know what's wrong with this child—he refuses to drink water."
Upon hearing this, Old Madam Guo perked up and said confidently, "That's because you don't know how to feed him!" She then called out loudly for Zhenzhu to fetch water.
Zhenzhu and the others dared not delay and immediately brought warm water.
Old Madam Guo personally placed a fine cloth handkerchief under Yun Ge'er's chin and fed him water with a silver spoon shaped like a ginkgo leaf.
Yun Ge'er took half a sip and spat out the rest.
The old madam tried to coax Yun Ge'er into drinking water with a cloth tiger and amused him with the ginkgo leaf on the spoon, but no matter what she did, Yun Ge'er simply refused to drink. Even if she managed to get a sip into his mouth, he would immediately spit it out.
Old Madam Guo wiped his drool and said to Cheng Chi with a smile, "Look how clever he is! He knows this is water, tasteless, and doesn't like it!"Cheng Chi was speechless. Seeing that it was getting late, he got up to go to the yamen.
Zhou Shaojin saw Cheng Chi off at the door.
Cheng Chi whispered, "We can't let Mother take care of the child anymore. Back in the day, if we dared to spit out something we had already put in our mouths, we'd be waiting for the ruler to strike our palms! Look at how Mother treats Yun Ge'er—everything is just perfect. If this continues, I'm afraid he'll grow up to be a spoiled and idle young master. You'll have to put more effort into the child's upbringing and try to take care of him yourself as much as possible. When he turns three, I'll personally start his education."
He would take charge of it himself.
Zhou Shaojin felt that Cheng Chi was making a mountain out of a molehill.
Young sons and eldest grandsons are the apple of an old lady's eye. The child is still young, so it's fine to indulge and pamper him a little, as long as he doesn't forget his manners.
But since Cheng Chi had given his instructions, she would simply spend more time playing with the child in the future.
Zhou Shaojin obediently replied, "Yes," and watched Cheng Chi get into the sedan chair before returning to Tingxiang Courtyard.
Inside the room, Old Madam Guo was still patiently feeding Yun Ge'er water, but Yun Ge'er threw a tantrum and knocked over the bowl in Old Madam Guo's hand, spilling water all over the kang.
Zhou Shaojin was startled and sternly called out, "Yun Ge'er!"
Yun Ge'er seemed to know he had angered his mother. His little mouth quivered, and he began to cry loudly.
Old Madam Guo quickly said, "The child doesn't understand. It's just a bowl being knocked over—what's the big deal? Is it worth scaring the child like this?" Then she turned and gently patted Yun Ge'er, soothing him softly, "Our Yun Ge'er is a little man. Don't cry, don't cry. Grandmother will buy you candy." After saying this, she seemed to remember that Yun Ge'er couldn't eat candy yet and added, "When Yun Ge'er grows up, Grandmother will buy you lots of nice things."
Although Yun Ge'er was young, he could still sense the adults' emotions.
Knowing that Zhou Shaojin was angry at the moment, he buried his face in Old Madam Guo's shoulder and cried loudly.
Old Madam Guo was heartbroken. She spent a long time soothing him with "Good boy, good boy," and said, "If you don't want to drink water, then don't drink. My Yun Ge'er can drink whenever he wants."
Watching this, Zhou Shaojin suddenly felt that Cheng Chi's words weren't entirely without reason.
After Yun Ge'er was finally soothed, Old Madam Guo was drenched in sweat, and Yun Ge'er began kicking his little legs, wanting to go outside. Zhou Shaojin simply bundled the child up warmly and handed him to the wet nurse, then helped Old Madam Guo change her clothes.
Old Madam Guo couldn't help but sigh, "I'm old, I'm old! Back when Si Lang was little, I could hold him all day without feeling tired. I can't deny that I'm getting old anymore!"
Zhou Shaojin smiled and said, "It's because Yun Ge'er is too mischievous. What child his age can't stay still at home?"
"He's just clever!" Old Madam Guo made excuses for her grandson. Supported by a maid, she climbed onto the large kang by the window, took a few sips of the tea Zhou Shaojin offered, and said, "Do you know about the trouble at your cousin Wen's place?"
"Yes," Zhou Shaojin told Old Madam Guo about how Cheng Wen had sent someone to find Cheng Chi last night. However, fearing that Old Madam Guo might think she had encouraged Cheng Chi not to help his brother, she didn't mention that she had tried to stop Cheng Chi.
Old Madam Guo nodded after hearing this and said, "It's right that you didn't go. Although Wu Shi is at fault, Nephew Wen's approach is also wrong. We can't aid and abet wrongdoing. What's this about a 'co-wife'? It's laughable."
Zhou Shaojin breathed a sigh of relief and replied with a smile, "Yes."
A maid came in and announced, "The First Mistress has arrived."
She was likely here because of the trouble in Cheng Wen's household.Old Madam Guo said, "Please invite her in," and the little maid led Madam Yuan over.
Whether it was due to poor rest last night or simply not sleeping at all, Madam Yuan looked haggard and weary.
After stepping forward to pay her respects to Old Madam Guo, Zhou Shaojin had a little maid bring a brocade stool for Madam Yuan. She politely asked if she had eaten breakfast yet, mentioning that half a black-boned chicken was still simmering in the kitchen and asking if she would like a bowl of noodles cooked in black-boned chicken broth.
Madam Yuan, likely truly exhausted, surprisingly responded politely to Zhou Shaojin, saying, "Then I’ll trouble you, sister-in-law."
Zhou Shaojin gave the order accordingly.
Upon returning to the sitting room, she heard Madam Yuan say to Old Madam Guo, "...Master Wen is dead set on this. No matter how I tried to persuade him, I couldn’t change his mind. When I came over, his attendants and a few maids were helping his nephew’s wife pack her belongings, saying they would send her back to Jinling tomorrow morning to serve Madam Wen!"
"Nonsense!" Old Madam Guo’s face immediately darkened, and she said sharply, "What kind of father-in-law is he, allowing attendants and maids to handle his daughter-in-law’s things? If word gets out, how will he ever hold his head up again!"
"I said the same thing," Madam Yuan replied helplessly. "But he would have to listen for it to matter. Right now, he’s single-mindedly determined to send his nephew’s wife away to make room for the woman outside. Seeing him like this, I also made it clear that if he insists on this, from now on, I won’t interfere in any of their family matters. He can handle it himself. When he heard me say this, he seemed to waver a bit. Worried that he might stubbornly go his own way and cause a complete fallout, I pretended to be angry and came here." After finishing, she patted her chest and added, "Though it wasn’t entirely pretend—I’m so angry with them I could burst."
Old Madam Guo was clearly also disgusted by Cheng Wen’s actions. She said to Madam Yuan, "Don’t concern yourself with this matter anymore. Let him do as he pleases, but remember, although he bears the Cheng surname, we have already separated from Nine Prosperities Lane. If he disregards the face of our Cheng family, I won’t spare his either."
Hearing this, Madam Yuan perked up.
By evening, Cheng Shao arrived and asked what exactly was going on in Cheng Wen’s household: "...When I left the yamen today, I ran into the Prefect of Shuntian. Why did he tell me that Cheng Wen is planning to take a second wife for his nephew and even went to the yamen to draft a document and affix his seal, inviting the Prefect of Shuntian to the wedding banquet?"
Previously, when they heard Cheng Wen mention it, everyone thought he was merely complaining about his dissatisfaction with the current situation. No one expected he would actually go through with it, let alone say anything to Cheng Shao about it.
Now that Cheng Shao had come knocking, knowing the matter could no longer be concealed, they had no choice but to tell him the whole story.
In Zhou Shaojin’s mind, Cheng Shao was a gentle and tolerant person, but she never imagined he could lose his temper so fiercely.
She held Yun Ge’er and retreated to her own room.
Not long after, Cheng Chi also returned.
Learning that Cheng Shao was at Tingxiang Courtyard and still in a rage, Cheng Chi smiled wryly at Zhou Shaojin and said, "My second uncle is simply too straightforward in temperament and can’t stand these underhanded affairs..."
Hearing this, Zhou Shaojin felt a stir in her heart and lowered her voice to say, "Si Lang, do you think Second Uncle’s murder might be related to his temperament? For example, if the Fourth Prince harmed the Emperor..."
Cheng Chi laughed heartily, pulled her into his arms, and ruffled her hair, saying, "This little one, how can she be so clever and sharp!"Zhou Shaojin looked at Cheng Chi with confusion, which only made him laugh even more.
He held her close and whispered in her ear, "Just say these things to me, don't go spreading them around. Whether it's fratricide or patricide, those are matters for the future. If you speak too early, others will think you're mad; if you speak too late, disaster will arise within the walls and endanger the state, leaving you with a guilty conscience."
Zhou Shaojin nodded.
The two went to Tingxiang Courtyard, where Old Madam Guo currently resided.
From afar, they saw Cheng Shao pacing in the courtyard.
※
Dear readers, here is today's update.
I have a check-up tomorrow, so there will only be one update, posted around 10 p.m.
O(∩_∩)O~
※ (To be continued ~^~)
OpenNovel