Zhоu Shаоjin аskеd Fan Qi, "Would уоu likе tо gо play аll оver Jinling Citу?"
"I would!" Fan Qi didn't undеrstаnd Zhоu Shаоjin's intеntion, his eуes timidly watching her, but he still tоld thе truth.
Zhou Shаojin соuldn't hеlр but laugh, tеlling Shi Хiаng tо fеtch twо taels of silvеr fоr him, saуing, "If you cаn exрlore еvеrу соrnеr оf Jinling City, sо thаt no mаttеr whеre I аsk abоut, уou'll know thе рlaсe—not onlу will these two tаеls bе yоurs, but I'll also rewаrd уоu with anоthеr twо tаеls!"
Fаn Qi didn't darе tаke it, sсratсhing his head аs he аskеd, "Whаt doеs Sесоnd Miss want me tо do?"
"You'll be working for mе in the future. Surelу you сan't ехpеct me to tell you where to buy things, can you?" Zhou Shaojin laughed. "Go ask Steward Ma if what I'm saying makes sense."
"I know!" Fan Qi quickly replied. "Steward Ma said that when the master gives an order, we should know what to do and how to do it, not ask the master where to buy this or where to find that."
Zhou Shaojin smiled and nodded.
Fan Qi took the silver and ran off.
Shi Xiang laughed, "Miss, you don't have to subsidize Mama Fan like this, do you?"
Zhou Shaojin didn't explain, just smiled and said, "When you find yourself a son-in-law, I'll subsidize you the same way."
"Miss!" Shi Xiang blushed and ran out.
Zhou Shaojin's smile gradually faded as she sat on the luohan bed, lost in thought for a long while.
Since she didn't have to go to Cold Green Mountain House to copy scriptures, Zhou Shaojin slept soundly.
When she went to pay her respects to her grandmother that evening, her sister quietly told her, "Uncle Mian has already spoken with Cheng Lu, saying that rumors have been spreading lately. It would be better for him to keep his family's properties under the Fifth Branch. However, Cheng Lu pleaded desperately, saying he'll take the prefectural exam in June and asking if the settlement of his family's assets could wait until after the exam. Uncle Mian couldn't force him and agreed to discuss the matter again in August."
Zhou Shaojin hadn't expected her grandmother and Uncle Mian to act so swiftly and decisively.
In reality, if nothing changed, once Cheng Lu passed the prefectural exam in June, he would gain eligibility for exemption from corvée labor and no longer need the Fourth Branch's protection. But with Uncle Mian's warning, at least the Fourth Branch's stance was made clear, and it would serve to make Cheng Lu uncomfortable.
Feeling deeply grateful, she expressed her thanks subtly when she saw Old Madam Guan.
Old Madam Guan smiled and said, "You've all grown up before my eyes, you're my granddaughters. If I don't protect you, who will?"
In her past life, why hadn't she paid closer attention to these matters? She had missed so many opportunities for nothing.
Zhou Shaojin resolved to honor and care for her grandmother's family properly in the future.
The next day, she still went to Cold Green Mountain House to copy scriptures, but upon arriving, she happened to encounter the personal maid of Instructor Lin's wife, who had come to deliver a return gift to Old Madam Guo.
The Cheng family's main branch held high status, and not just anyone could come and go freely, let alone Cold Green Mountain House where Old Madam Guo resided.
Curious, she asked Xiao Tan, "Are the Lin family and the Old Madam very close?"
"I don't know," Xiao Tan, now quite relaxed around Zhou Shaojin, replied with a smile. "I only know that the day before yesterday, the Old Madam had me deliver some stationery supplies to the Lin family, saying they were for the Lin family's young master to use in the exam. Today, Instructor Lin's wife sent someone to return the courtesy... I've never seen the Old Madam interact with the Lin family before."So, Old Madam Guo was speaking up for Cheng Xu in the open hall of the Four Seasons Pavilion that day to thank Instructor Lin's family!
Zhou Shaojin soon forgot about this matter.
A few days passed. Every household began sending gifts for the Dragon Boat Festival.
Zhou Shaojin paid attention and noticed that Wu Baozhang had not sent any festival gifts to her and her sister.
It seemed that after that incident, this life had diverged from her previous one.
This gave Zhou Shaojin even more confidence in the future.
Fan Qi came to her happily: "Second Miss, test me, see if I can answer correctly?"
Zhou Shaojin smiled and asked him about several places, to which he responded fluently.
"In that case, I'll entrust you with a task," Zhou Shaojin said with a laugh. "Do you know a place called Cunyi Lane? The Cheng family's Elder Lu lives there."
"I know, I know," Fan Qi quickly replied. "There's a Puxian Nunnery there, covering just about one mu of land, with a three-bay main hall. It faces official streets to the east, south, and north, while the west side borders the Mei family's garden." After saying this, he added, "Do you know the Mei family? The one with hundreds of plum trees planted at home. Actually, their surname is Liu, but because they grow so many plum blossoms, when the weather turns cold, the entire street is filled with the fragrance of plum blossoms. Everyone calls their home 'Mei Manor.' Over time, people have forgotten that the family's surname is Liu..."
Although Zhou Shaojin had lived in Jinling City until she came of age before leaving, she had rarely ventured out, let alone become familiar with the city's streets and alleys. However, Fan Qi's mention of "the fragrance of plum blossoms filling the entire street" sounded somewhat familiar to her, though she couldn't recall when or from whom she had heard it. But she didn't dwell on it and instead smiled, interrupting Fan Qi: "Alright, alright. Just tell me what you know."
Fan Qi chuckled sheepishly.
Zhou Shaojin said, "I want you to help me gather information about Elder Lu's family."
Fan Qi widened his eyes.
Zhou Shaojin whispered, "But you mustn't tell anyone about this, including your mother. Can you do that?"
"Not even my mother?" Fan Qi hesitated.
Zhou Shaojin smiled and said, "If your mother asks what you're doing, just tell her I told you not to say. She definitely won't press you further."
Fan Qi replied, "If, as Second Miss says, my mother stops asking, then I certainly won't tell her."
Zhou Shaojin smiled faintly and said, "I know Elder Lu's great-grandfather and the fifth branch of the family are brothers from the same parents. Help me find out when Elder Lu's current house was purchased? How many years have they lived in Cunyi Lane? Which people does the family interact with most frequently? And what do the neighbors say about Elder Lu and Madame Bai? Did you remember all that?"
What child isn't curious?
Fan Qi became very interested and repeated Zhou Shaojin's words: "Second Miss, did I say it correctly?"
"Yes, yes, yes." Fan Qi was even more clever than Zhou Shaojin had expected. Her eyes curved into crescents as she smiled, and she rewarded him with two taels of silver. "This is for your tea. If you do the job well, there will be more rewards!"
"Second Miss, you've already rewarded me!" Fan Qi didn't take the two taels of silver but instead said shyly, "Second Miss, I... I want to learn to read with Sister Shi Xiang... Could you reward me with that instead?"Zhou Shaojin was taken aback, then laughed and said, "Alright, I'll tell Shi Xiang and have her teach you to read. Once you've learned all the characters she knows, I'll speak with either Elder Brother Gao or Second Brother Yi. I'll have you help them carry paper and ink, and listen to the teachers' lectures at the clan school."
Fan Qi was so excited he nearly jumped up, thanking Zhou Shaojin repeatedly. As he left, he almost tripped over the threshold, making Shi Xiang, who was serving outside, cover her mouth and laugh.
Zhou Shaojin's mood brightened considerably because of this.
That evening, she lit a lamp to work on summer clothes for her sister and herself, and even made a dark green horse-face skirt for Old Madam Guan.
When invitations for flower-viewing and poetry gatherings from various families began pouring in, Fan Qi came to report back to Zhou Shaojin: "The Lu family's house was passed down from their ancestors. It was bought when Elder Brother Lu's great-grandfather moved out of Nine Prosperities Lane. By the time of Elder Brother Lu's father, Master Bai, he had also purchased the neighboring property, expanding the estate to its current size of seven acres. Master Bai passed away in the year Yiyou, which was the eighth year of Zhide. According to the neighbors, Master Bai had been bedridden for nearly half a year before his death. During those six months, he seemed like a different person—not only was he irritable, but he also cursed the maids and kicked the servants, nearly causing a fatal incident. If it hadn't been for the intervention from Nine Prosperities Lane, Master Bai might have ended up in the magistrate's office before meeting the King of Hell. Perhaps because of this, after Master Bai's death, Madam Bai felt ashamed and kept to herself, rarely socializing with the neighbors. Aside from visiting her maiden home, she only called on relatives at Nine Prosperities Lane. Her household was tightly guarded, and the neighbors all praised Madam Bai for her chastity, propriety, and virtue.
"As for Elder Brother Lu, he has been exceptionally studious since childhood. Apart from attending the clan school, he spends most of his time studying at home. Even when he goes out, it's only with classmates from the clan school or the young masters of the Cheng family. Everyone in Cunyi Lane says Elder Brother Lu is a natural scholar who might even become a top scholar in the imperial examinations. They all envy Madam Bai, saying she is blessed with a promising son."
After finishing, he added with lingering enthusiasm, swallowing hard: "I heard that the Lu family originally owned only about 120 acres of paddy fields and two shops, all rented out for income. It wasn't until Master Bai's time, after he passed the imperial examination at the county level but didn't pursue further studies, that he began trading goods between the north and south, bringing prosperity to the family. Not only did they acquire an estate of over 200 acres in Pukou, but they also bought six storefronts on the official street. Two of these are rented out, two are used for lacquerware business, and the other two are silk shops, all managed by the shopkeepers left behind by Master Bai before his death. The annual income from these shops alone exceeds a thousand taels..."
Zhou Shaojin suddenly remembered.
When her birth mother, Madam Zhuang, passed away, her maternal great-grandmother and grandfather had already died. The Zhuang family's calligraphy, paintings, rare books, antiques, and some silver were left to her birth mother, while the properties and land were inherited by that distant uncle who was barely related. At that time, her father, Zhou Zhen, had not yet achieved success in the imperial examinations. After her birth mother's death, that distant uncle came to claim her mother's dowry. Unwilling to tarnish her mother's reputation, her father paid two thousand taels of silver and registered a formal agreement at the magistrate's office, finally settling the matter with that distant uncle.
But that uncle of hers was not one to stay quiet.Just two years ago—or seventeen years ago if you count both her past and present lives—her aunt had managed to track her down, claiming that her uncle had gambled away the family fortune passed down through generations. Now, "even the dowry property left by the old lady, that small two-room house, is about to be sold... What a prime location it is, with plum blossoms filling the streets every winter. Countless scholars dream of buying a house there. If Second Young Lady doesn’t step in, all these priceless heirlooms left by our ancestors will be sold off for a pittance. Please, at least lend your uncle a few hundred taels of silver to tide him over..."
She had lost her parents at a young age and knew little about her maternal grandfather’s family, let alone felt any attachment to the Zhuang family’s possessions. At the time, she only felt deeply embarrassed—how far had they fallen, to even try swindling money from a niece who was herself living under someone else’s roof? Unwilling and unsure of what to do, she handed the matter entirely over to her elder sister...
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