Sаnbао’s fасе wаs full of hesitаtiоn, dаwdling аs hе called оut “Sеcond Мiss,” and for а lоng whilе hе didn’t mоvе.
Zhou Shaоjin glared at him—though her gazе rеmainеd as gеntlе аs wаter, соmрlеtеly lаcking any intimidаting fоrcе, and even gаve Sanbаo a smаll mоmеnt оf аdmirаtiоn, she was still сlеarlу shоwing hеr temрer. Sаnbаo didn’t darе оpеnly defy hеr, hurriedly reрliеd “Yеs,” and sсurried awaу.
Zhоu Shаojin brеаthеd а sigh оf rеlief.
Тhе grouр stoоd by the willоw treе аnd wаited.
Вut аftеr twо quarters of аn hour had passed, thеre was still no sign оf Cheng Yi, whilе the mоsquitоes grеw increasingly numerous. Shi Xiang’s palm-leaf fan swished loudly as she waved it.
Zhou Shaojin pursed her lips in anger, twisting her handkerchief tightly.
Shi Xiang smiled and advised, “Second Miss, even taking the shortcut from the Fifth House would take two quarters of an hour. Going there and back would take at least half an hour. Why not leave Chunwan here to wait while I accompany you for a stroll around the area?”
Zhou Shaojin thought about it and felt her words made sense. She left Chunwan by the willow tree to wait and went with Shi Xiang for a walk in the garden.
In her previous life, Cheng Xu had entered from the small garden near the Fifth House. In this life, she was determined to block that loophole no matter what. Otherwise, even if Cheng Xu was gone, who knew if another Cheng Ju might appear?
The two walked silently in the garden for about two quarters of an hour, but Cheng Yi still hadn’t arrived.
He probably wasn’t coming!
Zhou Shaojin felt an indescribable disappointment in her heart. She instructed Shi Xiang, “Let’s go back!”
Shijiang comforted her, “Not to mention gentlemen who are out and about, even young ladies gathering together care about face. How could Second Master just leave the table as soon as Sanbao called him? Most likely, the others insisted on keeping him. They’re either his classmates or cousins, after all. Second Master has to consider everyone’s feelings. It’s getting late now, so it’s fine for us to go back and rest first, and we can talk about it tomorrow. If Second Master sneaks in from here and happens to run into the night patrol matrons, it could cause trouble, and that wouldn’t be good either.”
Zhou Shaojin didn’t say anything. She called Chunwan and returned to Fragrant Garden Residence with Shi Xiang.
But once back, she immediately summoned the night watch matrons and repeatedly instructed them, “You must keep a close watch on the doors. If anyone is found disobeying, don’t blame me for not sparing their dignity—they’ll all be handed over to Chief Steward Qin Da for punishment.”
The servants who attended closely to Zhou Shaojin and Zhou Chujin in Fragrant Garden Residence were from the Zhou family, while the rough work maids and servants were from the Cheng family. These days, Zhou Shaojin had been copying scriptures in the Bihan Mountain House, and she had spoken up, bypassing the Fourth House and directly mentioning Qin Shouli, the chief steward of Nine Prosperities Lane. The servants thought Zhou Shaojin had gained Old Madam Guo’s favor and could even speak up in front of Qin Shouli. They were all terrified, vying to express their loyalty, even swearing oaths like “may lightning strike me five times.” Only then did Zhou Shaojin feel slightly reassured and allowed Shi Xiang to help her into bed.
Early the next morning, before Zhou Shaojin had even gotten out of bed, Cheng Yi arrived.
Zhou Shaojin was still preoccupied with the small garden near the Fifth House. She hadn’t slept well at all that night. Hearing that he had come, she sent Shi Xiang to invite him to the study for tea and said, “While you’re at it, ask Second Master if he’s had breakfast yet. If not, have the kitchen prepare breakfast for him first. I’ll go over once I’ve finished washing up.”
Shi Xiang went to the study.
Zhou Shaojin was still angry that he had made her wait in vain the day before, so she took her time dressing and grooming before finally heading to the west wing.Cheng Yi had already finished his breakfast, but Zhou Shaojin had yet to arrive, leaving him quite bored. He idly flipped through a few books, all about gardening and tree cultivation, which didn’t interest him much. Seeing a young maid come in to feed the fish, he simply took the small blue-and-white porcelain dish from her and began feeding them himself.
As a result, when Zhou Shaojin walked in, she saw him looking utterly carefree and content.
She couldn’t help feeling exasperated and asked, “How much did you lose yesterday?”
“Heh, heh, heh,” Cheng Yi turned around, casually holding the fish food. “Just enough for a meal, why worry?”
Zhou Shaojin snatched the fish food from his hand and said, “These fish are foolish—they’ll eat as much as you give them. Be careful not to overfeed them to death.” With that, she placed the small dish of fish food on the nearby desk before continuing, “I sent Sanbao to find you yesterday. Why didn’t you come?”
Cheng Yi evaded the question, saying, “Well, I’m here now, aren’t I? What did you need? The teacher is going to check our understanding of the Great Learning taught yesterday this morning, so I need to head over early.”
“So you do remember you have to study!” Zhou Shaojin retorted sharply. “If you hadn’t gone out to play with them last night, you wouldn’t be cramming now. I only wanted to talk to you so you’d spend less time with them in the future. Why don’t you see Cousin Shi or Cousin Zheng playing with you? Grandmother is counting on you to study hard and earn her a phoenix crown and ceremonial robes someday!”
“I know, I know,” Cheng Yi admitted with a laugh, though his tone carried a hint of indifference. “I promise I won’t hang out with them anymore. Are you satisfied now?”
After all, Cheng Yi was Zhou Shaojin’s cousin. If she spoke too harshly, she might hurt his pride; if she spoke too lightly, he wouldn’t take it seriously.
She wasn’t sure how to handle it, so she softened her voice and said, “It’s not that I’m forbidding you from gathering with them, but Uncle Wen and Aunt Wen are currently causing a stir. It’s not appropriate for you to play in the small garden of the Fifth House. Besides, staying out until midnight disrupts your studies, so it’s better to meet less often.”
“Don’t worry, don’t worry,” Cheng Yi chuckled. “When everyone saw Sanbao come to fetch me, they knew you’d found out. We’ve decided not to play in the small garden of the Fifth House anymore.”
And then find another place instead?
Zhou Shaojin wasn’t the type to corner someone, so she swallowed the words that had come to her lips and joked instead, “That’s good, then. It saves me from having to report you to Grandmother.” Remembering Cheng Yi’s destitution in her past life, her heart ached for him, and she added, “How much did you actually lose yesterday? I still have some silver here. If you’re in a tight spot, you can borrow from me. It’s better than owing money to Cheng Nuo, Cheng Ju, or your other classmates.”
The Fourth House was extremely strict with its descendants. Despite Cheng Yi being the second young master, with fine food, clothing, and accommodations, his disposable pocket money was actually less than Zhou Shaojin’s.
As the saying goes, “He who eats another’s food speaks softly; he who takes another’s money acts meekly.” How much more so when one borrows money and can’t repay it for a long time?
Cheng Yi knew his cousin was kind-hearted, gentle, and sincere. Seeing her bring it up herself, he didn’t stand on ceremony and asked, “Do you have twenty taels of silver?”
Zhou Shaojin was startled, never expecting he had lost so much.
She didn’t want Cheng Yi to lose face in front of Cheng Ju.
“Yes!” she replied without hesitation. She called for Xiangshi to fetch the silver and advised him once more, “You really should spend less time with them in the future.”Cheng Yi nodded, blushing as he said, "It's all about saving face, I couldn't just refuse outright."
That made sense.
Zhou Shaojin said nothing more.
Cheng Yi took the silver and bid farewell.
Zhou Shaojin personally saw him out before returning to the hall.
Shortly after, Zhou Chujin arrived and asked Zhou Shaojin, "What did Cousin Yi come to see you about so early?"
Zhou Shaojin replied with frustration, "Don't even mention it. Cousin Yi was gambling with Cheng Nuo, Cheng Ju, and the others last night..."
She recounted the whole incident to her sister.
Though somewhat surprised, Zhou Chujin wasn't as anxious as Zhou Shaojin. Instead, she smiled and said, "You should nag less in front of Cousin Yi from now on. No one likes a... sister who's always looking down on them."
"I don't want to either," Zhou Shaojin muttered, "but sometimes I just can't help myself."
She didn't notice the brief pause her sister made when mentioning "looking down on."
Zhou Shaojin worried that Cheng Yi was merely placating her.
She called Fan Qi in and instructed him to keep an eye on Cheng Yi: "Especially if he doesn't return to his own courtyard after school each day, find out what he's up to."
Fan Qi smiled and withdrew.
The next day, he mysteriously informed Zhou Shaojin, "Second Master was gambling with Master Nuo from the Fifth House, Master Ju, and a few classmates in the Water Pavilion of the Fifth House's small garden."
Zhou Shaojin felt her blood boil.
Cheng Yi clearly hadn't taken her words to heart at all.
Then she grew puzzled.
What money was Cheng Yi using to gamble?
After thinking it over, she called Sanbao over and asked him, "Exactly how much silver did Second Master lose the night before last?"
Sanbao knew about Zhou Shaojin lending silver to Cheng Yi. He thought, since the Second Young Miss was willing to lend silver to Second Master, they must be very close. Everyone knew how much Second Master had lost. Even if he didn't say it now, the Second Young Miss could easily find out by asking around. Besides, it wasn't a huge amount. So he didn't hide it from Zhou Shaojin and replied with a smile, "He lost six taels of silver."
Zhou Shaojin nearly jumped up.
No wonder Cheng Yi could keep gambling with that crowd—she had lent him twenty taels of silver herself.
Seeing her angry expression, Sanbao quickly added, "Second Young Miss, Second Master won two taels and three fen of silver yesterday. He'll win it all back soon."
It took Zhou Shaojin a moment to process this. She said, "So Second Master intends to keep gambling with them?"
"No, no," Sanbao realized he had spoken carelessly and hastily corrected himself, "I misspoke. Second Master said he can't just let them laugh at him for nothing. Once he wins back the silver, he'll treat them to a meal at Jiuxiang Tower and never play with them again."
As he spoke, he cautiously observed Zhou Shaojin's expression.
Zhou Shaojin didn't even want to talk anymore and had Shi Xiang see Sanbao out.
During the evening visit, she deliberately slowed her steps and ran into Cheng Gao and Cheng Yi.
Zhou Shaojin greeted Cheng Gao with a smile and pulled Cheng Yi aside to talk. "If you can't win back all the silver this time, will you keep gambling with them?"
"How could that be!" Cheng Yi glanced at Cheng Gao and whispered, "I lost several rounds in a row, but as soon as you lent me the silver, my luck turned. It shows you bring good fortune. I'm sure I can win back all the silver I lost this time."
Seeing Cheng Gao watching them with a displeased expression, Zhou Shaojin didn't press further. She smiled and parted ways with Cheng Yi.That evening, she had Fan Qi continue to keep an eye on Cheng Yi.
Cheng Yi, Cheng Ju, and a few others played until the third watch before dispersing. Several of their classmates even stayed overnight at the Fifth House.
Zhou Shaojin knew that her attempts to persuade Cheng Yi were futile.
But aside from persuasion, what else could she do?
Zhou Shaojin wandered through the bamboo grove of Jing'an Studio, staring blankly at the Water Pavilion across from the Fifth House. She was completely unaware of Pan Qing's approach, and if Pan Qing hadn't smiled and asked, "What are you doing here, Shaojin?" she might not have noticed Pan Qing standing right beside her.
※
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