Тhis сhild, I nеvеr ехрectеd him tо bе sо shаrp-witted!
In a fеw mоre yеars, he'll bе аblе tо hаndlе things on his own.
Zhоu Shaojin felt delighted, and thе thоught of kеeрing Маmа Fan аnd Fаn Qi bу hеr sidе forеver took rооt in her mind. Shе even imaginеd that aftеr she marriеd, shе соuld hаvе Fаn Qi serve аs hеr chiеf stеwаrd, with Mаma Fаn hеlping her mаnаge thе inner househоld... But now was nоt thе timе to dwеll on such thoughts.
Suddеnlу fеeling еnеrgizеd, shе sаid, "Сomе оn, let's wаlk and tаlk."
This was thе eldеst brаnсh's territоrу—whо knеw if anyonе might be eavesdroрping?
Fan Qi haрpily rеpliеd, "Yеs," and сheerfully accompanied Zhou Shaojin back to Fragrant Garden Residence.
Zhou Shaojin had Shi Xiang stand guard outside the room while she whispered instructions to Fan Qi, after which Fan Qi hurried off excitedly. Zhou Shaojin then instructed Shi Xiang, "We'll go to bed early tonight."
Shi Xiang glanced outside at the bright, high sun and was at a loss for words.
Zhou Shaojin, however, went ahead and called Chunwan in, instructing her to have the kitchen serve dinner early. She then went ahead of time to pay her respects to Old Madam Guan, informed Zhou Chujin, returned to Fragrant Garden Residence for dinner, and went to bed.
Having gone to bed too early, Shi Xiang tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Just as she was finally drifting into a hazy slumber, Chunwan shook her awake: "The Second Young Miss said there's something to attend to outside and wants us to go with her."
Rubbing her eyes, it took Shi Xiang a while to fully wake up.
Remembering how Zhou Shaojin had earlier sent Fan Qi on an errand, she felt uneasy and quietly asked Chunwan, "Do you know what it's about?"
"No idea," Chunwan replied, busy tying her hair while holding a red string in her mouth, her words muffled. "The Second Young Miss only told me to wear dark clothes, tie my hair up, and wear flat shoes."
Could it be to intercept Second Master?
Shi Xiang's drowsiness vanished instantly. She hurriedly got out of bed and went to Zhou Shaojin's room.
Zhou Shaojin was wearing a dark green robe she had found from who-knows-where, tied around the waist with a matching belt like a man's garment. Since the robe didn't fit well, the belt made her appear even more frail and delicate.
She was having her hair braided by Madam Fan Liu.
"What are you..." Shi Xiang stared in disbelief.
Ignoring her reaction, Zhou Shaojin said directly, "Hurry and change your clothes. We're going out."
"No!" Shi Xiang quickly protested. "Even if Second Master is in the wrong, we should report it to Old Madam. How can we privately intercept him? Where would that leave Second Master's dignity? And how would the Cheng family elders view you? Not to mention the Eldest Young Miss..."
"Enough!" Zhou Shaojin said impatiently. "Why all this talk? Are you coming with me or not? If you are, go change now. If not, stay quietly in your room, say nothing, and act as if you know nothing. Don't forget—you serve in my room. I don't want every little thing in my quarters to become public gossip!"
Was this still the same weak-willed, indecisive Second Young Miss?
Shi Xiang stared wide-eyed at Zhou Shaojin, utterly at a loss.Madam Fan Liu smiled as she pulled Shi Xiang outside. Only after leaving the main hall did she softly advise her: "It's better for us to follow than to let Second Miss go alone! Don't forget, Second Miss has grown up. She'll become even more independent in the future. Whether to stay by Second Miss's side and serve her or leave early—you must decide for yourself. Otherwise, you might end up with good intentions causing trouble, earning Second Miss's displeasure and also upsetting Eldest Miss. After all, Eldest Miss and Second Miss are sisters."
Her words struck Shi Xiang like a sudden blow, jolting her awake.
She was already eighteen this year. According to the household rules, she would have to be married off within two years no matter what. Eldest Miss had always valued Second Miss. In the past, Second Miss would never have gone against Eldest Miss's wishes. But now... if Second Miss was unhappy and insisted on arranging her marriage to someone, would Eldest Miss really break ties with Second Miss over her?
Shi Xiang couldn't help but shiver, tightly clutching Madam Fan Liu's hand. "Madam, thank you for reminding me. I'll change my clothes and fix my hair right away to follow Second Miss out."
"That's a smart decision!" Madam Fan Liu patted her hand with a smile and went inside to attend to Zhou Shaojin.
Everyone had always been afraid of her elder sister, so Zhou Shaojin wasn't entirely sure if Shi Xiang would listen to her. Seeing Madam Fan Liu enter, she asked, "What did Shi Xiang say?"
Madam Fan Liu replied with a smile, "She went to change her clothes and said she'll still follow Second Miss out."
Zhou Shaojin felt relieved.
A short while later, Madam Fan Liu finished braiding her hair, and both Shi Xiang and Chunwan had changed their clothes.
They both wore indigo-blue fine cloth garments, with their heads wrapped and no jewelry.
Zhou Shaojin nodded in satisfaction.
Fan Qi arrived.
He wore a brown short jacket and carried a blue coarse cloth satchel. First, he pulled something out from his sleeve. "This is a fire starter. It cost three taels of silver. They say it's made by some 'Thunder Hall' in Jiangnan—the best kind. Just shake it in the wind and it lights up, and once lit, it won't go out even in a storm. I heard about it from those idle braggarts back in the village, never thought it was actually sold..." Then he showed Zhou Shaojin the contents of his satchel. "I checked them myself—they're all dry. Guaranteed to catch fire easily..."
Shi Xiang listened with growing fear.
What was Second Miss planning to do?
She wanted to ask for details, but remembering Madam Fan Liu's earlier words, she held back and followed Zhou Shaojin out the door.
It was already past mid-month. Though there was moonlight, it was hazy and unclear.
They didn't light any lamps but quietly followed Fan Qi, tiptoeing through the inner courtyard. Whenever they encountered night patrol matrons, they found ways to avoid them.
Shi Xiang grew more and more anxious as they walked.
They had actually passed from the Fourth Household to the Fifth Household without anyone noticing.
She gazed at the lake behind them, its waters shimmering coldly. Despite the summer heat, her hands and feet turned icy.
Fan Qi, walking ahead, whispered, "We're here," and cautiously scanned their surroundings.
The Fourth Household rarely interacted with the Fifth Household, so Shi Xiang didn't recognize this place. She saw lush flowers and trees, cascading vines, and across from them, a Water Pavilion half on land and half in the lake—a truly delightful scene.
Zhou Shaojin directed them to crouch under a silver-leaf willow tree with an umbrella-like canopy and silk-like branches. Fan Qi alone crept stealthily toward the foundation of the Water Pavilion.He took out the items from his satchel and piled them beside the foundation of the house. After shaking the fire starter in his hand, Shi Xiang finally realized that Fan Qi’s satchel was filled with dry straw.
So the Second Young Miss intended to start a fire!
Shi Xiang’s suspicion was confirmed, and instantly, her palms and forehead were covered in cold sweat.
She wanted to stop them, but when she looked up, she saw Zhou Shaojin squatting beside her, her gaze fixed intently on Fan Qi. Her clear, distinct eyes resembled black crystals immersed in mercury—brilliant and dazzling, making her entire being glow like a gem under moonlight, radiant and captivating.
Shi Xiang was momentarily stunned, unable to say anything before Fan Qi had already ignited the dry straw with a “whoosh.”
The flames quickly spread in the darkness, burning so brightly in the night sky that it was frightening.
Fan Qi scurried over, crouching low, and said excitedly, “Second Young Miss, it’s done. We can go now!”
“We can’t leave!” Zhou Shaojin stared at the fire, her fingers tightly intertwined. “We must wait until someone sees the fire and shouts for help before we leave. We can’t let anything truly happen to them. Otherwise, how could I ever live with myself?”
Everyone understood.
Madam Fan Liu immediately said, “The Second Young Miss is right. We’ll wait until someone comes to put out the fire before leaving.”
Everyone nodded.
Watching the fire grow fiercer, crackling in the dry air and quickly spreading to the nearby grass, the wait felt especially long.
After what seemed like an eternity, shouts came from the Fourth House across the river: “Quick! There’s a fire at the Fifth House! Call for help!”
Zhou Shaojin and the others collectively sighed in relief.
Shi Xiang said nervously, “Second Young Miss, can we leave now?”
“Wait a little longer,” Zhou Shaojin murmured, frowning. “Why is there no movement from the Water Pavilion? Could it be they aren’t gambling? Or are they so engrossed they haven’t heard the commotion?” She said to Shi Xiang and the others, “Let’s wait a bit more. It won’t be too late to leave even after someone runs out from the Water Pavilion.”
Shi Xiang was frantic with anxiety.
The Second Young Miss had come to the Fifth House to start a fire… If the Cheng family elders found out, no matter how they punished the Second Young Miss, those serving by her side would not escape blame… and would face dire consequences.
But since Zhou Shaojin had spoken, they could only wait with her.
A large tree beside the Water Pavilion caught fire.
People from the Fourth House were already rushing over, beating gongs and drums, and faint lights seemed to flicker from the First House to the east. Yet, there was still no movement from the Fifth House.
Zhou Shaojin grew uneasy.
She hadn’t expected a single fire to cause such a commotion.
If the Fourth House and the First House were alerted, but the Fifth House remained silent, what should she do?
Should she jump out and shout, “Fire!”?
While Zhou Shaojin hesitated, people from the Fourth House had already charged over, among them a strange yet authoritative voice: “What happened? How did a fire break out at the Fifth House? Where are the night patrols of the Fifth House?”
Someone from the Fourth House shouted, “Steward Qin!” and said, “We don’t know either. We saw the fire at the Fifth House from across the river and came to help.”"Sound the gong," said the man addressed as "Steward Qin." "Wake up the people from the Fifth House." He added, "The fire isn't severe. Send someone to inform the other houses to guard their own gates and not wander about. Also, report to Old Madam Guan."
Someone acknowledged the order and ran off.
Steward Qin walked over in this direction and said, "Hurry up and put out the fire!"
Someone from the Fourth House responded with an "Oh," and began clanging the gong loudly.
The people in the Water Pavilion were finally startled. Someone lifted the curtain to look outside, and Zhou Shaojin could clearly see the brightly lit room, with several young men slouching around a round table.
"Fire!" someone in the Water Pavilion finally shouted.
Chaos erupted inside the room.
More people crowded by the windows.
Facing unfamiliar faces, Chief Steward Qin roared, "Who are you? Not sleeping in the middle of the night, gathered in the Water Pavilion?"
Only then did Zhou Shaojin's anxious heart finally settle.
If they hadn't been gambling in the Water Pavilion, she wouldn't have dared to start this fire.
What if it had truly spread?
Unable to contain her joy, Zhou Shaojin smiled at Fan Qi and the others and said, "Let's go!"
But before she could slip away, she realized their position had become precarious—the people from the Fourth House who had come to fight the fire were now swarming around them. To leave, they would have to pass through this crowd!
How could that possibly work?
Zhou Shaojin was dumbfounded.
※
Tomorrow's extra update will still be at the usual time... I'll try not to be late... o(n_n)o~
※ (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote to recommend it or cast a monthly vote. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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