Аftеr lаughing, Zhоu Shаоjin сalled Fаn Qi оvеr аnd quiеtly instructed him, "Whеn уou havе free timе, trу tо minglе mоrе with the pеople from the Fourth Маster Сhi of thе mаin brаnсh and gаthеr infоrmаtiоn abоut the Hill of Сlustеred Сassia Cоurtyard."
Fаn Qi, who was usuаllу еаgеr fоr suсh tasks, aсtuаlly shоwеd sоme hеsitatiоn аnd said, "Seсоnd Miss, thеre are fаr too manу реoрle trying to сurrу fаvor with Fоurth Маstеr Сhi. I’m аfraid... I’m аfrаid I won’t bе ablе to get сlosе!"
Zhоu Shаojin wаs tаkеn аback.
Was thеre really such а thing?
But upon sеcond thоught, sincе Сheng Сhi managed the family’s affairs, it made sense that the stewards, matrons, and servants would do everything they could to flatter him!
She had no choice but to say, "Keep this matter in mind for now, and we’ll wait for an opportunity."
What was Second Miss planning to do?
Fan Qi nodded, full of suspicion, and withdrew.
It seemed relying solely on Fan Qi wouldn’t work; she would have to think of other ways.
Zhou Shaojin sat by the round table, resting her elbow, for a long time.
The next day, both Zhou Shaojin and her sister received invitations from the Duke of Liang’s residence, inviting them to visit the temple fair and release lanterns during the Ghost Festival.
Old Madam Guan and Madam Mian were both very surprised. Madam Mian, in particular, looked at Zhou Shaojin with a smile, her expression carrying a sense of pride as if to say, "Our daughter has grown up." She remarked, "I never expected that after just one outing with me, Shaojin would become friends with the eldest daughter of the Duke of Liang’s residence. It shows you should come out with me more often in the future."
Zhou Shaojin felt that sitting around chatting with those young girls was far less comfortable than staying at home doing needlework or copying scriptures.
But she couldn’t say this to her aunt.
Her aunt meant well and was thinking of her, hoping she would build a reputation among relatives, which would be beneficial whether for matchmaking or marriage.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Chujin nodded repeatedly and asked Madam Mian with a smile, "Shall we send a reply to the Duke of Liang’s residence?"
"Of course," Old Madam Guan chimed in before Madam Mian could speak, laughing as she said, "Not only should you go, but you should also dress beautifully so everyone knows our Cheng family has two lovely flowers."
In her excitement, the old lady momentarily forgot that the Zhou sisters both bore the surname "Zhou."
But who would spoil the mood?
The old lady had always treated the sisters as her own granddaughters.
Seeing the cheerful atmosphere, Madam Mian seized the opportunity to please Old Madam Guan. She said, "Clothes make the man, and a saddle makes the horse. Looking beautiful isn’t just about saying it. Besides making new clothes, we also need to craft new jewelry. I won’t make things difficult for you—just take a bit of your private savings to have a pair of gold hairpins made for the two sisters. I’ll cover everything else. What do you think?"
"So you’ve set your sights on my private savings!" Old Madam Guan pointed at Madam Mian, chuckling. "I know you’re a clever one, but I won’t tease you. Just take the sisters to make clothes and jewelry, and I’ll cover all the expenses!"
Zhou Shaojin and Zhou Chujin giggled and joined in the fun. Before Madam Mian could speak, they eagerly stepped forward to thank Old Madam Guan.
Old Madam Guan laughed so hard she couldn’t close her mouth. She simply said to Madam Mian, "I’ll contribute fifty taels of silver. Besides making clothes and jewelry for the sisters, you should also make two outfits each for Gao Ge’er and Yi Ge’er. In a few days, it will be the Mid-Autumn Festival on the fifteenth of August."Madam Mian smiled and put her arms around Zhou Shaojin and Zhou Chujin’s shoulders, saying, “Our Gao Ge’er and Yi Ge’er are benefiting from you two sisters this time. I’ll have them thank you both later.”
Zhou Chujin laughed. “No need for thanks. We’re just doing a small favor. Why not have our two cousins paint a few ‘Nine-Nine Cold Dispelling’ pictures for us in a few days? That way, we can have something to do indoors, like dotting plum blossoms.”
Everyone burst into laughter.
Madam Mian then called in the tailor to make clothes for them.
Zhou Shaojin declined. “You can just have some made for my sister. I still have new clothes I haven’t worn yet. When the time comes, you can help me pick one. If nothing is suitable, we can always make more later.”
Zhou Chujin naturally disagreed, and it took Zhou Shaojin quite some time to persuade her sister.
The tailor, who was supposed to arrive earlier, was half an hour late.
Panting and wiping sweat from her forehead, she kept explaining, “I was supposed to come earlier, but who knew I’d run into the young master from the third branch? He had several large carts of luggage, blocking the sedan chairs outside. I had to wait there for him to unload the luggage…”
“The young master from the third branch?” Madam Mian frowned. “Who is it?”
She suspected it might be someone from the Hong family…
But the tailor said, “I heard he’s a relative from Old Madam Li’s maternal family in the third branch. He made a fortune doing business in Guangdong and came back specifically to visit Old Madam Li.” As she spoke, she gestured with her hands. “They say he brought a pair of red coral pieces over three feet tall…”
Oh no!
How could she have forgotten about Li Jing’s arrival?
Zhou Shaojin nearly jumped up.
In her previous life, during the hot weather, when Li Jing went to pay his respects to Old Madam Li, Cheng Jia was drinking mung bean soup and playing cards with Old Madam Li to pass the time. Li Jing fell for Cheng Jia at first sight and was completely smitten upon seeing her again.
Now that Li Jing had arrived, Cheng Jia was under house arrest. How would they meet?
This was the change brought about by her rebirth—in her previous life, she had no interaction with Cheng Xu, Wu Baozhang hadn’t quarreled with her, and she hadn’t schemed against Pan Qing… Now, everything had changed.
Li Jing, though born into a merchant family and of low status, was Cheng Jia’s lifeline.
Just in case… Cheng Jia still had Li Jing to treat her well.
Even if she was being selfish.
She couldn’t just stand by and watch Cheng Jia miss out on Li Jing.
Besides, this whole situation was caused by her.
Zhou Shaojin seized an opportunity to instruct Shi Xiang, “The young master from the Li family of the third branch has arrived. Go and find out when he plans to leave. Also, check whether Cousin Jia is still under house arrest or if she’s been temporarily called out to meet the relatives.”
Shi Xiang quietly withdrew.
By the time Zhou Shaojin had her measurements taken, chosen the fabric, and seen off the tailor, Shi Xiang had returned. “Young Master Li said he’ll leave in a couple of days. Miss Jia is still under house arrest and hasn’t come out to meet the relatives.” After a pause, she added, “I heard from people in the third branch that although Young Master Li brought generous gifts, First Madam Lu still treated him with indifference. Since Young Master Li is capable of running such a large business, he has his pride. Originally, he planned to stay a few more days, but seeing how things were, he went straight to stay at the Peace Inn on Official Street. He said he’d meet a few business friends before returning to his hometown in Rizhao.”
Just like in her previous life.
Because of Madam Jiang’s cold treatment, Li Jing didn’t even stay at Nine Prosperities Lane.
When he left, he came to the Cheng family to say his goodbyes.After Cheng Jia's incident, he was merely a passerby who had seen Cheng Jia twice, and no one remembered him. It was only after Cheng Jia's incident that he emerged.
How utterly dreadful!
Zhou Shaojin paced around the room.
The most urgent matter was to get Cheng Jia released.
Otherwise, once Li Jing left Jinling City, Cheng Jia and Li Jing would never have another chance to meet.
Zhou Shaojin went to see Cheng Jia.
Compared to the awkwardness of the maidservants during her last visit, those attending to Cheng Jia now appeared much calmer and more composed.
Some brought stools, others brewed tea, and one went to announce her arrival—everything was orderly. In no time, the doorway was arranged into a temporary reception area.
Zhou Shaojin understood perfectly.
How could these maidservants dare to act this way without Madam Jiang's approval?
Although Madam Jiang intended to discipline Cheng Jia, she still pitied her daughter, fearing she would suffer from loneliness, and thus turned a blind eye to Cheng Jia's mischief. Yet Cheng Jia remained ungrateful. Upon seeing Zhou Shaojin, she either demanded why she hadn't visited in the past two days or complained about her mother's harshness, saying Pan Qing had been gone for many days and she still wasn't allowed to leave the house.
Zhou Shaojin gazed at the Mingqian Longjing tea leaves floating in her cup and smiled faintly.
She hoped Cheng Jia's life would forever have only such trivial matters to complain about.
When Cheng Jia finally paused in her complaints, Zhou Shaojin asked her, "What are your plans for the Ghost Festival?"
"I don't know," Cheng Jia said dejectedly. "I also asked my mother if I could go to the temple fair during the Ghost Festival and then return to continue my confinement... deducting the time from my confinement period. But she didn't agree." She sighed. "If only Grandmother would come these two days. With Grandmother speaking up for me, Mother would surely agree. Unfortunately, I forgot to mention it when Grandmother visited me last time."
"Do you want to go out?" Zhou Shaojin asked.
"Of course I do!" Cheng Jia grew even more despondent. "But what good does wanting do? I need my mother's permission! And now my brother and mother are in cahoots, so there's no way I can leave!"
Zhou Shaojin pursed her lips in a smile and told Cheng Jia about A Zhu sending her an invitation: "...Although I don't know if it will work, we can try asking A Zhu for an invitation!"
Cheng Jia's face lit up, and she tightly grasped Zhou Shaojin's arm. "Will it work? Is it appropriate?"
"How will we know if we don't try?" Zhou Shaojin laughed. "But if it doesn't work out, you can't blame me!"
"Of course not!" Cheng Jia rolled her eyes. "It's not something you can decide..."
It was good that she understood!
Zhou Shaojin hurried to Madam Mian and said, "Aunt, could we take Cousin Jia with us to visit the Duke of Liang's residence?"
Madam Mian was surprised. "Isn't she confined?"
"Yes!" Zhou Shaojin smiled. "On the Ghost Festival, leaving her alone in Ruyi Pavilion would be so pitiful! If you agree, I'll send someone to ask A Zhu if we can get an additional invitation."
Madam Mian, who admired Cheng Jia's lively and cheerful nature and saw this as Zhou Shaojin's kind gesture, nodded and sent a servant woman to deliver a message to the Duke of Liang's residence.
In the afternoon, the messenger returned with an invitation and added, "The eldest young lady of the Duke of Liang's residence said the second young lady may bring as many sisters as she likes."
Zhou Shaojin hadn't expected A Zhu to personally receive the servant woman.Madam Mian told the sisters, "Everyone helps to lift the bridal sedan chair. Since Miss A Zhu holds you in such high regard, when you go to see her, you might as well bring some small gifts."
The sisters both agreed in unison.
Zhou Chujin went to prepare the gifts, while Zhou Shaojin went to Cheng Jia's place again.
Cheng Jia had been waiting eagerly. Seeing the red invitation, she hugged Zhou Shaojin and gave her a kiss, exclaiming excitedly, "You really are my good little sister!" She then generously promised, "If you ever take a liking to anything of mine in the future, just take it."
Zhou Shaojin laughed heartily.
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Sisters, today's update!
o(n_n)o Haha
Please vote with pink tickets... sob sob...
※ (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote with recommendation tickets or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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