"Is that so?" Li said with a smile, "Second Miss's words are enough!"
What did you say
It seems like I didn’t say anything!
Zhou Shaojin's heart was filled with alarm, and after seeing Li off, he ran to the greenhouse.
My sister is there learning how to grow orchids from Nanny Yu.
She wanted to take the few pots of orchids left by Zhuang back to the Cheng family.
Zhou Shaojin volunteered to help his sister take care of the orchids.
Zhou Chujin didn't believe her and said, "You only raised two pots of camellia in the past. If anything happens to these orchids, I won't be able to cry. These are left by my mother."
Zhou Shaojin had no choice but to give up.
After hearing what his sister said, Zhou Chujin sneered and said, "I knew she had bad intentions. Don't worry about it. I will tell Daddy when he comes back."
Zhou Shaojin worriedly said, "Is it too late? If it were me, I could change my tone and not miss a single word, and then pin the whole thing on me, saying that I was the one who asked her to come to you to discuss it..."
"You also know that you said the wrong thing!" Zhou Chujin was both angry and amused when he saw her pitiful appearance, and said angrily, "Will you continue to talk nonsense in the future?"
Zhou Shaojin chuckled.
Zhou Chujin shook her head and said softly helplessly: "Okay, okay, don't worry, I'll leave this matter to my sister."
Zhou Shaojin asked: "So what are you going to do, sister?"
Zhou Chujin didn't want to talk to her at first, but then he thought of Zhou Shaojin's heartless personality, and thought it would be better to tell her. It wouldn't change her personality, but at least it would make her more cautious, so he whispered: "From Li's tone, Lan Ting relied on the fact that she was left by my mother to my father. Even if she didn't embarrass Li, I'm afraid she would feel very uncomfortable. No matter what, Li was married to my father in a formal way, and she is the one who will live with my father for the rest of her life. If what Li said was just a means for Li to deal with Lan Ting, it would be fine. If Lan Ting really used... If we embarrass Li in the name of our mother, our mother's reputation will also be damaged. We might as well let Lanting come back. If what Li said is true, Li can't do anything to her. You are my mother's biological daughter, but you can deal with her. If what Li said is untrue, I'm afraid Lanting won't have a good life with my father. We might as well ask Lanting what she wants to do - if she wants to stay with her father, then we can't control her future. If she wants to leave, we can ask my aunt to make the decision and arrange a good marriage for her, and marry her off in a grand manner."
"This is a good idea!" Zhou Shaojin felt relieved and smiled at his sister with a smile on his face.
"You just giggle." Zhou Chujin really couldn't do anything with this sister. She said, "I'll tell you one thing. This matter is good for father and even better for Li. Since Li dares to take advantage of us, we can't just let her use us as a pawn. We have to make her pay a price. Otherwise, she will think we are soft persimmons and she can squeeze us however she wants."
Zhou Shaojin had no idea about these things.
She follows her sister's lead.
Zhou Chujin didn't expect Zhou Shaojin to do anything. He told Ma Fushan's family to wait at the door: "Send someone to tell me when my father comes back. If my wife knows the news of my father's return before me, and suddenly brings us rock sugar and snow pears as a midnight snack like last time, you might as well go to Baoding with Ma Fushan to serve my father."
Ma Fushan was so scared that she fell to her knees with a thud: "Miss, I originally thought..."
"Alright!" Zhou Chujin interrupted her coldly without waiting for her to explain, "Just do your job well. I know whether you are loyal or treacherous."
Ma Fushan's family dared not say anything and retreated timidly.
Zhou Shaojin admired him very much.
I wonder if I will be able to calm people down like my sister one day.
She was envious here, while Li was sitting in the study, her heart beating fast.
Mother Li comforted her, "The words have been spoken, just like spilled water, there is no point in regretting. Madam, you might as well think broadly. Both young ladies are well-educated people, and Madam has not wronged Lan Ting. It is just because of respect for Madam Zhuang that it is difficult to punish Lan Ting. Please talk to the eldest young lady. She is not the kind of person who does not understand reason."
"I'm just a little scared of her." There was no one else here, so Li spoke without hesitation, "I just brought her a bowl of rock sugar and snow pears, and she gave me a box of snacks in return; I kindly said I would buy her a set of wedding porcelain, but she looked disdainful... Look at the servants in the family, who doesn't act according to the eldest lady's wishes." As she spoke, she stroked her forehead and said with a headache, "I can't do anything. If this can't cure Lan Ting, I'm afraid there will be no chance if she goes to Baoding Prefecture. She is now 28 or 29 years old. If my baby is a girl, I can't suppress her and stop her from giving birth, right?"
Mother Li understood it very well, so when Li went to find Zhou Shaojin, she did not stop her.
"The second young lady is still the best!" Li sighed, "She is beautiful and gentle..." As she spoke, an idea suddenly popped up in her mind, and she said to Li's mother, "What do you think about marrying the second young lady to our eldest aunt's son?"
Li's eldest aunt married into the Huang family of Saiyang. Although she was also a concubine, she was a legitimate family member, and her son was handsome, kind, and well-educated.
Mother Li's expression changed drastically, and she said hurriedly, "My dear aunt, please don't come up with this idea. I see that the master treats the second young lady like the apple of his eye. If she marries and lives a good life, it's fine. But if there is anything that doesn't go as planned, you can just wait and see what the master will say!"
Li couldn't help but sigh and said, "I know that too. I'm just desperate and trying all sorts of methods. It would be great if the Second Miss could agree with me."
As the two were talking, a little maid came in, "Madam, the master is back."
Li was overjoyed and quickly dressed up and went out to greet him.
Zhou Zhen had drunk some wine, but he was still sober. After taking some sobering soup, he said, "I heard from Chu Jin that you went to see Lan Ting about her?"
Li was shocked and said quickly: "No..."
Zhou Zhen smiled and said, "Don't worry. I know that Lan Ting's matter has always been a knot in your heart. But she has been with me for so many years, and she is Zhuang's personal maid, so I can't just abandon her like this. Chu Jin is right, it's hard to be a stepmother. You followed me at such a young age, and you did suffer a lot of grievances..."
"Master, I don't feel wronged." Li became anxious and said repeatedly, "Really, I have never felt wronged..."
Before she even looked for Zhou Chujin, Zhou Chujin turned the tables on her.
But she didn't dare say that.
She felt that Zhou Zhen would definitely not believe what she said, and would instead offend Zhou Chujin.
Zhou Zhen patted Li's hand in a comforting manner and smiled warmly, "But Chu Jin is right. It's not a good idea for Lan Ting to be handled by you or me. Your idea is good. Let Lan Ting come back. If she has anything to say, ask Ma Fushan's family to ask her. It will be better to have a conclusion whether she should stay or leave."
Li felt cold in his heart.
What's the difference between saying this and not saying it
If Lan Ting wanted to leave, he would have left long ago. Why did he stay with Zhou Zhen for so many years
She just wanted Zhou Zhen to make her his concubine.
It's not that she can't tolerate Zhou Zhen having a concubine. What she can't tolerate is that Lan Ting is always meddling in other people's affairs in the name of Mrs. Zhuang, which makes her feel suffocated.
Men are not as careful as women.
After Zhou Zhen finished speaking, he let the matter go.
He told Li: "Get ready tomorrow, we will go to Jiuru Lane as a guest."
Li was stunned and said, "Haven't you been there before?"
"We went to visit that day." Zhou Zhen said, "They will host a banquet for us tomorrow."
Li had no choice but to suppress the matter. The next day, she followed Zhou Zhen and took Zhou Shaojin and her sisters to Jiuru Lane.
The ancestor of the second branch, Cheng Xu, personally came out to entertain Zhou Zhen. Almost all the male members of the Cheng family in Jinling, including Cheng Yi, Cheng Lu, Cheng Mian, Cheng Wen, Cheng Shi, Cheng Yu, Cheng Zheng, Cheng Gao, Cheng Yi, Cheng Nuo, etc., were the guests, but the only one missing was Cheng Chi.
Cheng Xu explained that something went wrong with a batch of Cheng family’s goods in Lin’an, so Cheng Chi went to Lin’an.
Zhou Zhen smiled and nodded. Thinking of Cheng Chi's distant and cold look when he came last time, he couldn't help feeling a little confused.
When he got home, he quietly asked Zhou Shaojin, "When you were copying scriptures for Old Madam Guo in Hanbi Mountain House, did you often meet Master Chi Si?"
Zhou Shaojin's heart skipped a beat and he asked, "What's wrong?" with a nervous tone.
"Nothing." Zhou Zhen smiled and said, "I heard from Master Ze that Master Chi Si went to Lin'an. I didn't meet him today. I wanted to ask him to take good care of you sisters."
Cheng Xu's nickname was "Chun Ze Jushi", and many people in official circles respectfully called him "Ze Lao".
Uncle Chi is not at home
Zhou Shaojin thought about the time when he went to Xiaoshan Congguiyuan to meet him... and he was very suspicious.
If only she still lived in Jiuru Lane, she could use this as an excuse to look for Nanping and immediately find out whether he was at home or not!
Zhou Shaojin wanted to find out more about Cheng Chi, so he pulled his father aside to talk and said, "Uncle Chi seems to seldom attend these banquets. If I hadn't been copying scriptures in Hanbi Mountain House, I probably wouldn't have known him. What kind of person is he? Has father ever heard of him?"
"Is that so!" Zhou Zhen murmured, somewhat absent-mindedly, and did not answer Zhou Shaojin's words.
Zhou Shaojin had a hunch that his father was hiding something from him, and it seemed to be related to Cheng Chi.
She said bluntly: "Daddy, did something happen?"
"No." Zhou Zhen answered quickly and straightforwardly, but without any further explanation.
Zhou Shaojin was even more certain that his father was hiding something from him, so he simply said, "Dad, even if you don't tell me, I'll find out when I go back to Jiuru Lane and ask around."
She pretended to be smug and looked at her father with a hint of provocation.
Zhou Zhen laughed and teased her, "Then tell me, how did you find out?"
"I'll go ask Madam Guo!" Zhou Shaojin teased his father, "When Madam Guo is bored, she will tell me something. If I find a chance to ask Madam Guo, she will definitely tell me..."
Zhou Zhen met Mrs. Guo twice.
She was a woman stronger than the man.
But even the strongest woman can be weak at times, especially when facing a lively and lovely girl like my little daughter.
Zhou Zhen thought for a moment and said seriously, "Shao Jin, you'd better not ask Madam Guo about this matter."
"Why?" Zhou Shaojin was very surprised.
※
Sisters, here’s an extra chapter for CadySS’s spirit beast egg.
O(∩_∩)O~
PS: I seem to have done something wrong... I should have posted an article next month... At the end of the month, the pink votes doubled, and I found that my road to adding more articles has become even longer...
※(To be continued)