Asking Lanting to give Dongzhu to the sisters was fake, but the real purpose was to use the sister's help to settle Lanting!
Zhou Shaojin poured the full box of Dongzhu pearls onto the bright red brocade quilt with a phoenix and the rising sun in its pattern.
The lotus seed-sized oriental pearls are round and shiny, and they contrast with the brocade morning light, making it impossible to take your eyes away.
Zhou Chujin sat down beside the bed, gathered the beads, and said with a smile: "You are so old, but you still like to play with these. Hurry up and put them away, or you will drop one and make Shi Xiang look for it everywhere."
Zhou Shaojin laughed and put the beads into the box.
Zhou Chujin asked her, "Are you really not going to meet Lan Ting with me?"
"I really won't go!" Zhou Shaojin fiddled with the beads in the box, making a "crackling" sound, and said with a smile, "If you have anything to say, just tell her."
In the previous life, Lan Ting was sold by Li to a passing merchant.
Before she was sold, she may have had some feelings and wrote a letter to her sister for help.
But her sister ignored her.
At that time, Zhou Shaojin was preoccupied with her own affairs and had no idea about this matter. By the time she found out, Zhou Zhen and Li had become strangers.
She asked her sister what was going on.
Her elder sister told her, "Mother kept her here to take care of you. Although we were later taken into the mansion by grandmother, she followed father to take up his post after the mourning period was over. If she still had some gratitude for mother's kindness, she should have followed us into the mansion when father was in mourning."
She didn't know how her sister knew about this.
But she believed in her sister.
Since Lan Ting had not blinded her in her previous life, she believed that her sister would be able to see Lan Ting's true character clearly in this life.
Zhou Shaojin has more important things to do.
In her previous life, she married Lin Shisheng when she was sixteen. At that time, the Mu family had been in trouble for more than a year. Counting the days, at most three years, Aunt Mu's family would be confiscated. And three years passed in the blink of an eye, leaving Zhou Shaojin with little time. But she still had no good way to help Aunt Mu escape this disaster.
So when she heard Jiying say that her hometown was in Cangzhou, she had a vague idea in her mind, but before she found a chance to tell Jiying about this, Jiying was confined by Uncle Chi.
The ban was lifted only after copying 500 chapters of "Legislatives for Women"... So how long do we have to wait
As for Uncle Chi, she had gone through so much effort to see him, but he either refused to see her or sent her away with a few words. She had thought that the more she knew about him, the closer she would be to Uncle Chi, but when she really got to know a little bit, she became more and more confused.
How can she have a say in front of Uncle Chi
Zhou Shaojin locked himself in the study.
Shi Xiang couldn't help but feel a little worried, and said to Fan Liushi, "What happened to the second young lady? Since she fell in March, she has been either doing needlework in the house or copying scriptures in Hanbi Mountain House. This is the first time she has stayed in the study for several hours like now. Do you think we should send someone to tell the eldest young lady?"
"Don't tell me for now." Mrs. Fan Liu was also a little worried, and said, "You also said that the Second Miss hasn't been like this for a long time. Maybe the Second Miss just had a sudden impulse and wanted to be alone in the study to think about it?"
Shi Xiang and Fan Liu both prefer the current Zhou Shaojin.
It’s not that the Zhou Shaojin before was a bad person, but the Zhou Shaojin before didn’t talk much and liked to think about things in his heart. Unlike the Zhou Shaojin now, he not only talks and laughs with them, but also discusses some family matters, making people feel very friendly.
Shi Xiang sent a little maid to guard the door and said, "Call me as soon as the second young lady comes out."
The little maidservant just sat on the steps of the study.
Zhou Shaojin did not come out of the study until lunch time. After lunch, she closed the door of the study and stayed inside alone for a long time, so that she arrived at Hanbi Mountain House two quarters of an hour later than usual.
It was quiet in Hanbi Mountain House. The maids on duty stood respectfully with their hands lowered. From time to time, bursts of laughter could be heard from the banquet room.
Biyu whispered to her, "He is the son of the Min family in Fujian, a friend that Master made when he went to Hangzhou Prefecture. He came to visit Master and came to pay his respects to the old lady."
It should be the one that Minhang is strong.
Zhou Shaojin turned a corner and went straight to the Buddhist temple.
In the evening, Cheng Xu hosted a banquet to entertain Min Hangqiang, and the second branch ancestor Cheng Xu attended the banquet for the first time.
Zhou Chujin was surprised: "Is the Fujian Min family very powerful? Why would the ancestors treat that Master Min so courteously?"
Minhang Qiang was just a juren.
But if Cheng Xu intended to pave the way for Cheng Shi, then everything can be explained.
Zhou Shaojin smiled.
The next day we went to Xiaoshan Congguiyuan.
The one on duty is Qingfeng.
Qingfeng's face still looked unhappy, but he did not leave her there like he did last time. He said in a deep voice, "Please wait a moment", and turned around to report.
Soon, he turned back, and Nanping came with him.
"Second cousin," she said with a guilty look on her face, "I'm so sorry! Jiying's "Instructions for Women" has not been copied yet, so I have to trouble you to make a trip."
According to etiquette, Jiying should come to see her.
Zhou Shaojin smiled and said, "I came here specially to see her, and it's just right for me to have a cup of tea in her room."
Nanping accompanied her to Jiying's residence.
Ji Ying happily welcomed Zhou Shaojin into the house, personally served her tea and snacks, and pointed to the shortbread in the red lacquered crabapple box and said, "Try some, it's from Mi Ji."
Zhou Shaojin was stunned and burst into laughter.
Jiying's eyes widened.
Zhou Shaojin rarely smiles like this.
"I had tea with Biyu and the others at Hanbi Shanfang yesterday..." She told Jiying what happened at that time, "We were also talking about Mi Ji's shortbread and fried fruit, and I didn't expect to eat them today. You, the eldest branch, really know how to eat."
Ji Ying also laughed and said proudly: "Of course. Everyone has a hobby in life, and my hobby is eating!"
Zhou Shaojin nodded with a smile and said, "Aren't you grounded? Who bought snacks for you?"
"I was only banned from walking, not talking." Ji Ying smiled indifferently, "Qin Ziping went to buy it."
This was the third time Zhou Shaojin had heard Qin Ziping's name, and each time it was related to eating. She couldn't help but smile and asked, "Does Qin Ziping like to eat too?"
"It's okay!" Ji Ying smiled, "He's just doing it for convenience - Cheng Zichuan is training him these days, and he's running outside almost every day."
Zhou Shaojin tasted a piece of shortbread.
It was really crispy and delicious.
She asked Jiying: "How is your copying of "Nujie" going?"
Ji Ying's shoulders immediately slumped upon hearing this, and she said, "Not very good..." Before she finished speaking, her eyes immediately lit up, and she came close to Zhou Shaojin and said, "How about you help me copy it a few times?"
Zhou Shaojin pushed her away and said, "Don't even think about it! I have to go to Hanbi Mountain House to copy scriptures every day, so I don't have time to help you. You should do your own things." He added, "Besides, our handwriting is different. Aren't you afraid that Uncle Chi will punish you to copy it 500 times again?"
Ji Ying jumped up with joy after hearing this, and reached out to touch Zhou Shaojin's head, saying, "You are so smart! Why didn't I think of that? Cheng Zichuan only asked me to copy "Legal Admonitions" 500 times, but didn't ask me to copy it myself. I will ask Qin Ziping for help and ask him to hire someone to copy it 500 times for me!"
"Is this even possible?" Zhou Shaojin was speechless.
"We have to give it a try to see if it works." Ji Ying looked like he was not worried about the debts and said carelessly, "At worst, he can punish me by making me copy it 500 times."
Zhou Shaojin was sweating.
Jiying asked, "How come you have time to come and play with me today? Have you finished your needlework?"
"There's no such thing as finishing needlework." Zhou Shaojin thought for a moment and said, "Actually, I came here today to ask you something..." She asked, "Will Uncle Chi allow you to contact your family?"
"I don't know." Jiying said, "I haven't contacted my family since I came here. I'm afraid I won't be able to help myself and will secretly run back..."
Then we can’t ask Jiying to help.
Zhou Shaojin said: "Then, can you ask Qin Ziping to help me... But this matter must be kept secret."
Ji Ying listened and thought for a moment, then said, "Are you sending something somewhere? Or someone somewhere?"
Zhou Shaojin didn't expect that Ji Ying could see through his thoughts after he just said a few words.
She smiled awkwardly and said, "I want to send someone to the capital, and then bring him back safely."
"You don't want your family to know?"
Zhou Shaojin nodded and said, "This matter is very important to me. It would be best if it is done without anyone knowing."
Ji Ying smiled and said, "Qin Ziping is your uncle Chi's man. How could your uncle Chi not know about it if he asked him to help you?"
That doesn’t make sense!
Zhou Shaojin couldn't hide his disappointment.
Ji Ying smiled and said, "Why are you giving up so quickly? Without Qin Ziping, don't you still have me?"
Zhou Shaojin waved his hand: "Forget it, I'll think of other ways."
"What can you think of?" Ji Ying glanced at her. "I don't know your personality yet. If you weren't desperate, why would you ask me for help? Don't worry. Although I haven't contacted my family for a long time, my father is still worried about me. He told me to send someone to take an envelope to Maoji Rice Shop next to Dongjiang Bridge in Jinling if I have any problems. I'll let them handle whatever you need."
Why does it sound a little wrong
Zhou Shaojin asked: "Will that implicate you or Uncle Chi?"
Ji Ying pinched Zhou Shaojin's face and said, "It seems that the story I told you was in vain - why do you care about what others do? It's more important to do your own thing."
"You can't say that..." Zhou Shaojin wanted to avoid Jiying but failed. Jiying pinched her face. She murmured, "I can't just think about myself..."
Ji Ying glared at her fiercely.
Zhou Shaojin quickly changed the subject.
Ji Ying said "hmm" in satisfaction, and said, "Tell me quickly, what do you want to do?"
Zhou Shaojin believed Jiying intuitively. She said, "I have a friend who lives in Hu Daguanren Hutong in Beijing. I want my servant to deliver a letter to her. You can ask my servant to send it to Beijing, and then send it back after he finishes the work for me."
"You still want to hide it from your family?"
Zhou Shaojin smiled embarrassedly.
"Okay!" Ji Ying said generously, "Just wait for my news."
Zhou Shaojin was not very grateful: "Thank you, thank you very much!"
"What's there to thank me for?" Ji Ying sighed and said, "If it were in the past, I would have done this for you personally."
personally
Then there is no need.
Zhou Shaojin said hurriedly: "It's good like this now."
※
Sisters, let me make up for yesterday’s extra update.
O(∩_∩)o
PS: Today’s additional update for pink tickets is estimated to be around 5 pm.
※(To be continued)