After seeing Fan Qi off, Zhou Shaojin almost didn't sleep all night.
She knew that this was a bit risky, but if she didn't take the risk, she would have to watch Lin Shisheng and Aunt Mu part ways.
I hope those people will ignore Fan Qi because he is young, allowing him to take advantage of the opportunity.
Zhou Shaojin got up in the morning and burned three incense sticks to the Buddha.
Mrs. Fan Liu stood aside, wanting to say something but stopping herself.
Zhou Shaojin knew that she probably wanted to ask about Fan Qi. She didn't want to scare Mrs. Fan Liu, so she simply asked her, "Do you have anything to tell me?"
"No." Fan Liu thought for a moment and said, "I'm just worried that Qi'er is young and can't do his job well, and might delay Second Miss's business."
Even men who have not divided their family property cannot own private property, let alone her, an unmarried daughter!
The wet nurse was on her side after all.
Zhou Shaojin felt a warm feeling in his heart. He gently took Fan Liushi's arm and said with a smile, "Don't worry, I just want Fan Qi to go and take a look. It's still unclear whether it will work or not!"
Since Fan Liushi decided to keep it a secret for Zhou Shaojin, she calmed down and said with a smile, "This kid has been smart since he was young, I have nothing to worry about. I hope everything goes smoothly." She added, "I see that the second young lady is not very energetic after getting up. Did she not sleep well last night? Or is she feeling uncomfortable somewhere? Do you want to catch up on some sleep after breakfast? Yesterday, I heard from the incense-keeper in the eldest young lady's room that after the first day of October, classes will start again at Jing'an Zhai. You will have to take care of your health when you are rushing between Jing'an Zhai and Hanbi Shanfang. Why not take advantage of these few days of free time and have a good rest. For needlework and thread, there are incense-keepers and incense-keepers. If you are not so good, there are also needlework shops outside. You don't have to do so much work."
Every word is full of concern from the bottom of the heart.
Zhou Shaojin smiled and said, "I'm fine. I might just be feeling sleepy."
"Then you need to rest well." Fan Liushi said, "Autumn is the harvest and winter is the storage. Autumn is a good time to rest and recuperate. If you rest well in autumn, you will be less likely to get sick in winter."
As they were talking, Zhou Chujin, who had finished washing and dressing, came in accompanied by Chixiang.
"What are you talking about?" She smiled and greeted Zhou Shaojin and Fan Liushi, "You look so happy. I heard Shaojin's voice outside the house."
"Sister, you are wrongly accusing me, right?" Zhou Shaojin said with a smile, "It was Mother Fan who said that, why are you pushing it onto me?"
Everyone laughed.
Zhou Shaojin and his sister sat down to have breakfast in turn.
The soft and glutinous white porridge is served with assorted kohlrabi, stir-fried bok choy, and milk-flavored steamed buns. Although simple, it is very memorable.
After putting down his chopsticks, Zhou Chujin said to Zhou Shaojin carefully: "I have already probed Lan Ting's tone. From what she said, she still wants to follow her father in office."
If this were not the case, she would not have gotten pregnant with her father's child while Li was heartbroken over the loss of her daughter.
Zhou Shaojin asked: "What does sister mean?"
Zhou Chujin didn't say anything. He fiddled with the chopsticks in front of him and said, "I want her to stay."
Zhou Shaojin didn't say anything, but looked at Zhou Chujin quietly, waiting for her explanation.
After a long while, Zhou Chujin said, "You may not remember what happened when we were little... But I still remember! She wanted to stay, and mother once asked her that if she stayed, she would have to take good care of you... In that case, let her stay and serve you!"
Zhou Shaojin was very surprised. She asked, "Let Lan Ting live in Wanxiangju?"
"Let her live in the Zhou family's ancestral home." Zhou Chujin said without hesitation, "Since she is a servant of the Zhou family and receives a monthly allowance from the Zhou family, she must abide by the Zhou family's rules. If mother asks her to stay, she must stay."
Or, without the thought of Lanting, he would give up.
Zhou Shaojin did not comment.
When she went to Hanbi Mountain House to copy scriptures in the afternoon, Cheng Xu was also there.
Biyu told her, "Master said he wanted to host a chrysanthemum banquet at home to entertain Master Min. The old lady agreed and personally called the steward of the flower room to come and asked them to build a chrysanthemum tower, brew chrysanthemum wine, and buy crabs. Madam Yuan also took out her purple gold plate, Buddha's hand yellow, and white shark silk for Master Min to enjoy. The old lady also asked us to open her own storehouse and take out her twelve-screen black lacquer inlaid mother-of-pearl West Lake twelve-scene screen and put it in the pavilion where Master held the banquet..."
Purple Gold Plate, Buddha's Hand Yellow and White Shark Silk are all names of chrysanthemum varieties.
Zhou Shaojin's brows frowned almost imperceptibly.
Biyu asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
"It's okay." Zhou Shaojin smiled and said, "I just get a headache when I think about the many guests coming to the Kaiju banquet."
Biyu smiled and said, "Fortunately, the second cousin met the fourth and first wives. Neither the old Ans nor the wives like socializing. It would be terrible if you met Grandma Shi - Grandma Shi is already preparing for the flower show before her baby is even one month old!"
In the previous life, the second branch had the most social engagements.
Zhou Shaojin smiled and said nothing.
Someone outside asked, "Is Zhou's second cousin here?"
It was Cheng Xu's voice.
Zhou Shaojin's brows were knotted.
She shook her head at Biyu, indicating to Biyu that she was "not here".
Jade was confused for a moment.
But in just this moment of confusion, Cheng Xu had already walked in with big strides.
"My second cousin from the Zhou family." He wore a purple-red Hangzhou silk gown with dark plum, orchid, and bamboo patterns, and said to her with a graceful demeanor, "I'm going to hold a chrysanthemum banquet in a few days. I heard that my second cousin has a purple robe and gold belt. I wonder if you can lend it to me for two days so that my friends can also have good luck."
Purple robe and golden belt is also the name of chrysanthemum. Its flowers are a bit like Wei Zi, with bowl-sized flowers and overlapping petals. Because there is a circle of gold on the edge of the petals, it is known as "purple robe and golden belt". Because purple robe and golden belt are both the attire of the first-rank officials, it has a good meaning and is very popular among scholars.
When did she grow a pot of purple robe and golden belt
Zhou Shaojin said calmly: "Maybe cousin Xu remembered it wrongly. I only have a few pots of ordinary Qufen and Zhuangyuanhong at home."
Cheng Xu touched his head and smiled awkwardly: "Maybe I really remembered it wrongly."
Zhou Shaojin nodded.
Cheng Xu looked at Biyu and Shi Xiang standing on her left and right, seemed to want to say something but stopped herself, and left sadly.
Zhou Shaojin breathed a sigh of relief.
Who knew that the next day, Cheng Xu had someone send a basin of Guose Tianxiang and a basin of Jin Gao Shui Lu over, and asked the servant to pass on a message to her: "... Although it is not a rare species, it is of good quality. I will give it to the two cousins for their appreciation."
Zhou Shaojin accepted the flowers, smiled and rewarded the servant, then turned around and told Madam Guo about it: "… He said it was for me and my sister to enjoy. I happen to know a little about planting flowers and grasses, so I'll wait until spring to divide their branches and then I'll give you a pot."
Old Madam Guo laughed and said nothing, but Zhou Shaojin could see that the smile did not reach her eyes.
Zhou Shaojin took the opportunity to leave.
The next afternoon, she was copying scriptures in the Buddhist hall when Yuan suddenly came over and brought a lot of fruits and snacks.
Zhou Shaojin didn't understand why Yuan came, so he asked her to sit on the armchair next to him.
Yuan sent the servants away and started chatting with Zhou Shaojin about family matters.
She first talked about Cheng Xiao's situation, and then changed the subject to talk about Cheng Xu: "... Several friends came all the way from Hangzhou to see him. When I asked, I found out that he was the son of the Min family in Fujian, the younger brother of Min Xingjian, the top scorer in the Renchen year... He was born in the same year as Dalang's fourth uncle... The policy essay that year was about flood control, which was very difficult. A lot of the content involved the interpretation of the "Luo River Map", and only Min Xingjian knew the allusions... He was extremely knowledgeable... I heard that he had also taken on a job at the Ministry of Travel... Although one was a juren and the other a xiucai, Min Xingqiang and our Dalang got along very well. These days, they not only ate and lived together, but also went out to visit friends with our Dalang... Min Xingqiang even jokingly asked Dalang to be his brother-in-law, saying that he wanted Dalang to choose any of their six unmarried girls..."
Why did Yuan tell me all this for no reason
He also intentionally or unintentionally praised Min Hangjian and belittled Cheng Chi!
This made her feel a little unhappy.
Yuan sighed, "As soon as I saw the picture of the baby you designed for Xiao's child, I knew you were a good girl. Later, I heard that you are not only good at needlework, but also a good cook. I don't know which boy is lucky enough to marry you..."
Zhou Shaojin was secretly alarmed.
Yuan, are you trying to persuade her not to have any improper thoughts about Cheng Xu
Her fingertips trembled with anger.
The grievances of two lifetimes poured out, and she almost walked away in anger.
Fortunately, she controlled herself at the critical moment, took a few deep breaths, and slowly calmed down.
"This is a compliment from Aunt Jing. I'm not as good as you say." She greeted Yuan, "I heard that 'Luo River Map' is a book left by gods in the mortal world, and it has the power of supernatural power. I didn't expect that Min Zhuangyuan is so amazing that he can understand 'Luo River Map'! It shows that this world is just as it is written in the book, 'there are people better than you, and there are heavens better than you'. It would be great if Jiuru Lane could produce such a champion one day." After she finished speaking, she whispered, "I thought all champions were the same, but I didn't expect that there were different levels among them."
She was indirectly criticizing Cheng Xu for being nothing more than that.
Yuan tried hard not to jump up.
She looked at Zhou Shaojin coldly.
She never expected that Zhou Shaojin was also staring at her with a pair of clear black and white almond eyes, with an innocent expression. When their eyes met, she could even see her own shadow in Zhou Shaojin's eyes.
Yuan smiled bitterly.
Zhou Shaojin was still a child, and she was always well-behaved and sensible. She was afraid of stepping on ants when she walked. How could she ridicule me? Maybe she didn't understand the meaning of her words at all... Why should I be angry with her
Yuan felt that she was wrong to come and warn Zhou Shaojin.
She should have told Zhou Chujin about this and let her restrain Zhou Shaojin.
Yuan made up her mind and said with a smile, "That's exactly what you said. That's why everyone thinks Min Xingjian is amazing."
After that, she chatted with Zhou Shaojin for a while and then got up to leave.
Zhou Shaojin silently recited the Heart Sutra in front of the Buddha, and his mood slowly calmed down.
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Sisters, update for January 9th.
PS: I can’t handle three updates, so I decided to update three times every other day. There will only be two updates tomorrow, see you at the same time and place!
O(∩_∩)O~
※(To be continued)