Cheng Chi was surprised and asked, "It's so late, what does the second cousin want to see Jiying for?"
Huaishan said, "I'll ask Mrs. Shang to listen to the wall."
Cheng Chi did not object.
Huaishan showed a faint smile in his eyes and left the room.
Cheng Chi was thinking about his meeting with Xiao Zhenhai and Jiang Qin yesterday morning.
Ji Ying returned to his side. Others didn't know that she had asked him for protection, but the Cao Gang must have known about it. When Jiang Qin met him, he acted as if nothing had happened, and even hinted to him that the Jiao family wanted to dominate the Cao Gang, and the people of the Cao Gang had been dissatisfied for a long time. Now that their only son's arm was broken, the people of the Cao Gang were gloating. He also said that although the three families were as close as one family, they couldn't ruin the morality of the Jianghu for their own selfishness. If the Jiao family went too far, Jiang Qin, another family, couldn't make the decision, but the Jiang family would definitely stand on his side. Even if the Jiang family couldn't openly tear up with the Jiao family, it wouldn't be a problem for them to trip up the Jiao family in secret.
The so-called three big bosses of the Cao Gang were just three people who co-founded the Cao Gang. But that was decades ago. The three big families are no longer as close as they were in the past for the sake of interests and reputation. Jiang Qin could say such words, which shows that the rift between the three families is deep and it is only a matter of time before they turn against each other.
I just don’t know if I can use this incident to drag the Xiao family into this
Simply asking the Xiao family to spend money is not enough to shake the Xiao family's foundation. The best way is to wait until Xiao Zhenhai has spent a lot of money from the Xiao family and someone in the Xiao family will jump out and question Xiao Zhenhai's ability...
He was thinking in his mind when Huaishan came in and said with a smile, "My second cousin wants Miss Jiying to find a way to help her bring back a few bricks from Leifeng Pagoda!"
Cheng Chi was stunned and asked, "What's the point of this?"
Huaishan told Cheng Chi the rumor he heard from Mrs. Shang about Leifeng Pagoda being able to grant children.
Cheng Chi was even more surprised and asked, "What does the second cousin want this for?"
She is only thirteen years old this year, and it is still too early for her to get married, let alone have children.
Huaishan couldn't figure it out either, so he smiled and said, "Maybe he wants to bring it to a relative."
Cheng Chi thought of Zhou Zhen who still had no children.
He said, "This is a small matter. Didn't Jiying agree?"
"No." Huaishan said, "Jiang Qin is here. I don't know how many people in the martial arts world are eyeing Hangzhou Prefecture. Miss Jiying doesn't want to cause trouble." Then he smiled and said, "Miss Jiying has become more sensible these days. She practices martial arts diligently every morning and evening."
Cheng Chi nodded disapprovingly and told Huaishan: "Then go find a way to get some bricks back for Miss Second Cousin. However, is it okay if the bricks are not brought back by the person herself?"
"I don't know." Huaishan said with a smile, "I'll go tell Mrs. Shang and ask her to go and ask. If she has to go in person, I think it would be better to let my second cousin write a letter to Mr. Zhou."
Cheng Chi agreed and said, "Tell Mrs. Shang that we will go to watch the tide tomorrow and ask her to keep an eye on Old Madam Guo and also take care of Miss Second Cousin. Don't let the tide wash her away. With her lilac-like appearance, it would be difficult to find her if she was swept into the river..."
Huaishan went to Mrs. Shang with a smile.
Mrs. Shang was shocked and asked, "When did the Fourth Master start to take care of these things?"
Huaishan said, "The Fourth Master is always good at what he does. Look at how he manages the affairs of Jiuru Lane. Is there anyone who can do a better job than him?"
"That's true." Mrs. Shang smiled, "Now that the Fourth Master has tacitly agreed to the old lady bringing the Second Cousin along, he must naturally take good care of the Second Cousin." She added, "I'll go ask the Second Cousin right now, lest the Fourth Master does a good deed but ends up with nothing good in return."
Huaishan laughed and said, "It's not like the Fourth Master cares about these things."
Mrs. Shang grumbled, "You grown men are like this. You don't take this to heart, and you don't care about that. But what's the result? If I hadn't said a few more words in front of the Ji family, how would the eldest master of the Ji family have known what the Jiao family was up to? How could the Fourth Master have conquered the Ji family so easily? Sometimes you have to grumble a little more..."
"Okay, okay, okay." Huaishan surrendered, "Just say what you want to say."
Mrs. Shang laughed and went to where Zhou Shaojin lived.
Zhou Shaojin was rejected by Jiying and was feeling depressed because she had no one to turn to. When she heard that Nanny Shang beside Cheng Chi wanted to see her, she couldn't help but open her eyes wide and asked, "What is she doing here?"
Bi Tao shook her head and said, "I don't think there's anything urgent."
"Invite her to the banquet room for tea." Zhou Shaojin thought that she was Cheng Chi's servant, so he treated her with courtesy. "I'll change my clothes and go over."
Bitao stepped back.
Zhou Shaojin simply tied her hair into a bun and wore a half-new pink boa to meet Mrs. Shang.
Mrs. Shang couldn't help but sigh in her heart when she saw that such a gaudy color not only did not damage Zhou Shaojin's temperament, but instead added a bit of charm to her.
The second young lady of the Zhou family is indeed pretty, otherwise Mr. Xu would not have been obsessed with her so much that he even wrote a letter a few days ago asking people to inquire about Zhou Shaojin's recent situation.
She smiled and bowed to Zhou Shaojin, saying, "Miss Jiying said you wanted to take a brick from Leifeng Pagoda back home, so the Fourth Master asked me to ask you, do you have to go and get the brick yourself or can anyone else do it?"
Zhou Shaojin has not thought about this question carefully yet.
However, she was overjoyed that Cheng Chi agreed to let her bring back a brick from Leifeng Pagoda. She asked Chunwan to serve tea to Mrs. Shang and went to see Mrs. Wang herself.
Mrs. Wang had already gone to bed. Knowing Zhou Shaojin's purpose, she said sleepily, "We are going to Qiantang River tomorrow... Did the old lady agree to send someone to Leifeng Pagoda?"
"It's not the old lady." Zhou Shaojin said a little apologetically, "It was the fourth master who agreed." Then he told Mrs. Wang about Mrs. Shang's concerns.
Mrs. Wang was so frightened that she broke out in a cold sweat. She no longer had any desire to sleep. She hurriedly smiled and said, "Whether you go to get it yourself or ask someone to do it for you, your sincerity is the same. The Bodhisattva will know and will bless you."
In other words, it doesn’t matter who goes to get it!
Zhou Shaojin happily went back to report to Mrs. Shang.
Mrs. Shang smiled and said goodbye.
Zhou Shaojin was so happy that he tossed and turned in bed for a long time before falling asleep.
When he opened his eyes the next day, he saw two bricks that Mrs. Shang had delivered to him before dawn.
The green bricks have become a little old after being weathered by the wind and rain, but they still look square and solemn.
Zhou Shaojin instructed Chunwan to wrap it in two pieces of silk cloth and put it in a box, and then went to pay his respects to Mrs. Guo.
After a day's rest, Mrs. Guo was in high spirits and invited Zhou Shaojin to have breakfast together: "Today the kitchen has millet chicken soup and sea cucumber porridge. I heard it was rare, so I asked someone to serve some. If you are not used to it, try something else... Let me think, they should also have white porridge, lily porridge, and green vegetable porridge."
"I use the same thing as you." Zhou Shaojin sat down and tasted the porridge.
It was delicious, but she was not used to having sea cucumber in the porridge.
Mrs. Wang, who was serving beside her, smiled and said, "This millet, chicken soup and sea cucumber porridge is the best for replenishing qi, tendons and spleen. It is the best for people of advanced age and men. Second cousin, don't force it."
Zhou Shaojin immediately realized that this porridge was specially made for Mrs. Guo and Cheng Chi.
She smiled awkwardly but still managed to finish the porridge.
Cheng Chi sent someone to ask if we could set off.
The things had been packed yesterday, and Zhou Shaojin helped Mrs. Guo into the sedan chair.
Today they will stay at the Qiantang villa of Mr. Zong, the richest man in Jiangnan.
The autumn morning sunshine was warm and refreshing. Zhou Shaojin lifted the curtain from time to time to look outside.
The curling smoke from the cooking stove, the shepherd boy on the cow's back, and the hearty laughter of the woman beating clothes by the river all made her feel peaceful and warm.
Near noon, their sedan chair stopped at the Zong family's villa.
The villa was only three steps in size, but it had white walls and black tiles, and the courtyard was full of flowers and trees. On both sides of the corridor, chrysanthemums of various colors were placed to suit the occasion, creating a very pleasant scene.
Cheng Chi smiled and said, "This was the courtyard where Master Zong's great grandfather rested in his later years. The Qiantang River is only two shots away from here. When he heard that you were coming, he insisted that I bring you here to stay for two days. I thought that we would leave for Nanjing in a few days, and this place is quite quiet, so I agreed."
"This place is nice." Madam Guo looked around with a smile and said, "I'm sorry that Master Zong took so much trouble. Thank him for me."
Cheng Chi smiled and said "OK", and Zhou Shaojin was arranged to stay in the wing to the west of Mrs. Guo.
After lunch and a short rest, Cheng Chi took Zhou Shaojin and Mrs. Guo to the backyard to have a look: "… There is a small pavilion there. Standing there, you can also see the tide of Qiantang River, but it is not as magnificent as watching the tide by the river. I thought we should watch it in the pavilion on the first day. If you are interested, we can go to the river to watch the tide the next day. We still have plenty of time."
Who knew that before they left the house, the chief steward of the Zong family brought over an invitation, saying that the old lady of the Zong family wanted to bring several daughters-in-law and granddaughters to visit Mrs. Guo early the next morning.
Mrs. Guo looked at Cheng Chi.
Cheng Chi smiled and said, "Tomorrow is August 18th. I think we should wait until tomorrow before we talk about it!"
Qin Ziping went to reply.
They went to the gazebo in the backyard.
Although tomorrow is a good day to watch the tide, the roar of waves hitting the shore and the sound of waves one after another have already begun to show the spectacular tide of the Qiantang River.
Mrs. Guo smiled and said, "Let's go to the riverside to watch the tide tomorrow. Standing here and watching is like scratching an itch through a shoe. How can we feel the majesty of the Qiantang River?"
Cheng Chi smiled and said "yes", and told Qin Ziping to prepare for the trip.
They sat in the pavilion, listening to the sound of the waves and chatting for a while, until the sun set, they returned to the room.
Mrs. Guo went to change her clothes.
Zhou Shaojin took the opportunity to say to Cheng Chi: "Uncle Chi, thank you. I have received the bricks for Leifeng Pagoda."
When she returns to Jinling, she will definitely find a way to repay Uncle Chi.
Cheng Chi nodded slightly and said seriously: "I hope Leifeng Pagoda will not collapse because of this! Otherwise, it will be my fault!"
Zhou Shaojin was stunned for a long time before he understood what Cheng Chi said.
Her face was slightly red, and she was just wondering what to say when Old Madam Guo came out and said with a smile, "I think the moonlight tonight is also very beautiful. After dinner, how about we go for a walk in the yard?"
Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Chi readily agreed.
Qin Ziping came over in a hurry.
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Sisters, today's extra update.
O(∩_∩)O~
I feel my "debt" is slowly decreasing.
PS: The update tonight will be around 11 o'clock.
※(To be continued)