Zhou Shaojin didn't know what to say.
The reason why Uncle Chi believed what she said was that he misunderstood that she had heard some fragments of information from somewhere. But she really had not received any guidance from anyone. She couldn't have made up a person, could she
"Probably not." She hesitated and had to promise, "If anything really happens, I will definitely tell Uncle Chi."
Cheng Chi was a little skeptical.
Given Zhou Shaojin's personality, she wouldn't ask for help unless she was pushed into a corner.
He was not worried that Zhou Shaojin had heard something by accident; he was worried that someone had deliberately let Zhou Shaojin hear something.
If it were Zhou Zhen, he would not harm his daughter.
But if it was someone else, what was his purpose
Cheng Chi thought for a moment and said, "Does Miss Zhu from the Duke of Liang's Mansion still contact you often?"
"I wrote her a letter before I came to Hangzhou Prefecture," Zhou Shaojin said honestly, "and promised to give her a few combs to bring back."
"Have you bought the comb?"
"I bought it." Zhou Shaojin said, "I bought it when I went to Qinghefang that day. I bought two sets, one is Manchijiao and the other is Huakai Fugui."
The pond is filled with pictures of mandarin ducks playing in the water.
She sounded a little embarrassed when she said it.
Cheng Chi didn't notice it at all, and said in a deep voice: "Do you know when Duke Liang will return to Jinling?"
"I know." Zhu Zhu had mentioned this before, Zhou Shaojin said, "She said she would be back before the Double Ninth Festival."
It shouldn’t be the Duke of Liang’s Mansion.
Duke Liang returned to Jinling City on the tenth day of August.
When Zhang Junhua retired, Duke Liang had already left, so it was impossible for him to get the news.
Cheng Chi thought about the promise he had made to Zhou Shaojin not to question her, and decided to wait and see how the matter developed.
He stood up and said, "It's getting late. You should go to bed early. We have to go to Qiantang River to watch the tide tomorrow."
Zhou Shaojin agreed obediently and sent Cheng Chi out.
Cheng Chi walked to the door, but suddenly stopped and said thoughtfully: "If the eldest lady of the Zhu family invites you to her home, remember to tell me."
Zhou Shaojin responded meekly, "Okay."
Cheng Chi laughed unconsciously, looking at her gentle and docile appearance under the light, he couldn't help but say: "You are so good, you agree to everything I say, and you are not afraid of being coaxed away."
Zhou Shaojin smiled and said, "I know Uncle Chi is doing this for my own good."
So sure!
Even he himself didn't know whether he would always be good to her.
Cheng Chi raised his eyebrows, with a hint of mockery in his eyes.
Uncle Chi must have thought he was being polite to him.
Zhou Shaojin said hurriedly: "I know you are afraid that the prince of Liangguo will bring up the marriage with cousin Jia again after he comes back, and I got involved in it without knowing it..."
Cheng Chi was shocked.
She actually knew what I was thinking!
She seems silly most of the time, but I didn't expect that she is not confused at all at the critical moment.
His eyes flickered slightly, and although there was still a smile on his face, the teasing look gradually faded away, and his expression slowly became solemn.
Zhou Shaojin suddenly felt that Cheng Chi was different.
Although he was usually gentle and modest, with a kind and warm smile, a calm and composed look, and a peaceful and tolerant temperament, she always felt that there was an invisible distance between her and Uncle Chi, just like the stars in the sky. You see it shining, you know it is bright and dazzling, but it is thousands of miles away from you, so you want to get closer but find to your dismay that you don't know where the ladder is.
But at this moment, Uncle Chi looked serious, cold, deep, indifferent, and even looked down on the world with a bit of contempt.
This is the real Uncle Chi, right
Otherwise, why did he let Jiaxing's richest man Fang Xintong chase him? Otherwise, why did he establish Yutai Bank? Otherwise, why did he rob the execution ground
It’s like seeing clearly the unknown hidden behind layers of fog.
It turns out that it doesn't make people feel scared.
Zhou Shaojin suddenly felt relieved and at ease, and when he looked at Cheng Chi again, he was less in awe.
She explained, "The Emperor wants to bring the princes and nobles from various places to the capital to pay homage to the Emperor. The Duke of Liang's Mansion wants you to go with him, which shows that the Duke of Liang is not very respectable in front of the Emperor. The Cheng family is a century-old family in Jinling. If the Duke of Liang's Mansion can marry into the Cheng family, most people in the officialdom will be more lenient to them for the sake of the Cheng family. As long as there is no censor to impeach them, they will keep a low profile, and even if something happens, the Duke of Liang's Mansion will not be the first to bear the brunt.
"Cousin Jia becomes the best candidate for marriage.
"But this matter will not benefit the Cheng family at all. Not only will it not benefit them, but because of the marriage with the Duke of Liang's mansion, some people in the officialdom will think that the Cheng family is servile and lacks the pride of passing down poetry, books and etiquette, which will ruin the Cheng family's reputation. The Cheng family will definitely not agree to it.
“But the Duke of Liang’s Mansion won’t give up just like that.
"Last time, the prince of Liangguo used Ah Zhu to send us something. Who knows what he will do this time.
"Cousin Jia is from the third room.
"Aunt Lu has always wanted to find a good family for cousin Jia. Although Duke Liang is not a good candidate for the Cheng family, it can improve cousin Jia's status. Aunt Lu will probably be vague and ambiguous about this matter.
“I never knew that the Duke of Liang’s Mansion wanted the Cheng family to be a shield this time.
"It would be fine if Aunt Lu refused outright, but if she wants to use the Duke of Liang's Mansion to raise Cousin Jia's status, she might end up making things worse if she's not careful.
"Uncle Chi, are you worried that I'll be used by the prince of the Duke of Liang?" She looked at Cheng Chi with her big dark eyes, "Don't worry, I won't be used by them - they use me, either to drag the eldest house into trouble or to embarrass the fourth house, I won't do anything to let you down."
Cheng Chi felt a little pain in his teeth.
Just now I thought this little girl was not confused at the critical moment, but who knew that before I could even dispel this thought, she started talking nonsense again.
Be it the eldest branch or the fourth branch, they are all smarter than this girl. She is not worried about being cheated and counting money for others, but she is worried about others being cheated!
Cheng Chi stroked his forehead, his tone filled with a hint of helplessness that he himself did not even notice, and said, "Just remember to tell me when the time comes."
Zhou Shaojin responded "yes" repeatedly and sent Cheng Chi out.
Chun Wan came in to clear the teacups and asked her quietly, "What did the fourth master say?"
Her eyes sparkled.
Ever since Cheng Chi paid for a bunch of colored glass ornaments and asked Zhou Shaojin to give them away, people around Zhou Shaojin looked at Cheng Chi as if he were the God of Wealth.
Zhou Shaojin couldn't help laughing and teased her, "Don't dream on! The fourth master came here to teach me a lesson. He told us not to buy whatever we see in the future, like country folk who have never seen the world. It's so embarrassing!"
Chun Wan opened her eyes wide and said, "It must be because the Second Miss asked someone to carry bricks from Leifeng Pagoda that the Fourth Master felt so ashamed!" She muttered in a low voice, "You didn't even see the way the gatekeeper looked at us when Nanny Shang brought the two bricks over. She thought one of us was asking for a child..."
Zhou Shaojin pursed his lips and smiled.
It wasn't her who asked people to go to Leifeng Pagoda to carry the bricks. It was clearly Uncle Chi who asked people to go.
How could he teach himself a lesson
※
Qiantang River is the largest river in Zhejiang Province. It originates from Xin'an River in the north and Majinxi River in the south. It flows through Hangzhou, Quzhou, Jinhua, Shaoxing, Lishui, and flows into the East China Sea through Hangzhou Bay. However, the only place where you can really see the tide is the short few miles of Hangzhou Bay.
The place Zhou Shaojin and his companions went to was not far from the Zong family's villa and was quite remote, but standing on the embankment, one could clearly see the tide of the Qiantang River rushing in and then retreating with all its might, washing the beach on the embankment clean and smooth.
Zhou Shaojin, who got off the carriage, was stunned and asked, "Is this the Qiantang tide?"
There is not much difference between the river water and the waves of Mount Putuo, and it is not even as clean and clear as the water of Mount Putuo.
Jiying also looked confused.
Qin Ziping, who was directing the servants to move things, said with a smile: "The reason why the tide of Qiantang River is famous is that it is very different from other places - the tide will be different in time and size due to different weather and water flow. The fourth master has calculated that the tide in this area of the Zong family villa is the largest today, and it happens to be at the time of Si (10 am). After watching the tide of Qiantang River, we can go back for lunch. If you want to see the tide again, we have to go to Xiaoshan. The tide in Xiaoshan is at Shenshi (3 pm). "
Zhou Shaojin and others were greatly surprised: "Can we catch up and watch this tide?"
"Otherwise, why is it called a wonder of the world?" Cheng Chi got off the carriage at some point, walked to their side, looked at the vast Qiantang River and said, "If you feel bored, just walk along the shore. I can calculate when the Qiantang River will surge, and others should be able to calculate it too. Someone should be here soon. You can sit in the carriage and drink tea, and it won't be too late to come out when the tide surges."
No wonder they changed carriages when going out today.
Zhou Shaojin and others nodded repeatedly.
Jiying pulled her to the beach to take a look.
Zhou Shaojin was a quiet person, so he smiled and shook his head, saying, "I'll wait until the tide comes in before going over to take a look."
Madam Guo encouraged her, "Just go with us and have a look! Now that you are here, you should have a good time. I have Madam Lu to accompany me here, so you don't have to worry."
Zhou Shaojin was still a little hesitant.
Chunwan and the others looked at her eagerly, afraid that she would say no - if Zhou Shaojin didn't go, how could they, the maids, go
Zhou Shaojin laughed and agreed to walk on the beach with Jiying.
Several people couldn't hide their joy during the Spring Festival Gala.
A few little girls went to the beach chattering.
Mrs. Guo looked at their joyful figures with a loving smile, and said to Cheng Chi who was accompanying her, "Seeing them so happy, my mood has also improved."
Cheng Chi smiled and said nothing.
Sometimes, joy is contagious.
The sun gradually rose and the surface of the lake was shining with golden light.
The little girl's laughter sounds like clear silver bells.
Cheng Chi saw Zhou Shaojin holding up her skirt and stepping hard on the beach with a smile on her face, leaving a trail of footprints, like a happy little bird.
It shows how suppressed they are in normal times!
Cheng Chi smiled and shook his head.
A carriage came galloping over with horses whipping their whips.
Cheng Chi's eyes flickered, and he helped his mother up, saying, "Mom, let's get on the carriage! Someone is coming!"
Madam Guo pointed to the beach and said, "Shao Jin..."
"I'll ask Madam Shang to call them back." Cheng Chi said with a smile and waved to Madam Shang.
※
Sisters, today's extra update.
O(∩_∩)O~
※(To be continued)