Zhou Shaojin returned to Jiashu Hall alone.
A teenager in a parrot-green Lu silk robe was standing on the doorstep, directing several servants to move boxes and cages.
She looked closely and found that the half-grown boy was actually Sanbao who served Cheng Yi.
Zhou Shaojin was shocked and asked, "Sanbao, why are you here? Where is cousin Yi? Didn't you say you would be back tomorrow?"
"Second cousin!" Sanbao hurried forward and saluted her, then stood up and said with a smile, "The He family was worried about Second Master going back to Jinling City alone, so they specially sent a steward to deliver festival gifts to accompany him. Second Master was thinking about Old Lady An, the eldest master, the mistress, the eldest master, and the two cousins, so he hired a carriage and rushed back. Look, he just arrived. He went to pay his respects to Old Lady An."
Zhou Shaojin was stunned and asked, "You, you sneaked back?"
"No, no." Sanbao waved his hands and said, "How could we do such a thing! We left a note for Mrs. He."
Zhou Shaojin was so anxious that he was sweating profusely and hurried to the upper room.
As soon as she stepped onto the steps, she heard Mrs. Mian's scolding: "You bastard! What kind of books have you read? You actually ran back like this! What will Mrs. He think of you? You still have the nerve to say..."
Zhou Shaojin hurriedly lifted the curtain.
Mrs. Miao was chasing Cheng Yi with a feather duster!
When Cheng Yi saw Zhou Shaojin, he felt like he had found a life-saving straw. He immediately ran to hide behind Zhou Shaojin and said to Madam Mian aggrievedly, "I haven't seen you and Grandma for such a long time. I missed you so much. How could you hit me so hard? Look, you hit me so hard that my arm is red."
As he said this, he was about to roll up his sleeves.
Zhou Shaojin turned sideways to avoid it.
Cheng Yi grabbed her and said, "How can you be so disloyal! When Cheng Ju and the others laughed at you, I helped you beat them up!"
"You're still fighting with others!" Mrs. Miao was already so angry that she was fainting. She couldn't beat her son in front of Zhou Shaojin. What if Zhou Shaojin and her son got married? How could her son have any face in front of Zhou Shaojin in the future? She pointed the feather duster in her hand at Cheng Yi and said to Zhou Shaojin, "Shaojin, get out of the way. If I don't beat him today and make him remember it, he won't know where he is wrong!"
Cheng Yi pushed Zhou Shaojin in front of his mother and shouted, "Mom, go ahead and beat me! Just beat me to death! I rushed back to see you overnight, and you treat me like this? Am I your biological child? Otherwise, just throw me out on the street, so that I won't see you so sad!"
Mrs. Miao didn't know what to say.
She said bluntly: "Shao Jin, please get out of the way! Please get out of the way!"
Zhou Shaojin was sandwiched between the mother and son, and felt dizzy from the pushing and shoving.
The majestic voice of Mrs. Guan rang out in the room: "What are you doing? You can't keep quiet during the New Year."
Mrs. Miao quickly put down the feather duster and respectfully called out "Mom".
Cheng Yi ran over and hugged Guan Lao'an's arm: "Grandma, grandma, I missed you so much! How have you been these days? I heard that you went to Ganquan Temple to burn incense a few days ago and lit a long-burning lamp for me. Thank you so much, grandma! I knew that you loved me the most in this family."
"What a mess!" Old Mrs. Guan frowned and glared at Cheng Yi, but the anger on her face had faded a lot.
Cheng Yi said with a grin, "Grandma, what I said is the truth! I know I was wrong and I shouldn't have come back alone, but I'm back and the New Year is almost here. Please talk to my mother and ask her not to scold me. I promise to correct my behavior in the future, okay?" He acted coquettishly.
Old Lady Guan said, "You also know that you are wrong! I won't say more. I have sent a steward to Pukou to see if the letter can be delivered before the He family digs deep to find you. As for you, kneel down in the ancestral hall immediately."
"Grandma!" Cheng Yi held Grandma Guan's hand tightly.
Old Lady Guan said, "It's okay if you don't go now - when your father comes back, it won't be as simple as kneeling in the ancestral hall!"
Cheng Yi shuddered when he heard this and said hurriedly, "I'll go, I'll go!"
But as he spoke, he winked at Zhou Shaojin, indicating that he should plead for him.
Zhou Shaojin pretended not to see it.
With Cheng Yi's personality, if no one teaches him a lesson after he commits a mistake, he will not take it to heart and may make the same mistake again in the future.
"Well, then I'll go change my clothes..." Cheng Yi had no choice but to compromise.
Old Lady Guan nodded and asked Si'er to accompany Cheng Yi to change clothes.
Mrs. Miao began to sob quietly, saying, "Why did I raise such a worrying thing!"
Old Lady Guan said, "Fortunately one of the peppers is spicy, otherwise your crying would be useless."
The old lady meant that Cheng Gao was excellent and Mrs. Mian didn't need to worry about him.
Mrs. Mian felt better now.
At dusk, Cheng Mian, who had received the news, scolded Cheng Yi severely. Seeing that the New Year was approaching, Cheng Yi also knelt in the ancestral hall. He didn't know what to say, so he ordered the maids and servants at home: "No one is allowed to bring him food. Let him starve like this. When he knows what's good for him, he can get up."
Everyone was silent.
The next day, the news of Cheng Yi's return spread throughout Jiuru Lane.
Cheng Ju and Cheng Nuo came to visit Cheng Yi. Who knew Cheng Yi was locked up. Cheng Ju instigated Cheng Nuo to ask Zhou Shaojin for help. Zhou Shaojin didn't bother to pay attention to them. When Cheng Yi was released from the ancestral hall, Cheng Ju complained to Zhou Shaojin in front of Cheng Yi: "Didn't she say she was your cousin? You treated her so well, why doesn't she care about you at all? I asked her to go see you but she refused."
Cheng Yi was so angry that his lungs almost exploded, but in front of Cheng Ju and others, he suppressed his temper and spoke for Zhou Shaojin: "My father and my grandmother ordered that anyone who gave me food or drinks, or came to see me, should kneel until the Lantern Festival."
"So cruel!" Cheng Nuo was shocked and talked about the recent anecdotes in Jinling City. "Have you heard about it? The wedding date of the prince of Liangguo and the eldest daughter of the Liu family is set for May 15th next year. I heard that the eldest daughter of the Liu family is not a good person either. When she punishes the maids, she kills without shedding blood. She doesn't beat you or scold you, but just makes you kneel, straight and straight for a few days, and a healthy person will be crippled by kneeling..."
"Really, really!" It was the first time that Cheng Yi heard about the engagement between the prince of the Duke of Liang and the eldest daughter of the Liu family. He said gossipingly, "Didn't their eldest aunt divorce their eldest brother-in-law? Their family must have such a family tradition! If this is true, who would dare to marry their daughter in the future!"
A few young men of sixteen or seventeen years old gathered together and talked about the girls in Jinling City.
Cheng Ju sat aside with his eyes rolling around, but he couldn't find a chance to enter the inner courtyard of the fourth room.
But after Cheng Yi sent Cheng Ju and the others away, he went straight to Wanxiangju.
Zhou Shaojin is doing needlework.
After having the reunion dinner at Jiashu Hall, she would go back to Pingqiao Street with her sister, and she would stay there until her sister got married.
Even if she could come back, it would be mid-spring.
Mrs. Guo has just chosen the material for the waistcoat she will wear in the spring.
Zhou Shaojin wanted to make the waistcoat while he had nothing to do these few days.
When spring comes, Mrs. Guo will be able to wear it.
Unexpectedly, the door was pushed open with a "bang", and Cheng Yi rushed in angrily, saying: "When I was kneeling in the ancestral hall, why didn't you go to see me! What good would you do if I was crippled by kneeling?"
Zhou Shaojin put down the needlework in his hand and questioned him coldly: "Didn't you say that we would never have any contact with each other again? How come you have forgotten what you said when you are not even old enough to know your destiny?"
Cheng Yi's face flushed red, and he said calmly, "I, I've been out for almost a year. How can you be so stingy and still remember this matter..."
Zhou Shaojin said: "Don't worry, I will remember this for the rest of my life. Don't expect me to help you in the future."
"You, you are really like a wasp with a sting in its tail. I will never talk to you again." Cheng Yi said and walked away angrily.
Zhou Shaojin smiled.
She and he are cousins, so she naturally wouldn't be angry with him. But others might not be. He had to know that he couldn't say such things carelessly.
After a few days, the shoulder ridge for Mrs. Guo was completed.
Zhou Shaojin made some rice cakes and sent them to Hanbi Mountain House.
The rice cakes were given to Biyu and the others.
Since only Cheng Chi was with Old Madam Guo during the New Year, the main house was rather deserted. Fortunately, there were many maids in the main house, and the rewards were generous. The maids all had smiles on their faces, and they came in and out, making the place quite lively.
While helping Madam Guo try on the shoulder strap, Zhou Shaojin reminded her, "I heard from the manager of the flower room that it will snow this year. Apart from the old ancestor of the second house, you are the oldest, so don't go out. Let Uncle Chi accompany you to play cards or chess at home. Those who are interested will come to wish you a happy new year; those who are not interested, just ignore them. Others can't say anything. Is your shoulder hurting just because the weather has changed? Do your legs hurt? If your legs hurt, can I make you two knee pads? It will be done quickly. It will be done in two or three days at most."
Madam Guo laughed and said, "My legs and feet are fine, but my shoulders can't stand the cold sometimes." Then she took out a purse from a small box beside her and handed it to Zhou Shaojin, saying, "You will go home after the reunion dinner at Jiashu Hall tomorrow, right? This is the New Year's money I give you, take it."
Zhou Shaojin smiled and said, "You can give it to me when I wish you a happy new year."
Madam Guo smiled and said, "Isn't this year special? I will give you New Year's money next year when you come to pay me New Year's greetings."
yes!
The circumstances this year are special, and I don’t know if she can return to Jiuru Lane.
She thanked him and silently accepted the heavy red envelope.
Mrs. Guo asked her softly, "Don't you want to follow your father to Baoding?"
Zhou Shaojin shook his head and then nodded.
Her mood at this moment was very complicated!
She wanted to live with her father, put aside all the grudges from her past life, and start her life anew. But she hadn't told Cheng Jing about the Cheng family yet, and she couldn't just leave as if nothing had happened.
Madam Guo shook her head secretly and comforted her: "Don't be afraid! Baoding is a pretty good place. If you can't get used to it, you can always come back."
Zhou Shaojin smiled and said goodbye to Mrs. Guo.
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Well, a reader responded that he is a man, so I can’t say “sisters”, I will say “sisters and brothers” instead… O(∩_∩)O~
PS: Regarding typos. Sometimes I don’t have enough time and will revise it again after two or three hours or the next day. You can wait or refresh the page.
We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
※(To be continued)