In the evening, when Cheng Chi came back, Nanny Shang ordered the servant to bring in hot water to help him change his clothes, while she stood aside and said, "The second cousin came to see you."
Cheng Chi was very surprised and asked, "How did you get here?"
Nanny Shang didn't understand for a moment, so she smiled and said, "I didn't ask that. But the second cousin came here with her stepmother, so she should have been riding in a sedan chair!"
"That's not what I'm asking!" Cheng Chi said patiently, "I'm asking, did the second cousin come here after greeting the old lady, or did she come here quietly?"
Upon hearing this, Nanny Shang couldn't help but say, "When the second cousin came over, the old lady was talking to Madam Zhou. Before the old lady and Madam Zhou finished their conversation, the second cousin went back to the upper room..."
That means it came quietly.
Did this girl get into some trouble
Cheng Chi was pondering in his mind, and even slowed down the pace of taking off his brocade robe.
She was very happy the day she left.
Later, Cheng Zheng sent two boxes of snacks from the imperial kitchen, and her mother specially left one box for the little girl, preparing to give it to her on the second day of the Chinese New Year. But on the second day of the Chinese New Year, she went to Jiashu Hall to pay New Year's greetings to Guan Laoan and hurried back to Pingqiao Street... Could it be that the fourth room leaked the news, and she knew that Guan Laoan wanted to keep her, and the fourth room was upset, so she ran away
That's possible!
Cheng Chi frowned.
He wanted to find a good marriage for the little girl, but after looking around, he couldn't find anyone he liked.
Or, look further ahead
Suzhou, Hangzhou, Songjiang, and Wuxi are all very close to Nanjing, and it only takes a few days by boat. If there are suitable candidates in those places, we might consider them...
Cheng Chi handed the brocade robe he had taken off to Qingfeng and asked Nanny Shang, "Didn't the little girl ask you to pass on a message?"
"She only said that she had something important to discuss with you." Nanny Shang spoke more carefully, "She didn't say anything else!"
Cheng Chi curled his lips.
In the eyes of that little girl, trivial matters are also big things in her eyes.
But he still thought about it and said, "How is her mood?" Afraid that Nanny Shang would not understand, he explained, "I mean, is she sad? Or is she the same as usual? Or is she quite happy?"
Nanny Shang carefully recalled the scene at that time and said, "Seems to be the same as usual?"
What kind of answer is that
Cheng Chi was dissatisfied and asked, "Is it the same or different?"
Nanny Shang became more and more unsure and hesitated for a while.
Cheng Chi said: "Forget it! You will know when you meet her tomorrow."
Nanny Shang smiled and replied “yes”, then with a cold sweat on her forehead, she retreated respectfully.
Cheng Chi couldn't help but sneer.
Why are you so anxious
Anyway, we'll know in a few hours.
He washed his face, changed his clothes, and was about to go to pay his respects to Old Madam Guo when Lang Yue ran in and said hurriedly, "Fourth Master, Old An from the Gu family has passed away!"
"What did you say?" Cheng Chi stood up suddenly. "Mr. An from the Gu family passed away? When did it happen? Did the old lady get the news?"
Lang Yue hurriedly said, "The Gu family has sent someone to deliver the funeral invitation to the old lady, but the Cheng family's funeral invitation has not arrived yet. The old lady is already changing her clothes, and she sent a little maid to inform you, saying that you should also change your clothes quickly and go to the Gu family right away. For the time being, leave the affairs of the mansion to Qin, the chief steward."
When Gu's old man An passed away, the Cheng family also went to pay their respects. But the funeral invitations were usually sent after the deceased had been buried. They came specially to inform Cheng Chi's mother of the news, which meant that they were regarded as their closest relatives. Even if they didn't help with the burial, they had to help with the funeral.
Cheng Chi hurriedly called Qingfeng to help him change his clothes, and told Langyue to pack his things: "I'm afraid you'll have to stay there for two or three days."
Only when all the accountants and gift-givers in charge of the funeral have arrived will he be able to take time off to come back.
Lang Yue responded “yes” repeatedly.
Cheng Chi thought for a moment, called Nanny Shang in, and said, "My mother can't host a banquet for Mrs. Zhou tomorrow. When you go there later, remind my mother to go to Pingqiao Street in person tomorrow morning and ask the second cousin what's going on. If it's not urgent, wait a few days. If it's urgent, let her wait and I'll go there in the evening."
Nanny Shang's heart was like a storm.
When did the Fourth Master become so easy to talk to
If Master Ji, Xiao Zhenhai and the others saw this, they would be so shocked that their eyes would drop to the ground!
But she was a powerful figure in the martial arts world in her early years, and she had long since mastered the ability to hide her emotions on her face. No matter what she thought in her heart, she still had a smiling face and answered "yes" respectfully.
Cheng Chi changed into a moon-white coarse cotton robe with satisfaction and went to his mother.
Just as he expected, Mrs. Guo was wearing a plain black cotton jacket and sitting on the Arhat bed with a sad look on her face, twirling the eighteen-bead red sandalwood Buddhist beads in her hands.
Cheng Chi walked forward and gently called "Mom".
Mrs. Guo came back to her senses, her eyes full of tears, and said, "When your father and I quarreled for the first time, it was she who came to mediate. At that time, she scolded your father severely in front of me, and scolded me, and finally asked us if we wanted to divorce. If we don't want to divorce, then we have to discuss everything. If we want to divorce, don't say anything, count the dowry now, leave the child in the Cheng family, and let me go back to my parents' home with the dowry. She will find a second wife for your father, let her live in the house where I lived, and discipline my child... I was so angry, how could that be possible? I can give up the house, but I can't give the child to someone else to take care of, and let them call someone else 'mother'." Mrs. Guo couldn't help but shed tears as she spoke, saying, "Who knew that she would leave so suddenly..."
Cheng Chi went forward and hugged Madam Guo, whispering to comfort his mother: "Mrs. An was already eighty-nine years old. She was able to eat and drink well during her lifetime, and she died so suddenly without lying in bed suffering that fatigue. This is a good thing, a happy funeral, and you should be happy for her. You know the situation of the Gu family best. With the death of Mrs. An, the ninth master of the Gu family will return to his hometown to observe the mourning period, and the situation of the Gu family will probably become more difficult. As for my eldest brother, the Gu family must be counting on you to help speak up, so you have to go there quickly."
Although there are many male members in the Gu family, the one who has a smooth career and a promising future is the eldest grandson of Lao An, Gu Qinghe. He is currently the Minister of Honglu Temple, one of the Nine Minor Ministers. After Lao An passed away, he had to return to his hometown to observe mourning for a year, and he had to give up his position. It is hard to say what kind of position he can get when he returns to Beijing.
At this time, Cheng Jing, who was the Minister of Rites and Grand Secretary of Wenhua Palace, was very important to Gu Qinghe's reinstatement.
Madam Guo nodded, wiped her tears, and her expression became resolute. She said, "I know. Tell the people around you, pack up and we'll go there." As she said that, Madam Guo said, "Oh no! I said I would invite Shao Jin's stepmother to dinner..."
I didn’t expect my mother still remembered it!
Cheng Chi said: "I'll send someone to tell them."
Madam Guo sighed and said, "We just have to wait a few days."
"It will be just right in a few days." Cheng Chi said, "Spring will start to bloom in a few days, so it's a good time to invite Madam Zhou to the mansion to enjoy the flowers."
Mothers can also take this opportunity to relieve their sadness.
Mrs. Guo nodded slightly.
※
Zhou family in Pingqiao Street.
Zhou Shaojin was stunned for a long while after hearing the news. Thinking of the last time he visited the Gu family, Gu Lao'an's childlike straightforwardness, he felt very uncomfortable. He asked Nanny Shang who came to report the news, "Are Uncle Chi and the old lady going to stay at the Gu family for a few days?"
Nanny Shang said respectfully, "We should stay here for a few days. The Fourth Master and the Old Madam have both brought some clothes with them."
Zhou Shaojin felt relieved for no reason and said, "Go tell Uncle Chi that there is no rush for my matter. Let him finish Gu Lao'an's matter first."
Nanny Shang agreed with a smile.
Zhou Shaojin took her to Li's place.
Naturally, Li would not have any complaints after such an incident, and hurriedly said, "The dead are the greatest. We can go to pay our respects to the old lady anytime." Then she politely asked how Mr. Guo was feeling, exchanged a few words of greeting, rewarded Nanny Shang with two taels of silver, and personally sent Nanny Shang to the door.
Zhou Shaojin asked Nanny Shang: "Are you going back home or to Gu's house?"
"Let's go to Gu's house!" Nanny Shang said with a smile, "The Fourth Master told me to go and tell him if there's any news from you."
Zhou Shaojin asked Nanny Shang to take a letter to Miss Gu's Seventeenth Family: "... Let her mourn!"
Nanny Shang agreed and went to Gu's house.
Cheng Chi was busy discussing the matter of reporting the death with the people of the Gu family. Several old men and masters of the Gu family had not yet recovered from the grief and shock of Lao An's death. They spoke and acted incoherently. Several managers simply reported the matter to Cheng Chi, and Cheng Chi helped them make decisions.
Suddenly, there were people sitting and standing around Cheng Chi.
Nanny Shang poked her head out of the door and then pulled her head back.
Cheng Chi had sharp eyes and saw her immediately.
He stood up without waiting for the steward who was asking for his instructions to finish his words and said, "I have something else to do over there. Please wait a moment." Then, under the gaze of everyone, he left the hall and stood under the veranda.
Nanny Shang hurried forward and reported in a low voice what happened on the way to Pingqiao Street.
Cheng Chi felt worried when he heard this.
If the matter was not important as the little girl said, she would usually rush in and ask him to do this or that without thinking. On the contrary, if the matter was very important, she would be so anxious that she didn't know how to ask him. For example, when she went to Putuo Mountain with him and his mother, she didn't ask for anything to buy in order not to delay their trip. But when they came back, she had nothing to do and she would move bricks on Leifeng Pagoda or go to Changzhou to buy combs. When he and Mr. Song were fascinated by hydrology, she could quietly find things to do by herself without making a fuss. She seemed willful, but she was very sensible.
He thought about it, looked at the people sitting or standing in the room, and said thoughtfully: "Well, go and tell my second cousin that I will go over at 7 pm (note: around 7 pm) after I arrange dinner here. Ask her to wait for me for a while."
Nanny Shang was secretly surprised.
Didn’t you say it’s not a big deal
What is the Fourth Master doing there
※
Sisters and brothers, today’s extra update.
Please give me a pink vote!
※(To be continued)