Having made up his mind, Zhou Shaojin felt at ease.
When everything in Pingqiao Street was almost packed up, she said goodbye to Li and took Chunwan to Jiashutang in Jiuru Lane.
Mrs. Guan was very happy to see her. She took her hand and asked, "Why did you come here today? What's the matter?"
"It's nothing, so I came to see you and my aunt." Zhou Shaojin watched how Old Madam Guo greeted people and learned how to say the appropriate words.
Mrs. Guan was even happier when she heard this. Not only did she ask the maid to bring her a lot of tea and snacks that she liked, she also asked her to stay for a few days: "… Wanxiangju is still reserved for you sisters. The maids and servants who serve are still here. You can use your aunt's jewelry and you don't even need to bring a piece of clothing."
Zhou Shaojin happily agreed and said, "Madam said that when my sister comes home, she will take me back to Baoding Prefecture. I just want to take advantage of these few days to come to the mansion to accompany you and my aunt."
Mrs. Guan was stunned and asked, "Mrs. Zhou wants to take you back to Baoding Prefecture?"
"Yes!" Zhou Shaojin smiled, "My sister is married, and I am old enough, but it is not convenient for me to live alone in Pingqiao Street, so my wife asked me to follow her back to Baoding Prefecture. My father has been working as an official away from home, and I haven't had a good chat with him for so many years. It would be good for me to live with him for a while." As she spoke, she changed the subject and said, "Grandma, I heard that the pickles of Daci Pavilion in Baoding Prefecture are very famous. I will bring some back for you to try."
When Mrs. Guan saw that Zhou Shaojin was so happy when she talked about returning to Baoding Prefecture, she thought that she had raised her once and she still felt like her own parents in her heart, so she felt a little unhappy. Then she saw that she spoke like a child and even brought her pickles, as if she was only going to stay for a few days and would be back, so she felt a little relieved.
She smiled and said, "Then Shaojin, are you willing to continue to accompany your grandmother?"
Zhou Shaojin's heart skipped a beat.
The reason why she proposed to move her belongings in Wanxiangju to Pingqiao Street without seeing Mrs. Guan was because she was afraid that Mrs. Guan would think she was cold and indifferent. But she didn't expect that when she said it, something went wrong - Mrs. Guan actually wanted to keep her in Jiuru Lane. Doesn't that mean she was determined to marry her to Cheng Yi!
But she didn't dare say anything else and could only pretend she didn't know.
"Of course I am willing!" Zhou Shaojin said reluctantly, "But my father..."
Mrs. Guan immediately smiled and said, "I will talk to your father. I am afraid that you will not want me to be alone when your sister gets married, so I ask you on purpose."
Even after using this self-torture tactic, Zhou Shaojin felt more and more that there was more to Old Lady Guan's purpose in keeping him around.
"Okay!" She answered with a smile, but in her heart she was thinking about writing a letter to her father as soon as she got back, and then sending it to her father as soon as possible. She also had to inform Madam Li, in order to make sure she was not sold out without knowing the situation.
Old Mrs. Guan was very satisfied with Zhou Shaojin's cleverness and thoughtfulness.
Zhou Shaojin, however, felt like she was sitting on a pin cushion, wishing she could suddenly grow a pair of wings and fly back. She had no time to listen to Old Madam Guan's nagging. When she heard that she had asked the maid to invite Madam Mian to come over, she became even more restless. She found an opportunity to stand up and said, "Grandmother, if my aunt is busy, we should not disturb her. I will go to Hanbi Mountain House to greet Old Madam Guo first, and then come back to talk to my aunt."
Old Madam Guan intended to raise Zhou Shaojin in the eldest house, so she was naturally happy to see Zhou Shaojin and Old Madam Guo getting close. She smiled and nodded, and reminded Zhou Shaojin: "The old lady likes you very much. When you are not here, Hanbi Mountain House is also very quiet. When you go there, have a good talk with the old lady. If the old lady invites you to have lunch, have lunch and then come back. Your aunt usually has nothing to do in the afternoon."
Zhou Shaojin was a little surprised at how intimate Mrs. Guan was with the main house, but she herself also wanted to stay in the main house for a while longer, so she smiled and agreed without thinking too much, and went to Mrs. Guo in two steps.
But she did not go to the main room. Instead, she quietly made a detour and went directly to Tingli Pavilion.
It was a sunny spring day. Qingfeng was sitting on the doorstep, basking in the sun and talking to a little Taoist boy who was about his age.
The little Taoist boy was wearing a green silk Taoist robe. He had fair skin and beautiful features. He looked like a young master from some family. He didn't look like a servant, but he looked very unfamiliar.
Could it be that Uncle Chi has taken in another servant
Zhou Shaojin muttered to himself.
Qingfeng was talking to the little Taoist boy with a beaming face and didn't notice the movement around him at all. However, the unfamiliar little Taoist boy noticed Zhou Shaojin. He turned to Qingfeng and whispered, "Someone is coming!" Qingfeng then stopped talking and turned his head.
Seeing that it was Zhou Shaojin, he stood up with a slightly uncomfortable look on his face and said, "Second cousin, you're here? Who are you looking for?"
Zhou Shaojin said: "Is Uncle Chi here? My Uncle Chi!"
Qingfeng said: "Master Zhang from Mount Longhu is coming. The fourth master is talking to Master Zhang." The implication was that he wanted her to wait.
Zhou Shaojin didn't expect his luck to be so bad.
She glanced at the little Taoist boy.
The little Taoist boy hurried forward to greet Zhou Shaojin and introduced himself, "I am Shanyu, the Taoist boy beside the Heavenly Master. Hello, second cousin!"
Very polite.
Zhou Shaojin smiled and bowed to her, then said to Qingfeng, "Then I'll go to the study and wait for Uncle Chi."
According to etiquette, she should visit Madam Guo first when she came to Hanbi Villa, but Madam Guan's words made her anxious. She had no way to talk to Madam Guo before she met Cheng Chi.
She was afraid that if she stood here she would run into Biyu and others, so she didn't want to wait outside the door.
Qing Feng stopped her and said, "The Fourth Master and Zhang Tianshi are in the study!"
This was originally a trivial matter. Maybe it was because she never had a good face every time she came to Qingfeng, or maybe it was because she saw the confident smile of Mrs. Guan, and Cheng Chi promised to help her solve the problem between her and Cheng Yi, but there was no news. All kinds of negative emotions made Zhou Shaojin feel irritated suddenly, and said: "Qingfeng, you are a guest when you come to the door. Even if Uncle Chi has guests, I want to see Uncle Chi and am willing to wait outside. Why do you stop me like this instead of arranging a place for me to stay? Even if Uncle Chi doesn't want to see me and wants to drive me away, you should ask Uncle Chi for instructions before giving me a cold shoulder, right? Although people say that the prime minister's doorman is a seventh-rank official, you are not even the prime minister's doorman. I think you are acting like a seventh-rank official. You are quite capable!"
Qingfeng's face suddenly turned purple. He pointed at Zhou Shaojin and kept saying "you" for a long time without saying a word.
However, Zhou Shaojin didn't even look at her again. He walked into Tingli Pavilion with a cold face and went straight to Jiying.
Who knew that Jiying was not at home.
The maidservant who served Jiying told Zhou Shaojin: "The Fourth Master asked Miss Jiying to deliver a letter to someone, and she has been gone for three days."
Zhou Shaojin suddenly felt uncomfortable.
Uncle Chi is nowhere to be seen, and Ji Ying doesn’t know where she has gone. Why is everything so unlucky for her
She stood in front of the holly tree in front of the room where Jiying lived, pulling the holly leaves gloomily.
"What's going on?" Cheng Chi's laughing voice suddenly rang in her ears, "You're almost killing my trees."
"Uncle Chi!" Zhou Shaojin turned around in surprise and joy, and saw Cheng Chi standing in the corridor in a plain Hangzhou silk Taoist robe in the color of a lotus. "Aren't you talking to that Zhang Tianshi? Why are you here?" As she spoke, she felt infinitely aggrieved. Her eyes turned red and she pouted, "Uncle Chi, you bully me, and your little Taoist boy also bullies me. I will never trust you again!"
Why does this little girl always say something shocking every time she talks to him
Cheng Chi was choked and didn't say anything for a long time. He took a few deep breaths before saying, "What nonsense are you talking about here? When did I bully you? How did my little Taoist bully you?"
Zhou Shaojin blushed and said, "You clearly said that you would help me dispel my grandmother's idea of pairing me with my cousin Yi, but when my grandmother saw me today, she said she would tell my father to keep me in Jiashu Hall. I don't want to stay in Jiashu Hall, and I don't want to marry my cousin Yi!"
Cheng Chi frowned, with a hint of annoyance in his brows, and asked coldly: "What did Fourth Aunt say to you?"
This was a Cheng Chi that was completely different from the one Zhou Shaojin usually saw. Zhou Shaojin felt timid and whispered to Cheng Chi what Old Lady Guan had said.
Cheng Chi was both angry and amused.
He is really a bully who only bullies the weak and fears the strong.
She was angry at him just now, and his expression changed slightly. She looked at him warily like a frightened kitten, as if she would run away if he made the slightest move.
"Come here!" he whispered to her as he stood in the corridor.
"Oh!" Zhou Shaojin carefully walked around the railing, went up the corridor from the steps next to him, and slowly stood in front of Cheng Chi.
Cheng Chi reached out his hand and plucked a leaf from her hair, saying, "Where did you go to play? You didn't even notice there was a leaf stuck in your hair!"
Zhou Shaojin looked at the leaf in Cheng Chi's hand in confusion and said, "I, I didn't go anywhere? I just walked from the door to here..."
Cheng Chi threw the leaf into the bushes nearby and said, "Be careful when you walk next time!"
Zhou Shaojin nodded obediently.
Cheng Chi said softly: "It is my intention to leave you in Jiuru Lane!"
"Ah!" Zhou Shaojin opened his eyes wide, his black and white pupils full of astonishment.
Cheng Chi couldn't help laughing, his voice became softer: "What you said is of great importance. There are many things I don't understand and need to ask you. But you and I have been in contact for a long time, which inevitably arouses suspicion. If someone doubts your experience because of this, it will be my fault - you told me such a new secret for the Cheng family, but I can't protect you... After thinking about it, the best way is to borrow the name of Fourth Aunt to keep you in Jiashu Hall, and then let my mother raise you for a while. After two years, when you are older and things are more or less sorted out, my mother will come forward to arrange a marriage for you... When you told me about your situation last time, I had this plan. It's just that I never had the chance to tell you. Just move back to Wanxiangju with peace of mind. At most half a month, I will bring you to Hanbi Shanfang."
※
Sisters, here’s an extra chapter for Qingtian Moyun.
The updates in the evening are uncertain, sisters, please check it out tomorrow morning.
I have not been able to log into the backend of Qidian successfully these days.
※(To be continued)