Zhou Shaojin returned to Pingqiao Street with his head down.
Uncle Chi never showed up.
Mrs. Li was very excited, and said to Zhou Shaojin, "I didn't expect that Mrs. Yi's daughter turned out to be the daughter of the Jiujiang Hong family! The Hong family is famous for its strict family tradition, and the girls and boys in the family are very successful. I heard from Mrs. Yi that her nephew has a nephew in her family. Because his parents died one after another, he is still unengaged at the age of 20 this year. He has a good character and is well educated. It just so happens that my third brother has a daughter who is 15 years old this year and is looking for a husband. What do you think, can I help them be a matchmaker?"
Zhou Shaojin then remembered that Li was also from Jiangxi. But the Li family was a merchant family, and the Hong family was a scholar family, so it was understandable that Li admired the Hong family.
She felt that one had to give everything a try before knowing the result, but Madam Yi was from the second house, while the Zhou family was a relative of the fourth house. She also decided to stand on the side of the first house in the future. If the Zhou family became involved with the second house, the matter would become very complicated.
But she looked at Li's excited face and didn't want to pour cold water on her, so she smiled and said, "I don't really understand this matter either. I think I should ask my father - even if we need to arrange a match, it would be better for my father to do it."
Seeing that Zhou Shaojin did not object, Li's mood became even more excited. She smiled and said, "Then do as the Second Miss said." She then said with some emotion, "I didn't expect the Second Miss would agree."
Zhou Shaojin asked curiously: "Why shouldn't I agree?"
Li said, "Second Miss, you don't know that although our Li family is also a family of good deeds, we are not as good as those poor families that have produced scholars. Whenever something happens, our Li family always suffers. If our niece can marry into a scholar's family, the children of the Li family will be able to go to a better private school in the future. Maybe our Li family can also produce a scholar!"
This may be one of the reasons why Li married my father!
Zhou Shaojin pondered over it but didn't want to continue the topic. She smiled and said, "Father must also wish well for the Li family. This way, Youjin will have someone to rely on!"
Li nodded with a smile and said, "The master is a very good one!"
Her words were very sincere, and she was obviously very satisfied with Zhou Zhen.
Zhou Shaojin was embarrassed. He said a few more words to Li and then went back to his room.
Without my sister, the upper room of Sankuo's house with two side rooms seemed a little empty.
She sat alone in front of the dim light, sketching a half-painted image of Guanyin holding a bottle. She listened to the third watch drum and then rested.
Early the next morning, Yu Ma, who was in charge of the flower room, came to ask her, "Should we move the two-color peony that you planted to Baoding? It has buds and should bloom in the next few days. It would be a pity if it bloomed on the road."
Zhou Shaojin thought about it, went to the flower room to pick a few pots of flowers, and told Chunwan and Yu Ma to go to Hanbi Mountain House: "Give the two-color peony to Old Madam Guo, and the Huilan to Uncle Chi." Then he thought that he couldn't give Old Madam Guo a gift without giving it to Old Madam Guan, so he said, "Send the Clivia to my grandmother."
She wanted to know if Uncle Chi had come back.
She had to tell Uncle Chi about her change of mind as soon as possible, lest he make arrangements and then she change his mind again.
Zhou Shaojin became anxious.
But when Chunwan came back, she was told that the Fourth Master had not come back yet.
Could something have happened
Zhou Shaojin had a vague feeling that Cheng Chi was not as simple as he said. He was just in charge of the Cheng family's miscellaneous affairs and doing business with others.
She thought of the second wife's old man Cheng Li, who was said to have died at the hands of the Cao Gang.
Zhou Shaojin called Fan Lu in and whispered, "Do you know where the Fourth Master's Algae Garden is?"
Fourteen-year-old Fan Lu began to grow taller and was half a head taller than Zhou Shaojin. When he smiled, he looked like a naughty child, but when he was serious, his young face showed a steadiness and restraint that was rare among his peers.
He said respectfully, "I don't know. But I can find out for the Second Miss."
In the two years since entering the mansion, Zhou Shaojin only wanted him to do one thing. Now when he thinks about it, he wonders how he could have been so brave at that time. When he learned that the eldest daughter of the Mu family escaped the disaster and saved her younger brothers and sisters because she married the master of the Lin family in advance, he had an inexplicable awe of Zhou Shaojin, and always felt that this second daughter who looked as beautiful as a flower was not simple.
Is it because of this attitude that Fan Qi in his previous life was able to build a business that would allow him to have no worries about food and clothing even though he had nothing
Zhou Shaojin thought about it and said, "I heard that the Fourth Master went to Zaoyuan. Please help me give him a letter and tell him that I have something important to discuss with him."
Fan Qi didn't ask any more questions and just walked away.
In the evening, Fan Qi came back and said, "The fourth master is not in Zaoyuan."
Zhou Shaojin's expression changed slightly, and he asked, "Have you returned to Jiuru Lane?"
Fan Qi whispered, "It's not in Jiuru Lane either."
Zhou Shaojin didn't sleep all night, and got up before dawn the next day, ready to go to Hanbi Mountain House. Unexpectedly, after breakfast, he received a reply from Zhou Zhen.
Li told her: “…your father hopes that you can return to Baoding Prefecture with me.”
Zhou Zhen replied with the letter that Li had originally written to him.
Zhou Shaojin was in no mood to care about these things now. She just wanted to find Cheng Chi as soon as possible, but this letter gave her an excuse to go to Jiuru Lane.
The more Li learned about the Cheng family, the more she felt that the Cheng family was well-established and it was not unreasonable for her husband to want her to make friends with the Cheng family.
She thought Zhou Shaojin wanted to show the envelope to Old Lady Guan so that she would agree to let him return to Baoding Prefecture.
Li couldn't help but gently admonish her: "Don't force it. If Mrs. Guan's face is not good, don't say anything and come back directly. Otherwise, the relationship between you and Mrs. Guan will be ruined. I will find a way to deal with other things!"
Zhou Shaojin thanked Li.
But before she could leave, the servant brought her the second letter from Zhou Zhen, breathlessly.
Li and Zhou Shaojin hurriedly got together to open the letter.
Zhou Zhen's tone changed completely.
He asked Zhou Shaojin to stay in Jiuru Lane to accompany Old Lady Guan, and also told Zhou Shaojin: "No matter big or small, you must listen to your grandmother's teachings. Your grandmother loves you very much, and she kept you here for your own good. You will understand when you grow up."
I don’t know if my father knows that my grandmother intends to marry her to my cousin Yi
Zhou Shaojin felt that her situation was like a broken boat with thousands of holes and leaking everywhere. If Uncle Chi didn't show up, she would be drowned.
However, Old Lady Guan asked Nanny Wang to come over and invite them to Jiashu Hall to talk.
After sending Nanny Wang away, Li murmured, "Does Old An want to tell us to keep you here?"
Zhou Shaojin also guessed this.
The two of them washed up again and went to Jiashu Hall.
Mrs. Guan held Zhou Shaojin's hand and exchanged pleasantries with Li for a long while before getting to the point: "Logically, you treat Shaojin like your own mother. After Chujin gets married, Shaojin should go back to live with you. But you also know that I raised Shaojin since she was a child, and I really can't bear to let her go. Fortunately, the old man is a thoughtful person. When he heard that I wanted to keep Shaojin, he agreed..."
Li was a smart person, so she naturally wouldn't argue with Mrs. Guan at this time. No matter what Mrs. Guan said, she would respond with a smile. When Li and Zhou Shaojin came out of Jiashu Hall, Mrs. Guan's impression of Li changed greatly, and she even said to Nanny Wang in private: "The new wife that the old master married is also a smart and transparent person, and she doesn't have trouble talking."
Nanny Wang smiled and replied “yes”.
Zhou Shaojin let out a long breath.
She finally managed to stay in Jiashu Hall.
Next, we have to find Uncle Chi.
Stopping at the side door's sedan chair hall, Zhou Shaojin said to Li: "I want to go to Hanbi Mountain House. I sent a pot of flowers to Madam Guo yesterday... I just felt something was wrong now, so I want to go and test the old lady's attitude."
Li had a deep memory of the green scenery of Hanbi Mountain Villa.
"Why would you send a pot of flowers to Madam Guo?" She urged Zhou Shaojin, "Go and have a look! I'll wait for you here."
"You'd better go back first!" Zhou Shaojin said, "I'm afraid that Madam Guo will keep me to talk."
Li thought for a moment and said, "That's fine. In order to avoid making you anxious while I wait here, you can go to Hanbi Mountain House and calm down. Have a good talk with Old Madam Guo, and don't cause any misunderstandings."
Zhou Shaojin nodded repeatedly, saw Li off and hurried to Hanbi Mountain House.
Biyu and a few others were drawing water to wash the leaves of the bicolor peony plant in the middle of the yard.
Seeing Zhou Shaojin coming, they all greeted her: "I didn't expect that Second Cousin actually raised a two-color peony. I heard that in addition to the one-color half-peony like the one in our house, there is also a branch with two different-color peony flowers. Which kind is this, Second Cousin?"
Zhou Shaojin hurriedly whispered, "Keep your voices down! I have two peony flowers of different colors blooming on a branch. I thought they were rare, so I sent them over, but I forgot that the old lady doesn't grow flowers. Is Uncle Chi at home? I also gave Uncle Chi a pot of Huilan, and I don't know if I made a mistake?"
She sighed, and Biyu and others tried to comfort her.
"It was the old lady who told us that the two-color peony has different ways of blooming. If she was angry, why would she tell us this? You think too much!"
"The old lady also looked at the Huilan you sent over for a long time and praised your Huilan for being well-raised. She also asked the people in the greenhouse to clear out a space for Huilan so that they can use it to entertain guests during the New Year."
"Morning! Don't worry, the old lady is not angry."
Zhou Shaojin calmed down and pretended to be indifferent: "What about Uncle Chi? Did he say anything?"
"No!" Biyu smiled, "The fourth master has not come back from Zaoyuan. Qin Ziping said that the fourth master said that the summer in Jinling City is too hot, but Zaoyuan is in Shihuishan. It not only has beautiful scenery, but also is cool and refreshing. It is a good place to escape the summer heat. But no one has lived there in the past few years, and some houses are old. The fourth master wants to renovate it and invited craftsmen from Hangzhou to look at the houses. He wants to overhaul it!" As she spoke, she lowered her voice and whispered to Zhou Shaojin, "Maybe we can go there to escape the summer heat too!"
But Uncle Chi is not in Zaoyuan at all!
Wasn't Huaishan serving Uncle Chi? How come it was Qin Ziping who reported the news
Where did Qin Zian go again
Zhou Shaojin was feeling restless but didn't dare show any sign of abnormality.
He mustered up his energy and talked to Mrs. Guo for a long time before returning to Pingqiao Street exhausted.
In the following days, she tried every possible way to find out where Cheng Chi was, but Cheng Chi seemed to have disappeared and no one knew where he had gone. Neither Mrs. Guo nor anyone else noticed that Cheng Chi was missing.
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Today's update, sisters.
O(∩_∩)O~
※(To be continued)