Zhou Shaojin's face lit up immediately when he heard this, his eyes sparkling like gemstones, and he asked, "Really?"
Cheng Chi laughed, patted her head and said, "When have I ever lied to you?"
"Ouch!" Zhou Shaojin touched his head and smiled shyly.
Cheng Chi said: "Is the sky clearing up after the rain?"
Zhou Shaojin blushed, then remembered the purpose of his visit to Cheng Chi, hurriedly pulled Cheng Chi's sleeve, and whispered: "Uncle Chi, I, I'll listen to you and stay in Jiuru Lane!"
Cheng Chi was very surprised. After thinking for a while, he said, "Did someone tell you something?"
She thought Uncle Chi would be happy!
Zhou Shaojin couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, and said, "I figured it out! I have no idea what happened at the time, and I don't know which details will be useful to you. It's better for me to stay and help you sort out your thoughts. When you find the clues, I will feel more at ease when I leave."
Cheng Chi was in a state of excitement, as if something was about to burst out, and the unfamiliarity made him feel uncomfortable.
This silly girl was hurt so badly that everyone else was avoiding her, but she ran back on her own.
Cheng Chi didn't speak for a long time. When he spoke again, his voice was a little hoarse. He said, "Even if the Cheng family was confiscated, it will be eleven years later. There is not much use for you to stay now. It is better for you to follow your stepmother back to Baoding Prefecture. What's more, Cheng Xu will be back soon. Don't you want to see him again?"
Zhou Shaojin twisted her fingers together and said with lowered eyelids, "I, I will protect myself." In her previous life, she was like an ostrich, not thinking about this matter, and it is the same in this life.
She raised her head and changed the subject. "It is precisely because the Cheng family was raided eleven years ago that I should stay. Uncle Chi, you don't know anything, but I know what major events happened in the following eleven years. Isn't there a saying that goes, 'A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step; a river is formed by the accumulation of small streams'? The demise of the Cheng family certainly did not happen overnight. We should start investigating now, which will be more rewarding and safer than trying to figure out a solution at the last minute."
Cheng Chi looked at the face in front of him that looked particularly bright because of his seriousness, and couldn't help but pursed his lips and said softly: "Shao Jin, you used the word 'rebirth' instead of 'dream' to describe your experience. Does it mean that your life in the previous life is just like your life in this life. You need to spend every breath, every moment, and every hour?"
"Yes!" Zhou Shaojin didn't know why Cheng Chi asked her this at this time, but she still said honestly, "Sometimes I feel that the days are particularly long, and I hope it's just a dream. As soon as I open my eyes, I go back to the past, fighting with Chunwan on the grass in spring, and sulking in the house because my sister has more new clothes than me... At that time, I thought, how great it would be if I could go back to the past... I didn't expect that one day I really went back to the past..."
Unfortunately, as Uncle Chi said, she has to endure every breath, every moment, and every hour bit by bit.
At that time, life was worse than death, but I couldn't die.
At least if she were alive, she could provide support for her sister and save her from being so sad.
Cheng Chi twitched his lips and smiled, "So don't be sad! Look, there are few people in this world who are as lucky as you. It shows that the Bodhisattva also pities you."
Zhou Shaojin nodded with a smile, his big eyes curved into crescents.
Uncle Chi usually speaks clearly and crisply, and never hesitates. But just now, he twitched his lips before speaking. He definitely didn't want to comfort her, but wanted to ask her something, but was afraid that she would be sad, so he changed his mind temporarily.
She couldn't help biting her lip.
Uncle Chi, what do you want to ask her
Could it be related to her humiliation
If the entire Cheng family had not been executed in the end, with no one escaping, she would have suspected that the Cheng family's affairs were the result of a secret struggle between the second and third branches.
But she felt that the Cheng family’s property being ransacked was definitely not a simple personal grudge.
No matter how much trouble the second and third rooms make, they can't possibly sacrifice the entire Jiuru Lane.
However, what if the ending of Jiuru Lane was the result of a fight between the eldest and second houses
Cheng Chi must be told about the garden.
Zhou Shaojin's mind was a little fuzzy.
Cheng Chiyi said: "Shaojin, you probably haven't seen your father for a while, right? Baoding is a pretty good place. You might as well follow your original wish and follow your stepmother back to Baoding to have a good reunion with your father. Next spring, I will take you back to Jinling Mansion to stay with my mother for a while..."
Why should she go to Baoding to live for some time
It is very troublesome and tiring to go back and forth.
Otherwise, why would those old people say "If you don't go out for your whole life, you are a blessed person".
Zhou Shaojin looked at Cheng Chi in confusion.
Cheng Chi's eyes were as clear as the dust-free stars in the night sky, but at this moment they were a little dim.
Zhou Shaojin suddenly understood.
Autumn Examination in August.
In order to avoid the summer heat and to get his body and mood into the best condition before the exam, Cheng Xu should return to Jiuru Lane in the spring.
Uncle Chi, you know everything, right
Whether she says it or not
With Uncle Chi being so smart and capable, how could he not know
Her eyes became wet uncontrollably again, and she didn't know whether it was because of Uncle Chi's silent care and thoughtfulness, or because of the unbearable memories that had been suppressed deep in her heart but emerged with her recollection.
Zhou Shaojin lowered his head.
She didn't want to appear so weak in front of Uncle Chi, but for some reason, she couldn't control herself and lost her composure again and again.
In order to prevent Cheng Chi from noticing, she quickly wiped the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand.
Cheng Chi looked at Zhou Shaojin, who was obviously very sad but trying hard not to let anyone know, and sighed helplessly in his heart.
He reached out his hand, wanting to pat her head comfortingly, but when his hand reached halfway into the air, he felt it was inappropriate.
She was a weak little girl, not one of his friends who traveled around the world.
Cheng Chi paused, and finally his hand fell on Zhou Shaojin's head. He touched her head lovingly and said in a deep voice: "Be good! Be obedient. I will pick you up next spring. You should spend the New Year with your father in Baoding Prefecture." At this point, he thought of his promise, and added, "If I pass by Baoding Prefecture, I will definitely visit your home. You must remember to make snacks for me. And make them well. I won't eat bad snacks."
“Uncle Chi!” The tears of two lives were as heavy as a thousand pounds, bursting out of Zhou Shaojin’s eyes. He threw himself into Cheng Chi’s arms, hugged his waist and cried, “Uncle Chi… Uncle Chi…”
Cheng Chi also felt a little sad.
The most tormenting is the pain that no one can tell.
That kind of loneliness and solitude cannot be understood by those who have not experienced it.
"Okay, okay, don't cry." He stroked her hair gently, tenderly and patiently.
Zhou Shaojin cried even harder.
Cheng Chi let her cry, but he comforted her more gently.
Zhou Shaojin cried bitterly.
Cheng Chi's suspicion grew deeper.
After waiting for a long time until Zhou Shaojin had cried enough, he lowered his head and wiped his tears. He couldn't help but ask, "Shaojin, why didn't you marry Jiashan?"
Shao Jin is not the daughter of a poor family, and Zhou Zhen is not the kind of man who sells his daughter for fame and fortune. If something happens, the Cheng family will not be able to suppress it, and they can only try to smooth things over.
Zhou Shaojin knew he couldn't avoid this topic.
But as long as she was not asked to narrate it herself, she could endure it.
"I don't want to marry him!" she said in a whisper.
Cheng Chi felt even more strange, but afraid of scaring her, he said softly: "Why don't you want to marry him!"
Wouldn't most people just accept their fate when faced with something like this? Besides, Shao Jin's personality was so gentle.
Zhou Shaojin said in a low voice: "Mrs. Yuan wants to marry a girl from the Fujian Min family as her daughter-in-law, and I don't want to see her expression."
This answer surprised Cheng Chi very much.
Shao Jin actually has such a stubborn side... but he's also very smart!
Yuan is the kind of person who thinks something is better the more she can't get it.
Shaojin's persistence will only make Yuan despise him.
So Shao Jin finally married Lin Shisheng and they became a fake couple.
Thinking of this, Cheng Chi couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
The room suddenly became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Zhou Shaojin couldn't help but raise his eyelids and look towards Cheng Chi.
Cheng Chi frowned slightly, his face stern, as if he had encountered some big problem.
Zhou Shaojin was a little worried and called softly, "Uncle Chi."
Cheng Chi came back to his senses, smiled at her in a soothing way, and then said carefully: "Shao Jin, I was thinking that the Cheng family is also a wealthy family with students and old friends throughout the court and the country. If the new emperor wants to deal with the Cheng family, he can only use drastic measures and execute the Cheng family on the spot with lightning speed. Those in the capital will definitely be dealt with by the Dali Temple, and the women and children in Jinling City will definitely be dealt with by the Jinling Prefecture. As for those serving as officials outside, most of them will be executed on the spot by the various guards..."
Zhou Shaojin looked at Cheng Chi with eyes full of admiration.
Uncle Chi only heard a few words from her, but it was as if he had seen everything, and his guess was absolutely correct!
She nodded continuously.
Cheng Chi changed the subject and asked, "Shao Jin, when you were reborn, what official position did your father hold?"
Zhou Shaojin realized that she did not have Cheng Chi's wisdom, so she did not speculate too much about Cheng Chi's intentions. She just had to answer Cheng Chi's questions honestly.
She said obediently: "The Governor of Guangdong."
Cheng Chi was stunned.
After a long while, he asked again: "What official position does your brother-in-law hold?"
Zhou Shaojin opened his mouth, but felt like a fish thrown ashore, unable to breathe.
Her brother-in-law Liao Shaotang was the Junior Secretary of the Zhanshi Palace before her rebirth, a fourth-rank official, and also served as a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy.
Thirty-two years old!
Liao Shaotang was a Jinshi in the Xinchou year of the 24th year of Zhide.
Then he passed the examination and became a scholar-official, and observed government affairs in the Ministry of Personnel for three years.
After the academy was closed, he stayed in the Ministry of Personnel and worked as a secretary.
In other words, it only took him four years to rise from a seventh-rank official to a fourth-rank official.
"No, no, no!" Zhou Shaojin murmured, grabbing Cheng Chi's hand. Her hand was so strong that Cheng Chi wondered if she had used all her strength. "This is not true, it's not true! My brother-in-law is a very good person. He can't do such a thing..."
The Liao family has long been in decline. Without the support of the Cheng family, even if my brother-in-law is a genius, it would be impossible for him to achieve what others cannot accomplish in their entire lives in just a few years.
How come she never noticed it before!
※
Today's update, sisters.
O(∩_∩)O~
※(To be continued)