The dog and the bird separated, and Fucui Pavilion finally became quiet.
Zhou Shaojin breathed a sigh of relief. Fearing that the noise would disturb Old Madam Guo, he personally refilled her cup of tea and invited her to have dinner.
Madam Guo really liked the hospitality of Fucui Pavilion and said with a smile, "Your uncle Chi is back. I was planning to welcome him. We can have dinner in the upper room."
These days, except for breakfast, Zhou Shaojin had been eating lunch and dinner with Old Madam Guo in the upper room. Hearing this, her face turned slightly red, and she felt that she had just forgotten about Uncle Chi after accepting his gift.
Mrs. Guo looked at her and guessed a little bit. She smiled and said, "You and your uncle Chi are of different generations, so there are some things you can't expect."
Zhou Shaojin's face turned even redder this time.
The old lady and Uncle Chi have always treated her kindly, but she indulged herself and did not respect Uncle Chi as an elder. She must change this bad habit.
Mrs. Guo laughed and asked about Zhou Shaojin's visit to the Li Pavilion.
Zhou Shaojin then remembered Cheng Yi's comments about the fifth master Cheng Wen keeping a mistress. He exclaimed "Oh!" and hurriedly told Mrs. Guo about the matter.
Madam Guo’s expression became serious.
Since Cheng Yi is in a good mood, what good things can he say about Jiying
At that time, Mrs. Guo did not ask about the specific situation.
She previously thought that Cheng Wen's mistress would affect the fifth room and Cheng Nuo, but now it seems that the impact of this matter is far more serious than she imagined.
Madam Guo thought for a moment and said, "Have you told your uncle Chi about this?"
Zhou Shaojin's face felt hot.
She had forgotten about this matter by the time she met Uncle Chi.
"No." She murmured to make excuses for herself, "Uncle Chi was busy at the time..."
Mrs. Guo knew that her youngest son would ignore his relatives when he was busy, and she thought that Zhou Shaojin had hit a wall with him and was embarrassed. She comforted Zhou Shaojin and said, "It's okay, it's okay. Your uncle Chi has that kind of temper. If you have any problems in the future, just tell me. Like this time, he did a great job. This kind of thing may seem trivial to others, but a thousand-mile dam is often breached by an ant hole." As she said this, Mrs. Guo took Zhou Shaojin's hand lovingly and patted it, praising him, "You can see the root of the problem, very good, very good!"
Zhou Shaojin was so embarrassed by hearing her say "very good" twice that he had to quietly invite Mrs. Guo to have tea.
Mrs. Guo smiled and took a sip of the teacup, then sighed, "I'm afraid your uncle Chi already knew about this. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let Jiashan live in Zaoyuan... Later, I thought your uncle Chi was a little harsh on Jiashan, but now it seems that he is absolutely right. These men with the word 'Yan' next to them in the Cheng family need to be disciplined."
Zhou Shaojin was stunned.
Uncle Chi asked Cheng Xu to live in Zaoyuan. Was it really the reason Madam Guo said
The thought flashed through her mind, and she was in a mess. She had no recollection of what Mrs. Guo said afterwards, or how she answered. It was not until Mrs. Guo sent a maid to tell Cheng Chi not to go out at night and to stay home for dinner that she came to her senses.
The little maid came back and said, "The fourth master said that since the second cousin has left the old lady in Fucui Pavilion, then dinner should be served in Fucui Pavilion. He just happened to come over to take a look."
Cheng Chi has not been here since Zhou Shaojin moved to Fucui Pavilion.
Since he was the one who stayed in the eldest house, given his personality, he would definitely come and take a look.
Mrs. Guo smiled and nodded, then gave the order.
The Spring Festival Gala crew immediately got busy.
By the time Cheng Chi arrived, the doors of the hall of Fucui Pavilion were wide open, and there were camellias as tall as a person placed in the corner. The table was set up and chopsticks were placed on it, as if the place was carefully decorated and waiting for people to come and have dinner.
Cheng Chi felt somewhat satisfied when he saw this.
After washing his hands and having dinner, he felt even more satisfied.
Although they are all light Hangzhou dishes, the chef cooks them with great care and they taste great.
Cheng Chi rewarded the person in the kitchen.
Mrs. Guo was very happy to see this, and said to Zhou Shaojin with a smile: "Your uncle Chi hasn't been in such a good mood for many years. It can be seen that your uncle Chi's trip went smoothly this time."
Zhou Shaojin was still thinking about the reason why Cheng Xu went to Zaoyuan to study, so he just forced a smile when he heard this.
Mrs. Guo couldn't see it, but Cheng Chi could see it clearly.
What's wrong with this little girl
I was so excited when I went to Tingli Pavilion to find him, but how come I felt uncomfortable in the blink of an eye
Did her mother say something to her
Cheng Chi stood up calmly, walked to the veranda, and said, "These peonies are well taken care of. I gave this bird to the right person!"
Zhou Shaojin hurriedly followed him and said, "Uncle Chi, do you like it? I have a few more in the flower room. I'll ask the maid to send them to your room later, okay?"
"No need." Cheng Chi smiled and said, "I'm always running around and I'm not at home often. Even the best flowers will wither quickly if they're not visited by people."
That's true.
Otherwise why do they say that only people with free time grow flowers.
Flowers lose their spirit without people.
So you need someone to accompany you all the time.
But this was the first time that Cheng Chi took a fancy to Zhou Shaojin's things, and Zhou Shaojin felt that Cheng Chi had to get them no matter what.
She smiled and said, "Why don't you leave the flowers with you when you are here, and move them to my place when you are away, and I will take care of them for you."
Cheng Chi disagreed.
Mrs. Guo, who heard their conversation, thought it was a good idea and left the hall as well. She said to Cheng Chi, "You really need to plant some flowers there. With flowers in this room, it looks different and more lively."
Cheng Chi didn't say anything.
Mrs. Guo seemed to remember something and the smile on her face gradually faded.
For a moment the atmosphere became a little cold.
Zhou Shaojin didn't know why, but she didn't want to see Cheng Chi feel bad, nor did she want Madam Guo to feel bad, so she pretended that she didn't feel anything and said with a grin, "Uncle Chi definitely doesn't like peonies. I also have a few orchid trees, which are usually green and have small yellow flowers dotted among the green leaves, which are very beautiful. I'll have someone move them over to you later."
Mrs. Guo suddenly felt fortunate that she had agreed to let Zhou Shaojin live in Hanbi Mountain Villa.
Although this girl was not as smart as the others, she was gentle, considerate and sincere to others. With her meddling in the middle without knowing anything, the tension between mother and son was not as great as before.
She encouraged Zhou Shaojin with a smile: "Then ask someone to bring a few orchids to your uncle Chi later." She added, "The orchid you gave me last time was very good."
Zhou Shaojin replied “yes” with a smile.
Cheng Chi looked at him and felt angry.
This silly girl knows nothing. She just agrees with whatever her mother says and follows the crowd. One day she will be deceived and sold out.
He was too lazy to say more to them. He looked around the yard and saw that everything was arranged as he had said, so he turned around and went back to the hall.
Zhou Shaojin invited him to the banquet room for tea.
Cheng Chi took the opportunity to look at the study and the small Buddhist hall.
Seeing that the incense table in the small Buddhist hall was still empty, he said casually, "I remember you were offering sacrifices to Guanyin, why don't you offer sacrifices anymore?"
Did she say that
However, all those who went to Mount Putuo to burn incense were worshipping Guanyin, and she was the only one who had gone to Mount Putuo to burn incense.
Zhou Shaojin did not suspect anything and smiled, "Originally my sister and I offered it together. Later, when my sister got married, I asked her to take it to Zhenjiang."
Cheng Chi said "hmm" softly, his expression seemed to become a little softer, and said: "It just so happens that I have a statue of Guanyin. I originally planned to give it to someone when I left Beijing this time, but I didn't use it. I will have someone bring it over later. I asked the abbot of Ganquan Temple to consecrate it."
Zhou Shaojin was overjoyed.
These days, she can only go to the Buddhist temple to burn incense to the Buddha after having breakfast in the morning. She feels that it lacks some sincerity and she is not used to it.
"Thank you, Uncle Chi!" She smiled as brightly as a flower, making Cheng Chi's eyes sparkle.
While Cheng Chi ordered Qingfeng to bring the Guanyin statue, he thought to himself: Fortunately, Cheng Jiashan was arranged to Zaoyuan. If he had to face Zhou Shaojin every day, he would have even less mind to study.
Thinking of this, he called Zhou Shaojin over early the next morning and asked her, "Did Cheng Jiashan study in Duojia Pavilion or in the Cheng family's other courtyard in his previous life? Did he ask any teacher for advice before the exam? Or did he visit any old acquaintances or elders in the family?"
Zhou Shaojin knew nothing about this.
Now that Uncle Shichi has arranged for Cheng Xu to study in Zaoyuan, will the situation change
What if Cheng Xu didn’t get the title of Jieyuan, would his marriage with the Min family fall through
If Cheng Xuruo's marriage with the Min family falls through, will she keep pestering me
Zhou Shaojin's hair immediately stood up, and he said nervously: "How about you let Cheng Xu come back to Duojia Pavilion to study? It seems that he has always lived in Duojia Pavilion in his previous life."
Cheng Chi glanced at her with contempt and said, "I have to go out in a few days, so I moved him to Zaoyuan. But you, for his fame, actually want me to bring him back!"
Zhou Shaojin was immediately overjoyed and asked, "So you didn't want Cheng Xu to come back, so you sent him to Zaoyuan to study?"
Cheng Chi looked at Zhou Shaojin with curved eyebrows and asked in confusion: "Then what do you think it is?"
"I didn't think it was anything, I didn't think it was anything," Zhou Shaojin waved his hands anxiously, smiling even sweeter.
Cheng Chi glanced at her sideways.
Zhou Shaojin couldn't help but wail in his heart.
Uncle Chi is good in every way except that he cannot tolerate any injustice and likes to get to the bottom of things.
Fortunately, she has experienced a lot these days and is no longer slow to do things like before.
"Aren't I just worried that his marriage with the Min family will not go through?" Zhou Shaojin felt that he was quite quick-witted at the critical moment.
Cheng Chi said: "The Min family wants a son-in-law who is a juren. As long as he can pass the exam, the Min family will agree to the marriage. What are you worrying about?"
Zhou Shaojin was overjoyed.
Seeing Huaishan and Qin Ziping coming through the open window, she ran away: "Uncle Chi, you still have something to do, I will come to see you later!"
Cheng Chi just shook his head.
When will this little girl grow up? When will she be able to be more stable and prudent
He looked at Huaishan and Qin Ziping who were getting closer and closer, and he calmed his mind and emotions, and his expression became cold and serious.
※
Sisters and brothers, yesterday's update... Slipped away in shame...
I was so sleepy that I wanted to take a nap and write this. When the alarm rang, I stayed in bed for a while, and when I opened my eyes, it was already four o'clock... The update is a bit late...
※(To be continued)