Uncle Chi said, nothing will change!
It was for her that he let Cheng Xu live in Zaoyuan!
Zhou Shaojin felt like there was a little bird in his heart, and his steps became lighter.
The branches extending from the side of the corridor brushed against the hem of her skirt, and she woke up as if she were startled.
Why did she run
Huaishan and Qin Ziping have something to ask him, so she can just go and play with Jiying!
Jiying is back now, and she also wants to hear if Jiying encountered any interesting things after going out...
Zhou Shaojin was very annoyed and couldn't help but stop. He angrily broke the horizontal branch in his hand and pulled up its leaves.
"Shaojin, Shaojin." Someone called her name quietly.
Zhou Shaojin looked around and after a while he found Cheng Ji's shadow behind a row of holly trees.
"What are you doing squatting here?" Zhou Shaojin opened his eyes wide in surprise.
Cheng Ji said shyly, "Isn't this at Hanbi Mountain House? I'm afraid I'll run into Madam Guo!"
"Not really!" Zhou Shaojin took a long time to react and said, "Mrs. Guo is a very nice person." She went to pull Cheng Ji, "Hurry up and stand up! What do you look like? You are the eldest daughter of the third room!"
Cheng Ji smiled awkwardly and stood up as Zhou Shaojin pulled her.
Zhou Shaojin asked, "Why are you here?" She looked around and asked, "Are you alone?"
"Ouch!" Cheng Ji said with a bit of displeasure between his eyebrows, "Don't ask! I just came to your place to hide."
Zhou Shaojin thought for a moment and guessed, "Did you have a fight with Aunt Lu?"
Cheng Ji said awkwardly, "It's not really a quarrel, is it? We just started arguing again - isn't the Dragon Boat Festival coming soon? Cousin Jing sent someone to deliver gifts to our family, and mother said he was 'a weasel paying New Year's greetings to a chicken, with ulterior motives'. I casually said 'how can you say you are a chicken', and mother was furious, and wanted to hit me with a feather duster. Fortunately, I ran away in time, otherwise I would have been caught and forced to kneel in the ancestral hall." After saying that, she complained again, "Cousin Jing is really something, he never came to deliver New Year's gifts in previous years, but this year he rushed to deliver them, and my mother must have disliked him! He also told me to trust him, how can I trust him!"
Zhou Shaojin heard her complain more than resentment, and knew that she just wanted to talk to someone, so he did not respond. He took her to Fucui Pavilion, and asked Bitao to help Cheng Ji wash up and accompany her to pay respects to Old Madam Guo.
The young girl and the elderly are not only different in age, but also in interests and hobbies.
Zhou Shaojin has been a good friend of Cheng Ji since childhood, and Mrs. Guo is happy to see her continue to interact with Cheng Ji.
The old man smiled and gave Cheng Ji a pair of gold bracelets, and asked her to "come over and play when you have nothing to do."
Cheng Ji was flattered. As soon as he came out of the upper room, he took Zhou Shaojin's arm and said, "You are so lucky to be liked by Madam Guo. My legs tremble when I see her. You have to treat us."
Although the words were a little confusing, Zhou Shaojin understood.
When my sister got married, my brother-in-law gave her a big red envelope.
She has money now.
"What do you want to eat?" Zhou Shaojin said generously, "The kitchen doesn't have it, I sent someone to buy it."
"I want to eat barbecue." Cheng Ji was very happy and said bluntly, "Just like the people outside the Great Wall, grilling meat over charcoal."
Then someone really has to go out and buy it.
Zhou Shaojin gave the order.
Fan Qi ran across half of the city, and they had barbecue for lunch.
Cheng Jia was very happy with the meal.
Cheng Chi was a little surprised when he saw Zhou Shaojin missing from the dining table. He asked, "Is Shaojin eating in his room today? Is he feeling unwell?"
Mrs. Guo smiled as Biyu helped her sit down at the table. She said, "The maid from the third room is here. She said she wanted to eat some barbecue. Shaojin sent someone to buy it. I'm afraid she's enjoying it now!"
"Why eat barbecue in this weather?" Cheng Chi said disapprovingly, "Be careful not to get angry!"
"It was probably Jia's idea." Old Madam Guo said with a smile, "Shao Jin has always been obedient. Sometimes when she wants to have a bowl of Tremella and Lotus Seed Soup at night, she is too embarrassed to bother the kitchen maid. How could she ask for something that needs to be bought outside?" She added, "They are of the same age, and neither of them has many brothers and sisters. It's good for them to play together. Even if she gets married in the future, she will have someone to interact with."
Cheng Chi said nothing, had lunch in the upper room and then went back.
Cheng Ji and Zhou Shaojin hid in bed and talked about their inner thoughts: "I don't know what my mother is thinking. She is like a firecracker, which can be ignited at any time. I don't know how to talk to her! You are still the best. Your stepmother is far away in Baoding Prefecture, and she can't control you. Mrs. Guan likes you so much. Because Gao Congxiong got married and needed to renovate the house, she was afraid that she couldn't take care of you for a while, so she specially entrusted you to Mrs. Guo. Mrs. Guo treated you well, and for your sake, she also rewarded me with a pair of gold bracelets..."
Zhou Shaojin, however, listened absent-mindedly.
Cheng Ji ran out like this, so she naturally couldn't let Aunt Lu worry. Before lunch, she sent someone to tell Aunt Lu. She didn't know if Aunt Lu would come to pick up Cheng Ji in the afternoon.
If Cheng Jia returned to the third room in the afternoon, would she go to Tingli Pavilion to play with Jiying? Or would she stay at home to embroider the image of Guanyin
The weather is so nice and Tingli Pavilion is very shady. It is definitely more interesting to lie on the Luohan bed in Jiying's room and listen to Jiying talk about what's happening outside than to embroider Guanyin at home.
Thinking of this, she felt a little restless in her heart, so she interrupted Cheng Ji who was still nagging and said, "Your mother must be worried about your marriage, so don't bother with her about it. Just listen to what she says meekly. The more you talk, the more annoyed she will be."
Cheng Ji said: "You don't know, she can find faults even if I don't say anything..."
Zhou Shaojin didn't wait for her to finish and said, "Then you should just stay away from her."
Cheng Ji sat up and said, "How can I avoid her? Apart from visiting my parents every morning and evening, she comes to see what I am doing every day when she has nothing to do, as if I was the one who instigated my cousin to send gifts home."
It’s a confusing account anyway!
Zhou Shaojin closed his eyes and said vaguely: "I'm very sleepy now. I'll help you think about it when I wake up."
Cheng Ji pushed her unwillingly.
She pretended to be asleep.
Cheng Ji sighed and had to lie down again.
Zhou Shaojin actually fell asleep.
I just heard a commotion outside in a daze.
Before Zhou Shaojin fully woke up, Cheng Ji asked, "What happened?" It was as if he had not fallen asleep yet.
Chun Wan ran in with a big smile on her face and said happily: "Second Miss, Miss Jia, Master Xu is back!"
Cheng Xu?!
Zhou Shaojin was so shocked that he woke up from his sleep and sat up suddenly, asking, "Where is Master Xu? Has he entered the mansion?"
Chun Wan smiled and nodded, saying, "Not only has he entered the mansion, he has already reached the old lady's upper room. He said he wanted to give the old lady a surprise, so he stopped the steward from telling the old lady and the fourth master in advance... Now he is talking to the old lady in the upper room!"
Cheng Ji put on her shoes and asked Chun Wan to call the maid to come in and comb her hair, saying, "I'm going to go see Brother Xu."
Zhou Shaojin frowned and asked Chunwan, "Where's Uncle Chi?"
Chun Wan hurriedly called the maid to come in and help them wash and dress, and said, "The fourth master is in Tingli Pavilion. He heard that Master Xu has returned, so he asked Master Huaishan to come over and tell him to greet the old lady and then go to the study. He must have something to say to Master Xu!"
When Cheng Jing was not around, Cheng Chi was Cheng Xu's closest male elder. When he came back, in addition to paying his respects to Cheng Chi, he also had to listen to Cheng Chi's lecture.
I hope Uncle Chi will teach Cheng Xu a lesson!
Zhou Shaojin complained in his heart, and said to Cheng Ji, who was eager to go to the upper courtyard to see Cheng Xu, "You go to the upper room by yourself! The old lady hasn't seen cousin Xu for such a long time, she must have a lot to say to him, I won't go. It won't be too late to go and see cousin Xu when the old lady welcomes him tonight."
When the time comes, she can just find an excuse not to attend the banquet.
She believed that Uncle Chi would definitely find a way to prevent her and Cheng Xu from meeting each other.
Hearing Zhou Shaojin say this, Cheng Ji suddenly felt that he was being a little rash, and said in frustration: "Forget it! I won't go either. He brought me a lot of plum wine when he went to Hangzhou Prefecture last time."
Zhou Shaojin asked, "You didn't come here to see what Cousin Xu brought you, did you?"
Cheng Ji chuckled.
A maid came in and reported, "Second cousin, Cuihuan is here."
Zhou Shaojin glanced at Cheng Ji.
Cheng Ji sighed helplessly and asked someone to bring Cuihuan in.
Cuihuan bowed to the two of them and said, "My dear second cousin, Miss, Master Shi and Master Xu are back. Madam told you to go back quickly. The old ancestor of the second house will hold a family dinner in Tingyu Pavilion to welcome Master Shi and Master Xu."
Cheng Ji wailed, "I'm most afraid of this kind of family dinner. My elder brother and the others are outside listening to the old ancestor's lecture, and we're just waiting here for the food to get cold."
Zhou Shaojin was shocked.
Wouldn't you call her over at that time
After seeing Cheng Ji off, Zhou Shaojin asked Chun Wan to go to Tingli Pavilion: "Ask Uncle Chi about the family banquet at Tingyu Pavilion!"
Before Chun Wan could agree, Xiao Tan ran in and said, "Second cousin, the fourth master said that there will be a family dinner at Tingyuxuan tonight. The old lady is old and can't go there. He asked you to stay at home and accompany the old lady for dinner while he and Master Xu go to Tingyuxuan."
"Okay!" Zhou Shaojin smiled so much that his eyebrows were curved.
She knew that Uncle Chi would not let her get into an awkward situation.
Madam Guo said to Cheng Chi hesitantly, "Is this okay? How about letting Shao Jin go with us?"
Cheng Chi sneered and said, "Is that kind of banquet interesting?"
Madam Guo looked at Cheng Chi with a look of fighting spirit, and said, "Since you said so, I will stay. If that person asks, just tell him that I don't want to attend the family dinner - don't make any excuses, just say so."
Cheng Chi laughed, the ice and snow on his face melted away, and his voice was surprisingly gentle: "Mom, you have to believe in your son."
Mrs. Guo smiled with relief and nodded.
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Sisters, extra updates for the weekend.
Everyone should wake up in the morning to see tomorrow’s update!
O(∩_∩)O~
※(To be continued)