The little girl is so sensitive!
The last time he went to the capital, he asked Yuan Bieyun for help in arranging the little girl's marriage. Yuan Bieyun laughed at him for being busy with trivial and boring things all day long, saying that he "does not commit crimes, does not bully the weak, and does not go to court. He does not act like a scholar or a yamen official. What's the point of passing the imperial examination and becoming a Jinshi?"
Cheng Chi thought he didn't take it to heart, but it turned out that he had always remembered it and even said it out in a joking way!
He shook his head gently and smiled nonchalantly: "Even if someone said something about me, they were talking about me behind my back. How would I know?"
That’s right!
Zhou Shaojin blushed and said, "What I heard about Uncle Chi was all praise. Don't worry, Uncle Chi."
The little girl actually knew how to comfort him!
Cheng Chi laughed, his voice softened unconsciously, and said, "I will tell Magistrate Wu about this. Even if he makes trouble again, he can't change the outcome."
Zhou Shaojin said: "What if he starts shouting everywhere..."
Cheng Chi interrupted her and said with a smile, "His father died early, and he grew up in Jiuru Lane. The Cheng family school did not charge him tuition, and supported him all the way to becoming a scholar. If he gets desperate and shouts out, is he right or is our Cheng family right? If that happens, I just need to keep silent, and people will have all kinds of speculations. A scholar who has been deprived of his fame and a Jinshi who has been listed in the imperial examinations, who do you think people will believe more? This is one of the reasons why Magistrate Wu and Instructor Lin dared to promise me.
"Since he has received the Cheng family's favor, he must pay the price!"
It’s just that Cheng Lu probably didn’t expect that he would pay such a high price!
Zhou Shaojin's heart felt as if the dark clouds had dissipated, and suddenly became bright.
She nodded with a smile and couldn't help but said, "Uncle Chi, you are so awesome! I was always worried that Cheng Lu would use despicable means to plot against you."
The delicate eyebrows and eyes are like blooming spring flowers, bright and radiant.
Cheng Chi couldn't help but smile even more as he looked at this.
Could it be that this is the reason why the little girl hesitated and never came to see him
He said gently, "Don't think about it alone in the future. Come to Uncle Chi if you have any problems. Got it?"
Zhou Shaojin agreed obediently and asked Cheng Chi about what happened along the way.
Cheng Chi often went to Huai'an, and this time he was in a hurry, and there was nothing special, so he picked up the customs and culture of Huai'an and told Zhou Shaojin about it.
Zhou Shaojin listened with great interest, staring at her with his clear, bright eyes without blinking, like a curious little animal.
Cheng Chi suddenly felt unwell.
It’s just like when the elders see the younger generations during the Chinese New Year but don’t give them any New Year’s money.
His eyes swept over the place where he placed the gifts in Duobao Pavilion, and then passed over the abacus he had just used to calculate the account.
Cheng Chi was cheered up.
How could I forget this thing
As he was talking to Zhou Shaojin, he took out a small golden abacus from the drawer and handed it to Zhou Shaojin, saying with a smile, "I was in a hurry when I came back, and I didn't have time to buy you anything. I was going to give this golden abacus to someone else, but later I found something better, so I just put it in the drawer of my desk. You can take it and play with it!"
The golden abacus was the size of a palm and was made very delicately. Each bead could be moved and was solid, just like a real abacus. There was also a big red tassel about an inch long tied on one corner, which was very beautiful.
Zhou Shaojin liked it as soon as he saw it.
Seeing that Cheng Chi just casually took it out from the drawer, knowing that it was not a particularly precious gift to Cheng Chi, he couldn't help but smile and said, "Uncle Chi actually had such a good thing hidden in his room, why didn't he take it out earlier. If I had known this, I wouldn't have to buy a box of noodles for cousin Jia, and I would have sent this instead."
Cheng Chi was in a good mood when he saw that she accepted it generously. He smiled and asked, "Did you spend a lot of money?"
Zhou Shaojin tried to make fun of him and pouted, "It cost me fifty taels of silver in total."
Cheng Chi sneered and said, "Lack of money?"
"Who doesn't need money?" Zhou Shaojin complained to Cheng Chi, half-seriously, "If I have a silver headpiece, I want a gold one. If I have a gold one, I want one inlaid with precious stones... The maid who sweeps the yard needs money, and I need money too!"
Cheng Chi laughed out loud.
Zhou Shaojin wrinkled his nose.
Ever since she rewarded Fan Qi, she felt that she had never recovered and she was really short of money.
But there is no need to tell Uncle Chi about this, lest he misunderstand that I am crying poor to him.
Whether it is Zhou Zhen or Zhou Shaojin's stepmother Li, they will definitely not withhold money from Zhou Shaojin.
But considering Zhou Zhen’s wealth, it would be impossible for Zhou Shaojin to spend lavishly.
In Cheng Chi's eyes, as long as it's about money, it's not a big deal.
He thought for a moment, then turned around and took out a palm-sized indigo purse from the Duobao Pavilion, and handed it to Zhou Shaojin, saying with a smile, "Hold it tight, don't drop it."
"What is this?" Zhou Shaojin reached out to take it.
Cheng Chi raised his eyebrows.
Zhou Shaojin held it up with both hands, and Cheng Chi then put the purse in her hands.
It was heavy, and despite being mentally prepared, Zhou Shaojin still stumbled and almost dropped the purse.
"What are these?" Zhou Shaojin put the small purse on the coffee table, opened it and saw that it was full of golden beans.
No, it is not correct to say golden beans.
It should be said that it was a bag full of golden kidney beans.
It is the same size and looks like real kidney beans. It feels heavy in the hand and is actually solid.
Zhou Shaojin looked at Cheng Chi blankly.
Cheng Chi smiled and said, "I used it to reward people during the Chinese New Year. I didn't use it up, so I give it to you."
Zhou Shaojin was startled.
A bag full of golden beans is worth at least several thousand taels of silver.
She refused, but didn't want to appear petty, so she said, "Just give me two. If I keep so many in the house, I'll have to keep out thieves!"
Cheng Chi said that he wanted to compensate her for not getting a gift rather than giving her the golden kidney beans. He smiled and said, "Wouldn't it be a threat to thieves if you put it here? Just keep it! When you don't have money, you can ask Ma Fushan's family to exchange it for silver or copper coins. A gift from an elder should not be refused!"
Zhou Shaojin likes this bag of golden beans very much.
Even the stalk at the waist is modeled, it is very realistic.
When seen individually, they look exquisite, but when put together, they are golden and dazzling.
It was the first time she knew that gold could be used in this way... Thinking of the things that Madam Guo gave her... Zhou Shaojin calmed down and said with a smile: "Okay, I'll accept it." Then he said, "Thank you, Uncle Chi!"
At worst, I can do what Cheng Ji did and prepare something of equal value for Uncle Chi when he gets married.
Zhou Shaojin felt a little depressed, but he quickly put all this behind him.
Thinking that this thing was given by Cheng Chi and it was small, he couldn't let anyone take it away casually, so he asked, "How many are there?"
"I don't know!" Cheng Chi laughed, "I just grabbed it at random. How about you count it?"
I have nothing to do anyway.
More importantly, I can continue to stay here.
Zhou Shaojin gladly agreed, ran to the bed next to him, poured out all the golden beans in his pouch, and placed them on the coffee table one by one.
Cheng Chi was in a good mood seeing her having fun playing with it like she was playing with a toy.
He remembered the two shops he bought when he went to the capital last time.
The shop, which has been in business for more than 20 years, specializes in rouge and powder. Thanks to the former Minister of Personnel and Wenyuan Pavilion Grand Secretary Shen Minzhi, the business was very prosperous. After Shen Minzhi retired, the expenses increased in the past two years, and the owner simply stopped while the going was good and asked the agent to take over the shop.
Yuan Bieyun had a mistress who was an actress. She borrowed money from him and wanted to secretly buy two shops to cover the mistress' expenses. However, after he bought the shops, the mistress found out that Yuan Bieyun's wife was still alive and well, so she broke up with him and returned to her hometown in Shandong to resume her old business. Yuan Bieyun was so angry that he ran to Shandong to find the mistress and gave up the shops.
Cheng Chi has always felt that collecting rent from shops comes too slowly, and he doesn't like to keep a lot of shops in his hands. Plus, he's not good at things like rouge and powder, so he plans to sell it off or give it to someone... so he might as well give it to the little girl.
The shopkeepers and clerks in the shop were all ready-made, so finding a way to make some money for her was also a way for her to pass the time.
After Cheng Chi made up his mind, he thought about the size of the shop, its customer base, and its merchandise.
He took out a piece of paper and listed the areas where he thought there were problems, thinking about how to improve them.
Zhou Shaojin placed the golden beans one by one on the coffee table. Seeing that Cheng Chi was busy, he put the golden beans into his purse one by one, and secretly glanced at Cheng Chi from time to time.
Cheng Chi was so focused that he didn't notice anything strange about Zhou Shaojin.
Zhou Shaojin smiled quietly.
I think Cheng Chi is really nice when he is serious.
Eyebrows are as black as ink, straight and elegant, eyes are as clear as water, warm and calm...
She took the golden beans out of her purse one by one and placed them on the coffee table.
When Nanny Shang came in to serve tea, she saw Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Chi, one sitting on the Luohan bed playing with golden beans and the other sitting behind a large desk writing furiously. One was gentle yet lively, the other was dignified and reserved, but the atmosphere was surprisingly harmonious and warm.
She thought for a moment, then tiptoed back.
When it was time to go to bed at night, Zhou Shaojin poured out the golden beans and played with them for a while before putting them in his purse and placing them under his pillow.
Chun Wan couldn't help laughing and said, "Second Miss, it's a bag of gold beans after all, so you should keep it in the box, right? This one is worth more than ten taels of silver. You never locked the cabinet or anything, and there are people coming and going here. What would happen if one was lost?"
Zhou Shaojin just wanted to keep it and play with it for a few days, so he said, "After a few days, when my excitement has worn off, I'll put it away for you."
I am so worried about the Spring Festival Gala.
Mrs. Fan Liu and several maids also knew that there was a bag of gold beans next to Zhou Shaojin's pillow, so they didn't dare to enter her room at will. Even if they had to go in for something, they would go in pairs. They all hoped that she would quickly put the gold beans into the box.
Mrs. Li from the third house came personally to deliver a letter to Mrs. Guo, saying that Li Jing was no longer a child, and because Li Jing had not married, the Li Mansion in Luoyang had been managed by Li Jing's second aunt for many years, and it was a mess without any rules. So they were looking forward to Cheng Ji's arrival so that she could take over the affairs of the inner courtyard, so they set Cheng Ji's wedding date on October 6th.
This is very urgent.
Fortunately, the third branch was rich and generous in buying the dowry, and Mrs. Li Laoan also subsidized her privately. Although it was not as grand as the marriage of the eldest daughter of the Liu family into the Duke of Liang's mansion, it was still a grand occasion with a ten-mile long wedding.
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Sisters and brothers, today’s extra update.
Updated around midnight.
O(∩_∩)O~
※(To be continued)