At noon the next day, Zhou Chujin sent Zhou Shaojin to deliver a letter to Cheng Chi.
Zhou Shaojin held the letter in his hand without moving, his eyes rolling around, and said, "If you tell me what Uncle Chi said to you yesterday, I will go and deliver the letter to Uncle Chi."
She has been pestering her sister to ask about it since Cheng Chi left yesterday, but her sister remained unmoved and kept her mouth shut.
"You're still bargaining with me!" Zhou Chujin smiled and twisted Zhou Shaojin's nose, saying, "You don't want to go, right? Then I'll let Chixiang go! It's just delivering a letter anyway. If you go, it will only show our respect for Uncle Chi..."
How could Zhou Shaojin give up the opportunity to meet Cheng Chi and talk to him!
She turned her head away, avoiding Zhou Chujin's hand, and pouted and muttered, "Go if you want! How could my sister do this! If you break my nose, I will cry for you!"
"I've only heard of noses being broken by collisions, but I've never heard of anyone's nose being twisted." Zhou Chujin couldn't help laughing, and said, "Who told you to be so talkative when delivering a letter?"
Zhou Shaojin just wanted to know.
She vaguely felt that this matter was related to her.
Otherwise, Uncle Chi wouldn’t have gone to see my sister.
She hugged Zhou Chujin's arm in a naive manner and kept calling her "Sister".
Zhou Chujin saw that the heat was almost on point, and fearing that if he continued to be reserved, things would backfire, he pretended to be helpless and said, "It's about Cheng Lu. Your uncle Chi wouldn't let me tell you. You can go ask him yourself."
Zhou Shaojin's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he said, "So it was Uncle Chi who was responsible for Cheng Lu's incident?"
Zhou Chujin smiled and nodded, saying meaningfully: "Your Uncle Chi is doing this for your own good. You should be more obedient in front of Uncle Chi in the future!"
Zhou Shaojin nodded with a smile, and said excitedly: "I have been very obedient, how else do you want me to be obedient, sister? Don't you fight back when you are beaten, and don't you talk back when you are scolded?"
Zhou Chujin knew from Zhou Shaojin's expression that Cheng Chi must be very doting on her, so she was not afraid at all of this uncle who was in charge of the miscellaneous affairs of Jiuru Lane.
"That's fine!" She smiled and joked with her sister, "When Uncle Chi hits you and scolds you, you have to hold it in, and don't come back crying."
"Are you my sister?" Zhou Shaojin pushed his sister with an angry look, then ran out of the inner room giggling.
When Li came in with the crucian carp soup, all she heard was Zhou Shaojin's cheerful laughter that spilled all over the floor.
She couldn't help but laugh too, and asked, "What happened? Why is the Second Miss so happy?"
Zhou Chujin couldn't hide her joy, she smiled and said, "It's okay, I told her a few jokes!"
Now is not the time to talk about Zhou Shaojin. When my sister comes back later, we will know what happened.
She took the bowl from Li and said with a smile, "You've been working hard these days. My month-old birthday will come in a couple of days, and I can do some things by myself, so you can take a break!"
Thinking that his sister was going to marry into a good family, Zhou Chujin's expression became much gentler.
Li was flattered and said "I dare not" repeatedly.
Zhou Shaojin returned to the house and changed into a moon-white Hangzhou silk jacket with dark square patterns and a rose-red Xiang skirt with jade hairpin flower patterns. She tied her jet-black hair into a bun with a comb inlaid with South pearls, which made her face look even whiter and more beautiful. She wrapped the 108-bead agarwood Buddhist beads around her hands, looked in the mirror, and then walked out of the back room with a smile on her face and got into the sedan chair.
This time, Cheng Chi was waiting for her in the banquet room, but just as she handed the letter to Cheng Chi, Old Master Song came over.
Zhou Shaojin pouted.
Cheng Chi smiled bitterly and said, "Old Master Song came to me for something serious. The emperor summoned his ministers to discuss the Yellow River flood control these days. Old Master came to me and asked me to help him write a flood control charter. I thought it was for Elder Song, but who knew that Elder Song wrote my name on the memorial when it was sent to the palace. My eldest brother was there at the time. You can imagine the scene. My eldest brother called me over yesterday and gave me a good scolding. Early in the morning, someone from Shuangyu Hutong brought a letter asking me to come over... I was just about to discuss this matter with Old Master Song."
When Zhou Shaojin heard this, he was no longer able to be angry, and hurriedly said, "Then please invite Old Master Song in quickly?" He then asked him with concern, "Will the Second Old Master punish you?"
"I don't know." Cheng Chi said, "My elder brother was only busy scolding me yesterday, and I was only busy being angry. I didn't even ask what the ministers said to Zhaodu. I can only wait and see if Old Master Song knows. Anyway, this matter is very troublesome!"
Zhou Shaojin looked at him with a smile, like a kitten that had stolen fish.
Cheng Chi's heart skipped a beat and he asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's okay, it's okay." Zhou Shaojin said, still unable to help but speak out what was in his heart, "It would be great if the emperor allowed you to be an official because of this! Then even the ancestor of the second house wouldn't be able to stop you."
So this is what the little girl thought!
Cheng Chi smiled and said, "You just like me being an official so much!"
"Of course!" Zhou Shaojin was happy for Cheng Chi's fate, his eyes full of smiles, and said, "After you become an official, the second house's ancestors won't be able to control you anymore, you can do whatever you want!"
Cheng Chi was stunned.
Qingfeng ran in and said, "Old Master Song and Young Master Song are here!"
Zhou Shaojin wanted to avoid it after hearing this.
But to the east is Cheng Chi's inner room, and to the west is the hall, where Old Master Song and Young Master Song will come in... Could she hide in Uncle Chi's inner room? It would be better not to avoid it!
Thinking of this, Zhou Shaojin glared at Cheng Chi with a look that said, "You'd better find a solution for me."
Seeing her pampered face, Cheng Chi couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth and said softly: "It's okay. You also know Old Master Song. When you came to see me last time, Old Master Song heard that it was you and asked me if I had grown taller. He wanted to meet you..."
Before he could finish his words, Old Master Song and Song Mu walked in.
Looking at the delicate and beautiful Zhou Shaojin in front of him, Old Master Song's eyes lit up and he said with a smile: "Is this the second girl of the Zhou family? I haven't seen her for two years, but she has grown so beautiful! If I hadn't met her here, I wouldn't have dared to recognize her!"
Zhou Shaojin had no choice but to step forward and pay his respects to Old Master Song.
The more Old Master Song looked at him, the more he liked him. He pointed at Song Mu and said, "This is your brother from the Song family. Although he doesn't know anything about river engineering, he's still a capable person. I brought him here specially to ask your uncle Chi for some advice. You two can get along like brother and sister from now on."
Zhou Shaojin stepped forward to salute Song Mu and glanced at him casually. Seeing that Song Mu was very polite, he felt relieved and had a good impression of Song Mu.
Old Master Song hesitated for a moment and said to Cheng Chi, "I have something to tell you. How about asking the second daughter of the Zhou family to show her hospitality and take our stupid grandson for a walk in the yard?"
Cheng Chi glanced at Zhou Shaojin.
Zhou Shaojin agreed immediately.
Uncle Chi had something serious to discuss with Old Master Song, and since there was no female member of his household to take care of the household chores, it was natural for her, as his niece, to help Uncle Chi entertain the guests.
Cheng Chi smiled at her and said softly, "Go."
Zhou Shaojin was surprised when he heard this.
Why does Uncle Chi sound so sad... as if it's a farewell...
Song Mu had already murmured his thanks to Zhou Shaojin and was waiting for her to lead the way.
She had no choice but to suppress her surprise and walked out with Song Mu.
In mid-spring, the courtyard is full of lush vegetation and greenery.
Zhou Shaojin smiled generously and said, "The old man asked me to take you for a walk. Actually, I am not familiar with Uncle Chi's house. Old Master Song and Uncle Chi probably thought we were in the way and sent us away. Young Master Song, why don't you sit under the grape trellis in the yard? After Old Master Song and Uncle Chi finish talking, we can go in and serve them."
There was a man and a woman, both of whom were past the age of sitting together. Old Master Song could do whatever he wanted without breaking the rules, but she couldn't take Song Mu for a stroll in the yard as Old Master Chang had suggested.
She handled it just right.
Song Mu admired her very much and thought she was gentle and independent, unlike his cousin from the Wang family who would come to him without a care in the world and drag him into the boudoir without following any rules. They were even jealous of each other, and one of them would fall into the water today, or the other would get a rash on her face from applying perfume tomorrow... And his eldest uncle was even more greedy. Every time he saw him or his father, he would complain about who's family was not as good as him in business but took so-and-so's connections to become a royal merchant and make money, or who's family got a deal because of a certain provincial governor's introduction. All he said was blaming his father for not helping him... This was also why he was unwilling to marry his cousin from the Wang family no matter what, and why his father was hesitant when he found out.
Song Mu thanked him gently and sat down at the stone table under the grape trellis.
Zhou Shaojin asked Chunwan to help the maid in Yuqian Hutong prepare tea and snacks, while he stood outside the grape trellis not too far away.
Seeing this, Song Mu stood up quickly and said, "Please sit over here, girl! I just want to see what kind of fish are in the fish tank!" Then, without waiting for Zhou Shaojin to speak, he went straight to the fish tank opposite, lowered his head, and looked like he was watching the fish.
Zhou Shaojin had a better impression of him and whispered to the maid to bring him a stool and put some snacks on the railing beside him.
Old Master Song, who was peeking in the room, was grinning with satisfaction. He pulled Cheng Chi over to look at him and said, "How is it? Is my grandson worthy of your niece?"
Under the warm spring day, the girl is gentle and beautiful, the boy is elegant and tall. Although they stand on the left and the right, they are like the golden boy and jade girl in front of the Bodhisattva throne, indescribably well-matched and pleasing to the eyes.
Cheng Chi felt a sharp pain in his heart, but he smiled and said to Old Master Song: "Let's go! Let's talk about business!"
Old Master Song looked at it with joy again, then went to the study in the west with Cheng Chi.
The yard suddenly became quiet, without any sound.
Song Mu glanced at the maid serving in the yard.
They all stood there with their heads lowered, quiet and calm, acting like great men.
Song Mu thought of the maids in his uncle's house looking at him and whispering to each other. He shook his head secretly in his heart and felt that his grandfather was more visionary and knowledgeable.
But will the second daughter of the Zhou family be attracted to him
Song Mu was full of confidence when he came, but now he felt a little uncertain.
He decided to talk to Zhou Shaojin, so that he could at least get to know her better. Even if they got engaged in the future, the second young lady of the Zhou family would at least marry him happily.
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Brothers and sisters, today’s extra update.
PS: Please see the update tomorrow morning!
O(∩_∩)O~
※(To be continued)