Zhou Shaojin didn't know that so many things had happened in Jiuru Lane in Jinling. The delicious food, exquisite dishes, magnificent scenery, elegant music, cordial conversation and genuine concern made Mrs. Liao, who came to visit Yuqian Hutong that day, feel at home. She praised Li and Zhou Shaojin's arrangements highly. Because of Zhou Chujin, Mrs. Liao also intended to promote Li, and from then on she became close to Li.
Li was very considerate and generous. However, after visiting Yushu Hutong a few times, the relatives of the Liao family who came to visit Mrs. Liao called her "madam in-law" attentively. Li couldn't help but feel a little emotional, and said to Zhou Shaojin privately: "It's really not good for a girl to get married without a dowry. Keep all the jewelry that Mrs. Guo gave you, and don't give it away casually. I will go to the silver shop with you in a few days and make you some gold and silver jewelry. If you want to give gifts, use that."
A few days ago, she saw Chun Wan wiping a green jade bracelet. The water was no less than the jade pendant she usually wore. She thought it belonged to Zhou Shao Jin, but Chun Wan said it was a gift from Zhou Shao Jin. She was afraid it would break, so she took it out to look at it in her spare time. Zhou Shao Jin not only gave her a jade bracelet, but also a set of ginkgo flower headpieces, several hairpins inlaid with gemstones, and two pairs of South Pearl beads... Even the ladies of ordinary wealthy families probably don't have jewelry as valuable as hers.
Zhou Zhen had a lot of income, and although he had tried his best to buy dowries for his two daughters in recent years, his ability was limited after all. Most of these things were gifts from Old Madam Guo, and Zhou Shaojin then gave them to the Spring Festival Gala.
Li felt heartbroken just thinking about it.
Zhou Shaojin agreed with his head lowered and didn't take the matter to heart.
In her two lives, she naturally had a yardstick in her heart about what was most important. How good Chunwan and Fan Liu were to her could not be measured by a few pieces of jewelry. It was just that she gave them good things to make them happy.
However, when she went shopping with Li at the silver shop, she still selected several pieces of gold and silver jewelry. These things were given to Chunwan and her family, and they could pass them down as heirlooms, which could be regarded as a little thought left by Chunwan for future generations.
Thinking of this, she became a little worried.
Chunwan will be getting married in a few years. No one cared about her in her previous life. What will happen to her marriage
While she was in a trance, someone ran over and called her "Second cousin".
Zhou Shaojin was shocked. When he came to his senses, he found that it was Fang Xuan whom he met a few days ago.
She was wearing a pink honeysuckle half-sleeve and looked at her with a smile, saying, "I saw someone who looked like you from a distance just now, but Sister Jia couldn't believe it. It turned out to be you! What a coincidence! The capital is so big, and I didn't expect that we would run into each other. Are you here to buy jewelry as well? The jewelry in this shop is quite good! People outside only know about Yongfu Sheng, but in fact, the things in Baibaozhai sell better than those in Yongfu Sheng. I didn't expect that you also knew this place." As she spoke, she pointed to the second floor and smiled in a low voice, saying, "Sister Jia is getting married, and my mother was asked by her mother to accompany her to buy some small things, and I followed her." She added, "My grandfather and Sister Jia's grandfather were colleagues, and my mother and Sister Jia's mother grew up together until they got married, but they kept in touch."
No wonder the Fang family and the Min family are so close!
Zhou Shaojin smiled slightly and felt a gaze from the second floor resting on her.
She didn't know who it was, and she smiled and exchanged a few words with Fang Xuan without even looking up: "I also heard from my sister that this silver shop makes very good jewelry..."
If she had known she would meet Fang Xuan and Min Jia, she would have gone to Yongfu Sheng.
In her previous life, she did not have the habit of shopping, but after her nephew Liao Chengfang was born, she asked around to find out where the best longevity locks were made. Lin Shisheng was an old Beijinger, so he introduced Baibaozhai to her.
At that time, she also thought that the things in Baibaozhai were very good.
Although the food at Yongfu Sheng is not as exquisite as here, it is substantial.
She bought it to give to others, so naturally the portion should be large enough.
Fang Xuan opened her eyes wide in surprise and said, "Grandma Liao came to the capital just before the New Year!"
The implication is how Zhou Chujin suddenly knew every corner of the capital.
Zhou Shaojin had no intention of chatting with her, so he said it was getting late and broke up with Fang Xuan.
Fang Xuan was a little unhappy.
No matter what, they were in-laws, and since Zhou Shaojin knew her mother was upstairs, he should have gone to greet her, but Zhou Shaojin left without saying a word. He had no intention of considering their family as in-laws at all.
Fang Xuan also grew up in a honeypot. Zhou Shaojin was cold and indifferent to her, so she had no intention of having more contact with him and turned back to the private room on the second floor.
Min Jia was also a little surprised by Zhou Shaojin's rudeness. She frowned and said, "What's wrong with the second young lady of the Zhou family? The eldest lady of the Gu family respects her so much, but she seems a little ignorant of the ways of the world..."
Maybe there is another reason!
She still remembered the amazing feeling she had when she first met Zhou Shaojin.
It is said that she and her sister grew up in Jiuru Lane. I wonder if she has ever met Cheng Jiashan... If she is Cheng Jiashan, I am afraid she will not forget such a "cousin"... However, if she is as ignorant of the ways of the world as she behaved today, it can be explained!
Min Jia's eyes flickered slightly.
Fang Xuan didn't think so. She said casually, "Maybe she's new here and hasn't seen much of the world. She's timid and not used to interacting with us... Never mind her. I'll just say hello to her when I see her next time!"
Min Jia was not as optimistic as she was, and said, "She grew up in Madam Guo's house. You can choose not to see her, but I can't choose not to see her!"
Fang Xuan felt that Min Jia was overthinking and said, "It is said that she will soon be of marriageable age and will get married in two years. So what if she grew up in Madam Guo's house?"
Growing up in Madam Guo's house means that Zhou Shaojin can return to the Cheng family and visit Madam Guo whenever he wants...
Fang Xuan, who grew up carefree, didn't understand what was said. Min Jia just smiled and said nothing.
Zhou Shaojin returned home and gave the gold and silver jewelry he had bought to Chunwan, asking her to register them. He then opened the window and sat on the big kang next to the window to make shoes and socks for Cheng Chi.
Li brought in the mung bean soup and said with a smile, "Keep your eyes open. You're not waiting to get dressed. Why are you in such a hurry?"
Whenever Zhou Shaojin thought about Cheng Chi wearing these clothes, he felt like he had endless energy and wanted to make the clothes for him as soon as possible.
She put her clothes aside, took the mung bean soup from Li with a smile, and invited her to sit on the kang opposite.
Li smiled as she drank the mung bean soup, then said, "Just now, Madam Liao sent someone to say that there will be a dragon boat race in Shichahai this year. Your brother-in-law will have a day off, and Madam Liao invited us to go with him."
Zhou Shaojin was a little surprised and asked, "What about Brother Guan? Is Youjin still so young?"
Li smiled and said, "I think the method that the Fourth Master used last time is the best. Before I came here, I asked Manager Xiang, and Manager Xiang said that those guards are from the Fourth Master's Chaoyang Gate residence. If we have decided, he can just go over there and say hello."
Women in the inner house can seldom come out a few times a year, let alone in the capital. It is unknown whether there will be such an opportunity in the future.
In her previous life, Shichahai had held dragon boat races, but she had never watched them.
Zhou Shaojin could understand Li's feelings, but without Cheng Chi's company, she felt that even if it was under the emperor's feet, even if the dragon boat race was held in Shichahai, she would not have any interest.
"Then Madam, please tell Manager Xiang and take Youjin with you!" She said with a smile, "I will just stay at home - it's so hot, I don't want to go out."
How is this possible
How can a mother go out to play and leave her child at home
Li refused.
Zhou Shaojin took a long time to convince Li.
Unexpectedly, the next day Cheng Zheng sent someone to send her a note, saying that he had booked a private room in a restaurant near Shichahai and invited her to watch the dragon boat race together.
Zhou Shaojin suddenly became hesitant.
Cheng Zheng is Cheng Chi's niece, and Cheng Chi seems to be quite supportive of her, and she is also quite friendly to her. Should she go or not
Zhou Shaojin found it difficult to make a decision for a moment.
After all, Cheng Zheng and Zhou Shaojin were more than a dozen years apart. If Cheng Zheng had married earlier, she would have had a daughter as old as Zhou Shaojin. In addition, Cheng Zheng was strict but generous in managing the family, and everyone in the Gu family respected her very much. Her prestige was growing day by day. The old woman thought Zhou Shaojin didn't want to be restrained in front of Cheng Zheng, so she smiled and said, "Second Aunt and Third Aunt will go together. Second Aunt also invited the Sixth Miss of the Fang family!"
This is how it works. You invite your best friends, but they are still your best friends. As time goes by, the room that was originally filled with only three or four people ends up being a room full of people, most of whom you don’t know.
Since Fang Xuan has gone, who knows whether Min Jia will go
Zhou Shaojin immediately declined politely.
The old woman returned to the Gu family in surprise and disappointment.
Cheng Zheng was very surprised and asked the old woman again in disbelief: "You said that the second young lady of the Zhou family politely declined my invitation after hearing that the sixth young lady of the Fang family would also go?"
The old woman thought about it carefully for a long time and nodded affirmatively.
No wonder it’s because of Min Jia
Cheng Zheng sent the old woman away and sighed deeply.
If the Jiuru Lane clan is divided and the eldest branch is settled in the capital, then my grandmother will definitely move to the capital. My grandmother likes Zhou Shaojin so much, this girl must be very filial to my grandmother, I am afraid that she will often go to pay respects to my grandmother, and Min Jia will marry into the Cheng family in February next year...
She got a headache just thinking about it.
I think Cheng Xu is really... stupid!
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After Zhou Chujin learned that Zhou Shaojin was not going to Shichahai, he came to ask Zhou Shaojin in person. Seeing that his sister really didn't want to go out to bask in the sun, he gave up the idea of persuading her, but still couldn't help complaining to her: "You are really something. This is such a rare opportunity. Go and ask around to see if there is anyone like you who is afraid of the sun and doesn't want to go because it's too hot. Don't regret it later!"
"No regrets, no regrets!" Zhou Shaojin embroidered flowers on Cheng Chi's socks, feeling extremely happy. What was so interesting about dragon boat racing? She had seen it before when she was in Jinling.
She wants to stay at home and make socks for Uncle Chi!
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Brothers and sisters, extra update on the weekend!
O(∩_∩)O~
PS: Please see the update tomorrow morning!
※(To be continued)