Madam Guo looked down at Zhou Shaojin, who was looking up at her with red eyes and as beautiful as a flower bud, and sneered, "So, you have already decided to follow Silang?"
Zhou Shaojin lowered his head and said, "Please help me, old lady!"
Madam Guo sneered and said, "What if I don't make it happen?"
Zhou Shaojin said nothing.
He still kept his head down, like a clay sculpture, motionless.
Madam Guo laughed and said, "Are you threatening me?"
"No!" Zhou Shaojin said softly, her voice gentle and sweet, "It was you who asked me to go to Hanbi Mountain House to copy scriptures, and it was you who took me to Putuo Mountain to worship Buddha. You also told me about the relationships between those noble families and told me the principles of being a person and doing things. You are unwilling to help me, I guess I am not good enough. But I don't want Uncle Chi to be sad... Since he has come this far for me, there are mountains of swords and seas of fire ahead, and I can't leave him alone. You are the person Uncle Chi respects the most. If you were not in Jinling, Uncle Chi would not live in Jinling for a long time! Uncle Chi will be happy only if you are happy. If you are unhappy, Uncle Chi will not be happy either.
"Please help us!
"I know I am a coward and I don't do many things well. I may not even be able to take charge of the household affairs. But I will study hard and become someone who is worthy of Uncle Chi.
"Madam!" She pulled the old lady's dress and said seriously, "I will study hard and will not let you down."
Mrs. Guo looked at her silently, her eyes somewhat cold.
Zhou Shaojin did not avoid it.
She has always been afraid of Mrs. Guo.
But this time, she met Madam Guo's gaze and let her look at her.
Even though she felt that Madam Guo's gaze was like a mirror, exposing her every detail in front of her with nowhere to hide, she still did not avoid it.
She even thought, how nice it would be if Mrs. Guo could really see through her heart. Then Mrs. Guo would know her deep affection for Uncle Chi.
Old Madam Guo sighed softly, her tone suddenly softened, and she said, "Shaojin, you have been by my side for two or three years. Even if you raise a cat or a dog, you will have feelings for it, not to mention a gentle, considerate, meticulous and docile girl like you. But men are different from women. Most women like to stay around the stove, have children, take care of their husbands and children, and can stay at home all their lives; but men are different. They have to support their families, make friends, and go out. Reputation, power, and money are all indispensable. The inner house is just a place for him to go in his spare time. Silang gave up his reputation for you. It's good for you two to be affectionate when you are together, but after a long time, what if he regrets it? What if he is angry with you? What if he has a new love? Have you thought about it?"
"I've thought about it!" Zhou Shaojin said in a deep voice.
Not only had she thought about it, but she also suspected that Cheng Chi just liked her good looks, so she didn't dare to go beyond the line before.
But so what
Zhou Shaojin said: "I know that at this moment, Uncle Chi is sincere to me. Even if he regrets it in the future, it is true at this moment. You don't know how difficult it is to find a sincere person in this world..."
Madam Guo narrowed her eyes and said in a deep voice, "So, no matter what I say, you have made up your mind to follow Silang?"
Zhou Shaojin blushed slightly and said, "As long as Uncle Chi doesn't let go, I won't let go."
Mrs. Guo looked at her silently, her expression somewhat obscure.
Zhou Shaojin felt uneasy and bowed to the ground again.
Madam Guo walked away with a wave of her sleeves, and her cold voice rang out in the shaded corridor: "Shao Jin, I just hope you can always remember what you said today."
Zhou Shaojin looked up.
Mrs. Guo has turned many corners of the corridor.
The corners of the stone-blue clothes were blown up, and the silver auspicious clouds and flowers reflected the sparkling light.
Old lady...did she agree? Or didn't she
Zhou Shaojin blinked and didn't come back to his senses for a long time.
Mrs. Guo, however, sighed deeply in her heart.
When I was young, I always felt that there was nothing in this world that could scare me. As I got older, I realized that many things in this world are beyond our control.
Being able to live like this freely makes life worthwhile!
But being willful comes at a price!
She is old now and can't take care of all that. Just let them be.
After dinner, the guests gradually left the house. Only Cheng Sheng stayed behind. She took Mrs. Guo's arm and said with a smile, "I told my mother-in-law and husband early in the morning that I would stay with grandma for a few days. Grandma, please don't chase me away. I want to sleep with you tonight."
Madam Guo laughed and said, "Okay! As long as you are not afraid of your mother-in-law's blame, I have someone to keep me company, which is something I couldn't ask for more!"
"My mother-in-law is so nice!" Cheng Sheng said coquettishly, "She knew I was coming back to see you, and originally wanted to come with me, but then she received an invitation from my eldest sister, and saw that my eldest and second sisters were coming alone, so she didn't come with me. She also told us sisters to have a private conversation and to enjoy the good life by your side, and that she would come back to see you in a few days."
"Since you know your mother-in-law is kind, you should be more filial to her." Madam Guo dotingly knocked her hand down and said, "Don't think about running out all day, stay at home and accompany your mother-in-law more. People are all made of flesh and blood. If you treat her well, she will treat you well..."
The voice of the instructor gradually became inaudible, and Zhou Shaojin felt as if he had lost something.
Mrs. Guo still ignored her.
Maybe there is no other way but to turn a blind eye and accept it.
She can only be filial to her grandfather in the future.
Didn’t the old lady also say that people are all made of flesh and blood
Thinking of this, Zhou Shaojin pursed his lips and smiled.
Zhou Chujin, who was walking side by side with her, was surprised and asked, "Don't you like being with Madam Guo very much? Why didn't you say anything today, but you seemed relieved and happy when we were about to leave? Did something happen?"
"What could it be?" Zhou Shaojin smiled, "But I feel like cousin Sheng is still like a child after getting married, clamoring to sleep with the old lady..."
None of the sisters are so lucky to be able to act like a spoiled child with others like this.
Zhou Chujin gently hugged her sister's shoulders and smiled softly, "We can't act like a spoiled child like this. It's enough for our children to be able to do it."
Child
A little guy like Uncle Chi
But just thinking about it, heat rushed to Zhou Shaojin's face.
Fortunately, it was already late and Zhou Chujin didn't notice.
Even when Zhou Shaojin returned to Yuqian Hutong, he still felt his face burning.
After lighting the lamps, Mrs. Guo sent Cheng Sheng to wash and dress, while she herself sat under the lamp, caressing the jewellery in her dressing box.
The stones are all pretty good, but they are either carved with double blessings or gourds or treasure vases, which are used by the elderly and are not suitable for appreciation. Why not go to the silver shop tomorrow to see if there are any good jewelry. But now it is not as good as before, even the things in the silver shop are not as good as before. If I want to find two satisfactory things, I still need luck.
She called to Madam Lu to come in and said, "Tomorrow morning, go to Xinglin Hutong and bring all the boxes and crates containing valuables here. I'll see if there are any nice jewelry."
If it doesn’t work, just melt it and make a new one.
Nanny Lu smiled and replied.
A little maid walked in quietly and said, "Madam, Chief Steward Qin wants to see you."
"What is he doing here so late?" Mrs. Guo asked curiously. She changed her clothes, combed her hair again, and went to the warm room.
Qin Dachang signaled Madam Guo to send away the servants in the room, and immediately walked a few steps forward to Madam Guo and said excitedly: "Madam, you have seen the second cousin, how is it?"
Madam Guo looked at his sparkling childlike eyes and couldn't help but get angry. She asked, "You came to see me so late just for this matter?"
Qin Da Zongguan laughed and said, "This is more important than anything else! If you are not satisfied with the second cousin and scare her away, the matter of the fourth master will have to be delayed for a few more years. I am also over 60 years old, and I don't know how many years I have left to live. Whenever I think of my father's last words before he died, I feel uncomfortable. I always want to see the fourth master's young master born, and then I can let it go. The day he doesn't get married and doesn't become a father, it will be a pain in my heart. How can I not care? What's more, I will retire in a few days. If I can help the fourth master get married before I retire, my life will be complete. How can I not think about him!"
The eldest and second branches wanted to separate, and Chi Si decided to slowly clean up the Seven Stars Hall and turn it into an escort agency or a bank. The Qin family had helped the Cheng family for so many years, so they should also rebuild their own ancestral hall, establish family rules, and prepare sacrificial fields.
The Qin family still has relatives in their hometown who were found after the war. Chief Steward Qin also hopes to go back and visit them before he dies. After discussing with several nephews, except for his branch, the descendants of the other two branches do not want to leave the Cheng family and would rather live dependent on the Cheng family like this.
Chief Steward Qin was worried that if the Qin family members left, there would be no one to help guard the Cheng family, so he agreed after a little thought.
This is also the reason why Qin Zongguan's nephews and great-nephews began to emerge in the Cheng family and began to take on the role of steward of the Cheng family.
Madam Guo said angrily, "You don't have to stop me with words. I tested that little girl today, and she still has a conscience, knowing what Silang has done for her." She told Chief Steward Qin everything that had happened between the two of them. As she spoke, her voice gradually softened, and she said with emotion, "She looks so docile at ordinary times, and I thought I could make her cry with just a few words. I never thought she would say that as long as Silang didn't let go, she wouldn't let go... It really surprised me. I had no choice but to agree."
Qin Da Zongguan laughed and said, "I think you are afraid that the second cousin will not let go and drag down the fourth master, and you are also afraid that the second cousin will be scared by you and cut off her relationship with the fourth master, which will be unfair to the fourth master..."
Mrs. Guo knew it very well.
But she was really conflicted and didn't know what to do.
Qin Da Zongguan naturally couldn't force her to express her opinion at this time, so he reminded her: "When the old master was alive, he once said that everything in the world depends on human efforts. You are just worried that the fourth master will ruin his future if he carries this reputation, but have you ever thought about it? It's the parents' order and the matchmaker's order. If the second cousin is the one you like, what else can others say!"
※
My dear friends, I wrote a chapter yesterday. My mind was hazy and my writing was really disorganized. I got up in the morning to make major revisions and the update has been delayed until now.
Today's update will be around 3pm.
I will definitely adjust the time.
come on!
※(To be continued)