Madam Guo called Zhou Shaojin and Fang Xuan over, holding Zhou Shaojin with one hand and Fang Xuan with the other. She looked at Zhou Shaojin and Fang Xuan with a gentle and loving smile, and said to the people in the room, "Look at these two little girls, they are like pearls in the morning dew, and they make people feel happy when they see them."
Mrs. Fang's expression suddenly became a little stiff.
Zhou Shaojin was famous for her beauty. No one would fail to take a second look at her when they first saw her. Fang Xuan was also very beautiful, but if she stood in front of Zhou Shaojin, her beauty would seem quite forced.
Is the old lady praising Fang Xuan or insulting her
Mrs. Fang was really muttering to herself.
Fang Xuan's face also looked a little bad.
The old lady should just praise Zhou Shaojin, why drag her in to serve as a foil for Zhou Shaojin
Everyone who can stand in this room is a smart person.
Madam Guo holds an extremely high status, so who would be so tactless as to correct her
Everyone laughed and praised Zhou Shaojin and Fang Xuan for their beauty, but their eyes could not help but linger on Zhou Shaojin for a few moments.
Zhou Shaojin was a little uncomfortable being stared at by so many people, but she was always well-behaved and sensible, and she would accept it quietly no matter what the reason was for Mrs. Guo to do so. So when everyone's eyes fell on her, she tried her best to make her smile naturally sweet, behave generously and appropriately, and speak gently and tactfully, so as to live up to the reputation that Mrs. Guo had once taught her.
Several ladies looked on and nodded secretly, and some even quietly asked Yuan whether Zhou Shaojin was engaged.
Yuan was happy to see this happen, and praised Zhou Shaojin, as if she would have asked for Zhou Shaojin for Cheng Xu if Cheng Xu had not been engaged to the eldest daughter of the Min family. In addition, the ladies saw that Zhou Shaojin was indeed as gentle as Yuan said, so they also paid attention to him and started chatting with him.
Zhou Chujin was eager to find a suitable family for Zhou Shaojin as soon as his father's letter came, so he was extra patient with those people.
Everyone was a discerning person, and they became even more enthusiastic when they saw this, making Zhou Shaojin feel very uncomfortable. She hid behind Zhou Chujin and kept silent. Everyone thought she was even more gentle and virtuous, which made Fang Xuan very angry. After finally waiting to pay her respects to Madam Guo, she pulled her mother's sleeve and wanted to go home.
Mrs. Fang was also feeling uncomfortable, but she couldn't just leave like that, right
She patiently advised her daughter: "You are a grown-up girl now. You should know that the sun is the sun and the stars are the sun. How can you yell that you want to go home because of such a small matter? This is Mrs. Guo's birthday party. When you get married and have a husband's family, will you divorce your husband just because your mother-in-law says something unpleasant to you?"
Her daughter was really spoiled by her. She had to find another opportunity to have a good chat with her daughter.
Fang Xuan had no choice but to grit her teeth and stay, watching Mrs. Li looking at Zhou Shaojin with a smile on her face.
A little maid came in and said, "Madam, several gentlemen are here to celebrate your birthday!"
Old Madam Guo sat on the Luohan bed in the hall with a smile on her face. Except for a few ladies and old ladies, all the other female family members avoided her.
Cheng Chi walked in with his two brothers.
Perhaps because it was Mrs. Guo's birthday, he wore a dark red gown with a bamboo leaf pattern. His jet-black hair was tied up with a white jade hairpin. The gold thread on the apricot-colored silk purse embroidered with two fish around his waist flashed from time to time, making him look graceful and handsome.
Zhou Shaojin couldn't move his eyes away for a moment.
She hadn't seen Uncle Chi for a long time.
He is still the same.
No, he is more handsome than before... and looks better...
Zhou Shaojin stared at Cheng Chi infatuatedly. It was as if everyone in the hall had disappeared. She could only see him. She didn't notice Cheng Xu who walked in behind Cheng Chi at all.
Zhou Chujin was really anxious and angry.
Fortunately, she was careful and stood next to the floor-length cover, but she forgot that she could see the scene in the hall by gently lifting the curtain.
She quietly twisted Zhou Shaojin's arm and warned her in a low voice: "Be more restrained, or others will find out." Then she took a few steps forward and blocked Zhou Shaojin behind her.
Zhou Shaojin was embarrassed and withdrew his gaze but could not help but want to look outside.
However, Zhou Chujin discovered that Second Madam Fang and Fang Xuan were standing beside the screen not far from them. With a sidelong glance, he could see the people who came to celebrate Old Madam Guo’s birthday. Fang Xuan’s eyes were wide open, and it was unknown what she saw that surprised her.
She couldn't help but stand on tiptoe and stretch her neck to look in the direction of Fang Xuan.
Zhou Chujin saw Cheng Chi... and Cheng Xu.
Cheng Xu became silent for a long time. His originally dazzling light suddenly turned into calm and restrained, as if he had experienced the trials of life and tribulations and had grown up a lot in an instant.
Zhou Chujin originally hated him to death, but when he saw his look at this moment, for some reason, he felt a little sympathy for him.
She sighed secretly.
I wonder who Fang Xuan saw? And why was she so surprised... It would be great if she had taken a fancy to Cheng Chi. With the friendship between the Cheng and Fang families, this would be a marriage of equal status.
Why hasn’t her father replied to her letter yet
Could it be that the letter was not delivered
Or was there an accident
Zhou Chujin was a little uneasy.
Fang Xuan is looking at Cheng Chi.
This was the second time she saw Cheng Chi.
The first time was when he turned around and glanced at her on his way to pay his respects to Mrs. Guo. She didn't know who he was at the time, but the way he looked at her made her feel a little strange, as if... very emotional... and left a deep impression on her.
This time, she guessed who he was, but she didn't expect him to be so young. He didn't look like he was 27 or 28 years old, and he had a very good demeanor. Cheng Xu followed him, like Xingzi and Haoyue, and there was no comparison at all... I heard that he didn't get married, and I didn't know why
For a moment, Fang Xuan felt a little confused.
Mrs. Fang saw this and a smile appeared on her face.
If my daughter likes him, there would be no better marriage than this.
She turned around and found Mrs. Liao smiling at her with her lips pursed.
Obviously, he also noticed that Fang Xuan was acting strangely.
The two exchanged knowing looks tacitly.
In the hall, Cheng Jing and others wished Mrs. Guo a happy birthday, presented her with their own birthday gifts, said a few auspicious words, and then left.
People poured out from behind the screens on both sides, congratulating Mrs. Guo one after another.
"You have three Jinshi in your family, and one Jieyuanlang. You are so lucky!"
"It's not uncommon for families to have brothers who are both Jinshi, but it's rare for the old lady to have a son who is a cabinet minister and a son who is a Hanlin scholar!"
"Isn't this the first one, old lady?"
Mrs. Guo smiled reservedly, but her eyes could not hide the joy.
A lady who knew about Cheng Chi's affairs simply added icing on the cake and said, "In the past, the Cheng family had a large population. Although the third master passed the imperial examination, he had no way to get rid of the family affairs. Now that the eldest son has settled in the capital, there are fewer trivial matters. With the recommendation of Elder Song Jingran, he was appointed as a deputy minister in the Water Conservancy Department of the Ministry of Works. He will go to the River Governor's Office in Jining to help the River Governor Yang Shoushan to control the water."
All the people in the room were the wives of officials. Everyone knew that the river, grain transport, salt transport, and market and port offices were the most lucrative government offices.
He was promoted to the sixth rank when he took office, and was also promoted to the Governor's Office of the River... Eight out of ten people looked at Old Madam Guo eagerly, and kept praising her good fortune. Two of them smiled self-respectingly, but secretly began to exchange glances with each other.
Zhou Shaojin was a little surprised at first, but she quickly became happy for Cheng Chi.
Uncle Chi, finally, will not leave the Cheng family like in his previous life but will stay!
And he did what he liked.
He will definitely get better and better in the future, right
Thinking of this, Zhou Shaojin felt that it was great to be able to split up with Jiuru Lane.
Yuan... is not unacceptable...
Zhou Chujin had mixed feelings.
Cheng Chi hasn't shown up these days. Is he going to do this
The Cheng family is not short of this little money. He did not go to the Ministry of Personnel, the Governor's Office, or the Dali Temple, but went to the Governor's Office of the River. Is he going to be sent out
Is it possible that it is related to Shaojin
Maybe in her heart, she still couldn't connect the noble Uncle Chi with the villain who seduced her sister, and she still held a glimmer of hope for Cheng Chi...
Yuan felt a pain in her liver as she watched this.
If one day she could be complimented like the old lady, her life would not be lived in vain.
Thinking of this, she glanced at the third wife of the Min family who came to celebrate the birthday of Mrs. Guo on behalf of the Min family.
With the support of the Min family, it would only take twenty years, or maybe just fifteen years, for Jiashan from their family to be appointed as prime minister, right
And there is the Fang family. The second master of the Fang family is famous for his social skills. If Fang Xuan marries Cheng Chi, as the matchmaker, the second master of the Fang family will definitely look at her differently, right
Yuan's heart warmed up again.
While listening to the opera, taking advantage of the fact that one act had just finished and the cloud board of another act had not yet sounded, she took Fang Xuan to Old Lady Guo and said with a smile: "Mother, A Xuan used to accompany my aunts to watch operas. Your eyesight is not good, so let her help you read the lines?"
Old Madam Guo said with a smile, "You, what can I say about you! When you are smart, you are really smart and can think of everything. But when you are confused, you are also really confused and take everything for granted. How old is Ah Xuan? She is at the age when she likes to play and be active. If you let her accompany me to listen to the opera and confine her to a group of old ladies like us, she will be bored. I know how filial you are! Ah Xuan, go play with Shao Jin and the others! The weather is good today and you can go boating in the garden. If you can't bear to listen to the opera, go play in the garden!"
Zhou Shaojin wants to go.
Maybe I could even run into Uncle Chi!
Of course Zhou Chujin would not allow her to go. He stared at her, preventing her from moving.
Fang Xuan used to be the one who was most impatient to sit together with the old ladies and watch plays. Those plays were either about a woman waiting in a cold kiln for eighteen years or about a woman carrying her two children on her back and traveling thousands of miles to find her husband... But this time, for some reason, she wanted to serve Madam Guo well and make her happy.
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Sisters and brothers, today’s extra update.
It’s safer to wait for the update tomorrow.
I got home a little late yesterday, and ended up writing until midnight. I was so sleepy that I didn’t click “Publish Now”. It wasn’t until a friend sent me a message in the morning that I realized…
※(To be continued)