Zhou Shaojin had a good sleep, and when she woke up the next day, she felt refreshed. She also carefully combed her hair into a hanging bun, and wore a red-haired headband with pearl flowers inlaid with various treasures.
Shi Xiang couldn't help but praise: "Second Miss, you look so beautiful! You should have dressed up like this every day."
The dazzling gems made Zhou Shaojin's skin look as white as snow and her eyes sparkle.
"That's so troublesome!" She straightened her sleeves and stroked her fingers on the pink silk jacket with lotus patterns, which made her hair look even whiter and more delicate. "It took me nearly half an hour to comb my hair. When I take a break at noon, I have to comb it again. I might as well go to the garden to see which flowers are blooming. After I finish embroidering my sister and my summer clothes, I will make a few bottles of flower dew. Maybe I can catch it in time for my grandmother's birthday."
"Okay!" Shi Xiang liked to see Zhou Shaojin like this. She was like the first flower blooming in the mist in the morning. She was not only beautiful, but also full of vitality that made people yearn for her. The atmosphere in the room became cheerful. "When the time comes, I will help the Second Miss. I will do whatever you say and I promise not to delay your work."
Chun Wan, who came in holding a pair of shoes, heard this and before Zhou Shaojin could choose the shoes she was going to wear today, she hurriedly said, "Second Miss, to make the flower dew, should we ask the craftsman to make the bucket you drew the other day? I wonder if Manager Ma can find a skilled carpenter?"
"What's so difficult about that bucket?" Zhou Shaojin looked at the shoes in Chunwan's hand, picked out a pair of plain high-soled shoes in indigo with silver-red bud edges, and said, "It's similar to the steamer used to steam buns in the north, and most craftsmen can make it well. The difficult part is the glass bottle. The fragrance is blown away by the wind, and if you want to seal the fragrance in the bottle, you can only find a tinsmith to make a lid for the glass bottle. This is a craft. If the lid is made too thin, it will break after a few uses; if the lid is too thick, it will press down on the glass bottle, making it top-heavy and ugly. And the glass bottle, I don't know where to get it made to order?"
She was worried, but Chun Wan was fascinated by her description and asked with a drooling face: "Second Miss, can you order a few glass beads when you make the glass bottle? We can then inlay them on the hairpin. A few days ago, I saw a woman on the street wearing a hairpin inlaid with glass beads. The sun shone on it, and it sparkled, more beautiful than gems..."
"I didn't expect that the Spring Festival Gala likes glass beads?" Zhou Shaojin asked Shi Xiang, "Do you like them? How about we order more beads and let the sisters in the courtyard share some?"
"Great! Great!" The Spring Festival Gala applauded.
There was laughter in Zhou Shaojin's room.
Zhou Chujin fell asleep in the second half of the night and woke up a little late in the morning. Hearing laughter coming from her sister from time to time, she thought for a moment and told Dong Wan: "Go and tell the second young lady that I went to my aunt's place this morning for something, and ask her to go to my grandmother's place to pay her respects at 15:30. I'll be waiting for her there."
Dong Wan smiled and went to Zhou Shaojin to pass on the message.
Zhou Chujin had a quick breakfast and went to Heming Hall.
Old Lady Guan had just finished offering incense and saw Zhou Chujin alone. She asked curiously, "Where is Shaojin? Was she tired yesterday? Is she okay?"
"No!" Zhou Chujin took the teacup from the maid and placed it in front of Old Madam Guan, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself.
Old Lady Guan drank a sip of tea, sent the servant away, and asked solemnly, "What happened?"
Zhou Chujin told Mrs. Guan everything that happened between Zhou Shaojin and Wu Baozhang yesterday.
Mrs. Guan frowned upon hearing this, but as Zhou Chujin continued to narrate, her expression gradually relaxed. When Zhou Chujin finished speaking, she was smiling and said softly, "What are you worried about? Are you afraid that others will think Shaojin is too scheming and doesn't like her?"
Zhou Chujin nodded.
Old Madam Guan smiled and said, "But look at Shao Jin yesterday, did anything happen to him?"
Zhou Chujin whispered: "It was just luck... I dragged several families into it..."
"Man proposes, God disposes. She was lucky enough to get herself out of this." Old Lady Guan smiled and patted the brocade cushion beside her, motioning Zhou Chujin to sit down next to her. "Given Shaojin's situation at the time, the eldest lady of the Wu family was clearly harboring evil intentions. Fortunately, she was smart and took advantage of the presence of the old ladies of several rooms to make a fuss about it. If it had been another occasion, I'm afraid she wouldn't have been so lucky. It shows that Shaojin is usually timid, but knows how to protect herself at critical moments. This is a great blessing, so don't worry."
Zhou Chujin sat down next to her grandmother and stammered, "There is one more thing... Miss Wu said that because she saw Cheng Xu chasing Shaojin..." She told Mrs. Guan about Cheng Xu.
Old Madam Guan was so shocked that her jaw dropped. She held the teacup in her hand, not knowing whether to drink the tea or put it down. After a long while, she said, "You, are you telling the truth?"
"I told you exactly what Shaojin said." Zhou Chujin said, "I didn't add or subtract a single word!"
Old Mrs. Guan stood up and walked back and forth in the room twice, and her mood gradually calmed down.
Zhou Chujin said: "If this is true, should we not go to Hanbi Mountain House for the time being?"
"No!" Old Madam Guan said without thinking, "If Shao Jin stops going to Hanbi Mountain House just because of a few words from Miss Wu, it will be seen as 'there is something fishy going on' by those who are interested. Shao Jin must not only go, but also do what he did before." At this point, the old lady changed the subject and said, "However, your worry is justified. I will send someone to Hanbi Mountain House to inquire. There is no smoke without fire. With Madam Guo's shrewdness and sophistication, she should have known about this matter by now. Logically, she should have warned Cheng Xu. But she has always kept things in her heart, and I am not sure what she will do."
This was the purpose of Zhou Chujin coming to see his grandmother alone.
She nodded repeatedly.
Old Lady Guan asked Si'er to invite Nanny Wang over, and whispered some instructions to her. Then Nanny Wang went to Hanbi Mountain House.
In the Hanbi Mountain House, Yuan was standing behind Madam Guo with her head lowered. Madam Guo was sitting on a bed carved with a red lacquer swastika plum blossom pattern, slowly eating blood glutinous rice porridge. Cheng Xu was kneeling on the bluestone floor, his knees aching. He secretly glanced at his mother and grandmother and quietly moved his body.
There was a sudden roar in the room, as if from out of nowhere, and I could hear my grandmother’s cold snort.
Cheng Xu quickly straightened up and knelt down, but could not help but glance at his mother out of the corner of his eye.
Yuan felt as if her heart was being cut by a knife.
The piece of flesh that fell from her body had never suffered such injustice in its life.
In the final analysis, it's all Wu Baozhang's fault for spreading rumors and causing trouble, and also Zhou Shaojin. It would have been easy to expose it in a few words, but he insisted on making it known to everyone, which showed that he was not patient and prudent.
She looked up at her mother-in-law.
Seeing her mother-in-law put down her bowl of porridge and picked up a steamed dumpling, Yuan quickly handed her a small clay plate and gently reminded her mother-in-law: "Mother, look, it's almost noon now, Dalang has been kneeling for almost half an hour, and he still has to go to the clan school for class later..."
"He has to go to school!" Madam Guo put down the small clay plate and said softly, "The clan school teaches the teachings of saints. He has been there for nearly ten years, right? He didn't listen to a single word. What is he doing there? Just to be a shadow hanging around? Or does he want to earn the eight taels of money a month from the clan for writing and painting?"
But the words he said were extremely sharp.
Yuan was so angry that her fingertips were shaking.
How could the mother-in-law say that about Dalang? What does Dalang have to do with this...
Cheng Xu's face suddenly turned red as if blood could drip out.
He shouted "Grandma" loudly, but when he looked up, he was met with the cold and sharp eyes of Mrs. Guo.
Cheng Xu stood there in a daze.
He had seen his grandmother like this when he was very young. However, it was his father who was kneeling on the ground at that time. Although he was still young, he knew that his grandmother loved them, the younger generations, the most. Not only did he not feel scared, but he was very curious.
Now that he is the one kneeling here, he can understand the embarrassment his father felt at that time.
Cheng Xu swallowed all those words of defense, lowered his head, and knelt straighter.
Mrs. Guo's expression then lightened up and she started eating the buns.
The room was silent, and the slight sounds of banging porcelain and chewing made the atmosphere a little depressing.
Yuan looked anxiously at her son kneeling on the ground.
Mrs. Guo turned a blind eye until she finished her breakfast, washed her hands, and picked up the teacup. Then she said, "Go to school! You will be spared from the trance in the future."
"mother!"
"grandmother!"
Yuan and Xu Cheng looked at Madam Guo at the same time, their faces filled with astonishment.
Mrs. Guo slammed the teacup heavily on the table, making a "ding-dang-dang" sound.
She asked Cheng Xu: "What? Can't I order you around?"
"No, no!" Cheng Xu said hastily, sweat on his forehead, "I, I just didn't expect..."
"I didn't expect it. There are many things you didn't expect!" Mrs. Guo sneered, "I raised three sons, but none of them is like you. When your father was your age, he already knew how to serve your grandfather in the study..."
Next, we should talk about who Dalang’s personality is like
Yuan's heart seemed to be gripped by something and she couldn't breathe.
Cheng Xu lowered his head in shame.
But to Yuan's surprise, Mrs. Guo stopped talking here and did not continue. Instead, she waved at Cheng Xu and said lightly: "You can leave!"
Cheng Xu didn't dare to stay and stood up, holding his knees.
Seeing her son staggering, Yuan felt extremely distressed and wanted to go forward to help Cheng Xu, but was frightened by Madam Guo's cold look and retreated back.
Cheng Xu limped out of the door, and his personal servant happily came to greet him.
"Uncle, what are you doing..." he asked while supporting Cheng Xu.
Cheng Xu rubbed his legs, which were so numb that he could hardly lift them, and said depressedly, "Don't mention it! I was severely scolded by my grandmother."
Huanxi didn't dare to ask any more questions, and supported Cheng Xu and walked out slowly.
Dasu followed them silently.
Why is this person so dull
Huanxi muttered to herself, and said to Dasu, "Come over and help me!"
Da Su stepped forward silently, but Cheng Xu raised his hand and said, "No need! I don't need you to serve me here. Please go to the clan school and ask for leave for me!"
"Uncle!" the two of them exclaimed in unison.
If the lady knew about this, she would break their legs!
※
A few days ago, a reader suggested in a book review that Cheng Chi should be my cousin, not my cousin. I checked and found that he should indeed be my cousin. I would like to thank that reader.
If there are any mistakes, please point them out.
O(∩_∩)O~
※(To be continued)