Zhou Shaojin couldn't help but exchange glances with Cheng Chi.
Cheng Chi asked, "What else did you find out?"
Fan Qi always felt a little nervous when facing Cheng Chi. He took a deep breath and said, "I have inquired about it. He claimed to be a failed scholar who had no money to go home. He wanted to seek a job as a teacher or accountant. It happened that the family needed an accountant. He somehow moved the family and became the accountant of the family without any guarantee or recommendation from acquaintances."
Cheng Chi raised his eyebrows, called Huaishan in, and said, "Go write a contract of sale, let Fan Qi lead the way, and go to Wanping. Say that Cheng Lu is a runaway servant who took our family's wealth, report to the authorities first and have him locked up in the government office first."
So cruel!
Fan Qi glanced at Cheng Chi, Zhou Shaojin, and then at Huaishan. Seeing that the three of them looked normal, he shuddered and hurriedly followed Huaishan out.
Cheng Chi knew that Zhou Shaojin would not refute him, but he was still a little worried that Zhou Shaojin would not bear it, so he said, "Since we have already decided to deal with him, we should not be soft-hearted..."
Zhou Shaojin nodded before he finished speaking and said, "I know! He is a very vicious person. If we let him go, it would be like letting a tiger go back to the mountain. He might bite us back one day. Our temporary kindness will not only fail to bring peace, but may also put ourselves in trouble."
Cheng Chi was very pleased and kissed Zhou Shaojin on the cheek with a smile: "I didn't expect my little girl to be so smart!"
Zhou Shaojin blushed.
During this period of time, Cheng Chi always kissed her face and her hands, tenderly and warmly, which made her not only like it but also miss it.
But things didn't go smoothly.
Huaishan came back in the evening with a pale face, saying, "We didn't find Cheng Lu. Maybe he found him when Fan Qi followed him. He disappeared early this morning. He didn't take anything except warm clothes and the silver he had saved, writing brushes, inkstones, and even a few pairs of old shoes and socks. When we went to tell the family, they didn't believe us. They didn't go to search until he didn't come back in the afternoon. They said they found 10 to 20 taels of silver missing."
Fan Qi's face was filled with shame, his head almost lowered to his chest.
Zhou Shaojin comforted him, "It's okay, it's okay. At least he knows he can't stay in the capital anymore. As long as he stays away from us and doesn't do anything weird, that's all that's fine!"
Cheng Chi did not argue with Fan Qi because he was Zhou Shaojin's roommate and Fan Qi was just an ordinary person. Instead, he nodded and said to Fan Qi with a gentle look, "Be careful in the future. You go down and paint Cheng Lu's portrait with Huaishan, and I'll ask my men to be more careful."
Fan Qi was overjoyed, and with a sense of guilt about making amends, he and Huaishan retreated.
Cheng Chi warned her: "It's easy to dodge an open attack, but it's hard to guard against an arrow from the dark. You should be careful when you go out next time. It's best to bring Nanny Shang with you."
Having seen Nanny Shang's skills, Zhou Shaojin naturally responded without hesitation.
Someone from Xinglin Hutong came over to deliver an invitation, saying that Cheng Xu was getting married and asked Zhou Shaojin to go over to help. But the messenger also said, "Madam said that everything should be done to please the old lady. If the old lady has something to do, the fourth wife should do it for the old lady first!"
In the final analysis, she was just afraid that others would say that they were not close to each other if she didn't invite Zhou Shaojin, and she was really reluctant to invite Zhou Shaojin.
Zhou Shaojin was unhappy.
Yuan didn't want her to go, and she was worried that she had no excuse not to go!
"Go back and tell the lady that you are very grateful for her understanding. The old lady is really busy here, so I won't go over to help." She said gently to the woman who delivered the letter, "When the new bride comes to greet the old lady, I will give her a gift with the old lady."
Didn't she want to not go
She just won't go.
The woman didn't dare to raise her head when she heard this, wondering why she was so unlucky to be assigned such a difficult job - the mistress asked the fourth wife to serve the old lady here, and the fourth wife said that she would not go when the bride came to recognize her relatives. If the bride came to kowtow to the old lady to recognize her relatives, she would give her a gift, otherwise there would be no need to recognize her relatives!
I didn't expect that although the fourth wife looked weak, she was not someone who could be easily flattened.
The most pitiful one is herself. The first wife's words were passed on orally, and the fourth wife's words were also passed on orally. If the fourth wife did not attend the wedding, the relatives would definitely ask about it, and the first wife might push her out. She could neither say what the first wife said nor what the fourth wife said. Wouldn't she be considered a two-faced person
The woman nodded in agreement and retreated trembling with fear.
Chun Wan, who was listening to the conversation, was extremely angry. As soon as the old woman stepped out of the room, she immediately said, "Madam Yuan, what is this? What will we say if someone asks about this?"
Zhou Shaojin drank a sip of tea slowly and said, "What's wrong with saying it? No one can deny the old lady here, and no one can find fault with me serving the old lady here. Even if there is a mistake, it is her son's wedding. She is not afraid of embarrassment, so why should I be afraid!"
Chunwan thought about it and it made sense, and couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Zhou Shaojin glanced at her and said with a smile, "Okay, okay, let's go to the old lady. We have to tell her about this, otherwise she will think I don't want to help!"
I thought he still had some grudge against Cheng Xu.
Chunwan replied "yes" with a smile, helped Zhou Shaojin to dress up and put on makeup, and went to see Mrs. Guo.
Cheng Wei has moved, Cheng Xu is getting married, and Cheng Rang is about to get married. Old Madam Guo feels that these days are full of hope.
When Zhou Shaojin passed by, Mrs. Guo was trying on clothes. When she saw her, she smiled and waved, saying, "What do you think of me wearing this on the day of the recognition of my relatives?"
It is a dark green Hangzhou silk jacket with a double happiness vase pattern.
Zhou Shaojin smiled and said, "It would be even better if you paired it with some festive jewelry."
Mrs. Guo smiled and asked Zhenzhu to bring her jewelry box over. She said, "You hit the nail on the head. I wanted to wear the emerald set, but I think the color is a little dark."
Zhou Shaojin smiled and said, "The one made of mutton-fat jade is good."
Madam Guo smiled and said, "I forgot about this set." She asked Zhenzhu to take the key to open the storeroom and said, "I remember I have another set with pink agate. I wore it when I was young. Take it out and give it to Shaojin."
Zhou Shaojin smiled and said, "I'm not here to ask you for jewelry. The Fourth Master also buys me jewelry on a regular basis."
Madam Guo smiled and said, "I'll give it to you. You can leave it to your son, daughter, and daughter-in-law in the future, and let them know that this is what your grandmother left for them."
Zhou Shaojin's face suddenly turned red.
Shiro really liked her.
She took the initiative last night and Silang was very happy.
She just didn't believe that she couldn't succeed.
Mrs. Guo laughed at her look and was very satisfied.
Seeing that the old lady was happy, Zhou Shaojin thought about it and swallowed what Mrs. Yuan said. He only said that he and Qiu would go to visit Miss Xie in a few days.
Madam Guo understood better than she did, and said, "If I'm not mistaken, it should be the third or fourth daughter of the Xie family. I've also inquired about it. Although Mr. Xie's family is poor, they have a good family tradition. The two girls who got married are also well-known in their husband's family. They marry a wife of virtue, not dowry. If she has good character, don't stare at those worldly things. People are the foundation of a family."
Zhou Shaojin agreed respectfully.
On that day, I went to Daxiangguo Temple with Cheng Jia and Cheng Sheng.
As Mrs. Guo said, the girl Cheng Rang met was the third daughter of the Xie family. She was of medium height, with fair and delicate skin, a slightly round face, and baby fat, but her eyes were big, clear and bright. Her gestures were lively and cheerful, and she looked like a child who grew up in a loving mother and a kind brother.
Zhou Shaojin liked it at first sight.
Qiu and Cheng Sheng also liked her. Cheng Sheng even joked with Zhou Shaojin: "See, she is only two months younger than you."
The third young lady of the Xie family was named "Jue" and she got married on the fourth day of the first lunar month.
Zhou Shaojin had been teased by Cheng Sheng so many times that she had become thick-skinned. She coughed lightly and said in a serious tone, "Don't mention that you are two months younger than me. Even if you are six years older than me, you still have to call me 'Aunt'." As she said this, she glanced at Cheng Sheng.
Cheng Sheng was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, twisted Zhou Shaojin's face, and complained to Mrs. Qiu: "Mom, Auntie bullied me!"
Zhou Shaojin dodged with a smile.
Cheng Sheng is six years older than her.
Qiu watched and laughed, ignoring them, and said to Wu Zaoxiu's third daughter-in-law, Grandma Wu San, who was invited to help with the matchmaking, "When is the best time for the Xie family to match the two children's horoscopes?"
This is what it means to be chosen.
Grandma Wu San smiled happily and said, "I'll go tell the Xie family right away!" But she couldn't help but glance at Zhou Shaojin and said to Qiu with some envy, "You two sisters-in-law are so affectionate."
Mrs. Qiu glanced at Zhou Shaojin, who was being tickled by her daughter but didn't dare to stop her because she was pregnant. She also glanced at Cheng Ji, who was standing aside with her hands on her hips and watching the fun with her belly bulging, and said with a smile, "She's still young! I just treat her as my daughter."
Upon hearing this, Grandma Wu smiled and said, "I don't know what kind of blessing the Third Miss Xie family has been blessed to marry into your family."
Qiu pursed her lips and smiled.
Because Grandma Wu San still had to go and repay the Xie family, she took Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Sheng to eat vegetarian food at Daxiangguo Temple before returning.
Zhou Shaojin went straight to Tingxiang Courtyard and told Madam Guo the result of the fortune-telling. He said admiringly, "You are really good! I wish you were there at that time!"
If she wants to marry a wife or a daughter in the future, she must ask the old lady for her opinion.
Mrs. Guo couldn't help laughing when she saw her dependent look, but she was very happy in her heart.
The Cheng and Xie families discussed the engagement.
Zhou Shaojin went to Cheng Wei's house several times, and the rest of the time he stayed with Mrs. Guo.
Mrs. Guo also noticed something.
I quietly went to find Aunt Lu and asked, "Why didn't Shao Jin go to Xinglin Hutong to help?"
Zhou Shaojin did not deliberately conceal it, so what Yuan said naturally could not be hidden from the old people like Lu Ma at Chaoyang Gate.
Madam Lu tactfully told Madam Guo what had happened.
After hearing this, Mrs. Guo remained silent for a long time, and finally said, "Then let Shaojin stay with me. I really need someone to serve me here." Her expression was calm and her tone was gentle, but Madam Lu, who had served her for decades, secretly sighed for Yuan in her heart.
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