Sure enough, when Mrs. Guo heard that Cheng Chi didn't want to have too much relationship with Lord Song and didn't want to go to Kaifeng Mansion to help Zhang Hui, instead of being worried about his mother and wife at home, her expression softened a lot and she said, "Your concerns are reasonable. However, everything has its pros and cons. You are an adult now, so I won't take care of this matter. You can make your own decision!"
Zhou Shaojin's lips twitched, and he was about to express his opinion when he saw Cheng Chi glancing at him.
She swallowed her words immediately.
Cheng Chi then smiled and said, "I'm ready to go. But there are some things I still need to bargain with Elder Song. I didn't expect him to be so impatient and come first. Since that's the case, I can't keep pretending. I'll go to him after I finish my work tomorrow."
Not only Mrs. Guo, but also Zhou Shaojin was very happy. They said, "Don't worry, Fourth Master. With mother here, nothing will happen at home."
Cheng Chi smiled slightly.
Madam Guo smiled and said, "I am not the Bodhisattva who protects the house."
Zhou Shaojin tried to please Madam Guo and said with a smile, "You are more powerful than the Bodhisattva who guards the house. If it weren't for you, how could Chaoyang Gate be so well organized?"
That's true.
Thanks to the guidance of Madam Guo, the maids and servants at Chaoyang Gate have become well-behaved and have the manners of aristocratic families in just over a year.
Mrs. Guo smiled slightly.
Zhou Shaojin went over and said, "What flowers did you order in Fengtai? When can they be delivered? When the flowers arrive, I want to arrange the flowers with my mother."
"Okay, okay, okay." Madam Guo thought that if Cheng Chi went to Kaifeng Mansion, he would not be able to come back for the New Year this year. Zhou Shaojin was pregnant and needed someone to accompany her. She must accompany the child well. She couldn't help but doting, "I bought a lot of your favorite wintersweets and camellias today, as well as daffodils, hyacinths, and sword orchids. When the flowers are delivered, I will decorate the house with you."
Zhou Shaojin nodded with a smile.
Cheng Chi felt relieved.
Now that Shaojin has something to do, she won't be thinking about him all day.
But when I think about it this way, I feel a little uncomfortable.
Shao Jin no longer thought about him, but he was thinking about her!
So at the end of October, Cheng Chi's transfer order came out.
Zhang Hui's staff who stayed in the capital to deal with the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works came to visit Cheng Chi that evening, wishing that Cheng Chi would set off early the next morning.
Zhou Shaojin was sitting in the Tingxiang Courtyard, where the heating was turned on, doing needlework with the maids and chatting with Old Madam Guo. Hearing this, she was surprised and asked, "Is there a shortage of people over there?"
Madam Guo smiled and said, "It's probably not because they are short of people, but because Zichuan impeached Lord Qu and exempted some taxes for the river workers according to the law. He has gained some reputation. Lord Zhang wants Zichuan to go there earlier so that the dredging work can proceed more smoothly."
Zhou Shaojin wanted to ask if it would be bad for Cheng Chi, but then he thought of how powerful Cheng Chi was, and smiled and kept this sentence in his heart, and began to help Cheng Chi pack his luggage for Kaifeng Prefecture. Seeing that several of his fur coats and cloaks were made by her before she entered the house, he thought about finding some good leather for Cheng Chi and buying him a few more fur coats and cloaks.
She opened her own boxes and searched for a long time, and found a few pieces of the best mink fur, but it was not enough to make a fur coat. Also, it was a contraband, so she could only make it inside out and wear it under her clothes. She gave a piece of fur to the steward Xiang and asked him to find a few identical ones in the capital. In addition to making a fur coat for Cheng Chi for the New Year, she also made a headband for Madam Guo for the winter.
Xiang went to the steward to look for sable fur, and Zhou Shaojin went to Nanping.
The chief steward Qin took his descendants back to his hometown. The wedding of Qin Ziping and Jiying was held in his hometown, but Qin Ziping and Qin Zian did not stay in their hometown. Qin Ziping still worked in the Six Constables, while Qin Zian went to the West Mountain Camp. Jiying stayed in his hometown to serve the chief steward Qin. Zhou Shaojin thought it was unreasonable and asked Cheng Chi quietly. Only then did he know that Jiying stayed not only to serve the elders of the Qin family, but also because Jiying was good at swordsmanship. The Qin family had left behind several good sword manuals. The chief steward Qin kept Jiying to help organize these sword manuals of the Qin family. He was also afraid that the newlyweds would not be able to help but consummate their marriage, which would damage Jiying's cultivation.
Zhou Shaojin opened his eyes wide when he heard this.
Ji Ying and Qin Ziping... haven't consummated their marriage yet!
He also wrote a letter to Jiying, asking her if she wanted to return to the capital.
Ji Ying then asked her what she was doing in the capital, and then she wrote a letter about the sword manual she had compiled, and said that if Zhou Shaojin had a son, she would take him in as her apprentice, and she would make sure that he would become a martial arts master.
Not a word was mentioned about Qin Zian.
Zhou Shaojin's shoulders drooped at that time.
Nanping, on the other hand, has always stayed in the Cheng family.
But Cheng Chi no longer asked her to help him with needlework. Instead, he reserved a small courtyard in the east yard and asked Wang Niangzi, who came from the needlework room in Jiuru Lane, Jinling, to live with her. When she was free, she helped teach the maids in the mansion some needlework.
But after the winter this year, Nanping caught a cold, and Zhou Shaojin was pregnant, so she hadn't seen Nanping for some time.
She had never made a fur coat for a man before, so she asked Nanping for some advice.
Who would have known that after she entered the room and sat down on the big kang by the window, she saw out of the corner of her eye a half-finished spring dress for men stuffed in the sewing basket under the kang table.
Zhou Shaojin remembered that Cheng Chi's clothes had long been given to Madam Wang.
She couldn't help but look at it a few more times.
Nan Ping, who was pouring tea for her, saw it and her face suddenly flushed. She murmured, "It belongs to Qin Erlang. He is now in the West Mountain Camp, living alone. Sometimes he would ask people to bring some clothes to me for mending... I have nothing to do, so I am going to make him a spring dress..."
Zhou Shaojin said "Oh" as if nothing had happened, and then told her about making a fur coat for Cheng Chi.
Nan Ping spoke more and more naturally, and gave her many suggestions. Finally, he said, "You are pregnant now, so you can't work hard. How about I help you, Fourth Master?"
"No need." Zhou Shaojin smiled, "I want to make him a fur coat myself."
Anyway, the statue of Guanyin has been embroidered, and it only needs to be sent to Putuo Mountain on a certain day. Cheng Chi is going to Kaifeng soon, so she has time to do needlework.
Nanping said nothing more.
The two talked for a few more words, and then Zhou Shaojin stood up and said goodbye.
But as soon as she got back to the house, she immediately gossiped to Cheng Chi: "... Although he lives alone, it's hard to find a maid to clean up for him, and she even made spring clothes for him..."
Cheng Chi laughed, not surprised at all, obviously he knew it.
Zhou Shaojin couldn't help but pout and said, "You don't tell me anything?"
Cheng Chi kissed her and said, "How can I say such a thing? It all depends on whether they are destined to be together. A few years ago, Chief Steward Qin also asked Nan Ping. At that time, Qin Zining had just gone there, so Chief Steward Qin couldn't say anything. If she can marry Qin Zian, both Chief Steward Qin and I will be happy to see it happen. Otherwise, she is so old, why would I keep her in the mansion?"
Nanping's parents were both servants of the Cheng family and were left in Jinling as slaves.
If she went home, Qin Zian and her would be completely broken up.
Zhou Shaojin nodded repeatedly, looking as if he couldn't wait to marry Nanping off, which made Cheng Chi laugh again.
After packing his luggage, he went to the Ministry of Revenue to get the documents for taking office. On an auspicious day, Cheng Jing, Mrs. Guo and Zhou Shaojin sent Cheng Chi to his new post.
When Cheng Chi's carriage disappeared on the official road, they returned home.
Cheng Jing even came over to tell Zhou Shaojin: "If there is anything happening at home, please send a message to me."
Zhou Shaojin thanked him.
Two days later, it snowed heavily. Yuan brought Min Jia to deliver a big pot of mutton soup to honor Mrs. Guo, while Qiu brought Abao and Aren to pay respects to Mrs. Guo. They happened to meet each other, so Mrs. Guo sent a letter to Cheng Xu and Cheng Rang, asking them to come over for mutton soup hotpot.
Cheng Rang was at Sanming Academy, which was closer to here. He arrived first, and after paying his respects to Mrs. Guo and others, he took Abao and Aren to make a snowman.
The two children's eyes lit up when they saw him, which showed that they usually got along well with him. They giggled when they were making snowmen, and kept calling Cheng Rang "Second Uncle" and "Second Uncle". Cheng Rang also played with them patiently, which made Qiu and Zhou Shaojin, who were a little worried and watched them through the window, smile with relief.
After a while, Cheng Xu came over.
Also coming with him were Cheng Sheng's husband Peng Zao and Cheng Sheng.
This left Qiu dumbfounded.
His son, daughter, son-in-law and even his two nephews were all there.
She asked Cheng Sheng in surprise: "Why are you here?"
Cheng Sheng smiled and said, "It was snowing so heavily. My husband only wore a cotton robe when he went out early in the morning. I was afraid that he would be cold, so I took a fur coat to him. As a result, I met Jiashan at the door. He said that his grandmother asked him to come over for dinner and made mutton hot pot, so we came together."
Cheng Xu and Peng Zao are now both studying in Shuanghe Academy, but they have different teachers. Although they often meet, they don't spend much time together.
Old Madam Guo looked very happy. She loudly told the maids and servants to set out the chopsticks, and then pulled Cheng Xu and Peng Zao aside to ask about their homework.
Peng Zao had heard from his parents a long time ago that Cheng Shao, Cheng Jing, Cheng Wei and Cheng Chi were all educated by Old Madam Guo. His parents all respected Old Madam Guo very much, so he naturally did not dare to be careless and answered questions with the same spirit as if he were in front of a teacher. This made Old Madam Guo very satisfied. She nodded continuously and praised Peng Zao again and again.
Zhou Shaojin still remembered that Peng Zao passed the imperial examination at a young age, one subject earlier than Cheng Gao. Now it seems that she was not wrong.
Min Jia couldn't stop glancing at Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Xu.
Cheng Xu looked at his nose with his eyes, and his heart with his nose, and did not look at Zhou Shaojin.
Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Sheng were watching Mrs. Guo testing Peng Zao's homework, and they didn't even look at Cheng Xu.
But for some reason, the more Min Jia looked at it, the worse she felt.
Her mother-in-law, Yuan, is really nosy.
If it weren't for Yuan, how could she have fallen into such a situation
With her looks, personality, and talent, is she afraid that she won't be able to find a good husband
Min Jia simply whispered something to the maid serving in the room, and stood under the porch to cool off for a while. Only then did she feel better. She didn't come in until the maids called her to eat.
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Hey guys, today's update.
O(∩_∩)O~
PS: Please give me a monthly ticket...
※(To be continued)