After returning to Wanxiangju, Zhou Shaojin did not close his eyes all night.
She kept paying close attention to the movements outside, but there was nothing, as if everything she had experienced was a dream.
The next morning, for the first time ever, she had dark circles under her eyes.
Shi Xiang and Chun Wan, who were helping her wash and dress, were not much better. Fan Liu, who was not on duty, came over early just to join in the fun, helping Shi Xiang and Chun Wan pass handkerchiefs and mirrors... She was busy running around, and her eyes fell on Zhou Shaojin several times, but she looked away with hesitation, wanting to say something.
No matter how slow Zhou Shaojin was, she could tell that Fan Liu had something to say to her.
She simply dismissed the other servants in the room and asked Fan Liushi: "Mom, what do you want to say?"
Upon hearing this, Fan Liushi exchanged glances with Shi Xiang and Chun Wan. The three of them knelt in front of Zhou Shaojin and whispered, "Second Miss, we thought about it again and again when we went back yesterday. We can only pretend that what happened to Chi Siye never happened. We should keep it to ourselves. No matter what happens in the future, we can't tell anyone who asks..."
As she spoke, she looked at Zhou Shaojin earnestly, as if she would not feel at ease until Zhou Shaojin gave her an answer.
Zhou Shaojin suddenly understood.
For the maids like Fan Liu who served closely in the inner courtyard, keeping secrets from the people they served was the most basic way of survival. They were afraid that they would tell others about this matter. Especially to their sister Zhou Chujin...
Of course she had to keep it a secret!
Otherwise, Uncle Chi would be implicated!
However, if Uncle Chi needed her to say it, she would definitely say it.
But at this time, there is no need for Fan Liu and the others to worry...
Zhou Shaojin signaled Fan Liu and the others to get up quickly, and said, "You are really thoughtful. I forgot to tell you. It's great that you think this way. You must have heard what Uncle Chi said yesterday. He has helped us to deal with this mess. If we drag him into it, we will be too guilty. Never mention this matter again!"
The three of them breathed a sigh of relief when they heard that and stood up happily.
Mrs. Fan Liu went downstairs to prepare breakfast for Zhou Shaojin. Chunwan instructed the maid to pour water for washing face and make the bed. Shi Xiang helped Zhou Shaojin change clothes. The room was filled with a lively and peaceful atmosphere again.
Zhou Chujin sent Dong Wan to ask Zhou Shaojin: "Last night, there was a fire in the fifth room. The eldest lady asked if the second lady was frightened?"
Zhou Shaojin felt a little scared at this moment.
It turned out that when the fourth room saw the fire from the fifth room, they started beating drums and gongs, and Qiuhan Pavilion got the news. Fearing that someone would take advantage of the chaos, they immediately issued a ban, requiring everyone in each room to stay indoors. If there was an emergency, they had to go out in pairs, otherwise anyone caught would be beaten with a stick, regardless of whether they were dead or alive.
The Cheng family is a kind-hearted family, so how could they beat or scold their maids at will
Such a ban has not been issued for several years.
No one dares to violate it.
Only then could they return to Wanxiangju safely without making any noise.
Otherwise, given her sister's concern for her, the Fifth House would have come to see her as soon as they found out about the fire, and she would have been exposed at that time...
This kind of difficult task is definitely not something she can do!
Zhou Shaojin thought with some pain, and smiled as he asked Dong Wan to take a message back: "I heard some noise yesterday, I don't know what happened, there was a fire in the fifth room, is it serious?"
Everyone in Wanxiangju knew that Zhou Shaojin was a carefree person, so Dong Wan did not suspect anything and said with a smile, "It is said that Master Nuo from the fifth house brought people to our house to gamble and accidentally burned the tree next to the waterside pavilion. Fortunately, our fourth house arrived in time and put out the fire immediately. Look, our eldest master was called over by the ancestor of the second house early in the morning, saying that he wanted to ask about this matter!"
She looked proud of it.
Zhou Shaojin secretly liked it in his heart.
If the responsibility for the fire was attributed to "Cheng Nuo inviting people to his house to gamble", then Cheng Yi's responsibility would be relatively less, right
If things are finally confirmed like this, the fourth house will owe Uncle Chi a huge favor.
However, I hope Cheng Yi can learn a lesson after this incident and not always ignore what others say.
By the time we went to pay our respects to Old Madam Guan, the news had already spread.
Old Mrs. Guan was so angry that she was shaking all over.
Without waiting for Cheng Mian to return from the second branch's ancestor Cheng Xu, he sent someone to bring Cheng Yi back from the fifth branch.
"You really bring honor to your parents!" Old Lady Guan made Cheng Yi kneel in the middle of the courtyard of Jiashu Hall and ordered Nanny Wang to hold a whip and interrogate him at the side.
"Who told you to gamble?"
"What is the Cheng family motto written in?"
"Are you still a descendant of the Cheng family?"
"Where have you read all your books?"
If you ask a question, you will be beaten with a stick.
In the sunlight, Cheng Yi's thin, white back was covered with blue and purple lines, which was shocking and unbearable to look at.
Cheng Yi lay on the spring stool, screaming like a pig being slaughtered.
Mrs. Miao hid in the tea room, covering her face and crying quietly, but she never said a word to plead for her son.
Zhou Shaojin couldn't help but look at his aunt differently.
She went forward and hugged Madam Mian, constantly comforting her: "If jade is not polished, it will not become a useful object. Grandmother is doing this for cousin Yi's own good. Sister has already sent someone to invite a doctor. Nanny Wang is also very sensible, so nothing will happen."
Mrs. Miao nodded with tears in her eyes and held Zhou Shaojin's hand tightly.
But Cheng Mian was not satisfied with this outcome. He called Cheng Yi to his study and not only gave him a scolding, but also asked Cheng Gao to supervise him and make him copy the "Spring and Autumn Annals" ten times.
Cheng Yi wailed endlessly and from then on he was immersed in a sea of literature and ink.
Old Lady Guan called Cheng Mian over to talk to her: "What did the old ancestor say?"
Compared to Cheng Yi's succumbing to the temptation of gambling due to his youth, how to evaluate this financial loss will have a greater impact on Cheng Yi's future.
Cheng Mian smiled and said, "You don't have to worry! The old ancestor was very pleased with our vigilance. He praised me for my good management of the family and asked me to help Zichuan manage the general affairs..."
Mrs. Guan immediately became nervous when she heard this and asked hurriedly, "Do you agree?"
"How is that possible?" Cheng Mian laughed, "Zichuan has taken good care of the family affairs and knows how to use people. He himself has nothing to do. What can I do there? Help Zichuan or compete with him? I'm not that confused. Don't worry, mother."
"It's good that you understand it in your heart." Old Mrs. Guan breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this.
Cheng Mian said: "We have also investigated the fire. They were the ones who accidentally lit something on fire. We should be careful with candlelight next time."
Old Mrs. Guan nodded.
After hearing this, Zhou Shaojin finally felt relieved.
However, the difference between the fifth branch and the others was immediately apparent when it came to dealing with their children’s gambling.
Cheng Wen just beat Cheng Nuo and left him alone. Cheng Ju's family doted on him even more, and his mother, Mrs. Yu, brought him to apologize to Cheng Chi, who was in charge of the Cheng family's affairs, and said something like "his father was too embarrassed to come to see you, so he asked me to bring him here. You can beat him or scold him, as the fourth master can do."
It is said that Cheng Chi laughed a few times, said a few words to Cheng Ju in a non-threatening manner, and then sent Cheng Ju and his mother away.
The ancestor of the second branch, Cheng Xu, wanted to investigate why no one discovered and put out the fire in time when the fifth branch caught fire.
Cheng Wen's knees were still hurting after being punished by Cheng Xu to kneel. He was just about to find fault with Madam Wen, but something like this happened and the fire started in the inner house again. Cheng Wen became excited as if he had taken a tonic pill. He called all of Madam Wen's brothers from her family and shouted that Madam Wen was incompetent as a housekeeper and wanted to divorce her.
The Cheng family has never had a wife divorced.
This is of course a joke.
It's just to embarrass Mrs. Wen.
Mrs. Wen was caught with something wrong, and she didn't even have a word to say to defend herself. Mrs. Yuan from the eldest house was proud of her status and never talked about the gossips with the sisters-in-law. Mrs. Hong from the second house was a taciturn person, and Mrs. Mian from the fourth house was a peacemaker. She pulled Mrs. Jiang to cry and complain. Jiang was so overwhelmed that she couldn't just ignore it. The whole Jiuru Lane felt like a mess.
The disputes among the elders look like a big drama to the younger generation.
Cheng Ji was drinking iced plum soup while whispering to Zhou Shaojin: "Do you think Uncle Wen Wu will take this opportunity to bring the concubine back?"
Before Zhou Shaojin could speak, Pan Qing said sternly, "If he brings this up again at this time, he must be crazy. Even if his family agrees to divorce Madam Wen, they won't let him take his mistress back. This is related to the family rules. If it breaks the rules of hierarchy, there will be trouble in the future."
Cheng Ji was very dissatisfied with Pan Qing's interruption and pouted, "You know that!"
Pan Qing ignored her and lowered his head to practice calligraphy quietly.
Cheng Ji asked Zhou Shaojin: "If you were Aunt Wenwu, what would you do?"
"I," Zhou Shaojin was stunned for a moment, and said seriously, "I probably won't go this far, right? If a man likes it, just let him take it in. What's the point of arguing like this?"
At best she could just go and live on the farm.
It's not like she hasn't lived there before.
Cheng Ji disagreed with Zhou Shaojin's answer, but after thinking about it carefully, Zhou Shaojin really was that kind of person.
She whispered to Zhou Shaojin, "My mother said that if you encounter such a thing, it's best not to make a fuss. Place a few prettier and more likable people around Uncle Wenwu. If both sides still can't get away from it, then bring someone in - the farther away, the more fragrant. The closer, the more smelly. And you're afraid you won't be able to deal with the person. If you make a fuss like this, you'll lose face completely."
Unless you encounter this kind of thing, no one dares to say that they can handle it well.
Zhou Shaojin nodded perfunctorily.
Pan Qing, who was standing by, had a glimpse of disdain in his eyes.
Cheng Yi, however, felt aggrieved in another way.
He limped over to Zhou Shaojin's place and said, "... I asked around, we didn't set the fire at all, but when the fire broke out, no one in Room 5 put out the fire. That Qin Mian was like a black-faced god, and after a few questions, it turned out that we set the fire... Don't you think it's unfair?"
Cheng Yi lay on the couch in Zhou Shaojin's west wing study, pulling Zhou Shaojin's wolf-hair brush as if to vent his anger.
Zhou Shaojin's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he said, "Qin Mian? Who is he? How come I have never heard of him?"
"Oh!" Cheng Yi said lazily, "He is the grandson of the chief steward Qin. He has served Uncle Chi since he was a child. Later, Uncle Chi took charge of the family affairs, and he also began to work as a steward in the mansion... He is out collecting debts most of the time and only comes back during the New Year holidays... This is the first time I met him... I didn't expect that the people around Uncle Chi are so powerful! However, they really wronged us in this matter..."
Zhou Shaojin was no longer interested in what he chattered about afterwards.
She knew that Manager Qin was Cheng Chi's man, and Cheng Chi would be fine, and that was enough.
But who is this Jiying
※
Today’s extra update!
O(∩_∩)O~
The evening update is at the old time.
※(To be continued)