Zhou Shaojin called Fan Qi in and told him, "From now on, go to Pingqiao Street to visit Nanny Yu every two or three days. When you go, you can buy some pears and dates and chat with her. If anyone asks, just say that I am grateful to my biological mother and want to take care of Nanny Yu!"
Fan Qi was puzzled and said, "She is now being raised by Zhou Jiarong, what else does the second young lady want? Does she need to be rewarded with another house and hire maids to serve her? She is used to working in the outer courtyard, and is respected as an old lady. I am afraid she doesn't even have anyone to talk to. It is better for her to be respected by the maids in front of her and behind her like now. She can work when she wants to and rest when she doesn't want to work. It is better for her to be free and at ease."
Zhou Shaojin smiled and said, "Have you heard the story of 'buying bones for a thousand gold coins'?"
Fan Qi shook his head.
Zhou Shaojin suppressed his laughter and said, "Go find someone to ask later! But you have to do what I asked you to do, or I'll tell your mother." He took out another two hundred yuan and said, "This is for you to buy things. Don't tell me again."
He couldn't understand what the second young lady said at all.
Fan Qi walked out with his head down.
I met Shi Xiang head-on.
Fan Qi's eyes rolled around, and he pulled Shi Xiang to a secluded place and said, "Sister Shi Xiang, do you know the story of 'Buying Bones for a Thousand Gold'?"
"I know." Shi Xiang didn't know what Fan Qi meant, so she told Fan Qi what was written in the book.
Fan Qi understood now.
It turns out that the second young lady wanted to use Yu Mama as a hook to lure out all the people who had served her biological mother... But what would they do with them? Would they also keep them as pets? And worship them
Fan Qi didn't understand.
But he still obediently carried a few pears and half a pound of dates to the Zhou family's ancestral home in Pingqiao Street.
Cheng Ji came to Zhou Shaojin angrily and took the initiative to drive out all the servants in Zhou Shaojin's room.
“How shameless!” Seeing that no one was in the room, she immediately showed a disgusted expression, “Do you know, Pan Qing, she actually went to Qingxi Lake for a walk, and just happened to meet Brother Xu Cong, and even chatted and laughed with Brother Xu Cong, saying that she admired Brother Xu Cong’s knowledge and character, and wanted to ask Brother Xu Cong for advice on playing the piano, and asked Brother Xu Cong if he could recommend her to Madam Guo, and she wanted to learn calligraphy from Madam Guo... You didn’t see how delicate she was, and she was like this..." She made an affectionate expression, "It’s so corny... I knew she was shameless, but I didn’t expect her to be so shameless! It’s a pity that Brother Xu Cong smiled at her humbly and politely, and spoke to her in a soft voice... I’m about to vomit my overnight meal... She has never been so gentle in front of us..."
Zhou Shaojin was stunned and asked, "How did you know?"
Cheng Jia, who was talking nonstop, was suddenly stuck. After hesitating for a long time, she murmured, "I, I asked someone to follow her..." After saying this, she felt that she was too guilty. She immediately straightened her back and shouted in a bluffing manner, "This is not my fault! It's her fault that she is always hypocritical to me. I must expose her true face and let my mother see if she is really gentle and respectful... so that my mother won't use her to teach me a lesson every time she sees me..."
Cheng Ji is like a child.
Zhou Shaojin, however, couldn't laugh at all.
If it weren't for Cheng Ji, she might not have known that Pan Qing could humble herself so much in order to marry Cheng Xu.
But this is all Pan Qing's own business.
But she shouldn't use her sister Zhou Chujin to fulfill her reputation.
Zhou Shaojin thought about the discussions of the maids.
Her elder sisters were all about to get married, but for their own selfish reasons, they still dragged her into gossip.
Zhou Shaojin sneered in his heart and asked Cheng Ji: "Besides you, who else knows about this?"
Zhou Shaojin didn't teach her a lesson like an old scholar. Cheng Ji was overjoyed. She rolled her eyes at her and said angrily, "Do you think I'm stupid? Aren't we best friends? I haven't told anyone except you." After saying that, she said distressedly, "But what should I do about this? Should I just let her go on like this? What if someone sees it? Wouldn't it be so embarrassing! How unlucky I am to be a cousin with Pan Qing!"
Zhou Shaojin looked at the ignorant Cheng Ji and suddenly felt sad.
Qingxi Lake is located in the backyard of Jiuru Lane. Cheng Family Garden is built along the lake. The main house is to the west, and the second house is to the east. If people from the third house want to go there for a walk, they have to pass through the second house...
If no one had passed the message to Pan Qing, how could Pan Qing go for a walk so far away? And how could he have run into Cheng Xu by chance
Cheng Ji knew nothing.
Was she really an accomplice in her own humiliation
Zhou Shaojin asked Cheng Jia in a deep voice, "Why didn't cousin Zheng stop them from competing in playing the qin at Yuicui Pavilion that day?"
"You're still talking." Cheng Ji didn't notice Zhou Shaojin's mood at all. She said angrily, "You ran away by yourself that day, leaving me there to make a fool of myself. I couldn't sit or stand, so I went back and scolded my eldest brother. He said that it was because Shi Congxiong agreed that he couldn't stop it - after all, Shi Congxiong is the eldest brother!"
Yeah
If Cheng Yu objects, will Cheng Shi embarrass his cousin over such a harmless matter
It turns out that many things are different from what we see and the facts.
Just like Cheng Ji, she always thought she was a gifted girl, with parents who held her in the palm of their hands, grandparents who obeyed her in everything, and a brother who took care of her in every way... But in fact, she was married far away!
Zhou Shaojin looked at Cheng Ji as if he saw himself in his past life.
However, Cheng Ji never woke up until her death, but fortunately she was blessed by the Bodhisattva and was reborn!
She asked Cheng Ji: "Do you want Pan Qing to go back earlier?"
Cheng Ji stared at Zhou Shaojin blankly.
She had never seen Zhou Shaojin like this before—her voice was low, her eyes were solemn, and her expression was serious.
"You, what are you going to do?" Cheng Ji was a little scared and stammered, "I can only hate her at most, but I can't really embarrass her... Otherwise, my grandmother will definitely be very sad..."
Zhou Shaojin's vision immediately blurred.
In the end, Cheng Ji only thought about the good of his family...
"You make it sound like I'm going to kill someone or burn anything." She laughed, "I just want to embarrass Pan Qing and make her stop being so complacent in the future."
"Ouch!" Cheng Ji patted his chest, "You scared me to death. Just to embarrass her, that's fine!"
Zhou Shaojin said: "But you have to do me a favor."
Cheng Ji said hurriedly: "Go ahead, go ahead."
"You have to help me find out who proposed to go to Yuicui Pavilion to compete in piano playing." Zhou Shaojin said.
"Why?" Cheng Ji was very disappointed.
"I have to know the whole story before I can find a solution, right?" Zhou Shaojin wanted to know Cheng Shi's stance on this matter.
Be it Cheng Shi, Cheng Zheng, or the third wife, she currently has no way to contact any of them.
Cheng Ji agreed immediately and asked her with blinking eyes: "What good ideas do you have? Tell me!"
Zhou Shaojin didn’t think of it for the time being, she just vaguely felt that her grandmother’s birthday might be a good opportunity.
"Once you find out who proposed to go to the Yu Cui Pavilion to compete in the piano, we can discuss it in detail."
Cheng Ji is more careless than Zhou Shaojin.
She probably thought that when the time came, all she had to do was embarrass Pan Qing. As for what she would do before that and how it would end, it had nothing to do with her.
It was just like Zhou Shaojin set a fire in the fifth room.
She chatted with Zhou Shaojin for a long time, and repeatedly assured Zhou Shaojin that she would not tell anyone about Pan Qing. Only then did she leave Wanxiangju contentedly.
Zhou Chujin was afraid that Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Ji would go out and make trouble, so he said, "On grandma's birthday, many people will come to celebrate. Although they are not as many as the elders from the first and second houses, they are all close relatives from the fourth house and have watched you and me grow up. Don't run around these few days. Be careful not to get tanned. Others will think you have a bad temper. After grandma's birthday, you can go wherever you want to play."
My sister always worries about her!
Zhou Shaojin felt that based on the way his sister behaved in her previous life, it was impossible for her to be completely unaware of the third wife's thoughts.
She told her sister about Pan Qing.
Zhou Chujin was not shocked. She was silent for a long time and told Zhou Shaojin: "Just know about this. Don't go to the third room anymore. Sister didn't suffer any loss. But you were lucky that day. You were called away. Otherwise, if you stayed there, Cheng Ji had the evidence and my cousin would protect you. I... I'm afraid I can't protect you."
Zhou Shaojin hugged his sister tightly.
She listened to her sister, and apart from going to Jing'an Zhai to study and to Hanbi Shanfang to copy scriptures, she would either chat with Old Madam Guan or do needlework in the house.
During this period, Cheng Ji asked Cui Huan to inform her: "Madam said that Master Zhuo has achieved fame and success, so he is no longer a child and should have his own friends and confidants. In addition to the banquet at Furong Pavilion, we also held a banquet at Tingyu Pavilion in the outer courtyard and invited Master Shi, Master Zheng and others. It was our Master Zheng who said that since everyone came to congratulate Master Zhuo, why not use tea instead of wine, and use the zither to make friends and hold a tea party. Master Shi has always liked these elegant things and responded immediately. Then everyone discussed and decided to hold the venue at Yuicui Pavilion..."
One is just stirring up trouble, the other is fanning the flames...
Zhou Shaojin thought about the delicate relationship between Cheng Shi and Cheng Zheng after she left the Cheng family.
If Cheng Shi didn't know Cheng Zheng's intentions and the Third House's plan... she would rather jump into Mochou Lake.
Maybe, in their previous life, they joined forces to push themselves into the abyss!
Zhou Shaojin walked back and forth in the room.
Fan Qi came to tell her, "Second Miss, there is an old beggar who said that he used to drive a carriage for Old Master Zhuang... He must meet you... I heard him speak with details..." He looked at Zhou Shaojin cautiously, "Look, do you want to meet him or not?"
There is news so soon!
Zhou Shaojin hurriedly asked, "Yes, why not? Where is that person now?"
Fan Qi said: "I was afraid that the man was a scoundrel, so I didn't dare to bring him to my house, so I handed him over to Ma, the chief steward. Ma placed him in a small inn on Pingqiao Street and provided him with good food and drink..."
This is really good news.
Zhou Shaojin showed a long-lost smile.
※
Sisters, I have to have a physical examination tomorrow morning, and the update is tentatively scheduled for around 3 pm. I will adjust it as soon as possible.
O(∩_∩)O~
※(To be continued)