The dog and bird were separated, and Floating Jade Pavilion finally became peaceful.

Zhou Shaojin breathed a sigh of relief, annoyed that all this commotion had disturbed Old Madam Guo. She personally refilled Old Madam Guo’s tea and invited her to stay for the evening meal.

Old Madam Guo rather enjoyed the liveliness of Floating Jade Pavilion and said with a smile, “Your Uncle Chi has returned. I was originally planning to hold a welcome banquet for him, so let’s have our meal in the main quarters.”

These past few days, Zhou Shaojin had been taking all her meals except breakfast with Old Madam Guo in the main quarters. Hearing this, her face couldn’t help but flush slightly, feeling that she had just accepted Uncle Chi’s gift and then forgotten all about Uncle Chi himself.

Seeing her expression, Old Madam Guo guessed what was going on and smiled, “You and your Uncle Chi are from different generations, so naturally there are some things you wouldn’t think of.”

This made Zhou Shaojin’s face turn even redder.

Old Madam and Uncle Chi had always been lenient and kind toward her, yet she had become too indulgent with herself, failing to respect Uncle Chi as an elder. This was a bad habit she needed to correct.

Old Madam Guo chuckled and asked Zhou Shaojin about her visit to Oriole Hall.

Only then did Zhou Shaojin remember Cheng Yi’s comments about Fifth Branch’s Elder Master Cheng Wen keeping a mistress. She exclaimed “Oh my!” and hurriedly told Old Madam Guo about it.

Old Madam Guo’s expression grew serious.

Since Cheng Yi had been teasing Ji Ying, what good words could there be?

At the time, Old Madam Guo hadn’t asked about the specific situation.

She had previously thought that Cheng Wen keeping a mistress would only affect the Fifth Branch and affect Cheng Nuo, but now it seemed the impact of this matter was far more serious than she had imagined.

After thinking for a moment, Old Madam Guo asked, “Have you mentioned this to your Uncle Chi?”

Zhou Shaojin’s face burned with embarrassment.

When she had just arrived at Uncle Chi’s place, she had completely forgotten about this matter.

“No,” she murmured, making excuses for herself. “At the time, Uncle Chi was busy with something…”

Old Madam Guo knew that her youngest son, when busy, would ignore everyone regardless of kinship. She assumed Zhou Shaojin had met with a rebuff there and felt embarrassed. She comforted Zhou Shaojin, “It’s alright, it’s alright. Your Uncle Chi is just like that. In the future, if you have anything, just tell me. Like this time, you did very well. This kind of thing may seem trivial to others, but a thousand-mile dike can collapse from an ant hole.” As she spoke, Old Madam Guo affectionately took Zhou Shaojin’s hand and patted it, praising, “That you could see the root of the problem is very good, very good!”

Saying “very good” twice made Zhou Shaojin feel so embarrassed that she could only quietly invite Old Madam Guo to have some tea.

Old Madam Guo picked up her tea cup with a smile and took a sip, then sighed, “I’m afraid your Uncle Chi has known about this matter for some time now. Otherwise he wouldn’t have had Jiashan go live in Algae Garden… I even thought your Uncle Chi was being too strict with Jiashan, but now it seems he couldn’t have been more right. These masters from the Cheng family with the ‘yan’ radical in their names really do need to be dealt with.”

Zhou Shaojin was stunned.

Was Uncle Chi’s reason for having Cheng Xu move to Algae Garden really what Old Madam Guo said?

The thought flashed through her mind. Her heart was already in complete chaos. Whatever Old Madam Guo said afterward, how she responded, she had no recollection of any of it. Only when Old Madam Guo sent a young maid to tell Cheng Chi not to go out in the evening and to stay home for the evening meal did she come back to her senses.

When the little maid returned, she said, “Fourth Master says that since Second Cousin Miss has invited Old Madam to stay at Floating Jade Pavilion, the evening meal should be set up at Floating Jade Pavilion. He’ll come over to take a look.”

Since Zhou Shaojin moved to Floating Jade Pavilion, Cheng Chi hadn’t visited yet.

Since he was the one who had kept her in the First Branch, given his personality, he would certainly want to come see.

Old Madam Guo nodded with a smile and gave the orders.

Chun Wan and the others immediately busied themselves.

By the time Cheng Chi arrived, the hall doors of Floating Jade Pavilion were wide open. Tea plum bushes as tall as a person had been placed in the corners of the walls, the table was set up, and chopsticks were laid out on it—everything arranged with care as if waiting for someone to come and begin the meal.

Cheng Chi felt quite satisfied seeing this.

After washing his hands and having the evening meal, he was even more satisfied.

Although the dishes were all light Hangzhou-style cuisine, the kitchen staff had prepared them with care, and the taste was very good.

Cheng Chi rewarded the kitchen staff.

Old Madam Guo was very pleased to see this and said to Zhou Shaojin with a smile, “Your Uncle Chi hasn’t been in such good spirits for many years. Clearly your Uncle Chi’s trip went very smoothly this time.”

Zhou Shaojin was still preoccupied with the reason for Cheng Xu going to Algae Garden to study, so hearing this, she only managed a forced smile.

Old Madam Guo didn’t notice, but Cheng Chi saw it clearly.

What was wrong with this little girl now?

When she came to find him at Oriole Hall, she had been so happy and excited. How had her mood turned sour in the blink of an eye?

Could it be that Mother had said something to her?

Cheng Chi calmly stood up, walked to the covered corridor, and said, “These few peony plants are well-maintained. I certainly sent that bird to the right person!”

Zhou Shaojin hurried over and said, “Does Uncle Chi really like them? I have a few more plants in my flower room. Shall I have someone send them to your quarters later?”

“No need,” Cheng Chi said with a smile. “I’m constantly coming and going, often away from home. No matter how good the flowers are, without people around they wither very quickly.”

That was true.

Otherwise why do they say only idle people raise flowers?

Flowers need people or they lose their spirit.

So they need constant company.

But this was the first time Cheng Chi had taken a liking to something of Zhou Shaojin’s, and Zhou Shaojin felt she absolutely had to think of something no matter what.

She smiled and said, “How about when you’re here, you keep the flowers in your quarters, and when you go out, you move them to my place and I’ll take care of them for you?”

Cheng Chi was noncommittal.

Old Madam Guo, hearing their conversation, thought it was a good idea. She also came out of the hall and said to Cheng Chi, “You really should keep a few potted flowers in your quarters. With flowers in the room, it looks completely different—much more alive.”

Cheng Chi said nothing.

Old Madam Guo seemed to remember something, and the smile on her face gradually faded.

For a moment the atmosphere became somewhat cold.

Zhou Shaojin didn’t know why, but since she didn’t want to see either Cheng Chi or Old Madam Guo uncomfortable, she pretended not to notice anything and said with a giggle, “Uncle Chi must not like peonies. I also have a few cymbidium orchids that are usually lush green. They have very small yellow flowers that dot the green leaves like little stars—very beautiful. I’ll have someone move them to your quarters later.”

Old Madam Guo suddenly felt rather fortunate that she had agreed to let Zhou Shaojin move into Cold Jade Mountain House.

Though this girl wasn’t as clever and sharp as others, she was gentle, considerate, and sincere with people. Having her innocently stirring things up between them made the relationship between mother and son not as tense as before.

She smiled and encouraged Zhou Shaojin, “Then later have someone move a few cymbidium orchids to your Uncle Chi’s quarters.” She added, “The cymbidium you gave me last time was very nice.”

Zhou Shaojin cheerfully agreed.

Cheng Chi watched feeling annoyed.

This silly girl knew nothing, yet whatever Mother said she just agreed to, mindlessly going along with it. One day she would surely be sold off by someone and not even know it.

He was too lazy to say more to them. After looking around the courtyard and seeing that everything was arranged as he had instructed, he turned and went back to the hall.

Zhou Shaojin invited him to the sitting room for tea.

Cheng Chi took the opportunity to also look at the study and the small Buddhist shrine.

Seeing that the altar in the small Buddhist shrine was still empty, he said as if unintentionally, “I remember you worship Guanyin. Why aren’t you making offerings anymore?”

Had she mentioned this before?

However, everyone who went to Putuo Mountain to offer incense worshipped Guanyin, and she had been to Putuo Mountain to offer incense.

Zhou Shaojin didn’t suspect anything and said with a smile, “Originally my sister and I worshipped together, but after she married and went to Zhenjiang, I had her take it with her.”

Cheng Chi gave a soft “Mm,” his expression seemingly becoming somewhat gentler as he said, “As it happens, I have a Guanyin statue. I had originally planned to give it to someone on this trip to the capital, but it wasn’t needed in the end. I’ll have someone bring it over later. The abbot of Ganquan Temple blessed it.”

Zhou Shaojin was overjoyed.

These past few days, having to wait until after breakfast in the morning to go to the Buddhist shrine to offer incense to the Bodhisattva, she had felt both that it lacked sincerity and that it was uncomfortable.

“Thank you so much, Uncle Chi!” She smiled as brilliantly as a flower, dazzling Cheng Chi’s eyes for a moment.

While instructing Qingfeng to fetch the Guanyin statue, Cheng Chi thought to himself: Good thing he had arranged for Cheng Jiashan to go to Algae Garden. If he faced Zhou Shaojin every day, he would have even less inclination to study.

Thinking of this, the very next morning he summoned Zhou Shaojin and asked her, “In the previous life, did Cheng Jiashan study at Abundant Harvest Pavilion or at the Cheng family’s country estate? Before the examination, did he have any teacher give him guidance? Or did he visit any old family friends or elders?”

Zhou Shaojin knew none of this.

In this life, Uncle Chi had arranged for Cheng Xu to study at Algae Garden. Would the situation change?

What if Cheng Xu didn’t obtain the title of provincial examination top graduate? Would his engagement with the Min family fall through?

If Cheng Xu’s engagement with the Min family fell through, would he pester her endlessly?

Zhou Shaojin’s hair immediately stood on end. She said nervously, “How about you still have Cheng Xu come back to study at Abundant Harvest Pavilion? In the previous life, he seemed to have lived at Abundant Harvest Pavilion the whole time.”

Cheng Chi glanced at her disdainfully and said, “I have to go out again in a few days, which is why I moved him to Algae Garden. But you—for the sake of his scholarly success, you actually want me to bring him back!”

Zhou Shaojin’s heart immediately bloomed with joy as she said, “So you sent Cheng Xu to study at Algae Garden because you didn’t want him to come back?”

Cheng Chi looked at the smiling Zhou Shaojin with her eyebrows curved like crescents, and said in puzzlement, “Then what did you think it was?”

“I didn’t think it was anything, didn’t think it was anything.” Zhou Shaojin waved her hands hastily, smiling even more sweetly.

Cheng Chi looked at her sideways.

Zhou Shaojin couldn’t help but groan inwardly.

Uncle Chi was good in every way, except his eyes couldn’t tolerate a grain of sand and he liked to get to the bottom of everything.

Fortunately, she had experienced more these days and wasn’t like before when she was always slow to catch on to everything.

“Wasn’t I just worried his engagement with the Min family might fall through?” Zhou Shaojin felt she was quite quick-witted when it mattered.

Cheng Chi said, “The Min family wants a successful examination candidate for a son-in-law. As long as he can pass, the Min family will agree to the marriage. What are you worrying about!”

Zhou Shaojin was overjoyed.

Through the open window lattice, she saw Huai Shan and Qin Ziping approaching. She scurried away like a flash: “Uncle Chi, you still have matters to attend to. I’ll come see you later!”

Cheng Chi just shook his head.

When would this little girl finally grow up? When would she become more steady and reliable!

Watching Huai Shan and Qin Ziping drawing nearer, he collected his thoughts and emotions, his expression becoming cold and stern.