Cheng Chi nodded with a smile.

Zhou Shaojin hesitated for a moment. Seeing that Cheng Chi had no intention of asking her to stay, she felt extremely disappointed but still smiled as she took her leave.

Cheng Chi silently sighed.

This girl had eyes that could speak.

Clear and transparent, as if a thousand words were condensed within them.

He couldn’t help but stand up and walk to the window lattice, pushing open the window.

Under the bright moonlight, Zhou Shaojin’s slender figure in her moon-white vest was light and supple, like a willow swaying in the breeze.

Cheng Chi lowered his eyelids, his expression unreadable.

※※※

Zhou Shaojin walked all the way back to Fucui Pavilion with pouted lips.

The next day, news that Dong Shi was gravely ill and Cheng Lu was selling family property spread throughout all of Jiuru Lane.

Hearing this, Wu Baozhang’s face turned pale. She clutched her comb and pondered for a long while before emerging from the inner room with a beaming smile. She smiled at Cheng Nuo, who was being attended by maids while reclining on a luohan bed reading travel records: “Isn’t the young master going out today? I see the autumn begonias behind the house are blooming beautifully. Why don’t I have the kitchen prepare a few small dishes, and I’ll accompany you for a few drinks?”

Cheng Nuo was so startled he nearly fell off the bed.

He scrutinized Wu Baozhang carefully. Seeing her smile warmly with cordial affection, he couldn’t help but widen his eyes.

The sun truly was rising from the west.

Since marrying Wu Baozhang, she had not only treated him coldly but had gone from initial admonishment to current criticism. There wasn’t a single thing about him she approved of, which irritated him beyond measure. Yet thinking of how his parents had just married and were constantly quarreling every few days, becoming the laughingstock of Jiuru Lane, he could only suppress his many grievances deep in his heart.

But what was happening with Wu Baozhang now?

Suddenly treating him with such tender affection.

Cheng Nuo always remembered what his grandmother had told him: “Unsolicited attentiveness means either treachery or theft.”

Had Wu Baozhang done something wrong and needed him to help resolve it?

He said cautiously: “What’s gotten into you? Just yesterday you were saying I lie in bed all day reading travel records, that I’m not even as good as a newly enlightened schoolchild…”

Wu Baozhang’s face reddened as she said: “Wasn’t I just angry that you weren’t studying properly for the examinations? Later, mother-in-law scolded me. I’ve been thinking carefully these past few days and feel that what mother-in-law said made a lot of sense…”

Grand Madam Wen was quite indulgent toward Cheng Nuo.

Cheng Nuo knew this as well.

At the time, Wu Baozhang had been very dissatisfied and said things like “a loving mother often spoils her children.” He had been terrified that others would hear and wished he could cover Wu Baozhang’s mouth.

Who would have thought that by imitating his father’s posture and ignoring Wu Baozhang for a few days, she would now know his power.

Hearing this, he lifted his chin, proud yet somewhat haughty, and said “Hmm,” adding: “It’s good that you know. Our Cheng family has been transmitting poetry, books, rites, and propriety for generations. Reading is our greatest skill. What books to read when, when one should study—there are established procedures. If you don’t understand, don’t point fingers from the sidelines…”

Wu Baozhang barely restrained herself from storming off.

How had she ever thought marrying Cheng Nuo would be acceptable?

Beyond daily necessities, having such an exasperating husband was another kind of torment.

Unfortunately, Cheng Lu was also unreliable—actually reaching the point of needing to sell ancestral property to treat his mother’s illness. Good thing she hadn’t insisted back then. If she had married into that family, it would be daily necessities she lacked.

Still, daily necessities were more important than mutual affection.

She should treat Cheng Nuo better and let him fight with those unreliable in-laws of hers.

Once she bore a son and taught him well, with the Cheng family’s great tree to shelter under, she refused to believe she couldn’t produce a jinshi scholar.

Thinking of this, Wu Baozhang felt her life had hope again.

She smiled at Cheng Nuo: “Will you go to the back courtyard to admire flowers?”

“No need to admire flowers,” Cheng Nuo said carelessly. “Having the kitchen stir-fry a couple of small dishes and bring a pot of good wine—that’s the proper thing!”

Proper thing my foot!

Wu Baozhang cursed inwardly but kept a beaming smile on her face as she said “Yes” and sent a maid to the kitchen while accompanying Cheng Nuo to the back courtyard herself.

Watching the docile Wu Baozhang, Cheng Nuo felt his little life wasn’t bad and instructed his personal servant: “Go send a card to Young Master Ju, saying I’m inviting him to eat and drink.”

The young servant rushed off.

Wu Baozhang was so angry her hands trembled. She barely restrained herself from splashing the cup of hot tea in her hand onto Cheng Nuo’s face.

The Cheng family was a scholarly household following ancient rites without the custom of disturbing the bridal chamber. But on her wedding day, it was that Cheng Ju who had led a group of male guests from who knows where into her new chamber to cause a disturbance. Not knowing beforehand that the Cheng family followed ancient rites, she hadn’t paid attention, thinking she just needed to send them away. Who knew that Cheng Ju would be obscenely outrageous, actually secretly groping her.

After learning the Cheng family had no custom of disturbing bridal chambers, she wished she could drink his blood and devour his flesh. Yet no matter what she said, that fool Cheng Nuo wouldn’t listen, only saying she was too narrow-minded, that because Cheng Ju had led people to disturb her bridal chamber and made her lose face, she was prejudiced against Cheng Ju… The two had nearly quarreled over this.

Wu Baozhang would remember this person her entire life!

Yet she still had to smile and say to Cheng Nuo: “Sending Young Master Ju a card on such short notice—wouldn’t that be too discourteous? Why not invite him to our home as a proper guest another day?”

Cheng Nuo said: “What do you know? He loves liveliness most. As long as he hears I’m inviting him to drink, he’ll definitely come!”

So he was even more worthless?

Wu Baozhang felt that continuing to talk with Cheng Nuo would make her cough up blood. She simply closed her eyes, recited “Namo Amitabha” several times in her heart, took a deep breath, and smiled: “Then I’ll go see how the kitchen is preparing the dishes. When Young Master Ju arrives, I’ll have them bring everything out.”

Cheng Nuo nodded.

Wu Baozhang quickly rose and headed to the kitchen.

As she left, she heard Cheng Nuo instruct the young servant: “It’s rare to gather today. I’ll send out a few more cards…”

Out of sight, out of mind. Wu Baozhang quickened her pace and left the back courtyard, drinking half a cup of tea in the inner room before her emotions calmed.

Her personal maid, Baiguo, brought over a plate of tangerines.

Wu Baozhang’s mood improved even more. While peeling a tangerine, she said to Baiguo: “At least after marrying out, I can eat as many tangerines as I want without having to watch Madam’s and my second sister’s expressions.”

“Isn’t that the truth!” Baiguo smiled and brought Wu Baozhang a wrung-out handkerchief. “Madam clearly knew you loved eating tangerines most but insisted that eating tangerines causes internal heat. Even during tangerine season, she only allowed you to eat five or six. I always felt Madam was deliberately making things difficult for you.”

Wu Baozhang had grown up in Sichuan and loved eating tangerines most.

She nodded repeatedly and handed a tangerine to Baiguo.

Baiguo ate the tangerine and whispered: “When I passed by the sedan hall just now, I saw the brother of Si’er, the senior maid serving Old Madam An of the fourth branch, showing off a few tangerines. He said they were tribute fujian tangerines from Fujian. The First Master of the main branch had someone send over several baskets. Second Cousin Zhou received one basket and gave over half of it to honor Old Madam Guan and Grand Madam Mian of the fourth branch. Si’er also benefited and was rewarded with a few. Grand Madam, let’s buy some fujian tangerines too!”

This was the first Wu Baozhang had heard of it. She smiled: “Then buy a basket. Later I’ll also reward a few to Grand Madam’s personal maids.”

Baiguo readily agreed. That evening she bought the tangerines, spending nearly three taels of silver. Wu Baozhang tasted them—they were indeed better than ordinary tangerines. She took half a basket to Grand Madam Wen.

Grand Madam Wen had medicated plasters on both temples and was lying in bed moaning. Seeing the tangerines, she didn’t taste even one and rewarded them to the servants attending her.

Wu Baozhang’s face flushed red enough to drip blood. She returned to the side room in humiliated anger.

Two days later when she went to the fourth branch to attend Cheng Gao’s wedding feast and ate the tangerines at the banquet, she immediately asked the maid serving fruits in amazement: “What kind of tangerines are these? They’re delicious!”

The maid said proudly: “Thanks to our Second Cousin’s blessing, Guangsheng House specially obtained a batch of fujian tangerines from Fujian. Though they can’t compare to what the First Master presented to Old Madam Guo, they’re not like what’s on the market—all the rejected leftovers.”

No wonder Grand Madam Wen hadn’t even looked before rewarding away the tangerines she sent!

Those who received the tangerines were probably criticizing her behind her back!

Wu Baozhang felt the maids and servants of the fifth branch no longer treated her with the respect they had when she first entered the family.

She sat on pins and needles, found an excuse, and left the waterside pavilion where opera was being performed. Alone with a gloomy mood, she walked along the lake embankment for a while.

There were people talking on the covered walkway nearby.

And it was a man and woman’s voices.

Wu Baozhang crept over curiously.

Before the green hedge trimmed from holly trees stood a tall, handsome man and a slender, gentle woman—like a perfect pair from a painting.

Looking more carefully, it was actually Cheng Xu and Zhou Shaojin!

Wu Baozhang’s heart stirred.

She thought of that year at the second branch old ancestor’s eightieth birthday celebration, the ambiguity between Cheng Xu and Zhou Shaojin.

Wu Baozhang immediately felt invigorated, as if she’d drunk ginseng soup, certain there was an inside story here.

She crouched down and carefully approached, hearing Zhou Shaojin say in exasperation: “…I’ve told you so many times, I don’t like you and don’t want to marry you. Whether you achieve jieyuan or zhuangyuan, it has nothing to do with me. Even if you go ask my father for my hand, Father will ask whether I agree or not. I advise you not to humiliate yourself!”

Though her words were blunt and sharp, her soft, gentle voice somehow didn’t convey any sense of humiliation.

Cheng Xu felt the same way.

He said humbly: “Tell me what you don’t like about me and I can change. Besides, now that I’ve achieved jieyuan, I can decide my own marriage…”

Zhou Shaojin felt powerless.

She didn’t know what she needed to say to make Cheng Xu understand her feelings.

Zhou Shaojin could only maintain silence, listening to Cheng Xu ramble on. When he finished, she said: “If you block my path like this again next time, I’ll tell Old Madam!”

Who knew that hearing this, a trace of joy would flash through Cheng Xu’s eyes.

Zhou Shaojin was stunned, then so angry her liver hurt.

Why was Cheng Xu always like this?

Last time he had the idea of creating a fait accompli to force the family to acknowledge them; this time he was brazenly cornering her, hoping to use gossip and rumors to make the elders back down.

Zhou Shaojin didn’t want to say another word to Cheng Xu. She called to Chun Wan: “Let’s go! If Young Master Xu isn’t afraid of losing face, let him make a scene by himself.”

Only then did Wu Baozhang notice that Zhou Shaojin’s personal maid Chun Wan and Cheng Xu’s servant Huanxi and attendant Da Su were also standing not far away.