Zhou Shaojin found it quite amusing when she thought about it.

However, Fan Liushi, who was keeping her company while doing needlework, muttered, “We’ve already eaten the Laba porridge. Is Fourth Master not planning to return home for the New Year?”

Only then did Zhou Shaojin realize with a start that in just over twenty days it would be New Year’s, yet Cheng Chi was still leisurely lingering around here!

She went to find Cheng Chi while her father was attending court, when Cheng Chi was alone in the guest room practicing calligraphy.

Who would have thought that before she could even open her mouth to speak, Cheng Chi was already smiling and saying, “Your timing is perfect. The Fan family sent invitations to your father and me several days ago. Tomorrow happens to be your father’s rest day, so tomorrow you should come with us to visit the Fan family!”

She could see Zhu Zhu then.

Zhou Shaojin was naturally delighted beyond expectation. She chattered away, asking Cheng Chi, “Is Madam going? I heard that Zhu Zhu married the second son. What kind of people are in the Fan family? What gifts should I prepare?”

Cheng Chi smiled and said, “Your mother is also going tomorrow. She has already prepared all the gifts, so you don’t need to worry. If you have anything you want to give to Zhu Zhu personally, you can give it to her separately then. What your mother is sending over is a formal gift list.” Then he began talking about the Fan family’s various relatives and connections.

Hearing that although the Fan family only had three branches, in Zhu Zhu’s generation alone there were twenty-four male cousins, Zhou Shaojin was utterly astounded and said, “If it were me, I’m afraid I wouldn’t even be able to recognize everyone.”

Cheng Chi smiled and said, “You can’t use yourself as a comparison.”

He made it sound as if she was somehow deficient.

Zhou Shaojin left with a pout.

Cheng Chi couldn’t stop laughing.

On Zhou Zhen’s rest day, Zhou Shaojin dressed herself up nicely and went to the upper chamber.

Both Zhou Zhen and Li Shi’s eyes lit up, saying, “Shaojin looks truly beautiful today.”

Zhou Shaojin smiled with pursed lips, and together they went to the sedan hall.

Cheng Chi was already waiting there.

Inside, he wore a blue-bamboo colored plain fine cloth straight robe, while outside he casually draped a dark sable fur cloak. His jet-black hair was casually fastened with a bamboo hairpin. His features were handsome, his expression gentle and warm. Standing upright like a slender bamboo, the understated luxury and proud nobility of a distinguished family’s son came rushing forth.

Truly worthy of being from the Cheng family of Nine-Ru Lane!

Zhou Zhen sighed softly in his heart.

However, Li Shi quietly asked Zhou Shaojin, “Is it alright for Fourth Master Chi to wear cloth clothing to visit the Fan family?”

Zhou Shaojin looked at Cheng Chi and whispered to her stepmother, “Just wait and see. Unless there’s no one literate in that Fan family, as long as there’s someone well-read, they will definitely hold Uncle Chi in the highest esteem.”

Li Shi went to the Fan family with some skepticism.

The Fan residence was located on the east side of Baoding Prefecture, occupying an extremely large area. The foundation was in no way inferior to Nine-Ru Lane when compared, but the buildings were scattered here and there in pieces, neither resembling the winding and secluded paths of Jiangnan water towns, nor achieving the neat and orderly arrangement of northern architecture. It seemed as if houses had been built wherever there was space, without any proper plan.

Li Shi told Zhou Shaojin, “The Fan family has numerous descendants, so they had no choice but to keep building houses.”

No wonder!

Zhou Shaojin thought of the magnificent splendor of Duke Liang’s mansion.

She wondered whether Zhu Zhu was accustomed to living here.

The head of the Fan family personally greeted Zhou Zhen at the side entrance.

Zhou Shaojin and the others were led directly by servants to the decorated gate entrance.

She quietly lifted the sedan curtain and took a distant glance, only able to make out that the person leading the Fan family was a short, stocky man.

After entering the second gate, they were greeted by the Grand Madam of the Fan family.

As soon as Zhou Shaojin stepped out of the sedan, she saw Zhu Zhu standing at the back of the crowd.

She wore a very ordinary bean-green colored brocade jacket with precious vase patterns, and a white embroidered skirt. Her hair was styled in the round bun of a married woman, adorned with only two gold-plated hairpins inlaid with South Sea pearls. Apart from those South Sea pearls on the hairpins being the size of lotus seeds, she was dressed just like the surrounding women, without any special distinction. Yet her face was radiant and bright, luminous and captivating, even more beautiful than when she had been at Duke Liang’s mansion. Though standing at the very back, she could be spotted at a glance.

Meeting Zhou Shaojin’s gaze, she winked at Zhou Shaojin quite playfully.

It was clear that she was doing well at the Fan family.

Was it because she had married a husband she was pleased with, or because the Fan family treated her well?

Zhou Shaojin pondered this in her heart as she stepped forward to exchange greetings with the Fan family’s Grand Madam.

The Fan family’s Grand Madam had very deep nasolabial folds, which made her look rather stern. But at this moment she was smiling, warmly welcoming Li Shi and Zhou Shaojin to sit in the flower hall, and amiably making small talk with them: “…I heard that Second Miss came from Jinling Prefecture. At the time I thought to myself, what a coincidence, our Second Young Madam is from Jinling Prefecture too. I asked Second Young Madam about it, and she actually said she knows Second Miss.” As she spoke, her gaze fell upon Zhu Zhu.

Zhu Zhu smiled and stepped forward to curtsy to Zhou Shaojin.

Zhou Shaojin quickly rose to return the courtesy, calling out “Elder Sister” and saying, “When I heard we were coming to the Fan residence, I was so happy last night I couldn’t sleep for half the night. How have you been, Elder Sister?”

The two briefly exchanged pleasantries, but everyone could tell that Zhu Zhu and Zhou Shaojin had an excellent relationship.

The Grand Madam of the Fan family smiled and said, “Since that’s the case, Azhu, today you must fulfill your duties as hostess and keep Second Miss good company.”

Zhu Zhu smiled and assented.

However, Zhou Shaojin began to feel uncomfortable inside.

When Azhu had been at Duke Liang’s mansion, she had lived so freely and comfortably, but at the Fan family, she seemed more restrained.

She found an opportunity to speak with Azhu in the bamboo grove of the Fan family’s residence.

“Does Second Master Fan treat you well?”

“Yes!” Zhu Zhu nodded somewhat bashfully and said, “He is a true gentleman, always putting me first in everything. It’s just that the Fan family has particularly strict rules. I had some difficulty adjusting at first. He secretly bought duck-oil crispy flatbread for me from outside, and fearing it would get cold and taste bad on the way home, he kept it against his chest, which turned red from the heat. But he didn’t know that I don’t actually like eating flatbread, and besides, that shop’s duck-oil crispy flatbread wasn’t even made with duck oil—it was especially unpleasant…” At this point, she seemed to recall that day’s scene again and burst out laughing with a “puchi” sound, saying, “A few days ago I caught a chill, and he looked after me without removing his clothes, not letting anyone else help… He’s a very good person.”

Zhou Shaojin laughed along with her.

Someone who clearly didn’t like eating crispy flatbread somehow knew that the crispy flatbread Second Master Fan bought back wasn’t made with duck oil and was especially unpleasant… She no longer doubted whether Zhu Zhu was doing well at the Fan family, and began talking intimately with her.

The two happily chatted all morning. After having the midday meal at the Fan residence, they listened to a female instructor tell stories. It wasn’t until lamp-lighting time that they set off to return home.

But just as they stepped into the Baoding Prefecture magistrate’s office, they encountered Prefect Huang seeing off a guest.

Both parties quickly stepped forward to pay respects to Zhou Zhen.

Zhou Zhen smiled and nodded to Prefect Huang and Prefect Huang’s guest.

Prefect Huang introduced the person to Zhou Zhen, saying, “I wonder if Magistrate Zhou still remembers—this is Scholar Chang from the Apricot Garden on the east side of the city.”

Zhou Zhen smiled and said, “I remember. We met last time at Minister Miao’s residence.”

But any observant person could tell this was merely polite talk.

Scholar Chang stepped forward to pay respects to Zhou Zhen and Cheng Chi.

Both men nodded slightly.

Who would have thought that Prefect Huang would point to the sedan nearby and say with a smile, “Your luck is particularly good today—you even get to meet Madam. You should also go over and pay your respects.”

Scholar Chang obligingly went through the motions, paying respects to Li Shi through the sedan.

Li Shi quickly said “you may rise.” She left Zhou Zhen and Cheng Chi behind and departed with Zhou Shaojin in the sedan, returning to the inner courtyard.

When Zhou Zhen returned, Li Shi couldn’t help but complain somewhat, “What is Prefect Huang thinking, actually having an outside man pay respects to me?”

Zhou Zhen didn’t take the matter to heart. While recalling the look of surprise in Elder Master Fan’s eyes after seeing Cheng Chi’s attire, followed by his inexplicable esteem for Cheng Chi, he said somewhat absentmindedly, “That’s why when dealing with these people, you need to be extra careful. When they curry favor with others, they use all sorts of methods that leave you not knowing whether to laugh or cry. I’ve heard of that Scholar Chang. At a young age he already passed the scholar examination, has a family fortune of ten thousand taels, and is very skilled at networking. He’s a frequent guest at Minister Miao’s and Minister Qian’s residences. This time, to have persuaded Prefect Huang to intercept us at the gate, he must want to leave an impression on me. Even if he has nothing particular to ask for now, he wants to establish a connection with me. You don’t need to worry—I’ll handle it. When water is too clear, there are no fish. Even if one became a Grand Secretary, one couldn’t avoid dealing with all sorts of people from different walks of life.”

Li Shi had always trusted Zhou Zhen, so since Zhou Zhen said there was nothing to worry about, she put the matter out of her mind.

Unexpectedly, the very next day, Madam Huang came to apologize to Li Shi: “…I already gave my husband a good scolding. If we happened to meet, he could have stepped forward to pay respects himself—why did he have Scholar Chang go forward to pay respects to Madam? What if Second Miss had been startled?” After finishing, she leaned in mysteriously and said to Li Shi in a low voice, “However, Madam, that Scholar Chang is famous throughout our Baoding Prefecture for being elegant and handsome. What do you think?”

Li Shi was startled, then her face turned red, and she was about to spit at Madam Huang.

Madam Huang realized there had been a misunderstanding and said urgently, “Scholar Chang isn’t married yet, is he? I noticed his age seems similar to your Second Miss…”

Li Shi breathed a sigh of relief, feeling embarrassed about her earlier misunderstanding, and said, “Last night it was too dark, so I didn’t pay much attention. But it did seem like he had quite a tall build…”

When Madam Huang heard this, she laughed and said, “Not only is his build tall, but his appearance is also handsome. If you didn’t see clearly, in a couple of days Madam Miao is inviting everyone over to watch an opera. Scholar Chang will definitely be there. At that time I’ll take you to have a quiet look. We could arrange a match for your Second Miss…”

Li Shi was greatly alarmed upon hearing this and quickly said, “That absolutely won’t do, that absolutely won’t do. Our Second Miss grew up in Nine-Ru Lane from childhood. Both Old Madam Guo of the primary branch and Old Madam Guan of the fourth branch treasure our Second Miss like a pearl or precious jade. Her marriage is not something I could decide—not even my husband could easily make such a decision. We would need to consult with the elders of both families.”

Madam Huang’s eyes lit up upon hearing this, and with her silver tongue she urged Li Shi to mention it to Zhou Zhen.

Li Shi shook her head like a rattle drum, refusing no matter what she said.

Madam Huang had no choice but to go report back to Scholar Chang.

Scholar Chang was so overjoyed upon hearing this that he didn’t know what to do with himself. He brought generous gifts and rushed to the back office of the magistrate’s office, whispering with Madam Huang for quite some time before taking his leave.

Madam Huang then went to invite Li Shi to offer incense at the Great Compassion Pavilion, saying, “With New Year approaching, we should also go seek some peace talismans for the family to set our minds at ease.”

Li Shi found this strange: “Don’t we usually go on New Year’s Day?”

Madam Huang’s face reddened as she said, “There’s no offense in showing too much courtesy—I imagine the Buddha sees it the same way.”

Li Shi didn’t dare to go.

The wind and snow had been heavy these past few days, and Zhou Shaojin had just arrived from Jinling. She feared Zhou Shaojin might catch a chill.

But Madam Huang kept insisting that Li Shi come along, even saying, “Madam Tan and the others are also going together.”