But she was only an inner quarters woman who mostly heard things secondhand. How could she casually comment and ruin Uncle Chi’s affairs?

Zhou Shaojin simply smiled without speaking.

Huai Shan came in and said, “Fourth Master, everything has been packed and ready. We can depart at any time!”

Cheng Chi smiled faintly.

Zhou Shaojin, however, was greatly shocked and cried out, “Where is Fourth Master going?”

Her expression actually carried a hint of panic, like a small child separated from their parents.

Cheng Chi couldn’t bear for her to feel even the slightest discomfort. He hurriedly stepped forward to embrace Zhou Shaojin, gently stroking her back and saying warmly, “Your timing is perfect—I was just about to find you. I need to return to Jinling. I mentioned this to you before, but now circumstances have changed and I need to go back earlier than planned.”

Hearing this, Zhou Shaojin’s heart settled greatly. She quickly pushed at Cheng Chi. “Huai Shan… is still in the room!”

Her face flushed red.

Cheng Chi smiled and released her.

Before, she had been annoyed when he embraced her, but now she was afraid of being seen by others…

He immediately felt refreshed and invigorated.

Zhou Shaojin’s face turned even redder.

Where was Huai Shan’s shadow in the room?

Once or twice was coincidence, but three or four times was deliberate.

Everyone around Uncle Chi now knew about her and Uncle Chi.

She lowered her head and asked, “When will you return?”

She didn’t ask what Cheng Chi was going to do—Cheng Chi had many secrets.

Cheng Chi bent down to speak with her, his expression unable to hide his indulgence. “I’ll return as soon as I finish my business. When I come back, I’ll bring Snowball and those two orioles for you, all right?”

Zhou Shaojin nodded bashfully.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Huai Shan’s shadow seem to flash past outside the room.

He was probably urging Uncle Chi to depart!

Leaving in such a hurry…

She said softly, “Then please be careful on the road. Don’t work yourself so hard… Wealth is all external to the body.”

Cheng Chi nodded, gently touching her face. “Shaojin, I’ll try my best to return before Guan Ge’s hundredth-day celebration.”

Going for such a long time meant the matter wasn’t so easily concluded.

Zhou Shaojin said, “It doesn’t matter if you can’t make it back. We can give him an extra gift for his first birthday celebration instead.”

We?

Cheng Chi’s mood became extremely pleasant.

After the midday meal, he set off for Jinling.

Zhou Shaojin watched Cheng Chi’s carriage drive slowly out of the alley, feeling very downcast. Returning to her room, when Chun Wan asked her when she was going to Fengtai, only then did she remember what she had gone to find Cheng Chi about.

Better to wait until Uncle Chi returned to accompany her.

Zhou Shaojin decided not to go out. Except for going with Li Shi to see Zhou Chujin, she stayed home helping make winter clothes for Cheng Chi.

Guan Ge changed every day—today he could put his fingers in his mouth, tomorrow he could blow bubbles. In her previous life, when Guan Ge was born, she had already gone to the estate and only saw him once every year or half-year. Each time, before she could get properly acquainted with him, Zhou Shaojin had to leave. Now seeing such an interesting Guan Ge, she was incredibly envious.

Small children liked to play with other small children.

Zhou Youjin also spent every day lying beside Guan Ge wanting to hold him, even wanting Guan Ge to call her older sister. This made everyone in the room roar with laughter. Zhou Youjin got so angry her little mouth pouted and she ignored everyone. Once, when the servants attending Guan Ge weren’t paying attention, she almost lifted Guan Ge out of his cradle, frightening everyone into a cold sweat.

Coming and going like this, in just seven or eight days, Zhou Shaojin had already finished making one winter garment for Cheng Chi. She was just preparing to cut the second one when a little maid came in to inform her, “The three young mistresses from the Cheng family have come to call on you!”

The three young mistresses from the Cheng family…

Zhou Shaojin had to think for a moment before understanding who the little maid meant.

She said in surprise, “The three young mistresses from the Cheng family? All three have come? At this time?”

The little maid thought of the three low-key yet luxurious black lacquered flat-topped carriages stopped at the door and nodded repeatedly. “The matron accompanying them said it very clearly—the three young mistresses from the Cheng family of Jiuru Lane in Jinling.”

Zhou Shaojin felt somewhat flustered.

The three young mistresses from the Cheng family naturally referred to Cheng Zheng, Cheng Xiao, and Cheng Sheng.

Cheng Zheng was the eldest daughter of the Cheng family. She had married Gu Xu, son of Gu Shun who was then an Academician of the Hanlin Academy. She was three years older than Cheng Chi. Zhou Shaojin had never interacted with her, only knowing that her husband had advanced smoothly in his career, their children were well-behaved and accomplished, the couple was very harmonious, and she lived very well—many women in the capital envied her.

As for Cheng Xiao, when she came of age, Zhou Shaojin was still a little girl. The two had practically no interaction, at most just exchanging greetings when they happened to meet in Jiuru Lane.

Cheng Sheng had spent more time with Zhou Shaojin and had even studied together under Lady Shen. But even so, because Cheng Sheng had been raised from childhood by Old Madam Guo and was quite accomplished in learning and knowledge, she had only paid Lady Shen face-saving respect. They called themselves classmates, but actually Cheng Sheng looked more to Cheng Jia.

Why had they come?

And all together?

Without sending someone ahead with calling cards, just coming directly to the door like this…

Zhou Shaojin couldn’t make sense of it and could only instruct the maid, “Please invite the young mistresses in!”

The little maid responded and left.

Zhou Shaojin changed into a bean-green gauze vest over a silver-red eight-panel skirt. Her jet-black hair was styled in a bun with a small jasmine flower inserted at the back, its fragrance captivating.

Amazement flashed through the eyes of the three Cheng sisters, especially Cheng Sheng. Having not seen Zhou Shaojin for just two or three years, she seemed like a completely different person. Cheng Sheng widened her eyes and said, “Shaojin, you truly exemplify the saying about girls changing at eighteen! If we had met on the street, I definitely wouldn’t have recognized you.”

She truly had changed a great deal.

Zhou Shaojin smiled, pursing her lips, her gaze taking some effort to move away from Cheng Zheng’s face.

Cheng Zheng was too beautiful.

And her beauty wasn’t the kind of delicate features, but rather an overall air of distinction.

Just standing there with a leisurely expression, she was like a blooming peony—magnificent and gorgeous, radiant and dazzling, making the people and objects around her pale in comparison.

Zhou Shaojin invited Cheng Zheng and the others to sit in the reception room.

The maids served tea and refreshments.

Cheng Zheng remained composed, but Cheng Xiao was secretly astonished.

The residence wasn’t large, but all along the way, every item was of considerable value. If it were only this, she wasn’t someone who hadn’t seen the world—how would she be moved? It was really that this arrangement and décor, no matter how you looked at it, seemed like Grandmother’s handiwork.

Could it be that this residence was a gift from Grandmother?

Cheng Xiao had left Jiuru Lane six or seven years ago, so naturally she wouldn’t rashly speak up.

Cheng Sheng didn’t know what to say.

The formerly indistinct little girl had not only grown as bright and clear as pearls and jade, but her every movement was poised and generous, gentle and dignified—completely different from the little girl in her memory who only knew to hide and cry. She felt somewhat uneasy about this earth-shattering transformation, but she couldn’t very well have Eldest Sister Cheng Zheng, who barely knew Zhou Shaojin, exchange pleasantries with her, could she?

Cheng Sheng took a sip of tea before finding a topic. Smiling, she leaned slightly toward Zhou Shaojin. “Shaojin, when did you arrive in the capital? I heard Chujin gave birth to a big, healthy boy. I only heard about it after arriving in the capital. Has the child been given a name yet? Second Sister said the child has already completed his first month, but there was no full-month celebration—are you planning a hundredth-day celebration instead? Has a date been set? It’s good I came to the capital this time, otherwise you sisters weren’t planning to invite me, were you?”

She had married the son of Hanlin Academy Academician Peng Xiang. That Peng Xiang and Cheng Sheng’s father Cheng Wei were of the same examination year, and the two had a very good relationship. They had also taken a liking to each other before marriage before the betrothal was set. The Peng family’s ancestral home was in Jiangxi. They married in the capital, but after the wedding went to the Jiangxi ancestral home to pay respects to ancestors, only returning to the capital a few days ago.

In her previous life, they had also lived quite harmoniously.

The few Cheng sisters didn’t know what had happened and had even invited her to visit their homes. Knowing she was “ill,” they had made special trips to see her and brought her some medicinal materials.

Later, they probably learned what had happened, and all three sisters stopped contacting the Zhou Shaojin and Zhou Chujin sisters.

Actually, after Zhou Chujin gave birth to Guan Ge, she had sent calling cards to the Cheng family.

After Guan Ge was born, Zhou Chujin had also sent news to the Cheng family. Because the Cheng family was all men, no one came from there, but they sent very valuable third-day bathing gifts.

But at that time, only Cheng Zheng was in the capital.

Cheng Zheng’s eldest son had come down with smallpox, and Cheng Zheng was at home making offerings to the Smallpox Goddess.

It was just unknown why, the moment Cheng Chi left, they arrived at the residence on his heels.

Uncle Chi once said that all the hustle and bustle in the world is for profit—people come for gain and leave for gain.

He also said that when you don’t know what to do, the best approach is to wait patiently and respond to each move as it comes.

Zhou Shaojin slowly answered Cheng Sheng’s questions. “I came over after the New Year. You know my temperament—I don’t much like going out. Plus at that time Elder Sister was pregnant and had no elders by her side to care for her, so Madam brought me over…” Finally, she asked about Cheng Xiao’s eldest son, Gu Ning. “Is he better now?”

Hearing this, Cheng Xiao smiled. “Thank you for asking. He’s recovered, otherwise I wouldn’t dare go out.” She then gestured toward Cheng Xiao. “Your Cousin Xiao arrived in the capital a few days ago. Thinking that you sisters were also in the capital, we came over. Please forgive our presumptuousness.”

A spontaneous visit.

Zhou Shaojin could understand that quite well.

The two then spoke of Cheng Jia. “…She was originally like a ball of glutinous rice flour, but unexpectedly in the blink of an eye she married. What a pity that we sisters are all in different places and couldn’t even see her off when she left her maiden home!” There was some sadness in her voice as she said this.

Zhou Shaojin quickly smiled. “Some days ago I received a letter from Cousin Jia. She said she’s doing quite well there. When the old madam makes things difficult for her, she talks back, and the old madam can only call Li Jing to mediate. But Li Jing lets it go in one ear and out the other, so the old madam gets so angry there’s nothing she can do but fume by herself…”

Cheng Sheng laughed heartily. “I never expected the fiercest one among us would turn out to be Chujin.”

Everyone laughed again.

Cheng Zheng then proposed visiting Zhou Chujin. “We haven’t met face to face yet, have we? It would be good to see Guan Ge as well.”

Zhou Shaojin accompanied them to Elm Tree Alley.

Zhou Chujin had already received word and was waiting at the gate with the child in her arms.

Cheng Xiao quickly said, “Why did you bring the child out too? What if he catches a chill from the wind!”

Zhou Chujin had also seen Cheng Zheng once in her childhood, but anyone who saw her would leave a deep impression. Zhou Chujin recognized Cheng Zheng at a glance and smiled. “I saw the weather was very nice today and thought to take the child out for a walk.” She then handed the child to the wet nurse and properly performed a deep curtsy to Cheng Zheng.

The several of them together naturally had much to catch up on.