Although Min Jia had adjusted her emotions before entering, her expression still appeared somewhat stiff.

Zhou Shaojin looked up and saw her, couldn’t help but ask Cheng Sheng: “What’s wrong with her? She’s been looking gloomy.”

If she wasn’t feeling well, she shouldn’t have come. Since she did come, she shouldn’t be showing them such a sour face.

Cheng Sheng said quietly: “Perhaps it’s because of her natal family matters… Fang Xuan has returned to her natal home again, and it’s been almost over a month now. I heard she had a dispute with her sister-in-law.”

Again?!

Zhou Shaojin said: “Perhaps it’s because she’s an only daughter?”

“Mm!” Cheng Sheng said with a quiet laugh, “I’ve heard that this Provincial Graduate Min, aside from his own elder brother the Optimus Min, has never regarded anyone else highly!”

Zhou Shaojin smiled and said nothing more, going over to check on Abao and Aren.

The two little ones sat properly at the kang table set up especially for them, being fed by their wet nurses.

Seeing her approach, both little ones called her “Grand Uncle’s Wife” with curved eyes and smiles.

Zhou Shaojin fell silent for a moment.

Cheng Sheng, who had followed her over, bent over with laughter.

Zhou Shaojin pinched Cheng Sheng’s waist and said: “You’re still laughing!”

Cheng Sheng giggled and ran out, leaning on Old Lady Guo’s shoulder and saying: “Grandmother, your daughter-in-law is hitting me!”

Zhou Shaojin, walking out from the rest room, heard this and her face flushed red, her complexion like a red lotus.

Cheng Xu, who had just looked up at the sound, froze slightly.

Min Jia’s chopsticks jabbed deep into the rice in her bowl.

Yuan Shi shot Cheng Xu a warning glance, but unfortunately Cheng Xu’s gaze was fixed on Zhou Shaojin and didn’t see it.

Qiu Shi didn’t see it either.

She smiled and chided Cheng Sheng: “You’re a mother now, how can you still act like a child? What will Jinjiang think when he sees this?” As she spoke, as if afraid her son-in-law would blame her, she pointed to the whitebait and egg custard on the table and smiled, “Try this, it was specially sent over by Minister Wu’s household.”

Whitebait was a specialty of Jiangnan, not available in the north.

Peng Zao and Cheng Sheng were a young married couple, well-matched in status and temperament, with deep affection. Seeing his wife like this, he only found her lively and saw nothing wrong with it.

He didn’t mind at all. Pressing his lips into a smile, he said: “Don’t tease Fourth Aunt, she’s pregnant!”

Old Lady Guo also pretended to be displeased and patted Cheng Sheng’s hand, saying: “Your Fourth Aunt has such a gentle temperament. I know you’re the troublemaker!”

Cheng Sheng protested loudly: “I knew it, you all favor Fourth Aunt. Clearly I’m the one who suffered, yet you still take her side.”

“How old are you!” Qiu Shi couldn’t help but laugh, “Still sulking with your aunt.” As she spoke, she pulled her over and said, “Hurry and eat your meal, or you won’t be allowed to come home anymore.”

Cheng Sheng called out to Zhou Shaojin: “Look, my mother cares so much for you. She doesn’t even want me anymore.”

Zhou Shaojin said: “Let’s see if you dare bully me again in the future!”

Old Lady Guo and the others laughed heartily, and even Cheng Xu couldn’t help but smile. Only Yuan Shi and Min Jia looked somewhat unnatural. Min Jia felt she couldn’t stay there another moment. She said “Please excuse me for a moment” and hurriedly left the hall.

Everyone assumed she had gone to the privy and paid no attention.

Yuan Shi then pulled Cheng Xu aside to talk.

Cheng Xu made a couple of “mm-hmm” sounds before leaving Yuan Shi and going to Old Lady Guo, who was playing with Abao and Aren: “Grandmother, I still have to go to the academy this afternoon, so I’ll be leaving. I’ll come see you again in a couple of days when I have time!”

Peng Zao asked in surprise: “With such heavy snow, didn’t your teacher give you a holiday?”

“He did.” Cheng Xu smiled, “But when I left, my teacher said he had something to discuss with me and asked me to come back this afternoon.”

Cheng Xu was the son of a Grand Secretary. Teachers were scholars, and there wasn’t a scholar who didn’t wish to achieve something in official service.

Peng Zao said nothing more and saw Cheng Xu out together with Cheng Rang.

After sitting for a while, Min Jia also rose to take her leave, saying: “The snow is getting heavier. I should go back and check. The rear courtyard at home hasn’t been repaired in many years. I’m afraid the snow will collapse the roof.”

Hearing this, Yuan Shi had no desire to continue staying either.

Qiu Shi saw the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law out on Old Lady Guo’s behalf.

Min Jia tested Yuan Shi: “What was Mother saying to my husband just now? He seemed a bit unhappy. Should I try to console him?”

“No need!” Yuan Shi’s attitude was stiff. “I merely asked about his studies.”

Min Jia didn’t believe her at all.

By nature, Cheng Xu was still a rather gentle person.

But regarding the matter between Cheng Xu and Zhou Shaojin, she had never been able to find out any information.

Cheng Xu wouldn’t pour dirty water on himself.

So this matter must have been sealed up.

Those who knew had already left the Cheng family’s service, and those in the Cheng family who knew kept their mouths tightly shut and would never speak of it to outsiders.

Logically, she should let the matter drop.

But she had been stubborn since childhood. Without getting to the bottom of things, she had no way to continue living with Cheng Xu.

Or perhaps in her heart, she just wanted to find an excuse for Cheng Xu so she could accept him.

Thinking of these things, Min Jia felt deeply sorrowful.

At Chaoyang Gate, however, the departure of Cheng Xu’s family didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits. Instead, the atmosphere became quite lively because Peng Zao sincerely sought Old Lady Guo’s guidance on his studies, Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Sheng played with Abao and Aren, and even Cheng Rang, shedding his former shyness, excitedly told his mother Qiu Shi about things at the academy, appearing very happy.

Qiu Shi was very grateful to Old Lady Guo.

If not for Old Lady Guo, she would most likely have sent her son to Shuanglu Academy where Cheng Xu and Peng Zao studied. Her son didn’t have exceptional talent—if he went there, he would certainly be overshadowed by many clever people like Cheng Xu, and would become increasingly insecure and lose confidence.

Sanming Academy was just right.

They could afford it, and Cheng Rang could take his time with his studies.

Thinking of this, Qiu Shi thought of Xie Jue, who would soon become her daughter-in-law.

If her son wasn’t outstanding, she would have to be extra good to her daughter-in-law.

She consulted with Zhou Shaojin: “What do you think about me giving my dowry estate to Third Miss Xie?”

Zhou Shaojin thought for a moment and said: “Better to give gradually! If you give her everything at once, what will you have to give her when she faces difficulties in the future?”

“That’s true.” Qiu Shi nodded with a smile and brought up another matter. “Second Uncle had someone deliver two thousand taels in banknotes to me a few days ago. He said it was for Abao and Aren’s expenses. How could I accept that? But that Advisor Wu insisted I take it. I had no choice but to accept… Now I don’t know what to do?”

Zhou Shaojin comforted her: “Second Uncle must be very grateful to Sister-in-law, and thinking that raising two children is quite a burden, that’s why he sent the silver. I think you should accept it. Second Uncle will feel better about it too.”

The two chatted on and on, all homely conversation. Zhou Shaojin enjoyed it very much, feeling that this was what it was like to be a proper daughter-in-law of the Cheng family.

※※※

At West Direct Gate, Wu Baozhang’s days weren’t going so well.

With New Year’s approaching, after Cheng Lu had taken three hundred taels of silver from her, he came asking for another five hundred taels, telling her this would be the last time he would take silver from her and he would never trouble her again.

She naturally didn’t believe him.

But Cheng Lu came to find her repeatedly, each time pressing more urgently than the last. Once, knowing full well that Cheng Nuo was about to return, he still sat there refusing to leave with an attitude of mutual destruction. She was truly frightened by him. Not only did she give Cheng Lu the remaining two hundred taels of her private savings, but she also pawned some jewelry and quietly had Cheng Nuo’s attendant borrow three hundred taels in Cheng Nuo’s name from the silk shop next to the Cheng family’s tea shop, finally managing to send Cheng Lu away.

Year-end was a time when silver was needed everywhere.

She had no silver left.

If Cheng Lu came asking for more silver again, she would have no choice but to break completely with him.

Wu Baozhang was anxious and upset, holding her breath and preparing for a confrontation with Cheng Lu.

Who knew that right up until the eighth day of the twelfth month when they drank laba porridge, Cheng Lu still hadn’t appeared.

It was like waiting for the second shoe to drop—one had already fallen, and surely the other would fall, but not knowing when made one constantly anxious and on edge.

She couldn’t help feeling somewhat worried. After much thought, she sent her personal maid to find Cheng Lu.

In the afternoon, the maid returned in the pouring rain and told Wu Baozhang: “Master Cheng moved out from there long ago. No one knows where he went!”

Wu Baozhang thought of how Cheng Lu had previously said he wanted to find connections to change his identity and retake the imperial examinations.

If Cheng Lu could regain official honors, that would be good.

Then he wouldn’t have the nerve to keep pestering her.

She should be able to get through this New Year peacefully, right?

Wu Baozhang breathed a sigh of relief.

But then people from the silk shop next door came to collect the debt.

Although their words were tactful, the underlying meaning was that she must repay the silver before the Little New Year no matter what, or they would go to Cheng Wen about it.

Wu Baozhang scraped together funds from here and there, even using her personal maid’s twenty taels of private savings, before finally repaying the debt. She thought that come spring she could borrow another four or five hundred taels from the silk shop people—as long as she repaid it on time, there would be no interest, effectively borrowing several hundred taels for free to spend.

So after the Spring Festival passed, she borrowed three hundred taels from that silk shop again, repaid it in the second month, then borrowed again in the third month.

The others weren’t fools either. They immediately caught on and went directly to Cheng Nuo.

Cheng Nuo was initially very surprised, but after understanding what was going on, his face immediately flushed red as he repeatedly apologized to them.

They didn’t say much more, only saying that their shop’s business hadn’t been good lately and they also needed the silver for operations, so they feared they couldn’t lend him silver anymore.

Cheng Nuo agreed submissively, feeling that Wu Baozhang had completely humiliated him. When he returned home, he had a huge fight with her.

Wu Baozhang instead blamed Cheng Nuo for not earning enough money, forcing her to use her private funds for household expenses.

Cheng Nuo knew Wu Baozhang didn’t have much dowry, and he wasn’t the type to use his wife’s dowry. He also thought about how the tea shop and teahouse business hadn’t been good, and indeed he hadn’t given Wu Baozhang much household money lately. After a few words, finding the whole thing tiresome, he went out drinking alone.

Wu Baozhang sneered and decided to have someone search for Cheng Lu at various academies in the capital—if she didn’t find him, she wouldn’t feel at ease. Who knew when he might pop up and cause her more trouble?

Heaven rewards the diligent. The person she commissioned finally found Cheng Lu at the Imperial Academy.

Wu Baozhang was shocked.

But the person who brought her the news told her with a smile: “Madam, you’re in luck! This long-lost cousin of yours is now Minister Chen’s son-in-law!”