Cheng Chi looked at the empty table and smiled in spite of himself.

Meanwhile, Zhou Shaojin’s ears were still burning hot even after entering the tea room.

She hoped that by the time she went back in, Uncle Chi would have already forgotten about this matter.

Zhou Shaojin walked to the stove with a completely flushed face, not noticing at all Qingfeng and Langyue sitting in the corner eating roasted broad beans.

But Qingfeng and Langyue were quite surprised to see Zhou Shaojin. The two couldn’t help but exchange a glance—Zhou Shaojin’s eyes were red, clearly showing she had been crying.

Langyue nudged Qingfeng with his elbow.

Qingfeng snorted coldly and turned his face away.

Langyue had no choice but to smile helplessly. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a handful of roasted broad beans, and held them out in front of Zhou Shaojin.

“Second Cousin Miss,” he said with a smile. “Have some beans.”

Zhou Shaojin had been raised on fine delicacies since childhood and preferred soft foods. She usually didn’t eat hard foods like roasted broad beans. But she still smiled, thanked him, took the roasted broad beans and put them in her pocket. Naturally, she then noticed Qingfeng sitting on a small stool in the corner.

She smiled and nodded at Qingfeng.

Qingfeng’s face remained expressionless.

Zhou Shaojin couldn’t be bothered with him and picked up the kettle to add water.

Langfeng quickly said, “Second Miss, let me, let me do it.”

“No need,” Zhou Shaojin declined with a smile.

She needed to do something right now to forget about her earlier embarrassment.

Zhou Shaojin filled the kettle with water, placed it on the stove, and picked up a palm-leaf fan. She sat on a small stool in front of the stove and began fanning the fire.

“Second Cousin Miss, let me do it instead!” Langyue went to take the palm-leaf fan from Zhou Shaojin’s hand. “Our Fourth Master is very particular. The person who makes tea is the tea maker, and the person who boils water is the water boiler. You needn’t be polite with me. What if the flying charcoal ash dirties your hands? Why don’t you just sit to the side, and I’ll call you when the water is ready!”

“Really?” Zhou Shaojin hesitated somewhat.

The last time she encountered Uncle Chi at Sanzhi Pavilion, it seemed she had boiled the water and made the tea herself… Uncle Chi hadn’t said anything about it!

Could it be he was just helping her save face?

As she pondered this, she saw white ash floating out of the stove and landing on her hand. So she handed the palm-leaf fan to Langyue.

Langyue then pointed with a smile to a copper basin nearby. “Second Cousin Miss, go wash your hands there! There’s a small stool over there. Sister Nan Ping likes to have some refreshments when drinking tea. That cabinet over there has preserved plums, olives, and such. Don’t be shy—eat whatever you like. I’ll call you to make the tea once the water is ready.” After speaking, he called out “Qingfeng” and said, “Go get a tiered food box and see what Second Cousin Miss likes to eat. Fill up a box.”

Qingfeng silently took out a tiered food box from the cabinet Langyue had mentioned and asked Zhou Shaojin in a low voice, “Second Cousin Miss, what would you like to eat?”

Zhou Shaojin didn’t want to eat anything. She only hoped Cheng Chi would forget about what had just happened.

“You don’t need to worry about me,” she declined tactfully. “If I want any refreshments, I’ll just tell you.”

As the two were talking, Nan Ping walked in.

Her jet-black hair was styled in a round bun with a jade hairpin inserted. She wore a water-green lake silk vest over her clothes. Her face bore a smile, making her appear gentle and demure.

“Second Cousin Miss, you’ve come.” She smiled and curtsied slightly to Zhou Shaojin. “There’s a strong charcoal smell here. You should go sit in the corridor instead! It won’t be too late for Qingfeng to call you once the water boils.”

Seeing Nan Ping speak so earnestly, Zhou Shaojin found it difficult to insist. Accompanied by Nan Ping, she left the tea room.

Nan Ping noticed her eyelids were red, but her face was snow-white. Far from looking disheveled, she had a delicate, touching beauty, like someone too frail to bear her clothes.

She couldn’t help but silently admire her.

This Second Cousin Miss from the Fourth Branch was truly beautiful!

Not just beautiful—in her eyes, brows, and every gesture, she carried a gentle, delicate charm that made one want to cherish her. Like a flower that would break with the slightest force.

No wonder Fourth Master couldn’t bring himself to scold her loudly even when she cried.

Who knew which family’s son would have the fortune to marry her in the future?

These thoughts merely flashed through Nan Ping’s mind.

She smiled and made small talk with Zhou Shaojin. “Have you been doing needlework in your spare time lately? When I visited last time, I saw you were making a woman’s skirt. If I wasn’t mistaken, it seemed to be a moon-flower skirt. I didn’t expect Second Miss’s needlework to be so excellent that you can even make moon-flower skirts.”

Zhou Shaojin replied modestly, “It’s merely passable, nowhere near as skilled as the masters in the needlework room.”

“That’s their livelihood,” Nan Ping said with a smile. “If they were worse than us, that would be unacceptable.”

As the two chatted, Langyue stuck his head out. “Second Cousin Miss, the tea is ready.”

Zhou Shaojin smiled and acknowledged him, went to the tea room to get the tea, and said to Nan Ping, “We’ll talk more later.”

Nan Ping smiled as she watched Zhou Shaojin enter the open hall.

Huai Shan appeared from somewhere and said in a low voice, “Is Second Miss Zhou all right?”

“She’s fine,” Nan Ping said with a smile. “I think Second Miss Zhou is quite sensible…”

The implication was—so why did she cry?

Huai Shan said, “I don’t know either… she suddenly just started crying…” As he spoke, he stroked his chin and said wistfully, “Though, it’s been several years since anyone dared cry in front of Fourth Master… I was quite startled too…”

Nan Ping fell silent.

Zhou Shaojin pretended to act as if nothing had happened as she placed the teacup by Cheng Chi’s hand. She called out sweetly, “Uncle Chi,” and said, “Please have some tea.”

Cheng Chi looked at her smiling face with crinkled eyes—if she had a tail wagging behind her, she would look exactly like a Persian cat trying to please its master.

He smiled and hummed in acknowledgment, picking up the teacup for a sip.

The weight in Zhou Shaojin’s heart finally lifted.

Since he drank her tea, he must be letting bygones be bygones!

Zhou Shaojin sat down in the armchair below Cheng Chi’s seat.

Cheng Chi asked her, “Is there something you want to ask me?”

During the time Zhou Shaojin went to make tea, he had thought about it—since she hadn’t come to find him about Cheng Xiangqing’s matter, nor about Cheng Jiashan’s matter, then there was only one possibility: like last time, she had encountered something she couldn’t figure out and came to ask him about it.

How could Zhou Shaojin bluntly discuss the Second Branch’s Old Ancestor’s matter right away? Weren’t rumors always the last thing the person involved learned about? Though Uncle Chi was formidable, if the Second Branch’s Old Ancestor acted very secretly and Uncle Chi, respecting him as an elder, hadn’t noticed anything at all, if she stated it so directly, Uncle Chi definitely wouldn’t believe her.

Rather than exhausting herself with explanations, it would be better to subtly remind Uncle Chi, and he would investigate on his own.

“Not at all!” Zhou Shaojin said what she had long prepared. “When my father returned last time, didn’t the Second Branch’s Old Ancestor host a banquet for our family? I was in the inner courtyard at the time. After returning, I heard from Father that you had gone to Huai’an, and that there was a problem with a shipment, so you went to Huai’an to handle it. I was somewhat worried, and thinking I still needed to deliver tea leaves to you, I came over in passing, wanting to ask Sister Nan Ping how your matter was progressing. I didn’t expect to run into Qingfeng, who said you’d already returned…”

If that were the case, since the tea leaves had been delivered and she had seen his people, why would she stubbornly insist on staying?

Cheng Chi didn’t believe her words.

He had a feeling there was more to come.

Sure enough, Zhou Shaojin smiled just as he expected. “Uncle Chi, have you already dealt with the matter in Huai’an? I wonder what it was that required you to make the trip personally? When my father was leaving, he kept expressing regret, saying that Uncle Chi was broadly learned and elegant in speech. Previously, because of his studies for the examinations, he’d only met you twice. Now that he had a chance to talk with you at length, you were too busy—the stewards called you away after just a few words. He thought he would see you at the banquet, but you had gone to Huai’an. As a result, he was called to the study by the Second Branch’s Old Ancestor to play chess, and Cousin Shi was also called over to serve tea and pour water…” As she spoke, she giggled, as if laughing at Cheng Shi’s expense. “My father also said he didn’t expect Great Aunt Hong’s maternal family to actually be the Huang family of Saiyang. Uncle Chi, is the Huang family of Saiyang very famous? More famous than Jiuru Lane? My father said Jiuru Lane is Jinling’s number one family. Is that true?”

Cheng Chi’s heart trembled slightly.

Was this little girl coming to warn him to be careful of the Second Branch’s Old Ancestor?

Did she even know what she was saying?

Was this something a little girl like her should be involved in?

Cheng Chi said with a smile, “Jinling City is the ancient capital of six dynasties, full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. How could Jiuru Lane be considered Jinling’s number one family? Where would that put the Gu family of Plum Blossom Lane? And the Guo family of Stone Lane—which family doesn’t have more heritage than our Cheng family? You mustn’t say such things outside.”

“I know!” Zhou Shaojin smiled with pressed lips. “I’m just saying it in front of Uncle Chi.”

She felt very anxious inside.

Had Uncle Chi understood what she was saying or not?

Should she say it more plainly?

Zhou Shaojin was somewhat undecided.

But Cheng Chi noticed that her left hand was gripping her right hand, and her fingers seemed about to twist together again.

He didn’t know if anyone else had discovered this habit of hers.

Fortunately she was just a sheltered young lady. If she were conducting business outside, she would probably be taken advantage of in no time.

However, even as a sheltered young lady, after marrying in the future, wouldn’t she still have to deal with her mother-in-law above and sisters-in-law below? It would still be very easy for others to figure her out.

He couldn’t help but say, “Do you know that whenever something is on your mind, your fingers twist together?”

“Ah?!” Zhou Shaojin’s eyes widened.

Weren’t they talking about his matter? How did it suddenly turn to her?

She was somewhat at a loss.

Cheng Chi had already asked, “Has anyone told you about this habit before?”

Did this count as a habit?

Zhou Shaojin took a while to recover. “My, my sister told me, but I just can’t change it…” She lowered her head somewhat shamefully. “Later I tried to go out as little as possible and just stay at home…”

The room suddenly became very quiet, without a sound.

Uncle Chi wouldn’t be angry about this, would he?

Zhou Shaojin looked up at Cheng Chi anxiously.

She saw Cheng Chi’s brows slightly furrowed, as if he were thinking about something.

Zhou Shaojin didn’t know what had happened. She could only sit there quietly, trying to make her breathing as soft as possible so as not to disturb him.

After just a few breaths, Cheng Chi suddenly said, “When you’re sitting, can you develop the habit of clasping your two hands tightly together? No matter when, keep your two hands tightly clasped together.” As he spoke, his gaze fell on her hands. “Don’t let people notice that you’re nervous—instead, make them think this is just how you naturally behave.”