If her conjecture was true, then what happened back then that made Cheng Chi leave the Cheng family after Old Madam Guo’s death?

Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Zhou Shaojin thought of the Second Branch’s old ancestor’s suppression of Cheng Chi, thought of Cheng Chi’s way of conducting himself… If Cheng Chi already had plans to leave the Cheng family at this time, then everything made sense. Including his coldness toward Cheng Xu, his arrangements for the servants around him, his plans regarding his own marriage matters… all had answers.

She even thought that if it were her, she would probably do the same.

Since one had decided to leave, naturally the fewer attachments the better, and naturally the more distant the emotions the better.

Zhou Shaojin was lost in thought when someone patted her shoulder.

“What are you thinking about?” Ji Ying’s cold, beautiful face appeared before her eyes. “I called you several times and you didn’t respond.”

Zhou Shaojin hurriedly smiled at her apologetically.

Ji Ying said, “We won’t be able to drink today—I’ve been confined and can’t step outside this threshold. And you don’t have the strength to truss a chicken, so you can’t dig it out. We’ll have to wait until Qin Ziping comes tonight and have him help.”

Zhou Shaojin also had no mood to drink with Ji Ying anymore. She left the crabs, arranged to come again tomorrow, and returned to Wanxiang Residence.

Not far away in Lixue Study, Cheng Chi was reviewing account books.

He asked Huai Shan, who stood before his desk with hands tucked in sleeves, “What did the second-in-command of the Guangdong Thirteen Hongs say?”

Huai Shan respectfully replied, “He said they took on the military provisions for the Nine Border Garrisons this year and need to advance ten percent. They can’t come up with that much silver at the moment. Could they pay half first, and for the remaining half use their Guangdong, Panyu, Foshan, and Huizhou branch offices as guarantee, calculating three percent interest, to be fully repaid within two years…”

“No!” Before Huai Shan finished speaking, Cheng Chi, who had turned a page of the account book, had already resolutely interrupted him, saying, “Tell them we’ll reduce it by one percent point if they pay in full. If they still can’t come up with the silver, inform the Fujian An family and have them prepare the money.”

Huai Shan couldn’t help but say, “Fourth Master, the Guangdong, Panyu, Foshan, and Huizhou branch offices are the earliest branches of the Thirteen Hongs and represent the Thirteen Hongs’ reputation. That they’re offering these four branches as guarantee clearly shows sincere intent to take over our shipping business. Moreover, I’ve also investigated clearly—the Thirteen Hongs fought with the capital’s Yongfu Sheng to mutual destruction over these Nine Border Garrison provisions. This job will definitely result in losses; it’s just a question of how much. Why must you press them so hard? The chief steward of the Thirteen Hongs is quite a figure. But the Fujian An family rose through colluding with pirates, and the money in their hands isn’t clean. If the court investigates, it will be very troublesome…”

“Huai Shan!” Cheng Chi put down the account book in his hands and rubbed his brow somewhat wearily. “We need silver now. I don’t have time to wait two years for them. Two years—too much can change. I don’t want to wait anymore!”

“Fourth Master!” Huai Shan lowered his head somewhat ashamedly.

Seeing this, Cheng Chi stood up, walked to his side, and patted his shoulder, saying in a low voice, “I know you mean well for me, hoping I can still carry the title of Fourth Master of the Cheng family and continue being a romantic scholar in this prosperous Jiangnan land. But I’m tired of it. I want to drink a pot of turbid wine and wake up in the desert’s wind and sand; brew a pot of clear tea and fall asleep listening to the ocean’s tides…”

“Fourth Master!” Huai Shan raised his head somewhat emotionally, his eyes slightly moist. “Say no more. I’ll go notify the Fujian An family right away!”

But Cheng Chi’s hand on Huai Shan’s shoulder paused slightly as he said, “Forget it! What you said also makes sense. The An family acts too arrogantly and will run into trouble sooner or later. It wouldn’t be good if it implicated the Cheng family. Go tell the second-in-command of the Thirteen Hongs—agree to what they said before. Pay half the silver first, settle in full after two years.”

“Fourth Master!” Huai Shan’s eyes widened in surprise.

Cheng Chi rarely changed decisions once made.

“Perhaps it’s because I’m getting older and my heart is growing softer,” Cheng Chi knew this too. He laughed self-deprecatingly. “I can disregard others, but I cannot disregard my mother. This matter… is settled then.”

Huai Shan nodded and hesitated before saying, “Fourth Master, about Miss Ji Ying…”

“You mean the matter of Maoji Rice Shop,” Cheng Chi said indifferently, turning to sit back in the armchair behind his desk. “Just have someone follow that servant. Even if Ji Ying doesn’t know what’s good for her, the Ji family won’t foolishly follow along. Otherwise they wouldn’t have drawn a clear line with the Jiao family back then. However, this matter also reminds me—that Second Cousin Miss from the Zhou family, send someone to investigate her background. If she can direct Ji Ying to run errands for her, she’s probably not a simple character.”

He thought of how she had approached him several times, assuming it was just a young girl’s curiosity. Now it seemed that might not be the case.

Cheng Chi’s gaze narrowed slightly, and his brow became as sharp as a sword’s edge.

Huai Shan’s body trembled. As if not daring to look directly, he lowered his head, said “I’ll arrange it right away,” and bowed while retreating all the way to the door before leaving.

Cheng Chi sat alone in the room, watching as the light gradually dimmed until darkness enveloped him.

※※※

The next day, Zhou Shaojin didn’t go to Ji Ying’s to eat crabs.

Because Lanting was clamoring to see her and had even begun a hunger strike.

Zhou Chujin was very irritated and said to Madam Ma Fushan who came to report, “If she’s willing to die, she would have died long ago. You needn’t worry about her. Just deliver three meals a day as usual. Whether she eats or not is her own business.”

Zhou Shaojin felt this wasn’t a solution. After thinking it over, she said, “Let me go see her!”

Zhou Chujin disagreed, saying, “She’s just trying to force you to see her.”

Zhou Shaojin knew that everyone thought she was a soft persimmon—when things didn’t work with her sister, they came to her. In her previous life, she had refused everything. But in this life, she couldn’t push all these matters onto her sister’s shoulders and let her sister bear the bad name of being “unfilial.”

Moreover, this matter arose because of her!

“Doesn’t she keep claiming she’s following Mother’s orders?” Zhou Shaojin said to her sister. “Then let’s clarify things and see what Mother actually told her back then. Whatever Mother instructed, we’ll do accordingly. But if Mother didn’t instruct it, we can’t just let her do as she pleases. Otherwise, what about the wet nurses who nursed us?”

Hearing this reasoning, Zhou Chujin looked at her sister with new eyes and smiled, “That’s good. I’ll go with you. You talk to her while I listen from behind the screen.”

Sister still feared she might be deceived.

But this was already great progress.

Zhou Shaojin nodded with a smile. After explaining to Old Madam Guan, accompanied by Madam Ma Fushan, she returned with Zhou Chujin to the Zhou family’s ancestral home.

Madam Ma Fushan had placed Lanting in the side room behind the main hall, arranging one maid and one matron to “serve” her.

In her previous life, Zhou Shaojin’s impression of Lanting was limited to the “keep the child, discard the mother” incident. Seeing her in this life, she couldn’t help but examine her carefully.

She appeared no more than seventeen or eighteen years old. Fair, smooth skin, a small oval face, and a pair of dewy large eyes that blinked—indescribably touching and pitiful.

Zhou Shaojin was very surprised.

Mother had been gone for eleven years. Lanting must be at least twenty-four or twenty-five years old.

She hadn’t expected Lanting to look so young.

Seeing Zhou Shaojin, Lanting fell to her knees with a thud, tears falling like rain.

“Second Young Miss, I’ve finally seen you! When I left, you were just this small.” She wiped her tears. “Poor me, thinking of Second Young Miss every day, yet not daring to disobey Madam’s wishes by leaving Master alone at his posting…”

Zhou Shaojin suddenly understood her sister’s irritation.

Mother had been gone for years, yet Lanting still used Mother’s name to seek private gain… How shameless!

Zhou Shaojin interrupted Lanting’s tearful complaint, saying, “Get up and talk! The floor is cold.”

Lanting was startled, then her tears fell even harder. “Second Young Miss, you’re just like Madam, equally kind-hearted…”

Zhou Shaojin smiled without speaking and sat directly in the armchair in the main hall. She asked Lanting, “Can you write?”

This scattered questioning left Lanting somewhat confused.

She thought for a moment and said, “Yes. Madam taught me before.”

“That’s good.” Zhou Shaojin said gently, “I know Mother entrusted my sister and me to you before she died, and Father has respected you greatly for this over the years. Having you return to deliver the pearls this time was actually my sister’s and my idea.”

Lanting was stunned.

As if not seeing this, Zhou Shaojin continued unhurriedly, “My sister and I were still young when Mother passed. Now thinking back, if Father didn’t still have Mother’s portrait hanging in his study, we probably wouldn’t even remember what Mother looked like. My sister and I discussed it and called you back. Since you can write, why not write down what Mother said before she died? It would leave my sister and me something to remember her by.”

Lanting immediately realized Zhou Shaojin was annoyed that she kept using Zhuang Shi as an excuse.

She sneered inwardly.

What Zhuang Shi said before dying—Zhou Zhen wasn’t even there. Wasn’t it whatever she said it was!

She nodded tremblingly with trepidation.

Zhou Shaojin had Madam Ma Fushan prepare brush and ink for her.

Madam Ma Fushan cast Zhou Shaojin an admiring look.

Zhou Shaojin felt embarrassed.

She knew Madam Ma Fushan had misunderstood. She simply didn’t want to listen to Lanting’s nagging.

Soon, Lanting had written Zhuang Shi’s “last words.”

Zhou Shaojin scanned them at a glance and asked Lanting, “You’re saying Mother told you to care for Father and us?”

“Yes!” Lanting said with a flushed face, her eyelids slightly lowered, looking bashful.

Of course there was more than this, but this sentence was most important.

Zhou Shaojin smiled, “If that’s the case, why are you unwilling to stay with the Zhou family? Father now has a stepmother to care for him, but my sister and I lack someone to make decisions for us. Could it be you’re unwilling to care for my sister and me?”

Lanting froze.

Was Zhou Shaojin truly ignorant or pretending?

She looked at Zhou Shaojin’s delicate, pretty but slightly immature face and suddenly felt she had found the wrong person!

But Zhou Chujin was even more formidable.

In Zhou Chujin’s hands, she had no chance of winning at all.

Lanting’s tears fell again. She knelt before Zhou Shaojin once more and said, “Eldest Young Miss and Second Young Miss have the Cheng family to care for you, but Master is alone doing official work outside. How can I leave Master alone at his posting…”