Zhou Shaojin dutifully followed behind her elder sister Zhou Chujin. But while Jiang Shi and the He family’s eldest wife were exchanging pleasantries, Cheng Jia quietly tugged at Zhou Shaojin’s sleeve and whispered, “Did you hear just now… The He family people all praised you for being beautiful. When we get back, you have to embroider two pouches for me.”

“The He family people also praised your jewelry for being beautiful,” Zhou Shaojin sat properly but murmured at the corner of her mouth, “So when you get back, shouldn’t you also give me two pieces of jewelry?”

“Sure!” Cheng Jia’s eyes sparkled as she said, “I can give you two pieces of jewelry, but you have to make me two more pouches!”

How could she have forgotten that Cheng Jia was a little tycoon!

Zhou Shaojin secretly regretted it and asked curiously, “Who are you planning to give pouches to? Isn’t Cui Huan’s needlework also quite good?”

“Never you mind,” Cheng Jia refused to tell Zhou Shaojin. “Just remember you owe me two pouches.”

How could she be so domineering?

Zhou Shaojin wanted to say more to Cheng Jia, but Jiang Shi, who had been watching Cheng Jia from the corner of her eye, cast a glance their way.

Cheng Jia and Zhou Shaojin quickly stopped their conversation and sat up properly.

The He family’s matchmaker then invited Madam Gu to help insert the hairpin.

Jiang Shi held the box containing the hairpin, and the Cheng family members followed Madam Gu to the side chamber of Miss He Fengping, the He family’s eldest daughter.

He Fengping’s side chamber was already full of people—her aunts, both paternal and maternal, her cousins, and young ladies from good families who were close to her. There were quite a few people in the room.

As soon as Zhou Shaojin and the others entered, they won the amazed gazes of everyone.

Jiang Shi couldn’t help but feel a bit proud. Her gaze fell on a woman in the room wearing fourth-rank official attire.

She knew that should be the sister-in-law from Mian’s wife’s natal family, also the one considering Cheng Jia as a match.

Jiang Shi glanced at her daughter and saw Cheng Jia standing obediently beside Zhou Shaojin. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.

The three young ladies from the Cheng family were of different ages. He Fengping’s mother immediately distinguished who was who.

She couldn’t help but feel a bit regretful.

In terms of looks, Second Miss Zhou was too delicate and not as good at childbearing as Fourth Miss Cheng. But Second Miss Zhou’s father was a top scholar in both examinations, a fourth-rank prefect who was still young and vigorous, with an immeasurable future ahead… No wonder her sister-in-law had taken a liking to this young lady. However, there was no such thing as perfection in this world. He Fengping’s mother only sighed a little in her heart.

She sat there with dignity, only standing up when the matchmaker made introductions.

Jiang Shi particularly warmly grasped He Fengping’s mother’s hand and complimented her on having such a good daughter.

He Fengping, sitting in the inner chamber, wore a bright red embroidered jacket. For the hairpin insertion, all her jet-black hair was coiled at the back of her head in a double-spiral bun, exposing her smooth forehead. She wore no jewelry at all from head to toe. Her face was flushed red as she kept her head lowered, not daring to glance up even once.

Zhou Shaojin found this very interesting.

In her previous life, she had only seen the dignified, beautiful, and gracious He Fengping. She had never seen He Fengping shy and timid like this.

Perhaps at that time, their identities had been different, and He Fengping had needed to maintain the bearing of an elder sister-in-law?

Zhou Shaojin smiled with pressed lips.

Cheng Jia whispered in her ear, “Miss He looks quite beautiful!”

“Of course,” Zhou Shaojin couldn’t help but feel proud. “Just look at who chose this daughter-in-law.”

Cheng Jia laughed softly.

He Fengping suddenly raised her head to look at them, then quickly lowered it again.

Both Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Jia laughed.

Over there, He Fengping’s mother had finished exchanging pleasantries with Jiang Shi. The He family’s matchmaker looked at the time and called out with a smile, “The auspicious hour has arrived!”

All the various sounds in the room came to an abrupt halt.

Jiang Shi opened the box. Madam Gu took from it the auspicious ruyi gold hairpin weighing six liang and six qian, inlaid with auspicious cloud patterns, and inserted it into He Fengping’s hair.

As if suddenly erupting, the room again filled with various sounds of admiration, noisy and lively.

He Fengping’s face became even redder.

The He family’s eldest wife then smiled and invited the Cheng family members to take their seats in the flower hall.

Cheng Jia said disappointedly, “That’s it?”

“What else were you expecting?” Zhou Shaojin said with a mixture of laughter and tears. “If you want to see excitement, come when they fetch the bride—that’s when it’s truly lively!”

Cheng Jia knew that was impossible. She sighed in disappointment and walked arm-in-arm with Zhou Shaojin to the flower hall.

Now that the two families were officially relatives, He Fengping’s mother treated Jiang Shi and the others with less formality and more intimacy. She lavished praise on Zhou Shaojin and the others, then asked about Cheng Jia’s daily life.

Cheng Jia knew nothing and answered easily, treating it as conversation with an ordinary elder.

Zhou Shaojin, however, was thoughtful.

She calculated in her mind—He Fengping was the eldest daughter in her family. Her eldest younger brother should only be about twelve years old now, her youngest brother nine. So there was no way they could be connected to Cheng Jia…

On the way back, she tested Jiang Shi: “Sister-in-law He’s mother seemed to particularly like Cousin Jia.”

Jiang Shi only smiled without speaking.

Cheng Jia, however, complained, “How would I know?”

Zhou Shaojin could only sigh inwardly.

The range was too broad—Li Jing could only seek his own fortune!

When their boat had traveled halfway, the sky had already darkened. Cheng Jia, suffering from seasickness, had long since fallen into a drowsy sleep. Zhou Chujin had watched the scenery with Zhou Shaojin for a while, but the tension before arriving at Pukou and the fatigue after successfully completing the betrothal ceremony soon showed on her face.

Zhou Shaojin smiled and said, “Elder sister, go rest for a while! I’ll go ask Aunt Lu how much longer the return journey will take and what to do about dinner tonight.”

The He family had invited them to stay for dinner, but they didn’t want to spend the night in Pukou and had insisted on taking their leave.

This wasn’t something she needed to worry about, but she wanted to get some fresh air and move around.

Zhou Chujin was indeed tired. She smiled and nodded, allowing Chi Xiang to attend her as she slept.

Zhou Shaojin left the cabin and headed toward where Jiang Shi was resting.

Someone at the bow was speaking: “…The return journey will probably take about two more hours. I’ve already instructed the boatmen to go faster. It just depends on whether everyone wants to eat something simple to fill their stomachs or have the boatmen prepare a proper meal.”

Zhou Shaojin couldn’t help but walk over.

The speaker turned around.

In the twilight haze, she saw Cheng Chi’s face—quiet and composed, cold and profound.

Zhou Shaojin froze.

This was a Cheng Chi she had never seen before.

But in just an instant, that face broke into a faint smile. Though his eyes remained cool and clear, his face gained a touch of warmth, like spring wind blowing across the earth, warming the air.

“Second Young Miss,” he said gently. “Is there something you need?”

The person beside him stared at her with eyes like cold swords.

Only then did Zhou Shaojin realize that the person speaking with Cheng Chi was Qin Zi’an, and there were only the two of them at the bow.

She quickly explained, “My elder sister and Cousin Jia have both gone to rest. I came out wanting to ask when we’ll arrive in Jinling and what to do about dinner.”

Cheng Chi pondered for a moment, then said to Qin Zi’an, “Since there are female family members on board and the boatmen’s food is usually quite rough, I think we should stop somewhere along the way and have a proper meal brought aboard.”

Qin Zi’an respectfully acknowledged this and withdrew, brushing past Zhou Shaojin.

Zhou Shaojin felt that Qin Zi’an seemed to have some opinion of her. She instinctively stepped aside to give Qin Zi’an the path.

Qin Zi’an said “Thank you” in a low voice, then went toward the stern.

Cheng Chi smiled and said, “We’ll probably arrive in Jinling Prefecture in about two hours. Would you like to return to the cabin to rest?”

Was Uncle Chi trying to get rid of her?

Zhou Shaojin thought for a moment and said, “I just walked over because I heard Steward Qin say that… Does Uncle Chi want to stay alone at the bow for a while? Then I’ll return to the cabin first.”

Having lived two lives, this was Zhou Shaojin’s first time traveling by water. She found it quite strange that she didn’t get seasick.

Thinking that after returning to the cabin she would only be able to sit alone in a daze, her expression dimmed slightly.

Cheng Chi’s heart stirred as he watched. He guessed that since everyone who had come was tired and resting, Zhou Shaojin, who didn’t get seasick, had no one to keep her company and could only run around energetically.

Really just a child!

He smiled and said, “I’m also just out for a walk. I remember your father once served as an official in Nanchang. Did you go to see your father?”

Zhou Shaojin’s face showed shame as she said in a low voice, “No!”

“Oh!” Cheng Chi said matter-of-factly, “Many people have never been to their father’s official posting. It’s too far, and the roads aren’t easy to travel. You’re too young—you’d easily get sick from not being acclimatized.”

Zhou Shaojin had never thought about going to her father’s posting before.

She felt that she and her elder sister were doing quite well in Jinling.

But after seeing her father after such a long absence and experiencing so many things, she vaguely felt she shouldn’t be so distant from her father. Although her father served as an official elsewhere, he still thought about her and her elder sister very much.

Hearing Cheng Chi make excuses for her, she felt very grateful. A thought flashed through her mind, and as if possessed, she said, “Does Uncle Chi often travel far? Will you go to Baoding Prefecture? If you go to Baoding Prefecture, could you take me along? I really want to go see my father!”

Baoding Prefecture was only a few days’ journey from the capital.

She might have a chance to visit the capital.

But then she thought of Cheng Xu in the capital and suddenly lost her motivation to go there, becoming somewhat dispirited.

Cheng Chi’s gaze flickered slightly as he said, “Do you really want to go to the capital?”

Zhou Shaojin nodded.

In Jinling, she was a young maiden waiting in her chambers for marriage. Except for places like Ganquan Temple, she hadn’t been anywhere else. In the capital, she had been a woman managing the household—as long as she wanted, she could go anywhere. Compared to Jinling, she was more familiar with the capital.

Cheng Chi smiled and said, “What would you do there?”

Zhou Shaojin said, “I just want to go see it!”

Her tone was somewhat wistful, but it sounded different to Cheng Chi’s ears.

Many people wanted to go see the capital. But Zhou Shaojin’s father, Zhou Zhen, was in Baoding.

He hadn’t mentioned Baoding but directly asked about the capital, and Zhou Shaojin had naturally said she wanted to go see the capital.

People all preferred places where they had a sense of familiarity—whether a person or an object.

Shouldn’t she have mentioned Baoding Prefecture first before mentioning the capital?

Cheng Chi smiled faintly and said, “All right! If I go to the capital, I’ll take you along to see it!”

Zhou Shaojin was so elated she almost jumped up, but when she thought of Cheng Xu, her heart seemed to sink to the bottom of the lake, and even her gaze became bitter.

“Thank you, Uncle Chi!” she said insincerely. “It’s so far—I’m afraid my grandmother and elder sister won’t bear to let me go so far away.”

Cheng Chi thought for a moment and said, “Is it that you don’t want to see Jiashan?”

Zhou Shaojin nodded awkwardly.

Cheng Chi smiled and said, “I’ve actually never understood you young ladies. Jiashan is already willing to humble himself before you—why do you still dislike him so much? Did he do something you didn’t like?”