Since it was used to receive managers from the head office, the rooms at the Ningbo branch of Yutai were also well-furnished. Uniformly black lacquered furniture, hung with green lake silk curtains, blue and white porcelain, Hunan embroidered screens—everything looked tasteful and dignified yet refined and luxurious.
But no matter what, it couldn’t compare with the Hanbi Mountain Lodge on Jiuru Lane. So when Madam Guo saw the room where they would be staying, she had no particular reaction, but she quite liked the two osmanthus trees in the courtyard. Smiling, she glanced around a few times and said to Cheng Chi, “…These two trees are quite fitting for the occasion.”
Cheng Chi smiled and said, “Why don’t we have dinner set up under the osmanthus trees? There’s no wind today!”
Madam Guo thought for a moment and said, “Better not! We’re only staying here one night, yet we’d have them bustling about.”
Cheng Chi smiled and said, “What’s wrong with that! If you give them orders, they’ll actually be happy. If you say nothing and do nothing before leaving, they’ll feel uneasy instead.” As he spoke, he instructed Qingfeng, “Go tell Manager Wang that we’ll have dinner set up under the osmanthus trees tonight.”
Qingfeng ran off like a wisp of smoke to relay the message. The woman Wang Xiao had assigned to serve Zhou Shaojin immediately directed the maids and matrons she’d brought along to move tables and chairs.
Zhou Shaojin nominally supported Madam Guo as she sat down under the osmanthus trees. Cheng Chi took the tea a maid offered and personally handed it to his mother.
Madam Guo accepted the tea and took a sip with a pleased expression.
Qingfeng ran in saying, “Manager Wang says everything will be arranged according to the old madam’s instructions. He also said he had set up a banquet outside…” He studied Cheng Chi’s expression.
Cheng Chi said indifferently, “I came out this time to accompany the old madam. I appreciate his kind intentions, but I’ll have dinner here. Tomorrow evening I’ll host a banquet for them at Fuyuan House—the Ningbo branch has done very well. Everyone has worked hard.”
Qingfeng went off at a trot to relay the message again.
Cheng Chi instructed the woman assigned to serve them, “You may serve the dishes.”
The woman respectfully acknowledged “Yes” and went to have the meal served.
Dongpo pork, Longjing shrimp, Eight Treasures tofu, Hangzhou Three Delicacies, braised lion’s head meatballs, sauced duck… Not a single fish dish—all typical Jiangnan cuisine.
The woman explained in a soft voice, “Manager Wang said that the old madam is advanced in years and might not adapt well to the local climate and water, so he specifically instructed the kitchen to prepare dishes the old madam might commonly eat on ordinary days.”
Cheng Chi smiled and said, “Manager Wang has been very thoughtful.”
The woman repeatedly said “I dare not” and carefully attended them from the side.
They ate dinner quietly, and afterward the three of them sat under the osmanthus trees talking.
Cheng Chi said, “The liveliest place in Ningbo is Fuyuan Street. Most of the goods shipped back from overseas are traded there. Tomorrow morning I’ll accompany you to stroll around Fuyuan Street. At noon we’ll eat at Fuyuan House. In the afternoon, if you’re not tired, we’ll go back to Fuyuan Street for more browsing. If you’re tired, we’ll come back to rest. In the evening, have Second Cousin Miss accompany you for a seafood banquet while I host the exchange’s managers and assistants at Fuyuan House. They rarely get to see me even once a year. Since I’m here, I must certainly show them some appreciation.”
Madam Guo smiled and said, “I understand all this. Don’t forget—your mother once managed the Cheng family’s household affairs too. You go about your business. I have Shaojin with me, so you needn’t worry.”
Zhou Shaojin quickly said, “That’s right, Uncle Chi. The old madam is very capable. This morning she even told me which things we can buy and which we cannot!”
Hearing this, Madam Guo chuckled and said, “When I was young, I also traveled with my father. I’ve experienced all sorts of things! Once in Sichuan, my father insisted on going to Meizhou to see the Su family’s ancestral home. As a result, we ended up in a crooked inn halfway there. If I hadn’t noticed that the local villagers passing by their shop all showed fear on their faces and hurried along, we probably would have been cheated by that innkeeper…”
Old people always have much to say when recounting their youth.
Watching Madam Guo somewhat animated in her storytelling, Cheng Chi felt warmth rising in his heart. Once again he felt that bringing Zhou Shaojin along had been the right decision—this little girl might not be too bright, but she knew how to humor people. Throughout this journey, no matter what the topic, she could always draw Mother into conversation and make her talk happily. This alone made her better than many others!
It wasn’t until the maid refilled the tea for the third time that Cheng Chi, seeing it was getting late, hinted that Mother should rest. Only then did Madam Guo stop talking, and they each returned to their rooms.
Zhou Shaojin and Madam Guo stayed in the main chamber—Madam Guo on the east side, she on the west.
As soon as she entered, Chun Wan quietly showed Zhou Shaojin a purse, “Second Young Miss, Manager Wang gave this. It contains a full five taels of silver! Bitao and the others each received two taels.”
Zhou Shaojin was secretly astonished and said, “He only gave silver? Did he say anything?”
“No.” Chun Wan said, “Sister Biyu and the others beside the old madam all received some too.”
Zhou Shaojin calculated for Manager Wang—this was no small expenditure.
She pondered for a moment, then said to Chun Wan, “Uncle Chi needs to know about this. This Manager Wang has really invested heavily!”
Otherwise Chun Wan wouldn’t feel so uneasy either.
Chun Wan nodded and accompanied Zhou Shaojin to the wing room where Cheng Chi was staying.
Cheng Chi had just finished bathing and had casually thrown on an outer robe. In the dim yellow lamplight, one could faintly see his fine physique with broad shoulders and a narrow waist.
Only then did Zhou Shaojin realize she had come at an inappropriate time. She quickly lowered her head and hurriedly recounted what had happened.
Cheng Chi hadn’t expected Wang Xiao to make such a grand gesture either. He smiled and said, “I understand the matter. Since he’s already given it out, it’s awkward to return it to him. I’ll keep an eye on it.”
It seemed her trip hadn’t been in vain.
Zhou Shaojin breathed a sigh of relief, returned to her room, and fell deeply asleep amid the faint fragrance of osmanthus.
Cheng Chi, however, pushed open his window and stood with his hands behind his back, quietly admiring the moon for a while.
Huai Shan hurried in and said in a low voice, “I’ve investigated thoroughly. Not only Second Cousin Miss’s side, but also the old madam’s side, Qingfeng and Langyue’s side—Manager Wang sent silver to everyone. The most was ten taels, rewarded to the Miss Nan Ping and Miss Ji Ying at your side. The least was one tael, rewarded to the two rough-work matrons beside the old madam. Manager Qin and the others only sent two bottles of local wine. Altogether he spent at least seventy or eighty taels. As for whether this silver came from the exchange or from his own pocket, it will take another couple of days to find out.”
Cheng Chi said nothing.
Such a substantial reward, yet only Zhou Shaojin had sensed something was amiss, only she had come to tell him…
He waved his hand and said, “You may go rest! It’s getting late. Tomorrow we still need to accompany the old madam and Second Cousin Miss to browse Fuyuan Street.”
Huai Shan bowed and silently withdrew.
Cheng Chi stood alone for a while longer before gently closing the window.
***
The next day, the sky was somewhat overcast.
Madam Guo asked Cheng Chi, “Will it rain?”
Cheng Chi smiled and said, “The weather in Ningbo and Quanzhou is like this—a moment of wind, a moment of rain, with no consistency. Even if it does rain, there’s nothing to fear. The shops on Fuyuan Street are all connected. We can browse from one to the next, walking under the eaves without even needing an umbrella.”
“That’s good then!” Madam Guo looked at Zhou Shaojin, who was wearing a lake-green plain vest and looked soft and tender as a new willow, and smiled. “We mustn’t waste our Shaojin’s beautiful outfit.”
Cheng Chi smiled slightly.
Zhou Shaojin’s face burned. She called out “Old Madam” with playful reproach.
Madam Guo laughed pleasantly and said, “Should young ladies not dress up? Wait until they’re seventy or eighty like me to dress up? Others will think they’ve seen a demon!”
Her words made everyone serving in the room laugh. The woman Wang Xiao had sent to serve them flattered even more, “The old madam speaks truly. Second Cousin Miss is just like someone from a painting. When I first saw her yesterday, my eyes didn’t know where to turn. I was thinking whether I’d seen a celestial maiden or a doll. If the old madam didn’t have such a dignified appearance, I would have reached out to touch Second Cousin Miss…”
She wasn’t clear about Zhou Shaojin’s true identity. Hearing the Cheng family people all call Zhou Shaojin “Second Cousin Miss,” and seeing that Madam Guo had even brought this Second Cousin Miss along when burning incense at Mount Putuo, even if she was a relative living under someone else’s roof, she was clearly a relative who held great favor before Madam Guo. Currying favor with her certainly wouldn’t be wrong.
Madam Guo laughed upon hearing this, holding Zhou Shaojin’s hand with an expression of reflected glory.
The woman felt even more certain her guess was correct and became even more respectful toward Zhou Shaojin.
Cheng Chi found it rather amusing.
Mother’s fondness for pretty young girls was a trait she’d never changed her whole life.
Now that Cheng Sheng had gone to the capital, having Zhou Shaojin around meant Mother wouldn’t be too lonely and isolated.
With this thought, when they reached the largest jewelry shop on Fuyuan Street, in addition to buying Madam Guo a set of head ornaments set with blue sapphires the size of pigeon eggs, Cheng Chi also gave Zhou Shaojin a set of head ornaments inlaid with South Sea pearls.
Zhou Shaojin felt she didn’t deserve such a gift.
Cheng Chi smiled and said, “Consider it a personal gift from me. Just keep it.” Then he pointed to several silver-mounted glass hairpins nearby and said to the jewelry shop’s head manager, “However many of these kinds of hairpins you have, bring them all out for us to see.” Then he said to Zhou Shaojin, “You choose carefully and take them back as gifts for your eldest aunt and your elder sister—though these things aren’t worth much money, they’re quite rare. If I remember correctly, only the capital, Ningbo, and Quanzhou sell such hairpins.”
Though he said they weren’t worth much money, even an ordinary jeweled flower cost eight taels of silver.
Zhou Shaojin had brought two hundred taels of silver on this trip.
She had thought it would be sufficient.
Now it seemed she’d be doing well if she could even make it out of Hangzhou Prefecture.
It looked like she’d still need to buy combs in Hangzhou Prefecture, and the first thing she’d do upon reaching Hangzhou would be to buy combs.
She clutched her purse and made eyes at Chun Wan.
Chun Wan quickly walked over.
Zhou Shaojin said in a low voice, “Did Ji Ying not go out today either?”
Since leaving Jinling, she hadn’t seen much of Ji Ying during the day.
Chun Wan nodded and said quietly, “She said she’s sleeping at home.”
Zhou Shaojin couldn’t help muttering, “She said she wanted to come out and play, but now that we’re out, she’s sleeping at home…”
Actually, she had wanted to borrow silver from Ji Ying.
Now that Ji Ying wasn’t present, she could only carefully compare prices and select styles.
Watching Zhou Shaojin with her delicate appearance, yet with her small face tensed tight, staring at those jeweled flowers as if facing a formidable enemy, Cheng Chi’s thoughts turned over and over. Only when she picked up two hairpins and carefully listened to the assistant introduce the prices did he understand.
He was immediately amused, but his face showed no emotion as he continued to accompany Mother in selecting diamonds.
“I never expected Ningbo to sell everything.” Madam Guo smiled. “Diamonds this large—I’ve only seen them at Yongfusheng in the capital before.”
The head manager standing nearby was already beaming, and like a gentle spring rain said, “Yongfusheng sometimes restocks from our shop too, so the old madam truly has an eye for fortune. We just acquired these diamonds and haven’t had time to display them yet…”