Cheng Chi’s mind was buzzing, and he didn’t hear a single word of what Zhou Shaojin said afterward.

Being forced to choose… choosing for oneself… All these years, he had never carefully thought about this matter.

Was it that in his subconscious, he had always known he was “forced to choose,” so no matter how powerful he became afterward, no matter how much Cheng Xu feared him, he could never find peace? And the more powerful he became, the more anger accumulated in his heart; the more Cheng Xu feared him, the stronger the hatred grew in his heart.

Sometimes, he even felt this was Cheng Xu’s purpose—so what if you’re capable? So what if you’re formidable? So what if you’re naturally intelligent and accomplished in both civil and military arts? So what if you exhaust yourself completely? In the end, can’t you still escape the shackles I’ve placed on you…

Was this why he ultimately chose to leave?

Cheng Chi felt momentarily lost.

It wasn’t until he heard Zhou Shaojin’s sweet, soft voice tinged with a hint of anxiety by his ear that he came back to his senses and looked at Zhou Shaojin before him.

Zhou Shaojin let out a sigh of relief and said with lingering fear, “Uncle Chi, what just happened to you? Your eyes went blank and you didn’t move at all. When I spoke to you, you didn’t respond; when I called you, you didn’t answer. You scared me to death!”

“It’s nothing.” Cheng Chi’s expression returned to its gentle warmth as he said with a smile, “I was just thinking about a method for calculating quicksand that Old Master Song mentioned earlier… Do you know what quicksand is? Sometimes when it rains, it washes away mountain forests, and the sand and stones from the mountains rush down, burying everything downstream alive under the debris. I had long suspected it was because there were too few trees on the mountains. Meeting Old Master Song this time confirmed my suspicion. I was thinking whether we could find a way to plant some hardy tree species in the Yulin area—that way, wouldn’t we be able to block the wind and sand?” As he spoke, he laughed and said, “Why am I telling you all this? You don’t understand these things anyway!”

Indeed!

Why was Uncle Chi telling her all this?

Before, Uncle Chi would just give orders when doing things—when had he ever explained things to her like this?

Uncle Chi must have been thinking about something else just now and was using this quicksand business as an excuse to brush her off.

But what exactly had Uncle Chi been thinking about just now?

Unfortunately, she had never been able to figure out Uncle Chi’s thoughts.

Zhou Shaojin simply brought up the old matter again, saying, “Uncle Chi, can you have Manager Qin go ashore to buy combs for me?”

What he had said earlier was just to tease her.

He had already broken his word to her—how could he fail to satisfy even this small wish of hers?

Cheng Chi was about to agree with a smile when the door was knocked on symbolically and Song Min walked in: “Zichuan, are you done? I’ve already had Yijun take wine to that shop that makes Liyang braised liver…” As he spoke, he only then noticed there was suddenly a young lady in the cabin, beautiful as dew-kissed pearls. Looking more closely, it was actually that Second Cousin Miss. One sitting and one standing, one stern and one charming, yet somehow they seemed very harmonious together without any sense of discord. For a moment he was rather confused and said, “What’s going on here? Zichuan, are you busy? Should I come back later?”

“Old Master, I just came to ask Uncle Chi what time we’re departing tomorrow,” Zhou Shaojin said with a sweet smile before Cheng Chi could speak. “I was just about to leave. I hope you and Uncle Chi have a good time!”

As she spoke, she curtsied to both Cheng Chi and Song Min.

Song Min greatly appreciated her obedient and sensible manner. The wrinkles all over his face smoothed out as he smiled and nodded to Zhou Shaojin.

Zhou Shaojin, wearing a smile and looking straight ahead, left the cabin.

Then she heard Song Min’s impatient voice from behind: “Zichuan, you promised me this afternoon! Today we won’t go home until we’re drunk!”

Cheng Chi rubbed his forehead, a trace of helplessness flashing in his eyes.

With all his calculations, how could he not have anticipated that Zhou Shaojin would speak to him like that, causing him to forget that Old Master Song could appear at any moment… Not only had he failed to teach that little girl a lesson, he had actually offended her.

He had originally planned to set aside a day tomorrow to let the ladies on board go ashore shopping. Looking at that little girl’s manner, she probably wouldn’t appreciate it now.

It seemed tomorrow he should change plans and go to Zhenjiang early after all.

That little girl wasn’t one to hold grudges for long. In a couple of days she’d probably be fine, and he could arrange for them to go ashore shopping then. This matter would blow over like a storm passing.

As for buying combs, it looked like he really could only entrust it to Qin Ziping.

Changzhou was where combs were made, and the main shops of comb-making merchants were mostly in Changzhou. To distinguish between main shops and branch shops, the main shops released several styles each year that couldn’t be bought elsewhere. If he was buying combs for Old Madam Guan, it would be more appropriate to select a set from those main shops in Changzhou.

Wasn’t this lifting a rock only to drop it on his own foot?

Cheng Chi sighed and said to Old Master Song, “Come on, you’ve worked hard these past few days. I’ll accompany you for a couple of drinks to help you relax.”

Old Master Song nodded repeatedly.

Zhou Shaojin’s face turned livid with anger.

She returned to her cabin fuming.

To think she had trusted Uncle Chi so much, yet Uncle Chi had lied to her through and through, saying something about rushing to Zhenjiang to meet that Master Song who knew about dredging, making her feel terribly uneasy about having Qin Ziping help her buy a set of combs. But in reality, he had arranged to drink with Old Master Song all along.

And she had let him scold her until she was completely confused.

If Old Master Song hadn’t accidentally walked in, she would probably still be counting money for Uncle Chi after he sold her out!

Uncle Chi was too much!

Too much!

He was just taking advantage of the fact that she needed to ask him to help buy combs, wasn’t he?

Well, she just wouldn’t ask him!

She’d show him she could manage perfectly well without him!

Zhou Shaojin returned to her cabin, and only after drinking a cup of tea did the fire in her heart gradually calm down. She began carefully thinking about how to get a set of combs for her grandmother.

Having someone go ashore to buy them for her definitely wouldn’t work.

Last time she seemed to have heard Ji Ying mention that to prevent people on the boat from colluding with thieves on shore, once boatmen boarded, they weren’t allowed to disembark. And the stewards who could disembark were all Uncle Chi’s people—without Uncle Chi’s word, she couldn’t command them at all.

So she could only get a set from Old Madam Guo.

The people Old Madam Guo associated with were mostly widowed women, so the combs she bought would certainly be in styles and colors suitable for these widowed women. But Old Madam Guo was famously generous and magnanimous—she would also give some to the wives, madams, and young ladies of her natal family, old friends, and family friends. Could she perhaps exchange one of her own purchases with Old Madam Guo?

Think it, do it.

This was another lesson she had learned from living two lifetimes.

Zhou Shaojin selected a set of combs with relatively plain colors from those she had bought and went to Old Madam Guo’s quarters.

Old Madam Guo hadn’t retired yet and was fingering her prayer beads while reading Buddhist scriptures.

Seeing Zhou Shaojin enter, she smiled kindly and said, “What’s the matter? Is there something you need?”

Zhou Shaojin had never thought of hiding anything from Old Madam Guo.

She smiled shyly and nodded to Old Madam Guo, quietly telling her what had happened.

Old Madam Guo laughed heartily and said, “What kind of matter is this? No need to exchange—just go with Biyu to my trunk and pick out a set yourself.”

Zhou Shaojin hadn’t expected the matter to be resolved so easily.

She was very grateful and thanked Old Madam Guo repeatedly before following Biyu to the storage room.

Biyu suggested she take a set of black lacquer combs painted with white magnolia flowers.

Zhou Shaojin also thought they were very beautiful and thanked her with a smile.

Biyu smiled and said, “Why are you being so polite with me, Second Cousin Miss? Didn’t you give me a glass hairpin too? When I wore it out the other day, even Old Madam said it looked beautiful!”

Zhou Shaojin had given Biyu and the others each a hairpin on the very evening she returned to the boat after obtaining the hairpins.

“As long as it looks good when you wear it!” She chatted idly with Biyu for a while before returning to her cabin.

That night, lying in bed thinking about what had happened during the day, a ball of fire ignited in her heart again.

She couldn’t just let this go!

She had to let Uncle Chi know that she could manage perfectly well without him!

Uncle Chi would surely be very surprised.

Just thinking about how Cheng Chi would open his eyes wide and look at her with astonishment made Zhou Shaojin feel pleased.

Yes, that’s exactly what she’d do tomorrow!

Let Uncle Chi also know how capable she was!

Thinking this, Zhou Shaojin got up from bed and had Chun Wan open her trunk. She selected a pomegranate-red Hangzhou silk vest and an oil-green horse-face skirt with precious flower patterns and placed them beside the bed, instructing Chun Wan that she would wear these tomorrow. Only then did she lie back down on the bed and drift into dreamland with a smile on her lips.

※※※

The next day, Zhou Shaojin wore this outfit and deliberately styled her hair in a tilted chignon, then inserted a red lacquer comb painted with orchid grass before going to pay her respects to Old Madam Guo.

Old Madam Guo had just gotten up and had someone prepare a tiered food box to serve her.

Before long, Cheng Chi arrived.

He immediately spotted Zhou Shaojin, who was dressed stunningly.

Zhou Shaojin stepped forward with a beaming smile to greet him, pointing to the food box and saying, “There are donkey rolls. Would Uncle Chi like to try some?”

“No need.” Cheng Chi had enjoyed yesterday’s wine immensely, and this morning he had risen in high spirits. He smiled and said, “They’re too sweet. I don’t particularly like eating very sweet things in the morning.”

“Should I save some for you as an afternoon snack?” Zhou Shaojin said with a smile. “Today’s donkey rolls are quite delicious, sweet but not cloying…” As she spoke, she adjusted the comb in her hair.

Cheng Chi’s gaze involuntarily glanced at the comb.

Zhou Shaojin then asked him somewhat bashfully, “Does it look strange?”

Cheng Chi didn’t understand what she meant.

Zhou Shaojin then said in a low voice, “Yesterday Old Madam rewarded me with a set of black lacquer combs painted with white magnolia flowers. That left me with an extra set. I didn’t think much of it, but Chun Wan told me that since it was a reward from Old Madam, I should wear it to make Old Madam happy. But I was thinking that grandmother was short one set of combs, wasn’t she? So I could just give grandmother the set Old Madam rewarded me with.

“But what Chun Wan said also made sense, so I picked one from the combs I bought to wear. When Old Madam asks about it later, I can explain this matter clearly and let my grandmother also receive Old Madam’s thoughtful gesture. But to wear a comb, you must style your hair in an appropriate chignon. Chun Wan styled my hair in this chignon, and I feel so unaccustomed to it!

“Then I remembered what Uncle Chi said yesterday—that most people only praise me because they’re familiar with me. I felt too embarrassed to ask Chun Wan, so I just came out like this.

“Uncle Chi, you’re the most impartial person. Do you think this is acceptable? In a few days when we reach Zhenjiang, Madam Gao will surely host a welcoming banquet for Old Madam. Would it be appropriate if I dressed like this to attend?”