Some matter?!
What matter could she have?
Zhou Shaojin thought about it.
She wanted Uncle Jing or Uncle Wei to guide her brother-in-law Liao Shaotang in examination essays, but that would have to wait until tomorrow when her brother-in-law took the examinations and passed the provincial graduate level. As for now… she really didn’t have any particular matter!
Zhou Shaojin shook her head and said, “I don’t have any matter!”
Cheng Chi couldn’t help but stare at her intently for a moment before saying, “Then what did you come find me for?”
Zhou Shaojin answered honestly, “Didn’t you leave without a word that day? I thought I’d see you again in a couple days, but the household has been so lively, yet I haven’t seen you at all. So I came specially to see you. I didn’t expect you’d actually gone out to attend a birthday celebration! I wonder whose old master’s birthday it was? Was it fun? Did Master Gu the Sixth go with you? A few days ago I had someone send the gift I bought for Miss Gu the Seventeenth. Miss Gu was very happy to receive it and sent back two bolts of foreign flannel, saying Master Gu the Sixth had sent them some days ago. Has Master Gu the Sixth been to Fuzhou recently?”
How does this girl have so many words?
He asks one question and she has ten waiting for him.
And she has no idea what the main point is…
Cheng Chi said, “Who told you flannel comes from Fuzhou? The best flannel comes from our Danyang, which is only a hundred-some li from Jinling City.”
Zhou Shaojin said “Oh.”
She hadn’t been asking where flannel came from. She wanted to see how Uncle Chi had been spending these past few days. With Old Madam Guo busy entertaining Madam Song, certainly no one was managing his affairs. When he was on the boat and became interested in something, he could read all night!
Zhou Shaojin said, “Uncle Chi, what have you been doing these days? Old Madam hasn’t had time to look after you either. When you have nothing to do, you should go out for walks! Or you could move to Algae Garden for a while! Isn’t that your villa? The scenery should be very nice! At least you wouldn’t be cooped up in your room reading and studying chess patterns every day.”
This little girl has become audacious, actually managing his affairs now!
Cheng Chi said, “My affairs don’t need your management. Just manage yourself properly! I heard that last time when you accompanied Madam Song to Linggu Temple, Madam Song got into her sedan chair steady and proper, but you got lost!”
Zhou Shaojin’s face reddened. “How did Uncle Chi know about that?”
She’d been to Linggu Temple before, but what she hadn’t expected was that going to Linggu Temple with Old Madam Guan versus going with Old Madam Guo were two completely different experiences. Going with Old Madam Guan just meant burning incense at the main hall and treasure hall, listening to Buddhist principles in side halls, and eating vegetarian meals in side rooms. But unexpectedly, going with Old Madam Guo, the abbot of Linggu Temple actually opened up the tomb pagoda of the renowned monk Baozhi for them. Only then did she learn that Linggu Temple actually had such a place.
That wasn’t all—in the Zhigong Hall before the tomb pagoda of the great monk Baozhi, there was a black stone stele. Besides having a portrait of Baozhi drawn by the painting sage Wu Daozi and an inscription composed by the poetry sage Li Bai, it also had an inscription personally written by the great calligrapher Yan Zhenqing. When she saw it, she couldn’t move her feet. Seeing that everyone from the abbot to the guest master at Linggu Temple was circling around Old Madam Guo and Madam Song, she quietly asked a young novice monk for paper and made a rubbing of the inscription on the stele… By the time she finished the rubbing, it had grown dark. Old Madam Guo and Madam Song had disappeared too, which startled her badly. If Nanny Shang hadn’t found her in time, she would have made a fool of herself that day.
The corner of Cheng Chi’s eye twitched.
This little girl answered so lightly!
If it weren’t for the fact that she was a female member of the Jiuru Lane Cheng family and had gone with his mother, just for making a rubbing of the Baogong Pagoda’s inscription, Linggu Temple could have detained her at the temple!
Otherwise Mother wouldn’t have urgently sent him rushing to Linggu Temple.
Fortunately, aside from this incident she hadn’t made any major mistakes. Mother just thought she was ignorant and fearless, and didn’t say anything.
But before he could speak, Zhou Shaojin had already walked over with an excited expression on her face. Standing before his large writing desk, she smiled and called out “Uncle Chi,” then said, “I know now—it must have been Nanny Shang who told you! I actually saw authentic work by the calligraphy sage Yan. Uncle Chi, was that really Yan Zhenqing’s authentic work? The abbot at Linggu Temple said it was, but temple people often like to exaggerate facts in front of pilgrims. But even if the stele in Baogong Pagoda is fake, those characters are majestic and dignified, square yet rounded, powerful and vigorous—they must be the handwriting of some great master. Being able to make a rubbing to observe every day makes this trip worthwhile!”
Indeed!
Cheng Chi thought privately.
I paid Linggu Temple one thousand taels in incense money, so of course your trip was worthwhile.
Zhou Shaojin, however, widened her eyes and said hesitantly, “Uncle Chi, are you unhappy?”
Perhaps having cultivated the ability from childhood to keep all emotions off his face, Cheng Chi instinctively denied, “I’m not unhappy.”
Really?
Zhou Shaojin stared unblinkingly at Cheng Chi, as if trying to discern truth from falsehood in the subtle expressions on his face.
For the first time in his life, Cheng Chi felt somewhat uncomfortable.
The little girl’s eyes were clear black and white, as if holding a pool of pure spring water. He could clearly see his own reflection in her eyes…
Cheng Chi couldn’t help but curse silently in his heart.
Clearly knowing this little girl was completely oblivious, he kept bringing up sensitive topics. Wasn’t he just asking for trouble?
He cut to the chase, saying, “Since you have no particular matter, you should go back! Didn’t my mother have you assist your sister in organizing the poetry gathering? Walking away like this, you probably won’t learn anything, will you?”
Uncle Chi must be somewhat unhappy.
Otherwise he would definitely be “driving” her away rather than “persuading” her to leave.
Uncle Chi’s behavior had a characteristic.
The more unhappy he was, the more polite he was to people. The better his mood, the more casual he was with people.
Zhou Shaojin smiled with pursed lips and asked Cheng Chi, “Will you still be attending birthday celebrations tomorrow?”
Sometimes birthday banquets lasted two or three days, with only one day being the formal feast.
Cheng Chi said, “Not going!”
“Then I’ll come keep Uncle Chi company playing chess tomorrow?”
Without needing to comfort Mother, Cheng Chi really had no patience to play games with a child.
“I don’t want to play chess tomorrow.”
“Then you can teach me chess.”
“I don’t want to teach you.”
“Then just watch me study chess patterns!”
“Do you know how to study patterns?”
“No.” Zhou Shaojin said shamelessly, “That’s why I need to learn from you!”
“What has your Madam Shen been doing?”
“She doesn’t teach as well as you.” Zhou Shaojin said, “She taught me for ages and I still couldn’t see the chess patterns clearly, but after you taught me for just a few days, I could understand simple joseki.”
“I don’t have time tomorrow!”
“I’m not asking you to stay by my side constantly.” Zhou Shaojin said, “I’ll just study patterns in your study. When I don’t understand something, I’ll ask you. You just need to answer—that’s all…”
He didn’t know she was such a sticky person!
Cheng Chi laughed in exasperation. Just as he was about to scold her a bit, Huai Shan entered with downcast eyes and said in a low voice, “Fourth Master, the Yutai Hangzhou branch sent over some flowers and plants. They say they’re for Second Miss…”
Zhou Shaojin was astonished. “For me?”
Huai Shan didn’t dare raise his head to look at Cheng Chi’s face and said respectfully, “Yes! They said last time Second Miss praised the flowers they raised at their branch. They had already selected several good potted flowers for Second Miss at the time, but Second Miss’s stay was too brief, and it wasn’t the right season for transplanting those flowers. They were afraid of any mishaps if they gave them directly to Second Miss, so they temporarily kept the flowers with Master Miao the Fifth. Recently Master Miao said these flowers could be moved, so the Hangzhou branch specially sent them over.”
“Ah!” When Zhou Shaojin left, she hadn’t received any flowers and had long forgotten about this. She hadn’t expected the Hangzhou branch to send the flowers all this way.
She looked toward Cheng Chi.
A trace of displeasure flashed in Cheng Chi’s eyes.
These people really have energy with nowhere to use it.
Coming up with such an idea to curry favor with him.
Sending flowers is one thing, but to ingratiate themselves in front of him, they didn’t send the flowers to the boat at the time. After some days had passed, they specially sent someone to deliver them… However, since he intended to sell Yutai at its peak for a good price, whether Yutai was good or bad had nothing to do with him anymore.
He took a deep breath imperceptibly.
Zhou Shaojin shivered.
Uncle Chi must be furious!
She waved her hand at Huai Shan. “I don’t want them. Go tell them I can’t accept them.”
Huai Shan naturally wouldn’t listen to her. He quickly glanced at Cheng Chi from the corner of his eye.
Who knew Cheng Chi’s expression remained normal, even carrying some warmth, as he said with a smile, “Since they’ve already been sent, just accept them!”
Huai Shan felt his fingertips go cold.
Fourth Master was always more amiable the angrier he got.
He answered “Yes” tremulously and said quietly, “The person who sent the flowers is Madam Wang. She says she’d like to enter the residence to pay her respects to Second Miss…”
“Fine!” Cheng Chi said lightly, “Tell Nanny Lü about it and have her make the arrangements.”
Huai Shan scurried away.
Cheng Chi lightly tapped on the large writing desk.
Perhaps he really wasn’t suited to managing affairs.
Others all thought establishing a draft bank and taking food from the mouths of those people from Shexian wasn’t simple, but he had merely used some tactics to establish Yutai Draft Bank. But once Yutai was established, he lost interest. Now such a major oversight had occurred. Mother praised the osmanthus trees at the Ningbo branch, and the very next day the Hangzhou branch knew about it. They even dared to send people to give flowers to those around him—clearly this sort of thing hadn’t been happening for just a day or two…
Perhaps it was time to sell Yutai Draft Bank.
Before, he’d still been hesitant, thinking of leaving something for Jiuru Lane. Now it seemed it couldn’t be kept.
But this was also fine. Without money, perhaps they could be more settled.
Having made up his mind, Cheng Chi looked up only to see Zhou Shaojin with lowered brows and docile eyes, holding her breath and standing motionless, like a frightened little wife.
He said in surprise, “Why haven’t you left yet?”
Zhou Shaojin breathed a sigh of relief and said cheerfully, “Then I can leave?”
What is this little girl thinking now?
Cheng Chi nodded.
Zhou Shaojin showed a brilliant smile and quickly said, “Uncle Chi, I really didn’t ask them to send flowers. When they deliver the flowers I’ll accept them first, then send them to you.” Having said this, she turned and ran outside.
Cheng Chi called out “Come back.”
Zhou Shaojin turned around, but before Cheng Chi could speak she said, “Uncle Chi, when that Madam Wang comes to pay me respects, how much reward money should I give so it’s not improper? She’s a manager’s wife, not some family’s personal nanny!”
Cheng Chi was led off track by her and said with a cold laugh, “Since she treats herself as a servant woman, you should treat her as a servant woman!”
Zhou Shaojin understood, nodded with a smile, and ran off.