Zhou Shaojin’s heart pounded as she listened, suddenly finding herself caught in a dilemma.

If she didn’t tell Uncle Chi, what would she do if he truly stopped caring about her in the future? Especially since she hadn’t had the chance to tell Uncle Chi about how the Cheng family would face complete household execution later! But if she told Uncle Chi, how could she bring herself to speak of such a private matter? Moreover, Biyu had only heard this from Grandmother and Old Madam Guo. No one knew how things would ultimately turn out. What if the situation changed? Would Uncle Chi think she was someone who panicked at the slightest rumor, couldn’t keep things to herself, and lacked composure?

She quietly studied Cheng Chi’s expression.

Cheng Chi gave a cold laugh.

Zhou Shaojin’s hands twisted tightly together.

She hadn’t had this habit for quite some time now.

Seeing this, Cheng Chi’s heart softened. He said gently, “Are you worried about the marriage arrangement with the Cheng family?”

Zhou Shaojin’s eyes widened.

So Uncle Chi knew about this matter too.

Her face flushed bright red, her lips moving wordlessly, not knowing what to say.

Cheng Chi said, “Don’t worry, I’ll handle this matter.”

Handle it?!

How would he handle it?

Zhou Shaojin nervously grabbed Cheng Chi’s sleeve and said, “You, you mustn’t say anything… Grandmother will be heartbroken…”

Hearing this, anger flared up in Cheng Chi’s heart. He said sternly, “Don’t tell me you still want to marry Yi Ge’er?”

Being questioned like this made Zhou Shaojin not only nervous but also guilty, as if she had done something wrong. She waved her hands repeatedly, saying, “No, no. I don’t want to marry Cousin Yi, but I also don’t want to make Grandmother sad. I’m even more afraid that Father and Grandmother will develop hard feelings because of me…” As she spoke, her eyes couldn’t help but moisten.

They were all her family. How could she let them develop a rift because of her?

Her eyelids lowered. A crystal-clear teardrop hung on her long lashes, like tender leaves washed by spring rain, with only that single drop of moisture trembling at the tip when the sun came out.

Cheng Chi sighed inwardly and said, “Rest assured. I won’t go directly to your grandmother, nor will I let your grandmother and the others suspect this matter has anything to do with you…”

“Really?” Zhou Shaojin looked up in delighted surprise. That teardrop fell onto her cheek, against her pink face like a drop of morning dew.

“Really!” Cheng Chi sighed again and said, “I know you don’t want to put them in a difficult position.”

“Yes, yes, yes!” Zhou Shaojin nodded. Her eyes curved like crescents.

What a child!

Cheng Chi couldn’t help but smile too.

When he walked out through the Zhou family’s main gate, got into his sedan chair, closed his eyes, and began thinking about Cheng Lu’s matter, he only then realized that Zhou Shaojin had never asked him what method he would use to dissuade Old Madam Guan from the idea of keeping her in the fourth household.

Cheng Chi shook his head.

This little girl believed whatever he said without even asking once.

But this feeling of being completely trusted… felt truly wonderful!

Perhaps this was why he would help her again and again?

However, Cheng Lu’s matter was easy to handle, but he had to think carefully about Cheng Yi’s situation. Since he couldn’t let Old Madam Guan become suspicious, and couldn’t put the little girl in a difficult position…

He lightly tapped the sedan chair and instructed Huai Shan who was accompanying the chair, “When will the Ninth Master of the Gu family return?”

Huai Shan thought for a moment and said, “At the earliest, it will be early February.”

Cheng Chi added, “If Prefect Wu comes to offer condolences, remember to inform me. I have something to say to him.”

Huai Shan acknowledged the order.

But he couldn’t help wondering inwardly.

Was Fourth Master planning to seek out Master Gu or Prefect Wu?

※※※

Zhou Shaojin saw Cheng Chi off and hurried back to the main room.

Zhou Chujin was waiting expectantly.

As soon as Zhou Shaojin entered, her sister grabbed her hand.

“Shaojin!” Zhou Chujin asked urgently, “What did Uncle Chi say?”

“Of course he agreed.” Zhou Shaojin smiled with eyes curved like crescent moons, her joy overflowing.

Cheng Chi had agreed to help her decline Cousin Yi’s marriage proposal. She felt an enormous weight lift from her shoulders, felt much lighter in her movements, and her mood was incredibly good.

Zhou Chujin breathed a sigh of relief and said, “How did you persuade Uncle Chi?”

“I didn’t persuade Uncle Chi at all!” Zhou Shaojin said with a smile. “I just told Uncle Chi what happened, and Uncle Chi agreed. There was no ‘persuading’ involved at all.”

Zhou Chujin was astonished.

Zhou Shaojin said somewhat proudly, “Uncle Chi said that Lu is a petty man with talent but no virtue. Such small men have enough cunning to carry out their schemes and enough boldness to commit violence—they’re like tigers with wings. He even praised us for doing the right thing. He said that even if someone like Cheng Lu becomes successful in the future, he won’t contribute anything to the Cheng family, and the Cheng family might even be implicated by him. Better to cut off his ambitions now and let him stay home and live a proper life.”

“Uncle Chi truly has penetrating insight!” Zhou Chujin was very pleased to hear this and couldn’t help but praise Cheng Chi.

Zhou Shaojin smiled with pride, pursing her lips. “I told you, if Uncle Chi knew about Cheng Lu’s actions, he definitely wouldn’t help him!”

“You’re the best!” Zhou Chujin saw her looking like a child wanting praise and said with a teasing smile, patting Zhou Shaojin’s head, “Our Shaojin is the most capable!”

Zhou Shaojin blushed and knocked her sister’s hand away, chiding, “Sister sounds completely insincere, anyone can tell you’re just humoring me!”

Zhou Chujin widened her eyes and said, “So even praise has to be sincere! I thought praise was just something people say!”

“Sister!” Zhou Shaojin wouldn’t let it go and tried to pinch her sister.

Zhou Chujin dodged.

The sisters played around together.

After quite a while, Zhou Chujin finally laughed breathlessly and begged for mercy, saying, “Alright, alright, let’s talk about serious matters. Besides all this, did Uncle Chi say anything else? Like how Uncle Chi plans to handle this? Whether Father needs to get involved or anything like that?”

The Cheng family agreeing to let the Zhou family deal with Cheng Lu was already more than they could ask for. Now that they had agreed to personally help mediate, naturally the Zhou family couldn’t leave everything to Cheng Chi. Where the Zhou family could help, they should—especially with matters requiring gifts and connections. They couldn’t borrow the Cheng family’s influence and also have them pay for everything, could they?

But Zhou Chujin felt too embarrassed to say this so directly, so she could only ask Zhou Shaojin in such a roundabout way.

Zhou Shaojin didn’t catch the implication at all.

She said with a smile, “Uncle Chi said he’ll handle everything and told us not to interfere…” She told her sister everything that had happened in complete detail.

Zhou Chujin didn’t know what to say for quite a while.

What Uncle Chi said certainly made sense, but wasn’t he being a bit too “enthusiastic”? He had practically taken on the entire matter wholesale.

She thought of all those pearl hairpins and jade ornaments piled on Zhou Shaojin’s bed after she returned from Mount Putuo, so dazzling they were almost blinding… Her gaze unconsciously fell on Zhou Shaojin.

Black hair, snow-white skin, red lips, and those clear eyes with their sincere gaze, her slender and graceful figure—like a newly blooming flower…

Zhou Chujin couldn’t help but mentally scold herself.

How could she think in that direction?

Uncle Chi was their elder.

Besides, someone like Uncle Chi could have any beautiful woman he wanted. Not to mention others, just Ji Ying, Nan Ping, and the girls around Old Madam Guo—Zhenzhu, Feicui, Biyu, Manao—weren’t they all extraordinary beauties? Would he really treat Shaojin well just because of that?

Zhou Chujin’s face felt hot. She said, “Shaojin, we can’t let Uncle Chi put in all the effort and pay all the expenses too, can we?”

“But some connections surely can’t be bought with money, right?” Zhou Shaojin said. “I think rather than splitting hairs with Uncle Chi over everything, we should find out what Uncle Chi likes. Then we can properly give Uncle Chi a nice gift!”

Zhou Chujin felt her face grow even hotter.

Everyone said she was smart and capable, yet she hadn’t thought as clearly as her sister.

Indeed, if everything could be solved with money, why would they need to ask the first household for their consent?

“Shaojin!” Zhou Chujin said with an embarrassed smile, “I’ll leave the task of thanking Uncle Chi to you. When the time comes, find out what Uncle Chi likes. Then we can give him a gift according to his preferences.”

Zhou Shaojin laughed cheerfully and said, “I don’t need to ask around—I already know one of Uncle Chi’s interests!”

Zhou Chujin asked eagerly, “What does he like?”

“Uncle Chi likes the River Diagram and Luo Writing.” Zhou Shaojin smiled as she told her sister about how Cheng Chi and Old Master Song had calculated water patterns on the boat.

Zhou Chujin frowned and said, “That’s going to be troublesome! Where are we going to find books on that subject?”

“We can ask Father!” Zhou Shaojin said with a smile. “If Father doesn’t have any, he can search for them slowly!”

Zhou Chujin laughed despite herself.

Why was her mind so muddled today, not as nimble as her sister’s?

She said, “I’ll call Teacher Li in right now. Since Uncle Chi said we shouldn’t interfere, we’d better not interfere.”

Although Zhou Chujin didn’t fully understand Cheng Chi, she believed that someone who had founded the Yutai Bank couldn’t be a simple person.

When Teacher Li heard that from now on he wouldn’t need to do anything except wait to relay news from here to Zhou Zhen, he was so surprised his mouth hung open for a long time.

The Cheng family had agreed so readily to the Zhou family’s request, even willing to sacrifice a scholar who might achieve success in the imperial examinations in the future?

Did the Cheng family value the Zhou family that much?

Or rather, did the first household of the Cheng family… value the Second Miss too much?

The Second Miss had just spoken a few casual words, and Fourth Master of the first household had agreed… What kind of position did the Second Miss hold in the first household?

Teacher Li couldn’t help but look up toward the screen.

Behind the gauze screen embroidered with large, brilliant peony flowers, he could only vaguely make out two figures, one sitting and one standing.

The seated one had dignified bearing, while the standing one had a slender figure, standing gracefully and elegantly like a willow.

Teacher Li was quite disappointed.

The seated one should be the First Miss. Was the standing one the Second Miss or a maid attending the First Miss?

He bowed and withdrew.

Zhou Shaojin breathed a sigh of relief and pulled her sister up with a smile, saying, “Is this matter finally settled then?”

Zhou Chujin couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time. She tapped Zhou Shaojin’s forehead and said, “You! I don’t know whether to say you’re a fool with fool’s luck or that you’re muddle-headed. Others facing such a situation would probably worry themselves sleepless, but you—not only did you push everything onto someone else, you’re acting like a hands-off manager. Be careful that Uncle Chi sees this and decides not to handle this matter anymore.”

Zhou Shaojin obediently accepted the teaching and said, “Then let’s urge Father to quickly find a few books like the River Diagram and Luo Writing. When Uncle Chi sees the books, he’ll definitely be very happy!”

Thinking of Uncle Chi shutting himself at home calculating endlessly, her eyes curved with laughter again.