Having made up her mind, Zhou Shaojin’s heart settled down.

Once things at Pingqiao Street were mostly packed up, she informed Li Shi and brought Chun Wan to Jiashu Hall at Jiuru Lane.

Old Madam Guan was very happy to see her and held her hand, asking: “Why did you come today? Is there something the matter?”

“Since there’s nothing the matter, I came to see you and Grand Maternal Aunt.” Zhou Shaojin had learned polite social phrases from watching how Old Madam Guo exchanged pleasantries with people.

Old Madam Guan was even more pleased to hear this. She not only had the maids bring out many tea snacks that Zhou Shaojin liked, but also urged her to stay for a few days: “…Wanxiang Residence is still kept for you sisters, the maids and servants who attend to you are all still there, and you can just use your Grand Maternal Aunt’s jewelry and such—you don’t even need to bring any clothes.”

Zhou Shaojin happily agreed, saying: “Madam said that after Elder Sister returns for her visit home, she’ll take me back to Baoding Prefecture together. I’m taking advantage of these few days to come into the mansion and keep you and Grand Maternal Aunt company.”

Old Madam Guan was startled: “Madam Zhou is taking you back to Baoding Prefecture?”

“Yes!” Zhou Shaojin smiled. “Elder Sister has married, and I’ve grown up too, but it’s not proper for me to live alone at Pingqiao Street, so Madam said she’ll take me back to Baoding Prefecture with her. Father has been away serving as an official all these years, and I haven’t had a chance to talk properly with him or spend time living with him.” As she spoke, she changed the subject: “Maternal Grandmother, I heard that the preserved vegetables from Daci Pavilion in Baoding Prefecture are very famous. I’ll bring some back for you to taste.”

Old Madam Guan saw that Zhou Shaojin spoke of returning to Baoding Prefecture with complete joy. Thinking that she had raised her for a while, yet the girl’s heart still belonged to her own parents, she felt somewhat displeased. But then seeing her speak like a child, even wanting to bring back preserved vegetables for her, as if she were just going for a short visit before returning, Old Madam Guan felt more comfortable.

She said with a smile: “Then is Shaojin willing to continue keeping your maternal grandmother company?”

Zhou Shaojin’s heart sank.

The reason she hadn’t immediately asked Old Madam Guan upon seeing her to move her things from Wanxiang Residence to Pingqiao Street was because she feared Old Madam Guan would think her callous. But she hadn’t expected that despite speaking so carefully, something had still gone wrong—Old Madam Guan actually wanted to keep her at Jiuru Lane, which meant she was determined to marry her to Cheng Yi!

But she didn’t dare say anything else. She could only pretend not to understand.

“Of course I’m willing!” Zhou Shaojin forced herself to say against her true feelings. “But Father…”

Old Madam Guan immediately smiled: “I’ll speak to your father myself. I was afraid that seeing your sister leave home, you wouldn’t want to stay with this lonely old woman, so I specifically asked.”

Now that the guilt-inducing tactic was being employed, Zhou Shaojin became even more convinced that Old Madam Guan’s purpose in keeping her was not simple.

“Wonderful!” she replied with a smile, but in her heart she was calculating that as soon as she returned, she would write a letter to Father and have it sent to him by express horse. She also needed to give Madam Li Shi a heads-up so she wouldn’t unknowingly sell her out.

Old Madam Guan was very satisfied with Zhou Shaojin’s obedient thoughtfulness.

But Zhou Shaojin sat as if on pins and needles, wishing she could suddenly sprout a pair of wings to fly back. How could she listen to Old Madam Guan’s chatter? When she heard Old Madam Guan say she had already sent a maid to invite Mian Grand Madam over, she became even more restless. Finding an opportunity, she stood up and said: “Maternal Grandmother, if Grand Maternal Aunt is busy, let’s not disturb her. I’ll first go to Hanbi Mountain Manor to pay my respects to Old Madam Guo, then come back to talk with Grand Maternal Aunt.”

Old Madam Guan intended to have Zhou Shaojin raised under the First Branch’s care. Naturally, she was happy to see Zhou Shaojin get closer to Old Madam Guo. She nodded with a smile and instructed Zhou Shaojin: “Old Madam is very fond of you. When you’re not there, Hanbi Mountain Manor is quite desolate. After you go, have a good talk with Old Madam. If she keeps you for lunch, eat lunch there before coming back. Your Grand Maternal Aunt usually has nothing to do in the afternoon.”

Zhou Shaojin was somewhat surprised by Old Madam Guan’s intimacy toward the First Branch, but since she herself wanted to spend more time at the First Branch, she didn’t think much of it and agreed with a smile before hurrying over to Old Madam Guo’s residence.

But she didn’t go to the main building. Instead, she quietly made a detour and went directly to Tingli Pavilion.

The spring sunlight was perfect. Qingfeng sat on the doorstep basking in the sun, talking with a young Taoist acolyte about his age.

The young acolyte wore a blue silk Taoist robe, had fair skin, and delicate features, looking like some young master rather than a servant, yet his face was completely unfamiliar.

Had Uncle Chi taken on another servant?

Zhou Shaojin wondered to herself.

Qingfeng was speaking animatedly to the young acolyte and hadn’t noticed the movement around him at all. It was the unfamiliar young acolyte who spotted Zhou Shaojin. He nudged Qingfeng and said quietly: “Someone’s coming!” Only then did Qingfeng stop talking and turn around.

Seeing it was Zhou Shaojin, his expression became slightly uncomfortable as he stood up: “Second Cousin Miss, you’ve come? I don’t know who you’re looking for?”

Zhou Shaojin said: “Is Uncle Chi here? I’m looking for Uncle Chi!”

Qingfeng said: “Zhang Tianshi from Longhu Mountain has come. Fourth Master is currently speaking with Zhang Tianshi.” The implication was that she should wait.

Zhou Shaojin hadn’t expected her luck to be so poor.

She glanced at the young acolyte.

The young acolyte quickly bowed to Zhou Shaojin and introduced himself naturally: “I am Shanyu, an acolyte attending Tianshi. Greetings, Second Cousin Miss!”

Very polite.

Zhou Shaojin smiled and curtsied slightly to him, then said to Qingfeng: “Then I’ll go wait for Uncle Chi in the study.”

By etiquette, when she came to Hanbi Mountain Manor, she should first visit Old Madam Guo, but Old Madam Guan’s words had left her anxious and restless. Until she saw Cheng Chi, she simply had no way to sit and chat with Old Madam Guo.

She feared running into Biyu and others if she stood here, so she was unwilling to wait outside.

But Qingfeng blocked her way: “Fourth Master is with Zhang Tianshi in the study right now!”

This should have been a small matter, but perhaps it was because Qingfeng never gave her a pleasant expression whenever she came, or perhaps seeing Old Madam Guan’s confident smile while Cheng Chi had promised to help resolve the matter between her and Cheng Yi yet there had been no news—all these negative emotions suddenly made Zhou Shaojin feel irritated. She said: “Qingfeng, a visitor is still a guest. Even if Uncle Chi has a guest, if I want to see Uncle Chi and am willing to wait outside, why do you block me instead of arranging a place for me to wait? Even if Uncle Chi doesn’t want to see me and chases me away, you should still go ask Fourth Master for instructions before giving me that look, shouldn’t you? People say the gatekeeper of a prime minister is equivalent to a seventh-rank official. You’re merely working for the prime minister’s in-law, and I see you’re already putting on the airs of a seventh-rank official—you’re quite something!”

Qingfeng’s face instantly turned purple-red. He pointed at Zhou Shaojin and stammered “You…” for a long time without being able to say a complete sentence.

Zhou Shaojin didn’t even look at him again. With a cold expression, she entered Tingli Pavilion and went directly to where Ji Ying was.

But unexpectedly, Ji Ying wasn’t home.

The little maid who served Ji Ying told Zhou Shaojin: “Fourth Master sent Miss Ji Ying to deliver a message somewhere. She’s already been gone for three days.”

Zhou Shaojin immediately felt out of sorts.

She couldn’t see Uncle Chi, and Ji Ying had gone who knows where—why was nothing going smoothly for her!

She stood in front of the holly tree outside the side chamber where Ji Ying lived, moodily plucking at the holly leaves.

“What’s the matter?” Cheng Chi’s voice, tinged with amusement, suddenly sounded in her ear. “You’re about to kill my tree.”

“Uncle Chi!” Zhou Shaojin turned around in surprise and delight, seeing Cheng Chi standing tall and elegant in the corridor, wearing a blue-green plain silk Taoist robe. “Weren’t you talking with that Zhang Tianshi or whoever? How did you get here?” As she spoke, infinite grievance welled up in her heart. Her eyes couldn’t help but redden as she pouted: “Uncle Chi, you bully me, your young acolyte bullies me too—I’ll never trust you again!”

How did this little girl always manage to say such shocking things whenever she spoke to him!

Cheng Chi was so taken aback that he couldn’t speak for a long while. After taking several deep breaths, he finally said: “What are you babbling about here? When did I bully you? And how did my young acolyte bully you?”

Zhou Shaojin said with a red face: “You clearly said you would help dispel Maternal Grandmother’s idea of pairing me with Cousin Yi, but today when Maternal Grandmother saw me, she said she would speak to my father about keeping me at Jiashu Hall. I don’t want to stay at Jiashu Hall, and I don’t want to marry Cousin Yi!”

Cheng Chi frowned, a trace of displeasure showing between his brows as he said coldly: “What exactly did Fourth Aunt say to you?”

This was a completely different Cheng Chi from the one Zhou Shaojin usually saw. Zhou Shaojin’s heart grew timid, and she quietly told Cheng Chi what Old Madam Guan had said.

Cheng Chi felt both angry and amused.

She really was a bully to the weak and fearful of the strong.

Just now she had been throwing a tantrum at him, but when his expression changed slightly, she looked at him warily like a frightened kitten. If he made a slightly larger movement, she looked ready to flee.

“Come here!” he said softly to her from the corridor.

“Oh!” Zhou Shaojin carefully went around the railing, climbed up the steps from the side onto the corridor, and slowly came to stand before Cheng Chi.

Cheng Chi reached out and plucked a leaf from her hair: “Where did you go playing? You don’t even know you have leaves stuck in your hair!”

Zhou Shaojin looked at the leaf in Cheng Chi’s hand in confusion: “I, I didn’t go anywhere! I just walked from the entrance to here…”

Cheng Chi tossed the leaf into the nearby bushes: “Be more careful when you walk from now on!”

Zhou Shaojin obediently nodded.

Cheng Chi said gently: “Keeping you at Jiuru Lane was my idea!”

“Ah!” Zhou Shaojin’s eyes widened. Her bright eyes filled with astonishment, like a little child.

Cheng Chi couldn’t help but laugh, his voice becoming even gentler: “What you told me is of great importance. There are many things I don’t understand and need to ask you about. But if you and I have too much contact, it will inevitably arouse suspicion. If someone suspects your circumstances because of this, that would be my fault—you told me such an important secret for the sake of the Cheng family, yet I failed to protect you… After much thought, the best solution is to use Fourth Aunt’s name to keep you at Jiashu Hall, then have my mother raise you for a period of time. In a couple of years, when you’re older and matters are mostly sorted out, my mother will arrange a marriage for you… When you told me about your situation last time, I already had this plan. I just haven’t had the opportunity to tell you. You can move back to Wanxiang Residence with peace of mind. In at most half a month, I’ll have you brought to Hanbi Mountain Manor.”