No wonder Uncle Chi had asked her back then “what am I doing?”

Because Uncle Chi had never been the type to bully the weak!

Zhou Shaojin clutched Cheng Chi’s hand and broke down crying: “Uncle Chi, Uncle Chi…”

“Shaojin! Shaojin!” Cheng Chi said in a deep voice, his tone carrying the steadiness unique to mature men. “Don’t cry! Whatever it is, we can talk it through properly. Keeping thoughts buried inside and turning them over and over alone will only lead you into a dead end.”

How could Zhou Shaojin not understand this? But whenever she thought that her brother-in-law, who had been as close to her as a blood brother, might have received favors from the Cheng family, might even have used her as a bargaining chip, while Elder Sister remained in the dark, praying to gods and Buddhas to bear her husband a son and tormenting herself unbearably—her heart ached as if stabbed by a knife.

“There, there!” Cheng Chi gathered her into his embrace and said quietly: “Don’t cry. Tell me properly what’s wrong, and I’ll help you handle it.”

The warm embrace, the familiar fragrance, Cheng Chi’s promise—all made Zhou Shaojin feel secure. She gradually stopped crying and, clutching at Cheng Chi’s lapels, carefully told him about Liao Shaotang.

Cheng Chi laughed softly.

The laughter emanated from his chest, vibrating against Zhou Shaojin’s eardrums. This sensation was both novel and made her heart inexplicably race. It took her quite a while to calm down before she somewhat embarrassedly straightened herself.

Cheng Chi didn’t take it to heart.

Anyone who had cried as hard as Zhou Shaojin would feel embarrassed afterward.

He just shook his head somewhat helplessly and said: “What am I to say about you? Let me ask you—who arranged your marriage?”

“Brother-in-law,” Zhou Shaojin said, puzzled.

Cheng Chi said: “Then let me ask you again—how old were you then? How old was your brother-in-law? What was he doing?”

Zhou Shaojin said blankly: “I was sixteen then. Brother-in-law… was twenty-three, still a scholar. He had just arrived in the capital a year earlier and was studying at the Imperial Academy, usually doing clerical work for one of his senior fellow students who was a Junior Minister of the Court of Judicial Review…”

Back then, some in the Liao family opposed Brother-in-law becoming the clan heir. His days were very difficult.

After he arranged her betrothal to Lin Shisheng, when she had no dowry and Elder Sister proposed dividing half of their birth mother’s dowry to save her face, Brother-in-law had even helped Elder Sister conceal this from the Liao family.

She still remembered that later, after Brother-in-law became an official, he used his salary to repay debts for a long time. It wasn’t until Lin Shisheng pulled him into a business deal that Brother-in-law finally paid off the silver borrowed for her marriage.

Cheng Chi continued: “There’s something I haven’t told you, though I think you already have a vague impression. If you hadn’t been going to Mount Putuo to worship Buddha, I would have left the Cheng family last autumn—either settling beyond the passes where ice and snow seal the mountains, or in Guangdong where it’s spring year-round. I wouldn’t have returned for at least three or four years, and even then I wouldn’t have stayed home long—just visiting my mother before leaving again, returning every few years to see her…”

Zhou Shaojin began to understand.

She blinked, and her somewhat dazed gaze gradually brightened: “You’re saying that initially Brother-in-law never expected he would receive the Cheng family’s support?”

Cheng Chi said: “I have no memory of the previous life, so I don’t know. However, knowing my mother’s character, if something like that happened to you, she couldn’t possibly just watch you leave. But it’s also possible that when your incident occurred was precisely when I left, and she was heartbroken and had neither the energy nor the spirit to handle such matters.” He paused and continued: “If I were handling it now, if you and Cheng Jiashan couldn’t be together, the first thing I’d think of would be to compensate you, ensuring you lived comfortably for life.” But since Shaojin would rather be in a nominal marriage than marry Cheng Xu, the situation must have been quite tense. “If you refused, I might think of your father. But from your words, in your previous life you were actually under your brother-in-law’s protection. Your brother-in-law was only a few years older than you and quite responsible—choosing him as your shelter would be most appropriate.”

His words were like a ray of sunlight shining into Zhou Shaojin’s silent heart.

Her eyes grew brighter and brighter.

“Uncle Chi, you’re right!” she said somewhat excitedly. “Later when the Cheng family fell, Brother-in-law was actually willing to trade his position as Liao clan heir for Elder Sister’s and my nephew’s safety… I was judging a gentleman’s heart with a petty person’s mind and wrongly blamed Brother-in-law.”

Cheng Chi smiled and nodded.

Zhou Shaojin couldn’t help tugging at Cheng Chi’s sleeve, saying somewhat bashfully: “Uncle Chi, thank you! If not for you, I would have misunderstood my brother-in-law.”

All those beautiful feelings and memories from her previous life would have been destroyed in an instant.

Cheng Chi looked at her childlike manner, smiled and stroked her head, his voice carrying some admonishment: “From now on when you encounter such things, think more carefully. Don’t cry at the drop of a hat—crying doesn’t solve anything.”

Zhou Shaojin nodded with a red face, then couldn’t help asking: “Uncle Chi, do you think in my previous life Brother-in-law knew he had received your or the old madam’s favor?”

Cheng Chi said: “So what if he knew? So what if he didn’t? Living in this world, it’s not all black or white—there’s also gray. He helped you when you fell out with the Cheng family, and stood by your sister and nephew when the Cheng family fell—he’s a person of noble character. That’s enough.”

Only then did Zhou Shaojin truly feel relieved, breaking into a smile.

Cheng Chi breathed a sigh of relief and said gently: “I’ll have Nanny Shang bring water to help you freshen up. After you pay respects to my mother, return to Pingqiao Street. In a few days I’ll escort you to Baoding Prefecture.”

Why did Uncle Chi still want to send her to Baoding Prefecture?

Zhou Shaojin couldn’t help pouting: “I’m not going to Baoding Prefecture. I want to stay at Jiuru Lane.” Saying this, she thought of what she had accomplished while Cheng Chi was away and felt somewhat proud: “Uncle Chi, my father has already written back saying to let me stay at Jiashu Hall. Even if you want to send me away, there’s no way now!”

“Is that so?” Cheng Chi raised an eyebrow.

Zhou Shaojin’s heart skipped several beats.

“Uncle Chi, you can’t do this!” She jumped up. “You were the one who said to let me stay at Jiuru Lane. You’re going back on your word. I don’t care—I want to stay at Jiuru Lane. If you send me to Baoding Prefecture, I’ll, I’ll tell the old madam. I’ll say you, say you…”

She stammered for a long time, not knowing what to threaten Cheng Chi with.

Cheng Chi laughed mockingly: “I see your only skill is tattling on me to my mother!”

Zhou Shaojin’s cheeks flushed red as she brazenly said: “At least it’s still a skill!”

Cheng Chi laughed heartily.

Zhou Shaojin shook his sleeve, repeatedly calling “Uncle Chi, Uncle Chi.”

That voice was sweet and soft, falling into Cheng Chi’s heart like an endearing plea.

Cheng Chi had no choice but to say: “My eldest brother wrote me a letter. Cheng Jiashan will return mid-next month. I’ve thought carefully about your matter—I’m afraid it’s not as simple as it seems. No matter how despicable Cheng Jiashan is, he couldn’t possibly bully you… I fear he truly admired you, so someone set a trap targeting this.”

Living a second life, Cheng Jiashan had still fallen for Shaojin.

Otherwise he wouldn’t have humbled himself to chase after her.

And Shaojin wouldn’t have rushed into Sanzhi Pavilion to avoid him.

“I’ve been very busy lately. I’m afraid I can’t protect you thoroughly, giving others an opportunity.”

He suspected this matter was related to the second branch’s old ancestor Cheng Xu.

And Shaojin’s status and position made her the best candidate.

If Cheng Xu acted personally and he couldn’t be home all the time, Shaojin would certainly suffer as in her previous life.

Whenever Cheng Chi thought of Zhou Shaojin’s expression when she answered “I don’t hate him,” his heart ached faintly.

“If you obediently go to Baoding Prefecture, I’ll…” He didn’t know how to reward her, and after thinking for a long time said: “Then I’ll promise you one thing.”

His words reminded Zhou Shaojin.

Her eyes sparkled brightly as she said excitedly: “Uncle Chi, Uncle Chi, you forgot, didn’t you? When I told you Huang Li would compete with Uncle Jing for Minister of Rites, you said you could promise me one thing. I don’t want anything else—I just want you to promise to let me stay at Jiuru Lane.”

Cheng Chi had a splitting headache: “That doesn’t count! Choose something else!”

“Uncle Chi is being unfair!” Zhou Shaojin kept circling around him calling “Uncle Chi” while seizing the opportunity to promise: “I’ll stay with the old madam every step of the way. I won’t pay attention to anyone who comes.”

Cheng Chi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “What if Biyu invites you to play shuttlecock in the courtyard?”

Zhou Shaojin muttered quietly: “Something will only happen after Cheng Xu becomes the examination’s top graduate… Whatever you’re busy with, can’t it wait until after August?”

“Cheng Jiashan is the top graduate?” Cheng Chi’s heart jolted as he said quietly: “Are you certain it happened after Cheng Jiashan became top graduate?”

If Cheng Jiashan became top graduate, given his personality, he would definitely leave more calmly.

After a moment Zhou Shaojin understood what he was asking.

“That’s how it was in the previous life,” she murmured. “But I don’t know if there will be any changes in this life?”

Cheng Chi suddenly said: “If Cheng Jiashan becomes top graduate, then you can stay.”

Zhou Shaojin blinked.

She had thought Uncle Chi would say “if Cheng Jiashan becomes top graduate, then I’ll send you to Baoding Prefecture”!

Why was it completely opposite to what she imagined?

She couldn’t help asking: “Why?”

Cheng Chi glanced at her sideways: “Last time my eldest brother asked about Jiashan’s marriage, my eldest sister-in-law said the reason the betrothal between the Cheng and Min families kept being delayed was to let Jiashan focus on his studies. I never quite understood where this ‘focus’ came from. Now I finally understand. Jiashan probably thought that becoming top graduate would let him marry you, but my eldest sister-in-law had already made prior arrangements with the Min family, so naturally she couldn’t betroth him to you…”

So after Jiashan became top graduate and realized he would have to marry the Min family’s young lady, he would recklessly go with the flow and fulfill his own desires.

Cheng Chi’s heart finally felt a bit better.

At least Cheng Jiashan wasn’t completely bad, not beyond redemption.

Zhou Shaojin also understood somewhat.

She asked Cheng Chi nervously: “Then, then what do you plan to do? I, I don’t want to marry Cheng Xu!”