Li Shi was very happy for Zhou Chujin upon hearing this: “…Baoding is very close to the capital, so you’ll be able to return to your natal home frequently.”
Zhou Shaojin remained silent. When she accompanied Zhou Chujin to the side room, she quietly asked her sister, “Has something changed in the Liao family? This isn’t what we discussed before.”
And it was different from her previous life as well.
In her previous life, after brother-in-law failed the imperial examination that year, Fang Shi and the Liao family members had struggled considerably, even borrowing the Cheng family’s influence before allowing Liao Shaotang to take Zhou Chujin to study at the Imperial Academy in the capital. Liao Shaotang and Zhou Chujin had always lived in the Liao family’s residence in the capital, and even up until Zhou Shaojin’s rebirth, they had never sought other accommodations.
One was a stepmother, the other an aunt by marriage—how could they compare to a sister with whom one had depended on for survival since childhood? Moreover, this sister was no longer the helpless person she once was. Zhou Chujin reported good news but not bad news to her stepmother and aunt, but with her own younger sister, there was no need to hide things.
“Father-in-law secretly took money from the family funds to do business with someone, but who knew that person would abscond with the money? The Liao family didn’t dare make it public and could only quietly search for him. To this day there’s been no news.” Zhou Chujin’s brow furrowed slightly. As she rubbed her hands with soap beans, she lowered her voice and said, “If not for the marriage between your brother-in-law and me, the various branches of the Liao family would probably have already torn off all pretense. But even so, this matter will explode sooner or later. My mother-in-law’s thinking is that my father-in-law is beyond saving, but she can’t let your brother-in-law and me be dragged into it. She wants us to go to the capital early and treat the matters of the Zhenjiang ancestral home as if we know nothing about them.”
Whether in her previous life or this one, this was the first time Zhou Shaojin had heard of this matter.
No wonder in her previous life the Liao family had always been dissatisfied with brother-in-law, clamoring to change the clan heir whenever anything happened.
“Then where will you live when you go there?” she asked anxiously. “Brother-in-law will probably need to wait for another examination cycle. What will you do about expenses?”
In her previous life, the Liao family’s residence in the capital had been entirely supported by brother-in-law and sister, and their finances had not been comfortable. Sister had even pawned her jewelry.
Zhou Chujin’s expression changed drastically upon hearing this. “How do you know your brother-in-law won’t succeed this time?”
Zhou Shaojin wanted nothing more than to sew her own mouth shut.
Having grown accustomed to saying whatever she wanted with Uncle Chi, facing her sister who she likewise trusted and depended on, she had lost her usual guarded manner of speaking.
Fortunately, having encountered many situations these past days, she had gradually developed some ability to adapt.
“With the Liao family in such chaos, how could brother-in-law possibly study with peace of mind?” Zhou Shaojin said. “I just think that since elder sister and brother-in-law are going to the capital, you should calculate expenses on the generous side.”
Zhou Chujin breathed a sigh of relief, but then her brow furrowed again.
She knew her husband’s emotional state well.
She shared the same concern as Zhou Shaojin and felt that her husband’s examination this time would most likely not go very smoothly—at least eight or nine chances out of ten.
“We’re planning to live in the residence my mother-in-law gave us,” Zhou Chujin said. “That way the expenses will be smaller too.”
Zhou Shaojin nodded, wanting to give her sister a few more suggestions, when a servant woman outside laughed and said, “First Young Madam, Second Miss, the banquet is about to begin.”
The two sisters had no choice but to drop the topic.
After worshipping the Zhou family ancestors, they went to Jiuru Lane to pay respects to Old Madam Guan.
When the first, second, third, and fifth branches of the Cheng family learned of this, they not only sent ceremonial gifts but also invited Liao Shaotang to dinner one after another.
This was giving face to Liao Shaotang, as well as to the fourth branch and the Zhou family. Liao Shaotang naturally could not refuse.
Over the following days, Zhou Chujin and Liao Shaotang came and went between the various branches in Jiuru Lane, and Zhou Shaojin and Li Shi also made several trips to Jiuru Lane.
But Zhou Shaojin did not see Cheng Chi at all.
When the first branch hosted the banquet, it was Old Madam Guo who appeared.
Where had Uncle Chi gone again?
She wondered if she could use this matter to make Cheng Chi promise her one more thing.
That way, when something came up, she could invoke the “promise” banner.
Zhou Shaojin muttered to herself.
She didn’t carefully consider why she hoped Cheng Chi would give her another promise.
Because of this, Zhou Chujin and Liao Shaotang couldn’t return to Zhenjiang as scheduled.
Zhou Chujin smiled and said, “It’s fine! The Liao family can’t wait for us to become closer to the Cheng family.”
Seeing that the maids, married women, servant women, and stewards who had come from the Liao family to serve all wore expressions of reflected glory, Zhou Shaojin knew her sister spoke truly and set her mind at ease.
After finishing with the Cheng family relatives, Zhou Chujin and Liao Shaotang packed their belongings, preparing to return to Zhenjiang.
After her rebirth, this was Zhou Shaojin’s first time seeing her brother-in-law Liao Shaotang.
Tall and slender in build, with a handsome face, refined and cultured in manner, with a steady and reserved temperament—compared to the Liao Shaotang in her memory, he had more youthful greenness and less gravitas.
Zhou Shaojin couldn’t help but smile with pursed lips.
Liao Shaotang didn’t know what his sister-in-law was smiling about. A trace of embarrassment flashed across his brow. After exchanging a few words with Zhou Shaojin, he left quite uncomfortably.
Zhou Chujin pinched Zhou Shaojin’s face and laughed. “What are you smiling about?”
“I’m not smiling about anything!” Zhou Shaojin dodged her sister’s hand. “I saw brother-in-law and felt happy inside!”
Zhou Chujin’s face reddened, and she said quietly, “He, he does treat me very well.”
Zhou Shaojin had known this long ago, which was why she hadn’t asked at all how Zhou Chujin was faring after marriage.
Zhou Chujin, however, worried about Zhou Shaojin’s future: “Are you planning to return to Baoding Prefecture with Madam?”
Only then did Zhou Shaojin have the opportunity to tell her sister about Old Madam Guan hoping she would stay. But for some reason, she concealed the news about Cheng Chi wanting her to move to the first branch.
Zhou Chujin had never trusted Li Shi to begin with. Hearing this, she smiled and said, “That’s good too. In the future, I can just entrust whatever I want to send to the Cheng family’s stewards.”
Zhou Shaojin felt a bit guilty inside and quickly changed the subject, saying, “Then when you go to the capital, bring me back some candied fruits from there! I’ve long heard that the capital’s candied fruits are delicious, but I’ve never tasted them!”
Zhou Chujin had been feeling sad about not being able to see her sister for a long time, but unexpectedly her sister’s thoughts had already turned to food.
She couldn’t help but laugh. “All day long you only think about eating!”
Zhou Shaojin giggled.
Zhou Chujin had to admit that seeing her sister so cheerful and lively, her worries instantly vanished like smoke.
That evening, Zhou Chujin rested in Zhou Shaojin’s room. The two sisters talked all night until dawn broke before taking a brief rest.
By breakfast time, the sisters were yawning one after another.
Chi Xiang, who was serving on the side, couldn’t stop laughing. “First Young Madam, please hold on a bit longer. Once you’re on the boat, you can have a good sleep.”
Chi Xiang, just like in her previous life, would be betrothed to Liao Shaotang’s attendant Li Sixi after returning.
Dong Wan would marry Ma Ci.
Thinking of how these two couples had cared for her in her previous life, she rewarded Chi Xiang and Dong Wan each with a pair of gold hairpins and thirty taels of silver, saying that since she couldn’t attend their wedding banquets when they married, this was her contribution to their trousseau.
Chi Xiang and Dong Wan’s faces flushed crimson as they bashfully accepted the rewards.
The Ma Fushan family’s wife came in to say the trunks had been loaded onto the boat: “…The young master is waiting for First Young Madam to depart.”
Zhou Chujin, who had been cheerful just moments ago, suddenly had tears streaming down.
Zhou Shaojin’s heart ached watching this, and her eyes grew moist as well.
Li Shi, who had hurried over to see Zhou Chujin off, quickly said, “First Young Madam, Second Miss, the young master is still waiting outside! You can’t cry and ruin your makeup like this. Zhenjiang is only two or three days’ journey from Jinling, and Baoding is even closer to the capital. Today is just a temporary parting—if you want to meet in the future, there will be plenty of opportunities. Stop crying!”
Zhou Chujin was after all more resilient than Zhou Shaojin. She quickly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and showed a smile: “Shaojin, if you have any matters, remember to write to elder sister. You can also give them to Ma Fushan to handle. He’s shrewd and capable, honest and reliable—someone you can depend on.”
Zhou Shaojin kept nodding, her vision blurred with tears as she accompanied Zhou Chujin all the way to the Jiangbei Bridge. Only after Zhou Chujin’s boat was out of sight did she finally begin to cry softly.
Chun Wan and Bitao comforted her for a long while before she finally stopped crying and returned to Pingqiao Street.
Li Shi hadn’t seen her daughter for over three months. She missed her daughter so much her heart ached, wishing she could immediately inventory the trunks and return to Baoding Prefecture. But Zhou Shaojin’s situation hadn’t been properly settled yet, and there was no definite word from Jiuru Lane, leaving her anxious and distressed.
Zhou Shaojin also found it somewhat strange.
In her view, once elder sister left, people from Jiuru Lane should come to fetch her. Why was there no movement?
She had Chun Wan deliver two forehead bands she had embroidered for Old Madam Guan to Jiashu Hall.
When Chun Wan returned, her expression was somewhat odd. She said, “Second Miss, Second Master Cheng Yi was punished by Grand Master Mian with family discipline. He’s currently lying in bed unable to move! From Si’er’s tone, Old Madam wants to wait until Second Master Yi can get out of bed before having you come over.”
Zhou Shaojin was greatly startled and quickly asked, “Do you know why Second Master Yi received family discipline? How severe are his injuries?”
Chun Wan quietly told her, “They say Miss Ji Ying, on Fourth Master’s orders, was going to deliver a message to Old Madam when she encountered Second Master Yi on the road. After Second Master Yi said a few words, that Miss Ji Ying… immediately turned hostile, defying her superiors, and kicked Second Master Yi to the ground.
“Second Master Yi was furious and gathered servants to settle accounts with Miss Ji Ying.
“When Grand Master Mian heard about it, he nearly fainted with rage. He pressed Second Master Yi onto a spring bench and gave him fifty strokes of the paddle. He said that as a man, Second Master Yi had been knocked to the ground by a woman yet showed no shame, and actually brought people to retaliate… no real man would do such a thing. He needed to properly teach Second Master Yi a lesson.”
Zhou Shaojin’s mouth fell open, not knowing what to say.
Only that evening did it occur to her that she should send some medicinal materials and such to Cheng Yi. Before sleeping, she instructed Chun Wan to open the storeroom and package some medicinal herbs like angelica and gastrodia to send over the next day.
But before her things could be sent, Old Madam Guo sent someone to bring her into the mansion, saying, “Miss Sheng’s wedding date has been set. Old Madam would like to ask Second Young Cousin to come instruct the embroiderers in creating two decorative screens for Miss Sheng.”
Zhou Shaojin had Chun Wan bring the medicinal materials along with her to Hanbi Mountain House.
Old Madam Guo’s quarters were quiet and peaceful, no different from usual.
When Biyu saw her, she even winked at her.
Zhou Shaojin didn’t understand what this meant, but Biyu had already lifted the curtain to invite her inside.
She entered the upper room in a confused state.
Old Madam Guo was changing clothes. Zhou Shaojin waited for a while in the rest chamber.
When Old Madam Guo emerged, she took her hand and headed outside: “I heard Yi’er is unwell. Since you’ve come and must be quite worried, why don’t you come with me to see him?”