Never!

Zhou Shaojin thought miserably.

She had only ever felt this way… about Uncle Chi!

Could it be that she had fallen for Uncle Chi!

Zhou Shaojin covered her face, so ashamed she wanted to disappear.

Was it because she liked him in her heart that when Uncle Chi drank too much, she could sit calmly by his side fanning him? Sitting there until the third watch was struck, still unwilling to leave…

Was it because she liked him in her heart that she moved into Hanbi Mountain Manor without much thought? Only wanting to be with him day and night, to see him even once…

Was it because she liked him in her heart that she liked to seek him out for everything, big or small? Only wanting to see him work and worry on her behalf, which filled her with boundless joy…

“Cousin Jia!” She clung to Cheng Jia and wept bitterly, “Why did you have to fall for Li Jing?”

If Cheng Jia hadn’t fallen for Li Jing, she wouldn’t have needed to know what “liking someone” meant… It was all Cheng Jia’s fault! Putting her in such an embarrassing position!

How could she face Cheng Chi in the future!

Zhou Shaojin cried so heartbrokenly!

As if something she cherished had been taken away, crying beyond consolation.

Was she afraid that after marrying Li Jing, she would ignore her?

Hearing this, Cheng Jia’s eyes also reddened. She held Zhou Shaojin, gently stroking her back to comfort her: “Even if I like Li Jing, you’re still my dear sister! Li Jing values me, so he’ll treat you well too. Won’t it be good to have another brother to dote on you in the future?”

No good!

Zhou Shaojin shook her head as she cried.

Li Jing was Cheng Jia’s—what did he have to do with her?

She only wanted her Uncle Chi… She only wanted things to be like before with Uncle Chi…

Zhou Shaojin bit her lip hard, unable to say a word, not daring to say a word—she was afraid she couldn’t help herself, that she would say words that would plunge both her and Cheng Chi into hell.

Watching her bite her lip until it bled, swaying unsteadily, looking so pained as if she would collapse the next moment, Cheng Jia’s tears streamed down her face as she kept calling “Shaojin,” “Shaojin”: “Don’t be like this! I won’t marry, is that okay? I won’t marry, is that okay?”

“No, no!” Zhou Shaojin didn’t even know what she was saying, clinging tightly to Cheng Jia’s arm like clutching driftwood for survival.

Cheng Jia liked Li Jing—at least she could say it out loud!

But what about her?

Where could she go from here?

Pretend nothing had happened and continue staying at Hanbi Mountain Manor?

Or bury these feelings deep in her heart, acting as if nothing had occurred?

Once Uncle Chi married, she would be nothing!

She couldn’t bear it… couldn’t bear it…

But what could she do even if she couldn’t bear it?

Could she be so shameless and disgraceful as to reveal her feelings to him?

Just thinking about Cheng Chi looking at her with shocked and contemptuous eyes made her chest ache. Like Cheng Jia had said, as if a piece had been carved out with a knife, so painful she wished she could just die.

She buried herself in Cheng Jia’s embrace, murmuring, “Cousin Jia, what should I do? What should I do?”

Zhou Shaojin wanted to find her sister.

But could she tell Sister about this?

Find Father?

That was even more impossible!

What should she do?

What to do?

Zhou Shaojin was as panicked and uneasy as a small animal fallen into a trap.

When Fan Liushi and Chun Wan rushed over, they saw Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Jia holding each other and crying bitterly.

“What, what’s happened?” Fan Liushi said, unsure whether to pull them apart or not.

Cheng Jia was the first to regain her composure. Wiping her tears, she said, “Mama, just bring us water to wash our faces again! We just talked about some sad things, so we cried.”

Fan Liushi certainly didn’t believe it, but this wasn’t the time to pursue such matters.

She instructed the junior maids to bring water. Chun Wan and Cui Huan attended to Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Jia respectively as they washed up.

Cheng Jia’s side finished washing quickly, but Zhou Shaojin remained wooden in expression, her tears falling like broken pearls on a string. They were wiped away only to fall again, wiped clean only to fall once more. Before long, her eyes were red and swollen.

Fan Liushi held Zhou Shaojin, saying sorrowfully, “My dear young miss, what’s happened to you? Whatever it is, you can tell me directly. Even if I’m useless, there’s still Old Madam, Old Madam Guo, and the Master! Seeing you like this hurts me more than if you’d killed me!”

Zhou Shaojin forced a smile, “I’m fine. Just feeling sad.” As she spoke, tears rolled down like dewdrops, unstoppable. The person who had been like a flower now seemed frost-bitten, wilting away.

Watching her in such pain, Fan Liushi covered her mouth with a handkerchief and began crying too. While crying, she said, “Second Young Miss, don’t be like this! We’ll write to the Master, we’ll go to Baoding Prefecture…”

She had never liked Cheng Jia, feeling that Cheng Jia relied on her parents’ favor to boss Zhou Shaojin around. But she couldn’t say this outright. She’d reminded Zhou Shaojin several times, but Zhou Shaojin never took her words to heart. Fearing unsuccessful admonishment would instead earn her a reputation for sowing discord, she never dared mention it again. But after Zhou Shaojin woke from that fall, she seemed like a different person—not only having her own opinions but also her own stance in interpersonal relationships. Fan Liushi was overjoyed and let Zhou Shaojin be.

But now, Cheng Jia had reduced Zhou Shaojin to this state again.

Yet they were no longer the Zhou Shaojin and Fan Liushi of before.

Second Young Miss had not only stood up for herself, but Second Young Miss also had Old Madam Guo, Old Madam Guan, and their family’s Master behind her.

She was no longer the Zhou family’s Second Young Miss who could be rounded or flattened at the Cheng family’s Fourth Young Miss’s whim.

Hearing this, Cheng Jia’s face flushed red with anger.

She hadn’t expected Fan Liushi to speak of her this way.

Normally, Cheng Jia would definitely insist that Zhou Shaojin discipline Fan Liushi, but today Zhou Shaojin’s emotions were very wrong. She seemed to have lost her soul—you could say several sentences to her before she’d respond once… Cheng Jia didn’t want Zhou Shaojin to be troubled by such matters at this time. She laughed coldly a few times and said, “Shaojin, you should rest today! I’ll come see you tomorrow!”

Zhou Shaojin nodded dazedly.

Cheng Jia couldn’t help but step forward to hug Zhou Shaojin, who sat obediently by the daybed. She let out a long sigh and left Fucui Pavilion with Cui Huan.

Zhou Shaojin could no longer hold herself up and collapsed onto the daybed. Before it was even time for the evening meal, she developed a fever.

Old Madam Guo rushed over personally. While touching Zhou Shaojin’s forehead, she questioned Fan Liushi with dissatisfaction: “You nursed the young miss—now that she’s fallen this ill, how did you only discover it now?”

Fan Liushi had grievances she couldn’t voice.

Zhou Shaojin had started running a fever as soon as she lay down. In less than three quarters of an hour, her body was burning hot.

But before Old Madam Guo, she didn’t dare say a word and could only bow her head in apology.

Old Madam Guo had no time to scold a servant. Having said what she said, she moved on, instructing Nanny Lü: “Hurry and fetch a physician!”

Nanny Lü didn’t dare delay. Taking Old Madam Guo’s token, she went to the outer courtyard.

While waiting for the physician, Old Madam Guo had Biyu bring cold water to wipe down Zhou Shaojin’s body, saying, “This is a method my father taught me when he was alive. When Dalang and Erlang were little and got sick, I always used this method, fearing the fever would damage the children!”

Fan Liushi was deeply grateful and helped Biyu.

Before long, Zhou Shaojin’s fever subsided a little.

Manao tiptoed in to ask, “Old Madam, it’s time for the evening meal. Where would you like it served?”

Old Madam Guo waved her hand impatiently, “We’ll talk about it later.”

Everyone held their breath, not daring to make a sound. In the room, only Zhou Shaojin’s breathing, heavier than usual, could be heard.

Old Madam Guo lovingly touched her head.

She saw her murmuring something, but the voice was too soft to make out what she was saying.

Old Madam Guo guessed it was probably calling for her parents or her sister.

This child had lost her mother before her first birthday and hadn’t even learned to walk before she went to live with her half-sister at an unrelated grandmother’s home… And she was so pitifully lovely, like a delicate flower bud.

Someone entered silently.

In this household, only her youngest son Cheng Chi could move about this way.

Old Madam Guo turned around to see her youngest son standing outside the bamboo curtain of the inner chamber, asking urgently, “She was fine yesterday—how did she suddenly fall ill?”

Before she could ask Zhou Shaojin’s attendants, he had already turned his gaze to Fan Liushi, who stood respectfully by the bed.

Fan Liushi shuddered and told Old Madam Guo about Cheng Jia’s visit: “…We didn’t hear clearly what exactly they said. Usually when Second Young Miss and Young Miss Jia have private conversations, they don’t like us attending nearby. We only went in after hearing Young Miss Jia’s shouts.”

Old Madam Guo frowned deeply, “That Jia girl never gives anyone peace. Madam Lu didn’t wrong her by confining her to her quarters.”

It’s over, it’s over.

Biyu sighed inwardly for Cheng Jia.

With Old Madam’s words, Young Miss Jia shouldn’t expect to leave her quarters this summer, much less come to Hanbi Mountain Manor.

Meanwhile, Cheng Chi asked, “Have you sent for a physician? Which physician? Did you send a sedan chair to fetch them?”

Nanny Lü quickly replied, “We sent for the physician from Zhou’s Medical Hall, using Old Madam’s token. The steward from the outer reception hall personally accompanied the sedan chair. We asked for both Doctor Zhou and his wife to come together.”

Cheng Chi’s heart settled somewhat. Thinking that Zhou Shaojin usually had such a delicate constitution that could fall ill at the slightest breeze, but had simply never been sick before so he’d been careless—last night he’d kept her talking until late into the night and hadn’t even had a maid find her a lined jacket to wear on her way back. She’d probably caught a night chill without realizing it, falling ill just like that.

He suddenly felt an impulse to enter the inner chamber to check Zhou Shaojin’s pulse. But when he saw the golden gleam reflected from the hairpin in his mother’s hair, his heart jolted and he suppressed the foot he’d been about to lift.

Cheng Chi immediately felt somewhat irritable.

He paced back and forth in the outer hall.

The sound gave Old Madam Guo a headache. She said, “Silang, it’s time for the evening meal. You should go back and eat. I’m watching over things here. When the physician writes out the prescription, I’ll have them bring it for you to review.”

Cheng Chi had no appetite, but it wasn’t appropriate to keep staying here either. Just as he was hesitating, Doctor Zhou and Madam Zhou arrived.

He felt relieved and welcomed Doctor Zhou and Madam Zhou inside, then stood with Doctor Zhou in the courtyard waiting for Madam Zhou to examine the patient.

Before long, Nanny Lü came out saying, “Madam Zhou says Second Young Miss is fine. She may have suffered a fright, with the shock temporarily blocking her heart qi. A few doses of calming medicine and she’ll be fine.”