The one speaking was precisely that playful-looking young girl.

Cheng Zheng and the others all laughed.

Seeing this, the young girl happily ran over, took Cheng Zheng’s hand and sweetly called out “Sister Zheng,” then greeted Cheng Xiao and Cheng Sheng before waving to her companion and saying: “Sister Jia, these are several elder sisters from the Cheng family of Jiuru Lane in Jinling!”

That young woman’s face suddenly flushed as red as if blood could drip from it, and her expression became somewhat bashful.

Such a generous young woman—how could she suddenly become shy?

Zhou Shaojin secretly felt a sense of foreboding.

Sure enough, the young woman stepped forward and respectfully performed a curtsy to them, then stood to one side with her head slightly lowered.

The playful young girl smiled with pursed lips and said: “Sister Jia is the eldest miss of the Min family from Fujian! Her elder brother is the top scholar from the previous examination, Young Minister Min.”

Everyone showed expressions of sudden understanding.

Zhou Shaojin furrowed her brows.

The eldest miss of the Min family from Fujian—wasn’t she the person who was to marry Cheng Xu?

What kind of day was this?

Coming out to browse the flower market and she still ran into Cheng Xu’s fiancée!

In her previous life, she had never met Miss Min face to face. She hadn’t expected that in this life she would encounter her so quickly.

Hopefully, everyone would have less contact in the future.

But she wondered how Miss Min had become so familiar with Miss Fang?

Cheng Zheng introduced Zhou Shaojin to the two young ladies, then introduced the two young girls to her: “This is the Sixth Miss of the Fang family, whose given name is the character Xuan. This is the eldest miss of the Min family…”

Fang Xuan smiled and said: “Sister Min’s single name is the character ‘Jia.’ Both of us are grass characters.”

Cheng Zheng and the others all laughed.

Zhou Shaojin also curved her lips in a smile, though the smile didn’t reach her eyes. Fortunately, she appeared to be a gentle and compliant young girl. Additionally, Min Jia’s attention was all on the three Cheng sisters, and the three Cheng sisters’ attention was also all on Min Jia. No one noticed.

Cheng Xiao smiled and asked Fang Xuan: “How did you also choose today to browse the flower market? Didn’t Uncle make you practice calligraphy?”

That tone was extremely familiar.

It was clear that the Yuan family and the Fang family were very close.

Fang Xuan sighed and said: “Sister Xiao, you really know how to bring up sensitive topics! How could my father let me out? It’s because Sister Jia came from Fujian, and my mother asked me to accompany Sister Jia to tour around. Only then did my father relent and say that I could copy five hundred fewer large characters each day.” As she spoke, she walked over and hugged Gu Ning and Gu Zhong, who were politely following behind Cheng Zheng, and smiled: “Sister Zheng, how did you all also come to browse the flower market today? Dalang, Erlang, we haven’t seen you for some time. Have you missed me?”

Both Gu Ning and Gu Zhong showed adorable smiles and called Fang Xuan “Little Auntie.” Gu Zhong went further and said: “Why haven’t you come to visit our house for such a long time?”

Fang Xuan’s face reddened. She hemmed and hawed for a moment before smiling and saying: “Next time Little Auntie comes to see you, I’ll bring you nest silk candy and muli water!”

Only then did both of them nod with beaming smiles.

Cheng Sheng laughed at the side and whispered to Zhou Shaojin: “She’s my second uncle’s daughter, ranked sixth among the sisters. She’s actually my second uncle’s only daughter—he got this treasure after turning forty, so she’s extremely doted upon. She’s a bit lively. Her speech is also very direct, but her heart is very good.”

There was somewhat the meaning that if Fang Xuan said anything wrong, she shouldn’t take it to heart.

Everyone had just met by chance. Zhou Shaojin wouldn’t be angry with her at all.

She smiled at Cheng Sheng.

Cheng Sheng suddenly sighed and said: “Shaojin, you’re so beautiful and have such a good temper. You really should change a bit. Otherwise, when you marry into someone else’s family, you’ll be taken advantage of by your mother-in-law and sisters-in-law…”

Previously, Cheng Sheng had also told her not to always endure and yield in everything. At that time, she had only felt that Cheng Sheng was heaven’s pampered daughter, speaking without understanding the difficulties… Now thinking about it, her words made a lot of sense, and they were heartfelt advice.

Zhou Shaojin felt apologetic.

Seeing that everyone was familiar with each other, Mrs. Wang breathed a sigh of relief and busily and attentively invited everyone to drink tea in the pavilion outside the hothouse: “…The young misses and young mistresses can also look at my family’s flower nursery.”

Cheng Zheng smiled and agreed with “Good.” The others followed her lead, so naturally they had no objections. Only Zhou Shaojin smiled and said: “I’d like to look at their other flowers. Elder sisters, please go ahead. I’ll come over shortly.”

Since they had encountered the future sister-in-law here, presumably the three Cheng sisters were all very interested in Min Jia. Rather than sit there idly observing, she might as well carefully look at what flowers the Wang family actually had for sale. She had come to Fengtai with great hopes, hoping to find a few good potted flowers to take back.

Uncle Chi had said that if possible, he would rush back to spend the Dragon Boat Festival with her.

By then it would be quite hot.

If she could cultivate a few trees, it should be quite a bit cooler.

She wondered whether Uncle Chi had stored ice or not?

Or perhaps, she should persuade Uncle Chi to move to the residence near Chaoyang Gate?

Since that place could keep several horses, it must be extremely spacious.

Zhou Shaojin’s mind wandered with various thoughts as she saw off Cheng Zheng and the others, then circled around the Wang family’s hothouse.

The Wang family’s daughter accompanied her at the side, occasionally introducing the flowers and plants in the hothouse to her: “…These are camellia sasanquas… These are wintersweet branches that just finished blooming and are being pruned… These are peonies, dual-colored peonies that my grandfather cultivated back then. And these few pots are clivia—not any particularly rare variety, but they sell very well. Everyone who comes to our house wants to take a pot back… This entire row is summer orchids, sent over from Fujian.” When she said this, she paused and added, “That Miss Fang came to buy summer orchids.”

Min Jia was from Fujian, so Fang Xuan wanting to buy summer orchids was quite understandable.

She nodded with a smile and carefully examined the Wang family’s clivia.

The leaves were plump and beautiful, and the flower buds were ready to bloom—the colors could already be seen.

Zhou Shaojin smiled and said: “Indeed, I should take a pot back.”

Miss Wang smiled, her face showing hesitation.

Zhou Shaojin was never a meddlesome person. She simply acted as if she hadn’t noticed, lowering her head to carefully select seven or eight pots of clivia.

The Wang family’s young miss ultimately couldn’t hold back and smiled, saying: “So the person Sixth Miss Fang brought was Miss Min from the Min family! When her brother paraded through the streets in his colorful robes, I also went to watch, but I was too far away and couldn’t see clearly at all. Miss Min is so beautiful, so Scholar Min must also be very handsome.” She seemed very interested, just like those society ladies and young mistresses who followed opera performers.

Zhou Shaojin laughed and said: “I’ve never seen him either. I don’t know.”

Miss Wang’s face reddened. She quickly called for a servant woman to help move the several pots of clivia that Zhou Shaojin had selected to the side, to be loaded onto Zhou Shaojin’s carriage later.

Zhou Shaojin then selected several pots of plum blossoms, camellias, and kumquats, and asked whether she had flowering trees like Xifu crabapple.

Miss Wang led her to another hothouse.

Zhou Shaojin busied herself for quite a while and finally toured the entire Wang family flower nursery. She discovered that the Wang family grew flowers better than flowering trees. She didn’t force herself—she just looked around and decided that next time she came, she would visit other flower farmers’ homes—since Fengtai could sell flowers, each family must have flowers they grew particularly well.

On her way back, she encountered Cheng Zheng.

She was taking her two sons to admire flowers. While admiring the flowers, she was also saying: “…Do you see that peach-red flower? That’s an aster. And that bright red flower over there is called a strawflower. Have you noticed the difference between them?”

Gu Ning examined them carefully, while Gu Zhong smiled and said: “Mother, don’t chrysanthemums only bloom in September? How can they bloom at this time? Is it because of the hothouse?”

“No,” Cheng Zheng patiently explained. “These two flowers bloom in this season. They’re relatively common flowers. More expensive flowers are the ones raised in hothouses. As for why they bloom at this time, Mother doesn’t know either. When we return later, you can go ask our family’s gardener, all right?”

Both nodded in unison.

Gu Ning said: “Mother, I know now. That aster’s petals are all open, while that strawflower’s petals always hold the stamens…”

Cheng Xiao encouragingly patted Gu Ning’s head.

Zhou Shaojin watched with a softening heart.

The other boys of this age she had seen were all wild and rambunctious. The two children of the Gu family were exceptionally self-disciplined. Cheng Zheng had taught them so well!

It was evident that when people in Jiuru Lane said Cheng Zheng resembled Old Madam Gu, it wasn’t empty talk!

However, at this time, instead of being in the pavilion talking with Miss Min and the others, how had she come out with the children to admire flowers?

She walked over with a smile.

The two little ones gave her a salute.

Cheng Zheng smiled and said: “I heard from your sister that you also grow flowers very well. Finally, someone who can help has come. These two rascals are about to stump me with their questions.”

Though she said this, her expression showed pride in them.

Zhou Shaojin smiled and stepped forward, admiring the flowers together with Cheng Zheng and her sons.

A young maid came running over breathlessly and said: “Young Mistress, Sixth Miss Fang and Miss Min are leaving and say they want to bid you farewell!”

Cheng Zheng smiled at Zhou Shaojin and said: “Then let’s go see them off together!”

This was basic etiquette, so Zhou Shaojin naturally complied readily.

Fang Xuan seemed to have the best relationship with Cheng Xiao. She enthusiastically invited Zhou Shaojin and the others to visit her home, and said to Cheng Xiao: “Sister came and didn’t even tell me. If you keep postponing, I’ll go complain to Aunt!”

Cheng Xiao gently agreed and saw off Fang Xuan and Min Jia.

Cheng Sheng then said: “Miss Min seems quite nice. Eldest Aunt chose this daughter-in-law well.”

However, Cheng Xiao, who had just been very warm, turned cold and said: “Fang Xuan is careless. I don’t know whether this was a chance encounter or deliberately arranged… We’ll still need to observe.”

She had always harbored resentment about the Min family’s proposal that Cheng Xu should pass the provincial examination before discussing marriage.

However, Cheng Zheng remained noncommittal, smiling faintly and saying: “It’s getting late. We should head back too.”

Cheng Sheng sensed the Cheng sisters’ coolness and looked toward Zhou Shaojin in confusion.

Zhou Shaojin also didn’t know what was going on and gently shook her head.

Mrs. Wang, having seen off Fang Xuan and Min Jia, ran over and asked whether they had selected any flowers.

Cheng Sheng selected several pots of summer orchids, Cheng Xiao selected several pots of holly trees and such, while Cheng Zheng selected some common flowers like flowering tobacco, dahlias, and portulaca.

When it came time to load the carriages, only then did Cheng Sheng admire Zhou Shaojin’s foresight. Seeing that Zhou Shaojin had bought many clivia that were about to bloom, she smiled and said: “Even if you’re giving them to your sister, you’ve bought far too many.”

Zhou Shaojin smiled and said: “Several pots are for all of you—this is my first time going out with my cousin sisters, and I didn’t know what to buy for you, so I’m borrowing flowers to offer good wishes. I’ll just give each of you a few pots of clivia.”