Zhou Chujin had no choice but to instruct her, “When you’re alone at home, be careful about the household security. Don’t open the second gate for anyone who comes. If there’s anything you need, send Fan Qi or Steward Xiang to run errands. Never go out yourself. The more everyone goes out to watch the excitement, the more those criminals come out. Children go missing, young ladies get abducted—it mostly happens at times like these. You must be extremely careful…”

Zhou Shaojin pursed her lips and smiled. After her sister finished, she said, “A few days ago when I went out with Cousin Zheng, you also lectured me with these same words. Just relax—I’m not going anywhere. There are so many people outside making such a racket, what’s good about going out? You just take Guan Ge’er to watch the dragon boat race with peace of mind! I’ll be fine here! But you need to be careful with Guan Ge’er. Don’t take him to crowded places. He’s still young and can’t endure such hardship. Cousin Zheng has reserved a private room at the restaurant over there. If you feel it’s too hot, just borrow her place to rest for a bit. Don’t be too embarrassed to do so and just endure it. You’re an adult and can withstand it, but Guan Ge’er is still small…” Speaking to this point, she still felt uneasy and said, “Why don’t you send Guan Ge’er over here to me! I’ll help you look after him.”

Now it was Zhou Chujin’s turn to laugh. She said, “Am I the older sister or are you the older sister? You’re lecturing me!”

But Zhou Shaojin said seriously, “Sister, I’m speaking from the heart. You really should send Guan Ge’er over here to me! Your mother-in-law wants to go out and see the excitement, and it wouldn’t be good for you not to accompany her, but you also can’t let Guan Ge’er suffer through this ordeal. Go back and discuss it with brother-in-law. It would be best to send Guan Ge’er over here to me.”

The child wasn’t even a hundred days old yet!

Zhou Chujin couldn’t help being tempted.

When she returned, she discussed it with Liao Shaotang.

Liao Shaotang was also troubled by this matter. Hearing her words, he was delighted and said, “Then we’ll trouble Second Sister-in-law to watch over him for us. In a few days we’ll invite her to our home to visit.”

Zhou Chujin smiled and said, “It’s fortunate Second Sister came to the capital, otherwise I really wouldn’t know what to do!” As she spoke, she suddenly thought of keeping Zhou Shaojin in the capital. This way she could avoid those Young Master Huang and Young Master Bai types, and they could ask the various relatives in the capital to help look out for a good marriage prospect for her sister. Third, the sisters could look after each other. Especially since Uncle Chi had given Shaojin a residence—if Shaojin wanted to stay at her place for a while she could stay here, and when she wanted peace and quiet she could live alone for a while. Who knew how free and easy that would be! Even she, a married woman, felt somewhat envious just thinking about it.

She shared her thoughts with Liao Shaotang.

Liao Shaotang also thought it was good. He said, “Baoding Prefecture is still a bit too small in scale. Arranging a marriage in the capital, whether it’s the Fang family, the Li family, or the Min family—any of them would be considered century-old aristocratic families, certainly better than marrying into some minor household.”

Forget about the Min family!

Zhou Chujin snorted coldly in her heart.

She thought the Fang family was quite good.

Among their younger generation were many outstanding ones.

Thinking this, she thought of Song Mu.

What a pity.

Shaojin simply didn’t have that fortune.

She smiled and said, “You should go talk to my father about this matter!”

This was crediting him with the achievement!

Liao Shaotang gently embraced his wife and smiled, “I’ll write to Father-in-law right away!”

Zhou Chujin smiled with the corners of her mouth turned up and said, “You should also mention it to Mother.”

“Understood!” Liao Shaotang said loudly.

That evening, he told Madam Liao about temporarily entrusting Guan Ge’er to Zhou Shaojin’s care on Dragon Boat Festival day.

Madam Liao’s face flushed slightly.

She hadn’t gone out purely for enjoyment in many years, and she had actually overlooked Guan Ge’er. After all, they weren’t in Zhenjiang now, where just saying they were going to watch the dragon boat race meant they could get a private room at a riverside restaurant for them to rest in at any time.

But now it was too late to say these things.

The children had arranged this outing to make her happy.

She quickly said, “Then please thank Second In-law Aunt for me. Another day invite her over to visit.”

As long as Mother-in-law agreed, all was well.

Zhou Chujin smiled and said several kind words on Zhou Shaojin’s behalf. When Dragon Boat Festival day arrived, as soon as dawn broke she brought the things Guan Ge’er usually used and the serving women who attended him, and together with Madam Liao delivered Guan Ge’er to Yulian Alley.

Zhou Shaojin carefully received Guan Ge’er and repeatedly promised to take good care of him.

Madam Liao thanked her repeatedly. Seeing the sky growing brighter, she politely declined Zhou Shaojin’s breakfast invitation. After Li Shi and Zhou Youjin finished preparing, they all left the alley together heading for Shichahai.

Zhou Shaojin looked at Guan Ge’er’s tender little face and her heart was about to melt.

She nuzzled Guan Ge’er’s little face. At first Guan Ge’er smiled happily, but before long he began crying at the top of his lungs.

Zhou Shaojin was greatly startled and quickly called loudly for Guan Ge’er’s wet nurse.

The wet nurse hurried over, looked at Guan Ge’er, and said with a smile, “Guan Ge’er is hungry!”

Zhou Shaojin breathed a sigh of relief and handed the child to the wet nurse.

Since there were no outsiders in the house, the wet nurse sat to one side to nurse the child.

Zhou Shaojin watched him sucking vigorously at the milk and couldn’t help smiling as she stroked the child’s head. She turned and had them bring over the cloth tigers, little dolls, tumbler toys and such that she’d had people buy at the market a few days ago, planning to use them to entertain Guan Ge’er.

Who knew that while nursing, Guan Ge’er would fall asleep.

Zhou Shaojin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

The wet nurse quickly said apologetically, “Today coming over to Second Miss’s place, Guan Ge’er got up earlier than usual…”

Children naturally ate when they wanted and slept when they wanted!

Zhou Shaojin smiled and said, “This isn’t your fault at all. What is there to be embarrassed about? Does he usually sleep in a cradle or on the kang? If he sleeps on the kang, just put him here. I’ll watch over him!”

Children in the south slept in cradles, children in the north slept on kangs.

“He sleeps on the kang.” The wet nurse smiled, and naturally a perceptive little maid came over to lay out a small bedding. The wet nurse gently placed the child on it.

Zhou Shaojin sat to one side making socks for Cheng Chi.

As before, she still used cross-stitch to sew socks for Cheng Chi. The difference was that on the snow-white fine cotton socks from Songjiang, she used amber, smoketree yellow, and light crimson colors in sequence for the stitching—gorgeous and luxurious, the kind that made it hard to look away.

Uncle Chi was so particular—all his refinement was in the details. He would surely love socks like these.

Zhou Shaojin smiled with pursed lips.

If the socks she’d made before had a rather ethereal, otherworldly quality, the socks she was making now had the flavor of worldly splendor.

She preferred Uncle Chi to live like an ordinary mortal, not like a monk with a heart as withered as dead wood.

※※※

As soon as Cheng Chi stepped into the courtyard, he saw Zhou Shaojin sitting by the window in the inner room doing needlework.

The morning sunlight fell like broken gold through the leaf gaps of the tall, canopy-like scholar tree onto the blue stone floor tiles, adding a touch of tranquility to the cool corridor. Zhou Shaojin, fair-skinned as snow, sat there with gentle features, like a jade figurine with flowing pearlescent light that reached all the way into Cheng Chi’s heart.

He strode over.

Someone saw him enter and gave a low exclamation.

Zhou Shaojin raised her head. Her expression was also soft, then her eyes widened. She looked stunned, blinking like she’d been startled.

Cheng Chi smiled.

Somehow, he loved seeing her show this expression in front of him.

Making her surprised and amazed.

Even the most ordinary, mundane things became interesting to him.

Cheng Chi quickened his pace.

Zhou Shaojin suddenly seemed to awaken. A brilliant smile like summer flowers bloomed on her face. She tossed aside her needlework and ran out.

“Uncle Chi, Uncle Chi…” Her sweet, soft voice was almost coquettish, as if complaining about why he had left her for so long before returning.

Cheng Chi felt his heart stir at the thought and wanted to open his arms to embrace her.

But she abruptly stopped at the threshold of the hall. Her eyes were clear and bright, yet carried a rippling smile. Her flushed cheeks were even more like blooming roses, enchantingly beautiful.

“Uncle Chi!” She called to Cheng Chi warmly, her voice carrying infinite tenderness through a hundred turns, her slender, delicate hands nervously wringing together.

Cheng Chi felt his blood surging and boiling. He wished he could gather this little person into his body.

He took a deep breath and bit his tongue tip, forcibly suppressing the throbbing in his heart.

Nanny Shang and the others acted as if they hadn’t seen Cheng Chi enter, but the servant women attending Guan Ge’er came forward in a rush to pay respects to Cheng Chi.

Cheng Chi felt as if a basin of cold water had been poured over him. The restless heat in his heart cooled somewhat. He revealed a refined, elegant smile, raised his hand to let the women who were greeting him rise, then strode into the hall. As he walked toward the inner room, he said, “Why didn’t you go watch the dragon boat race today? Didn’t Cousin Zheng reserve two private rooms? Didn’t she send you an invitation?” As he lifted the curtain, he saw a small baby lying on the kang. Cheng Chi’s voice caught and he said, “Is this Guan Ge’er?”

Uncle Chi had been gone for so long, yet he knew everything about what was happening around her. She didn’t even need to tell him much—it was as if he hadn’t been away for over a month but had merely gone out yesterday.

Joy flooded Zhou Shaojin’s heart like a breached river, wave after wave of delight washing over her.

Her mind was muddled. She had no idea which question to answer first and which second, and said in confusion, “I didn’t want to go out. It’s so hot outside. I stayed home making socks for you. Then I kept Guan Ge’er here. I was afraid Sister would be too embarrassed to ask Cousin Zheng for help. What if Guan Ge’er got sick from the sun?”

But Cheng Chi immediately understood her meaning.

Seeing that Guan Ge’er was much fairer, sturdier, and his features more developed than when the wet nurse had carried him out the day he went to offer congratulations, he couldn’t help bending down to poke the baby’s rosy little sleeping face with his finger.

Guan Ge’er burst into loud wails with his eyes closed.

Cheng Chi was somewhat dumbfounded.

Zhou Shaojin couldn’t help laughing.

Nanny Shang quickly brought the wet nurse in to carry Guan Ge’er out.

Little maids came in to serve tea and refreshments.

Cheng Chi felt somewhat embarrassed and said, “I didn’t expect babies to cry so easily.”

Zhou Shaojin’s eyes smiled with unspeakable tenderness as she said, “He has quite a temper. Just now I merely nuzzled his face and he started crying!”

“Really?” Cheng Chi sat by the large kang near the window. He saw in the small basket on the kang table an unfinished pair of socks, and several finished pairs placed below the kang table.

His eyes focused slightly as he asked, “Who are these for?”

Could they be for Liao Shaotang?

Because of matters from her previous life, she had always held Liao Shaotang in high regard.

As the thought flashed by, he immediately felt somewhat uncomfortable.

That Liao Shaotang truly had good fortune cultivated in his previous life—in this life he didn’t have to do anything and Zhou Shaojin already viewed him favorably!

He suddenly felt sour inside and indignant on Zhou Shaojin’s behalf, saying, “He doesn’t even know about the previous life. You don’t need to treat him so well, lest he become suspicious.”