Cheng Chi rarely showed such warmth toward people or so earnestly invited others to stay at his home.

It was clear that he was genuinely happy for Li Jing about Cheng Jia’s pregnancy.

Zhou Shaojin looked thoughtful.

However, Li Jing felt it would be inconvenient to stay here. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t transfer experienced nurses and maids from Luoyang to care for Cheng Jia. In the end, he tactfully declined.

Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Chi carefully saw Li Jing and Cheng Jia off. Cheng Jia pouted and grasped Zhou Shaojin’s hand, insisting she come visit in a few days.

She was about to become a mother, yet still so playful.

Zhou Shaojin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She promised to visit in a few days, and only then did Cheng Jia contentedly lower the sedan chair curtain.

The household guests all began discussing how this was a good omen, speculating whether Zhou Shaojin might also become pregnant soon.

Old Madam Guo chuckled, thinking of her son and daughter-in-law’s intimacy these past days, and felt anticipation in her heart.

But Zhou Shaojin’s monthly courses arrived as expected.

Old Madam Guo couldn’t help feeling somewhat disappointed.

Even Zhou Shaojin felt a bit uncomfortable about it.

But Cheng Chi had done it deliberately. Smiling, he tapped her nose consolingly. “You’re still young. It’s better to wait a few more years.”

Zhou Shaojin’s face flushed with embarrassment.

He spoke as if only she wanted children… So these past days she had obediently let him do as he pleased, assuming whatever position he wanted her in, moaning whatever sounds he wanted her to make… When clearly he was the one who enjoyed it immensely!

She couldn’t help pouting. “What if Mother thinks I can’t have children?”

“Nonsense!” Cheng Chi gently scolded, tweaking her nose again. “Elder Sister-in-law was in the household for several years before having Xiao girl, and Second Sister-in-law also had difficulty conceiving. How could Mother be so demanding of you?”

Only then did Zhou Shaojin feel somewhat reassured.

Cheng Chi decided to accompany her for a walk in the garden to lift her spirits and prevent her from overthinking and upsetting herself.

But just as the words left his mouth, Langyue entered and said quietly, “Fourth Master, Eunuch Shi requests you meet him at the wine house. He says he won’t leave until you come.”

Cheng Chi frowned involuntarily.

What did Shi Kuan want with him?

From what he knew, both the Eastern Palace and the Fourth Prince’s residence had been peaceful and tranquil recently. Nothing had happened…

Zhou Shaojin assumed something serious had occurred on Shi Kuan’s end and quickly said, “Fourth Master, go attend to your business. I’ll handle the household matters! If all else fails, Mother is here to oversee things. Nothing will go wrong.”

There were still some relatives who had come for their wedding and hadn’t left yet.

Cheng Chi nodded and quietly instructed her with a few words like “if you’re bored, go keep Mother company playing cards,” then changed his clothes and left.

Zhou Shaojin headed toward Tingxiang Courtyard.

Thinking of the scene when she had entered to serve Zhou Shaojin last night during her midnight stomach pain, Fan Liushi recalled what the room had looked like.

Fourth Master was a man, after all. Though the bed had been hastily tidied, anyone with eyes could tell what they had been doing. With him being insatiable day and night like this, she had thought Zhou Shaojin was injured. She only relaxed when she learned her monthly courses had arrived.

She couldn’t help advising Zhou Shaojin, “With Fourth Master away, you have a rare moment of peace. Why not sleep a bit more before going to attend Old Madam?”

Zhou Shaojin’s ears turned red.

Fan Liushi was experienced—naturally she knew about her and Cheng Chi’s affairs.

She couldn’t help saying quietly, “I’m fine… With Fourth Master not home, I should keep Mother company so she won’t be lonely.”

In her previous life, when she lived alone on the estate, no matter how many maids and servants accompanied her, she still felt lonely. So whenever Elder Sister came to visit, she was especially happy and would reluctantly see her all the way out of the estate before returning.

This was filial piety. Fan Liushi dared not and could not say anything against it. She could only direct the maids to help Zhou Shaojin with her grooming while quietly reminding her, “Then come back early at noon. After the meal, rest a while—you also need to prepare for the bride’s family visit.”

Since Zhou Shaojin’s maternal home was in Baoding Prefecture, according to propriety, her return visit would require going to Baoding—not as convenient as if they lived in the same city. Moreover, with New Year approaching, they had arranged for the bride’s family visit nine days after the wedding, staying five days at her maternal home before returning.

Having traveled from Jinling to Baoding, from Baoding to Jinling, and from Yushu Lane to Yuqian Lane, Zhou Shaojin had gained some experience with travel and wasn’t as flustered as before. She had a plan in mind for what needed to be done before departure and wasn’t worried about making mistakes. She smiled and said, “It’s fine. We’re only staying five days, and Baoding Prefecture isn’t some remote wilderness. If we’ve forgotten anything, we can just buy it there.”

Seeing she hadn’t understood her meaning, Fan Liushi didn’t press further and instructed Chun Wan to escort Zhou Shaojin to Tingxiang Courtyard.

Zhou Shaojin then thought of Chun Wan’s marriage prospects.

She herself was already married—in two years at most, Chun Wan should marry too.

Unfortunately, there was no one suitable among those serving Cheng Chi. It seemed she would need to entrust this matter to Biyu.

When she reached Old Madam Guo’s courtyard, she happened to encounter Biyu.

Before Old Madam Guo moved in, this area had been staffed by newly hired maids and servants. Biyu had managed the inner household, which was fitting for her position. But after Old Madam Guo moved in, both Nanny Lü and Nanny Shi had more seniority than her. The inner household matters naturally fell to Nanny Lü, while Biyu assisted on the side. Her authority was less than before, but her work had increased.

Fortunately, Biyu was capable. Knowing that Cheng Chi valued her and that Nanny Lü and the others had household management skills and strategies beyond her comparison, she could calm herself to learn from them, treating herself as an apprentice.

Zhou Shaojin smiled and asked her, “What brings you here?”

At this hour, she should be in the kitchen overseeing the chefs preparing the midday meal.

Biyu smiled and showed her the menu in her hand. “Old Madam said she wants to invite Elder Statesman Yuan’s wife to dinner in a few days and asked me to draft a menu for her. I’m bringing it for her approval.” Lowering her voice, she added, “The Old Madam has called Second Madam over to talk.”

Second Madam was Cheng Wei’s wife, Qiu Shi.

Zhou Shaojin smiled and nodded to her in thanks.

Biyu smiled back, curtsied, and left Tingxiang Courtyard.

Nanny Lü came out to hold the curtain for Zhou Shaojin but didn’t usher her inside. Instead, she found an excuse to take her to the tea room.

Zhou Shaojin pretended not to notice and sat in the tea room drinking tea, eating snacks, and chatting.

Meanwhile, in the main hall, Old Madam Guo was saying to Qiu Shi, “…I know you all think I’m partial and favor Silang. But you don’t know what suffering Silang has endured. I’ll only tell you this: when the second branch managed the household, they decided how much silver was in the public coffers. The first branch had no idea how much property the family actually owned.

“That the first branch could produce one million two hundred thousand taels of silver for the family division—all that silver was earned by Silang over the years. When your elder brother and sister-in-law asked for it, he handed it over.

“The palm and back of the hand are both flesh. If I don’t speak these words, it will only cause estrangement among relatives and resentment between brothers.

“Like with this matter, I could simply discuss it with my sons alone, but I still called you here to discuss it. That’s because you’re my daughter-in-law, like my own daughter. I don’t want discord between you and your husband!”

“Mother!” Qiu Shi didn’t understand Old Madam Guo’s intention and stood up anxiously. “You know I’m a simple person. Whatever you say, I’ll listen. Whatever my husband says, I’ll do. Whatever you wish, just instruct me.”

Old Madam Guo said, “I want to divide the family while I’m still clearheaded!”

Qiu Shi’s face turned deathly pale. She cried out “Mother!” urgently and said, “This, this cannot be! We’ve just separated from the second branch. This is the time when the family should unite together. How can we divide the family?” As she spoke, a thought struck her—could it be that her husband didn’t agree, and her mother-in-law wanted her to persuade him? She couldn’t help saying, “Mother, does my husband know? What does he say? I’ll listen to him.”

Old Madam Guo smiled. “Don’t panic! I haven’t told Erlang about this yet. I just wanted to hear your thoughts first. Xinglin Lane is the old residence. Dalang is the eldest son, so naturally it should go to them. Then I’ll provide twenty thousand taels for Jiashan’s marriage and supplement another fifty thousand taels for them. Here at Chaoyangmen, when Silang married, I already agreed with his in-laws that this would go to him. His residence is the largest, so I won’t leave him anything else. One occupies the position of eldest, one the youngest—by rights, you’re at the greatest disadvantage. But when it comes to dividing the family, I can’t let you continue to suffer losses. I’m thinking you should choose a residence—whatever the cost, I’ll pay for it—then I’ll give you one hundred thousand taels of silver. When Geer marries, I’ll also cover the expenses, same as Jiashan—twenty thousand taels. My antiques, calligraphy, paintings, gold and silver jewelry—I won’t divide them while I’m alive. After I die, you three families will divide them equally. I’ll distribute my personal savings, and the income from the sacrificial fields will all come to me as my spending money. After I die, it will all belong to your elder uncle’s family. What do you think?”

A residence in the capital, one hundred thousand taels of silver, and they could choose the residence freely—plus another twenty thousand taels when Geer married to prepare the wedding… Even though Qiu Shi was someone content with her current situation who preferred stability, she couldn’t help being dazed by this windfall and didn’t recover her senses for quite some time.

Old Madam Guo didn’t need her to agree right away. “I also know you’ve always respected Erlang. If you can’t decide, go back and discuss it with him. If you think it’s inappropriate, you can tell me directly. I just want this household to be peaceful and harmonious, without any upheavals.”

Qiu Shi’s face flushed bright red.

She knew Old Madam Guo was referring to Yuan Shi.

But knowing full well what her sister-in-law was thinking yet not daring to admonish her, she had equally failed in her duty as a daughter-in-law and couldn’t escape blame!

She murmured her acknowledgment. Seeing Old Madam Guo’s weary expression, she quickly rose to take her leave and went to find Cheng Wei.

When Zhou Shaojin entered, Old Madam Guo didn’t hide anything from her and told her of her plans.

Zhou Shaojin’s experiences had made her requirements for material life quite low. A large house was fine to live in, and a small house wouldn’t feel cramped either. Moreover, now she had Cheng Chi with her—she truly desired nothing more.

“I don’t understand these matters,” she said. “Let Fourth Master decide! I’ll listen to you and Fourth Master.”