Soon, Nan Ping hurried over with Qingfeng toward Zhou Shaojin.

“Second Miss.” She said uneasily, “Why have you come? Did you need me for something?”

Zhou Shaojin glanced at Qingfeng.

Qingfeng glared at her indignantly, then turned and left.

Zhou Shaojin grabbed Nan Ping’s sleeve and said in a low voice: “Miss Nan Ping, I need to see Uncle Chi… Don’t tell me he’s not here. If he weren’t here, you couldn’t have relayed a message to me so quickly… Even if he wasn’t here earlier, he should have returned by now. I have something very urgent, truly urgent!” By the end of her words, her tone had unconsciously taken on a pleading quality.

Nan Ping was silent for a moment, then said hesitantly: “Wait here for me a moment.”

Zhou Shaojin nodded repeatedly, deeply grateful.

Nan Ping went to announce her.

Zhou Shaojin stood before the entrance hall, waiting anxiously.

When she had rushed over, she had been full of hot-blooded determination, but standing here waiting, she began to hesitate.

What if Uncle Chi refused to see her?

What if he saw her but ignored her?

How could she possibly move Uncle Chi?

Zhou Shaojin’s fingers twisted together.

Nan Ping hurried over.

“Second Miss.” Her voice carried a note of surprise that Zhou Shaojin couldn’t understand. “Fourth Master says you should go to Pure Sound Pavilion.”

Zhou Shaojin didn’t know where Pure Sound Pavilion was.

She followed Nan Ping.

Rounding an old osmanthus tree that had sprouted new branches from half a trunk, she saw a pavilion.

Gray tiles and white walls, only one bay wide, with transparent glass inlaid in the door panels on all four sides. Bowl-sized copper bells hung from the eaves, and a black lacquered gilt plaque hung at the entrance, with the three large characters “Pure Sound Pavilion” written in flowing dragon-phoenix script.

Zhou Shaojin let out a long breath.

Finally arrived.

They had walked for nearly two incense sticks’ worth of time, and her feet were starting to hurt.

This must be the innermost part of Small Mountain Osmanthus Courtyard, right?

Nan Ping pushed open the door panel.

Zhou Shaojin saw Cheng Chi putting away chisels and other implements.

She immediately noticed a qin body that had taken initial shape.

No wonder Uncle Chi wasn’t receiving visitors—he was making a qin.

Zhou Shaojin felt relieved. Her mood inexplicably relaxed.

She stepped forward to salute Cheng Chi.

Cheng Chi smiled. “You’re here! It’s rather messy in here—let’s talk outside.”

The pavilion was indeed somewhat chaotic, with wood shavings, sawdust, wood chips, and lumber scattered everywhere. Uncle Chi’s body was also covered in wood shavings and sawdust.

Zhou Shaojin smiled in acknowledgment, but her expression briefly froze.

She had seen Ji Ying.

In the disordered pavilion, her cold, beautiful face was like a bright pearl—even if one didn’t notice her immediately, after a while she would draw attention.

Only now she wore a black ramie vest, drenched in sweat and slumped dejectedly on the dirty, messy floor, looking exhausted with terror in her eyes, as if she had just survived some great ordeal. Zhou Shaojin was very puzzled.

Cheng Chi merely smiled faintly upon seeing this. Without explaining or clarifying anything, he brushed off his lapels and walked straight out.

Zhou Shaojin could only pretend not to have seen and followed him out.

Langxue and Huai Shan appeared from somewhere. One brewed tea while the other brought tables and chairs. Soon there was a place to sit in the corridor outside the pavilion.

Cheng Chi pushed a steaming tea cup toward her and smiled. “Pre-Qingming Biluochun tea. Try it.”

The fragrance was crisp and clear, the tea liquor transparent, the aftertaste refreshing.

It was good tea. But how could she be in the mood to drink tea?

Thinking that even if she had Bi Gan’s seven-chambered heart, it probably wouldn’t be enough in front of Cheng Chi, she simply abandoned all pretense and said directly: “Uncle Chi, this tea is very good, but I’m preoccupied with Duke Chengguo Mansion’s matter… I came to find you also because of this… Why exactly would Zhu Pengju send such valuable gifts to me, my sister, and Cousin Jia? When you had Nan Ping relay those words to me, it was because you knew something, right?”

She stared at him unblinkingly, her eyes like clear springs, her brows like distant mountains. Her expression faintly revealed some anticipation, as if besides him, she had no one else to rely on.

Cheng Chi’s heart skipped a beat.

This silly girl!

When Zhu Pengju suddenly became extremely attentive, he had grown suspicious. But firstly, he didn’t like managing such matters, and secondly, he couldn’t quite figure out what Zhu Pengju’s intentions were, so he waited quietly for the situation to develop. Later he guessed that Zhu Pengju had either taken a fancy to Zhou Shaojin or to Cheng Jia… He didn’t care about Cheng Jia, but if it was Zhou Shaojin—helpless and alone—she had at least spent time in Cold Jade Mountain Studio, so when she went out, in others’ eyes she would be considered someone from their first branch… If she really had some girlish feelings for Cheng Jiashan, he should at least give her a few pointers… to avoid creating some awkward situation that would be difficult to resolve… Even if she did marry into Duke Chengguo Mansion, at least she wouldn’t be completely in the dark, falling into someone else’s trap…

Who knew this child was actually foolish? She didn’t know to investigate based on his hints at all, and brazenly ran to Small Mountain Osmanthus Courtyard to ask him directly…

Thinking of this made his teeth ache.

In all his years, this was the first time he’d misjudged someone.

Such a seemingly clever little girl turned out to be simple-minded.

He had no choice but to have Nan Ping explain things clearly to her.

She did follow his hint to investigate the source of the gifts, but in the end she still ran here to ask him for guidance, even threatening Qingfeng that if he didn’t announce her she would shout at the entrance… Who did she learn that from?

How did she end up with such a luminously beautiful face like morning dew and bright pearls?

Cheng Chi sighed inwardly and couldn’t help looking at Zhou Shaojin again.

Her black hair wasn’t particularly thick, but it was smooth and lustrous. Large almond-shaped eyes with upturned corners gave her a naturally charming air. If not for her clear gaze, she might have what others called peach blossom eyes. Her nose was straight and delicate, her lips pink, small and rosy like flower petals. She happened to have a palm-sized oval face, making her appear delicate and soft… No wonder both Cheng Jiashan and Cheng Xiangqing pursued her.

If he were Cheng Jiashan or Cheng Xiangqing, he would probably also have difficulty passing this beauty’s test!

Cheng Chi’s mind wandered.

Cheng Jiashan wasn’t a child who didn’t know propriety, yet for Zhou Shaojin’s sake he had brought Cheng Lu into his circle. Originally he either planned to embarrass Cheng Xiangqing or make him retreat in the face of difficulty. Who knew Cheng Xiangqing wasn’t simple? Not only did Cheng Jiashan fail to embarrass Cheng Xiangqing or make him retreat, but after a long conversation with Cheng Xiangqing, he changed his mind and treated Cheng Xiangqing as a friend, beginning to interact with him regularly… If Zhou Shaojin were to marry, Cheng Jiashan need not be mentioned—his appearance, family background, and character were all suitable matches. Even that Cheng Xiangqing might not be a bad choice. On the contrary, Zhu Pengju, restricted by his status and position, not only couldn’t help Zhou Zhen, but marrying into a family of meritorious officials would create the appearance of social climbing, which would instead hinder Zhou Zhen’s career prospects. He wasn’t a good choice at all. Even the Cheng family could be implicated.

But young girls typically wouldn’t think carefully about such matters.

They would only feel that Duke Chengguo Mansion was a hereditary noble family, that marrying in would bring a super-rank imperial title, and that their children and grandchildren would enjoy prolonged blessings. Everything would be provided, they wouldn’t need to worry about anything, just wait for wealth and glory…

No one spoke. Wind blew past, tree branches rustling. All around was silence.

Cheng Chi’s silence left Zhou Shaojin feeling uncertain. She twisted her fingers and shifted uneasily.

The rustling sound that didn’t belong to the usual Pure Sound Pavilion brought Cheng Chi back to his senses.

He saw Zhou Shaojin’s twisted fingers.

Slender, long, pale white, the fingertips flushed with a faint red, like the finest mutton-fat jade carving. She could actually twist several fingers together in a chaotic tangle—didn’t it hurt?

Or was it that her bones hadn’t fully developed yet, so they were particularly soft?

Cheng Chi had no experience interacting with young girls like Zhou Shaojin. The thought crossed his mind briefly before being tossed aside. He smiled and said: “If Zhu Pengju has taken a fancy to you…”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Zhou Shaojin’s face turned deathly pale like a startled rabbit, her eyes showing panic: “It can’t be, it can’t be, he definitely hasn’t taken a fancy to me… Last time when I saw him at Three Branch Pavilion…” At this point, her body began trembling uncontrollably.

Was being noticed by Zhu Pengju really this frightening?

Cheng Chi didn’t understand, but he could see that Zhou Shaojin was truly afraid. He involuntarily softened his voice. “I’m only saying if…”

“Even if is not acceptable!” His words were once again interrupted by Zhou Shaojin. “I won’t marry him…” Just thinking about this possibility threw her into a panic. “My father said he’ll return in August. My father definitely won’t marry me to him… Yes, I still have Father to make decisions for me. He definitely won’t marry me to him…” She murmured, speaking more to herself than to Cheng Chi, trying to bolster her own courage.

Unless Zhou Zhen’s brain had been kicked by a donkey, he wouldn’t marry his daughter to Zhu Pengju. And from what he knew of Zhou Zhen, not only had his brain not been kicked by a donkey, but he was quite shrewd and calculating, with deep strategies!

How could his daughter be nothing like him?

What kind of expression would Zhou Zhen have when he learned what kind of temperament this daughter of his had?

Cheng Chi muttered to himself internally, but had no intention of frightening a young girl. He quickly said: “Alright, alright, alright. No ifs, no ifs!”

Hearing his assurance, Zhou Shaojin’s emotions gradually calmed down.

Cheng Chi watched and silently shook his head. After thinking, he said: “Although children’s marriages are decided by their parents, there’s no parent who doesn’t want their child to marry well. You don’t need to worry. You are, after all, a young lady of the Cheng family. No matter how fallen the Cheng family is, they couldn’t possibly marry you off to just anyone without regard for your wishes.”

Her surname was “Zhou,” wasn’t it?

Zhou Shaojin grumbled internally, but had to admit that after all these years, whether the Cheng family or outsiders, or even herself, sometimes felt that she was indeed a young lady of the Cheng family!

However, the first branch definitely wouldn’t casually marry off their daughters.

She didn’t know about Cheng Zheng, but before Cheng Xiao married, she had met her husband Yuan Ming and had seen him several times intermittently. Only after both were satisfied was the engagement finalized. So in the first few years after Cheng Xiao married, though there was no news of children, Yuan Ming didn’t clamor about taking concubines or bringing in secondary wives. The two had always been very devoted. Even when Cheng Sheng went to the capital, officially it was said that since the girl had grown up, it was better for her to be with her birth mother, but in reality it was because Cheng Jing had found a good match for Cheng Sheng and wanted to let her spend some time with the other party to see if both were satisfied…

In her previous life, she had admired Cheng Jing somewhat, feeling he was one of the best elders in the world—enlightened and reasonable. Even in her previous life when she had met with misfortune and became somewhat self-destructive, she had thought that if she had become Cheng Jing’s daughter-in-law, he would surely have treated her very well.

But what if Zhu Pengju had taken a fancy to Cheng Jia? Would Madam Jiang of the third branch let such an advantageous match pass by?

The third branch were merchants, weren’t they?

And merchants pursued power and profit!