Ji Cheng’s face reddened as she suddenly understood the emphasis in Shen Che’s tone. It was on the word “only.” She felt indignant, thinking to herself, “What timing! How can this Second Young Master still have the leisure to pick on her grammatical errors?”
Shen Che pressed further, “So, Cousin Cheng, how much silver do you think they should have sold for?”
It was absolute mischief. Ji Cheng glared at Shen Che without speaking. This man, with a smile playing on his lips, seemed to have not an ounce of sympathy. Couldn’t he empathize with their fear after such a harrowing experience?
Ji Cheng lowered her head in silence. Shen Che continued, “Usually, in these places, buying girls is just a matter of three to five taels of silver. Back then, Miss Xiang was sold for only fifty taels.”
Was the subtext that they had been sold for a high price? Ji Cheng looked up at Shen Che in surprise and sensitively asked, “Who is Miss Xiang?”
Shen Che had no interest in telling Ji Cheng the story of Miss Xiang from the family of the Crown Prince’s Grand Tutor. Instead, he changed the subject, “How did you end up disguised as dancing girls?”
Ji Cheng didn’t answer. Her thoughts were still entangled with the Miss Xiang that Shen Che had mentioned. Who was she? Why would Shen Che compare Miss Xiang to them?
Seeing Ji Cheng lost in thought, Shen Cui quickly responded, “We accidentally stumbled into the place where the dancing girls change clothes. Sister Cheng told me to quickly change into their clothes to avoid being discovered.”
“Oh,” Shen Che responded, but his tone was quite intriguing. “What a coincidence that you just happened to stumble into the dancing girls’ changing room. And they just happened not to notice you were imposters?”
Ji Cheng had now come back to her senses. Hearing Shen Che’s skepticism, her eyebrows immediately shot up. What did Shen Che mean? Was he suspecting that she had colluded with outsiders in this matter? What benefit could she possibly gain from doing this?
In fact, from Shen Che’s perspective, the benefits Ji Cheng could gain from this incident were not insignificant. She had not only saved herself but also Shen Cui. Judging by Shen Cui’s current demeanor, she is completely dependent on and admiring of Ji Cheng. Undoubtedly, when she returned home, her aunt would also be deeply grateful to her. In this incident, she appeared brave, resourceful, affectionate, and righteous, easily winning people’s favor. Outsiders might not know the inside story, but his eldest brother and fourth brother would certainly know. Then…
Then, Ji Cheng’s reputation might not matter much, but Shen Cui was like a delicate porcelain vase. As long as Ji Cheng played her cards right, marrying Shen Jing wasn’t impossible. It all depended on whether her aunt, Ji Lan, was willing to part with Shen Cui as a daughter. Although nothing had happened, they had after all been to Tianxiang Tower and even danced in public.
Even Ji Cheng herself hadn’t realized she could gain so many benefits from this incident.
But when Ji Cheng saw Shen Che’s expression, she quickly understood why he was suspicious. She had also realized the potential benefits. However, Shen Che had guessed wrong on one point – she had no desire to marry Shen Jing.
Under Shen Cui’s dubious gaze, Ji Cheng spoke up, “I’ve always had a keen sense of smell. I smelled the strong scent of powder in that room and knew it must be a women’s chamber. That’s why I risked taking Fifth Sister in there.” Defenseless women were always easier to deal with.
“As for why the dancing girl who came in didn’t recognize us, I’m also quite puzzled,” Ji Cheng said honestly. She was truly pitiful. Her heart was as pure as ice in a jade vase, but for those with deep schemes, it was hard to believe that her actions were without ulterior motives.
Hearing this, Shen Che didn’t pursue the matter further. Instead, he reassured Shen Cui, “Don’t worry, not many people will know about this incident. The people at Tianxiang Tower wouldn’t dare to gossip, and as for Pockmark’s connection, the family will handle it. Right now, the family members are probably anxiously searching for you everywhere. When you get back, just tell the truth to Old Madam and the aunts.”
Shen Cui nodded, then couldn’t help but ask Shen Che, “Second Brother, will we be able to find out who tried to harm us?”
Although Shen Che inwardly felt that Shen Cui’s mind was truly peculiar, not even knowing who she had offended, he still reassured her, “Don’t worry, the truth will come to light eventually.”
Shen Che soon left the carriage. Although they were all cousins, it still wasn’t appropriate to share a carriage.
After Shen Che sent Ji Cheng and Shen Cui home, they found that all of the Shen family servants had been sent out to search for the two of them. When Shen Yuan and Shen Rong saw them return safely, they were so moved that they couldn’t stop crying. Ji Lan’s eyes were swollen from crying, and even Old Madam’s eyes were rimmed with red.
Ji Cheng and Shen Cui followed Shen Che’s instructions and told the truth. Not to mention Old Madam, even Earl Qi, Shen Zhuo, who had returned upon hearing the news, had a dark expression. Although Ji Lan didn’t say anything, her palms were marked with blood from her fingernails.
Afterward, Ji Cheng and Shen Cui were sent back to their rooms by the maids to wash up and rest. The family elders only instructed them to tell others that they had mischievously slipped away from their maids and servants because they wanted to play without being followed.
That night, many people slept very soundly, like Ji Cheng. Many others stayed up late discussing matters, like in Old Madam’s Ruiying Hall.
When Shen Che returned to Jiuli Courtyard, Nichang was sewing new undergarments for him under the lamp. Seeing him enter, she quickly put down her needle and thread. She had naturally heard about the family servants searching everywhere for Shen Cui and Ji Cheng.
Nichang went to greet him, helping Shen Che change his shoes, and said softly, “The kitchen has prepared mung bean and lily bulb soup. Would the Young Master like a bowl after bathing?”
As she spoke, Nichang lowered her head to untie Shen Che’s belt. Suddenly, a flash of silver caught her eye. Nichang exclaimed in surprise, “Oh?” How could there be a five-colored thread?
It’s no wonder Nichang was surprised. Since she started serving Shen Che, she had never seen a five-colored thread on him when he returned to the Qixi Festival. If he didn’t want those girls to get close to him, there was no way they could have pinned a five-colored thread on him.
Hearing Nichang’s surprised exclamation, Shen Che looked down and also saw the needle with the five-colored thread in her hand. He frowned slightly, a rare moment of uncertainty for him, not knowing when this unexpected five-colored thread had found its way onto his person.
It couldn’t possibly be Wang Liniang.
Wang Liniang was the young widow that Shen Rong and Ji Cheng had seen accompanying Shen Che during the Dragon Boat Festival. If not for the appearance of this five-colored thread, this Mrs. Wang would probably never have appeared in Shen Che’s memory again from this day forward.
This could only be blamed on Wang Liniang being too eager, and thus unable to eat the hot tofu.
On the eve of Qixi, it wouldn’t have been right for Shen Che not to visit Wang Liniang.
Wang Liniang’s mother-in-law, Old Lady Hou, also knew this and had left early. She had been unfortunate that her son died young, but this daughter-in-law had kept her widowhood for three years for her son, which could be considered as having done right by the Hou family. It’s said that a woman follows her father in her first marriage and makes her own choice in her second, but Old Lady Hou now relied entirely on Wang Liniang’s needlework to make a living. How could she bear to let Wang Liniang remarry?
Encouraged by the surrounding old women, Old Lady Hou set her sights on Wang Liniang. This young woman was as beautiful as a flower, and if she could hook up with a rich young master and become his concubine, it would be fitting. This way, Wang Liniang could continue to live with her, and when that rich young master came to stay for a night and left some silver, wouldn’t it be a win-win situation?
Wang Liniang wasn’t originally a frivolous person, but she couldn’t resist Old Lady Hou’s constant persuasion over the years. That day, when she looked down at the street from upstairs and saw Shen Che, her soul seemed to fly away. Just like Yüqian’er had said, Wang Liniang also thought that even if she could be his wife for just one night, her life would have been worth living.
This led to Wang Liniang’s first attempt at flirting with a man using her handkerchief. At the time, Wang Liniang was just thinking of giving it a try, never imagining it would succeed. Who knew that Shen Che would turn his head and even give her a slight smile?
What followed naturally fell into place. Old Lady Hou was so happy she couldn’t stop smiling. This Second Young Master of the Shen family was extremely generous, even giving her silver to open a small wine shop as a business.
Knowing that Shen Che would come on Qixi, Old Lady Hou was naturally eager to please. Early in the morning, before dawn, she went to queue at Pig Head Zhang’s braised meat shop to secure some pig ears.
Anyone who has eaten braised pig ears knows that the best part is the ear flaps that come in rows, with white cartilage in the middle, offering a mix of soft and hard textures that are uniquely flavorful. But pig ears are only so big, and there are always leftover bits when cut. However, this Second Young Master Shen only ate the most perfectly shaped ear strips.
From one pig’s worth of braised ears, there weren’t many perfectly shaped strips to be found, especially since Pig Head Zhang’s braised pig ears were the most famous in the capital. If Old Lady Hou hadn’t gone early, she definitely wouldn’t have been able to buy any.
While Old Lady Hou was buying braised pig ears, Wang Liniang had walked halfway across the city to get two taels of Yuquan White, Shen Che’s favorite wine. Yuquan White was the signature wine of a small winery in the southern suburbs. They didn’t produce much each day, only sold for half a year and limited purchases to one jin per person. It’s unclear how its reputation spread, but every day before the shop opened, there was already a queue half a street long.
The mother and daughter-in-law of the Hou family had indeed put in a lot of effort to firmly attach themselves to the big tree that was the Shen family’s Second Young Master.
When Shen Che arrived at the Hou residence, Wang Liniang came out to greet him, just like Nichang would. She was a thoughtful and attentive person, and after spending some time with Shen Che, she had figured out his habits. Seeing him enter, she helped him change his shoes and clothes and wrung out a towel for him to wash his face and hands, showing the utmost tenderness and care in serving him.
“Young Master seems a bit tired. Shall I massage your shoulders?” Wang Liniang observed Shen Che’s expression as she set out the cups and chopsticks.
Shen Che smiled, “Alright, Liniang has skillful hands.”
Wang Liniang swayed her hips as she walked behind Shen Che and began to massage his shoulders. “Is the Young Master satisfied with the stewed oxtail today?”
“Liniang’s oxtail is unparalleled in the capital. No one else can surpass yours,” Shen Che said.
Wang Liniang smiled brightly, “If the Young Master likes it, Liniang will stew it for you every day from now on.”
Shen Che couldn’t accept this offer, so he pretended not to understand. Wang Liniang sighed inwardly, remembering Old Lady Hou’s words from the other day – a man and a woman can’t be truly bound together without real intimacy.
Thinking of this, Wang Liniang’s face reddened slightly. She looked down at Shen Che, and although she could only see the top and back of his head, in her eyes, even the back of the head was a hundred times more handsome than others. Wang Liniang steeled herself and pulled at the collar of her thin, water-red summer shirt. Under the thin shirt, she wore only a frost-white embroidered dudou with peonies, but even the frost-white cloth couldn’t compare to the whiteness of her chest. Sometimes she would be dazzled looking at herself, and she wondered how her beloved nemesis would react.
Wang Liniang waited until Shen Che’s cup was empty, then moved with light steps to stand in front of him. She bent over to refill his wine, her ample bosom swaying dangerously close to spilling out.
Wang Liniang cupped the wine glass with both hands and, using the motion of passing the wine, nestled into Shen Che’s arms. “Young Master,” she breathed.
Shen Che grabbed Wang Liniang’s waist with one hand while taking the wine cup with the other, holding her fixed at a distance of three inches from himself. His eyes deliberately lingered on Wang Liniang’s prominent chest for a long while, then he smiled and said, “Liniang, when a woman is too forward in these matters, it loses its appeal. Haven’t I taught you before? If you want to keep me interested, you should hold the meat high, letting me see but not eat. That’s what makes it interesting.”