Zhou Shaojin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She said helplessly, “Who has time to make fragrant oils at this time? If you really like them, there are several perfume and powder shops near Xizhimen that sell imported goods from Guangdong and Quanzhou. They never lack all kinds of flower oils. When the time comes, I’ll have someone accompany you to buy a few bottles.”
Cheng Jia’s eyes widened in surprise as she exclaimed, “Shaojin, I thought you would stay obediently at home. I didn’t expect that after only a few months in the capital, you even know where to buy flower oils!”
Zhou Shaojin had to say, “I went out a few times with Cousin Zheng.”
Cheng Jia covered her mouth and laughed, saying, “Cousin Zheng?! You still call us cousins now—what about Uncle Chi?”
Zhou Shaojin’s face turned bright red, stammering without knowing what to say.
Cheng Jia then leaned on her shoulder and whispered in her ear, “Tell me the truth—how did you and Uncle Chi get together? Back when the matter with Cheng Xu happened, I saw that you and Uncle Chi were still getting along fine!”
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Zhou Shaojin scolded coquettishly, turning to push Cheng Jia away. “All day long thinking about such things—no wonder you always write in your letters that you’re bored!”
Cheng Jia tilted her shoulder and giggled, saying, “Stop trying to fool me. Confess quickly—what have you been doing in the capital?”
Zhou Shaojin didn’t want to lie, but she also didn’t want to answer, so she ignored Cheng Jia.
Cheng Jia just laughed, linking arms with Zhou Shaojin as they left the inner chamber.
Zhou Chujin had already sent someone to bring over little Guan’er.
Cheng Jia was absolutely delighted and rewarded him with pairs of gold and silver longevity locks, as well as gold bracelets for children, four seasons’ worth of clothes, shoes, socks, and little trinkets—a whole trunkful in total. Grand Madam Liao’s eyebrows twitched as she watched, not expecting Cheng Jia to be so generous with Zhou Chujin.
A bit later, Chunwan came to report that the room had been tidied up and asked Cheng Jia to come take a look.
However, Cheng Jia said, “Tonight I’ll sleep with Shaojin. In a couple of days, I’ll go back to our residence near Xizhimen.”
Grand Madam Liao couldn’t help but blurt out, “You bought a residence near Xizhimen?”
After marrying Li Jing, Cheng Jia had seen many such faces that looked down on merchants and the Li family. She smiled generously and said, “Yes! It’s an ancestral home. We just haven’t lived there much.”
Grand Madam Liao quickly tried to make amends, saying, “In that case, why not just stay here? It’s not like there’s no space here!”
Cheng Jia politely declined, “My husband came to the capital and will inevitably need to see relatives and friends. It’s more convenient to stay over there.”
Grand Madam Liao couldn’t say anything more.
That evening, Cheng Jia rested in Zhou Shaojin’s room. Li Jing took his leave, saying he would come back in a couple of days to pick up Cheng Jia.
When Cheng Jia saw Li Jing off, she showed some reluctance to part.
Zhou Shaojin smiled with pursed lips and whispered, “Since you can’t bear to part with him, just go with him. I’m not a stranger here.”
Cheng Jia’s face turned bright red. She stubbornly said, “Never mind him. I can’t indulge him all day long.”
Zhou Shaojin didn’t understand this sentiment.
Cheng Jia then whispered in her ear for a long time, all about how women should maintain their dignity.
Zhou Shaojin felt stifled listening to it.
According to Cheng Jia’s philosophy, she had no dignity at all in front of Cheng Chi.
Seeing her frown, Cheng Jia smiled and asked what was wrong.
Zhou Shaojin said hesitantly, “In front of someone you like, shouldn’t you let them know you like them? According to what you’re saying, you’d actually treat outsiders better than the person you like. Isn’t that making things difficult for the person you like?”
Cheng Jia was stunned.
Zhou Shaojin didn’t know if she had said the right thing. She could only say, “Oh well, I’m just saying. I don’t understand these things either.”
However, Cheng Jia suddenly understood. She cupped Zhou Shaojin’s face and kissed her firmly, saying, “You’re clearly my younger sister. How is it that you understand everything better than me?”
Zhou Shaojin couldn’t avoid it in time, but felt very happy inside, wiping her cheek in mock disgust.
Cheng Jia laughed heartily, then acted as if she couldn’t stay another moment, saying, “Tomorrow I’ll go back to Xizhimen. If you need anything, I’ll bring it over when I come the day after tomorrow.”
Zhou Shaojin thought for a moment and said, “Then buy me some fragrant oils. Get something elegant and lighter.”
Cheng Jia looked at her sideways with a smile.
Zhou Shaojin was so embarrassed that even her ears turned red.
The two cousins nestled under the blankets whispering secrets. Early the next morning, Cheng Jia ran back to Xizhimen by herself.
Li Jing’s surprise goes without saying. He felt that among his wife’s family, only Zhou Shaojin was worth associating with. He let Cheng Jia freely spend money buying this and that for Zhou Shaojin without saying anything. In just a few days in the capital, after paying respects to Old Madam Guo, Cheng Jia and Cheng Sheng toured all the shopping places in the capital.
Zhou Chujin couldn’t help but laugh and scold her, “Why do you act like you’ve never seen anything before? Shaojin’s trunks are already full. Save these things to give her privately later!”
Cheng Jia didn’t take it seriously and told Zhou Shaojin, “I went to Chaoyangmen—it’s decorated so beautifully there. Honestly, except for the wedding being prepared too quickly, there’s really nothing to criticize! Aunt Wei and Cousins Zheng and the others are all there helping.”
Zhou Shaojin blushed and said nothing.
Cheng Chi had also said he was wronging her, adding that it was because he wanted to marry her sooner.
She didn’t feel wronged at all.
Zhou Shaojin knew that Cheng Chi was afraid that if time dragged on too long, relatives would start gossiping and create complications.
There was also something Cheng Jia didn’t tell Zhou Shaojin.
When she went there, she didn’t see Madam Yuan. Supposedly she was ill and afraid of passing her sickness to Chaoyangmen, so she hadn’t shown her face for several days.
It showed that nothing in this world was perfect.
She gave Zhou Shaojin a sachet, telling her to place it under her pillow on her wedding night, and whispered, “I heard that Hongluo Temple in the capital is most effective for seeking children. Cousin Sheng and I went to Hongluo Temple a few days ago to get this. We each got one.”
Zhou Shaojin’s face burned hotly as she mumbled her thanks to Cheng Jia.