Zhou Shaojin dutifully followed behind her elder sister Zhou Chujin. But while Jiang Shi and the He family’s eldest wife were exchanging pleasantries, Cheng Jia quietly tugged at Zhou Shaojin’s sleeve and whispered, “Did you hear just now… The He family people all praised you for being beautiful. When we get back, you have to embroider two pouches for me.”
“The He family people also praised your jewelry for being beautiful,” Zhou Shaojin sat properly but murmured at the corner of her mouth, “So when you get back, shouldn’t you also give me two pieces of jewelry?”
“Sure!” Cheng Jia’s eyes sparkled as she said, “I can give you two pieces of jewelry, but you have to make me two more pouches!”
How could she have forgotten that Cheng Jia was a little tycoon!
Zhou Shaojin secretly regretted it and asked curiously, “Who are you planning to give pouches to? Isn’t Cui Huan’s needlework also quite good?”
“Never you mind,” Cheng Jia refused to tell Zhou Shaojin. “Just remember you owe me two pouches.”
How could she be so domineering?
Zhou Shaojin wanted to say more to Cheng Jia, but Jiang Shi, who had been watching Cheng Jia from the corner of her eye, cast a glance their way.
Cheng Jia and Zhou Shaojin quickly stopped their conversation and sat up properly.
The He family’s matchmaker then invited Madam Gu to help insert the hairpin.
Jiang Shi held the box containing the hairpin, and the Cheng family members followed Madam Gu to the side chamber of Miss He Fengping, the He family’s eldest daughter.
He Fengping’s side chamber was already full of people—her aunts, both paternal and maternal, her cousins, and young ladies from good families who were close to her. There were quite a few people in the room.
As soon as Zhou Shaojin and the others entered, they won the amazed gazes of everyone.
Jiang Shi couldn’t help but feel a bit proud. Her gaze fell on a woman in the room wearing fourth-rank official attire.
She knew that should be the sister-in-law from Mian’s wife’s natal family, also the one considering Cheng Jia as a match.
Jiang Shi glanced at her daughter and saw Cheng Jia standing obediently beside Zhou Shaojin. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.
The three young ladies from the Cheng family were of different ages. He Fengping’s mother immediately distinguished who was who.
She couldn’t help but feel a bit regretful.
In terms of looks, Second Miss Zhou was too delicate and not as good at childbearing as Fourth Miss Cheng. But Second Miss Zhou’s father was a top scholar in both examinations, a fourth-rank prefect who was still young and vigorous, with an immeasurable future ahead… No wonder her sister-in-law had taken a liking to this young lady. However, there was no such thing as perfection in this world. He Fengping’s mother only sighed a little in her heart.
She sat there with dignity, only standing up when the matchmaker made introductions.
Jiang Shi particularly warmly grasped He Fengping’s mother’s hand and complimented her on having such a good daughter.
He Fengping, sitting in the inner chamber, wore a bright red embroidered jacket. For the hairpin insertion, all her jet-black hair was coiled at the back of her head in a double-spiral bun, exposing her smooth forehead. She wore no jewelry at all from head to toe. Her face was flushed red as she kept her head lowered, not daring to glance up even once.
Zhou Shaojin found this very interesting.
In her previous life, she had only seen the dignified, beautiful, and gracious He Fengping. She had never seen He Fengping shy and timid like this.
Perhaps at that time, their identities had been different, and He Fengping had needed to maintain the bearing of an elder sister-in-law?
Zhou Shaojin smiled with pressed lips.
Cheng Jia whispered in her ear, “Miss He looks quite beautiful!”
“Of course,” Zhou Shaojin couldn’t help but feel proud. “Just look at who chose this daughter-in-law.”
Cheng Jia laughed softly.
He Fengping suddenly raised her head to look at them, then quickly lowered it again.
Both Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Jia laughed.
Over there, He Fengping’s mother had finished exchanging pleasantries with Jiang Shi. The He family’s matchmaker looked at the time and called out with a smile, “The auspicious hour has arrived!”
All the various sounds in the room came to an abrupt halt.
Jiang Shi opened the box. Madam Gu took from it the auspicious ruyi gold hairpin weighing six liang and six qian, inlaid with auspicious cloud patterns, and inserted it into He Fengping’s hair.
As if suddenly erupting, the room again filled with various sounds of admiration, noisy and lively.
He Fengping’s face became even redder.
The He family’s eldest wife then smiled and invited the Cheng family members to take their seats in the flower hall.
Cheng Jia said disappointedly, “That’s it?”
“What else were you expecting?” Zhou Shaojin said with a mixture of laughter and tears. “If you want to see excitement, come when they fetch the bride—that’s when it’s truly lively!”
Cheng Jia knew that was impossible. She sighed in disappointment and walked arm-in-arm with Zhou Shaojin to the flower hall.
Now that the two families were officially relatives, He Fengping’s mother treated Jiang Shi and the others with less formality and more intimacy. She lavished praise on Zhou Shaojin and the others, then asked about Cheng Jia’s daily life.
Cheng Jia knew nothing and answered easily, treating it as conversation with an ordinary elder.
Zhou Shaojin, however, was thoughtful.
She calculated in her mind—He Fengping was the eldest daughter in her family. Her eldest younger brother should only be about twelve years old now, her youngest brother nine. So there was no way they could be connected to Cheng Jia…
On the way back, she tested Jiang Shi: “Sister-in-law He’s mother seemed to particularly like Cousin Jia.”
Jiang Shi only smiled without speaking.
Cheng Jia, however, complained, “How would I know?”
Zhou Shaojin could only sigh inwardly.
The range was too broad—Li Jing could only seek his own fortune!
When their boat had traveled halfway, the sky had already darkened. Cheng Jia, suffering from seasickness, had long since fallen into a drowsy sleep. Zhou Chujin had watched the scenery with Zhou Shaojin for a while, but the tension before arriving at Pukou and the fatigue after successfully completing the betrothal ceremony soon showed on her face.