Cheng Chi naturally hadn’t thought about Zhou Shaojin at all.
Since his mother had sent someone to summon Zhou Shaojin, it would be inappropriate for him to keep her any longer.
He said to Zhou Shaojin, “Can you fix your clothing and appearance yourself? Should I have Nan Ping come help you?”
Zhou Shaojin’s face flushed red.
She had just been crying and making a fuss, so her clothing and appearance were surely disheveled by now. If she went out like this and those servants and attendants saw her, wouldn’t they point and gossip about her?
“I can manage on my own!” Zhou Shaojin said hurriedly.
Cheng Chi breathed a sigh of relief.
The fewer people who knew about Zhou Shaojin’s situation, the better.
He patted her head as if coaxing a small child and said gently, “An ordinary man is not guilty, but possessing a jade makes him guilty. What you told me today is best kept from everyone. If anyone asks, just say you lost at chess and were scolded by me a few times, so you felt upset. There are all kinds of people in this world, and with your extraordinary experience, if you’re targeted by someone with ulterior motives, being used would be the least of your worries. What’s truly frightening is if someone narrow-minded wants you all to himself and locks you away where we can’t find you. That would be real trouble.”
The matter of her rebirth weighed on Zhou Shaojin’s chest like a huge stone. She was terrified of being discovered and treated as a monster, but she hadn’t expected that in Uncle Chi’s eyes, her experience could rival the He Shi Bi jade disc.
Zhou Shaojin suddenly felt her circumstances weren’t so terrible after all.
She nodded repeatedly, “I won’t tell anyone.”
Seeing her looking as if she didn’t fully grasp the seriousness, Cheng Chi still felt uneasy and continued to frighten her, “If you get captured because of this, I won’t care about you anymore. Understand?”
Zhou Shaojin’s face burned hot.
Uncle Chi really was treating her like a child.
However, being treated like a child this way… actually felt quite good.
She quickly promised, “Besides Uncle Chi, I definitely won’t tell anyone.”
Only then did Cheng Chi feel somewhat reassured. He pointed to the inner room and said, “Go tidy your appearance. We’ll go to the Old Madam’s place right away.”
Zhou Shaojin entered the inner room with some curiosity.
The inner room was a small resting chamber. Against the wall was a small lacquered bed with white fine cloth curtains hanging from it. By the window stood a large desk with not only the four treasures of the study but also a potted clivia in a Xianyang bowl. The curio shelf held either books or various scrolls of different sizes.
She wondered whether those scrolls contained paintings or the maps Uncle Chi had mentioned on the boat.
Zhou Shaojin very much wanted to open them and look.
She glanced back toward the outer room and happened to see the corner of Cheng Chi’s blue-gray plain Hangzhou silk robe.
Zhou Shaojin sighed in disappointment.
Turning back, she saw the mirror stand by the bed.
The mirror stand was made of rosewood. In the center was mounted a Western mirror the size of a round fan, reflecting every detail clearly.
Zhou Shaojin pouted.
Uncle Chi was so extravagant.
The mirror stand actually had a Western mirror mounted on it.
She stood before the Western mirror, examining her face from left to right.
Her skin was smooth as jade, without any pimples or scars, though her eyes were red and slightly swollen.
Zhou Shaojin smiled bashfully at herself, rearranged her appearance in the mirror, and emerged from the inner room.
Cheng Chi had somehow changed into a bamboo-green fine cloth Daoist robe with wide sleeves and a flowing form, giving him quite an air of transcendent elegance.
Zhou Shaojin said softly, “Uncle Chi, did you really offer the first incense at Longhu Mountain that year? Doesn’t that mean you didn’t spend New Year’s at home?”
“Indeed!” Cheng Chi smiled nonchalantly. “Didn’t you say you hardly saw me before? I’m constantly traveling around outside.” As he spoke, he pushed open the study door.
Zhou Shaojin hurried to follow.
Nanny Shang and Biyu were both waiting outside.
Biyu was fine—she had merely come at the Old Madam’s command to summon Zhou Shaojin. But Nanny Shang had vaguely heard some commotion. Seeing Zhou Shaojin emerge whole and intact with a smile on her face, she couldn’t help but breathe a long sigh of relief.
As Cheng Chi followed Biyu toward the main hall, he asked her, “What is the Old Madam doing?”
Biyu smiled, “The Old Madam is taking inventory of her old jewelry! She says there are some pieces even she herself doesn’t remember. Since the weather has been good these past few days, she’s taking them out to look at.”
Zhou Shaojin was speechless.
Other people aired books and clothes, but the Old Madam aired jewelry…
Cheng Chi had apparently thought the same thing. He said, “I remember the temple airs scriptures—what month is that? You might as well accompany the Old Madam out for a walk.”
Biyu smiled, “Books are aired on the sixth day of the sixth month. That’s still quite early.”
Seeing her speak steadily and neither humbly nor arrogantly, Cheng Chi gave her an additional glance.
Biyu quickly lowered her head respectfully.
A flash of satisfaction crossed Cheng Chi’s face as he entered the main hall where Old Madam Guo lived.
Old Madam Guo was indeed airing jewelry.
The arhat bed by the window, the windowsill, the tea table, and the grand armchairs were all covered with various jewelry boxes, with some even piled on the floor. The room was filled with lustrous pearls and precious stones, resplendent with gold and jade.
Seeing Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Chi enter, Old Madam Guo beckoned to them with a smile, “You’ve come at just the right time. Help me look and see which pieces of jewelry are attractive and which aren’t.”