Now this was a true master of social grace!
Zhou Shaojin gazed at Gu Shiqi with great admiration.
Miss Liu Jiu stood quietly beside Madam Liu, occasionally glancing at Zhou Shaojin.
Zhou Shaojin smiled kindly at her.
Miss Liu Jiu’s face flushed crimson as she lowered her head.
As Zhou Shaojin, Cheng Jia, and Miss Liu Jiu stood there listening to Madam Liu and Gu Shiqi exchange pleasantries, sounds came from the main hall.
Everyone looked over simultaneously.
They saw the door curtain sway as Cheng Chi and Cheng Xu emerged.
Cheng Chi’s expression remained indifferent as always, while Cheng Xu appeared more cheerful than before, making him look even more refined and elegant.
However, just as the two descended the steps, the two grand-nieces from Vice Minister Sun’s wife’s natal family happened to emerge from the small path leading to the main hall.
The two groups came face to face.
The two young misses blushed crimson as they curtsied. One of them said something in a voice barely above a whisper. Cheng Chi glanced at the two young ladies, nodded slightly with an expressionless face, and walked straight ahead. Cheng Xu followed behind Cheng Chi, and as he passed the two young ladies, he couldn’t help but look back. His gaze happened to meet that of the young lady wearing the bean-green Hangzhou silk jacket.
The young lady smiled brilliantly at Cheng Xu.
Her radiant smile was like flowers blooming in summer—bright and captivating.
Cheng Xu looked surprised. His steps paused slightly. He nodded at the young lady, then hurried to catch up with Cheng Chi.
What was going on here?
Zhou Shaojin, Cheng Jia, and Gu Shiqi exchanged bewildered glances.
But what surprised them even more was that upon seeing this, Madam Liu chuckled softly and said to Miss Liu Jiu from her family, “I didn’t expect your Fourth Brother Cheng to be here. Come with me to pay your respects to Fourth Brother Cheng!” Then she turned to Zhou Shaojin and the others with a smile, saying, “Would you like to come with me to greet them?”
The three of them shook their heads in unison, looking confused and at a loss.
When had this Miss Liu become a generation senior to them?
Or had she always been a generation above them?
Zhou Shaojin’s mind was a bit muddled as she watched Madam Liu lead Miss Liu Jiu toward Cheng Chi and Cheng Xu with a smile. She watched as Cheng Chi’s expression softened slightly as he greeted Madam Liu, watched as Miss Liu Jiu shyly curtsied to Cheng Chi and Cheng Xu… It wasn’t until Madam Liu led Miss Liu Jiu into the main hall that Cheng Jia nudged her with an elbow, and only then did she come back to her senses. But as soon as she did, she saw Gu Shiqi covering her mouth, laughing silently and continuously.
“What, what’s going on?” she asked, confused.
“I’m dying of laughter!” Gu Shiqi laughed until tears came out, saying breathlessly, “Cheng Jiashan actually got ambushed by young ladies… I’ll bet you anything that when he was in the main hall, there were definitely more girls watching him… If Vice Minister Sun’s wife doesn’t bring her two natal grand-nieces to visit Madam Yuan tomorrow, she’ll definitely come the day after…”
Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Jia suddenly understood.
Cheng Jia even jumped up, saying, “Doesn’t Madam Sun always speak so righteously about others? How could her own natal grand-nieces do such things? I wonder if she knows about it. If she does know, I wonder if she’ll send both grand-nieces home overnight?”
Gu Shiqi finally managed to stop laughing. As she took out a handkerchief to wipe the corners of her eyes, she said, “She definitely knows! It might have even been her own idea! Now I understand why she didn’t bring Third Miss out—she was afraid people would notice and ruin Third Miss’s reputation. Those two young ladies are foolish enough, letting Madam Sun point them east and west like that!”
Zhou Shaojin wanted to say something but hesitated.
Seeing this, Cheng Jia said displeased, “I really don’t like it when you act like this! We’re sisters, so just say what you want to say! Even if you’re wrong, what does it matter?”
“That’s not it.” Zhou Shaojin looked at Gu Shiqi and said carefully, “Then, is Miss Liu Jiu here to… ambush Uncle Chi?”
“Most likely,” Gu Shiqi said, her emotions calmer than before, smiling. “Otherwise, why would Madam Liu have been sitting in the side room earlier? With her status, she should have been sitting in the main hall. Didn’t you see her just now going to the main hall with Miss Liu Jiu?” She speculated, “There are probably many young ladies in the main hall, so to leave an impression on Cheng Chi, she deliberately led Miss Liu Jiu to ‘coincidentally’ encounter Cheng Chi.”
“But Miss Liu Jiu is about the same age as us,” Zhou Shaojin said, puzzled. “If Uncle Chi were looking, shouldn’t he look for someone older?”
“For a successful imperial examination graduate as a son-in-law, never mind ten years older, even twenty years older—what would it matter?” Gu Shiqi laughed. “Besides, Cheng Chi has never been married before. At least she’d be his first wife. What’s wrong with that?”
“Oh, right!” Zhou Shaojin said. “But why hasn’t Uncle Chi ever married?”
“Yes, yes!” Cheng Jia said excitedly. “Why hasn’t Uncle Chi ever married?”
The eloquent Gu Shiqi was stumped. After a long moment, she said, “I, I don’t know either! I’ve never heard the elders mention it!”
All three of them looked in the direction Cheng Chi had left.
The lush tree branches on both sides swayed gracefully.
Cheng Chi had long since disappeared from sight.
A supervising matron came over to request their presence: “The auspicious hour is approaching. Young ladies, please return to the side room for some tea and refreshments!”