Yes, he was right.
The maid’s face was deathly pale, and Manager Wu beside her let out a helpless sigh.
Indeed, by the principles of human ethics, Lady Cheng belonged to the Zhou family. If she were truly gone, then naturally, her belongings and affairs would fall under the stewardship of her kin.
She had expected many difficulties to arise once the mistress fell ill—but she hadn’t imagined the very first challenge would be the Zhou family showing up to seize her property.
And they were doing it with such righteous conviction that it left no room for rebuttal…
Miss’s belongings… the businesses Miss had built with such effort and care…
Could she really not protect any of it on Miss’s behalf?
Without Miss, was she truly powerless?
The maid looked at Master Zhou, whose expression held a trace of smugness, and drew a deep breath before stepping forward to bow.
“Master,” she said with a faint smile, “what you said just now isn’t quite right.”
Master Zhou’s face darkened as he turned to glare at her.
“My mistress’s surname is Cheng, not Zhou,” the maid said with a calm smile. “Even if someone is to inspect the account books, I can only hand them over to the Cheng family.”
This wretched maid!
Truly worthy of being raised in the Cheng household!
Master Zhou flew into a rage and rose to his feet, but quickly curbed his temper and forced a smile.
“Isn’t the Cheng family far away?” he said mildly. “I’ll hold onto the books for now—once they arrive, we’ll sort it out then.”
As he spoke, he extended his hand.
“Now, hand over the account books.”
The maid smiled and shook her head.
“Master, the Cheng family isn’t far at all,” she said.
Not far?
Master Zhou was momentarily stunned—then it struck him!
“The fourth young master of the Cheng family is right here in the capital,” the maid added with a beaming smile.
“A mere child—what could he possibly understand?” Master Zhou frowned.
“Master,” the maid said with a grin, drawing a line in the air with her hand, “my mistress is also just a child. And yet, everything you see here wasn’t earned through anyone else’s help.”
“That’s Jiao-niang!” Master Zhou growled, barely containing his anger.
“The fourth young master is her elder brother. Since they both bear the Cheng name, I’d say the difference can’t be too great,” the maid replied bluntly.
Both bear the Cheng name, so there can’t be much difference?!
Such a nauseating thing to say—and she wasn’t even embarrassed to say it aloud!
Master Zhou glared at her, eyes wide with fury.
In the academy, the students were reciting aloud when they were suddenly interrupted.
One by one, they turned to look toward the doorway.
A small boy entered, head lowered, with a timid air about him.
Master Jiangzhou was known for his strict discipline during lectures and had a particular disdain for disruptions.
He turned to look at the boy, and a trace of anger was already visible on his face.
The students in the room grew tense, bracing themselves for the master’s wrath.
The boy mustered his courage and stepped forward, leaning in to whisper a few words into Master Jiangzhou’s ear.
The room fell so silent that one could hear a pin drop.
“Cheng Wenyu.”
Master Jiangzhou’s voice suddenly rang out.
The students instinctively leaned back, as if to avoid the blast, then paused in confusion.
Cheng Wenyu? He’s not scolding the boy?
Sitting at the back, Cheng Si-lang was momentarily dazed.
“Cheng Wenyu of Jiang-zhou,” Master Jiangzhou repeated, raising his voice.
Only then did Cheng Si-lang snap out of it and stand up.
“Here, sir,” he answered nervously.
“Go on,” Master Jiangzhou said.
Cheng Si-lang was taken aback.
“Sir—sir, what have I done wrong? Why are you sending me away…” he stammered, voice trembling.
The suddenness of it all had left him flustered, his eyes reddening slightly.
Seeing his reaction, Master Jiangzhou’s face turned stiff.
“Someone’s looking for you—get out already!”
At last, the scolding everyone had been expecting burst forth in full force.
Cheng Si-lang scrambled out awkwardly and stood outside, a little dazed.
Who’s looking for me?
“Fourth Young Master, Fourth Young Master!”
The maid stood to the side, waving and calling out.
Seeing her, Cheng Si-lang let out a breath of relief—so it was her. No wonder she’d dared to send a young boy to fetch him without fear of angering Master Jiangzhou—and Master Jiangzhou hadn’t even gotten angry.
He quickly stepped over.
“Has my sister come?” he asked, glancing around as he spoke.
Miss couldn’t come…
The maid felt a slight ache in her heart but quickly composed herself.
“No, Miss couldn’t come,” she replied.
It was only natural for a lady of good family not to leave the house casually—sending a maid in her place was perfectly proper. Cheng Si-lang nodded in understanding.
“Fourth Young Master, there’s something we need your help with,” the maid said.
“There’s no need to be so formal—just tell me what it is,” Cheng Si-lang replied, and suddenly remembering something, he hurried to untie his money pouch. “I still have some money here…”
The maid raised her hand to stop him and shook her head.
“Fourth Young Master, we’re not short on money,” she said. “What we’re short on right now is people.”
Short on people?
Cheng Si-lang let out a confused sound, his face full of puzzlement.
The carriage sped along and soon came to a stop in front of Tai Ping Residence.
“Why did you bring me here?” Cheng Si-lang asked, looking around.
The banner of Tai Ping Residence fluttered in the wind.
It was mealtime, and the area bustled with carriages and horses. The attendants were busy receiving guests and seeing them off—it was a lively scene.
“Fourth Young Master, do you know this place?” the maid asked.
Cheng Si-lang nodded.
“I’ve heard my classmates talk about it. They say it’s famous for its Three Treasures—renowned across the capital,” he said, smiling. “But I’ve never been.”
Partly because he never had the time, and partly because he was reluctant to spend money when out and about.
“Please come with me, Fourth Young Master,” the maid said.
Is she bringing me here to eat? Cheng Si-lang hesitated for a moment but still followed her.
“This is that calligraphy by the anonymous master!” he exclaimed happily as they stopped at the entrance. Looking up, he admired it, praising it repeatedly. “I’ve seen reproductions before, but nothing compares to seeing the original.”
The maid turned to glance at him and smiled faintly.
“Come in, Fourth Young Master. This piece—you’ll be able to view it as often as you like from now on,” she said.
As often as I like?
“Could it be… you’ve already discovered who the artist is?” Cheng Si-lang asked.
The maid said nothing and simply walked inside.
Cheng Si-lang hurried to follow.
They didn’t go into a private room or sit among the common seats; the maid simply led him around, up and down, front and back.
The passing attendants all greeted the maid with friendly smiles, and she returned each one with a polite nod.
“Ban Qin,” Cheng Si-lang couldn’t help but ask, “what are you…”
“I wanted you to take a look around,” the maid replied.
Take a look?
Cheng Si-lang was even more confused, and just as he was about to ask further, the maid had already stepped outside.
The carriage jolted and swayed as it rushed into the capital city.
“Where are we now?” Cheng Si-lang asked as he got off, looking at the shop before him.
Yichun Hall.
It was a pharmacy.
Though unassuming in appearance, quite a few people were inside.
The maid had already stepped in, and though Cheng Si-lang didn’t understand the purpose, he followed her.
“…Still no medicine from Lady Cheng?”
“If there isn’t any, then just have your doctor here examine me and prescribe something,” someone said.
“…Although Lady Cheng isn’t the attending doctor at her own pharmacy, it should still be better than others, right?”
Inside the pharmacy, seven or eight customers spoke quietly as they queued to consult the attending doctor.
“Miss Ban Qin,” said the clerk preparing medicine to the maid.
The maid nodded and glanced around the room.
“All the medicines are still stocked, right?” she asked.
The clerk nodded in confirmation.
Are they going to get medicine? Cheng Si-lang wondered silently, but then saw the maid make a circuit and step back outside.
How puzzling…
Cheng Si-lang shook his head and followed her out.
When the carriage stopped in front of Immortal’s Abode, Cheng Si-lang didn’t ask any questions and simply followed the maid inside. But this time, after a brief detour, they entered a private room.
Cheng Si-lang looked around with his head raised, a look of amazement on his face.
“How do you like it here, Fourth Young Master?” the maid asked.
“It’s great. I’ve heard people say that eating here is extremely expensive,” Cheng Si-lang said with a smile, nodding. “Looks like the price is justified.”
The maid smiled slightly.
“Do you come here often?” Cheng Si-lang asked.
She seemed so familiar with the place, as if she could navigate it with her eyes closed.
Could it be that the Zhou family often brings Jiao-niang here to dine?
So expensive…
But often in this world, price reflects status and sincerity. That’s why Immortal’s Abode not only hasn’t closed down but has actually been thriving.
Does the Zhou family truly value her so much?
The maid didn’t answer. The door was pulled open, and an elderly man walked in, holding three scroll-bound ledgers in his hands.
“Manager Wu, this is the Fourth Young Master,” the maid said.
Manager Wu knelt down with a smile and offered Cheng Si-lang a deep bow.
“Greetings, Fourth Young Master,” he said.
Cheng Si-lang hurriedly returned the bow, looking somewhat puzzled.
“This is Manager Wu—the chief manager of Tai Ping Residence, Immortal’s Abode, and Yichun Hall,” the maid explained.
Realization dawned on Cheng Si-lang.
“Fourth Young Master, these are the account books for the three shops,” Manager Wu said, pushing the three scrolls forward.
Cheng Si-lang froze, looking down at the scroll-bound books.
What does this mean?
“Fourth Young Master, Manager Wu is the chief manager of these three establishments. My mistress is the owner of all three,” the maid said.
Who?
Cheng Si-lang stared at the maid in shock.
Who?
He blurted out.
“My mistress—your younger sister, Cheng Jiao-niang. These three shops belong to her,” the maid said.
What kind of joke is this?
Cheng Si-lang was too stunned to speak.
No wonder she had taken him around to all those places earlier. No wonder everyone there knew her so well.
It turns out—they were hers!
They actually belonged to her!
These famous, wildly profitable establishments—were hers…
Cheng Si-lang couldn’t help but glance down at his own money pouch.
No wonder the maid said they weren’t short on money earlier…
Thinking back to the times he’d offered Cheng Jiao-niang money—it made sense now why she had always remained expressionless.
To her, what did his few coins even mean?
“As for how all this came to be, there’s no need for you to know. What matters is that these three shops now belong to the mistress,” the maid said, looking at Cheng Si-lang. “And now, they are to be entrusted to you, Fourth Young Master.”
Cheng Si-lang looked up again in shock.
“Me?” he asked.
“Yes,” the maid replied, looking at him. “My mistress is ill. You are her elder brother, so we’re entrusting these shops to your care.”
As she spoke, she pushed the account books closer to him again, her expression solemn, with a hint of anxiety.
Cheng Si-lang suddenly jumped to his feet.
“She’s ill?” he cried. Compared to his earlier astonishment, his expression now was one of alarm. “What illness? How did she fall ill? When did it happen? You silly girl, why didn’t you say so earlier? You dragged me around talking in circles, going from place to place—and now this? Who would care about any of that when she’s sick?”
His movements were so abrupt that he took a few steps forward and accidentally kicked the account books aside, then turned and ran out.
The maid looked at the scattered account books. As if all the strength had been drained from her, she slumped to the floor, tears falling.
Thankfully… thankfully, though these times are harsh, they are not yet without hope.
