Chapter 51

While Zhou Chong was at home considering which novel to write, in the inner study of the Xie residence, which he had visited this afternoon, Xie Lingyun sat in a large chair, dressed in casual clothes, holding a soft brocade quilt in her arms. She was intently reading the *Journey to the West* manuscript that Zhou Chong had just delivered. Her personal maid, Suanzhu, was attending to her by her side.

In the study, apart from Xie Lingyun and her maid, a middle-aged woman with an ordinary appearance sat in a chair opposite them, her face full of respect, not daring to disturb Xie Lingyun in the slightest.

Finally, when Xie Lingyun put down the manuscript and took a sip of tea, she raised her head and asked the middle-aged woman, "Aunt Shui, how did the investigation go today? What is the reason Zhou Chong borrowed money?"

Upon hearing Xie Lingyun's question, the middle-aged woman named Aunt Shui immediately bowed and replied, "Miss, after Zhou Chong borrowed money from you, he went to the annex with the steward!"

"Annex!" Xie Lingyun frowned slightly at the name, a look of disgust flashing across her face. "What did he go there for? As far as I know, Zhou Chong doesn't keep a woman in the annex?"

"Miss, you may not know, but Zhou Chong indeed doesn't keep a woman in the annex. However, his steward does, and he has been keeping a woman there for nearly ten years. Unfortunately, he has never had the money to buy her freedom. Coincidentally, just when the Zhou family went bankrupt, the woman named Suniang happened to become pregnant..."

Aunt Shui explained the reason why Zhou Chong and the steward went to the annex, and she even knew about the Second Young Master Song's attempt to bribe the madam, Qiuma. She was also well-informed about the transaction between Zhou Chong and Qiuma, as well as the subsequent incident where the Second Young Master Song fainted in anger, as if she had witnessed everything firsthand.

At first, Xie Lingyun remained calm, but when she heard that Zhou Chong had deliberately exaggerated his close relationship with her, even her deep composure could not prevent a slight blush from appearing on her face. The little maid Suanzhu, standing behind her, spoke up in defense of her mistress, "This Zhou Chong is truly bold, daring to fabricate such lies to tarnish Miss's reputation. I think we should have Uncle Hei cut out his tongue to stop him from spreading more lies."

"Miss, Suanzhu is right. Zhou Chong is indeed too bold. I think we should give him a lesson to prevent him from speaking recklessly in the future," Aunt Shui added. If not for Xie Lingyun's previous instructions to only gather information and not take action, she would have already had someone teach him a harsh lesson.

Hearing Suanzhu and Aunt Shui's words, Xie Lingyun instead smiled faintly and reached out to caress the *Journey to the West* manuscript. "Zhou Chong is no ordinary person. No one can touch him without my orders. Moreover, from his *Journey to the West*, it's clear that he is a bold and reckless man, one who dares to rebel against the heavens. What is there that he wouldn't dare to do?"

As Xie Lingyun spoke the last few words, she tilted her head slightly, a hint of confusion in her eyes. She had always been confident in her ability to read people, able to judge their character and thoughts after just one meeting. This was her greatest asset in the business world. However, since meeting Zhou Chong, she had repeatedly misjudged him. Now, although she had a general understanding of his character, she still couldn't fathom what he was truly thinking.

The next morning, Zhou Chong got out of bed, drowsily finished his morning routine, and ran a few laps in the courtyard. Feeling refreshed, he sat down at his desk and began to write. Last night, after deciding on the book he wanted to write, he had been too tired to start, given the late hour and the day's fatigue.

Sitting behind his desk, Zhou Chong ground the ink, flexed his wrist, and then dipped his brush into the ink. With a lecherous smile, he wrote three large characters on the paper: *Jin Ping Mei*.

Indeed, after much thought, Zhou Chong had finally decided on a novel that could rival *Journey to the West*: the famous *Jin Ping Mei*. Although the book had a bad reputation, it was actually the pioneering work of social novels, and much of the writing style of *Dream of the Red Chamber* was influenced by *Jin Ping Mei*. If the erotic content were removed, it would still be a great work comparable to *Dream of the Red Chamber*.

Of course, Zhou Chong didn't particularly value the literary merit of *Jin Ping Mei*. What he valued most was the erotic content, which was often considered the dross of the book. In fact, people in ancient times were not as conservative as modern people imagine. On the contrary, in some aspects, they were more open-minded.

For example, during the Ming Dynasty, although Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism was prevalent, various erotic books were also widely popular. The seemingly upright scholars would read the *Spring and Autumn Annals* during the day and *Spring Palace* books at night. Tang Bohu, who failed the imperial exams, supported himself by painting erotic pictures for others.

Due to this social climate, various erotic books were widely read during the Ming Dynasty. Literate people enjoyed reading erotic novels like *The Monk of the Lampwick*, while the illiterate would buy erotic pictures to enhance their bedroom activities. After his rebirth, Zhou Chong found a widely circulated copy of *The Monk of the Lampwick* under his bed. Even the formerly conservative Zhou Chong had such a novel, indicating how widespread erotic literature was in this era.

Knowing all this, Zhou Chong decided to write *Jin Ping Mei*. He didn't have to worry about the book being banned, and with its captivating content, it would surely attract a large following upon its release, possibly even surpassing *Journey to the West* in influence. Additionally, he was curious to see Xie Lingyun's reaction when he showed her the *Jin Ping Mei* manuscript.

The thought of the calm and strong-willed Xie Lingyun reading an erotic novel in front of him gave Zhou Chong a perverse sense of pleasure, which also fueled his writing. He wrote with great inspiration, quickly completing the first chapter and even half of the second.

However, just as he was writing enthusiastically, he heard the sound of cheerful running footsteps in the courtyard. The door was suddenly pushed open, and a small figure rushed in, jumping onto him. "Brother, why didn't you come for breakfast again?"

"Woof woof~" Before Zhou Chong could answer, Baiqiu poked his head in from the doorway and barked twice. But when Zhou Chong's gaze fell on Baiqiu, the dog immediately whimpered and hid outside the courtyard.

"Is it already noon?" Zhou Chong hugged Duer, put down his brush, and looked outside. He realized he had been so engrossed in writing that the sun was already high in the sky, and it was almost noon.

In his previous life, Zhou Chong had been involved in activities that were not meant to be seen by others, many of which took place at night, such as smuggling and security work. This had made him accustomed to sleeping during the day and being active at night, especially since he hated getting up in the morning. Therefore, he had already told Aunt Wang that if he didn't come for breakfast, she didn't need to wake him.

At that moment, Zhou Chong heard footsteps in the courtyard. He could now distinguish the footsteps of everyone in the house, so he knew it was Zhuo'er. He wasn't particularly concerned at first, but when he saw the manuscript on the table, he was startled and quickly put Duer down to hide the manuscript under the quilt.

Previously, Zhuo'er had always been the first reader of his manuscripts, but this time, he couldn't let her see the inappropriate *Jin Ping Mei*. Otherwise, he would be too embarrassed to face her. Duer looked at him curiously, tilting her head, and when Zhou Chong had hidden the manuscript, he turned to her and whispered, "Duer, you can't let Sister see these manuscripts, okay?"

"Why?" Duer asked with her big, innocent eyes.

"Because... because..." Zhou Chong was at a loss for words. He couldn't explain what an erotic novel was to a four-year-old girl.

"Because this is a gift I'm preparing for Sister, but I don't want her to know yet. Can you keep this secret for me, Duer?" Zhou Chong suddenly had an idea. This was a trick he had learned from TV in his previous life.

"Oh, I understand. Brother wants to surprise Sister," Duer nodded obediently, trying to look as if she understood. "Okay, I'll keep the secret for you, but you have to promise to give me a surprise gift too!"

"Sure! No problem!" Zhou Chong extended his little finger and hooked it with Duer's, sealing the promise.

"Brother, tomorrow is the Winter Solstice. Mother said we should eat dumplings, but we don't have any flour at home. She wants you or Uncle Xu to go buy some," Zhuo'er's slender figure entered Zhou Chong's room, the sunlight behind her casting a holy glow around her, adding to her grace.

Songjiang Prefecture was in the Jiangnan region, where people usually ate tangyuan (sweet glutinous rice balls) on the Winter Solstice. However, Zhou Chong's father, Zhou Hai, had moved from the north, so they retained northern customs, such as eating dumplings on the Winter Solstice and the Spring Festival. However, flour was much more expensive than rice in the south, and southerners were not accustomed to eating flour-based foods, so few people kept flour at home.

"Sure, I was thinking of eating dumplings too. I'll go with Uncle Xu this afternoon to buy some," Zhou Chong replied. He had always loved dumplings in his previous life and had been missing them for a long time. Then he thought of something and added, "Zhuo'er, I promised to prepare a special gift for Xie Lingyun. Since she helped me yesterday, I'll buy some materials today, and we can make the gift together, okay?"