Chapter 6

What does '成事不足，败事有余' mean? Xu the steward is a typical example. Just as Zhou Chong was about to feel relieved that the Song family's debt had been cleared, Xu the steward, with his timid and clumsy manner, rolled up and told Zhou Chong that when he went to get the marriage contract, he ran into the young mistress, Zhuo'er. He couldn't help but tell her about the Song family's annulment of the engagement. As a result, Zhuo'er covered her face and ran to the back garden crying. Xu the steward was worried she might get hurt, so as soon as the Song father and son left, he immediately told Zhou Chong.

In the Ming Dynasty, girls married early, and their mental maturity was also quite advanced. For example, Zhuo'er was only thirteen years old, but her psychological age was similar to that of a girl in her late teens in the modern era, almost making her a half-adult. However, mental maturity isn't always a good thing. In this case, Zhuo'er fully understood the impact of the annulment on her life. For a young girl, it was like the sky was falling, and it's no wonder she was upset.

Originally, Li Yin planned to keep this matter from Zhuo'er. After their father's death, they couldn't marry for three years, so Zhuo'er wouldn't notice the issue for a while. But Xu the steward's loose lips caused trouble. Now that Zhuo'er knew about it, who knows how much she would cry?

Xu the steward knew he was wrong and kept slapping himself as he spoke. Zhou Chong didn't bother to scold him further and ran to the back garden.

The Zhou family lived in Songjiang Prefecture, which is modern-day Shanghai, not far from Suzhou and Hangzhou. Therefore, the architectural style was more southern. The Zhou family's garden was a typical southern garden, with pavilions, terraces, artificial hills, and ponds. Although some of the valuable rocks had been sold by Zhou Chong, making the garden more open, most of it was still winding and deep, making it hard to find someone hiding there.

Zhou Chong was worried that Zhuo'er might do something foolish, as an annulment for a Ming Dynasty girl was almost the same as being divorced. In modern times, some girls might even commit suicide over unfinished homework, and although Zhuo'er was mature, she might not be able to bear such a blow.

Therefore, when Zhou Chong ran to the back garden, he immediately searched frantically, especially in dangerous places like the pond and the bushes. He almost searched the entire garden before finally finding her on a swing behind some rocks. At that moment, Zhuo'er was lying on the swing, sobbing softly, unaware of Zhou Chong's arrival.

Seeing this familiar yet unfamiliar sister, Zhou Chong, who was out of breath, felt a deep pain. The previous Zhou Chong was a bookworm who paid little attention to anything other than reading, and he didn't care much about his two sisters, making their relationship somewhat cold.

However, when Zhou Chong woke up from his coma, the first face he saw was Zhuo'er's tear-streaked face. At first, Zhou Chong even thought Zhuo'er was his servant or a foster sister. It wasn't until later that he realized his mistake. In his previous life, Zhou Chong's parents died early, and he had no close relatives, making him particularly yearn for family. Therefore, after his rebirth, he valued his family members, especially his two adorable sisters, almost to the point of spoiling them. Although this significant change made the Zhou family members curious, at least to Zhuo'er, this brother was much better than the cold one before. In just a few days, Zhou Chong re-established his position as her brother, and their relationship became very close.

Zhou Chong finally calmed his breathing and walked over, using a playful tone: "Hey, our young mistress Zhou, why are you crying again? Last time when I was sick, who promised me they wouldn't cry anymore?"

Although their relationship was cold before, they were still siblings. When Zhou Chong was seriously ill and in a coma, Zhuo'er would cry every time she saw him. After he recovered, the distance between them narrowed. Zhou Chong made a bet with Zhuo'er that if she stopped crying, he would get better. At first, Zhuo'er didn't believe it, but to make her brother happy, she agreed and tried hard not to cry. Surprisingly, Zhou Chong's condition improved, which made Zhuo'er both surprised and delighted, and she vowed never to cry again.

However, Zhuo'er's vow didn't last. Soon after Zhou Chong's recovery, her father, Zhou Hai, died, and now the Song family's annulment of the engagement made her even more upset.

Hearing Zhou Chong's voice, Zhuo'er, who was crying, didn't stop but cried even harder. This made Zhou Chong curious, so he walked up and put his hand on her shoulder, but she angrily pushed him away.

This made Zhou Chong even more confused. From her actions, it seemed Zhuo'er was angry with him. He didn't understand why and asked, "What's wrong? Did I offend you, Zhuo'er? Should I apologize?"

Hearing this, Zhuo'er, who was lying on the swing, finally reacted. She lifted her tear-streaked face, glared at Zhou Chong, and wiped her tears with her small, tender hand, saying with a sense of grievance, "How could a brother be wrong? As the eldest, you are like a father. Since Father's death, you are the head of our Zhou family. Even if you sold me for 200 taels of silver, I wouldn't have any complaints, let alone just an engagement?"

Hearing Zhuo'er's complaint, Zhou Chong realized that men and women think differently. Zhuo'er was upset because he used her marriage contract to pay off the debt. But if he put himself in her shoes, he could understand her feelings.

Thinking about this, Zhou Chong squatted down to look at Zhuo'er, who was sitting on the swing, and said seriously, "Zhuo'er, I apologize for this matter! However, you've seen the character of the Song father and son. They turned their backs on us as soon as we had a problem. Such people don't deserve our Zhuo'er. Even if they didn't annul the engagement today, I would have done it myself. I promise that after our three-year mourning period, I will restore the Zhou family's prestige. Then, the young men who want to marry our Zhuo'er will line up from Songjiang to Nanjing!"

Zhuo'er, being mature and reasonable, knew that Zhou Chong's decision to annul the engagement was for her own good. She was just upset because he used her marriage contract to pay off the debt. Hearing his apology and his determination to restore the Zhou family's prestige, her anger subsided. When she heard about the long line of suitors, she blushed and turned away, but a shy smile appeared on her lips.

Seeing that Zhuo'er's anger had subsided, Zhou Chong continued to comfort her, saying, "Zhuo'er, the Song father and son are not worth your tears. It's cold, so go back to your room and wash your face. Don't catch a cold. Also, your stepmother has been under a lot of stress lately. Now that our debt is almost paid off, go and spend more time with her. Don't let her overwork herself!"

Hearing Zhou Chong mention her mother, Zhuo'er nodded obediently and stood up to go back to her room. However, after taking a few steps, she stopped and frowned, saying, "Brother, as the saying goes, a gentleman loves wealth but obtains it in a righteous way. Although the Song father and son are despicable, you used the marriage contract to get the IOU from them. This doesn't seem like a gentleman's behavior. If they spread this, it might damage your reputation."

Zhuo'er looked uneasy. According to the hierarchy, as a sister, she shouldn't criticize her brother, even if it was out of concern.

However, Zhou Chong smiled and said, "Thank you for your reminder, Zhuo'er. I will be more careful in the future. However, the Song family is at fault for the annulment, so they probably won't spread it."

Hearing Zhou Chong's thoughtful response, Zhuo'er felt relieved and went back to her room to freshen up. Watching her leave, Zhou Chong muttered to himself, "Silly girl, reputation can't be eaten or drunk. Using it to get something practical is already a gain. With money and power, no matter what your reputation was, people will rush to whitewash it for you."

As he watched Zhuo'er leave, Zhou Chong sighed and turned to go back. However, as he turned, he suddenly saw a white, fat face right in front of him, which startled him. Thinking it was a ghost, he instinctively screamed and punched it.

A loud "Ouch!" followed, and a body like a ball rolled away. Zhou Chong then realized it was Xu the steward, who had been hit in the eye and was now holding it and crying out in pain.

Seeing this, Zhou Chong quickly helped him up and said, somewhat helplessly, "Xu the steward, why do you walk so quietly and get so close to me? If it were someone more timid, they would have been scared to death!"

"Karma, karma! I was the one who told the young mistress about the annulment, and now I've been punched by the young master. Truly, there's a god watching over us!" Xu the steward, supported by Zhou Chong, kept muttering about karma.

After some effort, Zhou Chong finally got the talkative Xu the steward to stop. He realized that his punch was instinctive and hadn't held back, so Xu the steward's eye was now bruised, making his fat face look comical. After asking, Zhou Chong learned that Xu the steward had come to find him, but he was deep in thought and didn't respond, leading to the misunderstanding.

Hearing Xu the steward's explanation, Zhou Chong felt a bit awkward, but it was just a misunderstanding. He examined Xu the steward's face and saw that it was thick and fleshy, so the punch didn't cause serious harm. The bruise would heal in a few days.

Xu the steward blinked a few times, seeing that his vision wasn't affected, and then remembered why he came to Zhou Chong. He said anxiously, "Young master, we've sold the last valuable rock in the garden to pay off the debt. There's nothing valuable left in the house, and the grain is running low. What should we do next?"

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