Zhang Xiaoyu's words left Zhou Ziqiong speechless.
However, she felt that Zhang Xiaoyu was right. No matter how you look at it, Jing Zhe did it all for her, and thinking about it made her feel very happy.
At this moment, Zhang Xiaoyu stepped forward, took Zhou Ziqiong's hand, and led her to sit down by the bed. She said softly, "Sixth Sister, I actually saw my former self in you, so from the first moment I saw you, I felt an extraordinary sense of kinship with you!"
Zhou Ziqiong nodded in agreement, saying, "Xiaoyu is right. It's not just that you feel close to me, but I feel the same way about Xiaoyu. It's not just because Xiaoyu is in business like me, but also because we're family!"
Zhang Xiaoyu nodded and said softly, "Sixth Sister, at the beginning I helped my father run Zhang Family Winery. At that time I felt that it was very tiring and hard for a woman to manage such a big store, and no one could understand that feeling. Sometimes I felt very wronged."
Zhang Xiaoyu's words struck a chord with Zhou Ziqiong, who nodded hurriedly.
"The Zhou family's cloth workshop is much larger than the Zhang family's winery in terms of both scale and size, so Sixth Sister's hard work should be several times that of me. Compared to me, Sixth Sister has had a much harder time. It's truly admirable that Sixth Sister has been able to run the Zhou family's cloth workshop so well."
After listening, Zhou Ziqiong smiled and waved her hand: "Xiaoyu, it's all the same, you'll get used to it."
Zhang Xiaoyu shook her head: "At first, I also thought that once I got used to it, I wouldn't feel tired or bitter anymore. But after meeting my husband, I realized that a woman is a woman, and there are some things that a man has to take the lead in!"
"..."
"So, whenever I encountered difficulties later on, the thought of having my husband's broad shoulders to lean on made me less afraid, and I finally realized that a woman needs a man to rely on!"
"..."
Zhang Xiaoyu spoke with a look of happiness and satisfaction, while Zhou Ziqiong opened her mouth but ultimately didn't say anything.
She really wanted to ask: "Little sister, are you here to show off to me? If so, then you win..."
A sudden pang of sadness welled up inside her, especially when she thought about the current state of the Zhou family's cloth shop. Before Jing Zhe appeared, she, a woman, had been struggling to keep it afloat, and she had wanted to give up countless times.
Moreover, she believed that if Jing Zhe hadn't appeared, the Zhou family's cloth shop probably wouldn't have lasted this long and would have collapsed under the machinations of Prince Yu and Manager Hu.
So, it's really good to have a man to rely on.
Seeing Zhou Ziqiong's eyes shifting as she pondered deeply, Zhang Xiaoyu took her hand again: "Sixth Sister, you can rely on someone too!"
Zhou Ziqiong nodded and said, "Yes, Zhe'er is my younger brother, of course I can rely on him! For example, this time, wasn't it thanks to Zhe'er that we were able to turn danger into safety?"
However, Zhang Xiaoyu shook her head after hearing this.
"Sixth Sister, you can actually be like me."
"Same as you?"
"Yes, just like me, becoming my husband's woman, relying on him as his woman."
"..."
This time, Zhou Ziqiong's mouth gaped open in utter astonishment, because she never dreamed that Jing Zhe's wife would come to persuade her to become Jing Zhe's wife. Even the words sounded awkward, let alone come true…
"Xiaoyu, I—"
After a moment of hesitation, Zhou Ziqiong took a deep breath and prepared to reply, but before she could finish speaking, Zhang Xiaoyu interrupted her.
"Sixth Sister, don't rush to answer me. What are your true thoughts? Don't you really want to?"
Then, Zhang Xiaoyu posed a probing question.
"..."
Zhou Ziqiong quieted down.
All those questions she hadn't dared to think about or wanted to touch upon before suddenly flooded her mind. After a long while, she finally raised her head and said softly, "Xiaoyu, I'm his sixth sister! Some things aren't as simple as you think."
Zhang Xiaoyu laughed after hearing this.
"Sixth Sister, you don't need to care about your status. Just follow your truest feelings. Whether you like someone or not, whether you love them or not, it has nothing to do with your status."
"How can it be unrelated?"
Zhou Ziqiong said frankly, "I am his sixth sister. Even if we are not related by blood, would outsiders think that way? And he is in a high position now. It would be too bad for him!"
Zhang Xiaoyu shook her head and said, "Sixth Sister, life is only a few decades long, why bother to care about what others think? If my husband cared about these things, how could he have made Second Sister, Third Sister, and Fifth Sister his wives?"
"..."
"Especially my second sister. She had the same thoughts as you back then, and perhaps even more conflicted, because she was a secretary in the Imperial Secretariat! She had to go in and out of the court every day, and every move she made was being watched by civil and military officials. She was under the greatest pressure!"
"But what happened in the end? Second Sister still followed her heart and gave herself to her husband. Of course, her husband did not disappoint her in the end. In the first issue of the newspaper, he wrote 'Those who are loved are separated by mountains and seas, but mountains and seas can be leveled' to express his feelings and at the same time to announce to the world his love for Second Sister. When the civil and military officials and His Majesty saw it, they didn't say anything, did they?"
"..."
Zhou Ziqiong only knew that Zhu Xinning and others had become Jing Zhe's women, but she didn't know the specific process, let alone that Jing Zhe had written a love poem for Zhu Xinning called "My love is separated by mountains and seas," which was much bolder than her "The moon rises above the willow branches, and we meet after dusk!"
Yes, her second sister's status is much higher than hers. Even her second sister can be honest and straightforward, and has even gained His Majesty's approval. If she were to bring up her status again, it would seem really pretentious...
Seeing that Zhou Ziqiong's attitude had softened somewhat, Zhang Xiaoyu pressed her advantage, saying, "Sixth Sister, when it comes to feelings, just follow your heart. If you worry too much, you'll lose sight of your true intentions. If you have those feelings for your husband, don't think about status or opinions. If you don't have those feelings for him—I've said too much just now. When we get back, I'll tell my husband that I don't have those thoughts, and I'll tell him not to overthink it."
"No, I have—"
Upon hearing Zhang Xiaoyu's words, Zhou Ziqiong became anxious.
When she saw Zhang Xiaoyu's eyes crinkling into crescent moons with a smile, and the teasing in her gaze, she immediately realized that she had fallen into her trap, and was instantly filled with shame.
"Xiaoyu... are you lying to me?"
"Sixth Sister, if you had no ideas, how could Xiaoyu have fooled you, right?"
"..."
Zhou Ziqiong pursed her lips and remained silent.
Zhang Xiaoyu stepped forward, put her arm around her shoulder, and said with a smile, "Sixth Sister, my husband won't be staying in Ruzhou for too long. There are some things that need to be said as soon as possible, right? Otherwise, it will just drag on and on!"
"..."
Zhou Ziqiong was silent for a moment, then nodded seriously.
————
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