Chapter 21 He treated her in a truly extraordinary way…

The roll of paper that Liu Min was holding was quite eye-catching and couldn't be ignored.

What are you holding in your hand?

"Madam Qin asked with a smile."

Upon hearing this, Liu Min hurried over, taking three steps at a time. When he arrived, he disregarded etiquette and directly unfolded the paper for his grandmother to see.

"Grandma, take a look too. What do you think of this peony? And these two lines of poetry."

When Madam Qin saw the painting, she was already very pleased. When she read the poem, she was so happy that she didn't know what expression to make.

"This painting, this poem..." A pair of eyes that had long been cloudy now shone with boundless light. "How did it get so good? When did this happen? I thought you didn't like these things, you were so indifferent before!"

Liu Min knew that his grandmother was taking the painting for his work, so he quickly explained, "The painting isn't mine, and the calligraphy isn't mine either, but these two lines of poetry are definitely my work."

"If you didn't draw it, then who did?" she said, then suddenly remembered, "Was it Shanlai?"

"Yes! It's her!" Liu Min smiled and said, "She's really good at painting. She's so free and easy. If you ask me, not to mention her peers, even those famous masters I know probably can't compare! I think this is what a genius should be!"

Old Madam Liu looked at the painting again, nodding repeatedly, and said, "It's truly rare to find such a person. If it weren't for..." She smiled, looked at Liu Min, and continued, "You are truly blessed..."

These words had a deeper meaning, but Liu Min didn't think about them too deeply because he had other things to say.

"I asked her to paint this peony when she came over this morning. Everything has a reason. Do you know the reason why I asked her to paint it, old lady?"

How could you have come up with that? Old Madam Qin could only ask.

"Why is that?"

When asked about the cause of the incident, Liu Min couldn't help but chuckle. He then told Old Madam Qin, "Because she was wearing a pine-green dress with white and blue accents, and blue shoes with embroidered flowers and plants, the color scheme was not very good. I thought, how could someone who can paint, and paints very well, not know how to match colors? I became suspicious, so I asked her to paint a peony."

Having lived for so many years, Madam Qin's ability to see through people's hearts was already superb. She certainly understood the deeper meaning in Liu Min's words, but she wasn't quite sure and was afraid that she had misunderstood, so she still wanted to ask.

"Then what?"

Liu Min said, "Grandma, find some clean fabric to make her clothes! It's such a waste to make her wear those clothes that the old woman gave her!"

He asked his grandmother for things to give to Shanlai.

This was something that had never happened before. When had he ever cared about what other people wore? He treated her very differently.

Madam Qin felt very pleased.

She had said before that as long as Shanlai could make Liu Min happy, she would never mistreat her.

“Sure! Why not? I remember that among the materials sent from the capital this year, there was a piece of mountain purple, a pearl gray, a mulberry bud, and I think there was also a light green one. They are all simple colors. I’ll give them all to you, okay?”

Liu Min laughed and said, "Why is it for me?"

Just then, Qin Xu walked over and, seeing the two chatting and laughing, asked, "What are the old lady and Lian Si talking about? They seem so happy."

Old Madam Qin hurriedly beckoned to her, "Come here quickly, take a look at this painting, and the poem your brother wrote."

Qin Xu took the drawing paper and looked at it carefully. After a while, she looked up and examined Liu Min closely.

Qin Xu had also studied painting. Although her family's circumstances were not as good as before, she was still a highly regarded young lady, and the Qin family had never wronged her. She had studied painting, but she didn't love it. She was a practical person, and knowing a few strokes and being able to talk about them was enough for her.

She understands painting, so she could naturally see the beauty of the painting in her hand. She also knows a little about poetry.

She suddenly realized that her cousin, besides his background, was also very talented.

She looked at him as if she had only just met him today.

"It's wonderful. The painting is beautiful, the poem is beautiful, and the calligraphy is beautiful too."

She turned to look at Madam Qin, "The old lady taught him so well. Everyone says that my uncle was able to become a third-ranked scholar because he was exceptionally intelligent. In my opinion, the old lady probably deserves a lot of credit as well."

Upon hearing this, Madam Qin's face lit up with obvious joy. Qin Xu's words had clearly resonated with her. She was pleased, but still waved her hands repeatedly, saying, "I would like to, but my talents are truly limited. Your uncle has been determined since childhood, and his achievements are entirely due to his own efforts. I haven't been able to help much, so I dare not take credit for myself! As for your brother, I naturally have nothing to teach him; he is the one who is truly talented!" Madam Qin was an honest person, always seeking truth from facts and not pursuing empty fame. "Those two lines of poetry were indeed written by him. As for the painting and calligraphy, they were all written by Shanlai. Shanlai, do you remember who it was? The one who came to express gratitude yesterday. You even said you wanted to eat the things she brought. Do you remember now?"

It's her!

Qin Xu's face turned pale instantly. Suddenly, his ears went blank, and he could hear nothing.

Seeing that she was stunned, Old Madam Qin hurriedly asked, "Yu'er, what's wrong?"

It took Qin Xu a while to come to his senses, but his face was still pale.

Madam Qin couldn't help but worry. She grabbed her hand and turned to ask the maid behind her, "What's wrong, Miss? Do you know? Are you feeling unwell?"

The girl had no idea why, and just kept nodding and agreeing.

Old Madam Qin was furious. "You know nothing when I ask you anything! Is this how you serve Miss?"

Liu Min had been silent for a while because Qin Xu's earlier words had offended him.

I already had some dissatisfaction with her.

He spoke up, "Sister Qin, have you been sleeping too long and are you confused?" As he spoke, he turned his head and asked the maid, "When did you get up, sister? Answer truthfully."

The maid replied in a trembling voice, "Miss, Miss, did you get up at Chen Shi (7-9 AM)?"

"Rising at Chenshi (7-9 AM)?" Liu Min sneered. "It's one thing to be a poor servant, but now you dare to deceive your master? That's too arrogant!" Then, he asked his maids, "Which of you is serving Miss Cousin? Tell her, did Miss Cousin rise at Chenshi?"

The maids all lowered their heads and no one made a sound.

Liu Min sneered again, "What? My words don't matter? What use are you to me then? I might as well sell you all and buy new ones."

Qin Xu's surname was Qin, and Liu Mincai's surname was Liu.

Then someone whispered, "Miss Biao really just got up..."

Liu Min then said to Madam Qin, "Sister Qin has just gotten up, she must just be still half asleep, don't worry, Madam." He added, "I already thought of that, I knew about it even if you didn't ask."

Madam Qin had been puzzled since earlier because Liu Min's words, with their questions and threats, seemed to confirm that Qin Xu was a newcomer. How did he know that?

"After she said that, I had nothing to say. After all, there was a reason for it, and our family never mistreats anyone, so I didn't pursue her mistake."

"I was going to tell my cousin that if she wanted to talk to someone, she could have just picked a time during the day and called them over at night. What's the big deal? We're people who have nothing to do. If we sleep late, we can just wake up late. It's no big deal. But they're different. They all have their own things to do and can't shirk their responsibilities."

Why make things difficult for others?

"What does Sister Qin think?"

Qin Xu had nothing to say.

She felt angry, even hateful.

First, she hated Liu Min for embarrassing her over a mere maid. Second, she hated Shan Lai; it was all because of her—just a maid, a servant, nothing special! How dare she humiliate her! And Shan Lai was better than her, prettier, better at painting, better at calligraphy… She had utterly disgraced her; she, a young lady, was inferior to a maid. Being inferior should have been her own problem, but because the other person was of lowly status, she felt it was everyone else's fault.

She remained silent, simply gazing at people calmly.

The person she was looking at remained calm, but did not look back at her.

The atmosphere wasn't good.

Old Madam Qin, of course, also sensed the problem. She felt it was Liu Min's fault for saying those things in front of others, embarrassing her cousin. Logically, she should have offered some words of comfort to her grandniece. However, even though both sides were equally precious, some were more valuable than others. So, Old Madam Qin only said one sentence...

"Yu'er likes Shanlai too much. Let's not talk about this anymore and eat first."

Shanlai was also eating.

Yang Shengxuan wasn't a place for eating. The food there was flavorful, some of it even greasy, which didn't suit the elegant atmosphere of a study. But Shanlai had nowhere else to go. For her, only Yang Shengxuan was safe. It was her "territory," and no one but her master could make decisions for her. Other places were different; who knew what might happen? She couldn't stay inside, and she couldn't stay outside either. What kind of image would it project if she ate a bowl of food in a crowded place? So she ate at the door, closing one door behind it.

Chunyan was puzzled. "Why do we have to hide when we eat?"

Shanlai didn't dare to reveal the reason, fearing that Chunyan would think she was being pretentious, so she just smiled.

Fortunately, Chunyan didn't necessarily need to know; she had more important things to say.

Before he could even speak, he burst out laughing.

"Good sister, I knew I hadn't misjudged you! You really are my friend!" Her tone shifted to one of annoyance. "You have no idea! Someone from Fuzetang came and said they'd bring your meals here from now on. I thought that task would definitely fall to me! But that old hag actually sent her daughter, whose arms are as thin as sticks, to deliver them! Does she think everyone's stupid enough not to see through her scheme? Her daughter, wanting to serve the young master? Does she even deserve it?" She let out a sigh, as if her anger dissipated after saying "undeserving." "Luckily, you told the young master you didn't want that skinny girl, and they panicked and started asking me to deliver them again."

Shan Lai was stunned. When did she tell Liu Min? Was that true?

Yunping was waiting for her meal.

It should have been delivered long ago. She was getting impatient and told the maid to go to the kitchen to urge them.

The little girl returned carrying a food box, her face full of resentment.

Yunping was a little angry. What did it mean to give her that look? Who wanted to see that kind of face!

"What are you doing over there if you're not coming over here!"

The little girl slowly moved over, gently opened the food box, and carefully took out the food.

Four dishes and a bowl of rice.

Yunping glanced at it and asked sternly, "Where's the fried cake? Didn't I say I wanted to eat this? What? Did you forget to say that?"

The little girl trembled in fright, and when she looked up again, her face was full of resentment.

"I was just about to tell my sister that they ate the fried cakes!"

"What?"

Yunping couldn't believe it. In the Liu family, besides her master, who would dare to compete with her for something?

"It was Chunyan in the kitchen, she's the one who ate the fried cake!"

Yunping already knew who Chunyan was—just a lackey.

The bowl crashed to the ground and shattered completely.

Yunping stood there, panting heavily.

A note from the author: