No matter how much Shen Suqing felt it was inappropriate and how much he tried to politely refuse, Zhan Xinjia still managed to stay by crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide, thanks to the thick skin inherited from his family of sycophants.
As long as I can be close to a handsome young man, as long as I can get away from my terrible home, what are a few difficulties?!
But Xin Jia found it very strange that Master Shen's house was just as upright and meticulous as he himself.
In the main courtyard, not only were the furniture and books neatly arranged, but the bluestone floor was also spotless and so shiny it reflected light. Even the flowers of the crabapple tree grew very upright and orderly.
However, Zhan Xinjia had no intention of slacking off and living off others.
While Lord Shen was busy with official business in his study in the afternoon, and the sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly, she hummed an off-key song and decided to sweep and wash the rather shabby side courtyard clean.
After all, this is where she will be staying from now on.
It has to be said that the lives of the wealthy are truly luxurious; even their mansions are so elegant. Unlike her, who bought that tiny mud-brick courtyard house by scavenging for garbage and taking out a twenty-year mortgage—
It's no exaggeration to say that if she stood in the yard and coughed a few times, three inches of dust would fall off the wall.
On a rainy day, it's raining heavily outside but moderately inside.
If a strong wind came, she and her parents would have to stand on stools in the corner and desperately pull on the thatch of the roof to prevent it from being blown away.
In her most embarrassing year, she chased after her own thatched roof, which had been blown off course, for two miles down Changning Street, enduring complicated glances from passersby for three whole blocks.
Even an elderly man walking his dog laughed heartily and asked.
"Oh, Zhan family girl, out for a walk in the grass?"
Pulling herself out of her thoughts, Zhan Xinjia wrung out the rag and looked at the shiny doors and windows. She rolled up her sleeves and shook the water droplets off her hands with a sense of accomplishment.
As expected of me, the innate holy body for sweeping streets!
A young man stood silently in the corridor not far away for an unknown amount of time, seemingly deep in thought.
Zhan Xinjia spotted him with sharp eyes, threw down the broom in her hand, and hurriedly went to greet him warmly.
The little girl raised her chin high, looking like a sly fox begging for praise, practically begging for a fluffy tail to wag. Her eyes and heart were filled with pride and smugness.
"How was it, Lord Shen?"
She can guarantee that, with this level of cleanliness, no one else could lick it as clean as this!
When she smiles, her eyebrows and eyes curve into crescent moons, and two slightly pointed little tiger teeth appear at the corners of her mouth, which, combined with the sweet dimples on her cheeks, make her incredibly cute.
Shen Suqing was stunned by her radiant smile.
"you……"
"What's wrong, Master Shen?"
At this moment, the little girl tilted her head slightly, her soft hair tinged with the pale gold of the afternoon sun, and her clear, bright peach blossom eyes perfectly reflected his silhouette, clear and distinct.
Anyone looking into that kind of gaze would inevitably soften their heart.
She was ultimately just a pitiful little girl.
Shen Suqing, who was still somewhat regretful for agreeing to let her stay, was also filled with helplessness and couldn't bear to dampen her spirits any further.
If she has nowhere else to go, then she can stay here for the time being.
Anyway, the side courtyard is just sitting empty.
With a slight thud in his Adam's apple, Shen Suqing finally turned his head to look at the green bamboo planted to the side, and said uncomfortably, "Not bad."
That's how he always praises people.
Although the compliment was somewhat perfunctory, Zhan Xinjia still widened her eyes in surprise, her eyes sparkling.
"Is Lord Shen praising me?"
Shen Suqing was inexplicably pleased by her fawning tone.
He pressed his fist to his lips and hesitated for a moment before speaking.
Have you ever been to school?
"Ah... I seem to have learned a few characters from the teacher before, but later... later..."
Zhan Xinjia looked at him with a wronged expression, everything was understood without words.
It must be that her family has fallen on hard times or she has encountered some kind of misfortune. After all, she still has amnesia. Shen Suqing was afraid of arousing her and triggering some kind of terrible mental illness, so he had no choice but to keep quiet about it.
Seeing the girl's low spirits, Shen Suqing had no choice but to give in.
"From now on, I will teach you to read and write in my spare time."
Zhan Xinjia certainly knows how to read, but the persona she's playing now is that of a weak, helpless, pitiful crybaby, so she immediately showed an expression of great surprise and put her hands in front of her chest as if holding her heart.
"Young Master Shen, you are such a kind person!"
——
Shen Suqing didn't care whether he was a good person or not; all he knew was that he was so angry he was dizzy.
"Holy crap! It's the same characters, but why can Master Shen write so beautifully?"
In the study.
Zhan Xinjia, with a pen in her mouth, sat hunched over the desk, her delicate brows furrowed, deep in thought.
No matter how hard she racked her brains, she couldn't understand why there was such a huge difference between people.
Shen Suqing sat upright to the side, his hair ribbon and the edges of his robes were neat and tidy, and he exuded an air of solemnity and rigidity comparable to the Confucius statue in front of Luxiang Academy.
At this moment, his thin lips were pressed tightly together, and he held an open book in one hand.
"What kind of behavior is this! It's an insult to civility. Since you're staying, don't use those vulgar, common words anymore."
"Huh? Is that not allowed?"
Zhan Xinjia put down the paper in her hand, rested her chin on her hands, and blinked her big eyes innocently with her elbows on the table.
The little girl was innocent and naive, with a deep, muffled voice.
"So even 'I fuck' isn't allowed? 'Idiot,' 'you son of a bitch,' 'your second uncle,' 'I fuck your mother,' 'your mother is like a ghost,' 'little bastard'... are all of these forbidden?"
Shen Suqing: "..."
Absolutely unbearable to hear!!
There were some words in it that he had never even heard of before.
Where did this little girl learn all this from? What kind of environment did she grow up in? It's simply unbelievable!
Under Zhan Xinjia's clear gaze, Chen Suqing, trembling uncontrollably from the filthy words, rolled up the pages of the book he was holding and slammed them heavily on her forehead.
"That's hardly polite! No matter who you learned those words from... don't say them again, or else you'll have to find another good family to take you in."
Zhan Xinjia raised her hand to cover her forehead, feeling wronged, afraid of being kicked out, but still meekly agreed.
But she was unconvinced.
"Then, if you get into an argument with someone and are bullied, are you just supposed to stand there and take the insults without fighting back?"
Shen Suqing was taken aback. He had always been self-disciplined, courteous, and tolerant of others, and had never been involved in any disputes. No matter how outrageous the other party was, he would ignore them and disdain engaging in verbal sparring.
But after all, she is still young, at an age where she loves to show off and is also sensitive and vulnerable. If she doesn't talk back when scolded, she will inevitably suffer grievances outside.
After struggling with this difficult decision for a long time, Shen Suqing lowered his head and pressed his throbbing brow.
"If necessary, you will say, 'Your parents have passed away'...?"
Although he only wanted to tease Master Shen, Zhan Xinjia couldn't help but laugh when he saw him putting on an elegant and refined gentlemanly air while spouting these incongruous pieces of trash.
There's a strange kind of endearing contrast.
She pinched her thigh hard under the table, trying to suppress her laughter.
However, the next second, Shen Suqing's face turned ashen, his expression stern, and he suddenly stood up straight.
Immediately afterwards, he awkwardly reached out to rub his thigh, but this action was probably not very elegant, especially in front of a naive and innocent young girl.
Shen Suqing's eyes held a mixture of fear and apprehension. He glanced at Zhan Xinjia with complicated hesitation before limping away.
Greetings, …………
Oh no, it turns out I didn't pinch her own thigh just now. That explains why it didn't hurt!
Zhan Xinjia buried her face in her knees expressionlessly, so embarrassed that she almost wanted to hang herself in the study right there and then.
But the thought of how terrified Lord Shen would be to see her swaying corpse hanging from the rafters when he returned might cause the house's value to plummet.
Imagining Lord Shen looking horrified and angrily beating her corpse, shouting "What kind of behavior is this!", she decided to hold back.
He gathered the ink-stained papers from the desk, folded them, and tucked them into a book. Zhan Xinjia lazily slumped onto the desk, gazing out the window at the setting sun and the crimson hues of dusk.
She suddenly chuckled softly.
Although Master Shen appears stern and fierce on the surface, she always felt he was kind of cute.
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