Chapter 8: The Eve of the Trip
Chapter Eight
Lin Rong knew that she and Pei Zan were worlds apart, and as long as she deliberately avoided him, she could safely get through a month.
Once Pei Zan leaves the ancestral home, Lin Rong can work diligently to raise enough money to redeem herself from the Pei family. Then everything will be fine.
But she never expected that fate seemed to love to play tricks on the unfortunate, and that she would run into Pei Zan today and even drop that packet of contraceptive medicine.
Now, the color drained from Lin Rong's face. She could only silently pray that Pei Zan, being an arrogant man, would not bother to learn about these gynecological medicines and would not notice anything amiss.
But Lin Rong's calculations were clearly flawed.
Pei Zan had spent many years on the battlefield, fighting in the south and the north, and had been wounded countless times. How could he not be familiar with traditional Chinese medicine?
However, with just a glance, Pei Zan knew that the herbs under his shoes were a contraceptive formula for promoting blood circulation and regulating menstruation...
Pei Zan frowned slightly and glanced at Lin Rong.
The girl didn't wear a traditional Chinese hairstyle; instead, she had a braid tied with a tassel of hibiscus red. Perhaps for convenience, she had tucked the stray hairs behind her ears. Her cheeks were as white as jade, and her earlobes were plump and delicate. She looked quite young, even rather immature.
Despite her elegantly styled hair, she had already acted out of line, secretly deflowering herself; she truly lacked any sense of propriety.
No matter how chaotic the atmosphere was in the Pei family, Pei Zan couldn't be bothered to manage it.
Therefore, he didn't say much and simply walked away.
At this moment, Uncle Feng had already gotten up from the snow, groaning in pain, and caught up with his master.
Uncle Feng had intended to punish this impetuous young maid from the outer courtyard, but when he looked down at her face, he was delighted and laughed, "It's you, my little girl!"
"You know me?" Lin Rong looked up blankly.
Uncle Feng praised her: "You did a good job delivering meals to Yuchen Courtyard before. I was going to reward you, but you managed to slip away so quickly!"
Uncle Feng was a seasoned steward of the inner quarters. He could see through any ulterior motives or hidden schemes of the maids and servants.
Although Lin Rong was just a maid in the outer courtyard, she was steady and dutiful in her work, and knew her place. After finishing her work, she would return to the outer courtyard, and two hours later she would remember to go back to Yuchen Courtyard to clean up the dishes before leaving quietly.
She was able to do a good job of delivering meals without any guidance from the maids in the inner courtyard, and she did it neatly and beautifully. Uncle Feng naturally thought highly of her.
"Later, the servants who delivered meals were clumsy and noisy all day long, and they even expected me to give them tips. It was really infuriating. When you have time in the future, come to Yuchen Courtyard to deliver meals again. I will make you some red date cakes. You won't be shortchanged."
Uncle Feng is getting old, almost seventy years old. When he sees Lin Rong, he thinks of his granddaughter who lives far away in the countryside, so he is naturally willing to take care of Lin Rong.
"Oh, by the way, what's your name, girl?"
Lin Rong was truly flattered by the kind and gentle praise from the head steward of the manor for the first time. She hurriedly said, "This servant's name is Lin Rong. Lin is the Lin of mountains and forests, and Rong is the Rong of lotus seed paste cake."
"Good name! You can pack up the fish cart now, I still have to go out on errands with the young master." Uncle Feng praised, then let the man go without saying anything more.
Pei Zan, who was in the distance, paused in his tracks and turned his head when he heard the words "delivered meals to Yu Chen Courtyard".
Pei Zan remembered the little girl kneeling on the floor in the dining room that day... Her toes were rosy, like the tips of lotus leaves. Her ankles, like sections of lotus root, were covered with melting snowflakes, making them appear even more delicate and translucent.
Pei Zan felt something and glanced at the girl in the snow again.
Lin Rong knelt down to see them off. She was petite and graceful, her hands, covered in red and swollen chilblains, resting neatly on her knees. Although she didn't wear any makeup, she still had a pretty face with peach-like cheeks and an apricot-shaped face that was not unpleasant to look at.
Pei Zan's gaze remained indifferent, quietly lingering on Lin Rong's long, white neck and the slightly protruding bone bead at the back of her neck.
Until his solemn, dark eyes fixed on Lin Rong's thin, high-collared cotton-padded jacket.
Several narrow bruises were visible and hidden beneath the girl's collar.
Pei Zan slightly curled the corners of his lips, understanding dawning on him.
Those were finger marks left unintentionally when the man exerted force while strangling her.
-
After Uncle Feng and Pei Zan left, Lin Rong quickly got up, brushed the snowflakes off her knees, gathered all the silver fish into a bamboo basket, and nimbly pushed the cart back to the kitchen.
After tidying up for half a day, Lin Rong finally had a moment to take out the earthenware jar used for decocting medicine and start boiling the contraceptive soup.
After swallowing all the bitter medicine, Lin Rong's soul returned to her body, and she breathed a long sigh of relief.
She finally severed all ties with Pei Zan and would never have any further involvement with him.
These past two days, Lin Rong has had her period, confirming that her contraceptive soup was effective and that she was not pregnant.
Lin Rong took out her silver and counted it. Last time she bought medicine, it cost her nearly one tael of silver. Now she only had thirteen taels and two mace of silver left. She had to save some money and hoped that the masters of each household would give her some bonuses in the first month of the lunar year so that she could make up for the deficit.
In addition, Lin Rong became even more alert, carefully listening to the movements of Yuchen Courtyard.
Fortunately, she didn't hear any news about searching for the person. It seemed that Pei Zan didn't take that night's pleasure seriously. It was just a minor matter of having sex with a maid, and he quickly forgot about it.
Lin Rong deliberately tried to forget about the matter during the day, but she still saw the vicious Pei Zan repeatedly in her dreams.
She dreamed that she walked into a Buddhist hall with a pointed sugar pagoda.
The interior was dark and desolate, with incense smoke swirling around it, like a gnawed old well.
Lin Rong knelt devoutly on the prayer mat, burning incense and chanting scriptures.
On the high platform, the compassionate Bodhisattva looked down upon all living beings. Her fingers, delicate as orchids, made the gesture of offering in repose. Besides the piled-up celestial robes, a string of dark Bodhi wood beads also hung from her wrist.
Lin Rong seemed to be mesmerized by the solemn and majestic statue, staring at the string of prayer beads with a dazed look.
I don’t know when it started, but that bony hand moved without wind, like a ghost.
Lin Rong trembled all over, not daring to breathe.
As if blinded by a ghost, she saw the Bodhisattva reach out and grab her.
The gods and Buddhas seized Lin Rong's arm and easily lifted her onto the offering table.
The male Bodhisattva on the Sumeru Lotus Platform gradually gained a vibrant human quality, and his divine face, untouched by human desires, transformed into Pei Zan's likeness. With phoenix eyes, a high nose, long eyebrows reaching his temples, and a pair of deep, dark eyes, when he gazed at Lin Rong, he resembled a deity with snow-white skin and plum-like bones.
Lin Rong was forced to straddle Pei Zan's arms, her legs held firmly by his large palms, unable to move.
The man pulled up the girl's thick coat with one hand, and his skirt was also torn violently.
Lin Rong shivered from the cold, but Pei Zan was even colder, as if covered in frost.
He held her close, the Buddhist prayer beads on his wrist tapping against her bare waist. The wooden beads were cold to the touch, clinging to her skin as he gently caressed them.
It seemed as if she wanted to use her body heat to melt this handful of snow.
The prayer beads rattled together intermittently.
There was a thumping sound on Lin Rong's waist.
Lin Rong was both shocked and pained, her eyes filled with tears.
The barbs pierced her flesh from the outside in, scraping her until she bled profusely.
Lin Rong frowned in pain, a long-lost sense of hardship welling up in her heart, making it difficult for her to bear.
...
Startled, Lin Rong cried out and sat up.
Lin Rong opened her eyes and stared at the soft quilt on her body. She touched it for a long time and was sure that she was still in the outer courtyard and had not been trapped in the side room of Yuchen Courtyard.
Outside the bright paper window, snowflakes fell softly.
Lin Rong knew she had a nightmare and breathed a sigh of relief, carefully wiping the cold sweat from her forehead.
Chunhua, who was in the room, was also startled by Lin Rong's exclamation. Through a thin curtain, she said worriedly, "Rong'er, did you have a nightmare? I've noticed you've been having nightmares lately. Have you been haunted by something unclean? In a couple of days, the old lady will be going to Putuo Temple to burn incense and eat vegetarian food. We maids from the outer courtyard will have to go with her... When the time comes, go to the main hall and burn incense. Incense can ward off evil spirits. It will give you peace of mind and help you avoid evil spirits in the future."
Lin Rong gave a vague reply: "Yeah, we'll see."
Lin Rong lay down again.
She was drenched in sweat and turned over restlessly.
Who wouldn't want to avoid disaster? It's just that the young master is an evil god with boundless power, not so easy to drive away. Her life is as fragile as paper, so she can only avoid him as much as possible.
-
The next day, each temple prepared the boxes and baskets that Putuo Temple needed to bring.
This time, when they went out to worship Buddha and offer incense, Pei Zan gave the old lady face and even agreed to go with her.
The fact that Grand Commander Pei was willing to accompany him alarmed officials of all ranks in Jiangzhou.
Prefect Xie hosted a dinner, inviting the old lady of the Pei family to offer incense and then stay at the Xie family's villa on the mountaintop for a few days, as a way to enjoy the snow and plum blossoms and relax.
Prefect Xie was the elder brother of the second wife, Madam Xie, and also Xie Yitang's father. Old Madam Pei knew that the Xie family was planning to strengthen their kinship through marriage, but everything still depended on Pei Zan's approval. After all, he was a high-ranking official of the fourth rank, and Old Madam Pei didn't put on airs when invited by officials, readily agreeing to the marriage.
The trip to the mountains was thus decided.
The master in the inner courtyard only needed to say a few words, but the servants of the entire household were kept extremely busy.
There weren't enough people to tidy up the belongings, so even Lin Rong was pulled in to fill in.
Lin Rong was merely a cleaning maid who had never served her master. The second wife feared that the maids in the outer courtyard were shallow and dishonest, so she dared not let Lin Rong and the others touch the jewelry and clothes in the room.
Lin Rong was sent by Mingzhu and Mingyu to sweep snow at Yuhe Courtyard.
Pei Zhiyuan, the third young master, lives in Yuhe Courtyard. Before the New Year, Pei Zhiyuan returned from the county school and studied at home, hoping to pass the imperial examination next autumn and achieve top honors.
With the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination), Pei Zhiyuan was able to participate in the metropolitan examination, hoping to one day enter officialdom like Pei Zan.
Pei Zhiyuan is seventeen years old this year. Although he is a talented young man, he is overshadowed by Pei Zan, who became the top scholar at the age of sixteen or seventeen. No matter how outstanding his literary talent is, he will be just an ordinary person.
The second wife was in a bad mood and couldn't hold her head up in front of her sister-in-law, Madam Shen. But Pei Zhiyuan was very open-minded and even showed great respect for his elder cousin in his words. When he read something obscure, he would often bother Pei Zan.
Hearing the sound of reading aloud coming from inside the house, Lin Rong unconsciously slowed down her sweeping. It wasn't until a large pine cone hit her on the forehead that she snapped out of her daze and exclaimed.
"Little girl, what are you eavesdropping on?"
Lin Rong is the same age as the third young master Pei Zhiyuan, but she looks thinner because she has worked hard for many years and often goes hungry.
Lin Rong said earnestly, "The Third Young Master has a pleasant voice when he reads."
Pei Zhiyuan smiled at her silly grin. The Third Young Master wanted to ask more, but then his cousin's cold voice came from behind him.
Why are you distracted?
Pei Zhiyuan immediately shuddered as if he had seen a ghost. He suppressed the smile in his eyes and explained to his powerful cousin, "I just saw a little girl standing there in the snow, lost in thought."
After she finished speaking, the door opened, and Lin Rong was met with a pair of cold, fierce phoenix eyes that had terrified her a thousand times in her dreams.
Pei Zan came out of the house.
Lin Rong trembled all over and hurriedly knelt down, stiffly gripping the broom.
A moment later, Lin Rong heard Pei Zan speak in a cold voice: "Why are the cleaning maids from the outer courtyard serving in the inner courtyard? They are disturbing the young master's studies, which is a breach of etiquette... They should be expelled."
With a casual command from Pei Zan, Lin Rong was quickly dragged out of Yuhe Courtyard by several burly old servants.
Lin Rong's mind went blank as she carefully recalled everything that had just happened.
Even the most obtuse person could understand why Pei Zan's eyes were cold... He clearly thought that Lin Rong was deliberately acting foolish in an attempt to climb the social ladder and seduce Pei Zhiyuan.
Lin Rong felt frustrated. She was just trying to learn more because she was illiterate; she hadn't been deliberately eavesdropping on her masters reading.
That night, Lin Rong asked someone to buy her a copy of the "Thousand Character Classic" from a secondhand bookstore.
With her left hand holding a book and her right hand carrying a pot of wine and a pickled silver fish to go with the wine, she took them to the lame horse slave, Wang Bo.
I've heard that Uncle Wang used to be a scholar, but his family fell on hard times, which is why he came to work for the Pei family.
Lin Rong offered the food and explained her purpose: "I would like to learn a few characters from Uncle Wang, so that I can write my name on any contracts in the future without having to go through the trouble of pressing my thumbprint. This is pickled fish for you to have with your wine, Uncle Wang, and the wine is also warmed up. It's very delicious... I'm offering this food as a tuition fee to you, is that alright?"
It was rare for Wang Bo to see a maidservant who wanted to learn to read and write, and he was a little surprised for a moment. However, he was fond of wine, and it was just a small favor, so he did not refuse Lin Rong's request.
Uncle Wang: "What does Rong girl want to learn?"
Lin Rong scratched her ear sheepishly: "Let's start practicing with my name..."
Lin Rong had made up her mind: she would first learn to write her own name.
In the future, if others ask her what her name is, she will be able to write it down for them.
-
Late at night, Pei Zan returned on horseback and saw this scene near the stable.
Amidst the swirling snowflakes, a little girl dressed in a light pink jacket and skirt squatted in the snow.
She endured the cold and, clutching withered branches, painstakingly carved words into the snowdrifts.
Linlinlin...
Rongrongrong...
Each character was written very large, with crooked and distorted strokes, giving it a very childish appearance.
After the girl finished writing a piece, she swept it clean with her leg.
This was repeated several times until the lanterns in the stable were extinguished by the wind, at which point she finally entered the back room, trembling.
Pei Zan narrowed his phoenix eyes slightly.
...She actually wanted to learn to read and write.
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