Chapter 4
Three days later, when Xie Qinghong arrived at the poetry club, he saw Cui Luo with her two younger cousins, which gave him a slight headache. The two younger cousins of the Cui family were young but thought a lot. They had visited the Cui family a few times before, but Cui Li had tried to subtly inquire about their brother's preferences, which they had all turned away, and they had not visited the Cui family since.
Fortunately, when Cui Luo saw her, she told her two cousins to go shopping on their own and pulled her hand to sit down next to her.
Cui Luo was getting married at the end of the year, and her family was busy preparing for the wedding. Every day she had to learn how to manage the household. She hadn't left the house since Xie Qinghong went out to visit her when she was sick. This time she finally managed to come out, but she was forced to bring her two cousins with her. She was actually not very happy about it, but she couldn't complain to Xie Qinghong about her cousins. She just talked to her about trivial matters.
"I heard from Zheng San Niang that Zheng Qi Niang will be coming today too. She's always so clueless; if she says anything, don't argue with her," Cui Luo said, remembering Zheng Yingluo's behavior and worried that Xie Qinghong might get hurt. This was based on past experience; Zheng Yingluo was known for her feigned innocence and naivety, but her words were often unpleasant. If someone frowned, she would apologize profusely, saying she was just being blunt and asking them not to take it to heart.
It's infuriating to hear. Xie Qinghong fell into the water and got sick because of her. But given her personality, she might use a vague excuse to turn the tables on her.
Xie Qinghong nodded in agreement, and then said, "But I heard that she seems to have become a different person, and it's possible that she has toned down her personality."
Hearing that Zheng Yingluo would also be there, Xie Qinghong couldn't help but take it to heart. Putting aside the incident of falling into the water, he also wondered what had happened that made these two seem like completely different people when Qin Sanlang and his mother came to apologize.
As someone who had also fallen into the water, she couldn't help but wonder, surely it's not like the other two people have it but she doesn't?
A quarter of an hour later, all those invited to the poetry gathering had arrived. Cui Luo, who had assumed the role of president, said that with the snow melting and the sun warming in spring, she had specially invited all the talented women to the society to enjoy tea, appreciate the spring, and make friends through poetry, thus creating a wonderful story.
Those who could attend the poetry gathering were all unmarried daughters of prominent families in the capital. Being of similar social standing, they naturally understood these social etiquettes. While it was true they were making friends through poetry, expanding their networks was the real purpose; such was the way relationships among prominent families worked.
The tea tasting began. The poetry society had already prepared a lot of precious teas, and some people brought tea cakes from home. When they were put together, there were sixteen different kinds of precious teas. Zhong Yun, the granddaughter of the prime minister, even brought royal tribute tea bestowed by the emperor.
The tribute tea was indeed extraordinary, and everyone naturally elected it as the best tea of the day. Zhong Yun was pleased with herself and, though she was proud, she did not appear arrogant. She then asked everyone to write poems and paint pictures for the tea, so as not to fail to live up to the reputation of tribute tea.
Xie Qinghong followed the crowd and wrote a poem within the time limit. Everyone else also followed their own habits, either writing poems, composing essays, or painting. Writing poems took less time. After finishing, Xie Qinghong washed his hands and stayed next to Cui Luo to watch her paint.
Just as she arrived, Zheng Yingluo suddenly appeared beside her and asked her to go to the small hall next door to talk.
"It was really my fault that I fell into the water that day, please don't worry about it, Qinghong." Zheng Yingluo spoke earnestly, her apology full of sincerity. "I didn't visit you when you were sick, Qinghong, because I was really unable to do so. I went to Xiangguo Temple outside the city to pray for blessings a few days ago and only returned home these past few days. I specially asked for a peace charm and thought I would bring it to you today, so that I can fulfill my wish."
As she spoke, she took out a peace charm, the design of which was indeed from Xiangguo Temple. Xie Qinghong was quite shocked. Zheng Yingluo not only seemed to have changed, but she had completely changed. In the past, because of the relationship between the Xie family and the Qin family, she had never given him a kind look. If she hadn't fallen into the lake with him this time, Xie Qinghong would have thought that she had deliberately bumped into him.
"I can't accept this. Since it was sincerely requested by Sister Zheng, it should be given to the family and elders." Xie Qinghong politely declined, saying, "I didn't take the previous matter to heart, and now that I'm much better, there's no need for this."
Zheng Yingluo did not insist. She gently put the amulet away with her fingers. The more Xie Qinghong looked at her, the stronger the sense of unease became. Zheng Yingluo was only seventeen years old, but her eyes seemed to hold the wisdom of someone who had seen all the ways of the world, carrying a kind of melancholy and... resentment.
She didn't show it on her face, but she secretly made a mental note of it. Just as she was about to make an excuse to leave, she saw Zheng Yingluo give her a meaningful look. That look was slightly pitying, like a high and mighty god scrutinizing an ant about to fall into misfortune.
That glance was fleeting. Xie Qinghong was stunned for a moment. When she came to her senses, Zheng Yingluo in front of her had a faint smile on her face and no deep meaning in her eyes, as if she had just seen wrong.
Now she was even less inclined to stay there. She made up an excuse to leave the small hall and went to watch Cui Luo paint. Cui Luo's "Tea Tasting Picture" was nearing completion. Although it was called tea tasting, the painting depicted a table by the window with seven or eight teacups on it. The aroma of tea rose into the air with the steam. There was no one else in the room. Outside the window, a cluster of camellias was in full bloom, and a woman's light red dress was faintly visible through the windowpane.
Xie Qinghong found it quite interesting and wrote two lines of poetry on the spot. Cui Luo hurriedly asked her to write them on the painting and add her small seal. She smiled and said, "This is our collaboration. When it is hung on the wall, everyone can see it."
Cui Li, who had been relatively quiet until now, suddenly spoke up: "Big sister, your drawing is really good. Could you add our little seals too? That way, outsiders will know we're all family. Don't you think so, Rong?"
Cui Rong, who was usually indecisive, remained silent upon hearing this, her face slightly flushed but she did not refute it.
Xie Qinghong frowned slightly, feigning sadness, and said, "Then I'm the only outsider left."
Cui Luo immediately put the painting away and coaxed her, "This is not a stranger. This painting is for A-Yao. I don't let anyone else see it."
Cui Li gritted her teeth inwardly. No wonder her aunt said that the two younger members of the Xie family were not easy to deal with. Xie Qinghong could coax her proud and talented older sister to no end with just a little coquetry. It was really infuriating.
As they were talking, Zheng Sanniang came over and said, "You should go and see quickly. Our poetry gathering is extraordinary today. A talented woman has written a poem. Her writing is brilliant and remarkable."
"Is that so?" Xie Qinghong changed the subject, pulling Cui Luo along with Zheng Sanniang to see. Surrounded in the middle was the daughter of the Censor-in-Chief Song family, but it wasn't the Song Lingyun she knew. Instead, it was a girl she didn't recognize, whom others called Lingxi.
Fearing that the crowd might not be able to see clearly, Song Lingxi was reciting clearly: "The world is unjust, why do orchids bloom so early, why do chrysanthemums bloom so late..."
After reading the entire piece, everyone was filled with admiration. It was indeed a rare and excellent article, with elegant diction and beautiful prose, and a deep love for tea evident on every page. The title of "talented woman" was truly well-deserved.
Xie Qinghong sighed, marveling at the vast differences between people. Some could instantly create masterpieces, while others merely wrote a poem to get by. She turned to discuss it with Cui Luo, but saw Zheng Yingluo with a slightly furrowed brow and a somber expression, her eyes fixed on Song Lingxi in the crowd, lost in thought.
After reviewing almost all of everyone's works, all the papers were piled together, with Song Lingxi's "Tea Rhapsody" placed first. This was then compiled into a collection titled "A Collection of Tea Appreciation on a Spring Day in Qinghui," which was then stored in the poetry society for future generations to enjoy.
But now that "Ode to Tea" has been published, someone said, "It would be a pity to keep such a good article only in the poetry society. It would be better to print it out so that everyone can know about it."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Yun and Cui Luo agreed, and the others readily concurred, thus settling on the matter of publication. In the past, poets all had their own elegant names, which could be considered pen names. Song Lingxi, being new to the area, did not have one. After a moment's thought, she said, "No need for an elegant name, just let it be Lingxi."
Because Xie Qinghong had beautiful handwriting, she always helped to inscribe the titles of the poetry collections. After writing them on the cover, she would open the book to admire them. The "Tea Ode" was indeed well-written, but Song Lingxi's handwriting was unremarkable, which was a pity. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that some characters were missing parts, perhaps because she had written them too quickly and hadn't noticed.
She had finished organizing the manuscript by herself and was about to take it to Cui Luo and Zhong Yun to take a look when she heard Song Lingxi's voice from behind the door: "Sister, does Miss Xie always organize the manuscripts for our poetry club?"
Song Lingyun said, "Yes, Qinghong is meticulous, writes beautifully, and can even write inscriptions."
Song Lingxi added, "Miss Xie is so beautiful, but I never expected her to be so meticulous. When I first spoke to her, she ignored me and I thought she was arrogant and didn't want to talk to me."
Xie Qinghong's eyes widened. When did she ever ignore people? She was never one to suffer in silence, so she reached out and pushed the door open, saying, "That's not it, Miss Song, you've misunderstood. I was ignoring people simply because I didn't see them. After all, some people are hiding in the shadows, and my eyesight isn't good enough to see them clearly."
Song Lingxi's eyes widened, and she pursed her lips, looking utterly aggrieved: "It must be because my voice was too soft. Miss Xie didn't hear me. I'm sorry. I'm new here today and don't know the rules. Please don't be angry, Miss Xie. I won't come here again."
Upon hearing this, someone tried to smooth things over: "How can you say that? We're all sisters from the poetry gathering. Today is a time to make friends through poetry, not to make enemies. Qinghong, don't misunderstand Lingxi. She just arrived today, so please let her have her way."
Cui Luo rushed over and disagreed: "Qing Hong is young, why should he give way?"
Song Lingxi's feigned grievance was futile. Seeing even her stepsister telling her to speak louder, she was so angry she almost couldn't maintain her aggrieved expression. Just wait and see; Xie Qinghong's peace of mind will only last these two months. After she marries into the South, let's see how arrogant she still is.
And even after time-traveling, he still hears things like "the child is still young"? Xie Qinghong is anything but young!
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