Chapter 4 Chapter 4 The Little Master of Tricks
When he saw that face, Jiang Wu couldn't help but think of the dream he had, as he curled his nails and pinched his palms.
In the dream, wherever the heroine Shen Tingxue appears, she is always an ugly clown who seeks attention by showing off her appearance.
She is vulgar, vicious and greedy, in contrast to the heroine's kindness, sincerity and selfless dedication.
Shen Tingxue, dressed in a white dress made of moonlight, as pure and beautiful as a jasmine on a branch, walked out of the crowd, helped the fallen maid up, and looked worried. "Are you okay? Did you fall anywhere?"
The maid who was helped up had tears in her eyes due to gratitude. "I am fine. Thank you, Princess."
"Since you're alright, go down and change your clothes quickly, or you might catch a cold."
The maid retreated gratefully.
Shen Tingxue just noticed her, and walked towards her with the corners of her lips raised, "I think this is the girl the teacher married. The teacher should have mentioned me to you."
Although there were many people around, Jiang Wu felt that there were only the two of them. She could even see disgust and disdain in the other person's eyes.
"I wonder who you are?" Jiang Wu, who had suppressed his thoughts, showed a look of confusion.
Because she really doesn't recognize her now.
Miss Ji, who sat at the table with Shen Tingxue, crossed her arms and said, "I think some people are just ugly and do bad things. You know that Tingxue is one of the prime minister's most proud students, how could you not know that? I think it's clearly jealousy."
Shen Tingxue glared at her, "What nonsense are you talking about? The teacher has so many students, I'm just one of them, there's nothing special about me."
Ji Ruyue held her wrist and said coquettishly, "Prime Minister Lu didn't say it. Maybe he thinks some people are not important. You know, Sister Tingxue's excellence is obvious to all in Chang'an."
Jiang Wu was very confused. "Who is she? Is she such an important person? Do I have to know?"
This one sentence was like stirring up a hornet's nest. Everyone looked at her as if she were some unforgivable country bumpkin. "You don't even know who Princess Changle is. Haven't you heard of 'Song of the Wine' and 'Quiet Night Thoughts'?"
Jiang Wu shook her head, because in her dream, Shen Tingxue had never written any poetry, and she was just hanging out with her husband.
After all, she did not forget that this was a restricted novel where one could move from the window to the wall, from the wall to the swing, and from the swing to the horse's back, and a glance from a man and a woman could make them fall in love.
The man who was speaking gave her a look as if she were a fool, then recited aloud: "When life is good, one should enjoy it to the fullest, and not let the golden cup face the moon empty. I was born with talents that will be useful, and even if I spend all my money, I will get it back."
"The moon shines brightly before my bed, I wonder if it's frost on the ground. These are all from the hands of Princess Changle, who is undoubtedly the most talented woman in the Kingdom of Yan!"
Chen Tingxue blushed as she angrily glared at them, her eyes tinged with arrogance. "Alright, stop teasing me. What's the most talented woman? I can only write a few poems. I really don't deserve that title."
"Tingxue, you are too modest. Even the Prime Minister has recognized your talent. Otherwise, why would he make an exception and accept you as his disciple?"
"Unlike some people, I heard she can't even read a single word. I really don't know why the Prime Minister married her."
"I heard that she came to the Prime Minister's house with the engagement that our grandfather had made, begging him to marry her, saying that if he didn't marry her, she would rather die."
"Oh my god, she's so disgusting. Prime Minister Lu is so pitiful."
Shen Tingxue, who did not stop them, looked at Jiang Wu again, "Miss Song, have you really never heard of these poems?"
Jiang Wu, unconcerned with the noble ladies' vulgar and illiterate remarks, shook her head and then nodded sincerely, "You also said that I'm an ignorant village woman from a remote village. Naturally, I've never heard such elegant poetry."
Even if she couldn't tell whether the poem was good or bad, she could still tell that the poem that was just read was excellent.
Upon hearing this, everyone became even more contemptuous of Jiang Wu, thinking that it was impossible for her not to have heard of "Jinjiu" and "Quiet Night Thoughts", and that she must be jealous.
When they surrounded Shen Tingxue and asked her where she had been for the past six months, Jiang Wu felt bored but didn't dare to go far, so she came to the lotus pond not far away. She had no stones to skip on the water and could only stare at the lotus flowers in a daze.
According to the plot in the dream, she should be the one being stepped on by others to praise Chen Tingxue. She was so angry that she said those poems were just so-so and there was nothing great about them. She could write them too.
But if she was really asked to do it, she couldn't do it, and she would naturally be ridiculed.
Jiang Wu looked at the lotus flowers in the pond. Although they were beautiful, it would become boring if he looked at them for too long. He thought that instead of staying here, he might as well go home and write big characters.
"Is my cousin-in-law avoiding me?" The sound of footsteps behind him was accompanied by a chill that penetrated into his bones, giving Jiang Wu goose bumps.
Jiang Wu, suppressing the chill in his feet, turned around and met a pair of light brown almond-shaped eyes filled with smiles. "Why are you here?"
Song Jin did not answer her, but threw the question back, "Why is my cousin's wife here?"
"Of course it's because the scenery here is beautiful." Jiang Wu bit her lip and asked him distressedly, "I found that my sachet was missing when I returned home last night. I didn't see it when I went back along the same route. Did you see it?"
The man shook his head. "No, is that sachet important to my cousin's wife?"
Jiang Wu nodded and then shook her head. "It's not that important, but I'm mainly worried that someone might accidentally pick it up, and then I won't be able to explain it."
"So, is this the reason why my cousin is so unhappy today?"
"About the same."
"Don't worry, cousin. I'll send someone to look for it when I get back. Maybe the sachet isn't lost, but you accidentally left it at home." Song Jin, with a pair of dimples on his face, also opened his palms. "Cousin, look what this is?"
In the boy's fair palm was placed a straw butterfly, so lifelike that it seemed as if it would spread its wings and fly away in the next second.
Jiang Wu said in surprise, "It's a butterfly."
"I really want to thank my cousin's wife for taking care of me during this period. I originally wanted to buy you a hairpin, but I felt that those vulgar things might not be worthy of my cousin's wife. Then I remembered that when I was a child, I envied others for receiving straw butterflies, and I thought how nice it would be if I could have one too. Now, I present to my sister-in-law the thing I wanted most when I was young." When Song Jin handed over the gift, he inadvertently revealed the wound he had cut to make this straw butterfly.
"Thank you, I like it very much." Jiang Wu had a smile on her face, but she actually felt disgusted in her heart. She could even weave this kind of straw butterfly herself.
Not only butterflies, she can also weave dragonflies, rabbits, frogs and big cockroaches.
And in the dream, she must have been so stupid and foolish that when she received a straw butterfly, she burst into tears and threw herself into his arms, saying that he was so good to her.
If you really want to give a gift, why not give gold and silver notes!
"As long as my cousin likes it, it can still move. I'll teach you." Song Jin also reached out to help her adjust the butterfly's wings, inadvertently exposing the wound on his hand to Jiang Wu's eyes again. This time, the latter's pupils dilated after seeing it, and she pulled his hand with concern, "What's wrong with your hand? Are you okay?"
"These are just minor injuries, they're nothing serious." Song Jin also pursed his lips and smiled nervously, putting the injured hand behind his back, "As long as my cousin likes this gift, it's fine."
Jiang Wu's eyes were red with emotion. "I like it very much. I will definitely keep it well."
In the sunlight, the corners of a girl's eyes turned red as if she were holding a treasure, as if someone had painted half a branch of peony horizontally on a blank piece of rice paper with a paintbrush.
The peony flowers on the branches are so heavy that they seem to be falling down, and they want people to urge the peony to bloom more beautifully.
Song Jin, whose heartbeat accelerated unconsciously, licked his fangs and said, "I've been away from the banquet for too long. I'll go back first."
"Then remember to apply the medicine, okay?" After watching the man leave, Jiang Wu was so disgusted that he wanted to throw away the straw butterfly.
His words also reminded her that she had been away from the table for a long time and it was time to go back.
As for the butterfly, she would throw it away when she got back. If she kept it, she would think it was bad luck.
When passing by the rockery, Jiang Wu, who was walking with her head down, was suddenly grabbed by the wrist and dragged inside. When she screamed, the other person covered her mouth with his palm. Some long-lost fear memories came like a tide, and the scene of being taken away and sold by her uncles and aunts kept flashing before her eyes. Her hands and feet were cold and she hit, bit and kicked the person who was covering her mouth fiercely.
There was nothing else in her mind except that she wanted to leave here.
"Don't scream, it's me." Just as Ji Xiao asked her to stop, he was slapped in the face.
The crisp sound of slaps was particularly loud in the small and quiet space.
The man pressed the tip of his tongue against the roof of his mouth, his dark pupils filled with uncontrollable anger. "Jiang Wu, if you're going crazy, believe it or not, I'll really hit a woman!"
It wasn't until her wrist was grabbed and raised above her head that the fear around Jiang Wu dissipated like a tide, and another face that made her feel creepy appeared in her originally unfocused pupils.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" Tears fell from her eyes, and Jiang Wu, with a red nose, reached out and touched his cheek. "Does it hurt a lot? Let me blow on it for you, okay?"
Ji Xiao was naturally filled with anger after being slapped. You know, no one has ever dared to hit him in the face since he was a child. But seeing this stupid woman crying out of fear, he felt even more annoyed.
Does he look so scary and like a man who would beat a woman?
"That's enough. How much can it hurt with that little bit of tickling you have?" Ji Xiao pursed his lips, lowered his head, held her face with both hands, stared into her eyes, and spoke coldly, "Why didn't you come last night? Do you know how long I waited for you?"
She just slapped him and stood him up last night, causing him to stand in the yard like a fool feeding mosquitoes for most of the night. She is really a great person.
Jiang Wu, whose cheeks were covered, blinked her eyelashes, and crystal tears rolled down her cheeks. Her nose twitched with grievance, "It's not that I don't want to come, it's just that last night..."
Jiang Wu hesitated for a moment, then threw herself into his arms and sobbed softly, "My husband stayed in my room last night, and I couldn't just abandon him. I went to look for you right after he left, but when I got there, I found you were already gone."
"You don't know how sad I was. I thought I could see you again. Even though I knew you were gone, I didn't leave. I just waited there until dawn, thinking about what if, what if you came back to find me."
In fact, Jiang Wu never went to look for him. After finishing his homework at night, he slept until dawn.
But I still have to say nice words, otherwise how can I consolidate my long-standing obsession with him.
Ji Xiao, who suddenly felt the warmth and tenderness of a jade in his arms, didn't know whether he was surprised, happy, or angry after hearing this. His facial features were all wrinkled in a nearly distorted way. "What? He touched you!"
The author has something to say:
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①From Li Bai's "Song of the Wine".
②From Li Bai’s Quiet Night Thoughts.
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