Chapter 41 Teaching the young lady to read, or perhaps to write?
Shen Moyan looked at the exquisite pastry but didn't immediately take it. Instead, he took a half step back, cupped his hands, and said:
“Miss Xiao’s kindness is deeply appreciated. However… as the ancients said, one should not accept gifts without merit. Miss Xiao’s repeated gifts have made me feel truly humbled and unworthy to receive them.”
Xiao Lingxi explained, "They're just some snacks, Young Master Shen, there's no need for that..."
“Miss, you misunderstand.” Shen Moyan raised his eyes, his gaze clear and sincere. “It’s not that I’m ungrateful. It’s just that I feel it’s impolite not to reciprocate. If Miss doesn’t mind, I would like to do my bit, for example… teach Miss to read or write? I wonder what Miss thinks?”
"ah?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Lingxi's face fell instantly, and she instinctively wanted to refuse.
These were the things that bothered her the most. Her older brother and teacher had scolded her countless times for being a "blockhead" and "hopeless".
She waved her hand: "Let's forget it. I'm very stupid. My elder brother said I'm a piece of rotten wood that can't be carved. I'm afraid I'll upset a gentleman like you, Young Master Shen..."
"What makes you say that, Miss?"
Shen Moyan's tone was gentle and soothing: "In my opinion, Miss is naturally gifted and has a clear mind, but she just hasn't found the joy and method in it. Your brother's strict demands are too high. Practicing calligraphy and reading is meant to cultivate one's character, so why demand it with the standards of a craftsman?"
"Besides, the fact that Miss is willing to try is more than enough. Shall we take it slow?"
This earnest guidance, like a gentle spring breeze, was a stark contrast to the stern reprimands his elder brother, Xiao Jingheng, had given him previously.
Xiao Lingxi had never been believed in and encouraged so unconditionally before.
Looking into Shen Moyan's gentle yet firm eyes, she felt as if a powerful stimulant had been injected into her heart. She nodded, almost unconsciously.
"Then... let's practice calligraphy."
"Okay." Shen Moyan smiled, a smile that was clean and pure.
And so it was settled. From then on, Xiao Lingxi would practice calligraphy every day at Tingyuxuan on the back mountain of the academy.
After spending a few days with him, she discovered that Shen Moyan, this 'teacher,' was different from all the other teachers she had ever met.
Her handwriting was clearly terrible, like a dog's scrawle, but he could still find something good in it and praise her for it:
"Miss, look at this stroke. Although the form is not yet there, the meaning has already arrived. It has a touch of genuine charm."
"The vividness of the ink here cannot be achieved through deliberate pursuit; it is precisely where the young lady's spirit lies."
"Miss's demeanor was much calmer today than yesterday, which is the biggest improvement."
Most importantly, Shen Moyan never belittled her. Like a gentle and patient older brother, he unconditionally accepted and tolerated her.
In just a few days, Xiao Lingxi's handwriting improved significantly.
Not only that, she also discovered other good qualities in Shen Moyan. For example, he was meticulous and patient. His emotions were always stable, and he never lost his temper.
Once, Xiao Lingxi was so engrossed in practicing calligraphy that a drop of ink accidentally splashed onto her face, but she was completely unaware of it.
Upon seeing this, Shen Moyan did not speak immediately. Instead, he waited until she stopped writing before taking out a clean handkerchief and gently wiping the ink stains from her face.
The movements were very delicate and focused, and Xiao Lingxi froze instantly, her heart racing.
Shen Moyan simply withdrew her hand naturally, as if nothing had happened, with only a faint blush creeping up her ears.
"Excuse me, the ink has been removed."
After finishing practicing calligraphy, just as it was about to rain, and Xiao Lingxi was secretly cursing her bad luck, he calmly took an oil-paper umbrella from the book basket and handed it to Xiao Lingxi.
"Miss Xiao, here you go."
“Then you…” Xiao Lingxi subconsciously wanted to refuse.
Before he could finish speaking, large raindrops began to fall. Shen Moyan took a step back, placing himself in the rain under the eaves, where the rain instantly soaked his shoulders.
But he didn't care at all. "Miss, please go back quickly. It looks like the rain is quite heavy. The mountain road is slippery. Watch your step."
Before leaving, she reminded him, "Also, although Tingyu Pavilion is secluded, there's no guarantee that other students won't come to take shelter from the rain. If they are discovered, it will damage Miss Yu's reputation. You should leave quickly!"
After saying that, without giving Xiao Lingxi a chance to refuse, he resolutely turned around and plunged into the rain, his slender figure quickly becoming blurred.
As Xiao Lingxi watched his disappearing figure, her heart felt as if it were filled with something.
He would rather get wet in the rain himself than not give her the umbrella.
He would rather suffer embarrassment himself than compromise her reputation.
At this moment, Shen Moyan's image in her heart was incredibly lofty, and also incredibly...heartbreaking.
...
The next morning, Xiao Lingxi used the excuse of going to the temple to pray for her mother to leave the mansion with her personal maid.
As soon as the carriage stopped at the entrance of West Street, she told her maid to wait at the street corner, while she clutched her purse and sneaked into a shop with a sign that read "Wenyuange".
This shop specializes in selling writing implements, ink, paper, inkstones, folding fans, and seals used by scholars.
Xiao Lingxi's gaze swept over the various products on the shelves.
Inkstones, paperweights, wolf-hair brushes, folding fans, and more—everything you could want was available.
The innkeeper was a still-attractive woman. Seeing that Xiao Lingxi was well-dressed and her expression held a hint of shyness and hesitation, she smiled and stepped forward to greet her:
"Young lady, are you looking for a gift to give someone?"
Xiao Lingxi was taken aback upon hearing this, thinking to herself that the shopkeeper's judgment was indeed sharp.
Knowing her guess was correct, the shopkeeper's wife softened her tone: "I suppose the young lady wishes to present this to... a refined gentleman?"
Xiao Lingxi was even more surprised and looked at the shopkeeper's wife in shock.
How did you know?
The shopkeeper's wife smiled without saying a word and took out a small brocade box from deep inside the counter.
Upon opening it, one finds a pine soot inkstick with a calm color and delicate texture, its shape and texture simple and unadorned, and a faint fragrance wafting from it.
It looks like a top-quality product.
"Please look at this ink, young lady," the shopkeeper said. "This is 'Pine Waves,' named after the imagery of 'the bright moon shining among the pines, and the clear spring flowing over the rocks.' The ink is pure, and it flows like lacquer on paper, with a restrained luster that is neither ostentatious nor ostentatious. It is most suitable as a gift for a scholar, symbolizing noble character, as pure as a pine tree and as bright as the moon."
Unlike gold and silver, which can be vulgar, this stationery is more elegant and thoughtful than ordinary stationery, which suits Shen Moyan's feelings perfectly.
Xiao Lingxi took a liking to the ink ingot almost at first sight.
"Okay, I'll take this one. Please wrap it up for me."
After making her choice, she promptly paid the money and turned to leave Wenyuan Pavilion.
Little did they know, this scene had already been observed by a pair of eyes inside a carriage not far away.
It's Lin Wan'er.
She originally came here to choose an inkstone as a birthday gift for her grandfather, but now that she heard that Wenyuan Pavilion had received a new batch of goods, she decided to try her luck.
She watched Xiao Lingxi disappear into the crowd, her delicate brows furrowing slightly.
Xiao Lingxi disliked reading and writing the most, and Lin Wan'er had long heard of this.
Her visit to Wenyuan Pavilion this time could not possibly be to buy things for herself.
If I'm not mistaken, when Xiao Lingxi went out just now, she still had a bit of a girlish demeanor on her face.
Lin Wan'er suppressed her doubts and, without lingering, headed straight for the Wenyuan Pavilion.
Upon arriving at the ink stick section, she said to the shopkeeper's wife who greeted her, "Excuse me, I heard that your shop has recently received a batch of pine soot ink from Huizhou, including one called 'Pine Waves.' Do you still have any in stock?"
The shopkeeper's wife showed just the right amount of apology on her face and gave a curtsy; "Miss Lin is really well-informed, but unfortunately, the last piece of 'Songtao' ink has already been bought by a young lady."
"Oh?" Lin Wan'er's eyes flashed. "Is it the young lady who just left from here?"
The shopkeeper's wife: "Exactly."
It really was her, Xiao Lingxi!
That 'Pine Waves' is no ordinary item; it's quite expensive. Moreover, its meaning and style don't seem like something Xiao Lingxi would use.
It's even less likely that she would buy it for her good-for-nothing second brother.
Lin Wan'er remained expressionless, but bid farewell to the shopkeeper with a hint of regret.
"I see. It seems I am not destined to have this ink. Sorry for disturbing you."
After leaving the house, she immediately instructed the driver, "Follow in the direction Miss Xiao just left, and be careful to stay hidden."
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