Write a few words in Chapter 19 and show them to this young master.
handsome?
Idol?
These were words he didn't understand, but he vaguely sensed they weren't very proper.
Xiao Jingheng frowned slightly, focused his mind, and prepared to continue writing.
[But what's the use of being handsome if you have such a cold personality and are such a workaholic... Look at the time! You came back from the Dali Temple and didn't even rest, going straight into official business. You're working harder than we were rushing to finish our homework in school! No wonder you can be the Vice Minister of the Dali Temple. With that level of dedication, I would have collapsed long ago!]
[Does the Yongning Marquis's mansion really stop functioning without him? Sigh, being the heir apparent must be tough, the pressure must be immense, I wonder if his hair will fall out too quickly...]
Xiao Jingheng: ...
He felt a throbbing sensation in his temple.
Curly hair? Overtime? Hair loss?
He tried to ignore the jumbled thoughts and bring his attention back to the document, his pen just about to touch the paper—
[Speaking of which, is he working so hard because the Marquis is away from home most of the time, and he has to support the entire Marquis's mansion by himself? It seems... a little heartbreaking? No, no, why would I feel sorry for him? He's an iceberg who punishes people at the drop of a hat!]
But... they even promoted me and gave me a raise today, so it doesn't seem like they're being too cold-hearted, does it?
In my ears, the little girl's inner thoughts were bubbling and gurgling like boiling water.
One minute she's infatuated with his looks, the next she's suddenly struck by his personality, then she inexplicably starts to feel sorry for him, and finally she's constantly switching between being an iceberg and a good person...
These chaotic and illogical thoughts were like countless tiny claws scratching at Xiao Jingheng's nerves, shattering his usually proud concentration.
He took a deep breath and put down his pen.
Su Xiaoyu was lost in thought when she suddenly felt a very strong gaze fall on her, which startled her.
When she looked up, she met Xiao Jingheng's deep and unfathomable eyes.
[Oh no! Why is he looking at me?! Am I standing in the wrong place? Or is my breathing too loud?]
Seeing her body tense up instantly and her eyes filled with panic, Xiao Jingheng suddenly found it somewhat amusing.
He bent his finger and tapped it lightly on the table.
"Grind the ink."
"Ah? Yes! This servant will come right away."
Su Xiaoyu felt like she had been granted a pardon and hurriedly stepped forward, grinding ink while frantically processing the message in her mind:
[Su Xiaoyu, hold it in! Stop daydreaming! If the young master finds out again, you'll be kicked out!]
Xiao Jingheng picked up his pen again, only to find that although the chattering thoughts in his ears were still there, it seemed... to have a different kind of vitality than the pure silence before?
He shook his head slightly, trying to clear his mind of these distractions and focus on the official document in front of him.
Half an hour later, Jing Heng finally put down his pen, placed the last approved document on his right side, and gently rubbed his temples with his fingertips.
Upon seeing this, Su Xiaoyu immediately stepped forward and quickly sorted out the reviewed documents according to his usual habits.
The movements were quick and the logic was clear.
Xiao Jingheng lingered on her nimble hands for a moment, then suddenly asked:
"You can read?"
Su Xiaoyu paused in her tidying, her heart skipping a beat. Finally, she answered in a barely audible voice, "Your Highness, this servant... knows a few characters."
"oh?"
Xiao Jingheng's voice made it impossible to tell whether he believed it or not.
He casually pulled out a clean sheet of Xuan paper and spread it on the table.
"Write a few words and show them to this young master."
Su Xiaoyu's alarm bells went off immediately!
[What?! Is this the ultimate test? If I write too badly, will I be kicked out? Will I lose my huge salary of two taels of silver?]
But she never practiced calligraphy in modern times!
She took the pen with trepidation, trying hard to recall the original owner's pitiful calligraphy skills, and then wrote the four characters "Yongning Marquis's Residence" in a crooked and shaky manner.
The handwriting is immature, the structure is loose, and the strokes look like they were pieced together. It has no style or spirit whatsoever and is clearly the work of a beginner.
"Your Highness, please forgive me. I am clumsy and my handwriting is terrible, it has offended your eyes..."
Xiao Jingheng lowered his eyes, a faint smile flashing in them.
He didn't comment, but turned around and took a calligraphy copybook from the bookshelf, casually tossing it onto her desk.
“Starting tomorrow, copy this calligraphy three times a day.”
His voice betrayed no emotion, only a cold, businesslike tone.
"Since you are on duty in the study, yet your handwriting is so poor, it will bring shame to the Moyunzhai Studio if word gets out."
He gave a perfectly legitimate reason.
Su Xiaoyu: "!!!"
[Practicing calligraphy!! Three pages a day! Just as expected! Prince Juan wasn't planning to let her off the hook; he was waiting for her here.]
Seeing her grief-stricken appearance, Xiao Jingheng, fearing she might quit, added:
"If you can submit three neat calligraphy pieces on time every day and show improvement, the kitchen will save two pieces of osmanthus sugar cake for you every day; if you meet the standard for seven consecutive days, the kitchen will make your favorite braised pork knuckle on the weekend, as much as you want!"
"!!!" Su Xiaoyu suddenly looked up, her eyes instantly shining like two small lamps.
"Really? Young Master! There's osmanthus sugar cake if I master it, and braised pork knuckle if I keep meeting the standards?"
Just moments ago, she thought practicing calligraphy was torture, but now, in her eyes, it instantly became a challenge game leading to a culinary paradise!
Xiao Jingheng's lips curled into a very faint smile: "Of course it's true. But if it's written carelessly, not only will there be no reward, but you'll have to rewrite it twice as much."
"Don't worry! I'll definitely write it carefully! I promise it will be neat and tidy, and I won't just do it perfunctorily!" Su Xiaoyu quickly patted her chest to assure her. She picked up the calligraphy copybook like it was a precious treasure.
However, Su Xiaoyu still imagined things to be too rosy.
The original owner had no foundation in calligraphy, and in modern times she only knew how to write with a fountain pen, which was barely legible. However, as she grew up, she mostly worked in front of a computer, which was a paperless office, and she hadn't written by hand for a long time. When she first started practicing, she found that it was not as simple as she had imagined.
Holding the heavy wolf-hair brush, she either started too lightly and finished too heavily, or her strokes were crooked in the middle, making her look like a weak little snake.
For three consecutive days, the inspection failed.
Su Xiaoyu's mentality is starting to break down.
Just when she was despairing and thought her career was about to end, on the fourth day, a cold voice rang out from behind her:
"Keep your wrist steady and your mind calm."
Su Xiaoyu turned around abruptly and saw that Xiao Jingheng was standing behind her at some point, looking calmly at the mess, with no anger on his face.
What shocked Su Xiaoyu even more was that Xiao Jingheng ignored the mess and instead spread out a clean sheet of Xuan paper, dipped a new brush in ink, and then naturally took her hand!
Su Xiaoyu froze completely. Her mind went completely blank!
“Look at the brushstrokes!” His voice was close to my ear, carrying a strange, comforting power.
"Begin the stroke, conceal the tip, move the brush, maintain a steady speed with the tip in the center, and finish the stroke with a return stroke."
He took her hand and, with steady and strong strokes, wrote a neat and upright "fish" character on the paper, stroke by stroke.
Su Xiaoyu was stunned!
Looking at these unprecedentedly neat and beautiful characters, did I really write this myself?
She's been practicing every day for the past few days, and her wrists are practically ruined. Even she herself finds her writing unacceptable.
But why does the brush seem to come alive once it's in Xiao Jingheng's hands?
Su Xiaoyu stared at the character "fish" for a long time, a surge of joy welling up inside her. She even temporarily forgot that the two of them were still almost embracing.
"Young Master, this servant..."
She turned her head, ready to share her joy. But just as her little mouth slightly opened—
Her lips, warm and soft to the touch, gently brushed against Xiao Jingheng's slightly lowered chin!
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