Chapter 15 How could such a person come all the way to the Du Mansion?
Soon, Qingquan came out of the main courtyard and saw Du Heng standing in the corridor.
"Sir, the old lady asked you to dine with her, and she also asked me to tell you that the young lady is also with the old lady."
After hearing this, Du Heng nodded slightly and walked towards the main courtyard.
Wanyi often loved to go to her grandmother's courtyard, and he already knew this. This was a good opportunity, so he reviewed the scriptures he had copied today in front of her.
Who knew that before entering the house, I heard Wanyi say coquettishly: "Grandma, it's so boring for me to attend the female teacher's class alone. Since Sister Ying'er is here, it would be great if she could attend class with me!"
The old lady was stunned when she heard this. This was why Cheng had promoted Su Ying and asked her to copy scriptures with Wanyi. How come Wanyi was already clamoring for Su Ying to attend classes with her after only half a day?
She knew Su Ying was a smart child, especially on Wanyi's birthday, when she acted appropriately, which made her quite fond of her. However, she didn't know what kind of character she was. Wanyi was a kind child, and if Su Ying had any ideas and used Wanyi to speak for her, that would be bad.
So, the old lady pretended to be nonchalant and asked, "Why did you bring up the subject of class out of the blue? Did Ying'er ask you, or did you just come up with it on the spur of the moment?"
Du Heng heard a hint of solemnity in his grandmother's question, so he stopped and did not let the maid inform her.
Wanyi said in a sweet voice, "How did Sister Ying'er know I had a female teacher? Of course, I mentioned it to her. I said that since she wasn't good at poetry, why not have her be my companion and take classes together? It would be boring for me to be alone, and if she were to come with me, we could do homework together in the future, right?"
The old lady raised her eyebrows and asked again: "She said she wants to go too?"
Upon hearing this, Wanyi said dejectedly, "She said she wasn't well-educated and was afraid she would hinder the teacher's teaching. She also said she would help Second Aunt organize the library for the next few days."
After hearing this, the old lady felt relieved. Su Ying was indeed not the kind of child who would climb up by relying on high branches. It was worth her respect for her.
"Look at Ying'er, she speaks and acts in a logical and logical way, unlike you who just does whatever you want. As for the female teacher, we can discuss it after you finish copying the scriptures!"
After hearing his grandmother's final decision, Du Heng signaled the gatekeeper to pass on the message.
"Brother Heng, you too, just come in when you're here. Why do you need a maid to pass the message?"
As soon as my grandmother saw Du Heng enter the room, she extended her hand and asked him to sit down beside her.
"I heard that you just finished a policy paper?"
Du Heng nodded in agreement.
The grandmother looked at her precious grandson, who was both sensible and hardworking, with eyes full of love. Thinking that Du Heng had just finished writing his essay, she was worried that he might be hungry. So she turned to the servant who was waiting beside her and asked, "Are all the dishes served?"
The maid replied hurriedly, "It has just been set up. Please take a seat, old lady, young master, and young lady."
Du Heng and Du Wanyi supported the old lady on both sides and went to the table.
The dishes on the table were homely, except for one dish that Du Heng had rarely seen before. He did not speak because he knew that his sister had never seen it before either.
Sure enough, after Du Wanyi came to the table, she asked the question on Du Heng's mind: "Grandma, what kind of dish is this and why is it so special?"
"That's what your second aunt sent me. It's stir-fried rice cakes with mixed vegetables. It's a famous dish from her hometown. She said it's made with rice and asked me to try it. Come, you too, try the delicacies of Jiangnan."
Having said that, he asked Wanyi and the others to start eating.
Wanyi obediently picked up a piece, and Du Heng also picked up a piece.
This rice cake is soft, chewy and has a nice aroma after chewing.
"Second Aunt is so nice to Sister Ying'er!"
Wanyi tasted a piece and thought it was delicious, so she picked up some more and put it in the bowl.
After hearing this, the old lady said "oh" and seemed to be very interested.
Wanyi said, "Sister Ying'er has only been in our house for a short time. Second Aunt must have made this dish for her, fearing she'd be homesick!"
The old lady laughed and said, "Your second aunt only has Ying'er as her niece, so it's only natural that she loves her dearly. Just like I love you!"
"Okay, okay, don't talk while eating, don't talk while sleeping, just eat in peace."
Du Heng didn't say anything and just ate quietly, but in his heart, he quite appreciated what his sister said. He also felt that they were blessed by Su Ying and were able to eat the hometown dishes made by his second aunt. The dishes tasted good and Su Ying would surely find them delicious too.
After lunch, the three generations of grandparents and grandchildren went to the main house.
Winter in the capital is very cold, especially on days without sunshine.
My grandmother is old, so it’s not easy for her to walk outside to help digest her food.
So Du Heng suggested that they take out the scriptures Wanyi had copied today, and the three generations of grandparents and grandchildren should stand in front of the desk and review them together, as a way to help digest food after a meal.
But Wanyi pouted and said, "If you want to comment, even the one Sister Ying'er copied should be commented on!"
The old lady felt that it was inappropriate to bring out Su Ying's calligraphy for appraisal without her, but before she could say anything, she heard Du Heng say, "Okay, have them all come together. However, appraisal is appraisal, not comparison. There is no first and no loser in writing."
“It’s natural!”
Wanyi was eager for her brother to say this. She had already seen Sister Ying'er's handwriting; her copy was neat, clear, and meticulous. However, it wasn't the kind of small, flower-shaped calligraphy that her grandmother always praised, saying women should learn. She simply thought Sister Ying'er's writing was limited, and thought that if that copy of the scripture served as a foil, her own copy wouldn't be so overshadowed.
But who knew that Wanyi was wrong.
Su Ying not only writes beautiful hairpin-flowered small regular script, but is also good at other styles of calligraphy.
Out of respect for the gods and Buddhas, this time she specially chose the Weibei style, which is praised by literati as possessing ten beauties, to copy the scriptures.
When the maid took the two copies of the scriptures and placed them on the desk, Du Heng couldn't help but take a breath.
Wanyi has always only copied the hairpin-flowered small regular script. In addition, every year Du Heng helps his grandmother to select the scriptures copied by his sister. Even if there is no signature, he can tell which one is written by Wanyi at a glance.
However, the scripture on the other side was beyond his expectation. Su Ying actually used Weibei style!
Weibei style is known for its robustness, and the text copied by Su Ying is characterized by sharp, angular strokes and each character is square and rhythmic. Compared to the elegant, delicate small regular script of hairpin flowers, this style adds a sense of solemnity, and the sense of reverence for the gods is vividly expressed on the paper.
Du Heng knew that anyone who was proficient in seal and clerical scripts could tell by looking at these three or two lines that the writer had profound skills, and that writing small regular script with hairpin flowers was certainly no problem.
It is conceivable that on Wanyi's birthday, Su Ying was not simply hiding her incompetence, but clearly knew her limits and when to advance and retreat.
He couldn't help but sigh in admiration. If her calligraphy was so good, her poetry and prose must be even better. Second Aunt's family truly had a long tradition of poetry and literature, and their reputation was well-deserved.
But he couldn't help but feel suspicious. How could such a person come all the way to Beijing alone and seek refuge in the Du Mansion? Suddenly, he remembered that day when his mother wanted to mention her background, but he asked her to scold Li Ma Ma instead, cutting off the conversation.
Thinking back now, I feel a little regretful. If I had listened at that time, I wouldn’t have to think so much today.
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