Chapter 16: Outsmarting the Lin Family (Part 1)
Wanyi was unaware that her brother had already formed some opinions in his mind. She only saw him looking at Su Ying's calligraphy without saying a word. She thought her brother did not like such a strong and rigid handwriting.
"Sister Ying'er said her maternal grandfather owned a school, and she often worked there since she was a child, tending to calligraphy. I imagine the school mostly studied classics and policy essays, and there weren't many calligraphy examples for women to copy in their boudoirs, so her brushwork tended to be more vigorous."
It was Wanyi herself who suggested reviewing Suying's handwritten text, simply to keep her company. She didn't really want Suying's handwriting to be a shield. Seeing her brother remained silent, Wanyi hurriedly spoke in Suying's defense.
Du Heng came to his senses upon hearing this. He didn't want to reveal Su Ying's true strength in front of his sister, which would discourage her from copying the scriptures. He simply said, "You two both write well, neatly and clearly, and you're both equally good."
Wanyi heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this. After all, she and Sister Ying'er were equally matched. However, her brother had always been strict, so in her mind, this evaluation was already the best choice.
However, the old lady at the side remained silent. Her father was the chief academic officer of the Imperial College, and she had been exposed to poetry, calligraphy, and painting since she was a child. How could she not recognize Su Ying's Weibei calligraphy? Seeing that her grandson hadn't said anything, she would not point it out either.
However, facing the powerful scriptures in front of her, the old lady's heart moved slightly, and she couldn't help but have some thoughts.
From Su Ying's handwriting, the old lady concluded that her knowledge was only superior to that of her second daughter-in-law, Rong Ruolan. At Wanyi's birthday celebration, Su Ying retreated behind Ruolan, claiming she was not proficient in poetry. Now, she and Wanyi are copying scriptures together, showcasing her own proficiency. Wanyi invites her to attend a lecture by a female teacher, but she declines, citing her library duties.
The old lady was a little confused for a moment. Did Ying'er want to show her talent or was she deliberately hiding it?
This scripture was to be offered to the Bodhi Temple, and if nothing unexpected happened, her calligraphy would surely be chosen by the high monks to be placed in the main hall. Could it be that this girl had lofty ambitions, wanting to find not just the good family that Ruolan had mentioned, but also a prestigious family?
If that were true, was this idea Ying'er's own, or did Ruolan share it? She didn't believe Ruolan had lied from the start. Ruolan had been married to the capital for ten years, and while she occasionally corresponded with her family, the Rong family was Ying'er's maternal family after all. The reason behind this, perhaps even Ruolan herself, might not know.
The old lady was old and experienced, so she couldn't help but harbor a hint of hesitation and suspicion. While one shouldn't harbor any intention to harm others, one must always be on guard against them. Since she had already asked Cheng to promote Su Ying, she wouldn't have erased the scriptures Su Ying had copied without reason. However, with her grandson preparing for the Spring Imperial Examination, she truly didn't want to create any complications.
It seems that I have to find an opportunity to carefully explore what Ying'er is thinking.
After Su Ying finished copying the scripture, she returned to the side courtyard. She was dining with her aunt at the moment, so how could she have known that her single scripture had caused some consideration and caution in the eyes of the old lady and Du Heng?
Today my aunt specially made a hometown dish - assorted fried rice cakes.
I remember when I was at my grandparents' house, my grandmother often ate rice cakes instead of rice. Made from premium white fragrant rice, steamed and then finely pounded with a wooden mallet, the rice cakes were time-consuming and laborious to prepare, yet soft, glutinous, and bouncy, they were a renowned local delicacy. However, no matter how delicious they were, they became cloying after too much. At the time, she was still very young, and when she saw the rice cakes on the table, she pouted and said she wouldn't eat any.
However, how could she have imagined that she had never seen the rice cake slices that she once despised again since returning to the Su Mansion.
As the stepmother who had been promoted from a concubine to the mistress of the family, Lin had no intentions of kindness towards Su Ying. Upon her return, Lin allocated her a small courtyard far from the main courtyard. She said that Su Ying was already a grown woman and should live alone, lest others accuse her of being too harsh. In reality, she didn't want Su Ying to get too close to Master Su.
Su Ying's father, Su Jianrong, was a scholar, and childhood sweetheart with her mother while they were both students at the academy. However, his active mind prevented him from focusing on his studies, and after passing the examination, he made little progress. By then, her mother, Rong Zhilan, had already married her father, and since a woman must obey her husband, she had to give up the imperial examination and the family turned to business.
Because Su Jianrong was indeed eloquent and popular, his business was surprisingly booming. However, Su Ying's mother was not so lucky. She passed away just as she was experiencing the sweetness of hardship, giving her mistress an opportunity to take advantage of her.
Because Su Jianrong was often not at home to take care of the business, Lin used the fact that his younger siblings were still young and had irregular meal times, and she was afraid of disturbing the eldest daughter, so she asked Su Ying to set up a small kitchen in her own small side courtyard and withdraw firewood, rice, oil and salt at a fixed time and quantity every month.
With the second wife in power, the servants of the Su family naturally followed suit. Seeing that the mistress did not like the eldest daughter, they naturally became more and more negligent in their behavior.
The rice they sent was mostly old, and the firewood was often damp. Apparently, the supplies were delivered in good time, but very little was actually usable.
Of course, Su Ying would not let Lin succeed so easily. She had only been back for three months. If she did not take this opportunity to teach Lin a lesson, she would suffer in the future.
So she quietly accepted the daily necessities delivered from the kitchen every month as usual. However, unlike the first time, she calmly wrote down all the items she received in a notebook and counted them in front of everyone. Every time, she asked the delivery person to put his thumbprint on the place she wrote as a confirmation.
After quietly collecting old rice and firewood for two months, Su Jianrong finally returned home from outside.
"My dear Miss, Madam invites you to dine with us. Also, here are the new dresses and jewelry Madam made for you. Madam asks you to put them on before you go. Madam said that the master has just returned and he will be happy to see you in new clothes."
Lin's personal maid Chun Xing was arrogant. After she finished speaking, she winked at the little maid who was following behind her with clothes in her hands.
The little girl immediately stepped forward and wanted to change Su Ying's clothes.
Chun Xing did not leave, obviously she wanted to see Su Ying put on the new dress with her own eyes.
Su Ying ignored the little girl and looked at Chun Xing, who was motionless. She said sternly, "Chun Xing, you've been living in the Su family for many years with your master. How come you still don't know the rules?"
"I'm getting dressed, do you want to watch me too?"
Chun Xing was startled. She had always thought this young lady was docile, but she had never imagined she could be so fierce. Unable to make up her mind, she could only say, "Miss, please don't blame me." Then she obediently retreated to the courtyard and waited.
Su Ying also knew in her heart that this time she must seize the initiative and win back the advantage, otherwise there would be no next time.
So she told the little girl to give the clothes to her maid Xi Que, and sent the little girl away. After Xi Que carefully examined the dress and jewelry, she put them on.
However, the dress was so tight that it made her thin waist look very distinct. If someone who didn't know her saw it, they would really think she had taken good care of herself these days.
Su Ying laughed inwardly. It turned out that Lin also knew that I had not been eating well these days and was afraid that my father would find out!
After a cold snort, she finally put on the dress and left the yard, but she had already hidden a booklet in her sleeve.
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