Chapter 53 I apologize to my cousin again
Although Rong's words were not explicit, they were straightforward, not to mention that the person who obeyed him was Du Heng.
"Don't worry, nephew understands!"
Du Heng bowed and was respectful.
When Rong saw him, she looked educated. She thought Heng'er already knew what she meant, and a satisfied smile gradually appeared on her face.
Brother Heng is a first-class person in both knowledge and character.
She neither brought them together nor stopped them, just watched them do whatever they wanted.
Ying'er couldn't give him a family background or a future. If he had great ambitions, it would be better for everyone if he gave up on them now. If he was truly interested, he could forge his own path.
Having achieved her goal, Rong Shi then turned her attention to the household. She looked at Du Heng and said sternly, "Laba has passed, and the Little New Year is coming soon. Today is my first day in charge of the household, and Second Aunt needs to borrow your help."
Du Heng's expression also froze, and he said respectfully, "Second Aunt, please speak."
"Hurry up and gather the steward and the housekeeper's maid to the side hall of the East Courtyard to report the matter. Let Qingquan stay with me for the next three days. I need someone who can pass on messages and run errands."
Su Ying, who was left alone in the side courtyard, naturally had no idea that her aunt had taken over the household affairs. She just wondered why her aunt had been gone for so long and still hadn't returned.
Even though her aunt reassured her about the commotion in the library yesterday, she still felt uneasy, as if something was still unresolved. Cheng was the head of the household, after all. Could this matter really just be over?
After thinking for a moment, she decided to go.
As mentioned before, the side courtyard is close to the corner gate for servants to enter and exit, so it is inevitable that you will meet some servants or maids who are responsible for purchasing or doing chores on the way.
In the past, servants would occasionally stop and call her "Miss Cousin" when they passed by, but today was unusual. The servants and maids, whether they were busy or not, all stopped to greet her.
"Miss Cousin, this servant greets you."
"Good morning, cousin."
After walking a few steps, a maid holding a broom came forward and said politely, "Miss Cousin, early this morning, I, an old woman, cleaned the entrance to the library. If you need any extra care, just ask Miss Taoxi to call me. My surname is Zhang. If you don't mind, you can call me Aunt Zhang."
Su Ying was startled. Who was Taoxi? After hearing what Zhang Pozi said, she stopped on her way to the East Courtyard and decided to go to the library first.
She knew she was innocent of what happened yesterday, but she still felt a lingering fear. When she reached the door of the library, she involuntarily stopped, as if hesitating.
Unexpectedly, the door of the library was opened at this time, and a cute little girl came out with a dustpan in her hand, who seemed to have just cleaned the library.
When Taoxi saw Su Ying, she placed her dustpan on the ground, bowed politely to Su Ying, and said, "Miss Cousin, your servant Taoxi will be working in the library from today on."
Before Su Ying could ask, she introduced herself: "I used to work in the front yard. Because I can read a few words, I was assigned to the library to serve my cousin."
Seeing Taoxi's respectful attitude, although Su Ying was still confused, she did not want to stay at the door any longer to avoid attracting the attention of the servants passing by, so she went inside.
The front yard of the library was indeed, as Mrs. Zhang had said, spotlessly clean, no longer the mess of yesterday. She crossed the front yard and stepped into the library. It was equally tidy and clean. The items on the desk hadn't been changed, and in fact, there were some larger items.
Taoxi followed behind Su Ying. Seeing her cousin pause for a moment, she looked in the direction she was standing. Understanding the situation, she explained, "My cousin manages the library, so she always needs to wash her hands. I took the liberty of adding this washbasin stand so she won't have to go in and out so often in the future."
Su Ying said nothing, but took a few steps closer. It was a six-legged, full-length huanghuali wood washbasin stand. From its highest point, two rounded corners, each decorated with Ganoderma lucidum, extended outwards. A plain handkerchief hung from one corner, evidently for wiping hands. A copper basin, filled with water, rested securely on the stand, its rim emblazoned with delicate ripples.
"This washbasin stand is no ordinary item. Where did you get it? And the items on the desk are all registered in your son's name. Why haven't you taken them away yet?"
Su Ying noticed that the number of items in the library had increased instead of decreased, and her doubts grew even more intense: "Who sent you here? Do you have the consent of the First Madam?"
"The library belongs to the Second Madam. Since you were sent here, why do you continue to mix up and misuse items that don't belong to the Second Madam? Aren't you afraid of being blamed by the ladies?"
She had no idea what had happened since she and her aunt left yesterday. Today, from the moment she left the side courtyard, everything seemed unusual. Even Taoxi, who claimed to have been transferred from the front courtyard, seemed to know everything, yet remained vague.
She had originally thought of escaping the Su family and seeking refuge with her aunt, thinking she would just wait a year and find a stable family to marry into. Who would have thought that within just a month, she would be framed for no reason.
It may be said that once bitten by a snake, she will be afraid of ropes for ten years, but she just doesn't want to be harmed and framed for no reason again. The humiliation that she had suppressed in her heart all night finally burst out here.
Just as she was getting nervous, a gentle voice came from afar: "These items have been approved by Second Aunt and are all registered in the name of the Library."
Su Ying turned around suddenly when she heard that.
The library faces east, and the sun is just rising. Du Heng stands outside the door, blocking most of the glaring sunlight.
He nodded to Su Ying and walked into the library. Following behind him was not Qingquan, but another servant with equally clever eyes and eyebrows.
Taoxi saw the young master arrive and stood aside behind Fu. The servant also bowed to Su Ying and then stood guard at the door. The two of them were in the same room with their masters, but they kept a proper distance. Just like Du Heng looking at Su Ying at this moment, upright and honest.
He said, "The library is the labor of my second uncle and second aunt. After my second uncle passed away, it was managed by my second aunt alone. All the items were purchased under my second aunt's name. This is due to the negligence of the mansion. From yesterday on, all expenses of the library will be managed by the public office."
"My cousin is helping Second Aunt sort out the catalog of the library. Although it's out of kindness, it's also a great effort for the Du family. My cousin is a guest, how can I burden her with such trouble? So I've sent Taoxi here. I hope you won't refuse."
"Yesterday's incident was all a misunderstanding. The servants involved have handled it appropriately. I would like to apologize to my cousin again."
As he spoke, he bowed to Su Ying with a sincere tone.
"Cousin, you are too kind!"
It was not until this time that Su Ying's doubts were completely dispelled. She was just a little at a loss. In the past, she was used to solving all crises by herself, but now she didn't have to do anything, and the matter had been resolved by others.
Du Heng looked at Su Ying in front of him. Her face was no longer as pale as yesterday, but her eyes seemed to still have some lingering fear.
It's hard to tell whether it was out of pity or guilt, but Du Heng perked up and said, "I'm here today to return a book. I heard that my cousin has established a set of rules for borrowing and returning books, but Qingquan didn't quite understand it that day, so I thought it would be better to come and ask in person. My cousin also knows that I'm preparing for the exam and will come to the library from time to time to borrow books. Knowing the rules will prevent you from disrupting your cousin's hard work."
After saying this, the servant who was standing at the door took out the "Analects of Confucius with Zheng's Commentary" from his bosom and presented the book to Su Ying with both hands.
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