Chapter 58: A little fake, but no sincerity
This was not the first time that her brother had helped her with her homework. In the past, he would always sit at the coffee table in the west corner of the study, explaining the homework to her while sipping tea.
For my brother, this was a short break, not serious reading.
But today, my brother walked to his rosewood desk, which was usually not accessible to anyone, and spread Sister Ying'er's article on it, then pressed it down with bluestone paper, as if he was going to appreciate the top scholar's article, very seriously.
These are two articles with completely different perspectives.
The piece on the left hand is written in delicate small calligraphy with flowers on the hairpin. The handwriting is clear and there is no mistake at all. Just by looking at the words, one can think of the tranquility and grace of the writer, which makes people yearn for it.
Du Heng read every word carefully. The whole article was filled with the writer's awe for the female virtues advocated by Ban Zhao, just like the first time he met her, that cautious, self-deprecating, weak and vulnerable girl.
Thinking of that day, he couldn't help but sigh.
Wanyi noticed that her brother looked a little serious and thought that he was not satisfied with Sister Ying'er's writing.
Impossible? The last time Sister Ying'er taught her a lesson, even Mr. Bai said it was good. This piece of writing was personally shown to her by Sister Ying'er. Even a brother who had read so many excellent works shouldn't be so depressed, like a dark cloud gathering over his head.
She felt something was wrong and started to defend herself: "This was written by my sister herself, and it's very well written. My brother is not a woman, and no matter how much he reads, he can't understand the Four Books and Five Classics for women."
Du Heng did not respond to his sister, but turned to look at the article on the right, and his eyes suddenly lit up.
If Du Heng had not seen the book title written in the thin gold script on Su Ying's borrowing and returning record, he would not have thought that the two articles on the left and right were written by the same person.
He had seen Su Ying's scripture written in Weibei style and was immediately struck by its beauty. He had assumed that, for a woman, Su Ying's mastery of not only the standard boudoir-style small regular script but also the Weibei style was truly astonishing. But he hadn't expected the surprise to be yet to come. He had assumed her use of the running script of the Slender Gold style to write the title of the Borrowing and Returning Record was just a touch of fun, but he hadn't realized it was her true specialty.
The writing was free and unrestrained, without a trace of weakness. The characters were graceful and the brushstrokes were clear and vigorous, reminding him of the graceful figure in the flower hall of the East Courtyard, calmly solving the trap of writing with ease.
He couldn't help but hold the article in his hands, as if this would bring him closer to the real her. He read each word softly, as if listening to the voice hidden in her heart.
Like him, she did not like male dominance over women and only wanted to treat them as equals.
She thought the same as he did. The word "diligence" applies to everyone, regardless of gender.
She said that filial piety to parents-in-law and filial piety to parents cannot be neglected at the expense of one while the other, and only those who are neither fathers nor mothers will not receive filial piety from their children.
He seemed to see her, despised and neglected by her stepmother and father. Although he knew very little about her life in Yueqing, having only heard fragments from his mother, he could clearly sense from her writing how she had stood alone and single-handedly against the hostility around her. Thinking back to that day in the library, how she had remained head high, neither humble nor overbearing despite being verbally pressured by her mother, he felt a strange knot in his stomach.
With him around, these things will never happen again!
Wanyi saw that her brother's brows were furrowed and his face was as cold as ice. Even if Sister Ying'er's writing was really not as good as her brother's, she didn't need to be so nervous. He was like a bow that was about to shoot an arrow that would pierce the heart. No one should approach him.
Her brother was tall and slender, so she could only stand on tiptoe and stretch her neck to barely see the article written by Sister Ying'er in his hand.
"Oops, I got the wrong one! This isn't Sister Ying'er's homework!"
Wanyi thought to herself, no wonder her brother looked so unhappy, it turned out that she had brought the piece of paper that Sister Ying'er was writing on for fun.
As she spoke, she was about to take the paper back from her brother. She was not tall to begin with, and her brother was a head and a half taller than her. Just as she was about to jump with all her might, her brother turned around and gently put the paper into his sleeve.
Wanyi was anxious. Was her brother planning to find Sister Ying'er and ask for an explanation?
"Brother, this is just something Sister Ying'er did for fun. It doesn't count. Don't scold her."
When Du Heng heard this, he asked inexplicably, "When did I say I was going to lecture someone?"
Wanyi muttered unconsciously, "It's a pity there's no bronze mirror in the study. Why don't you go ask Chunnuan for a small mirror?"
She shook her brother's sleeve and asked, "Then why did you accept Sister Ying'er's playful writing but not her serious homework? It's obvious that you think her writing is not good enough and want to argue with her."
"Brother, dear brother, I really took this by mistake, and Sister Ying'er didn't intend to show it to anyone. Please return the paper to me!"
After his sister's explanation and pleading, Du Heng felt that he had been a little rash, so he took the paper out of his sleeve, but he was reluctant and handed it over.
A thought suddenly came to him, and he pretended to be serious and said, "I can return it to you, but this article is indeed heretical. To prevent it from causing great disaster in the future, you must promise me one thing."
Wanyi hadn't expected Sister Ying'er's words to be so serious. She naturally believed her brother's words, so she nodded repeatedly and said, "I will listen to you, brother. Just don't make things difficult for Sister Ying'er. It must have been an unintentional mistake. Please don't blame me, brother."
Du Heng saw her panic, his expression still solemn, but a hint of a smile flickered in his eyes. He forced himself to calm down, but his tone was no longer cold and harsh: "Since you don't want me to scold her, you can't just ignore the things that need to be pointed out and leave them alone."
He paused, then changed his tone. "How about this? I'll do the homework review for you. I'll write a review based on your handwriting, and you can give it to her. It won't hurt her, and it won't break the rules either. Okay?"
Wanyi listened attentively and nodded immediately, "Brother, this is a great idea! This way, Sister Ying'er will know where the problem lies in the article, but she won't feel ashamed knowing it was you who pointed it out. It's the perfect solution!"
Seeing that his sister had no objection, Du Heng took out a new book from the secret drawer of his desk. After turning to the first page, he specially selected a soft-tipped sheep's hair brush and imitated his sister's handwriting, writing:
"Today, I have carefully read this article. It is well-organized and every sentence is relevant. It is obvious that the author has memorized the meaning of the "Instructions for Women" by heart.
......
The whole article quotes classics, especially taking the example of a woman from Qi, who "refused to remarry after her husband died, served her parents-in-law, and adhered to the virtues of a wife." Such a filial wife echoes the three virtues of filial piety to parents-in-law in the title, and is well-reasoned and to the point.
…”
Just as Su Ying made up nonsense in her article, he also made up nonsense in his comments. As he wrote, he couldn't help but smile.
After finishing one page of comments, he turned to the second page, suppressed his smile, paused for a moment, and then slowly wrote down what was in his heart: "Unfortunately, my own thoughts are not reflected in the article. It is like a parrot imitating others. Although the writing is well-organized, it seems a bit fake and does not reflect my true feelings."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
