Chapter 8: Inquiring Mind
When Cheng placed the kingfisher hairpin on Su Ying's head, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly. She would definitely stay away from Du Heng from now on. She also hoped that this young master Du would truly live up to everyone's expectations and win the imperial examination. Otherwise, he would be just as good as anyone could find!
On the other hand, Du Heng, who was in the old lady's main hall, naturally didn't know that he, whom everyone had to address as "Sir", had been treated as a person who should be avoided and not be mentioned.
He knew deep down that ever since his father's death, his mother had become overly concerned about him and Wanyi. This concern wasn't just about his imperial examinations or Wanyi's upbringing, but about whether she would one day lose someone or something that was hers. Just like she had never imagined she would one day lose the husband she had spent her life with.
So, when he saw his mother happily showing Wanyi the jade bracelet given by her second aunt, he vaguely sensed his mother's unhappiness.
As expected, his mother turned to his second aunt's weak niece, Su Ying. He had intended to interrupt and stop his mother, but his grandmother had gotten ahead of him and given Su Ying a favor. He gave up the idea and didn't say a word.
He hoped his mother wouldn't be too harsh on Su Ying. Living in the mansion like this, and being so cautious in her behavior, if she was criticized too much, it would only offend Second Aunt and make things awkward for everyone. After all, today was Wanyi's birthday.
Unexpectedly, when they came back, Su Ying actually got her mother's permission and helped her back to the main room.
Su Ying, like before, lowered her head and eyes, remaining quiet. But it was precisely this lowering of her head and eyebrows that allowed people to see the new hairpin on her head.
"So Sister Ying picked this kingfisher hairpin!"
Du Wanyi, who was standing at the desk with Du Heng, put down her copy of "A Thousand Poems" and walked forward, saying happily, "I have the same hairpin. It seems that you and I have the same taste."
Su Ying let Du Wanyi pull her to the old lady, but she just smiled shyly and didn't answer.
"You have good taste. This hairpin is just right for your beautiful age."
The old lady nodded approvingly. Although she didn't know Su Ying well, she knew Cheng Shi very well. Seeing Cheng Shi take a seat at the lower right, she felt much more at ease. In her heart, she couldn't help but think more highly of Su Ying. You know, Cheng Shi's temper couldn't be easily appeased by simply showing weakness.
Su Ying took over the old lady's words at this time and said, "My aunt is generous and asked the maid to bring a lot of exquisite jewelry. But I am not knowledgeable and I like everything I see. In the end, it was my aunt who helped me choose. If you want to talk about taste, it has to be my aunt."
This was a great honor, and Cheng raised her lips and said, "You are a good child. If you get bored in the side courtyard in the future, you can keep Wanyi company."
After Su Ying thanked Cheng again, she obediently wanted to stand behind Rong, but at this time Du Wanyi pulled her to the desk.
Su Ying saw Du Heng was also there, so she stood there calmly and said to Du Wanyi, "Sister Wanyi, what do you want me to see?"
Du Wanyi didn't notice anything was wrong, so she stopped and smiled at Su Ying, "Grandmother was just testing my brother and me on our poetry. Sister Ying, are you here to join in the fun?"
Su Ying smiled and shook her head, saying, "I'm not good at poetry. If I go, I'll look timid. Please forgive me, dear sister!"
After saying this, she hid behind Rong with a shy look on her face.
Although Cheng didn't know whether what Su Ying said was true or not, she just saw that she did what she said and did not go to the desk where Du Heng was. She felt relieved and focused on drinking tea.
Rong was the only person in the house who knew Su Ying's hidden talents. Her niece had never attended school, yet she spent every day at her father's academy. Take, for example, the "Thousand Family Poems" that Du Wanyi had just read. Before she got married, when Su Ying was about six or seven years old, the little girl had already memorized the book by heart.
However, Rong's face did not show any expression. She knew that her niece must have her own intentions in doing this, so when Su Ying stood back beside her, she gently patted Su Ying's hands, which were clasped in front of her, as if to comfort and encourage her, as if to say, Aunt is here.
The old lady didn't know the depth of Su Ying's knowledge, but she was knowledgeable after all. Moreover, she knew the Rong family well, so she thought that this clever child might not want to go beyond Wanyi. So she said nothing, but kindly urged her granddaughter, "Didn't you say you wanted to take a break on your birthday today? Grandmother will give you an easy test today. If you say it well, I will make the decision for your mother and let you do whatever you like that day!"
"Are you serious?"
Du Wanyi was asking questions to her grandmother, but her almond-shaped eyes were looking at her mother, Cheng, which showed that Cheng was very strict with her.
Because Su Ying claimed that she didn't know how to do it, Cheng felt that her daughter was better than Su Ying. In other words, she was a good parent and was better than Rong. She was very proud of herself, so she smiled without saying anything, which was considered as tacit approval.
Seeing this, Du Wanyi started writing with great interest.
As Wanyi wrote, Du Heng's mind wandered. This Su Ying, it seemed, wasn't as simple as he had previously thought. Though her demeanor suggested weakness and vulnerability, her expression held a subtle air of self-possession and grace.
And why did she claim she wasn't good at poetry? But she came from the Rong family, a family steeped in scholarship, so how could she not even claim to be proficient in the Thousand Family Poems?
What is even more surprising is that the mother used to call her Miss Su, but now she tacitly allows Su Ying to call her Aunt.
All of this seemed strange, yet not strange; plausible, yet irrational. Unconsciously, the young scholar had developed a desire to explore.
Just as his mind was wandering, he suddenly felt someone waving his hand in front of him. Du Heng put away his thoughts, coughed lightly to cover himself up, and then looked down.
At this time, Wanyi had already written down what her grandmother asked her to write: "Sparse shadows slant across the shallow water, and faint fragrance floats in the moonlight at dusk."
He took a look at it and nodded, saying, "This handwriting is better than before." He then signaled Wanyi that she could take the handwriting to her grandmother to ask for praise.
Du Wanyi certainly believed what her brother said, so she couldn't wait to present the letter to her grandmother.
After studying it for a moment, the old lady asked, "Wanyi, can you appreciate the beauty of these two sentences?"
Du Wanyi said confidently, "The key points of these two lines lie in the words 'sparse shadows' and 'hidden fragrance'. The word 'sparse shadows' embodies the agility of the plum branches, and 'hidden fragrance' is even more wonderful, making the plum fragrance seem as if it can be actually smelled!"
"Well done! It shows you haven't been lazy these past few days." The old lady nodded with satisfaction. Then she looked at her grandson sitting at the desk and beckoned, "Brother Heng, tell me your opinion."
Du Heng stepped forward upon hearing the call and replied earnestly, "Grandson thinks Wanyi's words make sense. If I must add a further thought, I think 'the water is clear and shallow' is the most wonderful part of this poem."
"Oh?" The old lady raised her eyes.
Du Heng humbly explained, "Only in the clear and shallow water can the slanting plum branches be reflected. And only in the clear and shallow water can the subtle fragrance be traced."
Su Ying's brows moved slightly. She naturally knew that this poem was from a fragment of the Southern Tang Dynasty. The original poem was "Shadows of bamboo slant across the shallow water, and the fragrance of osmanthus floats in the moonlight at dusk."
Therefore, the true beauty of this poem lies in changing "bamboo" to "sparse" and "osmanthus" to "dark." This change makes the plum blossom both vivid and vivid, and the artistic conception is reborn. In her opinion, Wanyi's appreciation is correct, and Du Heng's comments are just so-so.
Su Ying thought, could it be that he was deliberately restraining his edge in order to flatter his sister because of her birthday?
If not, based on this comment alone, she really didn't believe that Du Heng had the potential to pass the imperial examination.
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