Chapter 9 Is that Du Heng really the top scorer?
"Su Ying is a good kid. For Ruolan's sake, please give her some respect!"
The old lady gifted Su Ying a jade Buddhist bracelet, and naturally, Du Wanyi, whose birthday was today, couldn't be left out. After praising Wanyi's dedication to her studies, the old lady ordered a long-prepared white jade hairpin engraved with three plum blossoms to be given to Du Wanyi as a birthday gift. Legend has it that when Wanyi was born, the plum trees in the Du Mansion were in full bloom, making it difficult to tell whether the whiteness of the trees was snow or plum blossoms.
"Thank you, Grandma."
Wanyi squatted obediently in front of the old lady, and the old lady personally put a hairpin on her head. Just as she was about to stand up, she was stopped by the old lady.
"You are such a good boy, how can you only have one gift?"
Seeing Du Wanyi's surprise, the old lady's eyes were filled with love. She asked someone to present Du Wanyi with a small inkstone made of clear clay. The bottom of the inkstone also had a few winter plum blossoms painted on it. She said, "You study hard, and your handwriting is becoming more and more organized. This inkstone is a reward for your literary appreciation today. I hope you will study harder in the future."
Afterwards, the old lady dismissed everyone and kept only Cheng.
"Don't be afraid that the child will go beyond Wanyi."
The old lady knew what Cheng was worried about and said, "Her father is a nobody. There are only a few good families in the capital. As in-laws, we should at least help her find a good one among those few. It would also be a way of fulfilling our kinship."
"Wanyi is different. Even though the eldest brother has gone, he is still a minister of the Ministry of Rites. When Hengge'er enters high school next year, Wanyi's status will only rise. By then, you will be dazzled by the choices."
Cheng Shi felt a little embarrassed when her mother-in-law was so blunt. She quickly replied, "Mother, your teaching is correct, and I have learned my lesson. I understand that you love Wanyi. Don't worry, whatever Wanyi has, Ying'er will have too."
On the way back to the side courtyard, Rong noticed that Su Ying seemed lost in thought. She thought she was thinking about Cheng, so she tried to comfort her, "But what did your aunt say about you?"
Rong sighed slightly and continued, "She has always been arrogant and has suffered a lot over the years. You did a great job today. Don't pay attention to what she said. Just listen to it and forget it."
Su Ying smiled and shook her head, "I didn't take it to heart."
To be honest, her stepmother, Mrs. Lin, has many more tricks than Mrs. Cheng.
"Aunt, there's something I don't understand."
If it's not because of Cheng, then why? Rong asked Su Ying to continue.
Su Ying asked, "Is that Du Heng really the top scholar?"
The reason why Cheng warned her son was because she felt that his future was promising and she was worried that her coming at this time would disturb Du Heng's mind.
As an unmarried girl, she couldn't tell her aunt everything Cheng had said. The only thing she couldn't understand was, "Why do you think Du Heng will definitely pass the imperial examination?"
"Today he commented on Lin Bu's famous lines from 'Two Poems on Plum Blossoms in a Mountain Garden,' but I felt they weren't as insightful as what Sister Wanyi said."
Unexpectedly, when my aunt heard this, she couldn't help laughing and said, "You! I always praise you for your intelligence, so why are you so confused now?"
The aunt paused, deliberately letting Su Ying think for herself. It was obvious that she still hadn't realized it, so she continued to enlighten her, "The old lady is testing you on Thousands of Poems. You could recite it by heart as a child, so how could Heng'er not know it?"
Su Ying still insisted, saying, "Even if he knows this poem by heart, what's the point? He's claiming the three words 'clear water' are the most wonderful part. Isn't that just ridiculous?"
She clearly remembered her grandfather saying, "If this poem focuses on water, it will fall into clichés."
What Du Heng said before was clearly contrary to what my grandfather said.
Rong smiled and scratched Su Ying's nose, explaining, "When your grandfather commented on this poem with his students, his intention was to help them understand the structure of the poem. Heng'er's commentary on this poem wasn't about the 'structure' but about the 'meaning'. Do you understand now?"
Su Ying understood what her aunt meant. It was just like her grandmother teaching her how to make Zhenjiang spareribs. She'd been teaching her from the very beginning, starting with heating the oil in a wok. The key was the order of steps. As long as the order was right, a little more or less sugar wouldn't make a big difference.
The meaning of "meaning" that my aunt mentioned is like this: some people think that adding just one point more vinegar than sugar is the essence of a dish. Just one point less, or an equal amount, won't have the perfect balance of sweet and sour.
Su Ying was speechless for a moment, but a hint of half-belief and half-doubt could be seen on her face. Her little look really made Rong Shi laugh.
"But you did a good job today!"
After Rong Shi finished laughing, she stopped teasing her and gently patted Su Ying's head, saying in approval, "I see that you've been deliberately concealing your shortcomings and giving Wanyi enough face. You didn't steal the spotlight on her birthday. That's very good."
Unexpectedly, Rong sighed again and said, "I just wronged you."
"Aunt." Su Ying didn't want her aunt to be sad, so she quickly said, "If it weren't for you, I would be truly wronged in Yueqing!"
"It's just that there's still more than a year until the Spring Examination. I've told my aunt that I'll be spending my days in the side courtyard peacefully. I'm not afraid of anything else, but I'm afraid of having nothing to do and having a mouth to feed for nothing, while my aunt's side courtyard is completely empty."
If Du Heng could see the verbal banter between Su Ying and Rong, he would definitely not be able to imagine that the cousin he thought was cowardly could have such a humorous side.
Su Ying's joke actually reminded Rong.
"I was just planning to sort out your uncle's library, but unfortunately I don't have enough people around. Now that you're here, I don't have to worry anymore. Better today than tomorrow. I'll take you to the library right now!"
The library was originally the study of Su Ying's uncle. Although it was close to the side courtyard, it happened to be located on a path leading to the front yard. It was the couple who planned and renovated it when their uncle was still alive.
At this point, we have to mention the second master of the Du family, Du Kejian. He was well-educated and had good writing skills. If he had not been weak since childhood, his future would definitely not be limited to being the director of the Imperial College.
Because he had been weak since childhood and had a somewhat arrogant and stubborn personality, he kept saying "Only by studying can one achieve success" and was not interested in women. In fact, he felt that his ideal woman only appeared in books, not in the real world.
But he never expected that on the wedding night, as he rubbed his lower back, where his father had kicked him, he approached the veiled bride sitting on the bridal bed. The bride flung off her red veil herself, her beautiful eyes glaring with anger, yet his heart fluttered. He only heard the bride say bitterly, "If you don't want to marry me, I don't want to marry either! Let's go and explain everything to your parents. I'm going back to Yandang Mountain tonight!"
Unexpectedly, the usually eloquent Imperial College Dean Du Kejian actually stuttered at this moment: "My parents' orders and the matchmaker's words. How can I, how can I just say I won't marry? I, I heard that you are a famous talented woman in Yueqing, but it seems that your reputation is just empty."
Du Kejian's words actually irritated Rong Ruolan. On their wedding night, the two of them competed in poetry and prose, and as they did so, they fell in love with each other and put down the wedding curtains.
From then on, the couple shared similar interests and worked together to create the current library.
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