Chapter 18 Farewell to the Years (Part Six) Shoulders level, waist straight, completely embracing Zhi Rou…
The banquet garden was brightly lit. Their eyes met, one filled with surprise and grievance, the other with worry but unable to contain herself.
After parting ways at Qiyun Garden, Zhi Rou and Wei Yuanzhan never spoke another word to each other.
Right now, the only person who came to check on her was him. Zhi Rou's heart stirred slightly, and she felt a complex mix of emotions.
Gradually, Mingcan's eyes became a little blurry. She lowered her face, staring only at her ankles, without saying a word.
Wei Yuanzhan frowned, turned around and glanced around, finally spotting Lan Ye watching the commotion not far away. He called her back and whispered, "She's injured, you treat her."
Lan Ye's thoughts were still on Jiang Yun and the vicious dog. When he heard the order, he was first stunned, then glanced at the girl on the ground, and then looked at Wei Yuanzhan, feeling very troubled.
Although the girl had offended their grandfather, she was just a boy back then, so it wasn't a big deal. But now... how could he possibly lay a hand on a girl and teach her a lesson?
Wei Yuanzhan, unaware of what he was dawdling about, urged him on. Lan Ye only caught the latter half of the sentence, and seeing how insistent he was, he had no choice but to steel himself and prepare to resort to some methods.
Before his true colors were revealed, Wei Yuanzhan grabbed his arm from behind: "Are you confused? I told you to heal her."
Lan Ye paused, then scratched the back of his neck in distress: "Master, how could I know how to treat people? Chang Huai should have done it..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wei Yuanzhan raised an eyebrow at him, as if to say: "Do you see Changhuai here?"
Helpless, he glanced awkwardly at Zhi Rou, pondered for a while, and then took out a bottle of medicine to relieve pain and reduce swelling from his pocket.
That was prepared for Wei Yuanzhan year after year.
Lan Ye crouched down in front of Zhi Rou, looking completely at a loss before even speaking.
Zhi Rou understood, quickly took the porcelain bottle, turned it to a direction where no one could see her, swiftly pulled down her boots and socks, poured out the medicated oil, and applied it to her ankle.
After a while, the medicine began to take effect, and the injury was no longer as unbearable as before. Zhi Rou managed a slight smile again and said to Lan Ye, "Thank you, big brother."
After speaking, he glanced furtively at Wei Yuanzhan, wondering if he had heard him.
On the other side, Jiang Yun had just recalled his greyhound Xuanwei. Seeing that it had caught a rabbit, his eyes flickered slightly, and he turned his head to look at a silent person in the corner.
Last time it was him who presented the shaman's prophecy and his mother, saying that Xuanwei was an ominous sign. It was also a few days before he invited the prophecy that Xuanwei attacked him.
Jiang Yun clenched his fists in front of his robe, about to take a step, when a thin figure rushed over from the side, grabbed his hand, and said fiercely, "Go apologize to my friend!"
He was already angry and pushed Jiang Luoya away: "What friend?" He looked down at Xuanwei, and when he looked up again to find the person, he had already left. Only Shen Min and the servants of the Jiang family were busy cleaning up the mess.
Jiang Luoya refused to give up and dragged Jiang Jun along, determined to make him apologize to Zhi Rou in person.
Therefore, when Zhi Rou regained her strength and stood up, she saw the Jiang siblings walking over with their greyhound.
She was still shaken and stood slightly to the side.
Wei Yuanzhan noticed her movement, his eyebrows furrowed slightly, and then he took a step in front of her without making a sound.
The boy, just over ten years old, with long arms and legs, and straight shoulders and waist, completely covered Zhi Rou.
Seeing this, Jiang Luoya understood a bit. She handed the rope she had just put on Xuanwei to a servant, walked around the boy, and looked Zhirou up and down several times.
"Are you alright? I've sent my brother to apologize to you." Turning to call Jiang Yun, Zhi Rou soon saw another figure standing before her.
When Jiang Luoya shouted "Brother!", Wei Yuanzhan glanced at Jiang Yun out of the corner of his eye. Seeing that they seemed to know Zhi Rou, he paused for a moment, then walked away.
Under the lamplight, Jiang Yun stood before the girl, suppressing his annoyance, and explained helplessly, "Xuanwei isn't usually like this, but today..."
He swallowed his words halfway through and fell silent.
Dogs chasing rabbits is a common game in the countryside, and Zhi Rou has seen it many times, so she doesn't find it strange. But today, when the greyhound came at her, it was truly frightening.
On second thought, the presence of a dog at the banquet was a sign of Young Master Jiang's arrogance, but the wild rabbit... seemed rather coincidental.
Zhi Rou's mind raced. Not wanting to get involved in other people's family affairs, she stretched her limbs and said that she was fine and would not blame Xuan Wei.
Jiang Yun naturally followed the steps offered to her, and before leaving, she said, "I'm sorry."
Jiang Luoya turned to look at Zhirou and whispered, "Mother has already sent someone to fetch a physician. If you are injured anywhere, call the physician to come and take a look."
After saying that, she winked at her, her eyes shining like golden plum blossoms in the sunlight. Zhi Rou then laughed again, her voice clear and playful: "You're so considerate."
Before long, the wall of people surrounding Song Hanjin gradually loosened, and from the outside, her clothes could finally be seen.
Jiang Luoya glanced in the direction of the sound and had been wondering for a moment, but finally couldn't help asking, "Why didn't your mother and brother come to see you? The Third Miss seems to be alright."
Zhi Rou wanted to reply: That's not my brother, nor is it my mother.
But for some reason, she held it in, only smiled, and said in a nonchalant tone, "Because I'm fine too."
After the chase, the table was in disarray, with people standing in small groups. Some, feeling tired, excused themselves and took their families home; others, like the Sheng family, who had closer ties with the Jiang family, remained seated without changing their expressions.
Wei Mingying sat down with Madam Sheng, peeling tangerines slowly and deliberately, seemingly absorbed in the lively atmosphere. When Wei Yuanzhan approached, she placed the tangerines on the table and smiled at him.
I am able to enter Shen Garden today thanks to Wei Yuanzhan.
She threatened her mother by telling her that he went to Qiyun Garden before dawn every day, forcing him to find a way to come out and attend the banquet. If she hadn't come today, she might have missed many interesting things here.
Wei Yuanzhan walked to Madam Sheng's side, bowed to her, and then strolled over to Wei Mingying's side, glancing sideways: "Have you stayed long enough? You can go back to the manor now."
"You're quite familiar with Fourth Sister, aren't you?" Wei Mingying ignored his question, her gaze lingering on his face. "I saw it all."
Wei Yuanzhan lifted his robe and sat down casually: "What do you see?"
Wei Mingying stared at him with a slight smirk: "Didn't you say that Fourth Sister has nothing to do with us and that we shouldn't provoke her?"
That was several months ago, but the words did indeed come from his mouth, word for word.
Wei Yuanzhan was silent for a moment, then said, "I feel sorry for her."
At this point, Wei Mingying's smile faded slightly: "She is pitiful. But why should Aunt bring her along?"
Returning home at dusk, Zhi Rou took advantage of the fact that no one was in the room and rolled up her trousers, exposing her slender calves to the yellow light. One spot was noticeably bulging, and compared to when she saw it in Shen Garden, it seemed to have a few more scattered bluish-purple hues.
Zhi Rou thought to herself, "What bad luck." She sighed, leaned back on the bed, stared at the ceiling, and Wei Yuanzhan's face appeared before her eyes.
They didn't get along from the start, and after several encounters, she found him utterly detestable. At the family school, the two remained silent, likely because of the persimmon incident, both harboring resentment.
But Wei Yuanzhan's actions tonight completely changed Zhi Rou's impression of him, and she was filled with thoughts of how to repay him.
By the time Zhi Rou's leg had fully recovered, it was New Year's Day.
She moved freely, like a little spirit beast, demonstrating her martial arts skills in Lin He's house.
It was called martial arts, but in reality it was just a few sets of punches and kicks that she had secretly learned in Jiangnan. Although they had no rules or methods, they were indeed effective for self-defense.
Seeing that she was covered in sweat but still beaming with joy, Lin He smiled and waved her over, "Take a break, come and sit down."
Zhi Rou wiped her face, then sat down and took a big gulp of tea.
Lin He looked her over for a while: "You haven't been going to the family school these past few days, have you fallen behind in your studies?"
“I’ve been reciting my lessons every day!” She put down her teacup. “Mother, I’ll recite what I learned yesterday for you.”
He stood up, gathered his clothes, put one hand behind his back, and cleared his throat twice.
He said in a clear voice: "The owl flies gracefully, gathers in the forest, eats my mulberries, and cherishes my sweet voice. The Huai barbarians come to present their treasures, tortoise shells and ivory, and great gifts of southern gold."
Lin He nodded: "What is the meaning of the first sentence?"
"The owl flew swiftly through the air, and as it flew, it landed in the woods by the Pan Pond. It ate my mulberries, so it sang a beautiful song in return. The implication is that even an owl knows how to seek something in return, so how much more should a human do?"
After Zhi Rou finished speaking eloquently, she looked over with a hint of self-satisfaction and asked, "Mother, am I right?"
The child's words were innocent and simple, which made Lin He smile: "Not bad."
Then he asked, "How is your handwriting? You've been studying at the home school for three months, I wonder if you've made any progress. Write down the two lines you just recited and let me see them."
Zhi Rou has a habit: she never tries to read too much. She can read and memorize what she reads, but copying words from memory is a different matter.
If you ask her to write now, she can only make out two lines of text no matter how hard she tries. She has no idea how to write each stroke properly.
But the appearance was very convincing.
She stood still for a moment, then took a writing brush from Lin He and began to write. Her characters, though unremarkable, were powerful and vigorous, much sharper than those of other children her age.
After finishing her writing, Zhi Rou put down her pen and glanced at the paper with bright eyes: "Mother, please take a look."
He wanted to laugh inside, but said aloud, "You're just trying to fool me."
Since it was the Spring Festival, I didn't want to be too restrictive with her, so I took a red envelope and handed it to her, saying gently, "May you have good fortune and a long life, and live in peace and safety."
At noon, the whole family ate together, and Madam Song made an exception for Lin He, allowing her to sit down at the table as well.
The younger generation occupied a table by themselves, and around the few small dishes that had been laid out, they casually touched their chopsticks as if to say so, but their interest had long been lost on the stage set up outside, and they were just waiting to see the new play staged by Huiwen Pavilion.
Zhi Rou was the youngest, and her seat was towards the inside of the room, directly opposite her two older brothers who were talking to each other.
The second young master was the son of the eldest son's family, two years younger than Song Qiyu, and also had a nice name, Song Qizhang. Perhaps resembling the eldest wife, he had a rather effeminate appearance, but his temperament was as bright as the sun.
He was smiling at Song Qiyu when he glanced at Zhi Rou's listless gaze. As if remembering something, he suddenly said, "Fourth Sister, let's talk somewhere else."
Zhi Rou immediately jumped off the stool and followed him outside.
The others looked over in confusion.
"What are they plotting?" Song Hanxu, the eldest daughter of the household, muttered to her younger sister.
Song Hanyin shook her head: "It started a few days ago. I often see my second brother talking to my fourth sister at the family school. I really don't know how they got along so well."
Just then, Song Hanjin casually replied, "Birds of a feather flock together."
The tone was neither too high nor too low, just enough to reach the ears of the older brothers and sisters at the same table.
Song Hanxu and Song Hanyin are both eldest daughters of the main branch of the family. Although they are usually close to Song Hanjin, they couldn't help but feel unhappy after hearing such a remark.
The two women frowned slightly, about to lash out, when Song Qiyu spoke up just in time to defend her, saying, "Sister, don't be angry. My sister was just joking; she didn't mean anything by it."
Upon hearing the words, Song Hanjin realized she had misspoke, lowered her eyes, and flicked her chopsticks, saying, "I misspoke."
Because it was winter, the sky was always gloomy and never clear.
Song Qizhang darted into the doorway for a moment, then quickly turned back, his eyes shining brightly in the shadows.
"Fourth sister, I've bought the things you asked me to buy. When will you take me to the river to catch fish?"
"It's too cold now, we should at least wait until spring." Zhi Rou glanced back into the house, paused, and then asked, "Second brother, where are the things?"
"I'll have someone send it to you in a bit."
After Song Qizhang finished answering, his gaze fell strangely on Zhi Rou. He then spoke again, with a hint of worry in his voice: "Are you going to use it against Song Peiyu?"
A few days ago, Song Peiyu found her fourth sister's pet turtle from who-knows-where and ruthlessly dyed its shell red.
Song Qizhang and Zhi Rou got along very well. After hearing her talk about Luozhou, he thought about experiencing all the places she described. Spending time together like this, he found his fourth sister to be a truly interesting person and couldn't bear to see her get into trouble.
Upon hearing the name "Song Peiyu," Zhi Rou's expression darkened. However, she then thought that she had already retaliated by making Song Peiyu suffer a loss at the teacher's hands, so there was nothing to be angry about.
She smiled happily and said, "No, I'm giving it away."
A note from the author:
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