Chapter 6 The Slow-Returning Guest (Part 5) She took a step to the left, and the boy also took a step to the left...
Upon hearing this, Song Hanjin's expression darkened slightly, and she immediately set off for Danyu Garden.
As darkness fell, Xu Yueyuan sat under a bright candle, one hand holding an embroidery frame, the other embroidering. Suddenly, a servant announced from outside, "Madam, the Third Miss has arrived."
She put down the fabric, rubbed her temples, and after a long while said, "Let her in."
The door was pushed open from the outside, a long gust of wind rushed in, and a pair of leather boots strode in.
Before Xu Yueyuan could even see Song Hanjin's face clearly, her voice preceded her words: "Mother, you can't send the wet nurse away. She can't take care of herself by herself at all."
"No manners," Xu Yueyuan scolded softly.
Song Hanjin clenched her palms and bowed to her again, straightening her back and looking at her with a mixture of reproach and pleading.
"Jin'er, come and sit down." She stretched out her hand, a hint of gentleness in her eyes.
Song Hanjin sat down next to her and listened to her say, "Zheng Niangzi's illness has been fluctuating over the years. I kept her in the manor because I remembered that she had protected you before. Using people and medicine is always a painstaking task. But look, those two from Jiangnan have only been in the manor for a few days, and trouble has already arisen. Today is alright, only one concubine was injured, but it's hard to say what will happen in the future."
She paused for a moment: "Letting a madman stay in the Song residence for a long time will damage the reputation."
There's no need to plead for her anymore.
Song Hanjin understood the underlying meaning but pretended not to notice, and seized the opportunity to ask, "Is Mother trying to get rid of the wet nurse because she hurt Aunt Lin?"
Xu Yueyuan did not answer.
Song Hanjin's voice changed with anxiety as she said firmly, "I don't believe my wet nurse would hurt anyone. This matter is very strange. I urge Mother to gather the servants of Xixiang Garden and investigate carefully before making a decision."
She wouldn't lay a hand on anyone. Remembering how Zheng had shoved Liu Mama earlier, Xu Yueyuan sneered.
"No need, the matter is settled. You are only worried that she will have difficulty surviving outside the manor. I promise you, I will find a way to ensure her well-being."
She had no intention of discussing the matter further, took a sip of tea, and then picked up the embroidery hoop again.
Song Hanjin gritted her teeth and sat for a while, knowing that she could not change her decision. She stopped begging her, bowed, and left the room. She stood under the eaves for a while, then suddenly strode down the steps.
They walked quickly, and by the time they reached Zheng's bedroom, a thin layer of sweat had formed on their foreheads.
Seeing her come over like this, the maid who was taking care of Madam Zheng was startled and hurriedly apologized: "Third Miss, it's all my fault. I didn't take good care of Madam Zheng... Please punish me, Third Miss."
Song Hanjin did not respond immediately, but through the window she could see a tired body.
Zheng sat under the lamp with her eyes lowered. She was not yet thirty, and her profile exuded a strong sense of dryness, as if her soul had been taken away.
She has fallen ill again.
Song Hanjin frowned slightly, and after a long while, said to the maid, "It's not your fault, it's just that the wet nurse was unlucky."
The ten-year-old girl still had a delicate, beautiful face. She came from a prestigious family and spoke with an air of authority that was beyond her years.
Before the maid could express her gratitude, she added, "I need you to do something for me."
Meanwhile, Zhi Rou remained in Lin He's room, refusing to leave.
"The doctor said I'm fine, and I'm much better now. You don't need to stay here. You should go back and rest," Lin He advised, leaning against her pillow.
Zhi Rou gripped the edges of the seat with both hands, her toes dangling in mid-air, swaying back and forth: "I can't walk anymore, can't I rest here with Mother?"
Her clear, bright eyes looked over, and her intelligent and adorable appearance was simply irresistible.
Lin He smiled. She liked to cling to him; actually, it was just that she wasn't used to living in unfamiliar places, so he let her be.
It wasn't until half past midnight that Zhi Rou suddenly lost her composure and began pacing back and forth in the room with her hands on her hips.
Lin He couldn't help but ask, and she ran to the bedside, saying indignantly, "Mother, he treats you badly. I'm not going to the family school anymore."
Lin He was taken aback by the seemingly random question, then stared at Zhi Rou: "Your father sent you to the family school?"
She straightened her back defiantly: "Yes. I was initially very happy, but my mother was frightened, and he hasn't come to visit her yet. He's heartless, and most of his teachers in the Song family are probably the same. I don't want to go."
His words and actions completely disregarded his status as a member of the Song family.
Hearing her rude words, Lin He immediately rebuked her, "Shut up! When did I teach you to be so disrespectful?"
She regretted it as soon as she finished speaking; she really shouldn't have frightened her. Just as she was about to speak, servants brought food from outside and knocked on the door. Lin He could only swallow her words and let them in.
Zhi Rou sat there sullenly for a while, glanced at her, then pulled up her skirt and quickly went back to her own courtyard.
In late September, the onset of harsh winter seemed to have arrived in the capital early. The flowers and plants in the courtyard withered, and before they knew it, it was time for Lady Zheng to leave the mansion.
Xu Yueyuan valued her daughter's feelings and did not mistreat her, but she arranged for her to be far away from the capital, never to be allowed to return in this lifetime.
After performing the morning audience ceremony, Song Hanjin went straight to the family school.
The Song family's private school was located in a courtyard on the east side of the mansion. Looking through the arched gate, one could see that it was surrounded by trees, quiet and elegant, as if it were shrouded in the scent of rain. Stepping into the main hall, a plaque hung high on the wall, beneath which stood a long table, where the teacher sat to give lectures.
Song Hanjin's seat was in the first row by the window. She arrived early, and a breeze came in through the wide-open window, making the pages of her book rustle.
Before long, two figures arrived one after the other.
The first one is Song Zhirou.
The second was the maid who brought her the message. She rushed to her side and whispered, "Third Miss, Madam Zheng has just been put on a carriage and is heading out of the city."
She was slightly dazed: "How long have you been walking?"
"Half an hour ago, Madam forbade anyone else to come to see you." The maid lowered her neck and silently waited for her instructions.
But he didn't hear her voice for half a day.
The maid raised her eyelids and saw that the young master was tapping the desk with his hands, his eyes were a little red, and his gaze fell on the fourth young lady at the end, who looked completely bewildered.
On the day Song Hanjin went to visit Zheng Shi, she still sent someone to Xixiang Garden. The next day, the servants reported back and found that the matter was indeed strange.
Song Hanjin immediately went to her father and told him everything, but to her surprise, her father's attitude was the same as her mother's, and even more resolute.
At this moment, Song Hanjin looked at Zhirou in the corner and couldn't help but direct her anger at her.
He still cared about his status and didn't lash out on the spot. He just glared at her, gathered his sleeves, got up, walked outside into the corridor, and wiped the corner of his eye haphazardly with the back of his hand.
Once inside, after sitting down for a short while, almost everyone had arrived.
The Song family school not only housed members of the Song surname, but also some cousins with whom they regularly visited. They saw each other almost every day and were quite familiar with one another. Upon first seeing Zhi Rou, they all looked on with surprise.
However, after learning her identity, their gaze towards her became more critical.
Zhi Rou felt very uncomfortable being stared at by them. Her clear and gentle eyes darted around, scrutinizing each of them.
The person closest to her was a member of a collateral branch of the family. Taking advantage of the teacher's absence, he turned around, rested his arm on her desk, and said with a grin, "I really envy you. You transformed from a owl into a phoenix as soon as you entered the capital."
Zhi Rou kept a blank face, looking at his teasing expression, but she wasn't particularly angry. She just stared at him steadily.
The boy, feeling deflated and enraged at not getting a response, swept all her stationery off his feet.
The gentleman who was about to give the first lecture entered the room at this moment, lifting his robe.
The room fell silent.
The students tidied themselves up and sat upright in their seats, except for Zhi Rou, who squatted down, holding the corner of her clothes, and picked up the scattered items on the ground one by one.
Mr. Zhou glanced at her for a moment, and like all highly respected elders, his tone was extremely ordinary, yet the authority beneath his words was not to be underestimated.
"Song Peiyu, go stand outside."
Song Peiyu had been punished more than once or twice, and had long lost his sense of awe. He raised his hand to rub his ear, pushed the table away from his seat, and as he passed Zhi Rou, he flicked his sleeve, causing the stationery she had just arranged to fall down again.
With a "thump".
Zhi Rou slowly closed her hands, raised her face, and met Song Peiyu's mocking smile.
She had held back for a while, but was unwilling to give in any longer. She raised a delicate eyebrow and retorted, "How will we know who is the phoenix and who is the eagle if we don't try?"
The provocation in his words was so obvious that Song Peiyu's smile froze, and he immediately became angry: "What did you say?"
Mr. Zhou was meeting Zhi Rou for the first time. Seeing that she was young and feeling sorry for her background, he wanted to take care of her. Who would have thought that she would be such a sharp-tongued little girl, who didn't know how to back down and was unruly.
Upon hearing this, Song Peiyu's anger subsided slightly, and a smile returned to his lips as he strode out to wait for her.
The shadows cast dappled light under the eaves. Zhi Rou lifted the hem of her dress and stepped out the door, looking rather unhappy. Seeing that Song Peiyu was standing close to her, she took a long step back, then lowered her head and kicked at the fallen leaves on the ground with her boot.
“You think I’m inferior to you?” Song Peiyu glanced at Song Zhirou and continued what he hadn’t finished saying earlier.
Zhi Rou glanced sideways and said, "I didn't say that."
He stared at her for a long time, then suddenly snorted coldly and scoffed, "You little bastard. We'll see."
That afternoon, the argument between the two at the family school reached the ears of Old Madam Song.
Xu Yueyuan seemed a little impatient as she listened, and frowned, saying, "Fourth Sister is still young, how would she understand these things? It's just children showing off their verbal skills. Is it really worth bothering Mother?"
The old woman exchanged a glance with her, then quickly lowered her head and, following Madam Song's instructions, retreated outside the room.
Madam Song came from a noble family and had a strong sense of social class. She didn't really have any particular feelings of liking or disliking for Zhi Rou, but her birth mother, Madam Lin, did not come from a prominent family. Based on this alone, it was impossible for Madam Song to be affectionate towards her.
Hearing some whispers, Old Madam Song paused for a moment: "Are all the servants in Longyue Pavilion sent from Zhao?"
“Yes, my daughter-in-law also helped choose a few capable nannies…” Xu Yueyuan deliberately paused, her expression becoming reserved: “Mother, is there anything wrong with this?”
After being carefully pampered for a few days, her underlying arrogance surfaced; a country girl can't be fake after all. Old Madam Song thought coldly to herself.
A pair of shrewd eyes lingered on Xu Yueyuan's face for a moment before she said calmly, "You've been a kind and generous mother; there's nothing wrong with that. I'm tired, Second Brother's wife, you should go back too."
Xu Yueyuan's cheeks flushed slightly; she must be saying goodbye.
Even after what happened with Madam Zheng, Zhi Rou still visits Lin He at Xixiang Garden every day, but refuses to show herself. It's not that she's still angry, but rather that she knows she was wrong and is embarrassed to see her.
The courtyard was silent. Zhi Rou tiptoed to the window, listened for a while, and suddenly heard footsteps approaching. Afraid of being discovered, she quickly hid behind a pillar, peeking out with one eye.
The window sash opened from the inside, and Lin He withdrew her hand, glancing at the pillar.
Zhi Rou's heart pounded, and she quickly hid herself. Once the noise subsided, she ran away, panting slightly.
This year, on the day of Lidong (the beginning of winter), the entire Song Mansion was filled with the aroma of meat. The old lady of the Song family had shown her kindness by ordering the kitchen to make mutton soup and distribute it to each courtyard. Not only the masters and servants, but also all the maids and servants received a share.
Just as Zhi Rou finished her soup, Xing Hui brought in a plate of beautifully presented pastries, and urged her with a smile, "Fourth Miss, please try these! They're Old Zhang's special recipe!"
"What is this?" Zhi Rou observed it for a moment, then leaned closer to smell it. She sensed something was wrong with the smell, frowned, and waved her hand.
Xinghui chuckled, picked up a piece, and put it in her mouth: "Radish cake."
These days she's been almost always with Zhirou. They're both children, and the awkwardness that happened in the small garden seems like a distant memory now.
Zhi Rou treated her like a playmate, without any airs of being the hostess. When the door was closed, she would sit with Zhi Rou and vividly recount her new experiences.
"Master Xue Nan's martial arts are famous throughout the world. Wherever he goes, whether it is an ordinary person or a powerful family, people are always eager to become his disciples. I heard that he is currently in the capital, and his doorstep is being trampled down."
Xinghui lowered her voice slightly: "You know Brother Pei from the front yard, right? He's going too..."
Zhi Rou was very interested, her eyes shining. "Can I go?" Before she could answer, she eagerly added, "I want to go too."
She had only been in the capital for a short time and was already full of curiosity. Upon hearing Xue Nan's name, her desire grew even stronger. Regardless of whether Xing Hui agreed or not, she took out the small robe she often wore in Luozhou and, with a mix of coaxing and deception, pulled Xing Hui along. After much effort, they finally managed to sneak out and enter the bustling city.
It's not much different from Jiangnan in reality, just with peddlers and vendors, except that there are more wealthy people on the streets and fewer beautiful women with charming eyes.
"Fourth Miss, let's go back! If Granny Xin finds out, I'll be in real trouble!" Xinghui followed closely beside Zhirou. From childhood to now, she had never done anything so bold, and she was extremely flustered.
Zhi Rou was mesmerized by the magnificent buildings of the capital city and replied casually, "No, last time I was punished by my teacher to copy books at home. It was already dark, and she didn't come to find me. You have no idea how hungry I was that night..."
As a concubine's daughter with no support, the second wife wouldn't deliberately mistreat her, but it would be extremely difficult to get someone to take good care of her.
Xinghui happened to be sick that day. After learning about what had happened to her, she wanted to persuade her again, but she couldn't bring herself to say it.
As the group walked under Lingzhen Bridge, a steaming aroma wafted towards them. Zhi Rou smacked her lips, temporarily putting Xue Nan out of her mind.
As she was eating chestnuts, a piece of clothing brushed past her out of the corner of her eye. A moment later, the owner of the clothing strolled back and stopped in front of her.
A large shadow loomed overhead, and Zhi Rou didn't look up, intending to avoid him.
Unexpectedly, when she took a step to the left, the boy also took a step to the left; when she took a step to the right, the boy also took a step to the right.
With nowhere to escape, Zhi Rou swallowed the chestnut whole and lifted her eyelids.
The boy stood with his back to the light, his eyes and brows radiating arrogance. As she looked up at him, he raised an eyebrow and gave her a mocking smile.
"I almost missed you because of your androgynous appearance."
A note from the author:
①Lin Chi: Nighthawk.
Thanks for following, see you tomorrow!
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