uninvited guest
Qin Ziyou deftly poured a basin of water for Gong Shu and Jing Wan to wash their hands.
The three sat at a small table, enjoying their late-night snack in a harmonious atmosphere.
Qin Ziyou, who never did any work, ate the most. As usual, Uncle Gong took a pair of unused chopsticks and put a lot of food into his bowl, urging him to eat more.
Whenever the three of them ate, this gesture was the most ordinary, intimate and natural. Jingwan glanced at the two of them quietly, then lowered her head to eat her own food.
They were already quite familiar with Qin Ziyou, and the two had tacitly revealed information about each other's families. Judging from his demeanor, he must be a young master from some noble family, yet he was not pretentious at all, and he treated an old craftsman like Uncle Gong like a father and son.
Although she was curious, Jingwan didn't intend to ask for details. Only after finishing the bowl of tofu and cabbage soup did she realize how exquisite the small bowl in her hand was.
The small bowl, shaped like a straw hat, has a wide rim and a small foot. The glaze is clear white, and a carp leaps towards the rim of the bowl, which is exceptionally lifelike.
Seeing how carefully she examined it, Qin Ziyou laughed and said, "This is a bowl from Zuixianlou, made in the same kiln, it's quite special, isn't it!"
When he mentioned Zuixianlou, Jingwan initially felt the name was familiar, but then, as if struck by a spell, she froze completely.
"Drunken...Drunken Immortal Pavilion? You mean the Drunken Immortal Pavilion that charges ten taels of silver for a single cabbage?"
Qin Ziyou nodded casually: "What, you've eaten there?"
She swallowed again, still savoring the sweetness of the cabbage soup she had just swallowed. Jingwan closed her eyes, recalling the taste of the ten taels of silver: "I didn't have it before, but I have now."
Her appearance was so vivid and funny that Uncle Gong comforted her, "Don't save him money, eat more." After saying that, he personally ladled out another full bowl of cabbage soup for Jingwan.
She lifted the bowl and sipped it slowly, smacking her lips after each sip as if trying to savor the unique flavor. When she finished the bowl, she looked up and saw Qin Ziyou smiling at her.
Wealthy people are usually reserved in public, and it's rare to see someone smile so openly, revealing two rows of white teeth. It's precisely this straightforwardness that makes it so infectious.
Jingwan, holding the bowl, also grinned foolishly.
Later, Qin Ziyou escorted Jingwan back. The two were no longer at a loss as they had been at the beginning. They talked all the way, and when they arrived at Yuquefang, they both regretted not finishing their conversation.
But Jingwan never told Qin Ziyou anything about her family affairs, and Qin Ziyou, as usual, waved his hand and watched her leave.
Their relationship seemed to have grown closer, but in reality, it was no different from when they first met. Qin Ziyou thought with a touch of regret.
She entered through the small door as usual, her steps light and her skirt fluttering. But as soon as she turned around, a large hand covered her mouth. Jingwan's heart jumped instantly. She desperately tried to pull away from the large hand. In the struggle, a voice rang in her ears: "Don't shout, young lady, it's me."
It was the sound of winter clouds.
Jingwan's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, instantly settled down. This sudden up-and-down motion startled her so much that she broke out in a cold sweat.
What a coward!
Dongxia subtly curved the corners of her mouth into a smile, but in the blink of an eye, she returned to her usual calm demeanor. She was so tall that she had to bend down and whisper, "Madam and Miss Gao Yun are in the courtyard. I think they have ill intentions."
Her heart, which had just settled, jumped again. Jingwan's eyes widened, and she asked anxiously, "Madam, which madam?"
If it were the Duchess, that would be fine, but if it were Lady Wang…
Dongxia shook her head: "The second wife." She added, "And the second master, he's here too."
Jingwan's heart pounded, and she was momentarily flustered and at a loss. Why were they here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?
Seeing her anxious expression, Dongxia naturally pulled her out through the small door and comforted her, saying, "Don't worry, young lady, let me explain."
She bent down and whispered something in Jingwan's ear.
When Jingwan returned to her courtyard, she saw the main house lights on, with Wang Shi and Gao Yun sitting inside waiting for her. Gao Yun was not with them, but stood outside alone. When she saw her come in, although she didn't say anything, her brows were full of reproach. Jingwan was startled, but she still calmed herself down.
Gao Yun struck first, raising the corners of her mouth in a sarcastic smile: "Oh, you've finally returned. My mother and I have been waiting for you."
Then she saw Jingwan carrying a porcelain vase. She lowered her head slightly, squinted her eyes, and asked, "What are you holding?"
Jingwan did not reply, but bowed to Wang Shi and her father, and asked in a low voice, "I wonder what important matter Father and Mother have that has come to my courtyard in the middle of the night?"
Gao Yun snorted and glanced into the house. Then, servants dragged Qingyu and Moyu out and threw them into the courtyard. The two women were trembling uncontrollably. In the moonlight, you could see that their cheeks were swollen and red, and they could barely open their mouths.
At Gao Yun's signal, Qingyu cried out in a trembling voice, "This servant doesn't know where you went in the middle of the night, but one night I happened to see you carrying something out of the courtyard. This servant didn't dare to follow you, and I don't know where you went."
Mo Yu, with snot and tears streaming down her face, chimed in, "Yes, yes, that's how it is for me too, but we dare not ask. We can only watch as you sleep more during the day."
Jingwan frowned as she looked at her. Qingyu's words were somewhat believable, but Moyu's comment about "sleeping too much during the day" was just an attempt to smear her.
She only goes out for two or three days a month, and if she comes back that night, she never oversleeps. She gets up early every day and only rests for a little longer at noon to replenish her energy. How did that become sleeping too much during the day?
Sure enough, upon hearing Mo Yu's words, Gao Yun became furious and said, "Why don't you kneel down and admit your mistake!"
The voice was stern, which frightened her so much that her knees buckled and she fell to her knees with a thud as soon as the words left her lips.
Wang slowly got up and walked over. Her smile that concealed a knife was always her signature move. She leisurely walked up to Jingwan, her voice filled with undisguised contempt: "The Northwest is rough, so it's not surprising that you've picked up some of the bad habits of the people. But now that you've come to Pingdu, you can no longer have those dissolute ways."
“In our Pingdu, even women from humble families know that without their parents’ permission, they cannot leave their homes, let alone their own rooms. You are different, however, you actually sneaked out of the house behind your parents’ backs, you are really bold... What, is there something going on outside the mansion, or is someone enticing you?”
Seeing Gao Yun's fury, Wang Shi stopped talking. It wasn't that she was afraid Gao Yun would get angry, but rather that she stopped at this moment so that her husband could imagine what kind of dissolute things his daughter had done, abandoning her ladylike ways.
Upon hearing this, Jingwan immediately understood why Madam Wang had come tonight. She clutched the bottle tightly in her arms and remained silent with her head down.
This lack of explanation angered Gao Yun again, who assumed that Jing Wan had indeed been having an affair.
Looking at Jingwan kneeling on the ground, he suddenly remembered the woman who had long been buried and whom he had never seen one last time.
He went to the Northwest a second time to pick her up, but she told him she was getting married.
At that moment, she raised her head high, her neck like a swan's, and said, "In this slum, there is no such thing as a woman guarding a chastity archway for her entire life."
Even after having children and living a difficult life, her pride remained unchanged, and she still captivated people.
Gao Yun left the Northwest in anger at being betrayed by the woman he loved, but he forgot that he was the one who betrayed his vow first!
Jingwan's quietness tonight reminded Gao Yun of her mother's infidelity and betrayal, and she immediately rebuked her: "I thought you were a sensible person, but I didn't expect you to be just like your mother, doing all sorts of despicable things! If I had known that you were disgracing the family, I would never have brought you back. I would have rather sent you back to the Northwest, so that you wouldn't embarrass me sooner or later."
He was scolding her harshly when Jingwan suddenly looked up. Her small face showed no sadness or shame, but rather a sense of relief.
Looking into those bright, round eyes, Gao Yun couldn't utter a single word.
After he finally shut his mouth, Jingwan placed the bottle in front of Gao Yun and whispered, "I heard from the steward that Father has trouble sleeping, so I went to the small garden to collect some autumn dew to make some chrysanthemum dew to send to Father. In the past few months, there have been few cool days, so I could only collect it on cool days. I didn't expect to be misunderstood by these two."
She held the bottle high and bowed her head, saying, "Although I have been in Pingdu for three years, I have only left home twice. How could I dare to sneak out without my father's knowledge?"
Furthermore, there are servants guarding both gates of the manor at night. If my daughter had gone out, the gatekeeper would have informed Father long ago. Why would Father have come to interrogate me today? I beg Father to understand!
The dew in the small bottle was crystal clear and sparkling, so clean that it was free of any impurities. Gao Yun was shocked, as if he saw his daughter's heart, as clear and pure as dew, in the bottle, and he saw his own despicable face, which had just wronged his daughter.
A wave of guilt washed over me; it turned out she had gotten up in the middle of the night because of me…
Gao Yun was furious. She ran out, lifting her skirt, snatched the bottle away menacingly, examined the dew inside, and then shouted, "Liar! Your two maids have never seen you collect any dew!"
In the past, Jingwan would have been so frightened that she couldn't even speak properly, but she thought of Dongxia, that usually silent girl who seemed to have anticipated every step of the way.
Following Dongxia's instructions, Jingwan said, "Father knows that I didn't grow up in the manor, and the two maids know that too. I really can't ask them to do things, so I do everything myself and never bother them. They don't know that it's only right for me to collect dew."
Now she had complained to Gao Yun about the two girls' laziness. She didn't want to make things difficult for them, but their words just now clearly aimed to push her into a corner.
If you repay evil with kindness, how will you repay kindness?
All of these things are simply the result of cause and effect, and the retribution thereof.
Jingwan got up and ran to her room. When she came out, she was holding a small celadon urn in her arms.
Gao Yun became furious after just one glance, picked up the small urn, raised it high, and smashed it on the ground.
The porcelain urn shattered, and a sharp piece of it splattered and left a thin mark on Jingwan's right cheek. In the blink of an eye, a bead of blood appeared.
Gao Yun knew that his daughter had always been domineering, but he didn't expect that her crazy behavior was just like Wang Shi's. Seeing that Jing Wan was injured, he hurriedly went to call someone to find a doctor. Jing Wan took a step back to avoid Gao Yun's touch, casually wiped her face, and saw that her palm was red. It turned out that she was bleeding.
The pain was mild, and she shook her head, saying, "It's nothing serious. I brought some medicine; I'll apply some later."
She lowered her head and said softly, "It's getting late. Father and Mother, please go home if you have nothing else to do!"
Gao Yun could see her aloofness all too well, but tonight he, as her father, was truly unkind. He immediately ordered the servants to take Qingyu and Moyu away. After glancing at Jingwan one last time, he could only reluctantly leave with Wang Shi and Gao Yun.
The courtyard has returned to its former tranquility.
Jingwan let out a long breath, loosened her grip, and the cold sweat on her palms became even colder when the wind blew.
"I'll apply the medicine for you, young lady." Dongxia appeared beside her at some point, her face unusually stern.
Tonight, Jingwan trusted her exceptionally and simply followed Dongxia into the house.
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