Chapter 15
When it was time to eat, Jixiang had not returned yet, so it was Granny Liu who brought Yunxi her meal again.
Just like last time, Granny Liu put down the food and left without saying a word, not even giving Yunxi a chance to speak.
Yunxi finished her meal in silence, and a little while later, Jixiang returned.
She was carrying a small cloth bag, and when she opened it, she found it contained all the things Yunxi had instructed her to bring.
She then pulled out a letter from her bosom: "Miss, this is a letter from home brought back to you by the escort agency."
Yunxi was taken aback, and quickly reached out to take the letter from home.
The letter was sealed tightly, showing no signs of having been opened.
Yunxi eagerly opened the letter and read it carefully, word by word.
Her adoptive parents wrote that they missed her very much and told her to take good care of herself in Beijing and not to worry about home. They also said that Duan Huaiwen had been working hard lately and wanted to go to Beijing as soon as possible to see her.
As she looked further, tears gradually welled up in Yunxi's eyes.
At first glance, the handwriting on this letter seemed unremarkable, but in reality, it possessed a restrained sharpness that Yunxi was very familiar with.
When she was a child, Chen Zongwen held her hand and guided her to write characters stroke by stroke. Later, when she could write on her own, she copied the calligraphy models that Chen Zongwen specially wrote for her.
Having lived through a lifetime, she could still see Chen Zongwen's handwriting, as if she were in a dream.
By this time, Jixiang had already packed up all the things she had bought, but seeing that she was reading a letter from home, she stood far away to the side and did not come forward.
After Yunxi composed herself, Jixiang said, "Miss, I also brought you two storybooks. They're in the bedside cabinet. Please be careful when you use them, and make sure the young mistress doesn't find them."
Yun Wan is unaware that she has sided with Yun Xi. If this is discovered, it will not benefit either of them.
Yunxi nodded: "I understand."
"If there's nothing else..."
Jixiang wants to go back.
On this trip, she bought the cheapest writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. After buying them, she still had several taels of silver left. She was too embarrassed to keep all the silver, so she bought two more books for Yunxi. She also used the remaining silver to buy a lot of other things, which are now piled up in the room.
“Jixiang,” Yunxi suddenly asked, “how is your relationship with Granny Liu going?”
Jixiang was taken aback. Although she didn't know why Yunxi suddenly asked this question, she still said, "I have been drinking with her these past few days, and we have gotten along quite well."
Yunxi nodded: "I... want to go out for a while."
Upon hearing this, Jixiang was taken aback again: "Why is that?"
If Yunxi goes out and something happens to her, she won't be able to escape either.
Yunxi sighed and said, "I want to go to the street myself to buy some things and send them to my family."
What she said makes perfect sense.
Jixiang nodded and said, "Then this servant will go and ask."
After Jixiang finished speaking, he turned and left, leaving Yunxi feeling somewhat uneasy.
I don't know if it will work out...
Before long, Jixiang returned: "...Miss, Granny Liu refuses to agree."
Jixiang understood Yunxi's longing for her family, so she had indeed tried her best to mediate, but Granny Liu just wouldn't budge.
Jixiang was afraid that if she continued talking, she herself would not be able to go out anymore, so she had no choice but to come back.
Yunxi sighed.
After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Have you found out if there's anything wrong with Granny Liu?"
Granny Liu's loyalty was truly unexpected.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Jixiang nodded and said, "There really is. I heard that Granny Liu's husband is a gambler and even sold her only daughter to a brothel, which is why Granny Liu looks half-dead all the time."
Yunxi's eyebrows twitched.
Granny Liu was also a woman with a tragic fate.
She thought for a moment, then turned around and took out twenty taels of silver notes and gave them to Jixiang: "Since Granny Liu's daughter has been sold to a brothel, Granny Liu, as a mother, must really want to redeem her daughter. Please send this silver to her for me, as a way of helping Granny Liu out."
Granny Liu was unyielding to both soft and hard approaches, but her daughter could be a potential breakthrough point.
In short, she absolutely refused to be trapped and die in this marquis's mansion any longer.
Ji Xiang accepted the silver note with a complicated expression, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.
How can there be such a kind-hearted person in the world?
They wouldn't let her out even for a moment, but she, knowing they were having a hard time, actually gave them money!
Jixiang sighed silently in her heart before saying, "Don't worry, Miss, I'll send the silver to her right away."
Yunxi nodded: "Thank you for your hard work, go ahead."
Jixiang quickly turned around and went out.
Granny Liu was still sitting by the side gate, lost in thought.
Until Jixiang's figure came into her sight, Granny Liu's eyes darted around and her gaze fell directly on Jixiang: "Second Miss can't go out."
Jixiang stepped forward and quietly slipped the silver notes in her hand to her: "I know, the second young lady heard about your situation and asked me to bring you the silver."
Upon hearing her words, Granny Liu's expression changed slightly, revealing a strange quality: "Did the Second Miss ask you to bring me silver?"
Jixiang nodded again: "A full twenty taels of silver. Who else but the Second Miss could have given it to you? The Second Miss said it was a token of her affection and that you must accept it."
Granny Liu pursed her lips but ultimately accepted the silver note: "I thank Second Miss, but it is our Madam's order not to let her out, and I cannot let her go."
If Yunxi is released, her daughter will have no way to survive.
Hearing her words, Jixiang felt helpless and could only nod.
Now that the matter is settled, it's natural to inform Yunxi.
Yunxi listened quietly to her finish speaking, then nodded and said, "Alright, you can go back now."
Jixiang responded and went back with light steps. Yunxi locked the door, took out a brush, ink, paper and inkstone from the bedside table, and began to practice calligraphy.
Before she knew it, time had slipped away. There was a knock on the bedroom door; it was Jixiang bringing her food.
After Yunxi finished eating, she was still wondering whether she should go to the main house today when Jixiang spoke up: "The young master will be going to the Hanlin Academy tomorrow, so you can get a good night's sleep tonight, Miss."
Yunxi was taken aback.
Time flies so fast.
She quickly came to her senses, sent Jixiang away, and went to rest.
As the stars and rivers shift and the moon sets and the sun rises, it is now the height of summer, and by early morning, it is already bright.
In the bedroom of the main house, Shen Rang stood in front of a full-length bronze mirror, tidying his clothes, while Yun Wan stood to the side holding an official hat: "Husband, today is your first time entering officialdom. Should we bring some gifts for our colleagues? That way, we can integrate more quickly."
Shen Rang paused slightly in his work: "The Hanlin Academy is full of upright scholars. Blindly associating with them will only cause resentment. It's not appropriate."
Yun Wan curled her lip in disdain: "What kind of upright people are they? They're all just putting on a show of being noble. If you really put real gold and silver and beautiful women in front of them, which one of them could resist?"
A hint of displeasure flashed in Shen Rang's eyes.
The Hanlin Academy was a place for cultivating talent and nurturing future leaders, holding a prestigious and lofty position, making it a place that all scholars in the world aspired to attend.
Even though Shen Rang came from a noble family, he was still one of the many students in the world.
But according to Yun Wan, the place where his heart longed for became a gathering place for hypocritical and sanctimonious people.
Shen Rang maintained his composure, took the official hat from her hand, and said calmly, "It's getting late, I'm leaving."
If you don't see eye to eye, even half a sentence is too much.
Yun Wan quickly said, "Husband, please drive carefully."
Shen Rang hummed in agreement and then started walking away.
No sooner had he left than Pearl stepped forward and said in a low voice, "Young Madam, the secret recipe you asked me to find last time has been obtained."
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