Chapter 73 Please have your senior brother discipline you.
"Isn't Senior Brother busy with the new river channel project?"
"I had nothing to do today, so I came to visit my junior sister."
"So even my senior brother can slack off."
"It's not that I'm slacking off, I'm really busy enough, and I haven't been idle these past few days, I've been running around everywhere, I even went to Donglin Temple yesterday."
What are you going to Donglin Temple for?
"The story of the Broken Wing Canal."
"Broken Wing Canal? A new waterway... Senior brother really knows how to name things."
How did you know it was me who made the name?
"It's very much like my senior's way of doing things."
"What kind of style do I have... never mind, anyway, I didn't expect Master Shandao to be so warm and hospitable, considerate of the government, and insist on joining the joint construction of the Zheyi Canal led by the Longcheng County Government..."
"That's good. So, Senior Brother really finished everything before coming over, right?"
"Yes, don't worry, junior sister, it didn't interfere with important matters."
"oh……"
"Huh, why isn't Junior Sister saying anything?"
I'm tired.
"Then I'll head out first, you get some rest?"
"Wait, you... come in."
"Um, wouldn't that be inconvenient?"
"I was in bed fully clothed."
"Okay. I brought you some grapes."
"Grape?"
In a boudoir that had little of the typical feminine scent of a young woman, but rather a strong scholarly atmosphere.
Ouyang Rong, who had been lingering in the front hall, pushed open the gauze curtain of the inner room and approached a fragrant couch with a hazy, alluring figure.
The beaded curtain on the couch was half-open and half-rolled up. A scholar-style woman with her black hair tied up with a red rope sat against the headboard, biting her lip, holding the quilt to cover her ample breasts. She glanced at him twice, but when he approached, she straightened her gaze and looked straight ahead.
"What happened to your face, Senior Brother?"
Ouyang Rong went to open the window first, and through squinting eyes, he could see the maid waiting in the courtyard.
He pulled up a chair, sat down by the window, let out a long sigh, and pointed to the two small red marks on his right cheek, saying:
"This one? Last night when we were picking grapes, the grape trellis collapsed. Ugh, I should have known better than to let Wei Lai hold the ladder; it almost hit her. Besides, she's not very strong. I admit, I was careless. Sitting at my desk for so long has made me a bit clumsy..."
Xie Lingjiang frowned slightly, avoiding his gaze:
"Shouldn't you be reflecting on why you like to show off and take action? After you finished smoking that day, you told me not to act impulsively. But what about you? Shouldn't these things be left to the servants? A son of a wealthy family shouldn't sit under a dangerous roof. Why are you picking grapes for no reason?"
Ouyang Rong was slightly taken aback, then turned to look at his junior sister, whose tone was slightly reproachful.
It feels like something's different since I haven't seen you for a few days.
Is this a sign of maturity?
Without arguing, Ouyang Rong lowered his head, took out a plate of washed grapes from the box he had brought, and silently placed it on the small table beside the bed.
Xie Lingjiang noticed this out of the corner of her eye and seemed to realize something as well. She paused in her mournful words, reluctant to continue.
Ouyang Rong smiled and pushed the plate aside. "Here you go."
Xie Lingjiang didn't turn her head, "I won't eat."
Ouyang Rong nodded and took the plate back.
"Wait... put it down."
"Didn't you say you weren't going to eat it?"
"You gave it away and then took it back?"
The girl behind the beaded curtain glared at him angrily.
"Oh, oh, oh."
Ouyang Rong smiled inwardly and obediently put his hand down.
The junior sister who says one thing but means another is kind of cute.
"How did you know I like grapes, senior brother?" Xie Lingjiang asked softly.
“That’s what your father said.”
"Senior brother, you even asked me about my father?" She couldn't help but turn to look at him.
Ouyang Rong smiled but remained silent.
Why would he ask his junior sister about her hobbies and tastes? He wouldn't do that now, let alone before.
Actually, it was his aunt who had inquired with his teacher, Xie Xun, beforehand; only his aunt cared about such matters.
My aunt mentioned it at dinner yesterday, and as a result, a grape trellis in Meilu Garden was vandalized by a young county magistrate last night.
After all, you can't come to visit someone empty-handed, that would be too embarrassing.
Ouyang Rong didn't explain, afraid that his junior sister would sternly chase him away again.
"Senior brother has certainly done his research."
Xie Lingjiang looked away and said softly.
She reached her hand out from behind the beaded curtain toward the grape dish, then paused and withdrew it.
"Junior Sister, you don't spit out the grape skins when you eat grapes, do you?"
"Senior brother, aren't you going to throw up?"
Xie Lingjiang paused, because in her peripheral vision, someone had already picked up a grape, popped it into their mouth, and started eating it without any hesitation.
"Mmm." Ouyang Rong chewed and mumbled a reply, which was essentially the same as not saying anything at all.
Xie Lingjiang had a black line on her forehead.
His senior brother truly treated him like family.
The originally reserved and shy young lady immediately abandoned all restraint and hurriedly rescued some grapes from her senior brother's clutches.
Outside, in the courtyard filled with Cymbidium orchids, the maids on duty occasionally glanced back out of curiosity and saw a handsome young man and a beautiful young woman fighting over grapes through a beaded curtain inside the window.
One of the maids who had served Xie Lingjiang for many days couldn't help but exchange surprised glances with her companion.
This noble lady from the Xie family hadn't smiled for many days, let alone been so lively and cheerful; even when Lady Su came to visit, she hadn't shown any signs of it.
Inside, after a brief commotion, a plate of grapes was swept away in a flash.
Ouyang Rong glanced at his junior sister behind the beaded curtain and couldn't help but ask:
"Junior sister, isn't your back injured? Why are you leaning against the headboard?"
Xie Lingjiang lowered her eyes, "Or should I lie down and fight with my senior brother for grapes?"
Ouyang Rong was speechless.
Indeed, we can't exactly greet guests while lying down, especially since our junior sister is so strong-willed.
"That's true. How is Junior Sister's injury?" She paused, then added, "She seems to be alright, right?"
"Senior brother, don't you know what you did?"
There was a moment of silence both inside and outside the beaded curtain.
The atmosphere was a bit awkward.
"I'm sorry," Ouyang Rong began, "Back then..."
"No, it's nothing, no need to apologize."
The woman behind the curtain whispered:
"My senior brother's discipline... was very appropriate. At the time... I was actually quite happy, because my senior brother didn't treat me like an outsider."
“My father once said that apart from family and people who care about you, no one outside will cover for your mistakes, and no one will get angry because of you.”
"So, senior brother at that time... junior sister understands, thank you for your discipline."
Xie Lingjiang subconsciously bit her lower lip again, "If you make the same mistake again, senior brother can... continue to discipline you."
"That day was a special case."
Ouyang Rong was slightly taken aback, then shook his head and chuckled: "We can't use a whip again next time, can we..."
It was meant as a joke, but unexpectedly, a whisper drifted from behind the beaded curtain:
"Well... it's not impossible."
"..."
As Ouyang Rong lost his voice, Xie Lingjiang immediately said:
"Actually, I still don't quite understand why she treated me that way."
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Rong was stunned for a moment before realizing that "she" must refer to the Hu woman named Zhiying.
Xie Lingjiang hugged her chest through the blankets, her head resting against the pillow, staring blankly at the gauze curtains above the bed, and said with a slightly dazed expression:
“I saved her from the eagle attack. I cared about her safety. I helped her redeem herself and start a new life. I brought her back to give her dignity… But why did she choose to help a bad person who insulted, bullied, and despised her? If she had her reasons, was coerced, or had something to hide, why didn’t she tell me? This hurts me more than betrayal.”
She turned her head, looked at her senior brother's handsome face with two red marks, and asked:
"Is it true, as the books say, that barbarians fear power but do not cherish virtue? Perhaps to some extent, but I don't think it's entirely true. Even if she weren't a Hu woman, it seems things would still have turned out that way..."
"Where exactly did things go wrong...? The book doesn't say. What kind of world is this, really?"
Ouyang Rong turned to look at the bright spring scenery outside the window and asked, "Has Junior Sister figured it out now?"
The whispering Xie lady fell silent for a moment.
She suddenly noticed that the morning sun had arrived outside the window, and it was shining directly on the young man who was leaning on his knees and listening intently in front of the bed.
This scene seems familiar.
That day in front of the county government office, she was exhausted and dejected, staring blankly as her senior brother stood in the midday sun announcing a fair verdict, and then boldly unveiled a new building that shocked the entire audience.
That year, in the old house in Wuyi Lane, the young girl hid behind the door and witnessed her father kneeling upright in the hall under the setting sun, refusing the olive branch offered by the Wei family's envoy with unwavering resolve.
That year, the Zhou dynasty was established, and the Empress ascended the throne. The Li Gan royal family was slaughtered, leaving only a few survivors. Blood splattered throughout the palace, and panic spread across the land. The princes of the Wei clan were unparalleled in their power, while the five surnames and seven noble families, the meritorious nobles of Guanzhong, and the gentry of the north and south all bowed their heads in disdain.
Only my father refused to submit. Even though his clansmen begged him, he still refused to go to court and refused to kneel before the Zhou court.
Why did she study diligently, refuse marriage, and practice her internal energy cultivation for so many years?
It was because of the light she saw on her father in the old house in Wuyi Lane that she first felt the "qi" of a scholar, thus surpassing all her brothers and sisters in the Xie family to become a rare Qi cultivator.
This is the beginning of everything, this is what I have been stubbornly pursuing all these years, it has almost become... a belief.
Xie Lingjiang can't forget her.
Now, she saw that the light emanating from her senior brother and her father was very similar, yet not entirely the same.
The senior brother possessed a different kind of "aura," which from the very beginning drew Xie Lingjiang's curiosity closer, wanting to investigate further...
That's why she just expressed her hope that her senior brother would continue to discipline her. She secretly looked forward to experiencing the scenery along her senior brother's path, which was different from her father's.
"Senior brother."
Xie Lingjiang exclaimed softly, lifted the beaded curtain, and looked at him with bright eyes, saying earnestly:
“I haven’t fully figured it out yet, but no matter what… what she did was definitely not right, and the world is definitely not all darkness… It’s different from what I thought before. I’m disappointed, but… I’m not giving up.”
She paused, her eyes fixed on him:
"I always believe that there is a light that always exists, and justice will surely come."
Ouyang Rong was silent for a moment, then said, "Good."
...
After a frank and open conversation, the atmosphere remained silent for a while.
These kinds of serious topics are not really suitable to discuss for long, especially in broad daylight.
When discussing life and ideals, you have to choose a dark place, right?
Soon, the two senior and junior disciples changed the subject.
"Oh, right."
Seemingly having sat for too long, Ouyang Rong got up and paced around the room. Remembering something, he turned around and asked curiously:
"Among the maids who just greeted me, there was a little maid in a pale yellow dress. Do you know her, Junior Sister?"
"The one in the pale yellow dress?" Xie Lingjiang tilted his head. "Senior brother, are you talking about Caishou? The one with the slightly chubby cheeks?"
Ouyang Rong nodded.
He was somewhat surprised when he saw the chubby-faced maid who looked somewhat familiar.
"Could she be my junior sister's maid?"
“No, that’s not it.” Xie Lingjiang shook her head. “It’s the personal maid of the Su family’s youngest daughter in the next courtyard. Aunt Wei called her over this morning to change my dressing.”
"The youngest sister of the Su family?"
Ouyang Rong nodded and muttered to himself.
That makes sense; it turns out she's a lady from this family.
However, my junior sister had never mentioned the Su family before.
Moreover, he lived in Meiluyuan, and the two families had been neighbors for so long, yet Ouyang Rong only happened to meet the Su family girl once at Donglin Temple on the mountain.
It's unclear whether he's just too busy, or if the law-abiding Su family is simply too low-key and rarely leaves their home...
"Why do you ask this, senior brother?" Xie Lingjiang asked, glancing sideways.
Ouyang Rong casually mentioned the matter of borrowing an umbrella in the pavilion yesterday.
"Looking at it this way, it really is fate." Xie Lingjiang nodded.
"What's the connection? The county town is so small, we're bound to run into each other all the time," Ouyang said nonchalantly.
Xie Lingjiang glanced at her senior brother, hesitated for a moment, and then introduced him:
"This family... well, I forgot to tell my senior brother before, the master of this family is surnamed Su, named Xian, and he is an old friend of my father, they studied together."
"Classmates?" Ouyang Rong nodded knowingly.
Xie Lingjiang didn't explain what the "reading method" was, but carefully chose her words and said:
"Uncle Su and Aunt Wei have a son and a daughter. Their eldest son is named Fu, who is three years older than my senior brother. He is honest, kind, and hardworking. Their youngest daughter is Su's younger sister. She is gentle, considerate, and kind-hearted. The whole family dotes on her. I have been living next door to her these days. This family has treated me very well."
During the Great Zhou Dynasty, the nicknames of ladies from wealthy families were not to be revealed casually. Even if outsiders knew them, they could not call them by their given names; they could only address them according to their birth order within the family.
Ouyang Rong nodded, "That's good. Speaking of which, I also owe the Su family a favor. Let's get to know each other another day."
Xie Lingjiang already knew about the Su family's donation of one thousand taels of silver before the Dragon Boat Festival, so she wasn't surprised. She nodded and then asked:
"When my senior brother visited just now, did he not see Uncle Su and Su's eldest son?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head. He was dressed in casual clothes and had come directly to pay his respects. He handed over his visiting card and was then led in.
"That must be because Senior Brother arrived too early. Su Dalang is probably still studying in his study. As for Uncle Su... cough, it's alright. They'll come over later when Senior Brother finds out. You can get to know them then."
"OK."
Ouyang Rong nodded slightly. He was actually indifferent to this kind of social interaction, but he still had basic manners and emotional intelligence.
Seeing this, Xie Lingjiang hesitated to speak.
The letter her father had written to her senior brother was still kept with her.
However, it cannot be handed over until the time is right.
However, Xie Lingjiang did not think that her senior brother should befriend or curry favor with this family.
On the contrary, this family should be the ones trying to curry favor with their senior.
So it doesn't matter whether my senior brother knows or not. Besides, given his personality of being so focused on disaster relief and flood control, even if he did know, he probably wouldn't care.
"Oh, right, and this too, here you go."
Xie Lingjiang was still lost in thought, clutching the bedding, when Ouyang Rong, who was by the window, took something out of his sleeve and tossed it to her.
"This is……"
Xie Lingjiang was taken aback and took it; a small, round, crystal-clear bead lay in her palm.
She was naturally familiar with what it was.
Xie Lingjiang looked somewhat ashamed as she tightly gripped the bead that still held the warmth of someone's body.
“Senior brother, I was angry about the grain price issue at the time, and I didn’t know that Zhiying was that kind of person, so I rashly handed over the luminous pearl you gave me…”
Ouyang Rong shook his head. "You made the right choice back then. A single bead is indeed not as important as a life."
Xie Lingjiang stared at him for a moment, then stretched out her hand and handed it back to him.
"Senior brother, take it first."
Seeing the puzzled look on Ouyang Rong's face.
Xie Lingjiang said earnestly:
"This was a reward from my senior brother, but I misrepresented it. Now, senior brother, please take back the luminous pearl. If you do something right next time that deserves praise, then senior brother can give it to me openly and honestly!"
"A sense of ritual, right? Okay."
"It's quite amusing when my junior sister gets serious," Ouyang Rong chuckled as he took the luminous pearl and carefully put it away.
In fact, only he knew that this was a strange relic, but everyone, including those in the pawnshop, said that it was a luminous pearl, so they all followed suit.
Afterwards, the two senior and junior students chatted for a while about the Zheyi Canal.
After glancing at the sun, Ouyang Rong stood up, preparing to take his leave.
Just then, a chubby-faced maid rushed into the courtyard. After entering, she quickly glanced at someone's face and gave a very ladylike bow:
"Young Master Ouyang, our eldest son has arrived and wishes to see you."
Ouyang Rong raised an eyebrow and turned to exchange a glance with his junior sister.
...
Four thousand five hundred words... I'm sure you guys think that's too short (head in hands). Actually, I've been laying the groundwork these past two days, so it's been a bit slow, and I've been combining them into one chapter each... Once the plot unfolds and gets to the point in the next day or two, I can speed up the updates and get back to my usual bursts of chapters!
(End of this chapter)
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