Chapter 78 The Insecure Girl
It is currently uncertain whether the Liu family will come to the county government to back down on the Di Gongzha incident and exchange their "tickets" for the Zheyi Canal.
But the young county magistrate was never the type to put all his study materials on a USB drive.
Aside from his decision to take the postgraduate entrance exam, which was a truly desperate and all-or-nothing gamble, he was truly determined to succeed.
After completing his routine inspection of the Zheyi Canal's progress, Ouyang Rong returned to the Longcheng County government office.
Before parting ways with Yan Liulang, who was preparing to go off to do his work, he suddenly turned around and asked this question:
"Sixth Brother, if Yunmengze is about to experience another major flood, even more severe than the one in May last year, what will you do?"
Yan Liulang was taken aback. "Isn't there the Broken Wing Canal?"
"What if the Zheyi Canal is still far from being completed?"
Under the earnest gaze of the young magistrate, the head constable in blue lowered his head and pondered for a moment before nodding and saying:
“I will carry the magistrate back to Donglin Temple.”
Ouyang Rong's lips twitched, and he laughed and cursed, "Why the hell would I need you to carry me? It's not like last time when I fainted; I can run by myself."
He changed the subject and nodded in agreement:
"However, your idea is not bad. Dagushan is a good place with its high altitude, and there is also the hospitable Donglin Temple. Master Shandao will definitely welcome us very much, although there may be a little more guests at that time."
"What if you met Ah Shan?" Ouyang Rong turned his head and asked the taciturn, thin man behind him.
Liu Ashan paused for a moment, then managed to say, "Master, I'm a good swimmer and not afraid of water."
“…” Ouyang Rong.
Liu Ashan scratched his head a little embarrassedly and added:
“But my sister and mother won’t. I’ll prepare wooden buckets or bamboo rafts in advance to protect them when the flood comes. The last flood in May was so sudden that so many people died because no one was prepared…”
He then raised his head and said:
"But it would be great if we could get a big ship in advance. However, only wealthy families can afford to prepare such a ship. We poor people can only prepare more wooden barrels. No matter where we drift, we just need to make sure we don't drown."
Ouyang Rong nodded slightly, "Taking refuge by ship? That's a good idea too."
The three chatted for a few minutes and then went their separate ways.
Ouyang Rong stretched and stepped into the main hall of the county government office.
With his free time now over, he gets busy again because there are things he needs to prepare for seriously.
Ouyang Rong greatly admired a statement someone had made.
He can do his thing, I'll do mine.
...
As it turns out, even if you're saving the world, you still have to be taken back to your aunt for a meal.
Meiluyuan.
Ouyang Rong pushed open the door and entered the room.
Before he could even settle into his seat at the dinner table, his aunt stuffed a warm sandalwood food box into his arms.
"Go, go, go deliver food to Wanwan?"
Ouyang Rong, who had been buried in his books all morning, had just returned and immediately asked his silver-haired maid to bring him a reclining chair.
He slumped into the chair, too lazy to move, and said sincerely:
“Auntie, the maids in the Su family probably eat better than us. Let’s not lower our junior sister’s diet.”
Madam Zhen glanced at the brat and smiled:
"Unfortunately, Wanwan just wanted to try some of Nanlong's specialty dishes. I visited her this morning and we already arranged for you to bring her food. She won't be eating at the Su residence today."
The dignified and elegant woman in her silk dress gently nudged her nephew's leg under the table, saying, "So, I'm troubling you, senior brother, to do something."
Ouyang Rong was speechless: "The food prepared by the chef in this kitchen is not the same as the food from my hometown. It's not spicy at all, and the flavor is too soft."
Whether by coincidence or not, Ouyang Rong was born in a place known for its spicy food, whether in his past life or this one. However, the local cuisine in Longcheng County is now more sweet, and he finds his daily meals as bland as vegetarian food.
Madam Zhen did not deny this, but simply nodded:
"That's true. The dishes this cook makes aren't as spicy as those from Nanlong. Your mother used to be the best at making spicy food; it seems like it's a recipe passed down from her family..."
"Let's make do for now, we'll see if we can get a different cook another day. Don't be lazy, hurry up and take the food over, Wanwan is waiting anxiously. There's enough for two people in the box, Tanlang, you can eat with her too. Hurry up, don't let your own food get cold."
"What do you mean by 'longing for someone'? Auntie is misusing idioms again."
Ouyang Rong took the teacup that Wei Lai carefully handed him, took a sip, and patted her warm, white head.
He hooked the food box with two fingers and reluctantly went out.
Zhen smiled faintly as she watched her lover's figure disappear.
"Wait, white-haired maid, why did you follow them? What if you frighten the neighbors of the Su family? Come back."
Seeing something out of the corner of her eye, Zhen frowned slightly. Ye Weilai, who was following Ouyang Rong expectantly, trembled, stopped on the spot, and went back into the house with her head down.
The silver-haired maid poured another cup of hot tea and presented it to the woman in the silk skirt who was intimidated by her.
She had only been at the Deer Garden for a short time, and during the day when the master was not around, she would follow behind the senior maids, such as Banxi, to learn from them.
Because she had grown up in a cage, and it wasn't worth the money of the Arab merchants to train her in any skills such as serving others or playing musical instruments, the silver-haired girl knew nothing but silly, hardworking hands and feet.
Being quick-witted and diligent is not considered an advantage among servants in wealthy households, but rather a basic skill.
Whether it's hot or cold depends entirely on the master's mood.
The master's aunt didn't like her very much, a fact that Wei Lai knew from the first day she clung to the master's clothes when she arrived at the house.
"Madam, please have some tea."
Wei Lai's grey-blue eyes were full of flattery as she presented the tea with her small hands, ignoring the scalding cup.
The only thing she's good at right now is tea ceremony. Her master taught her this recently after seeing her foolishly fiddling with the teacups at night...
Madam Zhen glanced at the teacup, but didn't take it. She picked up another bite of food, chewed it with her pink cheeks, nodded, and muttered, "It's definitely not spicy enough. My lord likes spicy food..."
After finishing her meal, she put down her chopsticks, took the napkin handed to her by Banxi, touched her lips, and suddenly asked:
"How have you been sleeping lately, Tanlang? Have you been having trouble sleeping at night?"
Before Wei Lai, whose arm was numb from holding the teacup, could speak, a soft voice from the side said:
"It's pointless for you to ask, Madam. The young master and she sleep under separate blankets. When the young master gets up at night, she's probably sleeping like a log, so she has no idea."
Zhen's jade-like face darkened.
Wei Lai said in a panic:
"No, no, Master said he was afraid that he would roll over and crush me while he was sleeping, so there are two quilts. Master likes to touch my hair to fall asleep. Every time he gets up and rolls over, he will crush my long hair. I know this and I am not being lazy."
Madam Zhen frowned: "So, are you taking care of Tanlang, or is Tanlang taking care of you? Besides, if you're not sleeping in the same bed with him, why are you warming the bed?"
Tears welled up in Wei Lai's grey-blue eyes, and her lips trembled as she softly said:
“It was Master who wouldn’t allow it. When I hugged him from behind, he stiffened up and said he couldn’t sleep and wasn’t used to it… So I didn’t dare hug him anymore, afraid of disturbing Master’s sleep. He’s very tired from his daily official duties…”
Madam Zhen shook her head. "Nonsense. Tanlang used to be held and coaxed to sleep by me. He slept just fine. What's wrong with him?"
A maidservant behind Banxi interjected:
“What you say is absolutely right, Madam. It’s not that my husband is not used to it, it’s that he’s not used to you. That’s right, he’s probably afraid that if he opens his eyes at night and sees your strange face, he’ll be so frightened that he’ll have nightmares.”
Banxi nodded, glancing at the white-haired maid: "So, does the young master sleep with his back to you?"
Wei Lai's small body stiffened, momentarily forgetting the heat of the teacup she was holding. Her face was even redder than her burned fingers. "Slave...slave..."
Throughout the meal, Madam Zhen did not accept any tea. She finished her meal slowly and deliberately, and before getting up, she uttered a remark:
"If you can't be a good personal maid, take the initiative to talk to Tanlang and ask him to find a more suitable one. Don't take advantage of your pitiful state to manipulate Tanlang's kindness."
Half-heartedly nodded in agreement:
“Yes, since you can’t do anything anyway, you might as well give up your position. It’s better for both of you and your husband. At least it proves that you’re not an ingrate and that you really care about your husband.”
"Ah ah..."
The silver-haired maid blushed and opened her mouth as if to agree, but the thought of leaving her master, who would gently stroke her head and lull her to sleep at night, made her fragile, inexperienced heart ache.
The girl hesitated to say those words, but then she thought about how her face might frighten her master and give him nightmares, and that her master was only showing her pity...
A complex expression welled up on Wei Lai's small face, including feelings of inferiority, shame, and self-blame.
The silver-haired maid lowered her head deeply.
"Alright, stop gossiping. If you guys are so capable, go and let Tanlang choose you to stay in his room. Why bully a little white-haired maid? Fine, since Tanlang hasn't said anything, let's wait and see."
Lady Zhen glanced sideways at the maids behind her who were fanning the flames.
The latter immediately lowered their heads and obediently nodded.
The woman in the silk skirt shook her head, feeling that the inner quarters were a mess. Why was it so difficult to find a suitable maid to take care of her beloved?
Lady Zhen looked melancholy as she led her maids away.
In the empty room, with only a table of leftover food, a silver-haired girl stood motionless, two wet streaks on her pale face. After an unknown amount of time, she finally moved her slender body and shakily put down the teacup that had been heated and cooled.
The girl squatted down in front of the table and chairs, curling up with her knees drawn up to her chest. Water droplets fell onto the cold floor. She raised the back of her hand and wiped her face haphazardly. The girl's wet hand pulled out two still-warm copper coins from the collar of her ruqun dress. Her eyes were red and swollen as she stared at them, seemingly muttering something...
In the distance, someone was unaware that his gentlemanly behavior of suppressing his "righteous spirit" every night and secretly taking pride in it would cause so much ripples in the Deer Garden and attract so much attention from the young ladies.
Right now, he's not on the right path. Carrying a food box, he's 'venturing out into the world' in that unfamiliar plum blossom grove in the backyard.
To be honest, this path is quite quick, and before long Ouyang Rong saw the buildings of the Su residence.
...
(End of this chapter)
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