The school was located on one side of the garden. After all the trouble Shi Lan had gone through, when she arrived at the school, the teacher had already started teaching. Upon seeing Shi Lan, the teacher waved his hand to indicate that she should take a seat.
Shi Lan rolled her eyes and scanned the room. Shi Xi glared at her, her meaning clear: why was she late? Shi Yi glanced at her lightly, though she didn't show any expression, Shi Lan could still see the contempt in her eyes.
Shi Lan snorted and sat between the two, thinking to herself, "Little punk, let's see who laughs last."
The master slowly and methodically explained the Four Books for Women and the Biographies of Exemplary Women. Shi Lan touched her stomach and regretted leaving in such a hurry, not bringing any snacks with her.
Time seemed to slow down. Shi Lan leaned to the left and to the right until the end of get out of class. As soon as the teacher left, Shi Xi said, "Bicao, bring the snack box to the Third Miss."
Bi Cao responded crisply and placed the box in her hand in front of Shi Lan.
Shi Lan couldn't wait to pick out a piece about the size of her thumb and put it in her mouth. The sweet and sour taste made her squint her eyes.
"This contains dried peaches."
Bi Cao smiled and said, "Yes, this servant mashed the dried peaches and mixed them into a paste to make small cakes. Third Miss is really amazing; she can taste the difference even like that."
Shi Lan chuckled and picked up another piece, putting it in her mouth and muttering to herself, guessing what the filling was.
Shi Yi silently snorted at her smug look, tidied up the table, and got up to leave.
Shi Xi gave Shi Yi a disapproving look, then turned and scolded, "You've been lazy for days and even forgot when class starts."
Shi Lan was taking small bites of her snack, wanting to speak, but because of the food in her mouth, she could only swallow quickly, like a hamster chewing its food.
Seeing her like this, Cuizhi was worried that she would choke, so she quickly helped her catch her breath and explained on behalf of Shilan, "No, Miss, Miss ate something wrong yesterday and rushed here after seeing a doctor this morning."
Shi Xi then noticed the blister on the corner of her mouth and hurriedly asked, "What did you eat? What happened to your face?" Looking at Cui Zhi, the only one serving Shi Lan present, she snapped, "How did you serve her like this…?"
Shi Lan grabbed Shi Xi, stopping her from continuing her scolding, pulled her down, and whispered in her ear about stealing dates and longans and deliberately getting a sore throat.
When Shi Yi heard that it was about yesterday, her heart skipped a beat, and she paused in her steps. She wanted to hear what Shi Lan had to say next, but she was worried that it would be too obvious. With Bi Cao and Cui Zhi nearby, she thought for a moment and finally took a step forward.
Seeing Shi Yi walk away, Shi Xi nudged Shi Lan and scolded, "That was really too ridiculous."
Shi Lan grimaced, but then touched a blister and gasped in pain.
“In Father’s eyes, my second sister and I are both his children. If I didn’t spend some money, how could Father dislike her?” Shi Lan pouted, looking unconvinced.
"Nonsense! You are the legitimate wife, and she is the concubine's wife. How can you be the same?"
Shi Lan stubbornly pursed her lips and remained silent.
Seeing her like this, Shi Xi sighed softly, put her arm around her shoulder, and whispered, "I haven't slept well for a while because of you. Now you're like this again. Do you know how worried I am?"
Thinking back to her mother's flustered state that morning, Shi Lan felt a pang of guilt.
Seeing that she remained silent, Shi Xi knew that she knew she had made a mistake, so she patted her shoulder and said, "Alright, it's getting late, let's go have lunch with Mother."
Under the blazing sun, after lunch, the mother and her two daughters patted their round bellies and squinted contentedly.
Seeing her like this, Shi Xi laughed and said, "No wonder your older brother laughed at you for being a greedy cat. You are just like Bao Yun, the cat your grandmother raised."
When Shi Rong was mentioned, Shi Lan couldn't help but feel embarrassed, as she hadn't expected that her first thought would be sweet and fragrant pine nut candy.
Seeing that her face was slightly flushed, Shi's mother smiled and took a sip of her fragrant tea, saying, "Your eldest brother cares about you a lot. He came back a few days ago and saw that you were sick, so he went out and bought some candy, saying that he was saving it to take to your medicine."
Feeling embarrassed, Shi Lan tugged at her mother's sleeve and acted coquettishly for a while, and the afternoon passed by unnoticed.
As the sun set, Shi Lan sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) in the ward, holding a small bowl of thin white porcelain, sipping her drink.
A few greetings came from outside the door, the bamboo curtain was lifted, and Shi's father's thin figure walked in.
Shi Lan's eyes lit up. She put down her bowl, jumped off the kang (a heated brick bed), and her small body rushed towards her father like a cannonball, calling out, "Dad!"
Mr. Shi half-squatted down, reached out and hugged her, looking down at the unusual red spots on her fair face. "Does it still hurt?"
Shi Lan shook her head, "It doesn't hurt anymore."
Mr. Shi stroked her head, feeling both heartache and regret.
Cuizhi bowed respectfully and brought the small bowl back from the table. "Miss, please drink it while it's hot. This tea will be even more bitter when it's cold."
Shi Lan frowned and turned her head away.
A faint astringent smell wafted into his nostrils. Shi's father glanced at it and gently coaxed, "Good medicine tastes bitter, Lan'er. Be good, finish it, and Dad will bring you some braised pork knuckle from Huifenglou tomorrow, okay?"
Huifenglou is a famous restaurant in Beijing, and its signature dish is braised pork knuckle. The whole knuckle is specially treated, and after being cooked, it is rich in sauce, fatty but not greasy, and melts in your mouth. It is the original owner's favorite food, without exception.
Influenced by the lingering emotions in her body, Shi Lan kept saliva secreting from her mouth. To avoid losing her composure, Shi Lan took the small bowl and, with a resolute feeling, drank most of the bitter tea in one gulp.
Cuizhi glanced at Shi's father, suppressing the thought that the young lady couldn't eat it yet, and brought some candied fruit to help Shi Lanqing taste it.
Mr. Shi gently patted her back, pleased that his daughter was obedient and well-behaved, but also blaming himself for feeding her random things when he knew she had just recovered from an illness and was still weak.
After visiting Shi Lan, Shi's father returned to the main courtyard. As soon as he entered, he saw Shi's mother holding a table, looking at him leisurely.
Mr. Shi waved away the maids who came forward to serve him, and spread his hands, expecting Mrs. Shi to come forward to help him change his clothes. Unexpectedly, Mrs. Shi did not move, but just stared at him with her eyes.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
