Volume Two: Step by Step to Victory, Chapter One: Master Ruan San
As dawn broke, a pale gray-white hue appeared through the window screen.
Xiuzhi brought in water for washing her face, wrung out a towel, and handed it to Ruanbi, who was yawning, saying, "Actually, Miss doesn't need to get up early. The old lady said that until Miss recovers from her illness, she is exempt from paying her respects morning and evening."
As Ruan Bi wiped her face, she said, "Paying respects to my parents morning and evening is the duty of a son or grandson. How can I neglect it because of a minor illness? My grandmother loves me dearly, so I should do my duty even more."
"You are so filial, young lady. It was Xiuzhi who was ignorant. Please don't take my nonsense to heart." Xiuzhi stuck out her tongue, took the towel and put it back in the wooden basin. She picked up the comb and carefully combed her hair, saying enviously, "Your hair is so beautiful, so black and smooth, just like silk."
Ruan Bi smiled and glanced at Xiuzhi in the mirror.
Xiuzhi originally worked in the old lady's courtyard as a second-class maid in charge of utensils and tea sets, making her one of the old lady's personal maids. It's unclear why the old lady transferred her here, but this maid has acted as if she's always in charge of everything. Whether this is her true nature or she has ulterior motives, until Ruan Bi can only offer some pleasantries.
The old lady exempted her from the morning and evening greetings, partly for her health, but mainly because she didn't want to see her. But she didn't want to grant her wish. She wanted her to gradually get used to her presence until she finally accepted her completely. She didn't like the old lady either, but to live well in this household, she needed a powerful backer. Comparing the old lady and the first wife, she still felt the old lady was more suitable.
"Miss, it's all done. I'm sorry, Xiuzhi is clumsy."
Ruan Bi glanced at the two slightly asymmetrical buns in the mirror and said, "It's alright, it's getting late, let's go."
Xiuzhi had never bothered with grooming before, so her hairstyling skills were far inferior to Dongxue's. However, she was more lively than Dongxue, and at only fifteen years old, perhaps because she had only been in the household for two years, she didn't yet have the air of a complete servant, which was something Ruan Bi liked the most. If she sincerely wanted to serve her as her master, that wouldn't be bad.
As Ruan Bi pondered this, she walked along the covered corridor toward the main house where the old master lived. This was the first time she had stepped out of Liaoyuan Garden since she had been under house arrest for more than a month. It was mid-spring then, when the flowers were in full bloom, but now they had all withered, leaving only a few lonely flowers dotting the green trees and grass.
The greetings were not much different from before; the same group of people used the same greetings, even their smiles were identical. The procedural bows and greetings were performed with great skill by everyone, their smiles and laughter like a theatrical performance of filial piety and maternal love. Especially the Old Madam, the First Madam, and the Second Madam; just two days ago, these three had staged a turbulent drama in the east wing of Liaoyuan Garden, but now it seemed as if it had never happened, each of them smiling more gently and harmlessly than the last.
Any one of them here could be an award-winning actress. Ruan Bi stood at the back, thinking to herself.
Suddenly, she heard the old lady call her: "Fifth girl, come here."
Ruan Bi stepped forward, and the old lady took her hand and looked at it, saying, "You're too thin, and your complexion isn't good either. Didn't we exempt you from paying your respects morning and evening? Why have you come again?"
Ruan Bi said softly, "Paying respects to one's parents morning and evening is a child's duty. My grandmother cherishes this and couldn't bear to see me running back and forth, so she exempted me from paying my respects. How could I use a minor illness as an excuse to be lazy?"
Everyone was stunned by these words and looked at Ruan Bi in surprise.
After Ruan Bi transmigrated, she only had limited contact with the Second Miss, Fourth Miss, and Sixth Miss. Although the three of them felt that her behavior was unusual, it wasn't obvious. This was simply because they were sisters of the same generation, and they inevitably quarreled and fought since childhood. The original owner was timid and didn't want to cause trouble, but she could still speak clearly and frankly in front of them. However, she was always trembling with fear in front of the Old Madam, and it was not easy for her to speak clearly, let alone behave so generously and respond so appropriately as she did now.
The old lady looked at Ruan Bi carefully and said, "I felt that Fifth Girl was a little different a couple of days ago, and now it seems that she is really very different. When the old master was alive, he often said that fortune and misfortune are interdependent, and it is indeed true. Although Fifth Girl was seriously ill and almost killed by a wicked servant, she has become more intelligent and started to understand things. Amitabha, if the old master knew this in the afterlife, he would be overjoyed."
No sooner had she finished speaking than a maidservant announced from outside the door: "Madam, the master has arrived."
A moment later, Ruan Hong strode in, dressed in court robes. It was the first time Ruan Bi had seen him, so she quickly took a closer look. He was around forty years old, with a fair complexion and a short beard. He looked about five parts like the old lady.
"Weren't you supposed to attend the morning court session today? Why are you back so early?"
"The Crown Prince is ill. His Majesty stayed up all night to keep vigil over him and has cancelled the morning court session today."
The old lady asked with concern, "Is everything alright?"
"It's just an upset stomach, nothing serious. It's just that His Majesty only has this one prince now, and he's very concerned about him." Ruan Hong said, bowing as he sat down below the old lady.
The old lady waved her hand and said, "You may all leave now. Hong'er, have breakfast with me."
"Yes, Mother."
As everyone gradually withdrew, Ruan Bi naturally lagged behind again. After exiting the moon gate and walking along the covered corridor for a while, she reached a corner. The Second Young Lady, accompanied by Chun Yun, emerged from behind the artificial hill, blocking her path and mockingly saying, "Fifth Sister, do you no longer need to send me calligraphy samples?"
Ruan Bi said, "Sister, you don't know, Sister Luo thinks that I, a young lady, use too much paper and ink, and refuses to give me any more. I was just thinking of borrowing some paper from you."
The second sister glanced at her sideways and said, "What? Are you trying to tell me again, in a roundabout way, that Sister Luo bullied you and you want me to stand up for you? Fifth sister, do you really think I'm a fool?" Her eyes sharpened with each word, her tone biting. She wasn't a fool, and eventually realized she'd been used by Ruan Bi. She was always the one using others, but she couldn't tolerate being used herself, so she kept it all bottled up inside, growing increasingly aggrieved.
Ruan Bi thought to herself, "This girl isn't stupid, she's just impatient and lacks composure. Everyone in the manor knows that my sister is exceptionally intelligent and talented..."
"Pah!" the second young lady interrupted her angrily. "Trying to fool me with sweet words? Trying to use me again?"
“Sister,” Ruan Bi said softly, “I truly admire your beautiful flying white brush technique and sincerely wish to learn from you. It’s just that I was not free at the time and could not come to you in person. I could only send a servant, which I did not expect to cause you to misunderstand. We grew up together and have been sisters for many years. How could I possibly use you?”
The second girl sneered and said, "Who's your sister? You shameless thing, you don't even know where you came from."
Ruan Bi's mind raced, weighing whether to confront them head-on or back down. A confrontation would be satisfying, but it would thoroughly enrage the second young lady, creating a huge stumbling block for someone with no real power. After some thought, she decided to retreat. Lowering her head, she said sadly, "Forget it, what's the point of me going through all this trouble to keep my life? I might as well have been poisoned a couple of days ago; then I'd be free, and so would everyone else."
The second girl remained unmoved. "I don't care about your worthless life. Don't put on that face and try to smear me. No way."
Ruan Bi said, "Sister, you are upright and honest, as bright as the sun and moon. How could you do such a thing as murder? I have never doubted you. If you know who did it, please remind me so that I can be on guard and avoid dying in confusion as a wronged ghost."
The second girl said, "Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you. What does it matter to me whether you live or die?"
Ruan Bi then feigned a self-pitying tone and said, "Yes, sister is right. My life and death have nothing to do with you. You are the pure white snow in the sky and the bright moon in the clouds, while I am nothing but a lump of mud and a piece of rotten wood..."
The second young lady loathed her tone the most. Having long forgotten her purpose, she glared at her with disgust and said, "How boring." Then she turned and left.
Ruan Bi watched her and Chunyun hurry away, and chuckled to herself.
Suddenly, she heard a clapping sound. Ruan Bi looked in the direction of the sound and saw a young man standing at the corner of the corridor. He was about twenty years old, tall, with dark skin and sharp eyes like an eagle.
This is the inner courtyard of the Ruan family mansion. How could there be a young, unfamiliar man here? Ruan Bi looked at him with puzzlement, but dared not ask rashly.
The man walked over step by step, and with each step, a chilling aura approached, making Ruan Bi's heart involuntarily leap into her throat. He stopped half a step away from Ruan Bi, looking at her expressionlessly, and said, "You've grown so much..." His voice was also chilling, like weapons clashing.
What's going on with this opening line? Ruan Bi looked at him in confusion, without saying a word.
"What, don't you recognize me?" The young man's lips curled into a mysterious smile. "But I often think of you..."
What exactly is going on? What they said is so ambiguous. Ruan Bi couldn't understand, so she could only remain silent.
“You’ve grown beautiful too…” He reached out to touch her face, but Ruan Bi quickly turned away, looking at him warily. There was not a trace of friendliness about him.
He wasn't offended at all, withdrew his hand, and continued, "...and it's much more interesting than when I was a child. Very good, very good." His face finally showed expression, and his eyes narrowed, taking on a strange hue.
That expression, that expression... Ruan Bi's heart skipped a beat. She'd seen that expression in TV shows and movies; it was the typical look of a hunter seeing his prey, or an assassin seeing a sucker. And the chilling aura emanating from him was the murderous intent steeped in countless drops of blood.
Ruan Bi already knew who he was. She took a deep breath and curtsied. "It's been so many years, I almost didn't recognize my third uncle."
Ruan Chi paused for a moment, then a cold smile appeared on his lips. "You're definitely much more interesting than when you were little, very good, very good." As he spoke, he slowly backed away, his eyes fixed on her like a tiger's, until he reached the corner before turning and leaving.
The oppressive, chilling killing intent vanished, and Ruan Bi let out a long breath. This was the first time since her transmigration that she had been intimidated by someone else's aura. He clearly harbored a grudge against her. He had just told her that he wouldn't let her go.
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