Volume Two: Step by Step to Victory, Chapter Three: Fine Paper and Cold Gold
Hot water bottle slipped into the inner courtyard, originally intending to find Ruan Bi.
Because of the locust flower incident, the First Madam was furious and didn't assign her any more tasks. Unwilling to spend money to beg for favors, she set her sights on Ruan Bi, hoping to curry favor with her and squeeze some money out of her. She avoided people the whole way, but unexpectedly, near Liaoyuan Garden, she encountered the Second Young Lady.
Having been slapped and received some reward money, her mind started to wander again. The Fifth Miss was stingy and of low social standing, while the Second Miss always gave five hundred coins as a reward, was generous, and was the legitimate daughter. The difference in their status was obvious, and Tang Pozi unhesitatingly sided with the Second Miss.
After thinking it over, I decided to go to the east wing of Liaoyuan Garden.
Ruan Bi was embroidering when she saw her arrive. She smiled and invited her to sit down, then asked the tea girl to serve tea.
"What are you embroidering, young lady?" Granny Tang stepped forward, wanting to praise her for her skill and dexterity, but seeing the few scattered flowers on the embroidery frame and the crooked stitches, she was stunned. Even though she was good at talking nonsense, she couldn't say anything and immediately retreated to the stool to sit down.
Seeing her expression, Ruan Bi felt a surge of amusement. She knew absolutely nothing about embroidery, but living in this era, she had no choice but to learn. "Isn't Mother-in-law on duty today?"
Old Lady Tang sighed and said, "Miss, you don't know, the Madam hasn't assigned me any tasks yet. If you have any errands to run that require you to go out and it's inconvenient, this old woman can run them for you."
Ruan Bi understood that the First Madam must have disliked her because of the locust flower incident, and thus terminated her job. At this moment, the tea maid served tea, and the old woman took it. Turning her head, Ruan Bi noticed that the old woman's cheek was slightly red and swollen, and asked, "What happened to your face, Grandma?"
Tang Pozi touched her cheek and said, "Don't even mention it. I just ran into the Second Miss, and she slapped me without even asking what happened. The Second Miss is really fierce." As she spoke, she looked pitifully at Ruan Bi, hoping that she would say something bad about the Second Miss. If she then told the Second Miss, she would definitely get a reward.
But then Ruan Bi asked, "Second sister is just quick-tempered, but she wouldn't act recklessly. It must be that mother-in-law did something to anger her."
Tang Pozi said, "This is a huge injustice! The second young lady just said that I was conspiring with you to fool her. How could that be?"
"She said you were conspiring with me to fool her?"
The hot water bottle nodded.
Ruan Bi then asked, "What did Grandma say?"
The old woman said, "It's just like what I said earlier, that nothing like that ever happened."
Ruan Bi frowned slightly. Given the Second Miss's temperament, once she made up her mind about something, how could she possibly give up so easily? It must have been something the old woman said that made her let go. Thinking this, she looked closely at the old woman. The old woman felt extremely uncomfortable under her gaze, as if the five hundred coins she had just received were sinking heavily into her arms.
Ruan Bi withdrew her gaze and smiled slightly. "Grandma, don't be afraid. I know Second Sister. She's like a thunderstorm; once it's over, everything will be fine."
The old woman felt a little calmer and said in a low voice, "Girl, do you know? The locust tree is dead."
Ruan Bi was startled, not because of surprise. She knew that Huaihua's life was doomed when the old lady and the second lady insisted on sending her to the authorities that day. But hearing the news, she felt a pang of sadness. Although Huaihua had brought it upon herself, it was still a human life.
"How did he die?"
"He hanged himself, and I heard his tongue was half a foot long when it stuck out."
Ruan Bi remained silent for a moment, then stood up, took out two hundred coins from the money box, and handed them to the old woman, saying, "Grandma, if you have some free time, please burn some paper money for her. I hope that in her next life she will be smarter and won't be deceived by anyone again."
The old woman took the money and asked, "What do you mean by that, young lady?"
Ruan Bi said, "Huaihua is all bark and no bite. How could she possibly have the guts to poison me? Besides, what good would it do her to harm me? She's been tricked."
Tang Pozi said, "But there is no Granny Sun in the mansion."
Ruan Bi said, "What's so difficult about that? If it's not in the manor, it might have come from outside, or it might be someone in disguise. Check who came here back then, and ask the servants in the garden, and maybe we'll find out."
Hot water bottle soaked her heart and asked in a low voice, "Does the young lady know who harmed you?"
Ruan Bi made a two-character gesture with her fingers.
Tang Pozi's heart was pounding. She couldn't wait to go to the second young lady and tell her. She forced herself to calm down and pretended to be serious, saying, "Miss, we can talk about this in private. We can't tell anyone. If it causes trouble... it won't be good for you."
Ruan Bi nodded and said, "Thank you for reminding me, Grandma."
“Miss, it’s getting late. I need to ask the Madam for a job, so I won’t bother you any longer.”
"Okay, take care, Grandma. Come over and chat with me when you have time."
"Yes, young lady."
The hot water bottle hurriedly left.
Ruan Bi watched her figure disappear behind the curtain, then picked up her needle and thread again, her mind elsewhere. The old woman had been trying to trick her into revealing information, and she had cleverly set a trap for herself. She guessed that the old woman was probably already rushing over to report to the Second Young Lady or the First Madam. Actually, Ruan Bi didn't know if the Second Madam was the one who ordered the poisoning of the locust flowers; she just felt that the only one in the Ruan household who could openly rival the First Madam was the Second Madam. As long as they fought it out, she could take advantage of the chaos.
"Miss, I went to the kitchen and got some pepper, and I've already pounded it. What's next?" Xiuzhi came in from outside carrying a mortar and pestle.
Ruan Bi came to her senses and said, "Put it in a porcelain bottle, and pour some more into a piece of paper, wrap it up, and put it in my purse."
Xiuzhi looked at her in astonishment and said, "Girl, what are you doing putting it in your purse?"
Ruan Bi made up a story: "The doctor said I have nausea and vomiting due to dampness, and that I should use more pepper to warm my stomach and intestines."
Xiuzhi nodded, took the mortar and pestle downstairs, and returned a moment later with a medium-sized porcelain bottle. She poured some pepper powder onto oiled paper, wrapped it up, and put it into Ruan Bi's purse. She grinned and said, "Other girls carry spices with them, but you carry seasonings."
Ruan Bi sensed the teasing in her words, clearly still doubting her own statement. Ever since meeting Ruan Chi, a sense of danger had lingered; the pepper powder was merely a stopgap measure, better than nothing. If only she could buy something like the "Seven Steps to Intoxication" from martial arts novels, or perhaps be struck by a peerless master's divine skill, like Xu Zhu, instantly evolving from a useless little monk into an unparalleled expert.
Just as she was lost in thought, her maid Xiushui said from the outer room, "Miss, Sister-in-law Luo is here."
"Who is Sister-in-law Luo?" Ruan Bi asked, puzzled. "Please invite her in."
A woman of medium height, not yet thirty, strode in, carrying a stack of papers and a smile on her face, though the smile was dry and made one's heart feel parched. She gave Ruan Bi a slight bow and said, "Greetings, Fifth Miss. Just now, Second Miss came to the storeroom and mentioned that you had run out of paper to write on. I then remembered that last time your maid came to ask for paper, there were only a few sheets left in the storeroom, and since the young masters needed it every day, we had to turn her away. The new paper we received is of the finest quality, cold gold paper, so I brought it here especially for you, Miss. I also want to apologize to you."
"What apology? It's my fault for troubling you to deliver it personally."
"It's not exactly troublesome, but we still have to make things clear," said Sister Luo. "Miss, you don't know, there are over a hundred people in the mansion, and just the young lady and her concubines alone number more than twenty. Sometimes we can't attend to everything, and we inevitably neglect some things. It's unavoidable that one or two people will feel unhappy and say some gossipy things... Sigh, if everyone were as reasonable as the young lady, that would be so much better."
"It's not your fault, sister-in-law, please don't take it to heart."
Sister Luo handed the cold gold letter to Xiuzhi and said, "It was so pleasant talking to you, Miss. But I still have some important business to attend to. I'll talk to you again another day when I have more free time. If you need anything, just send your maid to ask for it."
"Thank you, sister-in-law. Take care."
As Ruan Bi watched Luo's sister-in-law rush out again, she thought to herself, "What a sharp tongue she has; she managed to say everything."
Xiuzhi touched the cold gold paper and exclaimed, "Girl, this paper is so beautiful."
"Of course, this is an imitation of Chengxintang paper." Ruan Bi liked calligraphy and had studied paper for a while. Cold gold paper was a lower grade of high-quality Xuan paper, but it was still incomparable to the ordinary Xuan paper she had used before. Looking at the fine, smooth, and thin cold gold paper, a playful smile appeared on Ruan Bi's face. What was the second young lady planning? Was she trying to curry favor with her before setting a trap? She was quite happy with this kind of currying favor.
Xiuzhi placed the paper on the table and carefully folded it. "Writing on this paper will definitely look beautiful."
Ruan Bi's heart skipped a beat, and she asked, "Xiuzhi, can you read?"
Xiuzhi shook her head sadly.
"I'll teach you another day."
Xiuzhi opened her eyes wide in surprise and asked, "Is it true, miss?"
"really."
"Thank you, young lady."
Seeing Xiuzhi's radiant face filled with joy, Ruan Bi felt happy too. She was happy to teach the maids around her what she could, for being born in this era, in this environment, seemed both helpless and tragic to her. "Xiuzhi, where are you from?"
"Sanshiqiao in the west of the city".
"Is it the western part of the capital city?"
“Yes, it’s the sesame pancake shop by the river near Sanshi Bridge.” Seeing Ruan Bi’s inquisitive expression, Xiuzhi interrupted before she could ask, “My father is sick, and my brother is getting married. We have no money, so we had to sell me.” Although she tried her best to hold back, she couldn’t help but blurt out. Seeing Ruan Bi looking at her with sympathy, she quickly smiled and said, “It’s good in the manor. We eat well, dress well, and have no worries.”
Ruan Bi knew she was just trying to comfort herself, but she didn't point it out. She picked up a pen and wrote a line on a piece of paper: "Sanshiqiao, west of the city," and said, "Xiuzhi, look, these words are your home address."
During this casual conversation, she only wanted to learn about Xiuzhi's background, never expecting that this address would later save her life.
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