Chapter 11 Water Dragon's Roar, you're the best!
Who else could it be?
It's you! It's you!
Ye Mu was so angry that she glared and puffed out her cheeks. A surge of anger rose in her heart. Although she knew what was going on, she was trapped in the body of a child, and all the words she wanted to say were stuck in her throat. She could only suppress her anger and find another way.
Ye Mu tugged at Liu Shi's sleeve with her little hand, complaining with a touch of coquettishness, "This paper is covered with so much stuff, it makes Fourth Sister's eyes dizzy. Doesn't Mother get dizzy too?"
Madam Liu assumed that she was frightened by the accounts and gently patted her daughter's back, saying, "Don't be afraid, Mother is looking at serious matters. If Fourth Sister finds it boring, let Zijing take you back to your room to play."
"No! Fourth Sister wants to stay with Mother, and Mother wants to stay with Fourth Sister!"
She pointed outside and said, "Mother, A-Jing said the street is very lively. There are vendors selling sugar figurines, dough figurines, and incredibly beautiful silk shops, like the clouds in the sky. Mother, shall we take Fourth Sister to the street to have a look?"
The child's innocent words, though spoken, stirred something within Liu's heart.
Although she came from a respectable family and was unfamiliar with worldly affairs, she was not entirely ignorant of the ways of the world. Her daughter's unintentional words had awakened her to something: theoretical discussions are ultimately not as reliable as seeing for oneself.
These purchasing lists, with their prices and quality, are all based on her own limited understanding and hearsay. How can she possibly grasp the essentials? The figures on these lists are indeed quite eye-catching.
Seeing that Liu seemed to be persuaded, Zhang Niangzi's smile faded slightly. "Oh, my little darling, the streets are crowded and noisy. Be careful not to bump into someone as precious as you! As for the quality of the fabric, we servants will take care of it for you. Why trouble you to go to all that trouble? Besides, we're used to running around selling fabrics; we know the market better than anyone..."
She changed the subject, "...Besides, which of us wasn't personally selected and chosen by the old lady herself when we entered the manor? We've served our masters for years, with every stitch and every meal. We may not claim any merit, but we've certainly put in some hard work. Take, for example, the procurement work in the storeroom. When the second mistress was in charge, we old servants were always on high alert and never made a single mistake. Everyone in the manor praised us for being perfect. How come it seems that you, the third mistress, don't trust us old folks who have served us for so long, and even have doubts about the old lady's judgment back then?"
These servants rarely interacted with Liu Shi on ordinary days. Seeing that she was weak-willed, they thought that by invoking the old lady, they could intimidate her. However, Liu Shi hated this kind of intimidating tone, which only fueled their desire to find out more.
"Auntie, you're too kind."
But she couldn't be too confrontational, lest she give others cause for gossip. So Liu said gently, "The old lady trusts me and entrusted me with this task, so I will do my best to handle everything personally and dare not be negligent in the slightest. Since Fourth Sister is curious about the bustling city, as her mother, I will take her to see the various fabrics in the silk shop and broaden her horizons. This is a common thing for women in their boudoirs. How can you say I don't trust her?"
Liu smiled and said, "Could it be that there's some shady way the price of this fabric is being sold, and you're afraid I'll have to go out and compare it on the street?"
"Oh dear, Grandma, you're going to wrongly accuse someone!" Madam Zhang's voice suddenly rose. "I'm only thinking about Grandma and Miss's safety. What a messy and filthy place the streets outside are! What if they get hurt?"
She glanced quickly at Madam Liu. “These household affairs are best left to us maids who are used to doing menial tasks. Madam has just taken over, and there are so many things to deal with. She should be sitting in the mansion, giving general guidance. Why should Madam have to bother with these trivial matters of showing her face and haggling with merchants? If anything goes wrong and the old lady finds out, she will not only feel sorry for Madam and Fourth Miss’s hard work, but it will also make us servants look incompetent and inadequate. We old servants really cannot bear that responsibility.”
Seeing that Liu seemed to be wavering, Zhang Niangzi used both soft and hard tactics, "If Madam really doesn't trust us old servants in the manor, she can go and tell the old lady and ask her to decide whether to punish or beat us! But if this kind of suspicion and distrust gets out, who will dare to serve the manor wholeheartedly in the future?"
Her words were perfectly tactful, hitting the nail on the head every time. Liu Shi had just taken power and was already walking on thin ice. Every stewardess in the mansion was a shrewd and experienced woman. She knew that her foundation was still shallow and that she had suddenly been given this job. She didn't know how many eyes were watching her, waiting to find fault with her.
If she rashly goes out to investigate and finds nothing wrong, or if the price she finds is almost the same as the list, then her first attempt will not only fail to ignite, but will become a joke. How will she be able to hold her head high and maintain her authority in front of the managers in the future?
Liu was not entirely without doubt, but she was caught off guard by Zhang Niangzi's words and couldn't find a satisfactory reason to refute her. Her sharp edge gradually faded, and her annoyance grew.
"Fourth Sister, when Mother has some free time, she will definitely take you out for a stroll." She could only send Ye Mu away first and then instructed outside, "Zijing, take the young master for a walk in the courtyard."
Ye Mu saw that her mother was in a dilemma, so she didn't pester her. She obediently let Zijing lead her out of the side room. As soon as they left the west courtyard, she pulled Zijing towards the corner gate of the Marquis's mansion.
"Fourth Sister," Zijing said helplessly, "there are too many people outside, and Third Mistress will be worried if she finds out."
"It's so stuffy in the manor, let's go to the market! It's spring, doesn't A-Jing always want to go to the shop to buy some bright handkerchiefs?" Ye Mu coaxed and persuaded, "I also want to wear new clothes, the fabrics in the manor aren't nice anymore."
Zijing was already in her prime, and she was easily persuaded. She took her hand and scolded, "You little rascal."
Just then, they encountered Ye Xingjian at the gate of the mansion, who was about to board a carriage. "Big brother! Where are you going?"
Ye Xingjian stopped and turned around. He saw that it was his lovely fourth sister. He got out of the carriage and said with a smile, "I'm going to Hanmoxuan. The other day I ordered a few reams of Chengxintang paper and a few blocks of pine soot ink. The shopkeeper sent someone to say that the new goods have arrived and asked me to go and pick them out when I have time."
"That's perfect, then we don't need to prepare a carriage." Ye Mu chuckled as she boarded the carriage. "Let's go with our big brother to buy paper and ink first, and then he can take me to see all the colorful fabrics, okay?"
Although her face was still round, she had grown taller over the winter, and her quick wit was impossible to hide. Ye Xingjian found it amusing, and since he had always doted on this clever little sister, he naturally smiled and agreed, lifting his robe and getting into the carriage.
The wheels rumbled and rolled, and outside the carriage window came the bustling sounds of the capital city in early spring: people talking, horses neighing, and peddlers shouting.
Ye Mu sat properly on the brocade cushion, her two little feet dangling in the air beneath her skirt, swinging gently. She glanced at Ye Xingjian and said, "Big brother, the new school must be tough, right? Your eyes are all dark circles."
Ye Xingjian was resting with his eyes closed when he heard this, and the corners of his lips curved slightly. "The courses at Shuaixing Hall are difficult, and the professors are strict in supervising the studies. We often have to study by candlelight, but it's alright, big brother can handle it."
Actually, there is another reason.
Although he had secretly instigated Dr. Wu's dismissal, the matter was kept secret. But how can secrets stay hidden forever? Most of the students in the Free Spirit Hall are from noble families and pride themselves on their family's integrity. They are very proud and have high aspirations. Even if Dr. Wu has his faults, he is still his teacher.
Such is the way of the world; people hope to expose corruption, but they despise the incompetence of the laws.
His actions were seen by his classmates as insubordination, using underhanded means to frame their teacher, and disgracing the prestigious Imperial Academy. The overt and covert alienation and criticism he had been receiving these past few days were bound to be exhausting.
Just as he was lost in thought, he suddenly felt a warmth on his cheek. When he opened his eyes, he saw Ye Mu leaning close to him, her little hand rubbing his brow bone. "Big brother, don't frown, or you'll turn into a little old man."
Ye Xingjian chuckled. Seeing her round, rosy cheeks, he couldn't help but reach out and gently pinch them. The soft, delicate texture touched his fingertips, like a freshly steamed glutinous rice dumpling, making him want to pinch it a few more times.
"Ouch!" Ye Mu pretended to be in pain, puffing out her cheeks as she said, "Mother said that pinching someone's cheeks makes them drool."
Ye Xingjian couldn't help but chuckle, and Ye Mu felt relieved when she saw the gloom between his brows dissipate.
Although the eldest brother was sixteen years old, a typical young man at the age when love is just beginning to blossom, his heart was not in that place. In his previous life, the eldest brother never married, nor was he ever heard of having any relationship with any young lady.
When he was about twenty-three or twenty-four, his aunt was worried and wanted to arrange a marriage for him, but his elder brother refused, saying that he had not yet achieved fame and fortune and had no time to think about other things.
He wasted his life in this way until he met his demise at the Marquis's residence. All he ever sought in life was to study books and pursue knowledge.
In this life, she can't help him much with his studies, so she can only make jokes and tease him to make him happy and content.
Just as she was lost in thought, she heard Ye Xingjian ask gently, "This morning I saw Fourth Sister's calligraphy on Grandmother's desk. The brushstrokes were quite different from before, sharp and vigorous. Has she recently switched to a new model for copying?"
"At the end of the year, a young monk from Baoxiang Temple came to deliver New Year's gifts. Inside were several scrolls of prayer scriptures, which I followed the instructions on."
Ye Mu happened to come across a prayer scroll sent from the temple one day, and it was clear that it was copied by Wen Kong.
She was too familiar with his handwriting. It was strange, though. He was clearly a monk, yet his pen strokes revealed an untamed fierceness. His strokes were like knives, and his turns like halberds. They were not at all like the mellow and peaceful handwriting that a Buddhist disciple should have. Instead, it was as if he was suppressing a raging fire of karma, wanting to burst out of the paper to exterminate evil and cleanse the filth.
Ye Mu had assumed that Wen Kong's path to becoming the Imperial Preceptor had been too arduous, but he hadn't expected that Wen Kong's brushstrokes had been so sharp since childhood.
The old lady frowned at first, thinking that such sharp and unrestrained handwriting was not a model for young ladies to learn. However, she couldn't resist Ye Mujiao's persistent pleading and gentle coaxing. She said that she found the characters to be vigorous and interesting, so she nodded in agreement.
She no longer needs to deliberately suppress her wrist strength when practicing calligraphy; she can move more freely and not be overly restrained.
"Does big brother think it's good?" Ye Mu asked tentatively.
Ye Xingjian shook his head. "The characters are not bad, with strong and vigorous strokes. Judging from the strength of the brush alone, they are impeccable. However, they are too rigid and fierce, lacking in roundness, and have a faint air of killing intent. I did not expect that they were written by a person from outside the secular world. This person must be cold-hearted and not a gentle person."
He advised Ye Mu, "Fourth Sister, a young lady should practice calligraphy to cultivate her character, understand principles, and refine her morals. The elegance of Lady Wei's 'Hairpin Flower Style' and the grace of Master Cao's Han Dynasty clerical script are both excellent choices. However, if you practice such aggressive calligraphy for too long, I'm afraid it will not be good for your temperament. Would it be better to choose a more gentle and peaceful style?"
“But Grandmother gave permission.” She tilted her head and rested it on his arm, a different plan forming in her mind. “Big brother, you said the calligraphy is good, and that the person who wrote it has a hard heart. Does that mean he is very capable? That’s why he can write so powerfully?”
Before Ye Xingjian could answer, she continued, "Fourth Sister, don't learn such soft, delicate handwriting. If my handwriting were like the characters on this scroll, looking powerful, then no one would dare to bully me, Big Brother..."
Ye Mu pleaded, "...You're the best, could you put in a good word for him with Grandmother and ask him to be Fourth Sister's tutor?"
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