Chapter 61. Arriving in Huzhou Prefecture, the four sisters...
early morning.
Zhang Ting pushed open the small window. The lotus fields stretched out like cotton, and suddenly a refreshing breeze blew in, followed by a fine drizzle.
The summer heat was oppressive. The group of them had only arrived in Huzhou Prefecture yesterday, and they were all covered in sweat, looking as if they had been pulled out of the water. They moved into their teacher's old house to rest. Today, the rain subsided the damp heat, making it quite comfortable.
Suddenly, someone leaned on her shoulder, and a pair of fair hands wrapped tightly around her from behind. He was still sleepy, his eyes misty with tears, and he said pitifully, "Don't do that to me again next time. I almost couldn't get up this morning."
Zhang Ting touched his hand; it was warm. She turned her head slightly and chuckled softly, "Will you dare call me a drowned rat next time?"
Zong Suyi's eyes flickered, she pursed her lips, and refused to make a promise.
Zhang Ting didn't hear a sound, so she knew Zong Suyi was being stubborn, but she had things to do later and didn't have much time to tease him. She turned around, put her arm around his shoulder, and pushed him to the box.
"Hurry up and change your clothes, the teacher is waiting for us to eat." This was meant to appease Zong Suyi, as she knew her cheap teacher was bound to be the last to arrive.
How could we keep the elder waiting? Besides, this elder was the wife's teacher and the grandmother's close friend. Upon hearing Zhang Ting's words, Zong Suyi began to tidy his clothes. After finishing, he even combed Zhang Ting's hair again.
Her hair had been a bit frizzy lately, and Zong Suyi kept saying that he would use his own tea oil to wash her hair next time.
The two walked hand in hand to the courtyard, where the rain had stopped. They headed straight for the dining room, past the artificial hill, and encountered their eldest sister, Yang Fuchen, who greeted them with a smile and unhurried manner: "Little Fourth, brother-in-law."
When Zong Suyi heard her call Zhang Ting "Xiao Si", she glanced at the person next to her, her eyes sparkling, and covered her mouth to suppress a laugh.
Zhang Ting remained unmoved by his teasing and greeted Yang Fuchen warmly: "Good morning, Senior Sister. Shall we go to the dining hall together?"
"good."
"Senior sister, please go first." Zhang Ting extended her arm, gesturing for him to go first.
Yang Fuchen smiled and nodded. He had grown to like his fourth junior sister very much over the past few days. She was gentle and polite, organized and respectful of her teachers.
She walked ahead first, with Zhang Ting and Zong Suyi following side by side behind, creating a very friendly scene.
Zhang Ting suddenly turned her head and silently smiled at Zong Suyi, startling him so much that he immediately stopped smiling, his pupils contracted, and his hair stood on end.
She stared intently at him, her eyes seeming to say, "Why aren't you smiling anymore?"
Zong Suyi tensed up, sensing that something bad was about to happen. He carefully took two steps back, but before he could take a step, he was pulled behind the artificial hill.
He was pinned against the stone wall. Seeing Zhang Ting's ambiguous smile, he swallowed nervously and timidly begged for mercy: "Wife, mistress, I know I was wrong." He looked to the left and right, but there were only stone walls, and there was nowhere to retreat.
It's too late.
Zhang Ting twirled his smooth black hair, played with it in her hand, lowered her head and bit his thin lips, biting him roughly with her teeth. Zong Suyi wanted to push her away but couldn't muster the strength. At the crossroads where pedestrians were intersecting, he didn't even dare to make a sound, and could only silently let her touch him and endure everything she gave him.
Suddenly, a voice came from not far away: "Xiao Si? Brother-in-law? Where did you go?" Yang Fuchen had walked halfway and was about to say a few words to his junior sister when he turned around and saw that she was gone. He had no choice but to return to look for her, full of doubt.
Footsteps approached nearby, and Zong Suyi's heart pounded, as if he were walking on a steep cliff. He was terrified. Suddenly, cool fingertips touched his skin, but separated just as his pupils contracted. He breathed a sigh of relief, only to be met with another rapid, relentless torment.
After Yang Fuchen left, Zhang Ting released Zong Suyi. He was covered in a light sweat, his clothes were neat, and apart from a slight swelling in his thin lips, he appeared to be unharmed. But only he knew that his knees were weak, he was trembling and shaking, and he was in great discomfort, unable to sit up or down.
Zhang Ting calmly wiped his fingers, lifted his eyelids to look at Zong Suyi provocatively, who shrank back under her gaze, and obediently shook his head, saying, "I dare not, I dare not again." In his heart, however, he cursed Zhang Ting as a beast in human clothing.
After Zong Suyi calmed down and regained some strength, the two went to the dining room again.
However, the two of them played around on the way and wasted a lot of time. By the time they arrived at their destination, even Zhang Shu had arrived.
When Yang Fuchen saw the young couple arrive, he was holding a steamed bun in his hand and asked with a puzzled look, "Xiao Si, brother-in-law, where did you go just now? I was walking ahead, and when I turned around, you suddenly disappeared."
Zong Suyi bit her thin lips, lowered her head in embarrassment, and angrily poked Zhang Ting with her finger from behind.
Zhang Ting smiled and said in a serious tone, "I realized I forgot my handkerchief halfway there, and I was worried it would be inconvenient if I went out later, so I went back to get it first." She secretly put her left hand behind her back and held Zong Suyi's mischievous fingers.
Yang Fuchen agreed, saying, "We should go back and get it. Xiao Si, don't be fooled by the rain just now. It might be sunny again later. You'll be sweating buckets then, and you won't know what to do without a handkerchief."
Zhang Shu took a bite of the crab shell pastry, and crumbs of the pastry fell onto her silk robe. She glanced at the two of them and sensed something was amiss, but she didn't say anything. She simply told them to sit down and eat quickly, as the breakfast would get cold soon.
Zhang Ting took a crab roe bun and ate it, then pushed a bowl of sweet porridge towards Zong Suyi. She remembered he liked pear and white fungus soup, so she figured he'd like this sweet porridge too. The bun tasted really good; she finished hers and took another one.
Seeing that there were other people around, Zong Suyi felt a little awkward, so she leaned close to Zhang Ting's ear and said, "I want to eat yours too."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ting handed him the package and asked again, "Do you still want it?"
Zong Suyi sat upright, picked up a steamed bun and ate it, her toes slightly raised and touching the ground. Hearing this, she smiled and replied softly, "I won't eat anymore."
Zhang Shu suddenly frowned, feeling that the crab shell in his hand was sour and yellow. He was almost at the end of his life, yet he still made her see this loving scene.
Yang Fuchen silently moved the stool she was sitting on further away from the couple. Although she was twenty-six, she was still not married!
After the meal, Xun Han and Wu Pingliu, who had heard that their teacher had returned to Huzhou Prefecture, rushed over to pay their respects.
"Student Xun Han respectfully greets teacher with a good morning."
"Student Wu Pingliu sends his regards to the teacher."
Zhang Ting stood beside Zhang Shu, quietly observing her two senior sisters. She had heard the teacher mention them when she first entered the sect, and later, when the eldest senior sister arrived, she had also heard her say some things about them.
Second Senior Sister Xun Han, twenty-one years old, a year younger than her, is a local notable from Huzhou Prefecture. She comes from a wealthy family, is well-versed in literature and poetry, and was originally from a merchant family. Later, her family abandoned commerce, and it took three generations of scholars to produce a scholar like her. However, judging solely from her appearance, she has a somewhat gloomy demeanor.
Third Senior Sister Wu Pingliu, twenty-four years old, tall and graceful, with outstanding demeanor, adorned in fine clothes and jade, exceptionally talented, having topped the provincial examination in Huzhou last year, is said to be mild-mannered and taciturn, and has moved here from Jizhou Prefecture.
Zhang Shu sat casually in the main seat, took a sip of tea, and said, "Get up, everyone."
Xun Han immediately stood up from the ground, glanced around, his gaze fell on Zhang Ting for a moment, then coldly looked away and stood on the left.
Wu Pingliu took a while to get up, supporting herself on the ground, and said slowly, "Thank you, teacher." She was about to stand on the right side, but after a while, as if remembering something, she nodded slightly to Yang Fuchen beside her, "Greetings, senior sister."
Yang Fuchen nodded in acknowledgment, though his expression remained indifferent.
Zhang Ting lowered her eyes and noticed that the relationship between her three senior sisters seemed to be strained. The eldest senior sister was easygoing and considerate, but she treated the third senior sister indifferently and ignored the second senior sister completely. The second senior sister was only respectful to the teacher, was very independent, and paid no attention to the other fellow disciples. The third senior sister was mild-mannered and had all the proper etiquette, but she inexplicably gave off a sense of distance.
Zhang Shu took in the reactions of his disciples, each with their own flaws, and immediately felt a headache coming on. He sighed, and his gaze involuntarily fell on Zhang Ting, a look of relief on his face. Fortunately, his little disciple was a good one!
She introduced her to her second and third apprentices: "This is your junior sister Zhang Ting. Zhang means to draw a bowstring; Ting means to be as steady as a hall."
Xun Han stood a row of chairs and tables away from the others, leaning casually against a pillar. As the teacher solemnly introduced Zhang Ting, Xun Han merely curled his lips into a contemptuous smile, "I wonder what this fourth junior sister's current academic achievements are? What is her ranking?"
Zhang Ting was only a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations), while the three senior sisters present were all Juren (successful candidates in the provincial-level imperial examinations), and some were even younger than Zhang Ting. Xun Han's question to Zhang Ting seemed to have a hidden meaning, as if he wanted to embarrass her.
Yang Fuchen frowned and snapped, "Second brother!"
Wu Pingliu stood silently, and upon hearing this, she also cast a glance at Zhang Ting.
Xun Han glanced at Yang Fuchen and sneered, "Senior Sister, I wasn't speaking to you, why are you in such a hurry?"
Yang Fuchen choked, intending to give her a good scolding, but he lost his voice in her cold eyes and lowered his head in dejection.
Zhang Shu looked left at his irritable second disciple and right at his calm youngest disciple, and stroked his chin, suddenly having a strange thought: In the end, will the volcano be extinguished by the iceberg, or will the iceberg be boiled by the volcano?
Zong Suyi stood to the side, feeling extremely angry, but also worried about Zhang Ting's feelings. She tugged at Zhang Ting's sleeve and looked at her with concern.
Faced with this clearly ill-intentioned challenge, Zhang Ting remained calm. She gently patted her husband's hand reassuringly and bowed to her two senior sisters with a slight smile, saying, "I only passed the county-level exam last year, but my ranking is not good enough to be worth mentioning."
Zhang Ting's open admission effectively silenced Xun Han's sarcasm. She turned her face away and gave a cold snort.
Upon seeing this scene, a hint of surprise flashed across Wu Pingliu's calm black eyes. She nodded to Zhang Ting and said softly, "Greetings, Junior Sister."
Just as the conflict was about to be put behind them, Xun Han suddenly asked with a hint of sarcasm, "Who is the man in front of the hall?"
Yang Fuchen was truly enraged; he had provoked Yang Fuchen repeatedly and showed no remorse!
"Second Junior Sister, don't be rude! This is Fourth Junior Sister's husband."
Xun Han was even more enraged by Yang Fuchen's words. She had clearly come prepared, and she sneered, "What husband? How dare he bring out such a lowly servant to embarrass himself? What are we? Does he even deserve to stand with us?! Fourth Junior Sister, what are you thinking?"
Wu Pingliu suddenly raised her head, her pupils slightly contracting.
Yang Fuchen knew about the relationship between his teacher and Zong Suyi, and was shocked. He shouted, "Shut up!"
Zong Suyi wasn't angry. Her eyes darted around, and a clever idea struck her. She immediately threw herself into Zhang Ting's arms, sobbing, "Auntie... Waaah."
Zhang Shu looked at Zong Suyi with heartache; her old friend had only this one bloodline left. She slammed her hand on the table, jumped up, and angrily threw a teacup at Xun Han, cursing, "You wretched child!"
Zhang Ting gently patted Zong Suyi's back, but her gaze toward Xun Han was filled with icy coldness.
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