Chapter 69 Mischievous Dundun, Sisters' Breakup...
After seeing the group off, the master and apprentice entered the room together.
Zhang Shu asked his apprentice what he thought.
Zhang Ting lowered her eyes and noticed a long line of ants crawling by her feet. Following their trail, she saw a dense swarm of ants circling the corpse of a black fly at the end. She replied, "At first, I only thought that the people's lives were difficult, and it would be good if I could do my part."
The two walked around the stone railing in the courtyard and continued forward.
She suddenly looked up and said, "Now that I see people living in poverty and ruin, my heart aches with sorrow."
"If I had acted sooner, there would have been fewer tragic and heartbreaking scenes in this world."
The ants behind them dismembered the black fly's body, carried it back to their nest in batches, and cleaned the ground spotlessly.
Zhang Shu kept looking at her, his gaze as soft as a velvet blanket. He silently placed his hand over his apprentice's and comforted her, saying, "Life is unpredictable. It's enough that you have this heart."
A smile played on Zhang Ting's lips, and she was about to speak when she suddenly felt a tug on her sleeve. She turned her head to look.
A criminal pricked up its ears, its mouth curiously chewing on her clothes. Upon being discovered, it quickly spat out the rags and awkwardly backed away a few steps.
It blinked its thick, long eyelashes innocently, emitting a short hiss, as if greeting Zhang Ting. Its lips parted slightly, revealing its teeth in a smile, conveying a hint of ingratiation.
Zhang Ting was both angry and speechless. She gritted her teeth and patted her thick, horse-like face. "You never learn your lesson. Do you think you're so great?"
Dundun thought Zhang Ting was playing with it, so it shook its head, nudged her affectionately with its head, and even snored happily.
Zhang Ting rolled her eyes and rubbed her forehead with one hand, feeling a headache coming on.
Seeing his beloved disciple humiliated, Zhang Shu said gleefully, "Xiao Ting, the horse you raised is quite intelligent."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ting smiled wearily, a smile tinged with weakness and sorrow. It was just too "intelligent." It loved to act obediently in front of Zong Suyi, but the moment he turned his back, it would run rampant in the courtyard.
Once, she cursed at it, and it secretly took her inkstone and hid it. Then, pretending not to know anything, it stared at her suspiciously as she searched the whole yard. When she finally found it in a corner, it even made a sound of mockery.
That time, if Zong Suyi hadn't protected it so fiercely, Zhang Ting really would have wanted to eat horse meat.
When Zhang Shu told his teacher about this, he burst into laughter. His apprentice and the black horse were truly a joy to be around.
Zhang Ting seemed to be in great pain, looking up at the sky and sighing, "If only it were a little more dull." But a hint of tenderness involuntarily appeared in her eyes.
Dun Dun was very good at reading people's expressions. Seeing that the two were having a great time chatting, he secretly grabbed Zhang Ting's other intact sleeve, but she slapped his mouth away. He neighed twice and walked away cursing.
...
The next day, the Zhang residence welcomed a special guest.
Upon seeing the benefactor who had helped him, Zhang Ting was in a great mood and warmly invited him to his study to talk.
She summoned a servant to serve tea and said with a smile, "Sister Li, it's been so long! How have you been? Today, Ting instructed me to send a letter to Sister Zou's residence. Did you receive it?"
“My cousin and I have received Tingmei’s kind intentions. I wonder if your trip to Huzhou went smoothly?” Li An asked with concern, recalling the particularly difficult journey Zhang Ting had taken to Beijing.
Zhang Ting answered her gently, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then asked why Sister Zou hadn't come along today.
Li An's eyes were upturned, and she looked smug. She waved her fan and said loudly, "This has nothing to do with her today. I've come here specifically to see you, Ting-mei." As she spoke, she took out a lucky invitation from her bosom, stood up, and handed it to Zhang Ting.
“I’m taking a concubine into the family next month and would like to invite Tingmei to the auspicious ceremony.”
Zhang Ting accepted the invitation. Upon returning to Lvtian County, she had heard from Zou Yueru that Li An wanted to take a concubine, which had caused a great commotion with his husband. So, receiving an invitation this time was not surprising.
Li An put away her fan, paced slowly, and said with emotion, "It's just a concubine, and I shouldn't have troubled you with it, but since your husband has a past with you, I thought I'd invite you to witness the ceremony." She then sat down again.
"oh?"
Is it related to her? Zhang Ting rarely associates with men, so this makes one curious about who it is, prompting me to open the post to take a look:
Respectfully submitted on October 6th
The betrothal ceremony for the concubine, Lady Liu.
Respectfully prepared and prepared with a small feast
Taiguang
Li An bowed his head.
September 22nd, the seventh year of Chengtai
Liu? Zhang Tingwei pursed her lips and pondered. She had a feeling that the only man with the surname Liu she had ever met in Lvtian County was Liu Xiuqun, the grandson of Wang Laotongsheng.
These two have actually gotten together? What a coincidence.
Zhang Ting readily agreed to the arrangement, even though it was just to take a concubine, as everyone on either side was a good acquaintance. He smiled and said, "I will definitely come to attend the ceremony and offer my congratulations."
Upon hearing this, Li An's lips curled up to their highest point, revealing her white teeth. She thought to herself, "Tingmei is a person of noble character. How could she be as prejudiced as her cousin against the ceremonial attendant?"
Now that she has found the love of her life, she is determined to invite her close friends to the banquet to share her joy.
Having delivered the message, Li An wanted to go back to the mansion to coax his cousin to attend the ceremony, and was about to say goodbye to Zhang Ting.
The study door opened at that moment. Xi-ge had a stomachache today and was only helping to watch the fire in the kitchen, so Zong Su-yi had to personally lead Xiao-rong in to serve tea and snacks to the guests.
With guests present, he obediently carried the tea to Zhang Ting, but as he put down the tray, he smiled and presented the teacup to her.
She said softly, "Please have some tea, Miss." Her eyes were as clear as a child's, but as Zhang Ting took the teacup, her fingertips lightly brushed against her palm.
A tingling sensation spread through my palm, making my heart itch as well.
Zhang Ting's eyelashes trembled slightly. She had only been married a short time, yet she was already seducing women.
She narrowed her eyes and gave him a threatening look. There were other people around, so it wasn't convenient to deal with him.
Seeing that she didn't dare to say a word, Zong Suyi's eyes darted around, and a wicked idea popped into his head. He tilted his head slightly, his eyes were watery, and his gaze was exceptionally innocent, innocent yet full of allure, as if hooked, making one want to bring him to justice.
Zhang Ting was ultimately a decent person. She closed her eyes heavily, pursed her lips, and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Go back!"
Seeing her furious expression, Zong Suyi felt even more smug. However, he knew what was good for him. Since he had achieved his goal, he turned around, patted his sleeves, and made a graceful exit.
Li An was about to drink from his teacup when he was startled to see Zong Suyi. Her pupils dilated, and she stood up abruptly, her brows furrowed with disbelief. She exclaimed, "How could you be here!"
Zong Suyi was startled by her sudden shout and trembled, not understanding why. Zhang Ting, however, hissed softly, remembering Li An mentioning that Zong Suyi had teased her in the past.
She stood up and blocked Zong Suyi's way, gently grasping his little finger with her right hand hidden in her sleeve before letting go.
Zhang Ting smiled faintly, wanting to let the matter drop, and said, "Sister Li, this is my beloved servant. She was ignorant and offended me in the past, please forgive her."
These words, however, did not appease Ang Lee; instead, they enraged her.
Her former sweetheart has actually married her best friend!
Feeling betrayed by her friend, Ang Lee's face turned ashen. Enraged, she slammed down her teacup, pointed at Zong Suyi, her lips curving into a straight line, and roared at Zhang Ting, "You say you took him as a servant? You knew he had humiliated me, yet you still accepted him? Zhang Ting, where do you place me?!"
"I was blind to trust such a scoundrel!"
Zhang Ting was speechless at her agitated reaction, but after a moment she replied, "I have indeed failed you, sister, but the past cannot be undone, and I hope you will forgive me." She bowed to Li An.
Zong Suyi tugged at Zhang Ting's sleeve with worry, his brows furrowed. He had ridiculed countless people, but he couldn't recall who Li An was. Even if he was now a tiger fallen into the plains and bullied by dogs, he should take responsibility for his own actions. How could he let his wife suffer for him?
He looked up at Li An, his gaze sharp as a knife, carrying the imposing air of the past, and said directly, "I may have offended you in the past, and I apologize to you. But why did you insult my wife?!"
Ang Lee found the scene utterly jarring. Her body was tense, like a fully drawn bow. She laughed in fury, gritting her teeth, and said, "Fine, fine, you two adulterers! You've gone too far in bullying me!"
She roared uncontrollably, "Zhang Ting, you disregarded the trust I placed in you!!"
"Sister, I..." Zhang Ting really couldn't understand. Even though Li An had once been unable to obtain Zong Suyi, now that a long time had passed and she had already taken a concubine, why was she reacting so strongly?
Li An's chest heaved violently, her eyes bloodshot with anger. She stared intently at Zhang Ting, took a deep breath, and finally bit her lip hard, giving in: "Zhang Ting, as long as you send him away today and never contact him again, I will pretend this never happened."
"We will still be best friends, closest confidantes, and inseparable sisters from now on."
Seeing that Li An was determined to make her choose between the two options, Zhang Ting sighed and said resolutely, "Sister, since Xiaoyi has married me, I absolutely cannot betray him."
She bowed deeply to Ang Lee again, saying, "I am afraid I cannot comply."
This bow deeply pierced Ang Lee's heart, and seemed to bring their friendship to an end.
The two met for the first time at the back gate of the county school. They chatted and laughed at the banquet, and the poor and down-on-his-luck young scholar vowed to become lifelong friends with her.
They met again at the restaurant and went out to look for plum blossoms in the snow. She tripped and fell and was teased by the pretty young lady, who called her a monkey. They laughed and joked, talking about funny things at home and their future aspirations.
Her younger sister had a bright future, and she took great care of her, fearing that her sister would be bullied.
Her younger sister had gone to Kyoto, and she hesitated and worried. She frequently wrote to the Xu family to inquire about her sister's whereabouts. Whenever she came across expensive imported goods, she would spend all her savings to buy them and send them to her sister.
Everything seems like it happened just yesterday.
But there's no going back. Li An's face was pale, and she slumped slightly, her nose stinging. She turned her head away to hide the tears welling up in her eyes.
Ang Lee's lips trembled as she spoke, and she heard herself say, "Since you insist on this, then let's part ways amicably."
Zhang Ting opened her mouth, wanting to persuade him to stay, but then silently lowered her head.
Ang Lee caught a glimpse of her reaction out of the corner of his eye, turned his back, forced back his tears, and walked straight out, his fingertips digging deeply into his palms.
The servants waiting outside asked her anxiously what was wrong.
She suddenly smiled, but it looked worse than crying.
From now on, we will never meet again.
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