Arguing between the two was a common occurrence. Cao Jing carefully finished writing the last stroke before gently putting down the pen, blowing on the scroll, and waiting for the ink to dry.
Jiang Wanru was still in a daze when Cao Jing poked her arm with a paperweight: "You were pinned down by that idiot?"
Jiang Wanru snapped out of her daze: "The Rongguo Duke's family are all ignorant and incompetent, who would bother arguing with her!"
Cao Jing pursed her lips and said calmly, "I heard that it was the young mistress who asked us to write these words, and that as long as the handwriting is neat, no fancy pens are allowed... Could it be that the young mistress is illiterate and wants to copy them?"
Jiang Wanru looked at her as if she were a monster: "How did you know it was the young mistress who needed the invitation? Did you go to look for it?"
Although they can now move freely, they haven't left their yurts in the past few days.
It was too cold outside, and the group didn't want to wear their dirty fur robes, so they could only hide in the yurt, waiting for a chance to show themselves again.
Like herself, Cao Jing had never left home.
Cao Jing did not answer Jiang Wanru's question, but pointed to the paper she had written on and said lightly, "You should send this poem to the young mistress and let her copy this poem full of longing and sorrow."
Jiang Wanru stroked her long hair, looking dejected, and said, "They say that once you enter the palace, it's like entering a deep sea. This small tribe is also suffocating! What's wrong with me writing poems to express my feelings?"
Cao Jing picked up her poem slip and threw it into the brazier: "If the young mistress finds out that you think about the young master every day, she might get angry... I advise you to burn it!"
When Jiang Wanru saw her poem being burned, she rushed to save it, but it was too late. She only saw a few pieces of black ash flying up. Her face turned red with anger: "Cao Jing, what's wrong with you? I was sent by the Empress Dowager. Do you think I'm afraid of that military household girl?"
Cao Jing said coldly, "I'm doing this for your own good! Aren't you afraid that the woman from the military household will secretly harm you?"
On the way, the woman from the military household never got close to them, and once they arrived at the tribe, she didn't say a word more, showing no respect even for the principal wife.
Jiang Wanru's letter was full of affection; anyone who wasn't a fool could see what she was thinking.
Jiang Wanru wasn't stupid. Despite her fear, she sat down angrily and stopped shouting.
Cao Jing said, "Granny Xu told us not to offend the three masters and to go along with them. You should still work out the calligraphy practice books! Once you've finished one, personally deliver it to the young mistress's tent. The young master will surely praise your thoughtfulness!"
Jiang Wanru looked at her with a puzzled expression and asked, "Then why don't you write it?"
Cao Jing carefully put away the paper whose ink had dried in her hand, and smiled faintly: "I was reciting from the book!"
"Books? What books?" Jiang Wanru stood up abruptly, reaching for the stack of papers.
Cao Jing was unwilling to let her touch what she had painstakingly written, so she quickly pressed it down beneath her.
Just then, Tang Qingluan, who had been watching the commotion outside, suddenly ran in, shouting, "Young Master is here!"
She rushed in and hurriedly opened her dressing mirror, then repeatedly called for her maid, Xia, to do her hair and put on makeup.
After calling out several times, she remembered that Xia had gone to the weaving room with Granny Xu, so she could only grab the rouge and powder and apply them herself.
Now, Granny Xu no longer manages the three of them, but she keeps those few maids under her thumb. They only come back to serve her in the morning and evening, and spend the rest of their time working outside.
Jiang Wanru was taken aback and quickly went to the door to lift the curtain and look.
Several pieces of wood were placed on the open ground in the distance. Zhao Tingduo had arrived at some point and was talking to a few people.
Is this the young master?
Jiang Wanru turned around and stared at Tang Qingluan, saying sarcastically, "I think you're out of your mind! Ever since there was wood there, the young master has come here every day. You're not a newcomer to this, so why are you making such a fuss every day? Who are you trying to impress?"
When the young master arrives, he never stays for more than a few breaths, and he is always accompanied by someone.
Every time Jiang Wanru and Tang Qingluan tried to find an excuse to go over, Cao Jing would say that Granny Xu had warned them not to be impatient and to show the demeanor of a well-bred lady, instead of acting like those cheap women from brothels who couldn't stand men.
After being told that, they naturally felt embarrassed to show their faces.
Hearing Jiang Wanru mocking her, Tang Qingluan ignored her and continued to draw her eyebrows.
Seeing that she didn't respond, Jiang Wanru was about to say a few more sarcastic remarks when she saw Cao Jing silently walk out the door, carrying a stack of written papers in her hand.
What is she trying to do?
Under Jiang Wanru's shocked gaze, Cao Jing walked step by step toward the group of people, or more precisely, the tall and handsome young man in the group.
At this moment, Zhao Tingduo was talking to Langmu from the tribe.
Abu, who was helping out, picked up the thick log and turned it around so that the craftsman could use a square to measure the diameter of the tree to see if it met the requirements of the blueprint, and then make a mark.
The people around were busy with their own things when they saw a young woman walking gracefully towards them.
She wore a light green jacket over a long, pink floral-patterned skirt. She lowered her head shyly, obscuring her face, revealing only a slender neck and jet-black hair.
In the howling snow wind, the girl's slender figure trembled like a newly sprouted willow branch, making everyone present feel a tremor in their hearts and causing them to wrap their fur robes tighter.
Zhao Tingduo didn't say anything more, just watched the ridiculous scene indifferently. When she noticed the few pieces of paper in her hand, her eyebrows twitched.
Cao Jing walked up to Zhao Tingduo before looking up, revealing a face so white it was almost transparent, with even the makeup looking like a layer of dust floating on it.
She forced back her shivering from the cold, curtsied, and said, "Young Master, this servant Cao Jing has written a 'Precepts for Children' as instructed by the Young Madam. Please pass it on to the Young Madam." As she spoke, she handed over the paper in her hand.
Zhao Tingduo frowned slightly, but upon hearing that it was Song Liyun's instruction, she still took the paper and looked it over.
Although Cao Jing kept her head down, she still caught a glimpse of Zhao Tingduo's slender fingers touching the paper. Her face remained indifferent, but a slight smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
Seeing the clear and beautiful handwriting, Zhao Tingduo nodded and praised, "Well done, thank you for your hard work!"
A hint of joy flashed in Cao Jing's eyes. Before she could say anything more, two stumbling people rushed over and knocked her off balance, making her stagger. The words she wanted to say stuck in her throat.
Tang Qingluan rushed to Zhao Tingduo like a gust of wind, shoved a stack of papers into his hands, and said with a soft snort, "Oh dear, I'm exhausted. Young Master, could you please tell the Young Madam not to make me write anymore?"
Zhao Tingduo took a step back, then frowned slightly: "If you don't write, what can you do?"
Tang Qingluan raised her face, puffed out her chest, and said proudly, "Young Master, you don't know, I can do a lot of things."
Before, when I was in the household, I had to keep my grandmother happy, admiring flowers and playing games, feeding the fish and walking the birds. I could also play shuttlecock and mahjong, and none of the other sisters in the household could compare to me.
She was only fifteen or sixteen years old, with a pretty face. Whether it was from excitement or from the cold, two blushes appeared on her pink face.
When she spoke, the two little braids by her side kept shaking, making her incredibly lively and adorable.
Zhao Tingduo didn't look at her, only gave a faint snort: "Fine, you don't need to write anymore!"
Tang Qingluan immediately beamed with joy and leaned close to Zhao Tingduo: "Young Master, what should I do? I'll serve you and the young mistress!"
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