Chapter 60. Liang the Great Bug! Liang the Rotten Bug! The Rotten Bug Team…
Cai Xiang and Cai Ping each helped Shan He and Granny Wei to their feet, and each of them sat down in a chair.
Granny Wei clutched her waist, gasping for breath. Shanhe wasn't faring much better; the bonsai tree had shattered on the ground, and she had struck it squarely on the forehead, leaving a gash over an inch long that slowly bled out.
While urging Miao'er to quickly fetch Qingyue's usual medicine, Caixiang also inquired about Wei Mama's injuries.
Granny Wei, supporting her back, said, "It's just a sprained back."
Miao'er brought out the wound medicine and was about to apply it to Shanhe when Shanhe gently pushed her away. Shanhe carefully wiped away the blood with a damp cloth, then took the medicine bottle, dipped her fingertip in the ointment, and carefully applied it to the wound with the magnifying glass.
Cai Xiang said worriedly, "If this commotion gets back to Madam, I'm afraid things will get out of hand."
Shanhe said softly, "If the nanny doesn't tell Madam, how will Madam know?" After applying the medicine, Shanhe held the medicine bottle in her palm and said to Miao'er, "Keep this bottle for me. Does Qingyue have any more?"
Miao'er quickly replied, "Yes, and there are two bottles that we haven't used yet. Brother Cheng'an just bought them last time."
Shanhe said calmly, "I've troubled Cheng'an. My and Qingyue's injuries have nothing to do with him. It's just that he's worried about us."
Granny Wei's eyes twitched, knowing Shanhe was trying to provoke her, and she said, "Mistakes should be punished, that's the rule of Cangfeng Courtyard. Have you forgotten how Madam's injuries and Qingyue's injuries came about?" She smiled coldly, "Poor Qingyue, she was perfectly fine staying in her room, who caused her to be like this now?"
Shanhe gritted her teeth and said, "You!"
Granny Wei snorted coldly, and stood up, supporting her waist: "Now that the lady's face is injured, she can't go to the madam's place. I will go and tell the madam that Miss Shanhe is not feeling well today and is not suitable for discussion."
He Niang, who had been watching the commotion inside from under the eaves, suddenly ran in and said with a smile, "Granny, you've had a hard day. You should go back and rest! This is nothing. I'll run it for you." With that, she stepped forward and took Granny Wei's arm.
Not only were Shanhe and Caixiang stunned, but even Caiping squinted, feeling an indescribable strangeness in her heart.
Seeing that someone was finally on her side, Granny Wei couldn't help but smile: "Good girl, little He Niang, you are so thoughtful."
Cheng Min stood under the eaves and called out, "How is it? Can I see Madam? I just ran into Madam Sheng, and she's urging me to come."
Cai Xiang replied, "I'm afraid it's not good; it might hurt your face."
Cheng Min couldn't help but sneer: "Something happened yesterday, and something happened today. It's the first thing that it ruined Master's business, and the second thing is how the mansion will view our Cangfeng Courtyard!" He wanted to continue, but Wei Mama was of a certain seniority, so he couldn't say too much for fear of hurting Wei Mama's feelings. He had no choice but to swallow his words.
As they were saying this, a maidservant at the door called out loudly, "Madam is here!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Mrs. Zhou, holding Sheng's mother's hand, walked past Cheng Min and strolled in, with Shi Mingrui following behind, looking very gentle and graceful.
Mrs. Zhou stopped and glanced around the room. She saw the mess on the floor, the clearly visible wound on Shanhe's forehead, and Granny Wei, supporting her aching back, frowning deeply. Her face darkened immediately: "What's going on now?"
Granny Wei spoke first: "This old servant came to invite Miss Shanhe to Tishun Hall as instructed by Madam, but unexpectedly, the young lady and I got into an argument, exchanged a few words, and that's how it happened..."
"A dispute?" Mrs. Zhou looked at Shanhe. "Shanhe, I've always thought you were a sensible child."
Just as Shanhe was about to argue, she suddenly realized that Madam Zhou's words were actually a veiled bias towards Granny Wei. Madam Zhou, unaware of the reason for their argument, directly labeled Shanhe as "immature." She immediately recalled the heart-to-heart talk between Madam Zhou and her daughter at Chengen Temple yesterday. Was she acting this way because of Shi Mingrui?
Shanhe rose and bowed: "Yesterday, because Granny Wei failed to inform me of my trip to Chengen Temple in time, I felt truly guilty and uneasy. Today, Granny Wei suddenly summoned me to Tishun Hall to serve, and I dared to ask why I was not informed earlier yesterday. Unexpectedly, Granny Wei became angry, covered my mouth, and did not allow me to explain. That's when I started arguing with Granny Wei. Caixiang and Caiping can both testify to this."
Knowing she couldn't reveal what she had just said, Granny Wei went along with it and said, "If it were a normal question, would I have gone up to cover her mouth? Miss Shanhe is always throwing a tantrum and is arrogant. She said those sharp and sarcastic things in one breath, which would be unpleasant if they got out. That's why I took action."
Mrs. Zhou, growing impatient, said, "Alright, alright! Since both of them are at fault, and now Miss Shanhe's face is stained and you, Granny, have hurt your back, it's a case of each getting what they deserve. In my opinion, let's just let these past few days pass! They're both from Ye-ge'er's room—one is his wet nurse since childhood, and the other is someone from his own household. Why make such a scene? I'm making this clear today: if anyone causes trouble again in the future, they will be dealt with according to my family's rules, and the second-in-command will receive ten strokes of the cane!"
Standing behind Madam Zhou, Shi Mingrui stared at Shanhe's face and smiled slightly: "Mother is planning a banquet for Cousin Ye in a few days. I was going to invite Sister Shanhe over to discuss it together, but it seems that won't be possible now. Mother, I have several bottles of ointment in my room, which are specially used for wounds on delicate skin like the face. Why don't you come and sit in my room, Sister Shanhe?"
Mrs. Zhou nodded. With permission granted, Shi Mingrui stepped forward, took Shanhe's arm, and said with a smile, "Come on, Sister Shanhe, let's go back to Yaochun Pavilion together."
Shanhe quickly lowered her head and said respectfully, "This servant is unworthy of being addressed as such by the Third Miss."
Shi Mingrui said gently, "It's nothing, that's what we call it in our household." With that, she led Shanhe to her own residence, Yaochun Pavilion.
Mrs. Zhou ordered someone to clean up the mess in the room, then glanced at Granny Wei and said, "Come with me." After saying that, she returned to Tishun Hall.
Having received the order, Granny Wei hurriedly caught up. Once she had left everyone from Cangfeng Courtyard far behind, Madam Zhou coldly asked, "What exactly is going on today?"
Granny Wei carefully chose her words and said, "She seemed unhappy when she woke up this morning. She squatted on the ground and cried. I asked her to come to Madam's place, but she refused, which is why this happened."
Mrs. Zhou pondered for a moment and said, "She found out about what happened yesterday?"
"I'm afraid not?" Granny Wei thought for a moment. "Besides, you didn't blame her yesterday, Madam. I already have a grudge against her, so why would she suspect you?"
"That's enough. Today's events weren't entirely bad. Let's see how Ye-ge'er reacts once he finds out."
Granny Wei laughed and said, "Of course we should be annoyed with her. With her current behavior, if we give her a push, she will surely turn Cangfeng Courtyard into a mess. At that time, we won't need to say anything; Ye-ge'er will naturally despise her."
Mrs. Zhou sighed, "If that's really the case, then it's all good. This maid is really strange. She looks gentle and quiet, and she acts with propriety. She should be a kind and tolerant person, but now she's throwing a tantrum."
When Granny Wei recalled Shanhe's stubborn temper, especially when they were on the boat, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly. However, she couldn't reveal that Liang Ye had forcibly taken Shanhe. She could only say, "Perhaps the aunt said something too harsh yesterday, and she couldn't save face, so she just used it as an excuse to vent."
Mrs. Zhou nodded in agreement: "She's young, shy, and has never seen anything like this before. I'm sorry to trouble you, Mother."
Meanwhile, Shanhe was led by Mingrui to Yaochun Pavilion, where she saw three elegant rooms behind a moon gate. A gilded plaque hung in the center, bearing the three characters "Yaochun Pavilion." Flowerbeds lined both sides of the path, but the flowers had long since faded, leaving only lush green foliage. Mingrui smiled and said, "Those are peonies. They were in full bloom last month, but unfortunately, Sister Shanhe arrived too late and missed seeing them."
Mingrui, arm in arm with Shanhe, entered the house. The interior was elegantly furnished, filled with the fragrance of flowers, exuding the charm and craftsmanship of a young lady in her boudoir. When they arrived at the reception room, they saw a daybed by the window, covered with a sky-blue brocade cloth. Behind it was a glass screen depicting crabapple blossoms in spring slumber. In the center was a small table with a Ru kiln beauty vase on it, adorned with a few freshly picked lilies, their petals still glistening with dew.
Mingrui asked Shanhe to sit down, and while instructing the maid to serve tea, she also asked the maid to bring over the dressing case. After thinking for a moment, she added, "Yunqin, bring the medicine bottle with the red stripe on it from the third compartment on the right of the display cabinet." She sat down opposite Shanhe and looked at Shanhe's face. "I used to love playing and often bumped and bruised myself, so my father and mother specially prepared a lot of medicine to stop bleeding and promote tissue regeneration for me. My mother said that a girl's face is the most important thing, and those medicines are better applied to the delicate skin on the face than other medicines."
Shanhe quickly got off the bed and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Third Miss."
Mingrui smiled and asked her to get up and sit down. Just then, the maid brought over the dressing box, which she naturally took, took out the ox horn comb and other items, and sat down behind Shanhe familiarly. She smiled and said, "Sister must have gotten up early and didn't have time to comb her hair. This is perfect for me. Everyone praises my hair-combing skills."
Shanhe then remembered that her hair was still loose. Seeing Mingrui's thoughtfulness, she was truly moved. But this feeling of being moved caused a tear to fall, landing on the back of her hand. She felt a lump in her throat, and her voice trembled: "This servant thanks Third Miss."
Mingrui remained silent, lowering her head to carefully comb Shanhe's hair. As she gathered all of Shanhe's hair at the back of her head, she couldn't help but notice the faint red marks peeking through her spring dress. Mingrui frowned, assuming it was Wei Mama's covert bullying, and felt a surge of anger. She gritted her teeth and said, "I know Wei Mama came from our family, she's an old servant of Father's generation, and she's quite respectable. But Sister is practically my sister-in-law now, how can she bully you like this?"
Shanhe was startled and hurriedly said, "No, no... I am just a maid who serves the master."
“I know, I know,” Mingrui smiled, “Sister, you’re being shameful.” She raised her hand to touch the red marks on Shanhe’s neck. “I know that her generation can be quite cruel and heartless. But how could she treat you like this, considering that your body and hair are gifts from your parents? Sister Shanhe, these red marks on your back are really glaring. Why don’t you tell Cousin Ye?”
Mingrui cautiously asked, "Doesn't your cousin protect you?"
Shanhe froze, then remembered the red marks on her body, all from Liang Ye's actions on her bed last night. The image of that man lying on top of her from behind, lifting one of her legs, thrusting into her while leaving marks on the back of her neck flashed before her eyes.
Her fingers, resting on her knees, twitched incessantly. Shanhe lowered her head and said, "It wasn't Granny Wei. It has nothing to do with her. It was... it was a rotten bug bite."
"Bug bites?"
"Hmm. We came by water, and there are always mosquitoes on the boat. I forgot to close the window at night and got bitten several times. I've applied medicine now, and it's healed, but these red marks haven't faded yet," Shanhe said casually, but in her heart she thought, "That Liang Ye is a rotten worm, Liang the Great Worm! Liang the Rotten Worm! A treacherous villain among rotten worms!"
Mingrui said, "Yes, there are quite a few water bugs by the pond in front, which are very bothersome." With that, she continued combing Shanhe's hair. Mingrui was also a talkative and cheerful person, but unlike Meng Chiying, she had no arrogance and was always considerate of others, never showing any malice. Seeing that Shanhe was sullen, Mingrui called Yunqin and the others over, and they sat together to do needlework. The girls chatted amongst themselves, and even though Shanhe was as cold and aloof as ice, they were moved and gradually she began to speak and laugh.
In truth, Shanhe's intentions were simple. She knew that in this world, one must first consider oneself before extending kindness and goodwill to others—a costless act. For instance, Chengmin and Huaisong had used some despicable methods to capture her and Qingyue. Although she hated them, she knew the true culprit was Liang Ye, and only then them. For example, she didn't mind Mingrui's kindness today, subtly inquiring about Liang Ye's treatment of her. After all, the three women—Mother and Daughters—had talked at Chengen Temple yesterday, and Shanhe understood Mingrui's anxieties and envied her for having such a caring mother and sister. But Granny Wei was different. She displayed cruel malice in every way, not only towards Shanhe but also towards the other maids and servants in Cangfeng Courtyard. Granny Wei relentlessly emphasized rules and supported Liang Ye, ignoring the servants' thoughts and completely blind to Shanhe's distress and grievances. She was also a woman; surely she couldn't understand Shanhe's sorrow and longing?
Shanhe recalled her earlier conflict with Granny Wei. She had originally intended to slip and fall, inflicting a cut so she could ask Qingyue for ointment. After all, she had provoked Granny Wei first, so even if Liang Ye questioned her, he wouldn't place all the blame on Granny Wei. Shanhe believed she had been more than forgiving.
But when Granny Wei covered her mouth, she realized how strong Granny Wei was. When Shanhe leaned towards the bonsai, Granny Wei had ample reason and time to pull her back, but she didn't. Her other hand, which was on Shanhe's waist, even subtly pushed her. That's why such a deep cut appeared on Shanhe's forehead.
What exactly did Granny Wei dislike about her?
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Author's Note: Bonus chapter tomorrow! [Rabbit head with upright ears]
Tomorrow, Liang Ye and Shan Shan will have a scene together...
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