While Yuxi and Bingmei were talking, they suddenly heard a leisurely sound of a flute.
Yuxi's steps unconsciously slowed down, and at last, she stopped where she was, listening attentively to the beautiful, melodic sound of the flute.
The flute had ended for a while before Bingmei could whisper, "It's so beautiful." She couldn't say what it was, but she thought it sounded good, ten times better than when her Miss was playing.
Yuxi muttered, "Of course, it's nice to hear. This song, «Spring Day», is one that even San Jie can't play." The difficulty of this piece was so high that ordinary people could not blow it well. Yuchen was still practising, and if she wanted to reach the level of Chen Ran, she would not be able to reach it without a few years of work.
Bingmei thought what she said had upset Yuxi and immediately remedied the situation, "Miss will certainly play it better than the Second Master Chen in the future."
The corners of Yuxi's mouth twitched a little. Nine times out of ten, one could learn the flute as long as one worked hard. But just to learn and mastering were two different concepts. It was easy to understand. As long as one had perseverance and persistence, nine times out of ten, one would be able to learn. But to master it, one must be extraordinarily perceptive and gifted. Since she lacked that talent, they expected her to play better than Chen Ran? It was impossible in this life. She might as well try in the next life!
Ah Li took Chen Ran's flute in both hands and asked carefully, "Second Master, why do you suddenly want to play the flute?" Could it be to get the attention of Miss Han from earlier? But Ah Li quickly shook off this thought. His master could attract many girls' attention just by standing there, without the need to please them.
Chen Ran said indifferently, "You can play it if you want." After saying that, he walked over to fetch some water while ignoring the torn-faced Ah Li.
When Yuxi returned to the guest courtyard, Qiu Shi just woke up.
When Qiu Shi got up, she said to Yuxi, "I'm getting old. My back is already aching even after just this little walk."
Yuxi smiled and said, "Eldest Aunt, you still need to stretch your legs every day. Always staying inside the house is not good for your health. "
Qiu Shi didn't like to visit other people and even didn't like to go out to socialise. "I have to walk for a quarter of an hour after dinner. I'll remember what you said."
After they cleaned themselves up and were ready to go back, they saw the Lady of Taining with her maids and old women servants coming over. The Lady of Taining said with a smile, "I just found out that my Qingjia Mu had also come to offer incense. Otherwise, I would have come over to have a chat with you."
Qiu Shi's smile was a little forced as she responded, "How could I dare to bother Lady Chen!"
It was the Lady of Taining who arranged the marriage between Han Jianming and Ye Qing, so Qiu Shi had a grudge against Lady Chen. Who knew if the Lady of Taining already realised about Ye Qing's health that day. Although Qiu Shi said she wanted to let go, discontentment still filled her heart. She could not help but let it out when she spoke.
The Lady of Taining felt that Qiu Shi's attitude was strange, but she was an incredibly slick person. Even if she sensed something was wrong, she wouldn't show it. Instead, she smiled and asked, "Why did Qingjia Mu bring the Fourth Girl? Why didn't Qingjia Mu take Qing-er along?"
Qiu Shi answered, "She has to nurse the baby at home and can't get away."
Lady of Taining knew that Ye Qing might not be able to give birth again before she decided to nurse the baby herself. Looking at Qiu Shi's manner, she also felt a little suffocated in her heart. Even if Ye Qing could not have another baby, she had injured her body because of giving birth to Qiqi. Qiu Shi's way of doing this was very unkind to Ye Qing. She was unhappy, but her face didn't show any of her real feelings, as she said with a smile, "Qing-er, this child really is! Which mistress of a great family will nurse the baby herself? It's because of Qingjia Mu's leniency that she’s able to fool around like this."
Many people knew that it was difficult for Ye Qing to conceive again, but everyone thought she could not do so because she had injured her body during childbirth. Few people knew that Ye Qing originally had difficulty conceiving. The Han family did not explain this to the public because they had many scruples. And Ye Qing and the Ye family couldn't tell the Lady of Taining about such a secretive matter.
When Qiu Shi heard this, her heart was very calm. "I didn't like it either then. I even selected four wet nurses for her to choose from, but she said she would nurse the baby herself. I also thought that she was going to have Qiqi as her only child all her life. That’s why I gave her permission to do so."
Lady of Taining didn't even move her eyebrows as she smilingly said, "Yes! That's why Qing-er is such a lucky child to have met a good nature Qingjia Mu as her mother-in-law."
Yuxi stood behind Qiu Shi as she listened to the Lady of Taining change her Eldest Aunt's attitude towards her with just a few words. She sighed in her heart. This was a skill she had to learn. [+]
After a while, a young maid walked over and said, "My Lady, the Second Master has returned. He sent this handmaiden over to ask when my Lady will go back?"
When Qiu Shi heard that Chen Ran had also come, her face showed delight. Chen Ran's reputation was so great that no one in the capital didn't know about him, and it was lucky to meet him here. With a feeling of delight, she looked at Yuxi. Chen Ran was two years older than Yuxi and was just the right age. Qiu Shi said with a smile, "As it turns out, the Second Young Master has also followed you here. I remember the last time I saw him was when Qing-er married into the Han family!"
The Lady of Taining was a very outstanding person, and Qiu Shi was not someone who could hide her emotions. When she caught sight of Qiu Shi's appearance, how could she not understand? Thus, she said with a smile, "Qingjia Mu, I will go back first. We will have a good chat next time we have the chance." After saying that, she even seamlessly glanced at Yuxi, who stood next to Qiu Shi. She noticed that Yuxi was standing there very calmly, with a decent smile on her face.
When Qiu Shi heard this, she smiled and said, "We are going back, too. Why don't we go together!" Qiu Shi wanted to let Yuxi meet Chen Ran. If Yuxi thought Chen Ran was good, she could try to win him over.
The Lady of Taining politely declined. When she left, she took a look at Yuxi and saw that she still had that decent smile on her face. She had a good idea in her mind. Qiu Shi was a woman who couldn't hide things in her heart, but this girl had a mind that was hard to understand.
After sending off the Lady of Taining, Qiu Shi felt that it was a pity.
How could Yuxi not know what Qiu Shi was thinking? She immediately spoke as if it was unintentional, "Eldest Aunt, I met the Second Master Chen when I went to the back mountain to get water."
Qiu Shi's eyes lit up as she asked, "How do you feel after meeting him?"
Naturally, Yuxi would not say that she found Chen Ran was good, and neither would she say Chen Ran was terrible. Putting on a strange face, she explained, "People outside are praising Second Master Chen as an immortal descended from heaven, but I see that he is just like any other person, with two eyes, a nose and a mouth, nothing unusual." What Yuxi meant was that she didn't think Chen Ran was that extraordinary.
Qiu Shi laughed at this. "If he didn't have two eyes, a nose and a mouth, wouldn't that make him a monster?"
Yuxi stated, "The reason why Second Master Chen is so famous is that he is the second di son of Marquis Taining. Otherwise, he would be no more than an ordinary person." Yuxi's words were not to blacken Chen Ran but what was hidden in her heart. If Chen Ran were not the second di son of Marquis Taining, without his father backing, he would only be a slightly talented young man, not much more than that.
When Qiu Shi saw Yuxi saying something like this, she smiled and said, "There must be something he excels in." But since Yuxi felt that the other party was average, the thoughts surfaced in her mind regarding Chen Ran faded away.
Although the Lady of Taining felt that Yuxi's mind was a bit deep, she did not think too much about it. For it was none of her business, even if Yuxi had a deep mind. But when she heard Ah Li come and say that Chen Ran had spoken with Han Yuxi for a while today, she was no longer calm. At once, she asked Ah Li, "Did you remember clearly? Was it really the Second Master who took the initiative to speak with the Fourth Miss Han at that time?"
Ah Li said, "My Lady, it was the Second Master who took the initiative to greet the Fourth Miss Han."
When the Lady of Taining heard this, she somehow felt that it was somewhat wrong. How did her son know Fourth Miss Han? When did he meet her? Where did he meet her? Why had she not heard any rumours about this?
Ah Li was clear about this matter. He told her about the meeting between the two people at Marquis Taining and the Jiang Residences, respectively. [+]
When the Lady of Taining heard that they had met each other three times, she became even more restless. "Why didn't you tell me much earlier?"
Ah Li screamed in his heart: “My Lady, the two times before, the Second Master and the Fourth Miss Han family met by chance and didn't even say a word. Moreover, there was nothing unusual about the Second Master at that time, so this young one didn't take it seriously. But this time, there is something abnormal about the Second Master."
Hearing this, the Lady of Taining pondered for a moment before instructing, "If there is any further unusual movement from the Second Master’s side, you must report back in time."
Ah Li nodded as he replied, "Yes."
The Lady of Taining asked her trusted old woman servant, "You don't think Xiao Ran has a crush on that Han girl, do you?" The Lady of Taining didn't like Yuxi. That girl had a very deep mind, her reputation was not good, and she was motherless. With the Chen family's condition, what kind of daughter-in-law that she could not pick? Was it worth the trouble to choose this kind of person?
Her trusted old woman servant reassured her, "Don't worry, my Lady, the Second Master may just be impulsive. He may forget about it in a couple of days."
The Lady of Taining gave out a bitter laugh but did not say anything more. If that were indeed the case, then she did not need to worry so much. Let alone the need to let Ah Li keep herself informed of her son's condition. Her youngest son had been cold to the family since he was rescued, including towards her, his mother. Over the years, no matter how hard she tried, her son's attitude towards her had always been lukewarm and never changed. She knew that what happened back then had caused much damage to her son, and he had resentment towards them for it. But there was nothing they could do, and they had been making amends all these years. Only, unfortunately, with little success.
A Portion of Zhang Xu's Heart Sutra in Cursive Script
Image Credit | The rightful owner via Baidu
Image Credit | The rightful owner via Baidu
Ah Li walked into the study and reported with his head bowed, "Second Master, except for the matter of the Second Master playing the flute, I have told the Lady what you've ordered me to say."
When Chen Ran heard this, he did not even move a single one of his eyebrows while saying indifferently, "You can withdraw!" He had long been used to Lady of Taining's behaviour. His mother, always in the name of caring for him, had been controlling his every move. Back then, he had been angry about this and had replaced all his personal servants and those who had served him for this reason. But after he saw nothing change despite the three changes he had made, he didn't bother to change them anymore. Instead of replacing them, he would rather take the young male servant under his wing and let him say what he wanted him to say.
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi