Yu Qing could only explain, “I just received notice to collect items. I went out for a moment and came right back. I did not delay too long, only about a quarter of an hour in total. I usually have to go out anyway, as I still need to go to the canteen for my three meals each day.” After speaking, he gestured to the two pairs of cloth shoes in his hands to show he had indeed gone to collect items.
From the moment he entered, Wen Xin had been staring at him carefully. Now she glanced at the cheap, ordinary cloth shoes in his hands, then at his servant attire, and the doubt in her bright eyes shifted.
Song Pingping glared. “Hey, you dare talk back to me?”
Yu Qing was already cursing her mother in his heart, but on the surface he hurriedly said, “No, no. This lowly one dares not.”
Wen Xin quickly tugged Song Pingping’s sleeve and spoke up for him. “He was notified to collect items. He could not refuse. He had no choice. It is fine to go out for a while.” She then said apologetically to Yu Qing, “It is all right. We were just afraid Zilong was causing you trouble here, so we came to check. It is good that all is well. We shall not disturb you further.” She gave a slight bow and took her leave.
Yu Qing was slightly stunned. This was the first time this woman had spoken so many words to him. It left him somewhat flattered. He did not know if it was his imagination, but he felt the way she looked at him today seemed somewhat different, though he could not say what it was.
Watching Wen Xin leave, he felt somewhat unsatisfied in his heart. He wished he could be with her day and night. A hurried farewell was far too brief, especially since they could barely exchange any words.
Since the Third Miss had hurried away, Song Pingping and Xiao Hong had no choice but to follow.
“Look after him well. You cannot afford the blame if anything goes wrong!” Song Pingping still gave Yu Qing a fierce warning as she left.
The beautiful figure vanished. Yu Qing looked at the shoes in his hands. “Ah!” He let out a soft sigh, thinking to himself that even if he had the chance to speak, he probably would not know what to say.
The gap between their statuses was too vast. Apart from being filled with melancholy, what else could he do? He went to close the door.
Returning to his bedroom, he put down the shoes and saw his practice draft paper. Only then did he realise he had been careless earlier and left without tidying it away. He needed to remember that these characters did not match those in the stock-out ledger.
He was somewhat worried whether those three women had seen it just now. He truly had not expected them to arrive so soon after he left. The key point was that after realising the people coming here were all servants and staff of that level, he was not so tense anymore. After all, not everyone could appreciate the elegance he had displayed in the capital.
But then he relaxed again. First, they might not have seen it. Even if they had, so what? What could three women like them possibly infer?
He gathered the draft paper, twisted it into a rope shape, and shredded it, preparing to throw it out with the rubbish later.
“Xin’er, why are you walking so fast? You were the one worried about Zilong, the one who kept saying you wanted to come and see him. And now you are the one in a hurry to leave after barely looking at him.”
Song Pingping caught up with the hurriedly departing Wen Xin and grumbled her dissatisfaction.
“Seeing that Zilong is well, I am relieved. There is no need to stay there.” Wen Xin offered a strained explanation, only feeling that the hand clutching the paper ball was almost sweating.
At her age, certain codes of etiquette were already deeply ingrained. She could never have dreamed she would accidentally steal something from someone.
It truly was accidental. She had only picked it up to look at it. When Xiao Hong called her to leave, she forgot to put it down. By the time she realised, the owner had already returned. She was too embarrassed to take it out again. At this moment, she could not be more guilty.
Thinking that she had stolen something from a strange man’s bedroom, her ears were burning.
What made her more anxious was not knowing whether the owner would later discover his draft was missing, and whether he would suspect she had stolen it.
Since things had come to this, she could only comfort herself. Logically speaking, no one would count how many sheets of draft paper they had written on, would they?
She knew the best thing would have been to honestly admit her mistake and return it then and there. Even if it had been awkward, she had two companions who could help explain.
But she felt as if she had discovered something, and somehow she had not handed it over, becoming an elegant thief.
“Hmph. If I had known, I would not have accompanied you running back and forth.” Song Pingping pouted in dissatisfaction. Suddenly seeing Wen Xin’s flushed face, she exclaimed in surprise, “Xin’er, what is wrong? Why is your face so red? Are you unwell?”
Hearing this, Xiao Hong immediately ran closer. “Oh, is the Miss unwell?”
Wen Xin hurriedly said, “No, no.”
Song Pingping immediately reached out and grasped Wen Xin’s wrist, about to take her pulse.
Wen Xin nearly died of fright. The paper ball was right there in her palm. In her panic, she quickly withdrew her hand. After pulling back, she hurriedly found an excuse. “I am truly fine. I just squatted for a while and stood up too quickly.”
“Let me have a look. It will not take any time.”
“No need. I am truly fine.”
“Xin’er, your face is turning red and white. Do not frighten me.”
“Sister Pingping, I beg you. I am truly fine.”
“Oh, you seem strange.”
“Ah!” Wen Xin sighed helplessly, realising that people truly should not do guilty things.
The group returned to Jade Garden. Seeing Wen Xin walk away from them, Xiao Hong immediately called out, “Miss, where are you going? We are about to go to the Patriarch’s for dinner. Wash your face first.”
“I will not wash.”
Having spoken, Wen Xin quickly entered the study. With a creak, she shut the door, leaned against it, and let out a long breath while clutching her chest, finally escaping her nervousness.
Outside, Song Pingping and Xiao Hong looked at each other in bewilderment.
“Your Miss is acting rather strange. She must be hiding something from us.” Song Pingping humphed in dissatisfaction.
Inside the study, Wen Xin listened to the movements outside, gently bolted the door, and then revealed the paper ball that had been dampened by the sweat of her palm. She walked to the desk and spread it out. She smoothed it on the table several times, but it remained crumpled. Finally, she used a paperweight to press it down, barely managing to flatten it.
Then she walked to the bookshelf, took down the metal cylinder, opened it, and pulled out the authentic practice calligraphy of the Tanhua Scholar that had cost over a million taels of silver.
She spread the authentic work next to the creased draft paper. Comparing the handwriting on both sides, the astonishment and doubt in her eyes grew increasingly inexplicable.
Then she found several identical characters, folded them out one by one, and placed them together for comparison. Gradually, horror crept into her eyes, and she began to murmur to herself, “How is this possible? How can this be? It is impossible…”
In the utility courtyard, she had thought they looked similar. At first glance, she had found the artistic spirit very alike.
Although she had not spent long with the Tanhua Scholar’s authentic work, she had genuinely appreciated it. The artistic spirit in the characters, that restrained wildness and spiritual energy, gave a very special feeling.
This was also why she had been struck at first sight in the utility room. A person’s handwriting is easy to imitate, but the artistic spirit is hard to capture.
Yet now, comparing the identical characters, both the form of the writing and the artistic spirit were present. They were completely identical.
How could she not be shocked?
As she had said, the artistic spirit in the Tanhua Scholar’s characters was very special. One could understand someone imitating the font or handwriting. But how could they also capture the artistic spirit so closely?
Could it be the handwriting of the same person?
She could not help shaking her head, silently denying it. How could that brilliantly talented Tanhua Scholar, famous throughout the world, possibly be working as a servant in the Wen residence? Absolutely impossible. How could she possibly have just obtained the Tanhua Scholar’s authentic work and then immediately met the Tanhua Scholar himself? Such a coincidence could not exist in the world.
But when her gaze fell on the two pieces of writing, her expression was full of conflict, and she murmured, “How can they be so alike? Is my eyesight failing?”
She did not know how long she had been in a daze. In any case, the study had grown so dark that she could no longer see the characters without lighting a lamp. Suddenly, Xiao Hong’s voice came from outside. “Miss, it is time to go. We cannot keep the Patriarch waiting.”
Wen Xin came to her senses and replied, “All right.”
Her gaze fell on the two sheets of paper. After hesitating for a while, she finally simply stacked them together, rolled them up, and put them into the metal cylinder.
She opened the study door and came out. Outside, the sky was already half dark.
The three of them hurried together to the main courtyard where the Patriarch lived.
On the way, Wen Xin suddenly said, “Xiao Hong, earlier Steward Feng did not let Niu Youqing come to the inner courtyard to feed Zilong. Did he not say it was because Niu Youqing was newly recruited and he was not at ease?”
Xiao Hong: “Yes. You cannot blame Steward Feng. It really is the Wen residence’s rule. Newcomers cannot enter the inner courtyard. They cannot contact important people or matters. They can only serve in the outer courtyard.”
Wen Xin: “So that means he was not previously a servant of the Wen residence?”
Xiao Hong: “He must have been recruited just a few days ago. The Great Sacrifice is approaching, and the residence has drafted many people to work. The household was short of hands, so they only posted recruitment notices a few days ago.”
Wen Xin nodded thoughtfully.
Song Pingping: “Is it not just having him look after Zilong? Do not worry. Nothing will happen. If he dares to act improperly, see how I deal with him.”
The three of them chatted all the way to the inner residence’s main courtyard, which was also where the family head lived.
After arriving, Song Pingping and Xiao Hong did not accompany Wen Xin. The two of them went to the side courtyard, where they had their own place to eat and drink. It was not their first time.
Wen Xin went to pay her respects to her grandfather, and then accompanied him to the dining room for dinner.
At the dining table, only the grandfather and granddaughter sat together sharing a meal. It was rather quiet.
At Wen Mao’s level, most social engagements of the Wen residence did not require his personal attendance. And the only one in the family who could sit and eat with him daily was this granddaughter he had raised from childhood.
It was not that there was no one in the family to accompany him, but rather that he did not like it.
They say closeness between grandparents and grandchildren depends on the person. He was fond of youth and innocence. A man who had steered the ship his whole life did not wish to see descendants with impure thoughts causing him distress.
Today, Wen Xin ate in silence, mostly distracted.
It was Wen Mao who finally broke the silence, smiling. “Xin’er, is there nothing new you wish to tell Grandfather today?”
Wen Xin gave an “Mm,” distractedly and perfunctorily. She was clearly still absent-minded.
Wen Mao did not know whether to laugh or cry. He directly rapped on the table. “Your food is about to go up your nostrils.”
“Ah?” Wen Xin came to her senses and looked at him. “Grandfather, what is it?”
Wen Mao asked in return, “You have not been this silly in a long time. What are you thinking about?”
“Mm?” Wen Xin was taken aback. “Grandfather, where is Fifth Brother? Did he not say he would come for dinner and drink a few cups with you?”
“He has no time today. He needs to visit a branch family relative. He is probably at his future father-in-law’s house drinking with the old man right now.”
“Is Fifth Brother not coming back today?”
“Nonsense. He is not yet married. How could he stay overnight at someone else’s house? Does our family not even have this much upbringing? He will definitely return later.”
“Grandfather, I did not mean it that way.”
“You have been absent-minded all day. Do not tell me you are thinking about your Fifth Brother?”
“There is something I wish to ask Fifth Brother.”
“See here. If he returns early, I shall have someone inform him to find you. Now eat properly. A young lady must act like a young lady.”