After the meal, the maid brought a teacup, a silver-gilt copper basin, a red silver spittoon and other items. Ethan Song took the teacup, took two sips of tea to rinse his mouth, and then washed his hands in the silver basin.
Duixue presented a clean towel to Ethan Song, who was just about to reach out to take it when he suddenly heard an almost inaudible sound coming from outside the window, as if something had fallen on the windowsill. He immediately stood up with his long legs and turned straight towards the window, chopping a powerful palm wind towards the windowsill, which shattered the green silk on the window into pieces.
Before everyone in the room could react to what had just happened, the cry of a frightened raccoon was heard into the room, followed by a panicked female voice through the window.
The maidservant in green clothes under the window was trembling all over and said anxiously: "It was because of my poor supervision that the cat in the young lady's room sneaked in here and disturbed the Madam and the master. Please punish me, Madam."
After saying this, he held the cat in his arms and knelt down under the window, trembling. He lowered his head anxiously, not even daring to look at the tall silhouette on the window.
Mrs. Xue slightly turned her head to look at Ethan Song beside her, and saw that he had a hint of anger on his face. She then smiled and explained to the maid, "I thought it was something else. It turned out to be the cat from the Kingdom of Daqin in Second Lady's room. It has a loose and unruly temperament and is used to being wild. How can it be kept under control all the time? It's not your fault. It's chilly in the spring night and the ground is cold. Get up now."
The maid named Qiu Chan outside the window thanked her profusely, stood up from the blue brick floor after calming down from the shock, and then trotted away from Cuizhuju.
Ethan Song's anger had not yet dissipated. He frowned and said in a deep voice, "Even fierce eagles and horses can be tamed, not to mention a raccoon. It's just that Second Mother indulged it too much."
Evelyn Madam smiled and shook her head. Her kind eyes fell on his face with distinct features. She smiled and said calmly, "How can there be a one-size-fits-all approach in the world? Erlang has been well-read since he was young. How could he not know that Emperor Taizong of our dynasty once wanted to tame a fierce horse named Lion Stallion but failed?"
Ethan Song lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment, but he was stubborn and said firmly: "In my opinion, if I had followed Wu Cairen's advice and used an iron whip, an iron hammer, or a dagger to tame it, it might not be impossible."
These words made Mrs. Xue ponder inwardly: Erlang's character is too strong and cold, which may not be a good thing. The way of a king is to combine hardness and softness. A person's character cannot be changed overnight. For now, it is best to marry him a virtuous and gentle wife as soon as possible, and advise Erlang from time to time. It is the best policy to overcome hardness with softness and take it step by step.
Mrs. Xue did not speak for a long time. The only sound in the room was the faint sound of Huanzhu and Ruisheng carefully putting away the dishes on the table. Ethan Song knew that he had said something wrong and thought that he should not have acted so cold and cruel in front of the old lady just now, so he said goodbye and left.
However, Er Niang's cat servant is really too outrageous.
Ethan Song strode out of Cuizhuju and went straight to Clara Song's Daixiuju.
Because Evelyn Madam loved Clara Song, and Daixiu Residence and Cuizhu Residence were only separated by a wall, Tayun would often go to Cuizhu Residence. This time, he happened to meet Ethan Song having dinner there, and as luck would have it, he jumped from the window in the evening when it was dark, causing this incident.
Daixiu lives inside.
Clara Song held Tayun in his arms and stroked her fur gently. When he heard Qiuchan tell him what had just happened in Cuizhuju, he was really shocked. He thought to himself that everything in grandma's room was of the best quality. Now that the green silk on the window was torn, he would have to find another piece of the same silk to re-paste it.
It's true that the second brother dotes on her and can't tolerate any injustice in his eyes. If grandma hadn't come to her rescue in time, Qiu Chan would have definitely been beaten.
Thinking of this, Clara Song paused his action of smoothing the hair, and frowned slightly, "Tayun, when will you be able to have some sense? Why do you pick on the second brother when you can pick on anyone else? Aren't you afraid that he will tear your skin off?"
Clara Song had been loved and cherished by Evelyn Madam and Madam Gao since she was young, and Ethan Song regarded her as his own sister. She had a simple and innocent heart, so she was not afraid of Shi Yanxiao's words to her and started talking to Tayun.
While speaking softly, he pushed Tayun, who had been comforted by her, into Cassandra Shi's arms.
Ever since Qiu Chan carried Ta Yun into the house, Cassandra Shi's eyes had hardly left it. He had been coveting this blue-eyed Persian cat for a long time.
Clara Song naturally saw that she liked Tayun, so after comforting Tayun, he put it into Cassandra Shi's arms.
"Thank you, Second Mother." Shi Yan smiled at her, thanked her sincerely, and then lowered his head to stroke the cat seriously.
Not long after, Sophie Yin brought over the backgammon chessboard and was placing it on the rosewood table. No one knew when Ethan Song came in until Cassandra Shi, who had lowered her eyes, first saw the tall shadow. She looked up in surprise to see who it was, and her porcelain-like chin raised slightly.
When Ethan Song's slightly gloomy face came into view, Cassandra Shi was distracted for a moment, and didn't know how to address him properly. He just stood up suddenly while holding Ta Yun.
Fortunately, Ethan Song did not bother with her. After Huaping, Sophie Yin and others bowed, he responded softly.
"Second, second brother, what are you doing here at this time? Come here..." Clara Song knew that he came here at this time probably to call him to task, so his heartbeat quickened and his speech became stuttering.
Ethan Song glanced calmly at Cassandra Shi, who was standing in front of him on the right and wearing a lotus-colored pleated skirt with a Baoxiang flower pattern. He saw that the serene smile in her eyes when she lowered her brows to stroke the cat's fur was no longer there, but was replaced by a trace of panic and helplessness. His slightly better mood instantly returned to normal.
Tayun lay comfortably on Cassandra Shi's body. When Ethan Song saw it, he became more angry, but when the words came to his lips, his tone softened a little, "Since Second Mother has raised this raccoon, she should control it. If the same thing happens again next time, I will personally discipline it for you."
Clara Song was used to being casual, not a person with a delicate mind, and he had not noticed Ethan Song's intentional or unintentional attention to Cassandra Shi. He thought that he had calmed down, so he let out a light breath and smiled, saying in a muffled voice, "Second brother, Madam Yang and I want to play backgammon. Would you mind counting the chips for us?"
The evening breeze brought in the fragrance of pear blossoms and a slight coolness through the window. Ethan Song, who was sitting by the window, had dark eyes and did not respond.
Seeing that he didn't say anything, Clara Song raised his eyes to look at him again, and saw that he had a sullen face as if he was looking at Ta Yun in Yang Niangzi's arms. He thought to himself, what a small matter, is it worth him to hold on to it like this? Isn't it enough for him to calm down with such a beautiful woman sitting in front of him? He is already 26 years old, but he is just like a stubborn stone. Where can he find a bride who can catch his eye?
Huaping was the first to notice that the atmosphere in the room was not right, and she hurried forward to smooth things over: "Let me do it."
After saying this, he went and brought over a crescent-shaped stool.
Cassandra Shi just thought that the two of them were siblings who were mad at each other, so he sat there not knowing what to say for a while, and simply pretended to be a gourd with its mouth sawed off.
There were more than ten candles burning on the lotus lantern tree, making the whole room as bright as day. Cassandra Shi sat quietly, watching the wax dripping into flowers to pass the time.
It was not until Sophie Yin had set up the backgammon board and laid out the chess pieces and asked them to roll the dice to decide who would make the first move that Cassandra Shi withdrew his gaze, placed Ta Yun on his lap, put one hand on Ta Yun's neck, and rolled the dice with the other hand.
Huaping counted carefully and said, "Madam Yang has six, and the young lady has eight. The young lady should go first in this round."
So Clara Song rolled the dice again, but saw that one of the points on it was four and the other was three. According to the rules, the two chess pieces could move four and three squares respectively, or one chess piece could move seven squares. Clara Song thought for a moment and decided to move with two chess pieces.
The night outside the window was getting darker. Two sparrows were standing on a branch and quarreling. When they saw someone coming, they flapped their wings and flew away.
A silver candle lit up the bright corner lamp under the eaves, and he went to the tea room to cut some fresh fruits and vegetables, then walked into the house quietly.
At that time, Ethan Song was sitting on the couch with his head held high, holding an ancient book that had already turned yellow in his hands, but his phoenix eyes were fixed on the backgammon chessboard filled with lacquer and painted with flower and bird patterns.
Cassandra Shi's white and tender fingers like bamboo shoots were holding a black piece. After hesitating for a moment, he moved forward three squares to eat a white piece and placed it on the horizontal bar in the center of the chessboard.
In this case, Clara Song would have to roll three points as well to get the white piece back.
Seeing this, Ethan Song's expression relaxed a little, and a barely perceptible smile appeared at the corner of his lips, but it was unclear whether he was laughing at Cassandra Shi's ruthless move just now, or at Clara Song's disadvantageous situation.
In an instant, Sophie Yin, who was standing at the threshold, felt a strange feeling in his heart, as if he had come at the wrong time. But it was too late to leave now, because Ethan Song had already come back to his senses from the girl's jade fingers and discovered her presence by the door frame. His dark eyes returned to their usual solemnity and coldness, which made Sophie Yin feel creepy.
Sophie Yin had no choice but to walk forward slowly, forcing a not-so-good-looking smile on his face, and said in a slightly stiff voice, "Master, young lady, Madam Yang, please have some fruit."
Clara Song was worried about the situation of Baizi. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed, his eyes never left the chessboard, and he said in a low voice, "I can't eat it right now. I'll give it to my second brother and Madam Yang."
After she finished speaking, Sophie Yin suppressed the fear in her heart and slowly walked towards Ethan Song. Fortunately, Ethan Song no longer looked at her at this time. He just lowered his head to look at the book in his hand, and waved his hand to signal her not to bring the fruit plate to him.
Sophie Yin felt relieved, thinking that it must have been an illusion. She relaxed, and her steps became lighter, and she held the fruit plate in front of Cassandra Shi.
Shi Yan smiled and picked up a peeled fruit with a stick, pointed to the empty space on the small table and said softly: "Thank you Sophie Yin for taking the trouble, I'll put it here."
As their eyes met, Sophie Yin placed the gilded silver plate with flower and bird patterns to where Cassandra Shi was pointing, whispered a few words to the painting screen beside him, and then left.
When Ethan Song heard the gentle and clear female voice just now, his eyelids slightly raised and his eyebrows moved slightly, but he did not raise his head to look at the girl who made the voice.
About another quarter of an hour passed, and Baizi was losing more and more. Ta Yun was dozing off on Cassandra Shi's legs. Cassandra Shi's legs and feet were numb from being pressed by Ta Yun, so he moved his legs. Hua Ping noticed this subtle movement and called Qiu Chan to come in loudly.
Huaping was a first-class maid who served Clara Song personally. She could order everyone in Clara Song's courtyard. At this time, she whispered to Qiuchan, "Tayun has fallen asleep. You take it back."
The master of the house was sitting alone by the window. The young lady was sulking and refused to speak to him. Madam Yang was caught in the middle and didn't say much. The atmosphere in the room was really depressing. No wonder Ta Yun slept so soundly.
Qiu Chan thought so in his heart, bent down and reached out to hug Ta Yun.
Ta Yun had already been frightened in Cuizhuju, and now he was asleep. Qiu Chan suddenly came over to hug him, which startled him again. He suddenly broke free from Qiu Chan's arms and jumped onto the chessboard. In an instant, the black and white chess pieces either fell into the board or onto the ground, making a clicking sound.
In order to prevent Qiu Chan and the others from being scratched by it when they hugged it again, Shi Yan waved his hand and said, "Tayun is a little frightened. Don't move it. Let it calm down on its own."
Clara Song and Cassandra Shi were thinking the same thing. They turned their heads and told Huaping and Xiaoshan, "Let's clean up later."
As soon as he finished speaking, Cassandra Shi turned to look at Ta Yun on the chessboard, his red lips opening and closing: "Since Ta Yun has disrupted the game, this time it's a draw."
Huaping glanced out the window and saw the bright moon hanging high in the sky and the stars shining like brocade. She asked Xiaoshan to fetch her new green gauze lantern and gently reminded the head of the family and Madam Yang that it was time to return.
Xiao Shan lit the lantern, and Clara Song slowly walked to Ethan Song's side, expressing his concern in a somewhat awkward manner: "Brother, you didn't bring a lantern when you came here, and it's dark outside. I'm afraid you'll bump into something, so let Xiao Shan hold the lantern for you."
Ethan Song told her to rest early, and he took the lantern and went out without letting Xiao Shan follow him.
Ethan Song had just left when Sophie Yin sent Cassandra Shi to the gate of the courtyard. Cassandra Shi stopped and joked with her, then sent her back with soft words. Then she walked towards the main road in the garden alone, carrying a gauze lantern with plum blossoms painted on it.
It was mid-February, the moon was full, the flowers were red, the wind was gentle and the air was fresh, and the ears were filled with the whispers of spring insects. Cassandra Shi's steps slowed down unconsciously. Suddenly, he looked up at the bright moon in the sky and felt homesick. His nose felt a little sore.
Carelessly walking along the corridor and around the rockery, a stone bridge and pavilion appeared in the distance. Shi Yan lowered her head slightly and walked slowly, lightly tying up the edge of her skirt as she stepped onto the stone bridge. As soon as she raised her head, she saw out of the corner of her eye a person sitting in the pavilion.
Login to comment
Be the first one to comment...