Nian Jiaojiao’s question visibly relaxed Nan Qing’s hand holding the brush, and the ink characters on the paper began to writhe.
Nian Jiaojiao: ...
Nian Jiaojiao walked over, steadied his hand, and began to teach him, stroke by stroke, finishing one character.
“Do you understand?” Nian Jiaojiao asked.
Nan Qing remained composed, his hand seeming to have steadied. Nian Jiaojiao nodded with satisfaction.
However, when Nian Jiaojiao moved to Yu Chuan’s side and saw his handwriting, a flash of lightning struck her mind.
She knew what was wrong!
Beginners practicing calligraphy often lacked a sense of structure. Their characters, apart from being crooked, were also very scattered.
But Nan Qing’s characters, though seemingly crooked, had excellent structural frameworks.
If the crookedness were removed, the characters would form a refined script in her mind.
Nian Jiaojiao glanced meaningfully at Nan Qing and then went to Yu Chuan, diligently tutoring him in calligraphy.
Hmph! You scoundrel!
Always pretending!
Yu Chuan sensed her proximity. As their distance narrowed, he could clearly smell the faint fragrance emanating from her collar, even feeling her warm breath.
His brush trembled, and the final stroke of the character split.
Nian Jiaojiao sensed his nervousness and chuckled softly:
“Heh, you’ve slept together already. You’re practically an old married couple, why are you so shy?”
Yu Chuan’s legs went weak at her words, and he leaned entirely against Nian Jiaojiao.
Nian Jiaojiao embraced Yu Chuan’s somewhat slender waist, gripped his hand, and continued practicing the next character.
Nan Qing cast a sidelong glance at the two in their intimate atmosphere, his grip on the brush tightening.
“Wife, there’s a letter for you!”
Just then, Xuan Yi walked over, breaking the peculiar atmosphere among the three.
Nian Jiaojiao released Yu Chuan and took the letter, unfolding it.
Hmm.
This was a letter from Tong Fu of Fengcheng.
Because she had left in such a hurry that day, she had entrusted someone to deliver a letter to Tong Fu before departing.
And Tong Fu’s letter had actually been sent via express delivery.
The letter began with a complaint about Nian Jiaojiao’s hasty departure, stating how bored she was now, left alone at Chenxiang Academy.
Additionally, the letter mentioned the current situation in Fengcheng and that her third brother, Tong Ziyao, was being urged by their mother to return, having already been match-made with someone.
However, Tong Ziyao was adamantly refusing to return to the Tong family. Now, Madam Tong had instructed Tong Fu to escort Tong Ziyao home.
This put Tong Fu in a difficult predicament, caught between her mother and her third brother. In the letter, Tong Fu asked: What should I do, Jiaojiao?
Finally, Tong Fu expressed her strong desire to visit Qingzhou, not only because of her friend Nian Jiaojiao but also because she had long heard of Qingzhou’s prosperity and its desserts.
After reading the letter, Nian Jiaojiao shook her head helplessly. Seeing that there was paper and ink on the desk, she immediately sat down and began to write a reply.
After finishing the letter, she went out and handed it to the errand boy who had delivered the letter.
As Tong Fu was eager to receive a reply, she had already paid for the express delivery, so the errand boy was waiting outside the door.
...
Fengcheng.
“Third Young Master, please return with this old servant.”
At this moment, Tong Ziyao was facing the Tong family’s steward.
Tong Ziyao sat in his study, not looking at the old servant, but slowly flipping through the pages of his book.
“Oh dear! My Third Young Master, you’re going to be the death of this old servant!”
The Tong family had two stewards. One was an old woman who managed many of the household’s affairs.
The other was the old servant before him, a man who could be considered the “grand-father” to the young ladies and gentlemen.
When the young ladies and gentlemen were infants, he was responsible for feeding them. As they grew older, he took care of their daily needs and diet.
Tong Ziyao continued to flip through his book, saying without raising his eyelids,
“I’ve heard about the woman my mother has chosen for me.”
The old servant, seeing that he had finally spoken, quickly replied,
“Since Young Master is aware, you should understand the Patriarch’s intentions. That young lady, both in terms of family background and talent, is simply this!”
The old servant raised his thumb, but realizing the other party wasn’t looking, he could only lower his hand and say sheepishly,
“Third Young Master, you know, this young lady is so outstanding in every aspect, what exactly are you dissatisfied with?”
Tong Ziyao then put down his book and looked at the old servant with a half-smile, saying,
“I heard that woman has a ‘phoenix yin’ proclivity, do you know about that?”
“Phoenix, phoenix…”
The old servant’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Tong Ziyao continued,
“Coincidentally, the young city lord of Fengcheng who was recently executed also had this peculiar habit. Unfortunately, their entire family is now deceased. Therefore, within Fengcheng, the woman my mother has chosen for me might be quite unique.”
The old servant was rendered speechless.
However, he remembered the task assigned by the Patriarch had not been completed, so he braced himself and asked,
“How did you learn about such a private matter, Young Master?”
Tong Ziyao shook his head, a look of pity on his face,
“My close confidante from my maiden days married into that family as the third husband two years ago.”
He did not elaborate further, and the old servant understood.
The old servant now looked troubled. Although he was a servant, he had nursed Third Young Master since he was a child and cared for him sincerely. Naturally, he did not want him to fall into such a trap.
So, he gritted his teeth and said,
“Third Young Master, rest assured, I will return and confess my failure to the Patriarch. However, I will also explain the situation regarding that young lady, and I believe the Patriarch will understand.”
Hearing the old servant’s words, Tong Ziyao felt touched.
However, he shook his head and said,
“Uncle Dong, you don’t need to do that. Although this matter is hidden, with our Tong family’s influence in Shanshui Town, it’s impossible for Mother to be completely unaware.”
The old servant blinked in surprise:
“Young Master means…”
Tong Ziyao looked at the old servant but said nothing.
The old servant remained silent.
Tong Ziyao continued,
“When you return, just say you couldn’t find me in Fengcheng, and after inquiring, you learned that I had already left Fengcheng.”
The old servant looked concerned:
“What if the Patriarch sends someone else…” to expose the lie?
Tong Ziyao stated confidently,
“Uncle Dong, rest assured, it won’t be exposed.”
Because by then, he would have already left Fengcheng.
...
The days of vacation always passed incredibly quickly.
In the blink of an eye, tomorrow they would return to the academy for their studies.
Lying in bed in the morning, Nian Jiaojiao felt a wave of melancholy.
Remembering her… lost youth.
After Nian Jiaojiao finished her daily lessons in teaching Yu Chuan and Nan Qing to recognize and write characters, she began to ponder how to make money.
The Three-Foot Study was located in Shanshui Town and Fengcheng. They couldn’t go there every month to collect money, so they would have to wait until they returned to settle the accounts together.
After deducting the expenses for the past few days, Yu Chuan still had over a hundred taels of silver.
This money was sufficient in Fengcheng, but it was insufficient in the more expensive Qingzhou.
It seemed she would have to return to her old profession and write a “hot” novel.
This way, it would benefit her cultivation and also support her family.
Killing two birds with one stone!
So, what should her second novel be about?
Nian Jiaojiao fell into deep thought.