Cheng Chun watched as the young girl’s face slowly swelled up, soon puffing to the size of a steamed bun. She wanted to step forward to help, but the shopkeeper suddenly knelt before them with a thud.
“Madam, please be merciful! My daughter is ignorant and spoke out of turn. I will beat her until she dares not speak recklessly again. I beg you, please don’t be angry, and please don’t tell Fifth Master. I beg you!” The shopkeeper knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.
Cheng Chun had never received such a grand gesture and was at a loss, about to help the shopkeeper up when Hongdou grabbed her hand.
“Our madam has never been one to tattle. Whether Fifth Master finds out or not, we cannot say for sure. After all, there are so many people on the street—just a few words from anyone could reach Fifth Master’s ears!” Hongdou looked coldly at the kneeling, pleading shopkeeper and spoke sharply.
Seeing the girl’s face swollen to such a degree, Songlan took a silver ingot from her sleeve and placed it on the counter. “The fabrics our madam has chosen, send them all to the residence without fail. If even one bolt is missing, don’t blame me for skinning you alive! The rest can be used as medicine money for your ignorant little girl’s injuries!”
When Cheng Chun left, her expression was not particularly good. She felt uneasy and anxious. Since childhood, she had never harmed anyone, yet this time, someone had been beaten to such a state because of her. Her unease was overwhelming.
Seeing Cheng Chun like this, Hongdou wore an expression of exasperation. “Madam, you belong to Fifth Master. You cannot allow these people to insult you like this. If this were the capital, she would have been beaten to death long ago!”
Hearing the words “beaten to death,” Cheng Chun’s heart grew even more panicked. “She only said a few things about me. It’s not worth…”
“If Madam never stands up for herself, she will always be bullied. Nanny Zhang bullies you precisely because you are too soft. Although Madam comes from a farming family, you are from a respectable and honest household, far nobler than a lowly servant like Nanny Zhang!” Hongdou sighed. “Not to mention, Fifth Master dotes on you so much!”
At the mention of “dotes,” Cheng Chun’s gaze gradually darkened. Although the young girl’s words were unpleasant, they were not entirely untrue. As a young woman, she relied on a man’s favor. The phrase “using beauty to win favor” might sound harsh, but it was the truth.
Seeing Cheng Chun’s despondent expression, Hongdou assumed the earlier incident had dampened her spirits and comforted her. “Madam, it’s getting late today. Why don’t we head back early?”
“That’s fine,” Cheng Chun smiled, though a faint sadness lingered in her eyes.
When she boarded the carriage, Cheng Chun was startled to find Su Xubai resting inside. It took her a moment to calm down. “Fifth Master, why are you here?”
Su Xubai slowly opened his eyes, glanced at Cheng Chun, and pulled her into his arms. “What? Aren’t you happy to see me here to pick you up?”
Cheng Chun stumbled into Su Xubai’s embrace, bumping her nose, and took a moment to recover. “Did Fifth Master come especially to fetch me?”
Su Xubai reached out and gently pinched Cheng Chun’s reddened nose. “It’s rare to see you go out to play. I originally thought of going with you, but I was worried you might feel uneasy, so I waited here for you to come back! Did you have fun today?”
“I bought many things—rouge, powder, hairpins, jewelry, fabrics—and spent a lot of silver…” Cheng Chun said, lowering her head somewhat sheepishly. “Will Fifth Master blame me…”
“Isn’t spending some silver only natural?” Su Xubai smiled, taking Cheng Chun’s hand and gently toying with it. “Though I may not have great abilities, supporting a young lady is no problem at all!”
Cheng Chun suddenly remembered something and sat up abruptly, pulling a white jade hairpin from her bosom and handing it to Su Xubai with some embarrassment.
Su Xubai was surprised. He sat up and took the white jade hairpin from Cheng Chun. “What, you bought something for me too?”
“The other night, Fifth Master accidentally broke a hairpin. I saw how distressed you were, so I thought it must be a cherished item. When I saw this hairpin at a stall just now, I bought it!” Cheng Chun said softly. “I used my own savings to buy it, so consider it a gift from me!”
Su Xubai looked at Cheng Chun’s slightly flushed ears and suddenly felt a flutter of joy. He examined the white jade hairpin in his hand carefully. The jade had many impurities and lacked luster—it was clearly of very poor quality.
“Put it on for me!” Su Xubai handed the hairpin to Cheng Chun, then undid his own hair bun.
Cheng Chun looked at the hairpin in her hand and carefully placed it in his hair. Nestled among his thick, dark locks, it made him look even more like a gentle and refined gentleman.
“Does it look good?” Su Xubai turned to look at Cheng Chun, his face filled with delight.
Cheng Chun nodded. “Fifth Master is naturally handsome. Anything you wear looks good!”
Su Xubai laughed. “You, learning to talk like those maids and old women!”
Cheng Chun smiled but said nothing.
Su Xubai adjusted the cushion, leaning back against it, and pulled Cheng Chun into his arms, lying lazily. Just then, the carriage began to move slowly forward.
“Did Nanny Zhang bully you?” Su Xubai suddenly asked.
Cheng Chun was taken aback, then shook her head. “No!”
“You may not want to complain, but she came to me early on to lodge her own grievances!” Su Xubai sighed helplessly. “With such a soft temperament, you’re bound to be bullied by these wicked servants in the future. I can’t always be by your side. If you can’t manage them, you’ll inevitably suffer in the end.”
Cheng Chun lowered her head and remained silent.
“I heard you know some characters?” Su Xubai turned his head to look at Cheng Chun in his arms, his eyes holding an indescribable emotion.
“I worked in an herbal medicine shop, helping to dispense medicines. I recognize most medicinal herbs. The characters on the herb boxes matched the herbs, so after working there for a long time, I learned to associate them. Unfortunately, I only know those characters!” Cheng Chun said, lowering her head in embarrassment.
“Just by looking at the characters on the boxes, you learned to recognize the names of the herbs—that’s clever. Lately, I haven’t had much to do. Why don’t you learn to read and write with me? That way, you won’t be completely lost when looking at account books in the future!” Su Xubai looked at Cheng Chun with great interest.
“Ah? Me? At my age, I can still learn to read and write?” Cheng Chun’s face was full of astonishment.
Su Xubai smiled and said, “Of course you can. As the saying goes, it’s never too old to learn. If you’re clever, learning something like the Thousand Character Classic won’t take long!”
Cheng Chun’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
Su Xubai gently twirled a strand of Cheng Chun’s hair between his fingers. “Of course it’s true. Why would I lie to you?”