“Miss, what is this?” one of the maids asked curiously.
Song Jintang crooked a finger at her. Understanding the gesture, the maid leaned in close.
Lowering her voice, Jintang whispered a few instructions before closing her hand around the small red porcelain bottle.
The maid’s expression shifted from confusion to uncertainty as she stared at the bottle.
“Miss… are we really going to do this?”
“What are you afraid of? I haven’t done anything. I’m merely giving her a little help.”
Jintang spoke with an easy smile, as though a weight had finally lifted from her chest. She then returned to her dressing table, studying the beautiful, peach-blossom-like face reflected in the mirror.
“I’ve given that maid in the Pei residence enough benefits. It’s time she proved her worth.”
“Yes, Miss. You are truly wise.”
Xie Zhi spent several more days resting in bed. Although her wounds had yet to fully heal, the pain had eased considerably.
Whenever he had time, Lixing came to apply medicine to her injuries. It was the ointment Pei Du had left behind earlier. It felt cool the moment it touched her skin, and not only did it soothe the wounds, but it also showed no signs of leaving scars. It was obviously an extremely precious medicine.
Every evening after returning home, Pei Du went straight to his study.
With nothing to do in her room, Xie Zhi picked up one of her old duties and personally brewed him a cup of tea.
If he won’t let me leave the residence, then so be it. But I can’t let what happened last time make him dislike me. Otherwise, my entire plan will fail again.
Late autumn had arrived, and the night wind sent chills through her body. Carrying the tea tray, she waited quietly beneath the corridor until Changming came out.
“Miss Lichun, you may go in now.”
“All right.”
She entered with the tea and found Pei Du practicing calligraphy at his desk.
“My lord, your tea.”
She set the cup before him, then couldn’t help glancing at the elegant characters on the paper.
“My lord… your handwriting is truly beautiful.”
At her praise, Pei Du’s gaze drifted from the rice paper to the orchid embroidery decorating her sleeves. His tone carried unmistakable disdain.
“Orchids are symbols of purity and elegance. But you’ve covered your clothes with them so excessively that they’ve become gaudy instead.”
Xie Zhi looked down at her clothes, and her expression immediately darkened.
“My lord is blaming this servant? These clothes were part of the new garments the estate had made recently. Of course I want to wear pretty clothes too. But when I went to the clothing shop last time, that incident happened. Now I’m not even allowed to leave the residence, so naturally this is all I have. If it offends your eyes, I can’t help that.”
By the end, she was practically forcing each word out through clenched teeth.
“You’ve become more and more unruly. Go outside and see if any household has a maid who behaves like you. You’re all smiles when you’re happy, but the moment you’re displeased, you start showing your master a long face?”
Pei Du frowned deeply at the young woman before him.
As he spoke, he felt his throat grow dry and reached for the tea on the tray.
The instant his fingers touched the cup, however, he realized it was scalding hot. The porcelain itself felt like a furnace.
Fortunately, his internal martial arts were profound enough that he didn’t lose control and fling the cup away.
His expression darkened.
“Lichun, have you forgotten? A teacup is supposed to sit on a saucer. Where is the saucer?”
When he’d set the cup down earlier, a few drops of boiling tea had splashed onto the table. Several had landed squarely on the back of Xie Zhi’s right hand.
She had been wiping it with a handkerchief. Hearing his question, she lowered her voice guiltily.
“My lord… I slept too much during the day and was still muddle-headed. When I poured the tea, I completely forgot…”
Pei Du had intended to continue lecturing her, but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed her constantly rubbing her right hand in discomfort.
Forgetting his reprimand, he caught her wrist and examined it.
The girl’s skin was smooth and delicate. Where the boiling tea had splashed, the flesh had already begun turning red.
The seamstresses who made the servants’ clothing clearly hadn’t paid much attention. Her sleeves were noticeably too wide. As Pei Du lifted her wrist, the loose fabric slipped downward, exposing a long stretch of her fair, jade-white arm.
He immediately spotted the scar his grandmother had mentioned.
It was only about the size of a fingernail, yet against her flawless pale skin, it looked particularly conspicuous.
Seeing him staring at the scar, Xie Zhi worried he found it ugly. She quickly stepped back and tugged her sleeve into place.
She frowned at him.
Unexpectedly, Pei Du murmured,
“When we were in Yangzhou, I don’t remember you getting hurt this often. Why has everything become one disaster after another since you came here?”
Maybe I’m simply incompatible with the Pei family, Xie Zhi thought silently, not daring to voice it aloud.
Pei Du sighed, returned to his chair, and his expression became cold once more.
“When you go back, read the Pei Family Rules several times and learn what it means to fulfill a maid’s duties. Since your injuries haven’t healed yet, I’ll let this incident pass. But if there’s a next time, you’ll be punished according to the family rules.”
Xie Zhi’s heart sank again. Her previously good mood disappeared completely.
She had thought that after everything that had happened, Pei Du might treat her a little differently.
Yet after going in circles, the distance between them remained an uncrossable chasm.
“This servant understands. I will study the rules carefully.”
Her tone remained calm.
“Oh? Will you?”
“Of course. This servant belongs to my lord. Learning the proper rules is my duty so that I may serve you well. Before, I failed to appreciate your kindness. Please don’t hold it against me.”
After saying that, she turned to leave.
Just then, Pei Du spoke again in a leisurely voice.
“Speaking of that… I suddenly remembered the lychee syrup drink you made with your own hands when I first returned. It wasn’t bad.”
Xie Zhi froze.
After a long moment, she finally remembered the occasion he meant—the first time Madam Zhou had taken her to Yangshan Terrace after Pei Du returned.
But that food box had been handed to her directly by Madam Zhou. Saying she had made it herself had merely sounded nicer.
How could Xie Zhi possibly know how to make lychee syrup?
She even found peeling lychees troublesome.
Still in a poor mood, she answered perfunctorily,
“It’s already very late today. If my lord wishes to have some, this servant will make it for you tomorrow.”
“So it really wasn’t made by you.”
Pei Du’s voice was cool and indifferent.
“What?”
She blinked, not understanding.
“At this time of year… where would you even find lychees?”
Xie Zhi stood there awkwardly.
She wanted to explain that she’d simply forgotten, but seeing the certainty in Pei Du’s expression, the words died before they left her lips.
“My lord, please don’t be angry. If you want to drink it, this servant will learn properly next year.”
“Very well.”
Pei Du let her off easily.
“Then… make it next year.”
Seeing that the tea had cooled enough, he picked it up again and took a slow sip.
He sat there in silence for quite some time, lost in thought.
The brush lying before him was never lifted again.
Early the next morning, Lixing came as usual to deliver Xie Zhi’s medicine.
“Thank you for taking care of me these past few days, Lixing. I’m almost fully recovered now. You don’t have to keep coming over so often. I really feel bad troubling you.”
Xie Zhi finished the last sip of medicine and placed the empty bowl back into the food box.
“It’s nothing. It’s peaceful here with you, Sister. I actually enjoy staying a little longer.”
“What’s wrong?”
Xie Zhi immediately noticed that something seemed off about Lixing’s expression.