"It's nothing, I've just arrived and only know you, so I came to chat." Lin Songluan wore a reserved yet haughty smile.
Suian glanced at her. It was still early in the morning—the servants had just started their work, the masters were still asleep, and she hadn't even had breakfast yet.
Aren't people from the south supposed to be more afraid of the cold? Shouldn't she be staying snugly under the covers on such a chilly morning?
After silently grumbling to herself for a while, Suian smiled and said, "If Miss Lin is feeling bored, the side gate of the courtyard leads straight to the main street. It's very convenient to go out for a stroll." Though at this hour, aside from breakfast vendors, there probably wouldn't be anyone else on the street.
Lin Songluan seemed not to notice the refusal in her tone and lowered her head to play with her handkerchief. "I don't like going out. Usually, I just read books or practice calligraphy." Her tone was delicate and somewhat enchanting.
Suian was speechless. Someone who "doesn't like going out" was now standing at someone else's doorstep…
"Has Miss Lin had breakfast yet? Mr. Lin usually eats around eight in the morning."
"I've eaten. We're used to waking up early and having meals early."
Suian had originally intended to stretch and move around but now felt too embarrassed. Instead, she invited her inside. "Miss Lin, please have a seat on the veranda. I was just about to sweep the courtyard."
"You sweep this courtyard?" Lin Songluan looked around the small yard. It was smaller than the one she was staying in but appeared more refined. Having traveled all the way from the south, she had gained some insight along the journey. Just the glass inlaid in the windows was likely worth hundreds, if not thousands, of taels of silver.
"Yes, the courtyard isn't large. It's where Ninth Master studies, and he doesn't like too many people coming here." As she swept the yard, she picked up the fallen leaves from the ground using a bamboo clamp, saving herself the trouble of bending over.
Lin Songluan found this curious and stepped down from the veranda to take the clamp in her hand, finding it quite handy. "This is quite convenient. I wouldn't have thought a little girl like you would know how to find ways to save effort."
Somehow, the words didn't sound like praise to Suian's ears.
Just as Suian was about to speak, Chu Yi arrived.
The courtyard gate was open, and he saw the two of them as soon as he entered.
After gazing at them for a moment, he frowned slightly, then broke into a bright smile. "Why are you letting a guest do the work of servants?"
Hearing his voice, Lin Songluan turned around with a smile, her moon-white skirt sweeping in a graceful arc. "Senior Brother, you're here? Are you up so early to study? I just saw Suian, young as she is, doing all this work alone and couldn't bear to watch, so I helped a little. It's nothing, really. Back home, I often helped the maids and servants with their tasks. I'm just too soft-hearted—my parents often say the same about me…"
Suian’s mouth fell open. Yesterday, she had thought this girl was quite sensible, at least more so than her brother. Now, it seemed she had been foolish after all.
Chu Yi, however, showed no restraint. His half-smiling expression made him appear innocent and naive. "Really? Mr. Lin has always been known for his integrity and refused to employ servants. I never imagined there were maids and servants in his household."
Upon hearing this, Lin Songluan was slightly taken aback, but she didn’t detect any sarcasm in his words. She quickly replied, "Yes, my father prefers to handle things personally, but my mother’s health is frail and she shouldn’t overexert herself. So, we have a few servant women at home to help. They have families to support and face many hardships, so whenever I have time, I assist them with their work. It’s just a pity that we had to rush north this time, and they were reluctant to leave their hometowns, so they all stayed behind." After saying this, she sighed with emotion.
Suian glanced at Miss Lin’s hands, which were as white and tender as freshly made tofu, and couldn’t help but feel skeptical about her claim of helping the servant women with their work. Weren’t the servants working for her family in the first place? How did it become, in Miss Lin’s words, an act of caring for the servants’ lives and striving to help the lower classes?
Chu Yi couldn’t help but chuckle. Seeing Lin Songluan’s expression darken, he quickly added, "Miss Lin, there’s no need to worry. Once the military unrest is quelled, you’ll be able to return home safely."
The implication behind these words was far from friendly. They had only arrived in the capital yesterday, seeking a brighter future, and before they could even glimpse that future, someone was already wishing them an early return home.
Lin Songluan forced a smile, unable to bring herself to say, "I’ll take your kind words as a blessing." After a moment, she composed herself and said, "I’ve been out for quite some time now, so I should head back. Please don’t let me keep you from your work, Senior Brother."
Chu Yi nodded. "Suian, see Miss Lin off."
Lin Songluan bit her lip, slowed her pace, and walked gently toward the courtyard gate. At the entrance, she stopped, turned around, and spoke to Suian with gentle grace, "You should go back to your work. I know the way and won’t get lost. You’re still young and growing, so if you ever have too much work to handle, just call for me, and I’ll come help you." As she spoke, she casually plucked a fallen leaf from Suian’s shoulder.
This gesture startled Suian, sending a chill down her spine. She quickly shook her head and said, "I wouldn’t dare trouble you, Miss. Please take care on your way."
Lin Songluan glanced at Chu Yi with trembling red lips and a meaningful look in her eyes before reluctantly leaving.
Suian also "reluctantly" watched Miss Lin depart, muttering to herself, "I thought she was a flower on a high peak, but who knew she was just a speck of dust in the sea of people." "You can’t judge a person by their appearance, just as you can’t measure the sea with a bucket."
From the courtyard, Chu Yi scolded, "What are you muttering about? Get over here!" She leaned against the doorframe, looking like a resentful wife bidding farewell to her beloved.
Suian snapped back to reality, clenched her fist, and quietly walked over, whispering, "Ninth Master, you’ve come early today. Have you had your breakfast?" This servant hasn’t eaten yet.
Chu Yi nudged the bamboo tongs with her foot, raised her head, and smiled brightly. "Better early than late. If I’d come any later, I might never have known how hard you work at such a young age…"
Suian looked at the arm resting on her head and replied with unmistakable grievance in her voice, "This servant has worked in this small courtyard for three years, but only today did I suddenly realize how truly hard, hard, hard the work is…"
She repeated "hard" three times, and Chu Yi’s previously gloomy mood instantly vanished, replaced by hearty laughter from deep within her chest.
Seeing that Chu Yi was genuinely amused, Suian gradually relaxed. The work itself wasn’t actually hard; the real challenge was figuring out how to subtly flatter her superior, especially when that superior’s temper was as unpredictable as the weather.
Once Chu Yi had laughed her fill, she suddenly asked, "Did you finish what I asked you to make yesterday?"
"It's ready, I'll go fetch it right away."
Though making poetry slips was laborious, Suian found joy in it and could be said to have no regrets.
Perhaps because her father was a scholar, she had a natural love for learning and an innate fondness for writing tools like brushes and ink.
For instance, the mold used to make these poetry slips was painstakingly carved by her over a long period on a smooth bluestone. Lifting the stone that pressed down the mold and removing the mold itself revealed the finished poetry slips beneath. The patterns were clear, the borders delicate and flowing like winding water, natural and smooth. The paper was only slightly larger than a palm, yet each piece was neat and tidy, pleasing to the eye. Suian felt a sense of pride as she blew away nonexistent dust from the surface and presented them to Chu Yi.
Chu Yi suddenly felt as though what was meant to be a punishment for her had been turned into a reward in her eyes. "Find a brocade box to put them in. I'm going to my maternal grandfather's house and can give them to Ziyu as a gift." Wang Ziyu was his cousin, the legitimate son of the Langya Wang family, and someone who also loved to dabble in literature and calligraphy.
Seeing the fruits of her labor instantly become someone else's possession, Suian dared not say a word. She packed them up and diligently saw Chu Yi off. This time, it was she who felt reluctant—not because she was unwilling to part with Ninth Master, but because she couldn't bear to see her hard work given away so casually by him.
"Alright, go back inside and hurry to catch up on the lessons I've missed these days."
Suian gasped, her eyes widening with sudden brightness. "Is Commander Chu returning the army to the capital?"
Chu Yi didn't answer. Instead, he pushed her forehead, nudging her back through the doorway. "Focus on your work."
Only after Chu Yi had walked away did Suian dare to mutter quietly, "What's so great about being tall?" He had probably rested his arm on her head, treating her like a low table, hadn't he?
She went to the well to look at her reflection and sighed again, "What's so great about being tall?" Then, resignedly, she went to work on her assignments.
Wang Ziyu was overjoyed to receive the gift, grinning from ear to ear. "This must have been made by Suian!" He nudged Chu Yi with his elbow. "Only someone like you, born into a life of comfort, would fail to appreciate such a treasure."
Chu Yi retorted irritably, "What, would giving her to you to 'add fragrance to your sleeve' count as appreciation?"
Wang Ziyu had a habitual soft spot for women, but if he were to actually take one of Chu Yi's maids—whether a study-companion maid or not—his parents would undoubtedly discipline him first.
So he merely laughed and didn't take the opportunity to ask for her.
Chu Yi hadn't genuinely intended to give her away either and changed the subject. He had come this time to ask Wang Ziyu to help him compose some poems.
Only then did Wang Ziyu learn that Chu Yi's classes had been suspended, and he looked at him with envy. Chu Yi relayed his mother's exact words: "She said Mr. Lin's family has just reunited, so they should be given a few days to enjoy each other's company. Besides, in a few days, it'll be the twelfth lunar month, and suspending classes is customary."
Wang Ziyu was somewhat surprised but not shocked, and he didn't even ask about Mr. Lin's family coming to the capital.
Seeing his reaction, Chu Yi knew there must be a reason behind it. He coaxed Wang Ziyu out for a drink, and Wang Ziyu, unaware, fell into Chu Yi's trap. Reluctantly, he spilled everything he knew: "This matter is only known to my father and grandmother. I overheard a bit of it while sleeping in my grandmother's room."
"They say that Mrs. Lin's younger sister is so stunningly beautiful that she could outshine the moon and put flowers to shame. When the Prince of Ling saw her, he was captivated and insisted on taking her as a concubine. However, she refused, so the Prince of Ling had her brother-in-law, Mr. Lin, drafted into the military. After that, Mr. Lin joined the Commander, and once the Commander quelled the rebellion, Mrs. Lin's younger sister…"
He trailed off hesitantly at the end, but Chu Yi understood completely. Combined with what Suian had told him, it seemed Mrs. Lin's younger sister was no ordinary woman. Even before arriving in the capital, she had already put a group of people on high alert. He couldn't help but grow curious.
Wang Ziyu had no qualms about discussing the Lin family, but if Commander Chu were to take a member of the Lin family as a concubine, continuing to speak would risk appearing as if he were passing judgment on the Commander.
Although Wang Ziyu and Chu Yi were close cousins, Chu Yi was also Commander Chu's own son, and the Commander had always doted on him. So, Wang Ziyu fell silent and began downing wine in large gulps, determined to drink himself into a stupor until his words slurred beyond recognition.
In the time it took Chu Yi to ponder the matter, Wang Ziyu had already drunk himself into a complete stupor.