Ink Burns

Chapter 21: Initial Control (Part )

He Shanyue woke up very early in the morning. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Miss Wang Er still awake, with her chubby face pressed against the wall, the flesh on her face squeezed into a lump.

He Shanyue just sat up when the grumpy Miss Wang Ershushed her, "Wait, Ha can't hear you anymore!"

He Shanyue: ...The crying next door is so loud that even a deaf person can hear a few of them
There were two cries coming from the west. One was Huang Lian crying loudly, "It's all because of you! My respectable job is gone! I get three coins a month in the inner court, but only one coin if I go to the village!"

Zhou Liniang was sobbing: She had accepted her fate and stayed in this bloody cave to earn some money for her dowry, but who knew that just when she made up her mind, others didn't want her anymore...

"I'll leave tonight." Zhou Liniang said in a crying voice.

Huang Lian cried angrily, "The Cheng family is kind and righteous. They told you to stay until after the Qiqiao Festival. Every year, the Cheng family gives money to the girl during the Qiqiao Festival! - Madam's original words, but we can wait a few more days. Why chase you away at this time... Such a good host, wuwuwu!"

Miss Wang smacked her lips and said, "If I hadn't known that a girl had died tragically, I would have almost believed the Cheng family's benevolent lies!"

He Shanyue pursed her lips and a sneer appeared on her face: "You keep her for a few more days, just to wait for the trouble that happened to my uncle and miss to pass?"

Duan Shi also had the intention of playing a trick on Zhou Li Niang - she was fine a few days ago, how could she suddenly miss home and cry? Maybe she saw something too much?

Miss Wang Er accurately caught He Shanyue's sneer: "Hey! Little girls should smile more! You look better when you smile!"

Is it also good to laugh?
He Shanyue immediately straightened the corners of his mouth and returned to his expressionless look.

Two more days passed without teaching and without paying the salary. When night fell, a dark shadow jumped down from the corner of the eaves behind the Cheng family's house. It crouched down and saw that there was no one around, so it knocked three times on the window frame, two short and one long.

Miss Wang Er opened the door a crack and let the person in.

Miss Wang Er said unhappily, "Hurry up! How long have we been here and Master Wu is asking you to hurry us up?!"

The man who came was Lao Lu, an expert at replacing pillars with "bridge bones" and a master at climbing over eaves and walls.

Old Lu looked around and ignored the grumpy Second Miss. Instead, he frowned and looked at He Shanyue: "The Cheng family is investigating you."

He Shanyue's hand paused and he looked up at Lao Lu.

"…Maybe he asked someone from the government office to find out. Now they have found out about Shantang Street in Suzhou. There are only a few masters of painting, and there are few women, and even fewer pretty ones. Cheng Jia will find out about you in Shantang Street in at most three days. The fake household registration and background that Wu Ye made up for you will not stand up to scrutiny. Even if he has all the connections in Shantang Street, he can't help you create a family right away."

Old Lu looked out the window warily: "I'm afraid you can no longer hide your identity in 'Guoqiaogu'. Fifth Master means that we should withdraw tonight and talk about the painting later."

It didn’t matter whether the identity of the “bridge bearer” could be concealed or not—she had a way to protect everyone;
What’s important is that her third identity, He Shanyue from Hetou Village, Taobao Town, cannot be discovered.

If you are discovered, you will definitely die.

But, death is nothing.

What is more terrifying than death is to die before achieving any success after years of patience and planning.

This world can't be like this.

Murder and set fire to the gold belt, repair the bridge and repair the road without corpses.

He Shanyue placed her palms on the small wooden table, lowered her head, her eyes completely blocked by her long eyelashes. After a long while, she slowly raised her head and said, "Uncle Lu, please tell Master Wu to trust me. In a month, when you come to pick up the painting, everyone in 'Crossing the Bridge' will be fine."

He looked at Miss Wang Er and said, "If Miss Wang Er is worried, you can go back with Uncle Lu today. It's fine for me to go alone."

Miss Wang Er thought for a moment and said, "Forget it, I'm not going back either." She didn't give a reason.

Old Lu looked at the two of them.

After five or six years of getting along with He Shanyue, this girl has always been cold and never very warm. Even Master Wu doesn't know where she comes from or where she is going. But this girl is not a bad person. She speaks with all her heart and can nail her words to the ground. She never says what she can't do, and she can definitely do what she says.

Old Lu gritted his teeth and said, "Master Wu is right. If you want to find someone, go to the silk shop in the east of the city and find Xiaoya."

A few shiny iron ochres were left behind, which were the raw materials for the red pigment for painting: "Give her this and the letter, and we will know."

He Shanyue agreed.

After Old Lu climbed over the wall and left, Miss Wang Er finally realized, "How are we going to deliver the letter? When we were at the Cheng family, that little girl kept nagging us and told us not to go out often. Is she asking me to climb over the wall and leave?"

He Shanyue lowered his eyes and said, "Someone will deliver the letter."

After a long pause, He Shanyue said in a slightly lower voice: "You should go out."

Miss Wang Er snorted, "I saved you with a basin of medicine and a basin of water, and you even earned me a gold bracelet. I didn't get anything on this trip, so I won't leave--"

She had worked so hard to save the person, she would be in vain if she didn't kill him again.

At noon the next day, he heard the rumbling sound of a carriage at the door. He asked and was told that "the eldest master and the eldest young master are back." For the first time, He Shanyue took the initiative to walk out of the door, bypassing the hanging flower gate and going to Duan's "Zhimu Hall." The little maidservant at the door said with a gentle smile: "...I wonder if the mistress is here? Could you trouble Miss to pass on the message?"

The little maid ran in, Huangqi came out to greet them. Duan, wearing a headband, was leaning against the Eight Immortals table, which was filled with chayote and tangerines, and a book. When she heard He Shanyue's voice, the dimples on her lips lifted with a smile: "Miss He."

Looks very friendly.

He Shanyue smiled with curved lips and frowned: "Good afternoon, Madam. Am I disturbing you while you are reading?"

Duan laughed and said, "I am just a blind man who can recognize a few words. It is enough for me to read the account book in its entirety. This book is just a showpiece!"

He Shanyue pursed her lips and smiled, as if she was amused by the self-deprecating words.

Duan smiled again: "But is there something wrong?"

He Shanyue just sat on the edge of the stool, with his head down, his hands twirling the corners of his clothes, almost tearing them apart.

"Just tell me. If any maids are disrespectful or uncomfortable with the food and meals, just tell me. We in the Cheng family invited you here to be a teacher, to teach and answer questions. I will take care of everything for you." Duan's voice was soft, and she looked like the most virtuous and gentle mistress of all the big houses.

He Shanyue's eyes suddenly filled with tears: "I, I, I want to quit this job."

"No!"

Duan blurted out, then her smile froze, and she immediately rounded up the words: "Just say whatever you want to say, why do you have to decide whether to resign or leave?! What can't be said in a nice way? - Just tell me your reasons."

"I haven't taught the girls these past few days, and I have nothing to do every day. I eat the Cheng family's food and receive the Cheng family's tuition for nothing... I feel quite uneasy..."

He Shanyue bowed his head and said, "I heard that Miss Zhou will go home after begging for skills, which makes me even more anxious. Rather than being sent back by the Cheng family, it would be more decent for me to pack up my things and go home by myself."

(End of this chapter)