Ink Burns

Chapter 25 The Threat of Entanglement

Master Cheng, the "Fat Maitreya", looked at Duan with dissatisfaction: "Yuan Lang and I have been away for only ten days, Cui Niang has died, and Zhou has been dealing with others. Everything is really going wrong! If you spend half of the time you spend on applying lip balm and drawing eyebrows to take care of the chores and discipline the servants, there won't be such a messy idiot in the family!"

"Pongtouchizi" is also a Songjiang dialect, which means a messy family.

Scolding the mistress of the house in front of his children and outsiders shows that Master Cheng does not respect Duan.

Shan Yue lowered her head, occasionally blinking her eyelashes and squinting her eyes slightly. Only then did she realize that Master Cheng and the Duan couple were sitting very far away, one at the top and the other at the second seat at the lower right. Duan was slightly sideways and not facing Master Cheng head on - just like in a painting, the direction of the ripples on the water depends on which direction the wind blows.

People's words, actions, expressions, and even subconscious frowns and pouts do not appear out of thin air; they must be the result of their thoughts and appearances.

Just like now, Master Cheng sat with his fat buttocks facing east, and Mrs. Duan's eyes were looking west, and the couple were evasive and distant.

Shan Yue's eyelashes flickered, concealing a clear understanding.

"I was originally planning to chase you away after begging for skills, but I was unlucky and the two things happened at the same time." Duan explained, not wanting to argue any more in front of outsiders, and waved her hand: "Okay, okay, I'll send you away tomorrow or the day after tomorrow!"

Master Cheng glanced at Duan and waved impatiently at Shanyue: "You go first."

Shanyue looked up at the painting "Autumn Trees After the Rain" hanging in the main hall, then quickly lowered her eyes, hurriedly lifted her skirt, walked out, and came out of the inner room. Seeing that there was no one in the corridor, she immediately bent down, and her earrings fell to the ground, then she squatted in the corner to search for it.

Master Cheng's words came from the inner room: "Winter is approaching. I heard from the old man that this winter is extremely cold. We need to buy more herbs to drive away the cold and strengthen the body. We would rather let them rot in our warehouse than ask other families, especially the Bai family, to buy them to the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. We must also take care of Yan Yushi. As usual, the best herbs will be provided to the capital, the medium ones will be kept in Yingtian Prefecture and the family medicine warehouse, and the lowest ones will be ground into powder for the untouchables who can afford it."

Cheng Xinghe's voice: "Danggui mixed with Duhuo slices, Yanhusuo mixed with yam seeds, Jinsha mixed with red brick powder, and Bletilla striata mixed with loose mother plants. These are the methods we usually use, and I have them all memorized."

He continued, "Last month, my second uncle saw a new medicine store in Beishan and asked Shopkeeper Qin to buy Schisandra chinensis and Poria cocos from Beishan. I asked Shopkeeper Qin to find a reason to refuse and not to give my second uncle face."

Master Cheng laughed softly, "You refused well. The pie is only this big. If he eats it, you won't get any. He sees his elder brother getting old and fat, panting when he walks, and he's like a loach digging a hole, wishing he could dig a share of my property out of my hands. You keep it, ignore him. When the girl surnamed He marries that killer, not only will the old master look up to us, but the entire Nanzhili and the entire "Qingfeng", not to mention five years, even within three years, no one will surpass our Cheng family. The Cheng family's blessings are still to come!"

Killer God?
Green Phoenix?

Shanyue was looking for her earrings and wanted to listen again, but was interrupted by the sound of footsteps.

Shanyue looked up and saw that it was Huang Zhi. He pulled her to a corner and scolded her in a low voice: "Don't you want to die? The master and the mistress are talking about the bitter incident between Huang Lian and Madam Zhou. When the dog barks, anyone who passes by will be bitten twice! - What are you doing here?"

Huang Zhi patted his chest in fear, glanced at the bright window of the sea moon shell with a sly look, and lowered his voice: "I came here for this matter! - I heard that it was because of the cousin who had not yet made a marriage that delayed Zhou's earning the bride price from her brother, and her father was so angry that he went to the house to ask for an explanation. During the dispute between the two, her father was pushed by her cousin and his leg was broken. Now this marriage that was originally impossible has been completely put on hold."

For some reason, Huang Zhi became closer and closer to Shanyue. Now she had the illusion that Madam Zhou and Huang Lian were on the same line, and she and Shanyue were on the same line.

"Just now, Madam Zhou's mother sent a message, saying that if Madam Zhou dared to go back, she would be beaten to death. Now Madam Zhou is crying in the wing room and wants to hang herself." Huang Zhi patted his chest again: "I was so scared that I hurried over to ask Huang Qi for advice."

"Are you scared because Madam Zhou is going to hang herself? Or are you scared because Madam Zhou is going to hang herself at Cheng's house?" Shan Yue's expression was ambiguous.

"It must be because she wanted to hang herself! It's a life after all!" Huang Zhi frowned in disbelief.

Shan Yue's expression eased a little, and he glanced at the precious window made of sea moon shells beside him: "Does Zhou Li Niang still want to stay in the Cheng family?"

Huang Zhi didn't understand these two questions in a row: "What else? Then why is she making such a fuss?" Shan Yue nodded, indicating that he understood.

After returning to the back room, Shanyue bent over and painted all night. While painting, he heard continuous sobbing coming from the west.

It's really exhausting.

Drawing is not tiring, but listening to crying is.

He had the energy to cry, the white knife went in and the red knife came out, and he had killed several pigs.

Shanyue frowned, rolled the rice paper into a small scroll and stuffed it into the wooden tube, leaned over to get the sealing wax, put a stamp on the seal, raised his head to stretch his neck, and pushed the door to leave.

"That girl is more timid than a rabbit. Please be nice to her and don't scare her to death." In the darkness, Miss Wang Er spoke softly with her eyes closed and covered with a quilt.

Shanyue turned his head away without saying a word and walked straight out.

Miss Wang Er turned over, found a comfortable position and cursed: Damn it, He Shanyue is a dead girl, she never speaks properly. In the dead girl's cognition, no response means no rejection, and if you say no, there is absolutely no room for negotiation. If she doesn't curse, we are good friends. I don't know if it is innate or cultivated. The dead girl's cognition has always been inferior to others.

There was a "crunch".

Shanyue pushed open the door of the west wing and threw the tightly sealed wooden tube and a piece of iron ochre that looked like red crystal onto the bed.

Zhou Liniang, whose eyes were as red and swollen as peaches, trembled with fright.

Shanyue poured himself a cup of cold tea. "I'll stay here for you. You help me deliver the things. Go to the silk shop in the east of the city and find Xiaoya. Ask him to pass this wooden barrel to Master Wu. Also, bring me a message: 'Everything is fine. The outline has been drawn. Slowly add color. If Master Wu has time, please help me check the relationship between Angelica and Duhuo, and between Sea Gold Sand and Red Brick Powder. The twelve spring paintings of Mr. Shen are a reward for his secret investigation.'"

Zhou Liniang was shaking all over and her upper and lower teeth were chattering. Although she didn't understand what these words meant, she had a feeling that this was not a good thing!

Zhou Liniang trembled and didn't dare to answer.

Shan Yue glanced downwards, his eyes sharp.

Zhou Liniang felt like touching scalding water on a winter day.

Shan Yue wanted to leave immediately.

Zhou Liniang cried so hard that her forehead and heart ached: "You, aren't you afraid that I will tell the Cheng family that you are secretly in contact with the outside world?"

Shan Yue paused and said, "If you want to sue, go ahead. I can tell the Cheng family that you and I saw the cause of my uncle's death with our own eyes. Then we will hug each other and be thrown down from the third floor by the Cheng family. Our flesh and blood will merge with each other, and our brains will mix with each other.

You will never be able to get rid of this evil woman like me in your lifetime."

(End of this chapter)