Thrown out of the house, the wet nurse enters the noble household and becomes a person of high statu

Seeing Xue Bi's bewildered expression, Liu Wenying couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Xue Bi then came to his senses and laughed, shaking his head and saying, "Please, Mr. Liu, have mercy and stop teasing me."

"Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore. And don't call me 'manor head' anymore."

"Yes, Wenying."

Liu Wenying smiled and walked back to her desk.

"Then you continue with the accounts, don't worry about me."

She took out a stack of cut Xuan paper from the side, mixed some paints, and prepared to paint some new small picture books for Luo Luo.

Xue Bi picked up his pen again to organize the accounts, but his gaze kept drifting towards the opposite side.

In the candlelight, Liu Wenying held a brush and sketched something on rice paper, her expression focused and gentle.

He stared at it for a long time, then finally couldn't help but ask softly, "What is Wenying drawing?"

Liu Wenying didn't even look up and continued painting.

"I've already drawn some pictures for Luo Luo's little picture book to teach her to recognize some simple objects. Now it's time to add some new ones."

As she spoke, she held up a card with a cute little chick drawn on it and the word "chicken" written next to it.

Turning the page again, it showed mulberry leaves and silkworms.

Xue Bi put down his pen, got up, and walked to her desk to take a closer look.

"This method is excellent. It uses pictures to pique interest and words to explain meaning, making it most easy for children to accept."

He paused, then lightly touched the character for "silkworm" with his fingertip. "But..."

"Just what?"

Xue Bi pursed his lips, seemingly considering his words, but ultimately said bluntly, "The handwriting is too ugly and could easily mislead children."

Liu Wenying's face darkened, and she grabbed the paper to examine it closely.

The character for "silkworm" was indeed written with uneven strokes, and it wasn't very aesthetically pleasing.

She glanced again at the account book on Xue Bi's desk; the handwriting was elegant and vigorous, and the contrast between the two was simply appalling.

"You're too blunt," she muttered, feeling it was too hurtful.

Realizing his slip of the tongue, Xue Bi quickly cupped his hands in apology, saying, "It was my fault; I was abrupt."

Liu Wenying waved her hand and pushed the picture album in front of him.

"You're right, so... Xue Bi, could you please rewrite it for me?"

Xue Bi was about to agree when she heard her say again, "Never mind, it's better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. How about you teach me to write?"

We can't expect him to write every single time.

Xue Bi was stunned, a look of surprise appearing on his handsome face: "Wen Ying wants to learn to read?"

"Luo Luo will have to study in the future, and as her mother, I should set an example by writing in such an ugly way forever."

Liu Wenying spread out new paper, ground ink, and picked up her brush. "Are you finding it difficult?"

Xue Bi shook his head and walked to her side: "Then please have Wenying write the character '永' first."

Knowing that he wanted to assess her own abilities, Liu Wenying followed his advice and began to write.

Her wrist was stiff, and the character "永" (yong) she wrote was not difficult to recognize, but the structure was somewhat loose.

Xue Bi bent down to examine it closely and pointed it out in a gentle voice.

"Although the character '永' is simple, it contains eight principles: dot, horizontal stroke, vertical stroke, hook, rising stroke, left-falling stroke, short left-falling stroke, and right-falling stroke. If you master these, you will understand many other characters."

He pointed to the character and said, "You wrote too hastily, failing to conceal the tip of the brush at the beginning and finishing the stroke carelessly."

Liu Wenying wrote another one, which was still terrible.

Xue Bi frowned and stared at it for a while, then suddenly asked, "Who taught you to hold a pen like that?"

"Nobody taught me." Liu Wenying put down her pen and rubbed her sore wrist.

"I learned it haphazardly by reading what others wrote."

Having been used to using a pen in my previous life, I had never seriously practiced calligraphy; I learned it all after transmigrating.

Xue Bi took another brush from the brush holder and demonstrated the correct way to hold the brush.

"Give it a try." He handed the pen to him.

Liu Wenying tried to hold the pen like him, but she always felt awkward and her strokes became even more crooked.

She looked up at him pleadingly, "Master Xue..."

Xue Bi's ears suddenly turned red, and she looked away, saying, "You...you shouldn't call me that."

Feeling like teasing her, Liu Wenying joked, "Has Master Xue never taught a student as old as me?"

"Yes, you're the first one."

His words were so frank that they startled Liu Wenying.

Xue Bi said "Excuse me" and walked behind her, leaned down, and gently placed his right hand on the back of her hand that was holding the pen.

When her palm touched him, Liu Wenying gripped the pen even tighter.

"Relax." Xue Bi's voice rang in my ears, clear and gentle like a stream.

He lightly rested his left hand on the edge of the table, while his right hand lifted her wrist, as if he were holding her in his arms.

"The wrist should be level, the fingers firm, and the palm hollow."

Liu Wenying's body stiffened slightly as she sat in the chair.

Xue Bi had already guided her hand, and she slowly began to write on the paper.

Begin with a concealed brush tip, continue with a centered brush tip, and end with a returning brush tip.

The character "永" gradually took shape under his pen. It was not as good as what he usually wrote, but it was already much more upright than what Liu Wenying had written before.

Liu Wenying forced herself to concentrate, staring intently at the tip of her pen.

But behind her, his chest was breathing heavily, pressed against her back.

Gradually, their heartbeats began to synchronize.

After writing the second character "永" (yong), she dared not let her mind wander any further, focusing all her attention on the direction of the brushstrokes.

Xue Bi, however, became somewhat distracted.

He lowered his eyes and could see her downcast profile, the fine downy hairs on her cheeks clearly visible in the candlelight.

Her nose was small and delicate, and her lips were the color of cherry blossoms.

She carried a faint scent of grass and wood, mixed with the fragrance of ink, which permeated the night.

He held her hand, his palm pressed against the slender curve of her wrist.

My heart started pounding wildly.

Xue Bi released his grip and stepped back, his throat dry: "Why don't you try it yourself?"

Liu Wenying felt as if she had been granted a pardon and hurriedly picked up her pen to write again.

This time, she focused her mind and followed his method, stroke by stroke, and her work was indeed much better than before.

She turned her head excitedly: "Xue Bi, look!"

Something flashed across Xue Bi's eyes, too fast to catch.

He coughed lightly: "Very good, keep practicing."

The chirping of insects filled the air outside the window. Inside the accounting room, one of them was engrossed in practicing calligraphy, while the other turned to organize the accounts. Neither of them spoke again.

The candle flame flickered softly, casting two shadows on the wall, sometimes intersecting, sometimes separating.

From that night on, the lights in the tent were always kept on until midnight.

While Xue Bi was tidying up the accounts, Liu Wenying practiced calligraphy on the side.

Xue Bi taught with great patience.

After he finished critiquing her calligraphy, he would point out which stroke should be concealed and which part should have the wrist lifted.

Liu Wenying then rewrote it according to his suggestions, and handed it to him to read after it was finished.

Sometimes when he took the calligraphy copybook, his fingers would accidentally touch hers.

Both of them would pause for a moment, then look away.

Sometimes it was so late that Liu Wenying would fall asleep on her desk while practicing.

When she woke up, he was wearing her clothes.

A bamboo-green outer garment was draped over his shoulders, faded from washing, with patches on the elbows and cuffs; it was old but very clean.

He neatly arranged the ledgers, paper, and pens, and placed them on the table.

The others had already gone home, leaving behind only the coat that still retained its warmth.

The next day, Liu Wenying asked Granny Wang to add a low couch to the accounting room.

Granny Wang asked with a smile, "Is the head steward going to stay in the tent?"

Liu Wenying shook her head, "Xue Bi works hard at night managing the accounts. It's alright now, but if there's a storm one day, he can stay overnight at the manor."

It can be seen as her caring gesture as the boss towards an outstanding employee, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Granny Wang smiled knowingly, but didn't expose it. She simply sighed and went out to make the arrangements.

…………