"Ah-choo!"
Nian Jiaojiao suddenly sneezed.
"Wife-master, aren't you catching a cold? The dew was heavy this morning, and you stayed in the courtyard for so long. You must have caught a chill," Yu Chuan said as he got up, looking at Nian Jiaojiao.
"I'll go make some ginger water."
"Hey! No need to trouble yourself!" Nian Jiaojiao waved her hand to stop him. "It's just a sneeze, maybe someone is missing me."
"Heh."
Nan Qing, who was nearby, chuckled with a half-smile.
"Hmph, you're so sarcastic!" Nian Jiaojiao shot him a mocking glance.
"What did you call me?!"
Nan Qing couldn't believe his ears. Sarcastic?! How could this woman's tongue be so sharp?
Nian Jiaojiao repeated, word by word:
"I called you, sar-cas-tic! What? Isn't it fitting?"
Nian Jiaojiao felt a surge of satisfaction. It was the first time she had seen this person's expression change so drastically.
"You!"
Just as Nan Qing was about to retort, he was interrupted by another sneeze from Nian Jiaojiao.
"Ah-choo!"
Nan Qing said with a half-smile, "What do two sneezes represent? Isn't someone badmouthing you behind your back?"
Nian Jiaojiao rubbed her nose and rolled her eyes dismissively. For the past few days, ever since her "personality changed" and she stopped punishing them, Nan Qing had been subtly stirring up trouble. Nian Jiaojiao guessed that on one hand, the other person held a prejudice against her, and on the other, they were mostly trying to test her.
...
Noon.
Yu Chuan ground the ink, praising softly, "Wife-master, your calligraphy has improved so quickly."
Nian Jiaojiao pursed her lips, not replying, and focused intently on the straw paper. For calligraphy, she intended to start with the basics. She was currently practicing the Yan style, recalling the "Stele of the Pagoda of Treasures" by Yan Zhenqing that she had copied before, and began practicing from memory. It was known that Yan Zhenqing was a famous calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty and one of the four masters of Kai Shu. His style was strong yet graceful, with a focus on strict adherence to rules and natural flow. This style, with its blend of squareness and roundness, was neat and clean, perfectly suited for the Tong Sheng examination.
The strokes on the straw paper – horizontal, vertical, dots, and hooks – leaped onto the paper. As one sheet of straw paper after another was used, the room filled with the fragrance of ink.
"Let me in, why won't you let me in!"
Suddenly, a commotion erupted from the courtyard. Nian Jiaojiao stopped writing, placed the tip of her brush on the inkstone, and asked curiously, "What's going on? Did we have any relatives visit?"
Yu Chuan did not answer, looking as if he had something to say but hesitated. Nian Jiaojiao, feeling somewhat bewildered, walked out and saw a man in a pink ruqun gesturing aggressively at Xing Yun.
"You cripple, you think you're so tough, huh?! Quickly! Call Nian Dabao out for me!"
Xing Yun, unwilling to let his wife-master's progress be interrupted, said, "No, wife-master is busy now and has no time to see you."
The pink-clad man refused to back down, crossing his arms over his chest and stating confidently, "Whether Nian Dabao has time or not, you don't decide. Make her come out herself and speak. Let's see if she sides with me or you!"
At this moment, Nian Jiaojiao finally recalled her memories. The original owner of her body was a madly infatuated admirer of the man before her! While the original owner had been harsh and unfeeling towards her own husband, she had poured her heart and soul into this man. As long as the original owner had money, more than half of it was spent on this man. Whatever good game her husband brought back, she would immediately present it like an offering. Looking at her husband's sallow complexion and thin frame, and then at the other man's rosy and fair face... Nian Jiaojiao felt a pang of heartache. This man was being nurtured by draining the lifeblood of their entire family!
"What's going on? Such a ruckus."
Nian Jiaojiao called out lazily and walked towards the two people arguing. Upon seeing Nian Jiaojiao, their reactions were drastically different. Xing Yun's heart tightened, his face filled with melancholy. The pink-clad man, however, was overjoyed. He cast a smug glance at Xing Yun, gave a "humph," and turned to walk towards Nian Jiaojiao. At this moment, his arrogant demeanor vanished, replaced by a look of aggrieved complaint.
"Dabao, you're finally here. Your husband prevented me from visiting you. Look at you, you were so sick and have lost so much weight, your complexion is also not good..."
Nian Jiaojiao's expression turned dark. She thought to herself, What a joke, "Dabao"! I think you're here for something other than a visit, you want something!
Indeed, the other man's expression shifted, and he seemed a little angry. "Dabao, why haven't you come to see me for so long?"
Nian Jiaojiao found it somewhat amusing. Visit you? When did I ever go to your place without bringing something? The original owner was such a fool. This man never hesitated to take benefits, yet he never accepted the original owner's affections. A perfect "white lotus"! Or rather! That's right! Isn't this dynasty's highest aesthetic "white lotus"?
Looking at him more closely, he wasn't really unattractive. He had a delicate appearance and a somewhat frail demeanor. But the rouge on his face was applied too thickly, and his gestures and actions were somewhat effeminate. In her opinion, he belonged to the "girly boy" category from her previous life. She truly couldn't appreciate this kind of beauty...
"Uh... that, Bai Qingqing?"
Nian Jiaojiao had just uttered the man's name when she suddenly paused. Bai Qingqing... why did this name sound so familiar... The clue was right in front of her, but Nian Jiaojiao couldn't sort out her thoughts. However, her train of thought was soon interrupted:
"Qingqing, you always used to call me Bai Qingqing..." Bai Qingqing uttered this sentence with a mournful tone, looking at Nian Jiaojiao as if she were a faithless woman.
How could Nian Jiaojiao tolerate this? She directly said, "How could that be? You still don't know my feelings for you?"
As soon as she said this, Xing Yun's expression changed drastically, Yu Chuan's demeanor also became somber, and even Nan Qing, who had just come out, showed a sarcastic smile.
Nian Jiaojiao ignored their thoughts and continued to say to Bai Qingqing, "Since you know my feelings, how about this? I'll find a matchmaker tomorrow to propose to you, so you can marry into my family soon!"
Bai Qingqing, upon hearing this, was naturally unwilling. Who was he? He was the most beautiful eligible bachelor in Qinghe Village, and women seeking marriage would queue up outside the village. How could he be willing to marry a useless village woman! His goal was to marry the scholar in town, no! He was even worthy of being the wife of a scholar!
Therefore, Bai Qingqing quickly said, "Dabao, what are you talking about? I've always considered you a friend! I even thought you were a good person, but I never expected you, you, you..."
Saying this, Bai Qingqing lowered his head, acting as if he couldn't continue, and used his sleeve to wipe away nonexistent tears from the corners of his eyes. If the original owner had seen this, she would have been heartbroken and rushed forward to comfort him. But Nian Jiaojiao curved her lips: "Oh? So that's how you think?"
Then, without waiting for Bai Qingqing to react, her tone suddenly turned cold: "Alright, alright! So you've always treated me as a sucker? Taking my things and eating my food, and now you say we're just friends?"
"Then fine, things between friends are meant to be returned! I won't mention anything else, but return the silver and game you took from me earlier!"
"Oh! You probably ate the game, so I won't make things difficult for you. Just convert it to silver at the market price and give it to me!"