Lu Shuo swallowed, clutching his sleeve with one hand. “Fourth Miss, is there something you need?”
Helan Pei glanced back at Zisu, signaling her to wait outside, then walked into Lu Shuo's room.
Lu Shuo was taken aback and quickly followed her. “Fourth Miss…”
Why would she suddenly enter his room? He hadn’t tidied up yet!
Helan Pei entered the room and swept her gaze around.
This was her first time in his courtyard and his room. Though it was a bit rude to show up unannounced so late at night, she didn’t care about all those rules right now.
She just wanted to “talk” to someone.
Helan Pei had been in her brothers’ rooms before; each had its own style, but Lu Shuo’s room was undoubtedly the simplest. It wasn’t that any furniture was missing, but aside from the necessities, there were no decorative or ornamental items—so simple it was almost stark.
Helan Pei looked at Lu Shuo. Under his bewildered and nervous gaze, she reached out, picked up the outer robe draped over the chair back beside the desk, and handed it to him.
Lu Shuo: “…”
This was the robe he had worn out today; it was dirty and he hadn’t sent it to be washed yet.
He didn’t know what Helan Pei meant, so he took the robe and watched helplessly as she sat down in the chair he usually used.
Then he saw her look at the desk in front of her, pick up the brush he had just been using, and start writing on the practice paper he used for tracing characters.
Lu Shuo’s ears began to burn.
Why was Fourth Miss using his paper and brush? He had just been using them; maybe they still had his body heat…
The doors and windows were still open. Lu Shuo glanced at Zisu standing outside, staring intently inside. He noticed she wasn’t carrying the cloth pouch with charcoal pencils and paper.
Had she left in a hurry and forgotten?
Lu Shuo silently turned his gaze back to Helan Pei.
She finished writing quickly and motioned Lu Shuo to come over.
Lu Shuo stepped forward and looked down.
“Does your injury still hurt?”
After more than two months of hard study, he could recognize many more characters than before. Seeing that he could understand these words, Lu Shuo let out a relieved breath. “It doesn’t hurt anymore. Thank you for your concern, Miss.”
Helan Pei gave him a faint, thoughtful look, then picked up the brush again.
“Tell the truth.”
Lu Shuo: “…”
Lu Shuo pressed his lips together and had to be honest. “It still hurts, but not as badly as during the day. As long as it’s not pressed, it’s bearable. The doctor said it will be fine in half a month.”
Helan Pei continued writing.
“The Song Duke Mansion has many relatives, but do you know why Du Shenling stood up for his cousin? It’s because his mother is the wife of the Duke of Song and also Vice Minister Wu’s elder sister. Vice Minister Wu got his position through that connection. The siblings are close, so Du Shenling is also very close to his cousin, which is why he held a grudge against Eldest Brother for what he did earlier.”
Lu Shuo stared dumbfounded.
How could she write so much? And so many characters he didn’t recognize!
By guessing and piecing together, he barely understood that it was probably still about the Song Duke Mansion, but since he couldn’t read several characters, he wasn’t sure of the exact meaning.
So he blushed and said cautiously, “Miss, I… I can’t really understand. Could you call Miss Zisu in to read it to me?”
Helan Pei looked at him, then a very faint smile curled at the corner of her lips.
Lu Shuo was now certain she wasn’t mocking him, but he still couldn’t tell why she was smiling. Could it be that she already knew he wouldn’t understand?
Just as he thought she would agree, she slowly shook her head, rejecting his suggestion.
Lu Shuo’s eyes widened. “Huh? But… but…”
Hadn’t she always asked Zisu to read for him before? Why couldn’t she today? She came all the way here late at night and wrote so many characters—wasn’t it to communicate with him?
Helan Pei picked up the brush again and wrote briskly: “If you can read it, read it. If you can’t, guess. It doesn’t matter if you guess wrong.”
Lu Shuo managed to understand that sentence, but he became even more confused.
What exactly was Fourth Miss doing here?
Helan Pei ignored his confusion and continued writing on her own:
“I once asked Jiang Siji if she had ever thought about what her future would be like when she was young. She said she hadn’t; when she was young, there was war, and she only wanted to survive each day. Later, when peace came, because she had some education, she was selected to be a female official in the palace, and she served for nearly thirty years. During that time, she thought about promotion, but eventually she couldn’t rise any higher, so she let it go. She served out her years until retirement, then took her savings and went to her sister’s home to enjoy her old age.”
“Jiang Siji asked me if I had thought about my future. I said I didn’t know. She said that wouldn’t do; everyone needs something to look forward to. For example, when she was young, she wanted to live; later, she wanted promotion; and later still, she wanted a peaceful retirement. Thinking about these things made her feel that her days weren’t wasted. But I don’t have such things to look forward to.”
…
Outside the room, Zisu, Tianqing, and Laishou stood together, craning their necks and peering curiously inside.
“What is Miss doing with Young Master Lu?” Tianqing asked, puzzled. “Just writing? Not afraid he won’t understand?”
“I don’t know,” Zisu shook her head. “Miss probably has her reasons.”
“Maybe it’s not writing but drawing; drawing would be easier for Young Master Lu to understand,” Laishou speculated.
“Doesn’t seem like it. Her brush moves too fast; it must be writing,” Zisu said. Then she turned to Tianqing and lowered her voice. “Today, that young master from the Song Duke Mansion—aside from bullying Young Master Lu, did he also speak ill of Miss behind her back?”
Tianqing: “Behind her back? He said it right in front of Eldest Young Master! If it hadn’t been so crowded, I think Eldest Young Master would have thrown a punch right then! It’s a good thing Third Young Master was hiding in the tree and threw a bird’s egg, embarrassing the Song Duke Mansion in public.”