On the other side, Zhao Baozhu followed Ye Jinghua into the study. The moment he looked up, he saw a piece of calligraphy hanging in the corridor, inscribed with a poem.
Zhao Baozhu’s eyes immediately lit up, and he praised, “Good calligraphy!”
He looked at the poem again and again, seeing that the strokes were bold and forceful, with sharp turns, hanging there with a grand and imposing presence, the perfect kind of calligraphy to anchor a household.
Zhao Baozhu looked it over several times, the more he looked, the more he liked it. He couldn’t help but say to Ye Jinghua behind the desk, “I wonder which master wrote this? It’s truly excellent.”
Ye Jinghua was taking a book down from the shelf. Hearing this, he lifted his eyes and glanced at him. “You understand calligraphy?”
Zhao Baozhu was taken aback, only then remembering that in their eyes he was probably just an illiterate servant. His lips moved as he said, “I… understand a little.”
Ye Jinghua was amused by his manner and curved his lips slightly before lowering his eyes again. Zhao Baozhu read something from his expression and froze for a moment, then said in surprise, “You wrote this, young master?”
Holding the book in his hand, Ye Jinghua gave a soft “mm.” Zhao Baozhu opened his mouth wide, looking at the calligraphy in the corridor. He thought that Ye Jinghua appeared so refined and handsome, like an immortal from a painting, yet his writing was so grand and powerful, without the slightest trace of delicacy. As the saying goes, one’s writing reflects the person, this should best reveal a person’s inner thoughts. Zhao Baozhu’s eyes turned as he looked at Ye Jinghua, thinking that he must be someone of deep substance. His admiration for him rose another level.
Zhao Baozhu circled under the corridor a few times, having his fill of the calligraphy, before carefully reading the content of the poem. As he read, he couldn’t help but laugh. There were four lines in total, at a glance, it seemed to describe reclusion from the world, but upon closer inspection, every line conveyed the same meaning:
“Stay away from me!”
Zhao Baozhu burst out laughing. Wonderful, truly wonderful! This poem suited him perfectly!
Seeing him pacing under the corridor like a little dog, Ye Jinghua lifted his eyes and said, “If you like that calligraphy, I can have someone take it down for you.”
Zhao Baozhu immediately waved his hands in refusal. “No, no, no, it’s better hanging here.” Now finding Ye Jinghua quite interesting, his initial fear had lessened. He moved closer and said, “Young master, just who is it that keeps bothering you and disturbing your peace, that made you write such a poem?”
Ye Jinghua paused in flipping through his book and looked up at Zhao Baozhu. He hadn’t expected Zhao Baozhu to understand the hidden meaning of the poem. Seeing his gaze, Zhao Baozhu thought he might have said something wrong, but then Ye Jinghua lowered his eyes and said softly: “You’ve studied before?”
Zhao Baozhu paused, answering vaguely, “A little.”
Everything was “a little.” Ye Jinghua glanced at him but didn’t expose it, instead asking quietly, “Can you write?”
Zhao Baozhu thought he wanted him to ghostwrite something and said, “Yes.”
Hearing this, Ye Jinghua turned around, took a wolf-hair brush from the shelf, along with an inkstone, and spread xuan paper on the table. “Write a few characters for me to see.”
Zhao Baozhu nodded, took the brush, and immediately felt how light and deft it was. It moved smoothly across the paper, easy to use. When had Zhao Baozhu ever used such fine writing tools? In a good mood, he immediately wrote down a poem from memory.
Ye Jinghua lowered his head to look and said, “You’ve read the Book of Songs?”
Zhao Baozhu nodded. “Yes.”
Ye Jinghua curved his lips slightly. “Good.”
Seeing him praise it, Zhao Baozhu felt a little happy. He lowered his head, looking at the few ink characters printed on the xuan paper, his cheeks suddenly reddening as he muttered, “My handwriting… is far worse than young master’s.”
When he was young and had just begun his studies, all he had relied on were a few books his old father had picked up from the county town. In the hardest times, they couldn’t even afford paper and brush, so Zhao Baozhu could only sharpen sticks and write by scratching on the sand. Thus, the characters he now wrote with a brush were square and proper in form, dignified enough, but lacking in spirit.
Seeing him lower his head, Ye Jinghua let out a soft laugh. “Your writing now is already very good.”
Zhao Baozhu raised his head and glanced at Ye Jinghua, suddenly thinking that when Ye Jinghua was young he must have been surrounded by all kinds of treasures, never lacking paper, brush, books, or ink. For a moment he felt both envious and a bit sour, pouting as he said softly, “Young master, don’t tease me.”
Seeing his little expression, Ye Jinghua’s eyes curved even more deeply as he said warmly, “If you want to learn, I can teach you.”
Zhao Baozhu’s eyes immediately lit up. “Really?”
If he could write such characters, then during the spring examinations, once his paper was submitted, it would at least make people take an extra glance. Seeing his happiness, Ye Jinghua smiled slightly, took three or four books down from the shelf, and had him first practice copying. Zhao Baozhu opened them and saw that they were actually Ye Jinghua’s own handwritten copies of the Four Books and Five Classics, making him even happier, this way he could review the texts as well.
Zhao Baozhu carried the books to a small table to the side and began writing. He had loved studying since childhood, and once he put in effort, he would often forget even to eat. Without such perseverance, he would never have been able to pass the provincial examination under such poor conditions.
Ye Jinghua sat behind the desk, holding a book in one hand and reading absentmindedly, occasionally lifting his eyes. Seeing Zhao Baozhu standing upright behind the table, not letting his gaze wander even once, he felt even more satisfied.
The study fell quiet for a time. After more than half an hour, Zhao Baozhu had slowly copied two full sheets. He stopped, let out a breath, and raised his slightly sore wrist, wanting to wipe the sweat from his forehead. At that moment, a wisp of cool air brushed past like a fox’s ear, and a cool voice sounded by his ear: “Why are you writing so densely?”
Zhao Baozhu gave a start, his hand loosening as the brush slipped from his fingers, but just before it could fall onto the table, it was caught by a hand.
“!” Zhao Baozhu turned his head and saw that Ye Jinghua had come to stand behind him at some unknown time. Lowering his eyes, he picked up the brush and placed it back into Zhao Baozhu’s palm, moved the two finished sheets aside, and said softly, “There’s no need to save for me. Leave more space between the characters.”
Zhao Baozhu suddenly found that handsome, otherworldly face right before him. His face flushed red at once, and he gave a quiet response before turning back to write a few characters on the paper, this time leaving more space between them.
Then he heard the man chuckle softly by his ear. “Much better.”
Zhao Baozhu’s face instantly flushed all the way to the top of his head. The hand holding the brush trembled twice, and even his mind grew a little dizzy, like a scholar in storybooks who has had a breath of immortal air blown into his ear by a female spirit.
Th-this Young Master Ye’s voice is far too pleasant! Zhao Baozhu’s face burned as he didn’t dare let his gaze drift even a little to the side. He thought that now he understood why Miss Yuqi had looked so heartbroken that day. With such a handsome, learned, and sweet-voiced young master before her, if he were a woman, he probably wouldn’t be able to resist either.
Zhao Baozhu didn’t even know how he had returned to his room that day in such a daze. After entering and sitting on the edge of the bed, his heart was still pounding. Only when a wisp of breeze came through the window did Zhao Baozhu suddenly shiver. He raised his hands and slapped both sides of his burning cheeks hard.
How useless! Just seeing a somewhat talented young master and you admire him to the point of prostration, aren’t you supposed to be a scholar!
Zhao Baozhu harshly scolded himself in his heart, walked to the spring in the courtyard, scooped up some water with his hands, and splashed it onto his face. Only then did the heat on his cheeks subside a little.
When Fang Qin arrived, he saw Zhao Baozhu squatting on the ground, shaking his head to fling off the water droplets from his face.
He immediately frowned and scolded in a low voice, “Baozhu, what are you doing?”
Zhao Baozhu froze mid-motion, stood up, and turned around. Seeing that it was Fang Qin standing at the courtyard gate, he quickly ran over. “Qin Gege.”
Seeing his face full of water, Fang Qin’s brow twitched. Why is this boy acting like a puppy again, could it be that at this age he still likes playing with water? He gave Zhao Baozhu a critical look, and in the end couldn’t bear it. Taking out a handkerchief he carried with him, he pressed one hand on Zhao Baozhu’s shoulder and wiped his face clean.
“Q-Qin Gege, I can wipe it myself,” Zhao Baozhu cried out, baring his teeth under the not-so-gentle motions.
“Quiet.” Fang Qin frowned, scrubbing him thoroughly before finally withdrawing his hand in satisfaction. He scolded, “Always messing yourself up like this, don’t go ruining the fine clothes the young master gave you.”
Zhao Baozhu raised his hand to fix the sideburns that had been rubbed up, grinning. He actually preferred his previous coarse blue hemp short garment. Though this outfit was light and soft, he had to be careful at all times not to snag it on anything sharp, not nearly as convenient.
“Did Qin Gege come to find me for something?” Zhao Baozhu lowered his hand and asked.
Hearing this, Fang Qin looked at him steadily, then turned and walked toward the side room. “Come inside.”
Zhao Baozhu followed blankly, feeling that Fang Qin’s earlier gaze had carried a trace of grievance. They entered the room, and Fang Qin looked around. Zhao Baozhu had just moved his belongings from the back courtyard into this side room, but he didn’t have many things to begin with. At a glance, there was only a thin mattress and blanket laid out on the bed, and a small bundle on the table by the window. The rooms in Ruilai Courtyard were much larger than those in the back courtyard, and connected to the bedroom was a small outer sitting room, which was still empty.
After looking around, Fang Qin frowned slightly and said, “This place is still rather empty.”
Zhao Baozhu immediately said, “It’s fine. As long as I have a bed to sleep in.”
Seeing him so compliant, Fang Qin’s brow relaxed a little. Whether Zhao Baozhu was sincere or not, at least on the surface he hadn’t shown any signs of greed for wealth or indulgence. Fang Qin nodded, though inwardly he still thought to have someone move in a set of tables, chairs, and a screen.
Previously, he had sent Zhao Baozhu to this deserted courtyard, not expecting that by a twist of fate Ye Jinghua would encounter him. Nothing had been said at the time, but the next day Fang Qin learned that three months of his wages had been deducted.
He had followed Ye Jinghua since childhood and, due to his cleverness, had always been more valued than Deng Yun. Ye Jinghua had never punished him like this before. Fang Qin had taken a harsh hit, and his pride couldn’t bear it. He hadn’t served at Ye Jinghua’s side at all that day. Now being asked to arrange Zhao Baozhu’s matters, he naturally felt somewhat resentful. But now that he actually saw Zhao Baozhu and his somewhat foolish appearance, he felt that this little thing probably didn’t have the mind to scheme against him.
Fang Qin looked at Zhao Baozhu’s delicate face with a complicated expression. After a long while, he let out a sigh and took out a small cloth pouch from his sleeve, handing it to him: “Take it. The young master had the accounts office advance this for you to settle in.”
Zhao Baozhu took it, opened the pouch, and saw inside several bright silver ingots.
Zhao Baozhu’s eyes widened instantly, his hands trembling twice as he said in a shaky voice, “…Th-this, what is this?”
Seeing his inexperienced look, Fang Qin patiently explained, “There are ten taels of silver here. You’ve just arrived in the capital, if you lack anything or want something, go out and buy it yourself. Don’t entertain any crooked thoughts.”
Ten taels!
Zhao Baozhu was utterly stunned. He had never seen so much money in his life. To send him to the capital for the examinations, everyone in his village had pooled together for several months just to gather five taels. Yet Ye Jinghua had suddenly given him ten taels!
Zhao Baozhu immediately tied up the pouch and pushed it back to Fang Qin: “I can’t take this. Qin Gege, take it back to Young Master Ye. I’m already eating and staying here for free, how can I take money as well?”
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