Cheng Jiao-niang lifted her eyes to look at the old man. That’s why they say the wise are always wise; they need to know what they want to know to feel at ease.
“Old Master, whether it’s helplessness or heartlessness, what difference does it make to me?” she continued.
Abbess Sun felt as if she was back listening to lectures in front of her master, surrounded by clouds and mist.
Did these two really understand what the other was saying? Or were they just talking past each other?
She lowered her eyes and quietly picked up the kettle, refilling their cups.
Drink, drink.
“If it’s out of helplessness, I’ll return the person to you,” Old Master Zhang said with a smile. “If it were heartlessness, I would keep this girl and send you another one.”
Abbess Sun was a bit puzzled. This seemed similar to when the mistress asked her whether she preferred the small name or the big name.
Though, in the end, she still didn’t quite understand what it really meant.
“Alright, you can return her,” Cheng Jiao-niang said dully.
Old Master Zhang seemed surprised by her response and appeared somewhat stunned. Perhaps he had overestimated her; she wasn’t as thoughtful as he had imagined.
“I mean, since you like this girl, I’ll return her to you. If you want a new maid, I’ll get you one as well, no need to exchange. Don’t worry; I’ll speak with your father. They won’t be upset,” he said with a smile.
“Do you think they won’t be upset?” Cheng Jiao-niang looked at him. “You’re already so old, yet you still act like a child?”
Abbess Sun gasped in surprise.
Her words were… really something…
Old Master Zhang had a strange expression. In all his years, this was the first time someone had spoken to him this way, especially someone who could be his granddaughter.
However, the words were harsh but not without reason, and Old Master Zhang gave a bitter smile.
Perhaps it was that young people see things in black and white, speaking candidly and without pretense, without the need for decorum or self-deception.
“She indeed does not want to go with you,” Cheng Jiao-niang continued. “It was I who persuaded her, taught her, and had her say those words to you. I didn’t want her to, out of pity and good intentions, end up harming herself and her family. Since you think I am heartless, then return her to me. Don’t come here speaking these strange words. In your eyes, people like us, who are helpless, seem to be despicable. I had hoped that being with you might be better for her, but it seems it’s no different.”
The lady spoke in a dull and awkward manner. After finishing her long speech, she remained with a rigid expression.
If one were close enough, they would see her face twitching.
So tired, so tired, so painful, so painful.
Her hands, hidden in her wide sleeves, were clenched tightly.
Old Master Zhang felt somewhat embarrassed.
The lady before him was only in her teens, still a child, and one who had just recovered from an illness or might still be unwell. How could he hold a grudge against a child?
This girl was, after all, a girl of the Cheng family. Matters of life and death or being sold were not within her control. If her father wanted to send her maid away, what could she, as his daughter, do about it? Even if the child was trying to use the situation to get a better maid, one not under Cheng family control, what wrong was there in that?
To make the best of a bad situation and seek the best possible outcome in unavoidable circumstances is, after all, a form of helplessness, not heartlessness.
Indeed, the older one gets, the more cunning one becomes.
“Yes, I understand. Rest assured, I will certainly take good care of this maid and will not disappoint the sincere feelings of both you and your maid,” he said sincerely.
Cheng Jiao-niang remained silent, her face still stern.
Indeed, this was a child’s temperament. The girl had grown up in a temple, disconnected from the secular world, with thoughts as pure and straightforward as a child’s.
Displeased meant displeased.
Cheng Jiao-niang, with her face stern and looking unhappy, seemed to make Old Master Zhang even more pleased. He said a few more kind words, and Cheng Jiao-niang’s expression softened considerably.
“I also need some books,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
Old Master Zhang was delighted, as if someone was giving him books.
“Alright, I’ll pick out some good stories and bring them to you,” he said, with a hint of smugness as if he were amusing a playful child.
“So, I say, Old Master, you are a good person and will treat Ban Qin and me well,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
Receiving this praise, Old Master Zhang was even more pleased.
“Better than anyone else,” Cheng Jiao-niang added.
Her voice was dull and her expression impassive, but this sentence made Old Master Zhang’s heart tremble with emotion.
Abandoned since childhood, despised by everyone for her ill fortune, with only her mother and grandmother, who were the only ones to care for her, having passed away, she returned home after a long journey only to be abandoned again in a temple.
Having relatives is no better than having none. Alone and forlorn, it would be less painful if she were still naïve, but what’s more painful is that she understands and feels all of this.
Indeed…
Old Master Zhang felt a pang of pain in his heart, and his eyes grew a bit misty with unshed tears.
“Do you want to go home?” he couldn’t help but ask.
“This is my home,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied. “I don’t want that home.”
Poor child! Old Master Zhang felt a heavy sadness in his heart, which soon turned to anger.
What kind of parents could do such a thing?
A scholar! Someone who wishes to be an official! If they cannot even care for their own child properly, how can they talk about caring for the common people?
Old Master Zhang’s expression grew increasingly grim.
“Alright, if you like it here, then stay here. As for that home, it’s fine if you don’t go. I’ll send a good maid to keep you company,” he said.
Success!
Watching the old man’s initial suspicion and doubt gradually fade away, replaced by anger and injustice, Cheng Jiao-niang felt a sense of accomplishment.
Wise people are indeed wise; they need to see and hear things with their own eyes to be reassured.
Cheng Jiao-niang smiled slightly, bowed, and thanked him.
As the old man descended the mountain, the anxious old servant and maid who had been waiting hurriedly approached.
“Master, did Miss… Is she no longer upset?” the maid asked anxiously.
Upset?
Old Master Zhang had a complex expression. With each step down the mountain, his earlier agitation at Tai Ping Palace gradually subsided.
It seemed like he had been led around by the nose…
Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but smile wryly.
“Foolish child,” he said, shaking his head as he looked at the maid with a concerned expression and tearful eyes. “From ancient times, being overly sentimental has always been the most hurtful. You, you’re far from being like your mistress.”
The maid looked puzzled.
“I—I can’t compare to Miss. Miss is very impressive,” she murmured, tears streaming down her face.
“There is no distinction of being impressive or not; making full use of what you have is what counts,” the old man said. “Come on, since she doesn’t want you, I want you.”
What? Who is she? Who doesn’t want me?
The maid’s eyes were filled with tears.
“Master, shall we set off for the capital now?” the old servant asked, with a hint of joy. “I’ll have someone send a message to the young master.”
The young master referred to Zhang Chun. Although everyone called him ‘Master’ in public, in the eyes of the old servant, he was still the young master.
Old Master Zhang nodded and glanced back at the mountain.
“In that case, I’ll assist you in being heartless just this once,” he said, raising his hand to brush his sleeve. “Wan Ping, bring me ink and paper. I need to write a letter to Zi Ran.”
Zhang Chun’s courtesy name was Zi Ran.
As Old Master Zhang slowly disappeared down the mountain path, Cheng Jiao-niang stood still, while Abbess Sun quietly and cautiously remained in place.
She quietly looked up, observing the profile of the lady in the dappled sunlight. If previously she had been somewhat apprehensive due to vague, indirect fears from the thunderous destruction of the temple, today, witnessing this scene and the exchange of words, her feelings were now filled with fear.
This young lady, with just a few words, without crying or making a fuss, had managed to persuade the old man. She not only secured the future position of the maid and obtained the one she desired but also deftly dealt a blow to her father.
How was this achieved?
As the old man asked, was it helplessness? Heartlessness?
In such a helpless situation, to remain calm and collected, not angry or sorrowful, and to be thorough in every aspect—only someone truly heartless could accomplish that, right?
“Oh, and there’s one more thing,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
Abbess Sun snapped out of his distraction and quickly responded.
“Please, tomorrow go to the Cheng family and return these two people. Also, I need another servant, the one who was running around here a few days ago,” Cheng Jiao-niang said slowly, not paying attention to her absent-mindedness.
Abbess Sun hurriedly agreed and watched as Cheng Jiao-niang turned and walked away.
She let out a sigh and looked down at the mountain.
Those who had left, those who joyfully abandoned this lady without a second thought, did they know that, in fact, they were the ones who were truly abandoned?
And those who were about to arrive, those who were anxious and feared being excluded or discarded, did they realize what good fortune awaited them?
*The end of volume 3
