Marrying The Imperial Elder Chapter 14

After his coughing fit, Yuanhui gritted his teeth and said, “I don’t have a daughter as old as you.”

Without giving Zhen Tingyun a chance to respond, he immediately picked out a piece of gold from the money pouch beside his pillow and tossed it over.

There was little else he feared, but he was genuinely afraid that this shameless girl might simply pinch her voice and call him “Father.”

Zhen Tingyun might have no shame, but he certainly did!

The sight of the gold instantly made Zhen Tingyun forget whatever she had been about to say. She hurriedly caught it and secretly weighed it in her hand, confirming that it was indeed the same piece of gold she had originally given Yuanhui.

Immediately reassured, she smiled until her eyes curved into crescents and sweetly said, “I knew Teacher wouldn’t treat me unfairly!”

Yuanhui did not care much about a single piece of gold. What bothered him was her habit of taking advantage and then acting innocent afterward. His thin lips pressed together, his features growing even colder as he let out a frosty snort.

Zhen Tingyun pretended not to see or hear a thing.

Generously patting her chest, she declared, “Teacher, just rest assured. As they say, once a teacher, forever a father. Even without the gold, I would definitely honor and care for you in your old age. I’ll cover all your expenses on this journey. I absolutely won’t let you spend a single tael of silver.”

At the same time, she silently added in her heart: Of course, it won’t be silver you spend. It might be gold instead.

Zhen Tingyun spoke with such conviction that Yuanhui initially wanted to refute her. He could have said things like, “I don’t have a daughter as old as you,” or “I’m not nearly as old as you think,” or even “I don’t need you to support me.”

In the end, however, he endured it. The veins at his temples twitched faintly as he swallowed all those words back down. He came dangerously close to speaking but ultimately held his tongue.

After finishing, Zhen Tingyun looked up at him. Seeing that he had no further instructions, she stepped outside and called for Liushun.

Handing her the gold, she instructed her to go buy a tea set, some tea leaves, and a brazier for brewing tea…

It was Liushun’s first time seeing a piece of gold. Her eyes widened, and the hand holding it trembled slightly.

Zhen Tingyun gazed reluctantly at the gold. After some thought, she gave Liushun a few extra instructions. “Don’t tell Grandmother about this for now. Once you’ve bought everything, keep it in your room with Bazhen first. Oh, and there may be quite a few things to purchase this time. No need to rush. Be careful on the road and take your time.”

It was only because Liushun was so honest and reliable that Zhen Tingyun felt comfortable entrusting both the gold and the tea-set purchase to her.

Liushun barely managed to recover her senses. She quickly responded with a cheerful acknowledgment and hurried off to buy the items, afraid that if she kept the gold on her any longer, she might somehow lose it.

Zhen Tingyun sighed before returning to the room. Taking out her brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, she began studying copybooks and practicing calligraphy in front of Yuanhui.

Perhaps because of habits developed since childhood, once Zhen Tingyun settled down to do something, she became extraordinarily focused and diligent, completely absorbed in the task.

Back when she practiced calligraphy at home, Old Lady Zhen would sometimes call for her from within the house. After calling several times with no response, she would anxiously come looking, only to discover that Zhen Tingyun had been practicing calligraphy or reading.

Old Lady Zhen had a fiery temper. Whenever that happened, she would immediately march over and drag her granddaughter up.

Yet somehow, Zhen Tingyun would end up angry instead. She would turn the tables and accuse her grandmother of favoring sons over granddaughters.

“When Father was studying for the examinations, you were always so careful not to disturb him. But when it’s your granddaughter studying, suddenly you don’t care and keep interrupting me!”

Because of this, grandmother and granddaughter had quarreled many times and even gone through several periods of cold war.

Old Lady Zhen was elderly and soft-hearted in the end. Besides, this was her only little granddaughter. Once she understood her granddaughter’s stubborn temperament, she had no choice but to give in. From then on, she stopped disturbing Zhen Tingyun whenever she was studying diligently.

Now, seated at the table with brush in hand, Zhen Tingyun wrote stroke by stroke, every movement careful and attentive.

Meanwhile, Yuanhui leaned against the bed, lost in thought.

Before he realized it, his mind had drifted again. Faint, fragmented, and blurry images seemed to flicker at the edges of his memory.

Yet whenever he tried to concentrate and think harder, sharp pain would surge through his head.

It felt as though a knife had plunged into his brain, the blade twisting violently, bringing a bloody, mangled agony.

After only a short while, his face had already turned pale. Fine beads of cold sweat appeared along his temples, and yet he still failed to recall anything.

In the end, he could only choose to give up for now and hope that, with the passage of time, those memories would gradually return to him on their own.

Having abandoned the effort of remembering, Yuanhui remained sitting against the bed, unable to get up. There was nothing at hand to occupy his time, and boredom soon set in.

His gaze swept around the room, searching for something that might interest him. Finding nothing, it finally settled on Zhen Tingyun.

She was seated at the desk, practicing calligraphy in the posture he had corrected previously. She remained quiet and composed, eyes lowered beneath her lashes, lips lightly pressed together as she concentrated on copying the model text stroke by stroke.

Her posture was upright and tranquil. As she lifted her brush, a section of her wrist, slender and white as frost and snow, was revealed.

From Yuanhui’s angle, the lines of her profile were delicate and graceful, glowing like fresh snow. Her thick black hair, dark as a raven’s feathers, had been arranged into a neat bun. Pinned in it was a somewhat worn pearl flower ornament, plain and understated in color, resembling a flower by the corner of a wall or windowsill that had been washed clean by rain.

As Yuanhui watched, he suddenly felt an itch in his hands. His throat seemed a little dry as well, and he gave a light cough.

Zhen Tingyun was practicing calligraphy with complete concentration, her mind free of distractions. Naturally, she did not hear the cough and did not move at all.

Yuanhui was rarely ignored by others. Feeling displeased, he deliberately coughed again, louder this time, to make his presence known.

Zhen Tingyun frowned slightly. Taking a steadying breath, she carefully completed the final stroke she was writing before setting down her brush and looking at him. “What is it?”

Having been interrupted, her tone was far from pleasant. Her bright eyes fixed on Yuanhui, clearly showing her annoyance.

Caught off guard by the question, Yuanhui felt somewhat awkward. Fortunately, he reacted quickly. After only a brief pause, he replied, “I think I remembered something.”

That, at least, was a serious matter.

Hearing this, Zhen Tingyun immediately straightened in her seat and looked at him attentively. “What did you remember?”

Yuanhui considered for a moment before answering slowly, “I think I probably kept some cats or dogs. When I was bored, I might have petted them.”

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have suddenly felt his hands itching to touch something.

Zhen Tingyun: “…”

That is incredibly boring.

Considering that he was currently her teacher, and that she had always respected her teachers, she could hardly start arguing with him or give him the cold shoulder. She could only suppress her irritation and respond perfunctorily, “Then you must have had quite a leisurely life.”

After a pause, she added, “I still need to practice my calligraphy. If you remember anything else, think it over yourself first. There’s no need to rush and tell me.”

Yuanhui wanted to say more, but Zhen Tingyun had already lowered her head and resumed practicing her calligraphy.

Seeing this, Yuanhui felt even more stifled and frustrated.

It was like accidentally picking up a stray cat. You fed it and cleaned it up, and after much effort you finally found it somewhat pleasing to the eye. Just as you reached out to pet it, you discovered that not only was it unaffectionate, it was also an ungrateful little ingrate, clingy and meowing whenever it wanted food, but completely ignoring you once it had eaten its fill…

Of course, what made him feel even more stifled was that, if anyone had done the picking up, it was actually Zhen Tingyun who had picked up him.

Author’s Note:

A quiet little complaint: although my updates are short, they’re super sweet~