Chapter Thirty-Five: Sunning Books

  After returning from spring outing, Bai Yunnuan often let Xin Yu go to Meixiang Valley with Bai Zhenxuan to play chess.

  About half a month later, Bai Yunnuan asked Xinzhan to play a few games of chess with her, to test whether her chess skills had improved and whether her brother's teacher was doing his job conscientiously.

  。

  A祥 cloud patterned purple sandalwood couch was covered with a plush carpet featuring a yellow apricot blossom design.

  This was specially woven for Bai Yunnuan by Bai Yuxu after his return from Treading Spring, just because that day on the grassland Bai Yunnuan told him that compared to melon leaves and chrysanthemum, she preferred peach blossoms.

  White clouds warm the heart, one left and one right sitting, green vines and red jade standing on the ground watching chess silently.

  On the couch there is a black lacquer tea table with inlaid mother-of-pearl, a purple sandalwood chessboard, and white jade and black jade chess pieces still piled up in the chess box.

  Bai Yun chose Hei Zi and pushed the box of white chess pieces in front of Xin Yue.

  Xin Yan busily pushed the chess box back, and then snatched the black chess box, saying: "Miss, only a noble person or someone with exceptional chess skills can play with white pieces. On the contrary, those who are not worthy will play with black pieces. Xin Yan is neither qualified by status nor by chess skills to play with white pieces."

  Bai Yun Nuan listened for a moment, then snorted twice and rushed to the green Luo Hong Yu: "You guys listen, my sister has only been following the young master learning chess for half a month, and this person's quality has already exploded."

  Lü Lü smiled and said: "Another day, Miss will also send us two to Meixiang Valley to learn chess."

  "Just you two, and you think you're worthy?"

  Two little girls laughed heartlessly, Hongyu covered her mouth and said: "Of course, it's not worthy."

  "As long as one has self-awareness, they can still be saved." Then he played chess with Xin Yu.

  Bai Yunnuo's chess skills were already well-honed, and Xin Yan naturally couldn't keep up. So Bai Yunnuo played while explaining, and Xin Yan nodded repeatedly, with Lu Luo and Hong Yu also listening intently by their side.

  A game of chess had been played for half a day, and it was finally time to conclude.

  The white jade chess pieces were being deftly manipulated between the long, slender fingers of a gentle and elegant hand, exuding an air of carefree nonchalance.

  Xin Yan's face was stern, staring intently at the chessboard, anxious and sweating profusely.

  Bai Yun allowed her to take back two moves, and only then did she manage not to lose too badly.

  After one game, she sent Green Lotus and Red Jade to the kitchen to fetch some snacks. White Cloud Warmly asked Xin Yan: "Brother's chess skills may be on par with mine, but when it comes to teaching chess, I'm still a notch above you, right?"

  Xin Yan pursed his lips and said, "You two have your own strengths and weaknesses. The style of teaching chess is different, that's all. Miss teaches in a way that's easy to understand, so I learn faster, but it can't be blamed on Young Master for being unclear in his explanations. It's just my own fault for being slow-witted. In the same lesson, Yu Mo learns much faster and better than me."

  Bai Yun said with a warm and cold smile: "She was originally an extremely clever person, but I'm afraid she'll be misled by her own cleverness in the end. Although she's your sister, I still want to remind you not to put all your heart into Yu Mo, lest one day you regret it."

  The young lady was biased against Yu Mo, and Xin Ye didn't want to make excuses for him either, so he hung his head in silence.

  Green Lotus and Red Jade took some dim sum over, everyone sat together and ate.

  Xin Yuan Dao said, "The old masters are in the Zhi Lan Hall taking advantage of the fine spring weather to dry books. The young masters have all gone to help. Won't you go too, miss? Usually, you can't get into the Qiang Jin Pavilion, but on sunny spring days when they're drying books, you take the opportunity to browse through them thoroughly. Aren't you going this year?"

  "Go, why not go?" Bai Yun said with a warm smile.

  Then let Green Lotus go to the screen clothes rack to take a cloak, only carrying Xin Yan, and went to Zhi Lan Hall.

  Standing on the second-floor corridor of Baofang Garden leading to Zhilan Hall, one can see from afar that the garden of Zhilan Hall is filled with bookcases, and attendants are busy airing books.

  。

  No one was allowed to enter the Qiangjin Pavilion except for Bai Yuxu and his son, Bai Zhenxuan. They carried the books one by one to the foot of the stairs, where the servants took them and began to open and dry them in the garden.

  The warm spring sun shines brightly in the garden, filling it with fragrance of books everywhere.

  In the crowd of people, Bai Yun saw his busy mother and stepmother, as well as Wen Shi Ren and his son Wen Lu Ming.

  "Miss, don't you know? After a few days when these books are dried, Master Wen will leave the White Manor and return to his hometown."

  The white cloud's rapid footsteps paused for a moment.

  Xin Yan continued, "It was that time when he returned from Spring Festival and reported to Master that he wanted to return to his hometown. Master tried to persuade him to stay, but Wen Gongzi did not change his mind. In the end, Master had no choice but to say that it was the season for sun-drying books, and there were many tasks in the mansion, so he asked him to stay a few more days to help with sun-drying books. After the books are dried, it's not too late to bid farewell then. Wen Gongzi only agreed to stay a few more days after that. When Xin Yan went to Meixiang Valley to follow Young Master to learn chess, he heard Young Master mention that he was trying his best to persuade Wen Gongzi to change his mind and continue staying in the Bai family to study, not to return to his hometown to farm."

  "Return home to farm?" Bai Yun furrowed her brow.

  "Why not? Mr. Wen said that his old home still had a few mu of thin fields, and he himself had hands and feet, and should not be a parasite. He said he could farm while reading books."

  Bai Yun's heart warmed up with a different emotion. "Parasite", that was his own humiliating term for Wen Lu Ming, but unexpectedly this life he turned out to be a hard-boned one.

  "Miss, Songta said that Old Master asked Wen Gongzi in Shuxiang Hall if he insisted on leaving the White family because you were slow to him..." Xinyuan looked at Baiyun Nuan with some trepidation.

  Bai Yun calmly asked, "How did Wen Gongzi respond?"

  "Wen Gongzi said it was certainly not."

  While talking, they had already walked down the corridor and entered the garden of Zhi Lan Tang.

  "The young lady has arrived!"

  The little servants saw Bai Yunnuo suddenly appear and were all excitedly shouting.

  Bai Jiang hurriedly handed the book in her hand to Zhen Niang, while wiping the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief from her pocket, and walked up to Bai Yunnuan, "Anuan, how did you come too?"

  "Let's see if there's anything I can help with." Bai Yun smiled warmly and gently.

  "Go take a look at Wen Luoming's place and see if there's anything you can help with," said Bai Jiangshi, pointing in the direction of Wen Luoming. She then summoned Xin Mo to follow her.

  Bai Yun was surprised that her mother had assigned her such a task and reluctantly walked towards Wen Lu Ming.

  The sunlight was shining brightly, and Wen Lu Xiang had just opened some books and laid them flat on the desk, so that the sun's rays could nourish the paper and kill off the insects that lived off the paper and ink.

  Wen Luoming smiled slightly at Bai Yunnuan's words, but his polite smile made Bai Yunnuan feel a bit embarrassed instead.

  Recalling that spring outing, the sharp and sarcastic words she had said to Wen Luoming by the waterfall made Bai Yun feel a twinge of remorse.

  Standing still, silent and speechless.

  After standing for a while, the sun shone on her nose and made her sweat. Bai Yun was about to untie the sash of her cloak when Wen Lu Xiang said: "Although spring days seem warm, they are actually still quite chilly. Miss, you'd better not take off your cloak, lest you catch a cold."

  。”

  The white cloud warmed up and loosened the grip on the windbreaker's strap. After a long silence, he finally spoke up: "I heard you're leaving the White family?"

  This Bai family was never Wen Luoming's home, why does he want to leave the Bai family and have nothing to do with himself? Why is he now filled with guilt as if he had done something wrong?

  Wen Luoming didn't stop his actions, Yun Danfeng nodded lightly, "Mm."

  "Is it because...because I said those words to you on that day of spring outing that you decided to leave?"

  "Yes or no."

  The words of Wen Lu Ming made Bai Yun warm and confused in her heart.

  "Wen Luoming smiled and said: "After all, the Bai family is Miss Bai's home, not Wen Luoming's home. Because of me, Miss Bai can't even feel at ease in her own home, that's my fault. Miss Bai didn't do anything wrong, there's no fate between me and Miss Bai, it's just that I'm unlucky, so no matter what Miss Bai said to me, it has nothing to do with my decision. Actually, I appreciate Miss Bai for being honest and sincere, if she dislikes something, she'll say it straight out, if she likes something, she'll also say it straight out, Miss Bai is a genuine person, she won't be two-faced, so in this aspect, I still admire her."

  Wen Luoming's smile was clean and clear, which made Bai Yunnuo feel quite uncomfortable.

  Reward kindness with kindness and repay resentment with straightforwardness; this is one's duty.

  To repay kindness with enmity is something that a person of integrity cannot bear.

  Seeing the white clouds, Wen Rou's heart was filled with thoughts. Warm Deer laughed and said: "Miss, since you have free time, why not help me dry the books? As an outsider, I'm busy to the point of being joyful, Miss is the legitimate thousand gold of the Bai family, standing idly by shouldn't be right."

  Wen Luoming said, handing over a book.

  Bai Yun Nu had no choice but to take over the book and neatly flipped it open, placing it flat on the desk.

  Wen Jun was busy as usual, and Bai Yun couldn't help but smile at herself.

  Yu Mo let out a breath of relief when he walked out of the side gate of the White Manor.

  Just now, Xi Bo asked her where she was going, and she lied that the young master had told her to go out and do some errands. Xi Bo didn't ask any further questions and opened the side door for her.

  In the distance, Yu Mo saw a red-canopied carriage parked under a large tree.

  At that time when the horse-drawn carriage stepped on spring, she saw the horse-drawn carriage of Zhang Nai Chun, the eldest young master of the Zhang family.

  Walking up to the carriage, Yu Mo coughed and saw Zhang Nai Chun poking his head out from inside the carriage. With a wave of his hand, he pulled Yu Mo aboard.

  The fourth son drove the horse cart away with a "clip-clop" sound.

  "Don't take me too far away, the young masters are airing books and might return to Meixiang Valley at any time. I have to hurry back!" Yu Mo said.

  Zhang Nai Chun pulled out a red silk handkerchief and a gold ingot from her bosom, "In that case, let's not go anywhere, just do it in the carriage! If you can teach me ten linked rings, this gold ingot will be yours, sister."

  Yu Mo gave Zhang Nai Chun a glance, smiled coldly, and took over the red silk ribbon and gold.

  Zhang Nai Chun immediately smiled with joy...