Smelling a rat, the butler hurriedly stepped forward, "Master, lord is back, and the dishes are ready. Shall we serve now?"
"Fine."
Mr. Tong was angry and, swinging his sleeves, returned to his own seat.
He had never talked or apologized to anyone in such an obsequious way. Even the Emperor of Tianqi talked with him with excessive courtesy.
After the dishes were served, old Mr. Tong didn't give up and picked up a chicken leg all the way to put it in Tong Zijing's bowl. Then, he cleared his throat and tried to be nice, "Jing, look, daddy has prepared all dishes you liked when you were a child." The was the best he could do.
Tong Zijing looked up, eyes full of scorn. Without touching the bowl, he glanced at the chicken leg and ordered, "Tong Zhan, take it away. This chicken leg is for you."
Tong Zhang, standing behind, under the intent gaze of Tong Zijing, picked up the bowl with shaking hands, hesitating to eat or not.
The whole hall was more than quiet. The sound of a needle dropping to the ground would be audible. The atmosphere instantly dropped to the lowest.
A ghost of cold smile involuntarily touched the corners of Tong Zijing's lips.
Old Mr. Tong's eyes seemed to be spitting fire of fury.
Was him defying him? Why could he talk to a servant but refused to talk to his father or accept the food? This was fine. But how dared he give the food to a servant right before him? This was tearing his face. As the master of the family, how could he swallow the humiliation?
The hand dotted with blue vessels thumped on the table, "You…you're such a unfilial son!"
How did Ji Xuyao teach him?
Burning in fire, Mr. Tong sprang up and was about to ask the butler to send for Ji Xuyao when his sleeve suddenly knocked down a bowl, which rotated a circle on the table and then dropped to the ground, creating a crisp sound of porcelain breaking!
The butler acted quick, and just as the sound rang, he smiled and said a luck talk to fend off omen, "Bad luck breaks; bad luck breaks…" At once, servants rushed over to clean away the bowl pieces.
In the hall, every servant felt their hearts raising to throats. They weren't unfamiliar with master's cruelty and tyranny.
Hearing the crisp sound, Tong Zijing slightly lifted his brows, and the subtle scorn turned into a big laughter.
The laughter contained insanity.
Then, Tong Zijing picked up a bowl near him and heavily slammed it to the ground.
"Squelch!" One more crisp sound.
"Nice." Tong Zijing threw the bowl and murmured in a low voice as if he was addicted to it.
Then, he picked up another bowl and slammed again.
"Squelch, squelch, squelch." He broke a few bowls in a row.
Every time a bowl fell on the ground and created a sound, he laughed, with increasing insanity.
At once, the floor turned messy, and the servants all hurried to kneel down everywhere.
Then, all bowls and plates on the table were broken, soup and rice and meat and vegetables were scattered on the table, the chairs and the floor.
"Tong Ping, Tong An, get me more bowls. I want to hear the sound."
The two exchanged a look, hurriedly left the room to find more bowls.
Sister had said that he didn't have to bear with it anymore. If the old man did things that he didn't like again, he could use his own way to refuse. He didn't have to hide and be mad at himself.
Sister had also said that if the old man dared to shut him up again, he could crash the doors and never go back there.
Sister had also said that his life was in his own hands instead of any other men.
From Tong Zijing threw the first bowl, Mr. Tong was already stunned.
He even didn't dare to move. As each bowl crashed against the ground, his heart also leaped with it.
He didn't care about the bowls. As long as Tong Zijing liked, he could spend a mountain of silver and gold for him.
However, the behavior of tearing cloth or throwing bowls already constituted a trauma for him, a deep hatred buried deep down.
The sounds rang again and again, making him more than regretful and guilty and reminding him of the past…
Many years ago when Tong Zijing was five years old, although he didn't talk much, every time he saw him, he would rush into his arms, a feeling that the old man missed so much.
More often, the boy occasionally called him daddy in a voice lower than that of a mosquito.
However, at that time, he disliked his son because of his low intimidated voice and his staying numb all day long…
At this moment, he regretted it.
Outside, there was sound of firecrackers setting off, but in Tong mansion, it was sound of porcelain breaking into pieces.
Certainly, the New Year's Even dinner wasn't enjoyed by the family. Tong Zijing destroyed all the dishes on the table carefreely like no one was witnessing. Then he let Tong Zhan bring all the bowl in the mansion to his room, claiming that he only wanted to hear this pleasant sound.
Tong Zijing marched off, and old Mr. Tong was suddenly depressed, "Butler, Jing… Was Jing sick again? Should we send for Mrs. Ning right now?"
Butler Tong was a little sad and advised, "Master, this…this would be improper. Lord just came back and today is the 30th."
The ancient people valued social formalities well. Even a sick person wouldn't take drugs on the day of the 30th, just in order to usher in a good beginning for the new year.
Moreover, a doctor wouldn't pay visit to patients on this day either, let alone the doctor that they wanted was a wife.
Of course, Mr. Tong knew these rituals, his voice trembling, "Then… What to do with Jing?... Just let him continue?"
When there was no hope, there was no disappointment. Mr. Tong wouldn't be so frustrated if Tong Zijing remained to be the retarded child that he used to be.
However, just a moment ago, Tong Zijing had been sitting there normally and carving a thing with a smile that couldn't be held back.
His demeanor and gesture all suggested a healthy person.
But why on earth did he now begin to throw bowls again?
Although his expression wasn't as numb and vacant as he used to be, who could tell whether he would return to the retarded mental state if this behavior continued until tomorrow.
Tong Zijing's courtyard was teemed with the crispy sound, yet his room was shut up, letting out no trace of light.
When getting back to his own room, Tong Zijing leaned on the couch and polished the little sculpture.
The one who was throwing bowls now was Tong Zhan, and Tong Ping and Tong An were responsible for breaking the pieces further again to make a louder sound.
"Lord, we run out of bowls." In order to make the sound louder to satisfy lord, Tong Zhan now sweated like a pig from the hard labor.
"Get more." Tong Zijing didn't look up but fixed his gaze on the wooden piece to carefully concentrate on carving. At this moment, this was already a half-finished work.
Vague, but certainly, it was a woman.
Tong Zhan wiped out the sweat on his forehead and replied, "Lord, all the bowls are here. Now, we've run of."
Having broken all the bowls, Tong Zhan wondered what the kitchen would use for meals. However, this wasn't his concern. It shouldn't be butler Tong, his grandpa's.
"Alright. If there are no bowls, you can have a rest now. I'm also tired of hearing the sound." While saying, he grabbed Tong Zhan by the ear, "Do not reveal a word of what just happened. You know the consequence if anyone knew that you broke the bowls."
Tong Zijing released Tong Zhan, who at once kneeled on the ground, regardless the risk of being hurt by the sharp porcelain pieces.
"Lord. Since I'm your servant, I'm be your man for a life time. I'll be loyal only to you forever. I'll never break my oath." Tong Zhan's expression was determined.
When lord's gaze moved to them, Tong Ping and Tong An also kneeled down after exchanging a look, "Our lives are yours. If you order us to go east, we don't dare to go west. We don't dare to turn our back on you…"
Who could imagine that a person who had been tittering and throwing bowls a month ago should become so calculative now?
Evidently, the crisp sound didn't aim to torture himself and it wasn't for himself either. It was for that person. If that old man dared to try to manipulate him with a bad face again, he would tear cloth right into his ears to let him enjoy the sound of tearing-cloth.
In the study room of Tong mansion.
"It finally stops." As soon as the sound disappeared, Mr. Tong stood up, hands on his chest which ached to the beat of the crisp sound, "Butler, it finally stops. Jing finally gets quiet."
"Yes, master." The butler stood next to him and supported him. He comforted master with confirmative words, yet he was as clear as a mirror.
He was afraid that it wasn't because lord wanted to stop but that the mansion had run out of bowls.
"It's past midnight, master. You'd better take a rest early." Butler Tong wore a miserable face. After settling down master, he had another thing to be busy with.
Tomorrow would be the first day of the new year. Where could he get so many bowls?
He only hoped that master contained his temper a little bit for these days so that young lord could peacefully celebrate the New Year as a normal person…
*
At the Ning's in the Wang village.
Jian Qingzhen held a plate of snacks and walked outward.
She slowly paced to Su Qi, "Nice to meet you, lord Su Qi. Please have some refreshments."
Su Qi's fingers holding a chess paused for a second. Naturally he knew someone was approaching, but he didn't expect that this woman was coming to him.
What a fly! Su Qi cursed in secrecy. He slowly looked up, only to discover the faint smirk on Ning Shaoqing's face.
Su Qi's resumed his usual playful smile, picked up a snack from the plate and put it into his mouth.
That dim sum was a peach cake made by Mo Qianxue, so soft that it melted upon touching the tongue. Su Qi's eyebrows leaped, praising, "Delicious."
Jian Qingzhen displayed shyness, "If you like, have more. I'll get more for you." Jian Qingzhen felt sweet that Su Qi finally noticed her, ate the snack she gave him and praised her.
Su Qi didn't look at her and only stared at the chessboard, "Ning Shaoqing, your servant girl is pretty but just too unruly."
The smile on Jian Qingzhen's face was instantly frozen. Holding the plate, she didn't know whether to put it down or to take away.
She, a legal lady of a noble family, should be mistaken as a servant girl? She looked down at herself. It must be the plain red dress! Those nannies were never helpful. Why did they make this dress like a servant girl's?
Jian Qinghua secretly laughed at her. What a superficial girl that knew nothing but wearing luxuries! How dared she to think of marry the legal son of Su family!
With contempt in her mind, she wore a smile. This was the right timing for her to let the men know her virtues.
"Please forgive us, lords. We're from Tianxiang Jian family. I'm ranked fifth and this is my younger sister ranked seventh. She is only too young.
She is of good intention to send you snacks. I apologize for her rude behavior. But it was because the servants of Ning family are too unruly. The weather is so bitterly cold, and they don't stand by your sides and disappear while you're playing the chess…"
Before Jian Qingzhen finished, Ning Shaoqing's face had turned dark, "Yunyao…"
Hearing his voice, Yunyao came out of the room at once. Spotting that the two ladies all stood in the yard, she despised so much. Formerly she had been a servant of a big family, how could she not understand what was going on here? But when she turned to Ning Shaoqing, her face returned humble.
"Yunyao, the two ladies are of high status. Why didn't you serve them in the living hall? They have lost their way and get to the yard. There should be a huge courtesy gap between men and women. What if in the future bad words spread to other? How will they survive in this world? Hurry and take them to lady."
"Yes." Yunyao took the order and made a gesture of showing way to them, the tone remaining indifferent, "This way please."
Ning Shaoqing's words was in fact unsparing.
There was a short distance between the living room and the yeard, but Ning Shaoqing said that they were lost. On the surface, he was finding an excuse for them, but as a matter of fact, the gender courtesy meant contempt at them.
Seeing that Ning Shaoqing didn't look at her and his words contained scorn, Jian Qingzhen wasn't frustrated at all but overjoyed.
This man was upright, respected courtesies and not easily seduced by women, exactly the one she had been seeking.
Judging by his manners, he must of a noble origin and only met with a misfortune temporarily. If she was willing to give him a hand at this moment, he would definitely be grateful to her.
As long as he married her and with the recommendation of Jian family, a talent like him must succeed one day. Very likely, he would go on a smooth path of official career to become one of those emerging scholars.
To be a wife of an emerging scholar was much better than a wife of a useless son of concubine or a dowry concubine of her brother-in-law.
Mrs. Ning could be totally ignored since she was a merely luck wife. One day if she became Ning Shaoqing's wife, Mo Qianxue could have a taste of her power if she wasn't obedient.
Yunyao was about to lead the two ladies indoors when the seventh lady Jian announced that she needed to go back to the carriage to take an air. In fact, she wanted to get changed.
Yunyao called out Xiji to take the fifth lady Jian to the backyard and find her nannies.
The fifth lady Jian had her own thing to do. Naturally, she wouldn't go with Jian Qingzhen. She planned to probe into Mrs. Ning's background. Now she needed this unknown luck wife before Ning Shaoqing accepted her.
Made up her mind, she said that she was a fan of embroidery and wanted to see the embroider sample that Mo Qianxue had mentioned, so she let Yunyao to lead her to the inner room.
Yunyao went to report everything based on fact. Mo Qianxue was a little annoyed and Jian Qingyou's expression became cold and at once said goodbye to Mo Qianxue. Then, she dragged Jian Qinghua out of the room, leaving no chance for her to ask anything.
Mo Qianxue got up and walked them to the gate. Before Jian Qingyou got into the carriage, she made an appointment with her that Mo Qianxue would pay a visit to Jian mansion on the fifth day of the new year when she would come up with a good idea for her.
Jian Qingyou nodded, depressed, and went into the carriage with the help of nanny Yuan.
Jian Qinghua and Jian Qingzhen wanted anything but leaving, but they didn't have a reason not to.
Especially Jian Qingzhen, she was so reluctant to leave because she hadn't gotten changed yet. Why leave so soon?! When her carriage just left the Ning's house, she began to punish her servant girl Xiangqi, who had prepared this dress for her.
Sending away the noisy group, Mo Qianxue went back, only to witness the two men still wrestling through the chess.
She complained to herself at Su Qi. Why did he propose to play the chess in the yard on such a cold day? Therefore, when she walked over, her tone was ironic, "On a cold winter day, what a good mood you're in!"
Su Qi looked up with a smile, "Mrs. Ning also knows chess?"
Mo Qianxue pouted and replied, "No, I don't. but I know a very important thing." If she knew how to play chess, she would help Ning Shaoqing to defeat the brain out of Su Qi.
Hearing her words, Ning Shaoqing was intrigued and asked with a smile, "What is it that's so important?"
"I know that if you two continue to play the chess like this, my husband's health will suffer. He has a cold body already and plays the chess with lord Su Qi regardless…"
It wasn't a serious event, but the way Mo Qianxue put to made it sound so important. Ning Shaoqing smiled secretly. Mo Qianxue's caring for him was obvious in her tone, but he must maintain courteous to the guest, "You're wrong, Mrs. Ning. We should treat our guest with hospitality."
The love and chemistry between the couple was so evident, so Su Qi put down the chess piece in his hand and said, "I lose."
He meant not only to the chess game, but also to a bigger decision.
Ning Shaoqing stayed silent for a while and smiled, "You win." You won a broader and more peaceful mind.
There would be no more jealousy.
Ning Shaoqing had jealousy against Tong Zijing, because Mo Qianxue cared about that man. Although he couldn't tell what kind of love that was, he was sure that in Mo Qianxue's heart, there was a place for Tong Zijing.
Ning Shaoqing had jealousy against Jian Qingyou because at that time, he hadn't kissed Mo Qianxue but witnessed with his own eyes Mo Qianxue kissing her. He just couldn't let it go.
However, Ning Shaoqing wasn't jealousy of Su Qi, a man with obvious intent, because he knew that the man meant zero in Mo Qianxue's heart, nothing but a business partner.
At the same time, Su Qi was a descent man whose behaviors all conformed to social formalities. He loved Mo Qianxue, but he restrained his love within the scope of due courtesy, so that even Mo Qianxue herself didn't notice that.
Moreover, Su Qi was also the younger brother of Ning Shaoqing's dear friend, Su Jinjue, the eldest young lord of Su family.
Seeing one said lose and the other said win, Mo Qianxue was reminded of what they had done during the meal and got a little impatient, "No idea what you're talking about."
Then, she helped Ning Shaoqing stand up, lovingly scolding him, "Let's go inside to have some tea to get some warmth."
Su Qi raised his hand and resumed his playful expression, "No thanks. It's not early, and I have things to deal with, so let's say goodbye here."
From the way she looked at Ning Shaoqing, Su Qi understood her feelings.
Now that he had known her feelings, why would must remain obsessed with his own feelings and let it continue?
Su Qi had always been a carefree man who would prefer to let things go in a natural way.
After he got back to Baiyunju, he would give his eldest brother a formal reply that after the spring festival and everything was settled, he would listen to them and marry whoever they had arranged.
Since that person wasn't Mo Qianxue, it didn't matter who that would be.
It'd be better that his feelings be buried deep in his heart.