NOVEL WEB Chapter 6: The Ancestral School
Liu Jiyu swallowed nervously, glanced down, and hesitated as she looked at Mei Shuyu.
Mei Shuyu also gazed back at her. He said, “come over here.”
The girl pursed her lips and took a small step forward, noticing that the dogs were just sitting and watching her. Encouraged by this, Liu Jiyu took a few more steps forward. Except for two dogs following her, the rest remained seated in their original place, observing her. Feeling a bit relieved, Liu Jiyu was ready to run towards Mei Shuyu.
“Don’t run, just come here slowly.” The young man stood still, watching her.
Liu Jiyu slowed her pace and walked towards him slowly.
Huixiang was also afraid of dogs, so she followed behind Liu Jiyu’s steps.
Liu Jiyu approached Mei Shuyu with her eyes shining brightly as she looked at him. “Third brother, they really didn’t bite me!”
The young man nodded as he glanced at her, then turned and continued walking towards the ancestral school. Liu Jiyu followed closely behind him, noticing that his steps had become smaller and slower, as if he were deliberately waiting for her.
The girl chuckled softly with her eyes sparkling, and a faint dimple appeared at the corner of her mouth. Lost in thought, the girl suddenly exclaimed in surprise as she bumped into the firm back of the young man.
Liu Jiyu touched her forehead and wrinkled her small face, rubbing her forehead vigorously.
“How much longer until we reach the ancestral school?” the young man turned around, furrowing his brows as he looked at her.
Tears welled up in Liu Jiyu’s eyes in an instant. With her red nose and teary eyes, she looked up pitifully at the young man.
Mei Shuyu sighed, rubbing his forehead with his hand. He spoke softly, “Hurry up. If we walk faster, we won’t be late.” Hearing that, Liu Jiyu nodded in acknowledgment. She still rubbed her forehead, but she followed behind the young man obediently.
Soon, the three of them reached the gate of the ancestral school. Huixiang was supposed to enter the ancestral school with Liu Jiyu, but Mei Shuyu couldn’t go inside.
Standing at the entrance of the ancestral school, the girl looked at the young man and earnestly said, “Third brother, remember to come pick me up after school.” and without waiting for his response, she bounced into the school gate.
Huixiang nodded to Mei Shuyu and was about to follow Liu Jiyu inside when the young man stopped her.
“Wait.”
Huixiang turned around, and her face was full of curiosity.
Seeing this, the young man took out a packet of pastries from his sleeve and handed it over to Huixiang, saying, “She’s bound to get hungry halfway through. Just say you brought them along. You understand?”
Huixiang nodded dumbly and took the pastries. Seeing this, the young man lowered his gaze and turned to walk towards another path.
As expected, Liu Jiyu soon complained of being hungry, and Huixiang quickly handed her the pastries she had been holding. Liu Jiyu took the pastries happily, and even found them delicious, likely due to her hunger. “When did you get these pastries? It’s so thoughtful of you,” Liu Jiyu praised Huixiang as she took another bite.
Huixiang moved her mouth slightly and replied, “I didn’t get them myself. They were given to me by the third Young Master Mei.”
Cough, cough, cough…
The girl choked on her food, startling Huixiang, who then quickly poured a glass of water and handed it to Liu Jiyu. The girl didn’t say anything as she just quietly ate the pastries and sat there lost in thought.
Huixiang saw that it was time for school again, so she tidied up and left the classroom. However, Liu Jiyu kept staring into space, even when the teacher arrived at the ancestral school, she didn’t seem to snap out of it.
She always felt indebted to Mei Shuyu. Whether it was the care he had given her since childhood or his affection. Mei Shuyu was actually a very proud person. Despite being rejected with harsh words, he still willingly escorted her to school. The reason behind it, other than affection, what else could it be?
But this, this feeling, Liu Jiyu felt like she could never repay it in her lifetime. She didn’t love Mei Shuyu, she just regarded him as a brother, so she couldn’t give him a response. Well, their situation was not bad now. Their behavior is appropriate, not overly intimate, nor too distant. They really are like siblings.
What she wants to do now is to please Mei Shuyu, to make him not hold a grudge against her in the future.
“Liu Jiyu, come and recite ‘The Airs of Bei from the Book of Songs’.” The teacher is an old man, reputed to be the strictest in the ancestral school.
Suddenly had her name called upon, Liu Jiyu was still a bit slow to react. Once she did, she hurriedly stood up, stammering. Just as she was about to speak, she was scolded by the teacher, “You can’t even recite this?” The old man’s face darkened, looking displeased at her. Liu Jiyu was startled by it, then she quickly said, “I can, I can recite it.”
Liu Jiyu cleared her throat and slowly began, “Wei Mi, Wei Mi! Why do you not return? For the sake of our lord, why do you remain in the dew? Wei Mi, Wei Mi! Why do you not return? For the sake of our lord’s dignity, why do you remain in the mud?”
Seeing her successfully recite it, the teacher’s expression improved considerably, but he didn’t let her sit down, and instead continued to ask her, “Can you recite ‘The Young Maiden’?”
“Okay,” Liu Jiyu nodded. “The young maiden, so fair, awaits me at the corner of the city, loving but unseen, she hesitates with her hand on her head. The young maiden, so graceful, bestows upon me the crimson flute, the crimson flute shines brightly, expressing the beauty of the quiet maiden. Returning from tending the sheep, truly beautiful and different. Not the beauty of the woman, but the beauty bestowed upon her.”
After finishing, she saw that the teacher’s expression was still fine, but her classmates beside her were staring at her with wide eyes, looking incredulous.
Liu Jiyu gave a slight sneer inwardly. She had forgotten to hide her competence. She never liked to read books, but now, being able to recite this would definitely raise suspicions.
Indeed, she couldn’t recite these things; it was just that in her past life, trapped in the Shen residence, with nothing to do all day, surrounded only by books, she reluctantly read them every day, which could barely be considered studying.
The teacher didn’t make things difficult for her. After Liu Jiyu recited it perfectly, he let her sit down. After sitting down, Liu Jiyu listened for a while and found that the teacher was talking about things she was familiar with, so she drifted off into her thoughts again.
***
After school, Liu Jiyu was the first to run out, and Huixiang quickly followed behind. “Oh my, Miss, why are you running?”
“Has third brother come?” The girl’s figure was petite, and her tone was cheerful. Liu Jiyu suddenly stopped and looked towards the back alley outside the school, but she couldn’t find the sight of the young man.
She turned back with a disappointed look at Huixiang. “Didn’t third brother said that he was going to come pick me up?”
“Seventh Miss.” Suddenly, a calm familiar voice of the young man sounded above Liu Jiyu’s head.
Liu Jiyu turned around with a look of pleasant surprise as she exclaimed cheerfully, “Third brother!”
Mei Shuyu glanced at her, nodded, and led the two women towards the western gate of the Liu residence. Liu Jiyu smiled and winked at Huixiang, following closely behind the young man. The two entered the Liu residence, but Mei Shuyu suddenly stopped in his tracks. Liu Jiyu also hurriedly stopped, almost bumping into him.
The young man then turned around and looked at her as he said, “You go back to the courtyard yourself.”
Liu Jiyu looked up at him, blinking her teary eyes. “Third brother, can you take me to the school after lunch?”
“At half past twelve.” said the young man before he left the terrace.
Liu Jiyu smiled and hummed a tune as she walked towards her own courtyard at the Liu residence. The girl had just arrived at the entrance of the Miao Miao courtyard when she saw Madam Sui and Liu Jiluan waiting for her under the eaves of her courtyard.
Liu Jiyu instinctively wanted to turn around and run away. However, she needed to give up that thought as she heard her sister call her name sternly. “Liu Yinyin, you stop right there.”
With a resigned expression, Liu Jiyu walked up to the eaves and looked at the two of them. “Greetings, mother. Greetings, elder sister.”
Madam Sui smiled but remained silent, while Liu Jiluan flicked her younger sister’s forehead with her finger. “You run away as soon as you see us. What kind of mischief have you been up to?”
Liu Jiyu rubbed her forehead and whined, quickly grabbing Liu Jiluan’s arm to stop her from making another attack. “Oh my dear sister, please don’t scold me. I haven’t caused any trouble today.”
Seeing Liu Jiluan about to speak again, Liu Jiyu continued in her speech, “Hurry inside, I’m so hungry. After lunch, I’ll need a little nap before going to school again. It’s so tiring, please don’t scold me anymore.”