Chapter 64 Refusal

  When I went to the Wenyuan Pavilion, the weather was not very good, as if a storm was approaching. The cloud layer at the horizon was pressed down low, as if it were hanging from the treetops in the distance.

  The air is also stifling.

  The Wenyun Pavilion was very quiet in the late morning, with its gate tightly closed.

  Following Chen Jing's carriage, they entered through a side gate and went straight to the back garden.

  Stepping through the arched gate of the backyard, passing by the wall shadows that are as tall as two people, one can see the Qinglan Residence from afar. The fragrance chamber and the elegant pavilion have a soft and lingering piano sound drifting out, like silk curtains slowly wrapping around in mid-air.

  Xiwen is playing the zither on the second floor.

  The melody of Gong Shang Jiao Zhi Yu is pleasant to the ear, but it requires patience. Chen Jie was a man of later generations, he was used to listening to the music of later times, and did not appreciate the sound of Xi Wen's qin.

  So he went up and interrupted her, and exchanged greetings with her.

  Xisheng stood up, her skirt was torn and tattered, the flowing silk swayed back and forth, every step she took seemed to bring forth flowers, and a faint fragrance wafted around her. She didn't deliberately dress up, but even in a simple green jacket, she still exuded elegance and charm.

  "Have you taken your medicine? Where are you uncomfortable?" Chen Jing asked her as she sat down, then asked her to stretch out her hand for a pulse diagnosis.

  "After eating, I'm feeling a bit better." Xiwen's eyes sparkled with amusement, her smile charming.

  She slept for a while and woke up feeling much better.

  She gently lifted her sleeve, revealing a slender wrist, and placed it on the rosewood tea table for Chen Jing to take her pulse.

  Chen Jiong felt her pulse.

  It was just acute vomiting and is now fine.

  Her pulse is steady.

  "Medicine is no longer needed, it's almost healed. I also told Aunt Wen yesterday, maybe she forgot to tell you. These days, eat more rice porridge to nourish your stomach. No need to invite a doctor again."

  Regrettably, Wen lightly covered her dense eyelashes and hid the emotions at the bottom of her eyes. Only then did she raise her head and say: "It's not just about asking you to see a doctor, I also want to settle accounts with you."

  "What account?" Chen Jiong asked.

  "Last night when we were eating, you didn't even mention a word to me. You knew I was eating too much and would get sick, but you didn't say anything. I've been thinking carefully, and I'm afraid it's because your thoughts are not pure, so you deliberately didn't speak up." Xiwen pretended to be very calm, but the cunning in her eyes couldn't be hidden.

  She relied on Chen Jing.

  Chen Jiong smiled slightly.

  "Don't talk nonsense." Chen Jing smiled and said, "Everyone's constitution is different. I saw you eating so happily, thinking you had a good grasp of yourself. I don't like telling others what not to do, it's not like we're children. If you get sick from eating too much, that's because your taste buds are too eager for delicious food, can't blame me."

  "How can you say that women are greedy and love to eat, it's really impolite, you don't have the demeanor of a gentleman." Xi Wen raised her eyes, pretending to be angry, but with a hint of playfulness between her eyebrows.

  "Aren't you greedy?" Chen Jiong retorted.

  "No." Wen replied.

  "You can talk nonsense with such a serious face, I must say I'm quite impressed." Chen Jing said.

  Made Xi Wen break his promise and burst out laughing.

  She smiled and couldn't stop, as if she had thought of something funny, and laughed to herself nonstop.

  A flash of white light passed through the window, followed by a rumble of thunder, and it was going to rain. The light in the room was dim, and the other person's face was also vague. Against the light, the features were not so clear, but instead, I thought Wen looked even more beautiful, like a perfect sculpture, neither happy nor sad.

  "Is that all right?" Chen Jiong waited for her to finish smiling, stood up and wanted to bid farewell, "It's going to rain, I'll go back first. Don't bother in the future, taking care of your illness is what matters..."

  Regretful words, restrained smile.

  Her face suddenly fell silent, without a hint of expression.

  "Can't you be invited if you don't see a doctor?" After a long while, she asked Chen Jing in a low voice, "Can't you be invited to listen to the tune either?"

  She seems to be angry.

  She got so angry that the man couldn't refuse her. She was a bit unhappy, but not to the point of turning against him. So it can be judged that she was pretending, and after forcing Chen Jing to agree, he often came to play.

  She is sometimes lovely and sometimes her acting skills and EQ are frighteningly high.

  Xiwen is quite good, but Wenyue doesn't come often because Xiwen has to do business. Chen Jing always comes to listen to music for free, which is a bit unfair, and after a long time, Wenyue is not happy either.

  Chen Jiong said: "I don't understand, let's just forget it."

  He bluntly refused like this, making Wen stunned.

  After being shocked, she also felt disappointed and a bit unbearable. The more unbearable it was, the more calm Xian Wen's expression became, so she restrained her own small temper, smiled warmly and softly, saying: "In that case, I won't dare to disturb you."

  She called the nurse and had Chen Xing taken out.

  Chen Jie and she exchanged pleasantries, and she graciously returned thanks, the two bid each other farewell.

  Just stepped out of Qionglan House, raindrops fell down.

  Chen Jiong ran quickly out of the backyard and headed towards the front yard of Wanyun Pavilion.

  Xianwen stood at the window on the second floor, watching his rapidly disappearing back, with a dim gaze. The cyan-gray background was slender and thin, nothing special.

  When he took her pulse, Xiwen's heart couldn't calm down. His fingertips were warm, dry and hot, while Xiwen's skin was cool, smooth and slippery. The contrast between cold and heat made her heart tremble.

  He had not run out of the backyard, when heavy rain poured down, and a layer of fog suddenly rose between heaven and earth. The branches and leaves in the courtyard were beaten to the east and west.

  Chen Jing used his arm to block his head, but still got a whole head wet.

  Xīwén's heart tightened, thinking if she had just been too impulsive?

  He should be given an umbrella.

  Being angry is one thing, but he can't be allowed to go back in the rain like this.

  "Are you kidding me?" Xiwen thought of his refusal and gritted his teeth, "You wish, I'll do it anyway!"

  It's not like I particularly liked him anyway.

  He seems to be fine, but unfortunately, Wen saw neither a greedy nor contemptuous look in his eyes. Although he refused, Wen knew that he was only afraid of being blamed by his elder sister, not disgusted with her.

  Being with him, you don't have to worry about his ulterior motives, nor do you need to be as dignified as Mom said, being a cold and beautiful woman who is not talkative, Xianwen is very easy-going.

  It's fine, why not invite him?

  "Can you get rid of me?" Xi Wen thought, and the gloom in her heart dissipated, she smiled sweetly. The rain grew heavier, a thin layer of fog rose from the ground, the eaves dripped rapidly, and the rain poured in through the window, almost wetting the dressing table.

  The maid came in and asked if she should close the window.

  "It's not needed." Xiwen crouched in front of the window, even stretching out her hand to catch the rolling beads under the eaves. The patter of raindrops was like a rhythmic undulation. In her heart, a small deer-like creature had settled, lightly leaping and bounding.

  I'm in a good mood.

  After watching the rain for a while, it started pouring even harder, and Wen finally had the maid close the window.

  After changing into clean clothes, Xi Wen called out to her maid: "Bring me my needle and thread basket..."

  It's not easy being a famous prostitute.

  She not only had to learn singing and dancing, playing musical instruments, poetry and books, but also had to learn needlework like a virtuous woman. To win over the hearts of her patrons, she would occasionally send them sachets, tassels, and other trinkets as tokens of affection.

  This kind of thing is hard to find someone to do for you.

  She has given away three sachets so far, all of which were suggested by her mother, and she herself feels annoyed.

  However, needlework must be outstanding and stand out from the rest.

  Today, however, Xi Wen wanted to cut it herself and make a small sachet.

  "....Isn't the Double Seventh Festival coming soon?" thought Xi Wen as she sewed through the satin. When the Double Seventh Festival arrives, she would have to give some small gifts to her benefactors.

  This year, she wanted to give Chen Jing one.

  In the past, doing these things made me feel annoyed, but now I'm very happy, as if I'm about to do something extraordinary. When cutting the satin, she hummed a certain phrase lightly, her mood was light and carefree.

  "Miss is always in a bad mood when she does needlework, what's wrong today?" The little maid serving Xiwen muttered to herself.

  ****

  Chen Jiong came out of Qionglan House and went towards Wan Niang's place.

  His clothes were half wet from the rain.

  Wan Niang didn't know he had arrived and was slightly startled.

  "...Unfortunately, Miss Wen asked me to come back for a follow-up examination." Chen Jing explained, "I've already told her that the illness has been cured and there's no need to invite a doctor again in the future."

  Wan Niang smiled and thought to herself, "Xian Wen is being ridiculous again."

  "I'll say it myself. Xiwen girl invited me, but Wen's aunt might not know about it. If she finds out later from someone else's mouth, she'll think I'm sneaking around." Chen Jing said.

  Wan Niang smiled: "You always handle things in such a thorough and meticulous way."

  Praise is beyond words.

  Chen Jiong smiled slightly.

  He was about to get up and bid farewell, but saw a neatly dressed man walking in quickly, handing a gold-embossed red invitation card to Wan Niang.

  Wan Niang opened it and looked at it, instantly beaming with joy.

  "Shen Si Lang is really transparent." Yuen Niang said with a smile.

  Chen Jiong knew Shen Si Lang, who was actually Shen Chang Yu.

  "Does Madame Wen also know Shen Changyu?" Chen Jing asked.

  Wan Niang came back to her senses, carefully put away the invitation, and smiled: "He's a familiar person. He studies at Mingzhou Academy, rarely returns to Wangxian County. This year, for some reason, he has been back for several months. Since his return to Wangxian County, many famous scholars from nearby have come to visit him.

  They have a poetry gathering every month, on Shen's own painted barge. I wanted to invite Xiwen. But it seems they've invited Hua Kui from Mingzhou instead. On June 12th, there was another poetry gathering, and finally, Xiwen was invited."

  Chen Jiong hummed in response.

  Such poetry gatherings would be beneficial to the reputation of famous courtesans.

  "Congratulations, Aunt Wen," said Chen Jing, then asked, "Do you know why Shen Si Lang is staying in Wangxian for so long this year, which is unusual?"

  Wan Niang smiled slightly.

  She really did ask around.

  "He has a younger sister, who is his maternal sibling. His mother passed away early, and this younger sister has been close to him since childhood. She's now fourteen years old, at the age of marriageable age. His father has remarried and doesn't want to take care of this matter, and he doesn't trust leaving his younger sister's marriage to his stepmother and relatives, so he came back personally to take charge." said Wen Niang.

  Chen Jiong was slightly lost in thought.

  "Which one is his younger sister, tenth or thirteenth in the Shen family line?" Chen Jing asked again.

  "This, I haven't heard of before." Yuanni smiled and said, "The Shen family doesn't like women going out to socialize, their daughters are all raised in the inner chambers, rarely heard from outside."

  Chen Jiong nodded again.

  Shen Changyu asked him several times, could it be that his younger sister was ill?

  Since you're already ill, why not see a doctor and take your medicine properly? Why be so secretive and unwilling to show others?

  Chen Jing didn't quite understand and didn't think much of it either.

  He returned home from Wanjun Building, but found a guest at home.

  It is Shen Changyu himself.

  It's really unexpected. I mentioned him at Wanjun Building and he actually came in person.