bookbashuk Chapter 17 Small Handprints
Chapter 17 Small Handprints
"This is hardly a big deal." Shen An was taken aback, but he assumed that Wang Xiaocao only knew him in Bailianfang, and that after finishing her chores, she could only wait for him to come back.
However, as soon as he finished speaking, he saw Wang Xiaocao's shoulders tremble almost imperceptibly.
No, that's not true...
For the first time, Wang Xiaocao felt a faint but stubborn rebuttal towards Shen Ansheng.
But she couldn't express those girlish feelings. She just remained silent, lowering her head even further, as if trying to shrink herself into the shadows of the corridor.
Shen An had never considered this possibility. He clearly remembered that when he saved her, she said she would serve him like a slave, not that she would repay him with her body.
If you have already predetermined the outcome in your mind from the beginning, your thinking will go completely astray.
At this moment, Shen An felt that the girl thought his words were a denial or criticism of her, and thus she fell silent and downcast.
Shen An hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Little Grass, can you read?"
"No... Little Grass can't read..." she said, her voice trembling, a wave of sorrow washing over her, the sadness of reality almost burying her whole being.
Yes, how could someone like me be worthy of the young master? How could I... be delusional?
Shen An panicked when he saw her reddened eyes and hurriedly said, "I didn't mean to mock Xiaocao. I wanted to ask if Xiaocao wanted to learn to read? I'll go to Qingde and ask a teacher to teach you."
"Teach...teach me?"
"Yes." Shen An nodded emphatically, giving her the most affirmative answer.
Wang Xiaocao stared at him blankly, and subconsciously asked, "If I learn to read, will... will I be able to help you, young master?"
"That's right." Shen An's eyes lit up, and he encouraged her, "And once Xiao Cao can read, I can teach her martial arts."
"I'll learn, Little Grass is willing to learn!" She nodded vigorously, as if afraid that if she spoke too slowly, the dream would disappear.
"Okay, then it's settled."
Having found her something to do, Shen An felt relieved and knew it was time to continue practicing her skills.
He walked into the courtyard, took off his outer robe and casually draped it over a stone bench, revealing a smart short shirt underneath.
"Zheng—"
As he drew his longsword, Shen An took a deep breath, and all the insights he had gained during the day under the waterfall flooded his mind.
The sword light flashed, sometimes like a collapsing mountain, sometimes like a silver dragon swimming.
Wang Xiaocao didn't dare to go forward and disturb them. She carefully walked to the stone bench, picked up the outer robe hanging on it, and prepared to wash it.
The clothes were only slightly warm, but her fingers felt very hot.
She was holding the clothes and was about to turn around when her gaze inadvertently fell on the collar of the robe.
There was a small handprint there, still slightly oily.
The handprint was very small, definitely not a man's, it must have been... left by a young girl.
Wang Xiaocao's movements froze instantly.
The handprint seemed to leap from the collar of her clothes and suddenly gripped her heart.
Where do you spend your days, young master? And with whom?
Did the person who left their handprint pat him on the collar with a smile, or did they playfully grab him?
These oil stains... Were they eating together? Did they spend a time... filled with laughter, playful banter, sunshine, and joy—a time she couldn't reach, or even imagine?
She bit her lip, her fingertips unconsciously tightening, gripping her robe tightly.
unhappy.
But by what right do I have to be unhappy?
Being able to see the young master is already a great blessing; what more could I ask for?
Wang Xiaocao seemed to have been completely drained, staring blankly at the outer robe like a wooden doll. She fetched a basin of water, fled back to her small room, and bolted the door.
She placed the clothes in the basin, immersing her fingers in the icy water, mechanically scrubbing them again and again, tears streaming down her face, which she couldn't stop. The oil stains were clearly washed away quickly, but she seemed to hate them, repeatedly rubbing that spot until her fingertips went numb and her knuckles turned red.
That evening, when Shen An returned to his room after practicing his sword, the outer robe was already hanging on the rope in the yard, carrying a faint fragrance of soapberry, as if nothing had happened.
Several days passed in the blink of an eye, and Shen An's life finally settled down. The crises he faced when he first arrived in this world seemed to have all faded away.
Every day, he would use the excuse of following Liu Zhengfeng in the morning to fish at the waterfall outside the city, hone his swordsmanship, and tell stories. In the afternoon, he would return to the neighborhood to consolidate his swordsmanship and internal strength.
The difference is that there are more recitations and music in the inner courtyard. Li Qingde hired a female tutor who specializes in teaching wealthy families. In addition to learning to read and do arithmetic, Wang Xiaocao is also quite interested in music and has learned to play the seven-stringed zither. Perhaps this is a local feature of Hengshan.
That afternoon, just as Shen An finished his cultivation, Feng Changrong hurriedly came to his door.
"Senior Brother Shen," he greeted with a cupped hand as he entered the courtyard, his face showing a mixture of admiration and urgency, "Master's letter has arrived. Master said that Senior Brother's decisive actions in dealing with that fool Zhao Da Kui were very appropriate. Cleaning up the sect is for the sake of the greater good, and the sect will not pursue the matter."
"That's good then." Shen An nodded. Lu Bai's response was exactly what he expected.
"But..." Feng Changrong changed the subject, "Master also said that suspending those shady businesses is certainly possible, and Songshan isn't short of money. However, it seems that my senior brother's good relationship with Uncle Lu Lianrong of Hengshan was based on sharing some of his profits from those businesses. If we suspend them for too long, it will be difficult to explain to him. Master ordered us to get some useful information about Liu Zhengfeng's matter as soon as possible, and not to delay any longer."
"I understand." Shen An hadn't thought of Lu Lianrong's matter before.
After seeing Feng Changrong off, Shen An went straight to the front yard accounting office and found Li Qingde.
"Senior brother, have you come about the new sword?" Li Qingde asked, putting down his abacus as he saw him arrive.
"Exactly." Shen An nodded. "How's my heavy sword?"
"It's already forged, only the final sharpening is needed!" Li Qingde's face gleamed with excitement as he led Shen An to the sword. "The best craftsman in the workshop used top-quality iron, hammering and forging it countless times, exactly as Senior Brother requested. The sword weighs eleven pounds and three ounces, nearly seventy percent heavier than a standard sword! Senior Brother, would you like to try it out?"
Shen An picked up the new sword, which was entirely black and had a thick blade. He immediately felt its weight. He casually twirled the sword and felt the wind howling through it, its power and weight far surpassing what he had experienced before. He was extremely satisfied.
"And what about the other thing?" Shen An asked, putting down his sword.
"It's all set." Li Qingde took out a brocade box from the side, opened it, and inside was a long sword with an elegant shape and a slightly narrow blade. The scabbard was simple and unadorned, engraved with fine cloud patterns.
"This sword is named 'Light Sound'. It weighs only 60% of our Songshan standard sword. Its blade is flexible and produces a clear ringing sound when wielded, which is just right for the Hengshan School."
Using swords with background music is definitely targeting the customer's psychology.
"However..." Li Qingde hesitated, "The sword is a good sword, but even the best wine needs advertising. It may not sell well quickly. It will take some time to build its reputation."
He was really afraid that Shen An didn't understand business and thought he could open up sales channels and sell like hotcakes in a short time.
"It's alright, I have a plan." Shen An examined the "Light Sound" sword, a smile playing on his lips.