The next day.
It was a bright and sunny spring day. The peonies in Nan residence's garden bloomed.
There was an octagonal pavilion lacquered in red and carved with patterns in the garden. Bamboo screens were exquisitely dangling in each side and the wind was brushing away the curtains lightly, faintly revealing the young beauty inside the pavilion.
Nan Baoyi sat in front of the stone table looking at her calligraphy closely.
Xiao Yi said her handwriting was ugly and gave her a few practice books, asking her to practice writing twenty pieces of paper today.
After writing a few words, she put down her brush and slowly stretched her lazy waist.
He Ye carried tea and desserts in, smiling widely, "Miss must be tired practicing calligraphy, I brought you some desserts. It's made by Yu Wei, Second Young Master's people. I tried one and it's delicious, even better than the cook in Old Madam's place!"
Nan Baoyi supported her chin with one hand and lazily played with a peony she just plucked, "He Ye, your Miss now is a studious person now. If there's no need, don't bring over any food, it will delay my homework. How do I explain to Second Brother then?"
He Ye stole a glance at her homework.
Ahh, her Miss had been in the pavilion for the entire morning, saying she was practicing her calligraphy. But until now, she only wrote one big word on a piece of paper, the rest of the time was spent daydreaming.
She put down the food tray and advised, "Miss, our Nan family is really not suited to study and practice calligraphy. You look at Forth Yong Master, he is determined to take the imperial examination but I heard he can't even memorize [Analects of Confucius] properly until now and is made fun at the academy every day. Maybe don't force yourself anymore?"
Nan Baoyi held her face with both hands and stared at the paper blankly.
Maybe there was something wrong with the Nan family's Feng shui. For hundreds of years money flowed in like water, but no one was able to get scholarly honor in the imperial examination.
Seeing that Miss did not say anything, He Ye carried the food tray and backed out.
When she brushed away the bamboo screens, she said, "Miss, isn't that Third Master?"
"My father?"
Nan Baoyi stood up and walked over.
She hid behind the bamboo screens and looked at her Father holding a box of candy from Shenjin Shop, walking by the footpath.
Shenjin Shop was famous in Shu Country for its peach candy box. The candy box was carved from rosewood and by pressing the round lid in the middle, five slots of flower-shaped drawer will appear as it rotated. The drawers contained exquisite looking candy balls of five different tastes. Children loved this candy box.
She loved this peach candy box when she was young. She mentioned it to Father yesterday and unexpectedly he actually took it to heart and now bought it for her.
Nan Baoyi felt warm inside and wanted to go out when she saw a white figure blocking in front of Father.
Nan Yan bowed weakly to greet Nan Guang, "Peace be with father, where is Father going to?"
"Oh, going to Chaowen Yard to see your sister."
Nan Yan gripped her handkerchief tightly, feeling anxious.
Yesterday she waited in the house for a long time. Not only was there no good news that she got half of Nan Baoyi's dowry, but even her father also went missing.
This morning she wanted to pay respects to her father but the servant said he went out early in the morning.
She looked at the candy box, "This candy box…"
Nan Guang said "Oh", and paused, looking awkward. He hid the candy box behind him and stammered, "This candy, this candy…"
"It's for sister right?" Nan Yan said gloomily, "I know you love her, you should buy candy to make her happy."
After saying this, her eyes teared up.
Nan Guang panicked, "Yan'er misunderstood, this is not for your sister, it's for you! Take it, don't cry, it's giving me a heartache!"
Nan Yan held the candy box he gave her, feeling extreme grief, "Grandmother only loves Sister. I wanted to pay my respects to her this morning but I can't even enter her yard… Father, Sister has a lot of people loving her, but I only have you…"
She cried loudly and threw herself in Nan Guang's embrace.
Nan Guang's heart was melting!
He could not help but felt sorry and patted her back, "Poor thing. Tomorrow I'll talk some sense to your Grandmother. You're also my daughter, how can she treat you so different?"
Nan Yan wiped her tears and carefully held on to his sleeves, "Father, can we have lunch together? The food from the kitchen is all tasteless and plain. I can't live like this for much longer…"
"Let's go, I'll bring you to a restaurant!"
"Can we bring along Mother? We have not had a meal together in days."
"Okay!"
Father and daughter walked out of the garden happily.
In the octagonal pavilion.
Nan Baoyi leaned against a pole lacquered in red, her fair face filled with sadness.
She scraped the red lacquer unconsciously. Her father and Madam Liu are a family, then what is she?
He was so weak, Nan Yan cried a little and he gave the candy box to Nan Yan…
All these while it was like that. He lived outside happily every day, celebrating every festival with Madam Liu and her children and had reunion dinners. He must have forgotten he still had another daughter in the residence, waiting alone here for him to come back and visit her…
Her nail broke and blood oozed out from her fingertips, causing her to withdraw her hand in pain.
Her tender face was wrinkled up as she walked out of the pavilion disheartened.
He Ye was confused, "Miss, do you still want to practice your calligraphy?"
"You help me to write, remember to write twenty pieces of paper, and let Second Brother check. He Ye, I'm also asking you to practice for your own good."
He Ye immediately felt at a loss.
Who did she piss off now? She also did not like to read and write!
It was better to ask her to chop firewood in the backyard than asking her to write twenty pieces of paper of words!
On the shade of the gazebo behind a rockery, Xiao Yi sat casually holding a hot wolfberry tea in his hand.
He stared blankly at Nan Baoyi walking away
The spring breeze was brushing against the little girl's bright yellow skirt. The color was more beautiful than the peonies on both sides of the track.
As she walked, her weak shoulders trembled slightly as if she was crying silently.
Shi Ku came out from a hole in the rockery and said in a low voice, "Master, it's not in the garden as well. All these years we inspected every pavilion, every hall, and even the bushes and rockeries, almost flipping over the tiles to check as well, but there are no signs of it at all...I think that item is not here in the Nan residence."
Xiao Yi's knuckles gently tapped the edge of the teacup, a crisp noise sounded.
"Master?"
"There's still a place we haven't looked."
"Master please tell us!"
"The ancestral hall."
Shi Ku paused a while, "This… isn't too good, right? After all, it was a place for ancestors to rest, if we rashly enter and disturb the ancestral peace…"
Xiao Yi glanced coldly at him.
Shi Ku shivered, hurriedly bowed his head, and said yes.
He was about to do it when Xiao Yi tapped on the teacup and said again, "I still have to be in the Nan residence for two years, there's no need to rush now. Go to Shenjin Shop and buy a candy box."
"Buy a what?!"
Shi Ku was stunned.