TPGA - 61

Chapter 61: Picking Faults

Fuming, Jiang Caiping returned to the room where Yunyi was tidying up. Seeing her sullen expression, Yunyi asked in surprise, “What happened? You seemed fine when you left.”

Jiang Caiping recounted the incident, still upset. “I don’t know what got into her today. She couldn’t say a single nice word.” Sighing, she added, “Every time I see Feng Chunxiu, something bad happens. Just thinking about having to see her every day makes me so annoyed.”

Yunyi pinched her puffed-up cheek and teased, “There’s nothing we can do about it. Stop being angry. Look at you—your face is all red with anger.” After a pause, she said, “By the way, Matron Yang came by earlier. She said we’ll resume dance practice starting tomorrow.”

Jiang Caiping groaned weakly, “That gives her even more chances to find fault with us.”

“As long as we do our part well, she won’t find anything to criticize. Besides...” A fleeting coldness passed through Yunyi’s eyes before she continued, “We’ll handle whatever comes our way—one step at a time.”

“There’s no other choice,” Jiang Caiping muttered. After unpacking the dishes from the food box, she suddenly remembered something and asked curiously, “Sister, why did you return with Second Young Master today? Did he visit your house too?” She had returned first and personally witnessed Li Shimin escorting Yunyi all the way to the door under his umbrella before leaving.

Yunyi casually replied, “You’re always jumping to conclusions. Second Young Master didn’t visit my house. We just happened to meet on the road. Seeing I didn’t have an umbrella, he kindly brought me back to the mansion.”

Jiang Caiping pouted. “I didn’t have an umbrella either, so why didn’t I run into Second Young Master? My mother made me a new dress, and now it’s soaked.” Then, smiling mischievously, she added, “But Second Young Master is truly kind-hearted. Not a drop of rain touched you, while he got drenched. It’s so cold—I hope he doesn’t catch a chill.”

Yunyi gave her a sidelong glance, smirking faintly. “So concerned about Second Young Master? Should I tease you about going to Jingde Pavilion to check on him?”

Jiang Caiping’s cheeks flushed red, and she covered her face, pretending to scold Yunyi. “Sister, stop teasing me!” After a moment, she said wistfully, “Second Young Master really is amazing—talented in both literature and martial arts, with a good temperament and handsome looks. Whoever marries him will be truly blessed.”

Yunyi tapped her forehead lightly with her chopsticks. “Have you lost your mind, giggling nonstop? Second Young Master is indeed remarkable, but he’s not of our world. Don’t daydream. Moreover, he’s already betrothed.”

Jiang Caiping rubbed her forehead and sighed, “I know. Second Young Master is like the bright moon in the sky—beautiful to look at but unattainable for us. I was just thinking about Chunxiu. When she mentioned you and Second Young Master earlier, she sounded so jealous. She probably has feelings for him too, which is why she gets so sour whenever she sees you two together. But she’s bound to be disappointed. Second Young Master is wise and noble—he’d never consider her. She always talks about self-awareness, but ironically, she’s the one lacking it the most.”

Yunyi placed a piece of chicken onto her bowl. “You talk too much. Hurry up and eat before it gets cold.”

Meanwhile, after mocking Jiang Caiping behind her back with Zhang Shi for a while, Chunxiu returned to her own room. Upon entering, she saw Ji Rong sitting under the lamp, flipping through a medical book.

“Sister, eat first and read later,” Chunxiu suggested. Ji Rong nodded, closed the book, and took the bowl Chunxiu handed her. “On the way back, did Zhang Chenyue ask about me again?” Chenyue was Zhang Shi’s given name.

Surprised, Chunxiu replied honestly, “Yes, she knows you went to Qingchun Garden yesterday, and today you brought back so many medical books. Out of curiosity, she asked a few questions.”

“Did you tell her anything?” Ji Rong asked.

Chunxiu shook her head. “I only said there were some matters, but I didn’t go into specifics.”

Ji Rong nodded approvingly. “Good. I’ve noticed that Zhang Chenyue, though close to us, may not have pure intentions. Be careful when talking to her. Don’t let her trick you into revealing anything, especially about Master Jiancheng’s matter. If word gets out, someone might sabotage our chances.” Glaring at Chunxiu, she lightly scolded, “You almost slipped up in front of Zhang Shi earlier.”

Chunxiu stuck out her tongue and said in a low voice, “I understand. I will not tell anyone, Sister. You just focus on developing the medicine that can cure the eldest master.”

Ji Rong sighed softly and said, “How can I concentrate? Nanny Yang has already lifted the restrictions in the mansion, so we will resume dance practice starting tomorrow.”

“This...” Chunxiu frowned slightly, “Or should I go talk to Nanny Yang and say that you are unwell and temporarily unable to practice, please ask her for some leniency?”

Ji Rong waved her hand dismissively, “Forget it. It’s not just a day or two; it’s an entire month. How could Nanny Yang agree? If it were to reach the Second Madam and she sends someone to check, it would only cause more trouble. We can only try to spare more time to study medical books and prepare medicinal powders.”

In the following days, everything seemed to return to how it was before. Yunyi and the others went to the dance hall every day to practice. Fortunately, Yunyi had a good foundation in dance, and she had often watched Meixue and the others practice, so aside from being a bit rusty at first, no one noticed anything amiss.

Of course, Chunxiu’s nitpicking was inevitable. She took advantage of her position as the lead dancer, sometimes complaining that Jiang Caiping didn’t spin enough circles, other times criticizing Yunyi for standing too far forward. In short, she found fault with everything. If it weren’t for Nanny Yang keeping her in check, she would have gone even further.

That day, as soon as Jiang Caiping returned to her room, she sat down in a chair and refused to get up, exclaiming that she was exhausted. Yunyi poured her a cup of tea and lightly joked, “We’ve always practiced like this. Why haven’t I seen you so tired before?”

Jiang Caiping took a sip of tea and angrily replied, “How can you compare? That Feng Chunxiu kept making me spin today. I almost threw up, and my head is still dizzy. My whole body feels like it’s falling apart. Yet she still complained that I didn’t do well and said we’ll practice again tomorrow. She’s clearly doing it on purpose. It’s infuriating!”

Yunyi calmly responded, “She’s just a petty person. Why bother arguing with her?”

Jiang Caiping retorted, “I don’t want to argue, but we can’t just let her deceive us!” Then, thinking of something, she straightened up and said, “Sister, why don’t we go talk to Nanny Yang about this?”

Yunyi shook her head, “No need to go.”