C10. Jealousy.

Chapter 10: Jealousy

Ji Li returned to her courtyard.

The young servant Fuluo noticed her grim expression and immediately rushed towards her from a distance. "Young Miss, what's wrong?"

Ji Li waved her hand, indicating that he could speak if he had something to say. "It's nothing. Why are you here?"

Fuluo replied, "I came to ask your instructions about arranging for Xi Che."

Uncle Liu was the old butler of the General's Mansion for over forty years. He had been with Ji Yunshan even before Ji Li was born.

Fuluo was his adopted son and would naturally take over his position in the future.

Presumably, Uncle Liu was the one who asked him to inquire.

"Arrange for him to work in the shop. Just give him any job," she said.

She did not show excessive favoritism in assigning him a job, even though he was someone she had brought back herself.

She proposed a compromise, "The area in the east of the city is fine."

Fuluo's expression eased. "Then I'll go back and report."

Seeing Ji Li nod, he bowed and retreated, heading towards the South Garden.

The South Garden was a place where the servants often gathered.

On an autumn day, groups of two or three people chatted and laughed, taking a break from their busy work.

Seeing Fuluo return, Wang Si hurriedly pushed aside the people around him and approached him. "Brother Fuluo, what did the Young Miss say?"

Fuluo glanced at him. "Don't block the way. I still have to report to my godfather."

Although he was annoyed by this person, he remained polite on the surface.

After all, he couldn't afford to offend this relative who had been shoved in by the General's Mansion.

Wang Si, unwilling to give up, continued to ask, "You went there specifically at this time to ask, so isn't it about that boy?"

"What did she say? Where did she assign him?"

Fuluo said, "Just do your job and don't worry about so much."

Seeing that he was showing signs of loosening up, Wang Si's eyes rolled around and he let out a couple of "he he" laughs.

"Isn't it just because I see you as knowledgeable and experienced that I'm asking?" He continued to work and secretly slipped a packet of silver coins from his sleeve.

Fuluo weighed it in his hand for a moment, hesitated for a while, and gave a look to the person lounging opposite him.

Wang Si understood and quickly followed him.

When they reached a relatively secluded spot, Fuluo said, "Since you're sincere, I'll make an exception and tell you." He motioned for him to lean in and listen.

"The shop in the east of the city," he said. "I guess it's probably going to be a rice or oil shop, or at least one that makes a decent profit."

Wang Si was surprised. "A rice and oil shop?! That's a good deal!"

"Besides, isn't that part of the Madam's dowry?"

Fuluo gave him a sideways glance. "Don't worry about whether it's a dowry or not. Madam Ji only has one precious daughter, and won't it all belong to the Young Miss in the future?"

Wang Si's eyes darkened. Thinking of his master's instructions, he tentatively asked, "Brother Fuluo, I heard that... that boy was brought back by the Young Miss from Rong Hua Temple specially." He lowered his voice. "I heard that she treats him very specially, like he's her future..."

"The Young Miss does indeed favor him, so you should all be polite to him in the future." Fuluo understood what he meant and shook his head. "Don't underestimate him just because he's young. He has a great future ahead of him!"

Wang Si fell silent and nodded in agreement. "You're right."

After the two separated, he made his way through the back door to a secluded corner and secretly passed on the news he had just received.

...

In the tranquil courtyard to the south, a serene beauty prevailed.

The sun, nestled behind undulating waves of white clouds, transformed the cerulean sky into an overcast expanse.

Occasionally, wisps of floating clouds drifted by, casting long shadows across the ground, which had been polished to a gleaming brilliance by the morning sun's relentless rays.

In the temperate atmosphere, Ji Li practiced her spearplay for a considerable time.

The crimson tassel on her spear swayed with her movements, whipping up a sudden gust of wind.

Having partaken of a light snack upon her return, she was not particularly hungry at the moment.

Upon completing her daily martial arts training, she decided to retreat to her chamber and practice calligraphy.

Xi Che's words echoed through her mind like an incantation, stirring up an inexplicable turmoil within her.

Even counting her previous life, she had never treated any man in such a manner.

Not even Xie Yuncheng...

Their relationship had largely been transactional from the outset.

Yet, as women are often prone to sentimentality, their repeated encounters inevitably clouded her judgment.

By the time she came to her senses, the Ji family had already been irreparably ruined.

She paused her calligraphy, her heart once again wrestling with complex emotions towards Xi Che.

Logically, she reasoned that the young man was different from his past self.

The warmth and compliance were genuine, as were the concern and care.

But after reflection, she suddenly realized that she had indeed done too much.

A lot too much.

Her pale hands wrote many words in succession on the paper.

She focused her gaze, hoping to concentrate more.

But her thoughts were cluttered, and the effect was minimal.

Glancing sideways, she gazed at her hands and was suddenly reminded of Xi Che's hands.

His fingers were slender and tapered, with distinct joints.

Faint blue veins were visible under the thin skin, as if containing a surging power.

His strength was indeed as he said, very great.

But his personality was the opposite: timid, and he would cry at the slightest provocation.

She was most afraid of boys crying.

The lattice window was slightly open, and there was a deep blue small table nearby.

Two thin wisps of smoke rose from the Taihu stone incense burner that was slanted.

After practicing calligraphy for half an hour, her thoughts finally cleared up again.

Just then, a gust of wind blew up, lifting the green ribbon on her drooping double buns and blowing across the small deer-like eyes under her long eyelashes.

Most women in the dynasty were married off by the age of fifteen or sixteen, preparing for marriage early.

They copied and recited female virtues and female teachings, and cut and sewed wedding clothes.

She seemed to be doing too much, which might indeed lead to misunderstandings.

Misunderstanding by others, misunderstanding by Xi Che.

She put down her pen and closed her eyes.

Her eyelashes drooped, and she pulled down the corners of her lips and said, "Yun Yi, Yun'er, are they back yet?"

"Not yet, Miss. Do you have any instructions?" The maid heard the movement, walked in slowly, and the door closed behind her.

Ji Li glanced at the door, floated the tea lid, her voice still cold and indifferent, but her expression relaxed a lot, "When she comes back, tell her, and then you don't have to look for Xi Che anymore."

She doesn't know if it was for her or for herself, "We have done enough, too much is too much, and it will only cause him unnecessary trouble."

Yun Yi agreed, and wanted to ask something else, her expression was conflicting for a while.

Ji Li took a deep breath and said slowly, "Serve the meal."

The people on the side retreated and went to order in three steps and two steps.

It was already afternoon after finishing the meal and resting.

As it approached November, the shops in the border town had already begun to prepare for the winter.

The winter in the border town is not like other places. The cold wind here is like a knife, and it rarely snows.

It's just that the temperature is terribly low, dry and cold.

Therefore, people here usually start planning for the next two or three months in October.

Ji Li looked at the sky outside and stood there quietly for a long time.

When Yun Yi didn't know how many times she pretended to pass by her and asked casually if she had any instructions, she looked up at her and said, "It's almost November, let's go."

Since her coming-of-age ceremony, her mother had begun to equip her with the skills of household management, and her father even directly allocated the few shops with the best income in the south of the city to her for practice.

Thankfully, blessed with innate intelligence, she had managed to keep the few storefronts profitable for over a year, a remarkable feat indeed.

Considering the time that had passed, something should be brewing over there by now.

Yun Yi paused and nodded in acknowledgment.

Outside, the sun was nearing its descent, casting the last vestiges of its golden rays upon the eaves.

Amidst the interplay of light and shadow, the courtyard within the mansion exuded an atmosphere of tranquility and auspiciousness.

Since her rebirth, as Ji Yunshan had observed, she had indeed been prone to overthinking.

The secrets and dangers of her past life weighed heavily upon her, sometimes making her feel suffocated.

The occasional glimpses of spontaneity she revealed in front of Xi Che were therefore all the more precious.

Precisely because of this, and coupled with her deliberate intentions, she was always particularly kind to him.

However, despite possessing some foresight, she was not particularly adept at strategy.

This had been true in her previous life, and it remained so in this one.

Had she made a mistake?

Ji Li closed her eyes and sighed in dejection.

Unwilling to engage in this pointless inner turmoil, she decided to take a short nap.

When she awoke again, it was pitch black outside.

"Yun Yi, fetch some water," she called out, intending to pour the remaining contents of the sandpot and quench her thirst. Just then, a soft knock on the door interrupted her.

Still groggy from sleep, Ji Li assumed it was Yun Yi and replied, "Come in."

The person outside responded by pushing open the door, bringing with him a gust of wind as he closed it.

He stepped forward and said, "Why trouble yourself with such matters, Lady? I'll do it."

His voice was low and soft, his words like feathers caressing her heart

As if... enticing her.

He filled a cup with water and handed it to her, approaching her.

Enunciating each word slowly, his voice deep, he said, "Young Lady, please drink some water."

Ji Li stared at him.

This man looked unfamiliar, definitely not one of the servants in her courtyard. He was dressed in a straight robe of cyan lotus ink, his skin as white as jade, revealing his handsome features.

The man's hand holding the teacup was broad and slender, clean and long, like translucent white jade.

Under the hazy candlelight, it seemed as if even light could pass through, making one want to hold it in their hands.

A red cord was tied around his wrist, with a white, round stone hanging from it. The design was ordinary, the material common.

However, none of these things were something a servant could afford.

The man looked at her, and when he saw Ji Li's gaze, a faint blush appeared on his jade-like face, and he lowered his head slightly.

Ji Li's mouth twitched slightly, having finally fallen asleep, her head started to ache again.

She was over sixteen, so she naturally understood what this man meant.

As the only daughter of the general's family, and a beloved child born late in life, there had been no shortage of suitors over the past year.

She guessed that her two maids had probably been sent away.

It was quite a roundabout and devious way to go about it.

The man exuded an air of refinement, despite repeatedly calling himself her "servant." It was clear that he was far from being one.

He had an aura about him that suggested he was... perhaps a young scholar from a prominent family.

Someone with malicious intent had likely sent him here to stir up trouble.

He was quite audacious, indeed.

Suppressing her thirst, she refrained from reaching out to take the cup. "Alright," she said, "you can just place it there."

Not wanting to harm the man, she added, "If there's nothing else, please leave quickly. I'll pretend I didn't see you today."

Meanwhile, outside, Xi Che had been assigned a new task and was planning to inform Ji Li before heading out.