The page boy, frightened by the frenzied flock of sheep, quickly fled into the courtyard.
An Jiu, seeing the fluffy masses of sheep, instantly perked up. Taking advantage of Mei Jiu’s panic, she swiftly took control of the body and asked the old man, “What should we do?”
The old man shouted, “Block the sheep! Don’t let them run into the courtyard!”
“All right,” An Jiu replied. She pulled out a bamboo pole from the fence and stood at the entrance, swinging it vigorously.
The people in the courtyard were about to rush out to help, but just as they reached the entrance, they saw An Jiu knock down the lead sheep with a powerful swing. The rest of the flock, startled, immediately scattered to both sides.
The old man, panting heavily, took a moment to catch his breath. Seeing the fallen sheep at the entrance limping away to join the fleeing flock, his heart ached. He glared at An Jiu, “You little brat, why use such force!”
An Jiu remained silent and inserted the bamboo pole back into the fence.
The people from the courtyard gradually emerged, bowing to the old man, “Teacher.”
The page boy peeked out from inside the door, quickly retreating to adjust his appearance before coming out again, “Teacher Qingming.”
“Has Headmaster Zhao’s leg injury healed?” Lu Qingming inquired.
The page boy respectfully replied, “It has healed, thanks to your medicine, Teacher.”
“His eyesight is barely better than a blind man’s, yet he insists on walking alone. Hmph! Next time he falls and dies, don’t come looking for me. My medicines are hard-earned,” Lu Qingming grumbled, lamenting the waste of his precious medicine.
The page boy smiled apologetically and changed the subject, “Yes, yes, I’ll certainly advise the Headmaster. By the way, Teacher, this is Miss Fourteen. The Headmaster asked me to bring her to you.”
Mei Jiu, having heard Lu Qingming scold An Jiu earlier, felt uneasy but couldn’t move. She could only urge, “Quickly apologize to the teacher.”
“Apologize for what? Just stay put!” An Jiu was exasperated by Mei Jiu’s demeanor.
Mei Jiu, being gentle and cautious, always feared offending others. She would endure rather than resist, only showing her protective side when her loved ones were in danger. Even then, perhaps due to her nature, Mei Jiu’s protection was limited to shielding others with her own body.
Giving up, An Jiu relinquished control of the body back to Mei Jiu, leaving her to face Lu Qingming.
Realizing she could move again, Mei Jiu quickly adjusted and immediately knelt, saying, “I apologize for hurting your sheep in my haste, Teacher. Please forgive me.”
An Jiu, dissatisfied, remarked, “He asked for help himself.”
Lu Qingming approached, hands behind his back, “Miss Fourteen? No need to kneel, please stand.”
“Yes,” Mei Jiu responded.
Lu Qingming pondered, seeing no trace of the earlier vigor that wielded the bamboo pole. He stroked his beard and asked kindly, “Do you like herding sheep?”
Everyone was stunned, thinking how this Miss Fourteen, who had just struck the sheep so forcefully, could enjoy herding them. Was this a punishment?
An Jiu, slightly surprised, quickly replied, “I do, I do.”
Mei Jiu, still flustered, wondered how she, a young lady raised in seclusion, could know anything about herding sheep. But hearing An Jiu’s words, she felt a genuine fondness in her heart and answered, “I do.”
The children from noble families didn’t mock her answer. Instead, they were curious about what Lu Qingming would say next.
“Then from now on, you can help me herd the sheep,” Lu Qingming said with a chuckle.
“Yes,” Mei Jiu agreed verbally, but internally asked An Jiu, “Do you like herding sheep? Do you know how?”
“Who’s born knowing how to do things?” An Jiu, in a good mood, refrained from her usual caustic remarks. “I once had a wish: if I could live to thirty-five, I’d buy a farm, raise two hundred sheep, have two sheepdogs, and plant an acre of grapes.”
At the moment of her death, she had seen only a small patch of sky with a cloud shaped like a sheep. Her life had been without regret, and in the end, she glimpsed what she had hidden in her heart. At that moment, she felt her ending was perfect.
“All right, you can take over when it’s time to herd sheep,” Mei Jiu voluntarily shared control of the body.
An Jiu despised Mei Jiu’s overly accommodating nature, but at this moment, she found it somewhat endearing.
A girl in purple came forward to support Lu Qingming, chiding gently, “Teacher, why have you exerted yourself so?”
“The sheep went mad for some reason, nearly scattering this old man’s bones,” Lu Qingming explained. Suddenly, he paused and turned to Mei Jiu, “What poem did you write?”
The question seemed abrupt, but after a moment, Mei Jiu recalled the poem she had written in the school earlier that morning. She recited it.
After listening, Lu Qingming looked at Mei Jiu again, grinning, “This old man believes young ones should have some spirit. The way you swung that pole just now was quite impressive.”
“The old man may be unsightly, but his judgment isn’t half bad,” An Jiu praised.
Lu Qingming waved his hand, “It’s noon now. Go rest and have your meal. Return in an hour for the Zen lecture.”
“Yes,” everyone responded in unison.
Unfamiliar with the surroundings, Mei Jiu followed behind the others.
The girl in purple noticed her and smiled scornfully. Linking arms with another girl in a multi-layered skirt, she said loudly, “I heard someone pretend to be pitiful in front of Cousin Mo, throwing herself at him, then turned around and falsely accused him of impropriety, causing Cousin Mo to be barred from the clan school.”
She turned back to stare coldly at Mei Jiu, asking, “Mei Ruxue, don’t you think such a person is despicable?”
Mei Jiu was at a loss for words and lowered her head without responding.
“Seventh Sister,” the girl in the multi-layered skirt gently tugged at the purple-clad girl’s sleeve, softly saying, “Don’t cause trouble.”
Mei Qi snorted coldly but indeed said no more, turning her head away with a pout.
“Sister,” a clear, feminine voice called from behind.
Hearing Mei Ruyan’s voice, Mei Jiu turned around joyfully. At the same time, everyone walking with Mei Jiu paused, curiously looking towards the source of the voice.
Standing on the high stone steps, they saw four young women below. One with phoenix eyes looked unfamiliar. She said something to those beside her and quickly caught up.
Seeing many people looking at her, Mei Ruyan smiled and curtsied, sweetly greeting, “Fifteen greets all brothers, sisters, and juniors.”
It’s hard to be angry at a smiling face. Mei Ruyan’s smile made her eyes sparkle, with shallow dimples at the corners of her mouth, full of vitality. Her appearance was pleasant without arousing jealousy. With this greeting, everyone returned the courtesy, even Mei Qi nodded at her.
Mei Ruyan said, “I’m new here and unfamiliar with the customs and faces. I hope everyone will be understanding.”
Hearing this, an older boy spoke up, “In our family, we don’t separate boys and girls in age order. I’m the second eldest, named Ting Jun.” He then pointed to the girl in the multi-layered skirt, “This is the third, named Ting Zhu.”
The boy who had been picking oranges from the tree earlier cut in, “I’m the fourth, called Ting Dong. That’s the fifth, Ting Chun, that’s the sixth, Ting Jian, that’s the seventh, Ting Yuan…”
Mei Ting Dong rattled off introductions for everyone present.
Mei Ting Yuan, the girl in purple, interjected, “Let me ask you, how did your sister anger my grandmother to the point of fainting? How did she frame Cousin Mo? And how did she trick Elder Zhi into taking her as a disciple?”
Mei Ruyan had already gathered information. The second child Mei Ting Jun, the third child Mei Ting Zhu, and the seventh child Mei Ting Yuan were all legitimate children of the family head. Mei Ting Yuan was the second daughter, favored by the second grandmother since childhood. The second grandmother was extremely protective, spoiling Mei Ting Yuan rotten.
Mo Sigui was the son of the family head’s sister, Mei Ting Yuan’s cousin. It was said that the cousins were very close. Additionally, it was rumored that the whole clan had their eyes on the position of Elder Zhi’s disciple…
Thinking about it this way, Mei Jiu had indeed disrupted everything Mei Ting Yuan held dear. It would be strange if she wasn’t seething with hatred.