It was still early, and the women hadn’t gone to sleep yet. Hearing the commotion here, they all opened their doors to watch the excitement. Seeing this, Jirong pulled Chunxiu’s sleeve: “Alright, stop making trouble. Must you make a spectacle for others to laugh at before you’re happy?”
Chunxiu shook off Jirong’s hand: “If there’s going to be a spectacle, it should be hers. When I was the lead dancer, she called me sister this and sister that. Later when I fell into misfortune, forget helping me even once – she didn’t even come to the firewood room to see me. Now that sister has gained First Young Master’s favor, she’s trying to curry favor again. This kind of person makes me sick just looking at her!” Chunxiu became more agitated as she spoke, unable to help venting all her resentment.
Being publicly criticized like this, Zhang Chenyue’s face turned red, but she didn’t dare lose her temper, only forcing a smile: “I did want to come visit sister, but…”
Chunxiu raised her hand: “Enough, I don’t want to hear your lies full of holes. I’ll only ask you one thing – what did you really want by sneaking into our room?”
“Enough!” Jirong stepped forward to mediate: “It’s getting late now. Whatever the matter is, we can discuss it tomorrow. Chenyue, go back and rest.”
“Sister…” Chunxiu was unwilling to let it go, but when she was about to speak, Jirong glared at her fiercely, forcing her to sulk on the side.
Zhang Chenyue thanked Jirong and quickly left. Jirong also pulled Chunxiu back inside. Seeing the door close, Jiang Caiping disappointedly spread her hands: “Just when it was getting interesting, it ended. How boring.”
“You little imp.” Yunyi flicked her nose teasingly: “You’re such a big girl now, yet you still think about playing all day long.”
Jiang Caiping made a face at her: “Isn’t it interesting to watch them fighting like dogs? Don’t you want to watch, sister? Speaking of which, sister, what do you think Zhang Chenyue went to their room for? Could it be the same as what we did last time?” Without waiting for Yunyi’s answer, she shook her head: “No, that’s not right. Everyone in the estate knows about Jirong making the Tendon-Mending Muscle-Regenerating Powder. Why would she need to take such a risk to investigate?”
Yunyi cleared the leftover food from the table while saying: “But everyone in the estate doesn’t know the formula for the Tendon-Mending Muscle-Regenerating Powder.”
Jiang Caiping’s eyelids twitched in disbelief: “Sister, are you saying Zhang Chenyue wanted to steal that formula? She… why would she steal that for no reason? She can’t possibly replace Jirong in treating First Young Master’s leg ailment.”
Yunyi paused in her movements and looked up: “That naturally wouldn’t work, but if she took the formula outside to sell, how much do you think it would be worth? We can’t be dancers in the Governor’s estate forever, but that formula could provide her with a lifetime of comfort. Of course, this is just my guess and might not be accurate, but this possibility is the greatest.”
Jiang Caiping murmured: “She’s really bold.”
“Fame and fortune come from danger, wealth and honor are sought in risk. If Jirong and the others hadn’t happened to catch her, she might have already succeeded and been worry-free from then on.”
“That’s true, but I still think it’s too risky.” Jiang Caiping asked tentatively: “Sister, do you think Jirong might have guessed her intention and then report it to First Young Master?”
Yunyi pondered for a moment: “Jirong’s mind is deeper than all of ours. I’m afraid she’s already thought of it.”
Hearing this, Jiang Caiping blinked in confusion: “If she already thought of it, why did she help Zhang Chenyue speak up just now?”
“That’s her brilliance – not showing her emotions. Compared to her, Chunxiu is far inferior.”
“Then… sister, what do you think will happen to Zhang Chenyue?” Faced with Jiang Caiping’s inquiry, Yunyi shook her head: “How would I know? Besides, this isn’t our concern unless you plan to help her.”
Hearing this, Jiang Caiping immediately shook her head: “She’s not a good person. I wouldn’t help her.”
“Then that’s settled. Why worry about such things? Alright, clean up and go to sleep early, or you won’t be able to get up tomorrow again.”
Jiang Caiping agreed: “By the way, sister, you said your stomach was uncomfortable earlier and were gone for quite a while. Are you feeling better now?”
Yunyi smiled: “I’m better now. I think the water I drank early this morning was too cold.”
Jiang Caiping felt relieved: “That’s good. Sister must be careful in the future and not drink cold water.”
While they were talking, on the other side, Chunxiu was complaining: “Sister, how could you believe her nonsense and let her go? If the steward hadn’t said he would help us boil water and bring it over, we wouldn’t have known she had sneaked in.”
Jirong examined the medicinal materials on the table while saying calmly: “Even if you kept questioning her, would she tell the truth?”
“But we can’t just let it go like this.” Chunxiu angrily put her hands on her hips, wishing she could go grab Zhang Chenyue back. After calming down a bit, seeing Jirong searching around, she asked in confusion: “Sister, what are you looking for?”
Jirong didn’t respond to her question. After confirming that the unfinished Tendon-Mending Muscle-Regenerating Powder on the table wasn’t missing, she took out the notebook hidden in the secret compartment of her cosmetic box and flipped directly to the last page. Seeing the torn marks, her face suddenly darkened, and she said coldly: “She really came for this!”
Chunxiu walked to Jirong’s side in confusion. When she saw that a page had been torn from her notebook, she was shocked and pale. She remembered that page contained the formula for the Tendon-Mending Muscle-Regenerating Powder that Jirong had developed. How could it… be torn out by someone? Could it be…
She blurted out: “Was it Zhang Chenyue?”
Jirong slammed the notebook shut heavily, her eyes dark: “Who else could it be but her!”
Chunxiu’s eyebrows stood up in anger: “What audacity! She actually dared to steal from sister. I told you we shouldn’t have let her go.”
She was about to go outside when Jirong called her back: “Where are you going?”
Chunxiu didn’t look back: “Of course to ask her to return the formula!”
“Don’t go!” Jirong’s words surprised and puzzled Chunxiu. Jirong should understand the value of that formula better than she did. Although it couldn’t replace her in treating Li Jiancheng at Qingchun Garden to claim credit, it absolutely couldn’t fall into Zhang Chenyue’s hands.
Jirong saw through her thoughts: “She won’t give it to you.”
Hearing this, Chunxiu immediately said: “If she won’t give it, I’ll snatch it back. The formula was developed through sister’s hard work. How can we let her benefit from it? Then we’ll report her to First Young Master. Even if she doesn’t die, we’ll strip off a layer of her skin and see if she dares to do such sneaky things again.”
Jirong revealed a strange smile: “Do you think I would really record the formula in the notebook?”
Chunxiu was stunned by her question and answered: “Isn’t that the case?”
“What’s recorded in the notebook is only part of the formula. With just that, it’s impossible to make the Tendon-Mending Muscle-Regenerating Powder. The real formula…” She pointed to her head: “Is here.”