Chapter 531 - 199: Familiar Face
Chapter 531: Chapter 199: Familiar Face
It was all for Jing!
If it weren’t for protecting Jing’s title as top scorer in the provincial examination, he wouldn’t have had to suffer like this.
Too bad he had to suffer in silence. Was there anyone in the world more frustrated than him?
Screeching and hollering, De’an was hauled to the Zhao family’s home by Xu Su Ying.
The Zhao family heard the commotion and ran out from the back courtyard, only to be met with the sight of a fuming Xu Su Ying and a De’an who looked utterly pitiful.
There were even tears welling in De’an’s eyes, making him look as wronged as a new bride.
Sheng Saya saw this and couldn’t help but snort with laughter.
The moment the sound escaped her lips, she quickly ducked behind Xiang’er.
She was a whole head taller than Xiang’er; how could Xiang’er possibly hide her?
Her smiling lips and laughing eyes peeked right over the top of Xiang’er’s head. De’an spotted them instantly, and his feigned look of misery vanished without a trace.
He pointed a speechless finger at Sheng Saya and demanded, a mix of shame and anger in his voice, "What are you doing here?"
Sheng Saya ignored him, turning to greet Xu Su Ying instead.
Ever since Sheng Kaolin formed an unbreakable bond with Jinbao, the two siblings had been frequent visitors at the Zhao family’s home.
Eight times out of ten, they would run into Xu Su Ying there.
She was either delivering account books to Chen Wanqing, helping her daughter create new fragrances, bringing her a share of the profits, or delivering some delicious food she’d made specially for her.
Seeing her so often, they had grown rather friendly.
Now, whenever Sheng Saya saw Xu Su Ying, she would address her as "Mrs. Xu."
Xu Su Ying was very fond of Sheng Saya.
The girl was poised and magnanimous, refreshingly capable, and possessed both foresight and cunning. She could succeed at anything she put her mind to.
If she weren’t the Magistrate’s daughter, Xu Su Ying would have tried to arrange a marriage between her and her own son.
Unfortunately, their family was of humble standing and simply couldn’t afford to marry a girl of such a high station.
At this thought, she couldn’t help but curse Chen Song for his incompetence. Forty years old and he’d only managed to become a Sixth-rank Official. And De’an was just as hopeless—he couldn’t even pass the Provincial Examination.
If just one of them had been more successful, she’d have had the nerve to send a matchmaker to the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office to propose a marriage.
Xu Su Ying took Sheng Saya’s hand. "Here with Kailing again? Why does that boy adore Jinbao so much? Jinbao’s getting on in years. I should find him a mate. Then, when they have puppies, I can give one to Kailing. Maybe then he won’t be so fixated on Jinbao."
Xiang’er and Sheng Saya both laughed upon hearing this.
"Mrs. Xu, Brother De’an doesn’t have a wife yet. You should focus on finding one for him first."
"Jinbao is only a year old, so he’s in no hurry. On the other hand, some people..."
At Sheng Saya’s words, De’an grew angry and shot her a fierce glare.
Sheng Saya glared right back and even snorted. De’an, so incensed he put his hands on his hips, pointed at her from across the space, giving her a look that screamed, ’Just you wait, I’ll get you for this’.
Somehow, their relationship had ended up like this.
When they first met, they had been perfectly polite to each other. But over the last six months, it had somehow devolved into... this.
Most likely—or possibly, or maybe—it was all because of those polo matches.
Over the past six months, while the students of the prefectural academy were busy preparing for the Provincial Examination, they also had to strike a balance between work and rest.
To keep students from becoming so stressed that they developed headaches, trembling hands, and a fear of books before they even reached the examination hall, the academy had organized numerous activities over the last six months.
There were polo matches, debate competitions, outings in nature for teachers and students, and poetry gatherings and calligraphy and painting exchanges held within the academy.
The goal was to allow students to relax in a pleasant atmosphere; if they happened to learn something along the way, all the better.
As for the polo, three consecutive matches were held, and they were all fiercely competitive.
The academy hadn’t originally planned to host polo matches, fearing students might injure themselves and jeopardize their chances in the Provincial Examination.
But alas, every academy has its rebels, and the prefectural academy was no exception.
Some students felt they had no hope of passing the Provincial Examination—or even the preliminary qualifying exams. They thought the constant literary pursuits were boring and wanted to add something more martial to the mix so everyone could stretch their legs.
These students formed a polo team and demanded a match.
Sheng Saya loved riding and archery. She far outshone her peers in the Six Arts taught at the academy.
So how could she possibly miss a polo match?
Unfortunately, her team had three girls. Apart from her own formidable skills, Zhang Lingxin and Zhu Caiwei were both so delicate they looked as if a gust of wind could blow them over.
Weren’t they destined to lose by teaming up with them?
Many people refused to team up with them, so Sheng Saya approached De’an.
De’an agreed in a heartbeat. But he was only a dabbler, and his polo skills were mediocre at best. Far from being an asset to Sheng Saya, they would be lucky if he didn’t drag the team down.