Chapter 268
268, River Market (10 more)
His movements were swift, showing that he was well accustomed to the task.
Xie Zhinuan watched for a while but found it uninteresting, so she went above deck and found a spot away from the light to read and recite from a book.
A gentle breeze blew along the great river, with either green mountains or villages and small towns on each bank. Some people were still rushing to harvest the rice, while others were pulling straw back home to keep for cooking and heating in the winter.
Such were the varied scenes of life.
Xie Zhinuan’s mouth moved ceaselessly as she alternated between reading her book and gazing into the distance to continue her recitation.
It seemed as though, after a revelation, her memory had improved substantially. With one reading, she could recite everything perfectly, without missing a single word.
Li Hengyi sat by the window, where he could just make out Xie Zhinuan’s profile.
Seeing her earnestness, he too picked up a book. He would glance at it briefly, then steal looks at Xie Zhinuan, noticing how she seemed completely oblivious to his gaze, absorbed in her reading. She was incredibly beautiful in her earnestness.
He had never seen a woman read with such heart and seriousness.
The breeze lifted her hair, and she hooked it with her finger, tucking it behind her ear, then continued to read and recite.
Xie Zhinuan didn’t try to show off in front of Li Hengyi, nor did she have time to curry favor with Lian Huai. She had much to do, an overwhelming amount for the time being.
Having memorized a book without pause, she could even recall clearly how to write every character.
Xie Zhinuan returned to her room to grind ink and silently transcribe the text.
She wrote slowly, with dedication to every stroke. Her writing flowed smoothly-while it could not compare with that of the great calligraphers, Xie Zhinuan still found her work satisfactory, at least not unsightly.
Xie Zhinuan looked at it and felt quite pleased.
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As the boat drifted along, Xie Zhinuan focused on her writing.Yuanbao lay at the doorway and called out softly, “Miss Xie, there’s a River Market up ahead. Would you like to have a look?”
“?” Xie Zhinuan asked, puzzled.
“It’s where women and young girls row little boats on the river to sell things, like food cooked at home and various trinkets!” Yuanbao explained.
Xie Zhinuan immediately understood.
“Alright!”
She stood up, put away her ink and brushes, and covered the inkstone to prevent the ink from spilling.
After tidying the table, she followed Yuanbao out of the room.
The boats in this area were all moving in a straight line forward. Young girls and young women rowed their small boats, singing little songs on the water. Regardless of the singer’s appearance, the voice was absolutely delightful. Some even offered Silver taels for them to sing risqué or bawdy songs. The girls, blushing, didn’t know whether to accept or refuse.
Others spoke up to advise and help the girls out, asking them to sing something they were good at.
The girls gave their thanks repeatedly and cleared their throats before starting to sing.
“She sings really well!” Xie Zhinuan whispered.
There’s a top scholar in every profession. These girls who came out to perform for money naturally had someone accompanying them, like the one rowing the boat, either an older man or an older man with whiskers.
Yuanbao laughed softly, “Miss Xie, if there’s something you want to hear, we can also call one over to sing for us!”
“I don’t really know what to ask for, just call one over, and let’s have her sing a few of her best songs for amusement!” Yuanbao called to her, and Xie Zhinuan quickly went inside to bring out a small stool and table, thinking of brewing a pot of tea. She would see what food was available to buy shortly, intending to pair it with the tea for a delectable experience.
Yuanbao called a girl over, a very plain young girl, and tossed an ingot of Silver to her, “Sing your best songs, and sing them well. If you do, our miss will have a reward for you!”
The girl was overjoyed at the words, responding eagerly.
By the time Xie Zhinuan had finished setting up, she invited Li Hengyi, Lian Huai, and the mute servant to sit down, then went to brew tea and brought it over.
She sat down on the side, and then the girl began to sing.
Chapter 269