Chapter 561 Jealousy, Two Kinds of Ointment!
When his master disregarded his health, he was worried about his master’s health condition. When his master began to care about his health, he had to worry about his marriage. Now his master was almost engaged, he began to worry about when his master would get married and have children. Xiao Xuanzi felt exhausted.
“What are you doing out there?” There came a cold voice from the main room. Xiao Xuanzi, who had been a little upset just now, cheered up and hurriedly answered, “Master, I’m coming in right away!”
In fact, he enjoyed worrying about his master. Didn’t it mean that his master trusted him?
When Shao Wanru returned to her courtyard, she saw that the door of the main room was open. As she expected, Shao Yanru had come back. She looked away calmly and went to the silence room with her maids.
As soon as she stepped onto the steps, she heard Shao Yanru’s voice from behind, “Where did you go, Fifth Sister?”
She turned around and saw Shao Yanru coming from the corridor with a smile.
“I went to room, where I lived before, and instructed Qing’er to bring the paintings left in the room here!” Shao Wanru stood still calmly, and said with a smile after Shao Yanru came over.
“Fifth Sister, can I have a look at your paintings?” Shao Yanru said with a smile.
Shao Wanru nodded and said, “Big Sister, please have a look after coming in and having a seat!”
After saying that, she walked into the silence room, followed by Shao Yanru. Qing’er gave the paintings to Yujie and left. Since she was an inferior maid, it was inappropriate for her to serve in the room.
“Yujie, present a painting to the First Miss so that she can make some comments!” Shao Wanru gave an order after sitting down.
Yujie drew out a painting at random and put it on the table. After that, she intended to take the other paintings away.
“Wait a moment!” Shao Yanru stopped Yujie, turned to Shao Wanru and said with a smile, “Fifth Sister, I heard that you are highly skilled in painting. Can I have a look at all your paintings? Maybe I can learn something from you!”
Shao Wanru sneered in her heart, knowing that Shao Yanru suspected her and wanted to take a look at all these paintings.
“Big Sister, I’m just an amateur not highly skilled in painting, and I drew them when I was at leisure. They can’t compare with the works of you and Pushan Nun. I felt quite regretful that I didn’t visit Pushan Nun with you. Otherwise, I might be able to ask her for a painting. Everyone in the Yuhui Nunnery knows that Pushan Nun does the best job in painting. As her apprentice, you must be outstanding in painting!”
Shao Wanru refused politely.
Qu Le served tea. Shao Wanru took a cup of tea, and waved to Yujie after taking a sip. Yujie left.
Shao Yanru had intended to keep Yujie here, but seeing Shao Wanru refuse tactfully, she knew that she could not make Yujie stay.
Shao Yanru pushed the tea cup away and spread the painting in her hand. It seemed to be a painting of the scenery outside the window. It showed a pleasant scene surrounded by mountains shrouded in clouds and mist layer upon layer.
Nevertheless, she was just impressed by the scenery at first glance, while the painting was actually not excellent. Was it drawn by Shao Wanru?
Shao Yanru raised the corners of her mouth silently. She had thought that Shao Wanru, who had occupied her silence room painstakingly, should excellent in painting, but now she found that Shao Wanru’s painting could only deceive some laymen and couldn’t even compare with those paintings sold on the street.
She had been suspicious of what had happened to the alb.u.m of paintings last time. Why was the stained painting as good as new? Could it be that someone copied it, took it down the mountain directly and had it bound in the alb.u.m overnight?
If it was true, the painting could only be drawn by Shao Wanru.
But now, she found Shao Wanru’s painting skills not presentable. Even with Pushan Nun’s painting as the model, she didn’t think that Shao Wanru could do a good job.
Shao Yanru was very confident about her painting skills, so she became increasingly disdainful of Shao Wanru’s painting. Nevertheless, she showed a kind smile, nodded repeatedly and said, “Sister, this painting is quite good, and the scenery in it seems to be lively. Such a painting can even be compared with a famous painter’s masterpiece. Why don’t you give it to grandma as a birthday gift?”
There was still some time before Old Madam’s birthday, which should come after Shao Wanru went down the mountain.
“Will grandma like it?” Shao Wanru asked, looking hesitant.
“Of course. Everyone likes such a masterpiece. If it’s known that it’s your work, people will definitely praise you for your filial piety.” Shao Yanru began to flatter Shao Wanru.
“Well, I’ll have it mounted before giving it to grandma!” Shao Wanru said softly with a sweet smile, looking extremely joyful. Approved by Shao Yanru, whose painting skills had always been praised, her painting was certainly good.
Seeing that Shao Wanru instructed Qu Le to take the painting away cautiously and said that she would have it mounted by a famous craftsman, Shao Yanru sneered in her heart. The more famous the craftsman was, the more disdainful people would be of Shao Wanru, an untalented Miss making use of her status to make a famous craftsman mount her terrible painting for the sake of a better reputation.
She would ask her grandma to hang the painting outside and show all the guests what a superficial idiot the Fifth Miss Shao was. Shao Wanru not only was an arrogant and untalented girl overrating her ability, but also made use of her status to make a famous craftsman mount her terrible painting. This was enough to make Shao Wanru a stepping stone for her.
She must be the only outstanding Miss of Duke Xing’s Mansion.
No one else could stand out.
She had intended to have a look at a few more paintings, but now Shao Wanru’s ordinary painting skills made her believe that there was nothing to worry about. It seemed to be someone else who had copied Pushan Nun’s painting, because Shao Wanru was obviously incapable of doing that. Thinking of this, she felt relieved.
She and Shao Wanru were born to be each other’s enemy!
She had considered Shao Wanru a great enemy in her life since she met Shao Wanru the first time.
She looked at Shao Wanru’s face with her eyes becoming gloomy. Shao Wanru’s face was as delicate as jade even with no makeup, and the kind of beauty made her uneasy.
Under Shao Wanru’s long and curly eyelashes, there was a pair of fluid eyes. Besides, her skin was as delicate as jade, and her lips were naturally red. When she looked at someone else, she exuded a trace of elegance and innocence as well as a kind of natural charm. Everything in front of Shao Yanru was reminding her that Shao Wanru was so ravis.h.i.+ng that she would definitely threaten her status as the first beauty.
Shao Yanru didn’t care about the empty reputation as the first beauty. Nevertheless, if it had an influence on her future, she must keep her reputation as the first beauty.
She clenched her fists in her sleeves, thinking that she probably should have ruin Shao Wanru’s face rather than her reputation. After ruining Shao Wanru’s face, she could ruin her reputation slowly and then trample on her…
“Big Sister, Big Sister…” Shao Wanru’s voice recalled her to herself. She hurriedly picked up the teacup beside her and took a sip in an affected way. However, she drank in a hurry, while the tea was still hot. Feeling a burning pain on her tongue, she screamed, and the tea cup in her hand fell heavily on the table and the tea was poured on her dress.
Shuqi hurried over to clean up her dress.
“Big Sister, your dress is wet!” Shao Wanru looked at the large wet part of her dress on her chest and reminded her.
“I’m so sorry that I messed up your room!” Feeling pain and finding herself in an embarra.s.sing situation, Shao Yanru stood up with Shuqi’s help, shook her clothes and said with affected composure.
“First Miss, your hand has been scalded!” Seeing a red mark on Shao Yanru’s white and tender hand, Shuqi said anxiously.
Shao Yanru raised her hand, only to feel a burning pain in her hand. There was a big red mark on her hand, and it seemed to be swollen.
“Big Sister, I’m afraid that you are going to get blisters on your hand!” Shao Wanru glanced at Shao Yanru’s hand and reminded her.
“I… I’ll apply ointment to it after returning!” Shao Yanru said with her face turning pale. She felt a burning pain in her hand, and the red mark was not small. She put down the cup in a hurry just now so that the hot water was poured on her hand.
“Big Sister, I have some ointment here…” Shao Wanru said with a smile.
“No, thanks. I also have some!” Shao Yanru said in a hurry, turned around and left with Shuqi. How dare she use Shao Wanru’s ointment?
After returning to her room, she sat down at the table and watched Shuqi clean up her wound, feeling angry and upset at the moment.
“Miss, we didn’t bring any ointment for scald. If it leaves a scar… what… should we do?” Shuqi said anxiously while cleaning up Shao Yanru’s wound.
“Go down the mountain immediately and go back to our mansion to ask for the best ointment from my mother!” Shao Yanru said with a cold look.
“Yes, I’ll go right away!” Shuqi put down the handkerchief, nodded, and was about to leave.
“Wait a minute, ask for two kinds of ointment from my mother. One of them should be the best, while the other… Tell my mother that Shao Wanru has also scalded her hand!” Shao Yanru called out to Shuqi and said after calming down.
“Okay, I got it!” Shuqi replied and left.
It became quiet in the room. Shao Yanru reached out to grab the handkerchief and pressed it on her wound with a hint of gloom across her eyes. Since she had scalded her hand, it might be an opportunity.
That face was really unpleasant to the eye, and she hated it a lot.
In the main room:
“Miss, are we really going to have the painting mounted and ask Great Elder Princess to hire a famous craftsman to do the job?” Yujie unfolded the painting in her hand and asked.
This painting was indeed drawn by Shao Wanru, but there were two paintings, which were almost the same. Even Yujie, who knew little about painting, knew that this painting was not good. Shao Wanru just drew the two paintings for fun and left them in the yard without bringing them over after finis.h.i.+ng them.
In fact, besides these two paintings, which were the same, there were a few more paintings in the same situation. Yujie didn’t know why her master made an ordinary copy after finis.h.i.+ng an excellent painting. When the First Miss requested to have a look at the paintings, Yujie received Shao Wanru’s hint and presented an ordinary one to the First Miss.
“Yes, I’ll have both of the paintings mounted by a famous craftsman!” Shao Wanru said casually. It was supposed to be a lurking move, which would not necessarily play its role. Back then, when she was painting, she had a sudden inspiration and drew several paintings and made a copy of each of them. However, the copy was ordinary, while the original painting was excellent.
This was a loophole she deliberately left for someone up to no good!
“Uh… Should I ask Qing’er to go down the mountain later?” Yujie asked hesitantly after nodding.