NCCnovel Chapter 313 Discovery
Chapter 313 Discovery
Chapter 313 Discovery
Chapter 313
After returning to the Hidden Dragon Division today, Ye Yunzhou reluctantly picked up the memorial and flipped through a few pages, but his concentration was so intense that he sat for half the night, unable to comprehend a single word. Finally, he simply dropped the memorial and walked out. Gazing at the bright moonlight, Ye Yunzhou wandered aimlessly through the capital. The city had long since been under curfew, and the night watchman's call sounded at three o'clock, but he paid no attention. Unknowingly, he had crossed half of the capital and arrived at the small courtyard he had visited during the day.
Almost instinctively, he stopped at the door. Staring at the red-lacquered wooden plaque that read "Luo's Residence," he lost himself in thought and, inwardly amused, hadn't expected to find himself here so rashly. He hesitated for a moment, looking at the vermilion gate, ready to turn back. But after a few steps, he stopped dead in his tracks.
He looked back at the small courtyard, which was now slightly hazy in the night. His mind told him that it was inappropriate to break into someone else's house in the middle of the night, but another voice in his heart said, it's okay, just go see her, and never alarm anyone.
A few breaths later, a dark figure leaped into the yard. The fragrance of peach blossoms, which had been smelt outside, was now even more intense inside the courtyard. The wind blew the petals around, causing them to dance in the air.
After Ye Yunzhou entered the courtyard, he originally wanted to just look outside the house, but when he reached the side room, he saw the woman he had been thinking about. She was sleeping soundly in her bedding, and the moonlight shone on her through the window. He didn't know if it was because of the lover's eyes that beauty is the most beautiful, but he just thought the woman in the bed was breathtakingly beautiful.
Suddenly, the woman on the bed whimpered and turned over, tucking most of the quilt under her in an extremely awkward position, leaving half of her thin nightgown exposed. A gust of wind blew in through the half-open window, and she frowned slightly. She tried to tuck herself in, but it was impossible to reach. Ye Yunzhou watched, his brows softening instantly, his annoyance seemingly dissipating. While the daytime was fine at this time of year, the cool night breeze still carried a slight chill. He stared at the woman inside, struggling to bury herself in the quilt, hesitated for a moment, and finally leaped into the house.
Once inside, he tried to restrain his gaze, avoiding any inappropriate glances. Instead, he tugged at the corner of the quilt, attempting to pull it out from under her and smooth it out. However, the quilt was so tightly pressed that he couldn't pull it out if he didn't use enough force. If he used too much force, he was afraid of waking her from her deep sleep. After much hesitation, he finally rolled her onto the bed, letting go of the quilt. As he bent down again to smooth it over her, he realized that as he tucked the corner of the quilt under her neck, the sleeping woman, as if instinctively, reached out and grasped his hand.
Ye Yunzhou was horrified. This man, who had always been fearless and had dared to single-handedly enter the enemy camp, now dared not even breathe. His heart was pounding, and he was torn between two things. He was afraid she would wake up and discover he had barged into her bedroom in the middle of the night, and misunderstand him. But he also vaguely hoped that she would realize it was him and forgive his abruptness. But to his surprise, the woman simply held his hand and made no further move, seemingly falling asleep again.
Ye Yunzhou felt a mixture of emotions, a mix of relief and disappointment. Since the woman was already asleep, he couldn't bring himself to wake her. He remained bent over, his gaze fixed greedily on her face. After a long moment, he gently pulled his hand away. He turned and leaped out the window, not forgetting to close it securely.
After a long while, the woman on the bed opened her eyes and turned to look towards the window, with no trace of sleepiness in her eyes.
After dinner, Luo Shuiyao, considering everyone's exhaustion over the past two days, decided to get them some rest. In the afternoon, the weather was quite hot and humid, so she opened the window a little to get some fresh air. Then she went to bed and fell asleep. Perhaps due to the strong wind at night, the slightly open window blew even wider.
She was indeed in a state of half-sleep and half-wakefulness when the cold wind hit her. She wanted to reach out and cover herself with the quilt, but she was in such a deep sleep that she couldn't wake up. She just moved subconsciously. When Ye Yunzhou turned her over, although he tried to move gently, she was not completely unconscious and subconsciously wanted to grab the person's hand. But just as she opened her eyes slightly and before she could make a sound, she smelled a familiar smell and knew who the person was almost instantly. She thought about it and decided to wait and see what he was going to do. But she didn't expect that this person stared at her for a long time, just covered her with the quilt, closed the window and left.
Seeing this, Ye Yunzhou hadn't noticed she was awake. She secretly thanked him for rolling her to the inside of the bed, where the curtains obscured the darkness. Perhaps he was distracted at the time, not noticing the sudden burst of cold sweat on her. Despite this thought, she lay in bed completely unaware of sleep, remaining awake until dawn.
.........
Early in the morning, after Chun Xing helped herself and Nanny Zhang dress up, she went to the kitchen to prepare some food. Now that they were the only ones in the yard, and Chun Tao had gone to Qingyu Tower, it was most appropriate for her to prepare breakfast. Unexpectedly, as soon as she walked to the kitchen door, she saw Luo Shuiyao already in the kitchen. The air was filled with a sweet smell, and Chun Xing walked quickly into the kitchen. Sure enough, on the kitchen table were cooked rice porridge, baked cakes, and two light side dishes. "Miss, why don't you take a rest? This breakfast should be made by me."
Luo Shuiyao heard the voice, turned around and glanced at him, smiled nonchalantly and said, "It's okay, there are only a few of us in the yard, I got up early today, so I did it."
As she spoke, she deftly placed the last pancake on the plate. "Take some to Aunt Zhang quickly. I'll take the rest to the dining hall. Come back soon and eat with me."
"Okay, miss, I'll go right away." Seeing Luo Shuiyao busy, Chun Xing felt distressed and moved. She quickly agreed after hearing that, and then quickly picked up some of the food and walked quickly towards Aunt Zhang's room.
Luo Shuiyao paid no attention to her and carried the food to the dining hall in two batches. This dining hall was countless times smaller than the one in the Marquis's mansion, but precisely because of this, it felt even more cozy. Luo Shuiyao laid out the food one by one, carefully adjusting the position of the bowls and chopsticks, and waited quietly for Chun Xing to arrive.
Chun Xing, perhaps remembering Luo Shuiyao was still waiting for her, swiftly served Nanny Zhang and quickly arrived at the dining hall. Unlike back in the Marquis's residence, the master and servant didn't have to follow the strict rules of hierarchy. They quietly finished their breakfast and left together.
Last night, when Luo Shuiyao couldn't sleep, she carefully considered her upcoming itinerary. This morning, she woke up early and planned to visit the Osmanthus Academy. Osmanthus Academy is the courtyard Fang Yueniang had previously purchased. She had now also purchased the adjacent courtyard, connecting the two and renovating them to create several buildings. There had originally been a group of children there, all of whom had gone to work at the Qingyu Tower. Later, Fang Yueniang wrote to inquire about the specifics of the matter. Luo Shuiyao had Yang Wei conduct a survey and arrange for all the children of retired veterans who agreed to join the program. Regardless of gender, they could all learn Yiwen, literacy, and arithmetic.
However, private schools in the Zhou Dynasty had to apply for registration with the government. As a result, Guihua Academy became a legitimate small academy. Although called an academy, it was actually a private school, and naturally smaller than those of formal academies. Nearby residents could often hear the sound of students reading inside, and with the presence of people like Wang Gouzi, the academy spread the word that the academy only required a monthly payment of three copper coins to support their children's education, without having to purchase separate pens, inkstones, and paper. Families who loved their children sent them to the academy, and the academy flourished.
Since the academy opened, Luo Shuiyao hadn't found a chance to visit it in person. Unlike back home, she had to report any trips to the Marquis's residence. She'd been thinking about this for a long time, and now, finally having the chance, she decided to come and see how the academy was doing. Before she even reached the door, she could hear the sound of children reading aloud from afar. The childish voices brightened and enlivened the morning air. Fortunately, the academy was located in a remote area, otherwise the sounds of reading would have been considered disturbing.
Chun Xing walked to the door and knocked on it. The door opened. A one-armed man opened the door. When he saw Chun Xing, his eyes lit up and he said, "Miss Chun Xing, how come you have time to come here today?"
Chun Xing smiled. She had been here a few times since the academy opened, so she was familiar with the big man. She also understood that he was joking, so she just smiled and said, "Why, Brother Huzi doesn't want me to come?"
"how could be!"
Hu Zi scratched his head shyly, his gaze passing Chun Xing until he spotted the graceful woman standing behind her, wearing a veil. He paused for a moment, then, after a moment's reflection, guessed something. He quickly opened the door to let the two in, then closed it behind him, shouting, "A distinguished guest!"
After Luo Shuiyao entered, her eyes swept across the courtyard, and her vision suddenly brightened. This place was originally a partition wall between two courtyards. The door from the outside looked small, but the interior was actually very spacious. The gate looked simple, and the walls looked old, but the interior was a different world. The rows of renovated houses were arranged in a triangular shape. Although they were not blue brick and tile houses, they were much better than many other houses.
Hu Zi shouted, and seeing that no one came out, he said awkwardly, "I'll go in and find the dean." After that, he glanced at Luo Shuiyao and the other two, then walked quickly inside.
Luo Shuiyao watched Hu Zi's hurried, slightly embarrassed back, but she didn't blame him for his rudeness. In her previous life, when she met a high-ranking official, her behavior wasn't much better than Hu Zi's. Then, she looked at Chun Xing, who understood her meaning and stepped forward to lead the way. The two of them walked towards a room in the middle.
It was morning reading time. As the saying goes, children from poor families grow up early, and these children, given the opportunity to study, were all extremely enthusiastic. At first, they needed someone to supervise them, but now they were very self-disciplined. Yu Xiu, the teacher in charge, and the other teachers were gathered here, discussing the next steps for the children's studies.
Among these teachers, Yu Xiu was the only other female teacher, and her subject was chess. In that era, women from ordinary families were still a minority, and most education was provided by men. Initially, when these male teachers were hired, they were dissatisfied when they learned that the principal was a woman like Yu Xiu. They held the view that women should stay at home to take care of their husbands and children, and should not bear the heavy responsibility of teaching and educating others.
Yu Xiu, despite her delicate appearance, possessed a strong heart. Sensing the male teachers' dissatisfaction, she publicly challenged them in front of the students. After a series of duels, the male teachers were found to be inferior to Yu Xiu in both knowledge and ingenuity, leading to their reluctant acceptance of her as dean. After spending time together, the teachers were captivated by her vast knowledge and exceptional abilities, and now willingly accepted her as their leader.
When she heard Hu Zi's panicked shout, Yu Xiu raised her hand to stop the discussion, stood up and went to greet him. When she heard that it was the young lady who came, Yu Xiu was slightly stunned, and then hurried out to greet her.
The other teachers looked at each other, curious about this almost legendary young lady. After a glance, they followed Yu Xiu out to find out. As soon as Yu Xiu stepped out of the room, she bumped into Chun Xing. She didn't care about Chun Xing, but immediately looked back and saw the woman standing not far away. Yu Xiu couldn't help but feel a little dazed. She hadn't even spent as much time with Luo Shuiyao as she had with Chun Xing. But she always remembered that it was this seemingly delicate and fragile woman who gave her the courage to survive.
Yu Xiu's eyes moistened slightly, and she subconsciously wanted to bow, but Luo Shuiyao held out her hand and helped her up. "You're the dean now, in charge of so many people, so don't be so polite. We can just treat each other as peers."
Yu Xiu's eyes were filled with tears. She pursed her lips, nodded vigorously, and said with a slightly choked voice, "Yes, Miss."
Luo Shuiyao pretended to be angry and scolded: "Look at you, I just said that we are friends of the same generation, why are you still calling me Miss? Just call me by my name."
Yu Xiu was not a pedantic person, so she burst into laughter and said, "Okay."
After calming down for a few breaths, Yu Xiucai asked, "Yaoyao, how come you have time to come here today?"
It wasn't that Yu Xiu was overly curious; rather, since the academy officially began operations, she had repeatedly invited Luo Shuiyao to come inspect the results, but she had always declined in her letters. Yu Xiu had assumed that Luo Shuiyao wasn't available, so she hadn't pushed her. But she hadn't expected her to suddenly visit today.
Luo Shuiyao smiled and said, "I've almost finished my work. I came here today as you invited me to because I'm free. Did I disturb you?"
"Of course not. We're currently discussing how to improve things. These children, while not particularly gifted, are hardworking and have essentially mastered the teaching plan we developed earlier. So, we're considering how to proceed with the program. I was planning to send you a message after the discussion, but I didn't expect you to show up in person."