nycdaug Chapter 204 Puppet
Chapter 204 Puppet
He paused here, as if he had made up his mind, and continued, "If you haven't been taken as a concubine by the young master, there might be other people who dare to take you as a concubine. Now...even if you want to marry someone who has been favored by the young master, who in the mansion would dare to take you? But then again, I see that the young master treats you very well on weekdays. He will never let you go down these two paths. You'd be better off being his concubine."
As I listened to him talk on and on, my heart grew colder and colder and sank deeper and deeper.
He looked at my face and said carefully, "Miss, you are always nice to me. I treat you as my sister, so I said so much. To be honest, when I went to the young master's place before, I happened to hear Mao Zhu in his courtyard whispering with another maid. Mao Zhu had been deflowered by the young master a long time ago, and all the old people in the mansion knew about it. She said that she had always been afraid that the young master would marry a jealous and powerful young lady. Now it's good. Lan Mei has no family, and she won't bring a maid with her. She is also a maid who can understand her situation, so she is no longer afraid that the new daughter-in-law will sell her to a trafficker when she comes in. Don't you think our situation is a hundred times better than hers? Why do you have to seek that hardship? Isn't it good to wait to be the young master's concubine? You can buy anything, eat anything, and wear anything. The young master has a good appearance and a good personality. He is proficient in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, and he is gentle and caring for you. Where can you find such a good husband?"
My heart was pounding, my hands and feet were a little weak, and I forced a smile to him: "Thank you for saying this, I'll think about it later."
Rui Yang smiled again: "Really? Sister, listen to me. Just stay in our house quietly. The young master can't leave you, and you can't leave him either, right?!"
My vision went blank and I held on weakly by the back of a chair.
He hurried forward and asked with concern: "What's wrong with the girl? Is the drug reaction too strong?"
I waved my hand: "It's okay, maybe I was in a hurry to pack my things just now, and I didn't eat anything, so I feel a little dizzy now."
Ruiyang quickly poured me a cup of tea and said, "Girl, have some tea. Oh, you see, I can't go out yet, otherwise I'll go find some cakes and pastries for you!"
I drank the tea in the cup in one gulp and said, "It's okay, I'll just go get something to eat later. Don't worry."
He still looked at me with worried eyes, and said, "Girl, take your time before leaving. Don't rush."
I wanted to leave the room immediately to get some fresh air, so I said "hmm", slowly stood up and walked towards the door.
After I went out, as if leaving behind everything that was upsetting me, I looked up at the blue sky above the yard, took a deep breath of the fresh air, and felt that the boredom and congestion in my chest were relieved a little, then I slowly walked down the stairs.
I went back to my room and ate something without any appetite. The panic and weakness I had felt at that time gradually disappeared, leaving only a slight feeling of powerlessness.
Thinking about what I just heard, my nose felt sore and tears started to fall.
Yes, I didn't come here to be his concubine. I just realized that I had become accustomed to my daily life and was busy dealing with various emergencies every day. I never thought about what to do in the future.
I miss home more than ever before. Although I used to be dazed in the middle of the night, groping under the pillow for my cell phone, or dreaming about my parents and friends, and feeling lost when I woke up, no matter how late I slept at night, I would get up early the next day at dawn and force myself to put them behind me for the time being.
Xiao Wei opened the door and came in. She was startled to see me crying. She hurried over and patted my back, asking, "Sister, what's wrong with you?!"
I raised my hand to wipe away my tears, shook my head and replied, "I'm fine."
She rolled her eyes and said, "I know! Are you thinking about the young master? I just met Brother Ruofeng and he told me everything. It's okay, he will be back in a while. This time he will definitely be back faster than the last time he went to Haoling! There is no need to worry about him getting sick and being in danger of his life. Sister, you can relax!"
I nodded, with so many things on my mind, so many thoughts, that I couldn't express them in words.
She handed me a long list and said, "Brother Ruofeng said that Master Chunming and he have already prepared a gift list, and they will send one to you. They will buy all the gifts after Butler Hu has looked at it, and then copy a complete list for you to see when you return home. There is also a guest list. Ruofeng said that you probably can't remember many people, so you won't see it for now. They will go and invite them after they finish writing it." After that, she put her hands on my shoulders and continued, "Sister, cheer up! There are all kinds of things waiting for you in this courtyard. Since the young master is not here, we have to do everything properly!"
I was glad that she was by my side at this moment, able to pull me out of the mire of sadness. Patting her hand, I replied, "I know, don't worry, I was just emotional for a moment and couldn't control myself. I'll stand up right away!"
She smiled and said, "That's more like a sister! If you need us to do anything, just ask us!"
I burst into laughter and said, "I see. I will definitely have to order you around!"
I stayed in the room with her for the whole afternoon. I asked her questions according to the list of items and learned about the wedding process in general. However, she had never seen it before and she had mostly heard the old lady tell her stories. I still needed to ask others for the details.
As we were chatting, there were three knocks on the door. I went to open the door and saw Jingye standing outside. She whispered to me, "Do you have time? Come with me to see the puppets."
I nodded, told Xiaowei to put the list away, and followed Jingye to Tu Shanjing's room.
Entering the room, I saw a simple light brown wooden box on the table. Jingye nodded at me and said, "I guess you forgot how to use this puppet, so I'll teach you. Open it like this, then press here, and input some spiritual power into it, and it will transform into the appearance of the young master."
After that, she practiced it for a while. I saw that after she lost her spiritual power, the light in the wooden box gradually became brighter. Not long after, a tall and graceful person walked out of the light.
With a jade-like face, red lips and an elegant figure, she looks exactly like Tushan Jing.
When I saw him at this moment, I felt not only happy but also a little sad.
He turned his head towards Jingye and me, bowed, and said, "Girls, long time no see."
This puppet not only looks like Tu Shan Jing, but also has similar movements and voices, except that it lacks a bit of Tu Shan Jing's gentle temperament and is more cold and distant. However, Tu Shan Jing is not as relaxed with outsiders as he is with us, so ordinary people can't see any flaws.
Jingye pulled me aside and returned the greeting, then told me his mission in this way.
He nodded and said, "I understand. Don't worry, girls. It sounds like a simple task."
Jingye smiled and said, "Yes, so you just hang around every morning, noon and night, and go back to this box at night. Anyway, we take turns to be on duty here every night, and someone will call you out the next day."
The puppet also smiled: "That's great."
Jingye turned to me and said, "We have to activate this puppet to come out, but he can go back by himself to avoid any emergencies. When you want him to go back, just tell him yourself."
I nodded, thinking that this design was very user-friendly, saving me from having to press the button again and input spiritual energy.
In the days that followed, I lived a busy and empty life. I was busy with the preparations for Tushan Hou's wedding, big and small, and accompanying that puppet pretending to be Tushan Jing to perform the Empty City Strategy.
It was Tu Shanjing, a person I was not familiar with, who was very polite and cold to me.
Her eyes and eyebrows were still the same, but there was no visible joy and happiness when she saw me. Her voice was still the same, but when she called my name, it was cold and indifferent, without the gentle ups and downs of her tone.
I just looked at him who was far away in the horizon and yet so close in front of me. I missed him and wanted to see him but I couldn't see him. I drank his sincerity to quench my thirst and immersed myself in a pool of sour cold spring, floating up and down, with the bright moon in the sky reflected in my mind.
The real Tu Shan Jing would write a letter every few days, as if he had plenty of time on the road.
Gradually I became familiar with the puppet, he talked more and sometimes even told me jokes.
At this moment, I seemed to see the real Tu Shan Jing through his smile, and I couldn't help but be distracted.