Yin Funiu picked up the explanations from the four individuals and casually flipped through them, saying:
"Hmm... Not bad, the explanations are quite accurate. It seems your foundation is good."
When she flipped to Nian Jiaojiao's paper, she paused.
"Huh? Your calligraphy style..."
Nian Jiaojiao was currently writing in the Yan style, but this style had never appeared in the Great Yue Dynasty.
After practicing calligraphy for so long, Nian Jiaojiao's Yan style had begun to take shape, subtly revealing a certain character.
Without showing any emotion, Funiu took Nian Jiaojiao's two draft papers and returned to the lecture hall.
Nian Jiaojiao opened her mouth, but no words came out.
Funiu, my paper hasn't been returned yet...
Needless to say, Nian Jiaojiao's calligraphy was somewhat special, and the students in Class Seven Yellow had all noticed.
Qi Qinghe looked at Nian Jiaojiao with a more complex and vigilant gaze.
Because of her calligraphy, Funiu thought highly of Nian Jiaojiao, frequently calling on Nian Jiaojiao to answer questions during class. Nian Jiaojiao answered fluently, leaving a good impression on Funiu once again.
In the following days, Madam Gao showed Nian Jiaojiao particular care, even giving her extra lessons after class, which led to Nian Jiaojiao's rapid progress.
Dormitory.
"Jiaojiao, you're amazing! That's Madam Gao, and her amiable attitude towards you is almost unrecognizable!"
Tong Fu lay on the bed, swinging her legs, her hands supporting her chin, looking at Nian Jiaojiao with adoration.
Nian Jiaojiao smiled and brushed it off.
Tong Fu tilted her head and continued,
"Did you know Zhang Jing before?"
"What's wrong?"
"Um... I notice she looks at you like she hates you every time, especially when Madam Gao calls for you. Her eyes look like she wants to eat you alive!"
Nian Jiaojiao said calmly,
"We've met a couple of times, we had a small disagreement."
Tong Fu changed her posture and sat cross-legged, "Since that's the case, we need to be careful. Small people are hard to guard against."
Although Tong Fu appeared carefree, she came from a merchant family and had seen her fair share of underhanded tactics.
Nian Jiaojiao agreed with Tong Fu's words. In fact, she had always been wary of Zhang Jing and the others.
They skipped the topic. Tong Fu suddenly said,
"By the way, my third brother is also here. When we have a break, we can go out and play together."
Nian Jiaojiao was confused,
"Why is Tong Ziyao also in Fengcheng?"
"Accompanying me."
"Accompanying who?"
Nian Jiaojiao's mind couldn't quite grasp it. If it was to accompany Tong Fu, Tong Fu was living with her now, so what kind of accompaniment was that?
As expected, Tong Fu said matter-of-factly, "Of course, to accompany me!"
"Then where does he live?"
"Hmm... He rented a small courtyard near the academy. Hehe, when we have time, we can visit my third brother's place."
Nian Jiaojiao: "Is it safe for a man to live alone outside?"
Tong Ziyao was her friend's brother, and Nian Jiaojiao had met him a few times, leaving a good impression. Naturally, Nian Jiaojiao didn't want anything to happen to him.
Tong Fu shook her head,
"Don't worry about it a million times over. My brother has several servants taking care of him. He's much more comfortable than us!"
Nian Jiaojiao didn't ask further.
Although she was a little curious why Tong Ziyao would rather "accompany" outside than stay at home, it might involve other people's privacy, so Nian Jiaojiao didn't press further.
...
Shanshui Town.
Rongwan Lane.
The Nian Family.
Nian Jiaojiao's four husbands sat idly in the courtyard.
Xuan Yi, since he wasn't going hunting, helped Xingyun with household chores every day.
However, with Nian Jiaojiao not at home, everything was kept simple, and there wasn't much work to do.
As a result, in less than a month, everyone had completely fallen into a state of sloth.
"Third Brother, how are your eyes?"
Hearing Xingyun's question, Nan Qing paused his action of rubbing the wooden hairpin. After a while, he said,
"There's some effect."
"Really? That's great! I'll go buy pig liver right away, no, buy more pig liver! From now on, our pig liver portions will be doubled!"
Nan Qing's spine stiffened.
It was precisely because he was worried about this that he hesitated repeatedly and didn't want to reveal the truth.
At this moment, Xuan Yi also stood up.
"Third Brother, I'll go with you."
Although he was also tired of eating pig liver, nothing was more important than his second brother's eyes right now.
And so, the two brothers went out together.
However, they did not expect that this outing would bring them a fatal disaster.
...
Spring.
The breeze was gentle, a perfect day for an outing.
Coincidentally, there was a two-day break. Nian Jiaojiao and Tong Fu's siblings planned to go on a spring outing to the outskirts of Fengcheng.
As Nian Jiaojiao and Tong Fu just stepped out of the dormitory, they saw a student excitedly rush into the courtyard shouting,
"Bad news! Something happened! Something big has happened!"
Nian Jiaojiao: ...
Looking at your excited expression, I can't see where anything is wrong...
A few acquaintances of the student quickly surrounded him, clearly unwilling to miss out on this gossip opportunity.
"Xin Lian, what happened again? Tell us quickly."
"Yes, yes."
Speaking of Xin Lian, she could truly be called the "Gossip Girl" of Great Yue.
In the short month since Nian Jiaojiao arrived, she had heard no less than dozens of news items from her.
"This news cannot be compared to the previous ones, and I saw it with my own eyes! But..." Xin Lian looked mysterious, even piquing Nian Jiaojiao's curiosity.
"But what? Tell us quickly!" others urged.
"But... cough, cough, I'm a little thirsty right now..."
"Tch~~"
Xin Lian's words drew a chorus of boos, followed by a few playful scolds, but someone resourceful still handed her water.
After moistening her throat, Xin Lian said,
"Do you know? Zhang Jing from our class rented a courtyard outside the academy and is keeping a man."
Nian Jiaojiao and Tong Fu exchanged a glance, then smiled, found a seat, and adjusted their postures to seriously enjoy the gossip.
Xin Lian continued,
"Originally, this 'green sleeves and fragrant company' was a good thing. But I don't know what madness possessed Zhang Jing. She entered the courtyard and started arguing with the man. Later, the man shouted for help, which attracted people from outside."
At this point, Xin Lian seemed a little proud.
"Hehe, I happened to have a courtyard right next to Zhang Jing's, so naturally, I went to join in the fun."
Xin Lian's words were met with disdain by everyone.
This girl was showing off her property again.
Xin Lian chuckled, unfazed by their attitude. She imitated the scene at the time, grabbing her own neck and saying,
"As soon as I entered the door, I saw Zhang Jing with a furious expression, strangling the man's neck, looking like she wanted to kill him on the spot. Ugh... It scared me to death."
After speaking, Xin Lian patted her chest.
Everyone heard this and exclaimed,
"I wouldn't have thought it. Zhang Jing looks so refined and cultured normally."
"No, no, no, I've found her displeasing for a long time. She looks like an extreme person, and such people usually hide very deeply."
Hearing this, Nian Jiaojiao secretly shook her head.
Zhang Jing's reputation was ruined.