High-class maid

Song Wenyang pinched the bridge of his nose and asked, "How's the weather today?"

The pageboy glanced outside and said, "Young master, the sun is shining brightly today, and there's a gentle breeze. Many people are carrying baskets up the mountain."

"I've been here for so long, and I haven't even seen the sights of Nanjing yet. I'm not going to read today. Get ready and come with me for a stroll."

Song Wenyang placed the book in his hand on the table and said to the pageboy.

The page was delighted to hear this and said, "Young master, you've finally decided to go out. I was worried you'd get so engrossed in your books that you lost yourself in them."

Song Wenyang glared at him, then pursed her lips helplessly and said, "I entered Xuehaitang late to begin with. If I don't study hard now, how will I ever pass the imperial examinations?"

The page scratched his head and muttered softly, "But your writing has always been praised by the Master. I think you should try to balance work and rest."

"Alright, stop being so sarcastic. Bring me a basin of water so I can wash my hands."

Meanwhile, Jiang Huang, the son of Granny Jiang, was strolling along the riverbank, whistling and holding a folding fan. His eyes darted around, searching for what appeared to be a family of three from the capital.

"Mother, this place is truly beautiful! I've never seen such an exquisite little boat before," Shen Xing'er exclaimed, looking at the scenery before her.

“Yes, this place is getting more and more beautiful now. When I came here a few years ago, none of this was here.” Wang turned around, looked around, and sighed.

"Have you been here before?" Shen Xing'er asked curiously.

“My mother and Madam came here before. Back then, the river hadn’t been developed yet, and it was surrounded by railings.”

"Are you three from the capital?" the boatman in charge of collecting the money asked.

"Indeed, how did you know?" Wang asked.

"Haha, I spent some time in the capital when I was young, so I can recognize the accent there," the merchant said proudly, stroking his beard.

"I see, we do have some accents, but you're the first to notice," said Madam Wang.

"Haha, I'm sorry for my poor eyesight. The fabric you three are wearing is not available in Jinling City, which is why I asked earlier."

"Grandpa is so meticulous, I admire you so much," Shen Xing'er said playfully, cupping her hands in praise.

Her action caused everyone to burst into laughter, and the boatman even gave them a pastry.

Shen Kun paid the silver, and the family of three boarded the small boat.

Their conversation was overheard by Jiang Huang, who happened to be walking by. He only glanced at Shen Xing'er before he was captivated by her.

The girl was wearing a pale yellow crescent-shaped phoenix-tail skirt and a matching peacock-patterned brocade robe. She also wore a complete set of white jade jewelry, making her look like a wealthy young lady.

The sunlight fell directly on Shen Xing'er's high, straight nose. Jiang Huang looked down along the bridge of her nose and saw a small, delicate cherry-like mouth, which made him unconsciously swallow.

"Could this be the Shen Xing'er that Mother mentioned? But isn't Shen Xing'er only thirteen years old? The girl in front of me looks like she's fifteen or sixteen." Jiang Huang muttered to himself.

It's no wonder he had such questions. Shen Xing'er was eating too well. She was fed by Granny Zhou at the mansion and by Madam Wang at home. In the year since she transmigrated into the book, she not only didn't gain weight, but she actually grew taller.

This made Shan Tao extremely envious, and she laughed at her, saying that she wasn't eating food, but dew.

"Xing'er, slow down." Just as Jiang Huang hesitated, Shen Kun's voice came.

So she really was Shen Xing'er. She didn't seem like a maid at all. Jiang Huang looked at her with a sly smile, and for a moment he thought that his mother sending him to seduce Shen Xing'er wasn't such a bad job after all.

"Boss, I want a boat too." Jiang Huang waved his hand and chartered a boat as well.

"Alright, sir, would you like to order some riverboat girls?"

Because Jiang Huang often chartered a boat for sightseeing, sometimes ordering one female boatman, sometimes several, and he wouldn't allow anyone to call him "little brother," only "young master," the boatman had a deep impression of him.

"What are you talking about? What is a riverboat girl? I'm just someone who enjoys playing the zither, chess, and pipa." Jiang Huang glared at the boatman, opened his fan, and walked up to the boat with what he considered to be a dashing and debonair air.

The boatman shook his head speechlessly, assuming he was up to something again.

Song Wenyang finished packing and left the inn with his page.

"Young master, where are we going? I'd like to inform the coachman," the page asked.

"Whatever, you travel a lot, so you probably know where to go for fun." Song Wenyang threw the question back at him.

"Then why don't we go up the mountain? I've heard that many scholars go there to compose poems," the page asked tentatively.

"It's too far, I'm not going."

"How about we go to the teahouse? I heard they have painting competitions every day, and the winner gets ten taels of silver," the page said enthusiastically.

"Does your young master look like someone who's short of ten taels of silver? He's not going."

The pageboy pouted and said, "It's not like I'm asking you to win money. Why don't you go to the chess hall? Didn't you just read a new chess manual? You can give it a try."

"It's too noisy, I'm not going."

"Why don't we go to the river? We can charter a small boat and enjoy the scenery of Jinling City along the way. They even provide lunch. You can read or paint on the boat. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"Alright then, let's go there then," Song Wenyang said reluctantly.

"Don't you want to go? Perhaps I should think about it some more. It's not easy to get out here, so we should make sure you have a great time." Seeing his reluctant expression, the page was afraid that Song Wenyang wouldn't want to go out.

"No, it's already impressive that you know so many places. Let's go to the river you mentioned."

"Young master, you are so kind," the page said, moved.

At this moment, the boat on the river docked at the bank, and the boatman introduced them to the situation.

"Sir, these are the famous marriage trees of our Jinling City. Legend has it that these two trees were planted by the Old Man Under the Moon in the sky a hundred years ago. It is said that those who worship them will have a good marriage."

Shen Xing'er saw two trees intertwined on the shore, which indeed looked like two lovers embracing.

"So that's the story behind it! Husband, let's take Xing'er to pray for a good marriage for our daughter." Madam Wang couldn't wait any longer and lifted her skirt to go downstairs.

"Madam, wait a minute. We have red cloths on our ship that have been blessed at a temple. Tying them on will make them even more effective. They're only one tael of silver. Would you like one?"

"I asked the boatman."

"Give me one, give me one, I almost forgot." Wang didn't haggle and took out her purse to get the money.

Shen Xing'er sighed, realizing there was such a thing as bundled sales. She wondered why the boatman was so kind as to stop at the shore to explain things to them.

“Young lady, you are from the capital. Look at the fabric you are wearing; we don’t have that kind of fabric in Jinling City.”

Jiang Huang arrived at some point, holding a fan and tilting his head slightly, like a peacock spreading its tail feathers.

Shen Xing'er felt offended and thought to herself, "Where did this peacock man come from?" But she didn't show it on her face and just nodded without saying anything more.

"This is a marriage tree. Young lady, are you here to pray for a good marriage?" Huang Jiang moved closer to Shen Xing'er, seeing that her parents were not nearby.

Shen Xing'er took a step back imperceptibly, gave him a polite smile, and turned to go to the other side.