At this time, Huan Jiulang stroked his throat and wryly smiled at Wang Hong. “Just a stare from your woman has given me cold sweat. My throat feels so sore that I think I’m going to die.”
“Isn’t this great?!” Yu Zhi merrily interjected. “Whenever the ladies saw sickly you, they always spoke flowery words. It’s not often a lady can make you so terrified. What a pleasant turn of events.”
Wang Hong smiled at Yu Zhi’s loud exclamation. Under the sunlight, his eyes twinkled like the clearest and deepest jewels. “She’s already reined her temper, you know.” His gentle and mild voice had sounded very sure.
Chen Rong whipped around to look at Wang Hong.
Huan Jiulang cried in objection as he repeatedly asked, “Do you still want so crude a woman, Qilang?”
Wang Qilang didn’t have a chance to answer. An older scholar, who had been stroking his zither at the stern of the boat, slowly rested his hands with a sigh and said, “Just as the young lady said, her station is humble and her demeanors are inferior to everyone else’s. If she didn’t arm herself with savageness, she’d be trampled on by other people. Qilang, she’s just like us. She, too, has quite a personality. She may be feral, but that can be tempered.”
He had used a light tone to say these joking words. Once more, waves of laughter simultaneously rang forth.
The older scholar then glanced at Chen Sanlang who stood to the left of Chen Rong, frowned, flapped his long sleeves and said, “Whence hath the foul one come? Leave us. Don’t stand here and damper our mood.”
He was rather unceremonious with his words.
Chen Sanlang never thought he’d be snubbed after uttering only one line. His pale face momentarily flushed red. Not knowing what to say, he reluctantly smiled and bowed to the older scholar, explaining himself: “Lord Xie, do overlook my blunder.”
The scholar surnamed Xie did not care to give him a glance.
None of the people here had given Chen Sanlang a glance.
He stiffly turned to Chen Rong.
At this time, Chen Rong gave him a curtsy and quietly said, “Third brother, go on ahead.”
Seeing that she was willing to acknowledge him and thereby saving his face, he quickly replied, “Alright, I’ll go on ahead.”
Huan Jiulang gave a sigh the moment he left. “You may be a fascinating person, miss, but you nevertheless can’t help being common in the end!”
“How can I relieve myself from the common ways when I’m in someone else’s domain?” Chen Rong lightly replied without looking back. “As long as I’m true to myself, why must I care?”
Her response was rather cutting. Huan Jiulang paused and then instantly laughed out loud.
Chen Rong felt more at ease when she heard his laughter, for she knew she had passed the first hurdle. Everyone in front of her was a distinguished member of the literati. For them, there was only one type of person worthy of respect, and that was a genuine person. Always better a genuine knave than a dishonest gentleman.