Chapter 5 - 3 Serving Tea
The next morning, Sang Wan was awakened by Shi Fengju.
It was not her fault. After marrying into the Shi family in her past life, she was soon sidelined and neglected. Her mother-in-law detested her, why would she need Sang Wan's formal greetings or services? As such, she had little sense of time! Her days were spent idly eating, daydreaming, or sulking, no one cared for her.
"Hmm?" Sang Wan rubbed her soporific eyes and looked puzzledly at Shi Fengju. The warm air from the brocade quilt imbued her pale cheeks with a flush of pink. A subtle, faintly alluring fragrance enveloped him.
"Get up quickly; the maids and older women will be coming in soon!" Shi Fengju was almost exasperated, gazing at Sang Wan discontentedly. Yet, seeing her in this state, he could not help but soften.
Sang Wan jumped up in a startle, hastily picking up the white ceremonial handkerchief thrown casually to one side and said awkwardly, "This, this--how should we handle it?"
Shi Fengju was also embarrassed, he scratched his nose, clenched his teeth, and silently fetched a sharp gold hairpin inlaid with ruby tassels from the dressing table. He pricked his middle finger and let drop his fresh blood on the handkerchief. In an instant, vivid red spots bloomed on the white handkerchief like a cluster of begonias, radiating in stark contrast to the white fabric.
"Enough! Enough!" Seeing Shi Fengju continuously dripping his blood onto the cloth as if in a daze, Sang Wan hurriedly snatched the handkerchief away. Bloodying the cloth was all that was necessary, there was no need to kill a chicken! What was he thinking, dyeing cloth?
Shi Fengju's face grew hot, and he did not dare meet her gaze. It was an awkward predicament.
"You, hurry down, soon we have to serve tea and pay respects to mother and the aunts!" Shi Fengju coughed, attempting to shift the awkward atmosphere. He succeeded, just as he finished speaking, there came the sound of knocking at the door supplemented with the calls of "Young master, Mistress".
Both heaved a sigh of relief secretly.