Chapter 36

Chapter 36

The next day, before dawn, I was jolted awake by the sound of firecrackers. New Year’s Eve was still some time away, so I tried to roll over and go back to sleep, but a restless hand was pinching and kneading my cheek.

I opened my eyes to see Cui Shao.

“What is it? I want to sleep a bit longer.”

He looked at me, his voice soft and tender. “Yu, it’s time to go home.”

We moved into the Chief Grand Secretary’s Mansion, which was also the new Cui Mansion. it was even more grand and imposing than the original one.

The day we moved into our new home, Cui Zishu’s eyes went wide with shock.

“Brother, you really kept us in the dark! Not a single word! Sister-in-law, how can you be so calm? Aren’t you surprised at all?”

Only then did I withdraw my appraising gaze and mimic Cui Zishu’s expression. “Oh, yes. I’m so surprised.”

Cui Zishu curled her lip. “You can’t even fake it properly!”

Then, she let out a sigh. “A pity I’ll only be staying here for a few days.”

Because of her outstanding talent, Cui Zishu had caught the eye of the “Painting Immortal”-a master whose works were nearly impossible to obtain. He wanted to take her on as his final disciple. However, the Painting Immortal lived in Jiangnan; if she wanted to study under him, she would have to move there.

“Zishu, have you thought this through? Do you really want to go study painting?”

Cui Shao was now a powerful and highly sought-after official in the imperial court. If Cui Zishu wished, she could be even more socially adored than she had been in the past.

But her gaze was steady. “Brother, I’ve made up my mind.”

I wasn’t sure when it had happened, but the arrogance and superior air she once possessed had faded. She had become grounded and steady. She was choosing a different path-one that led toward the summit of her own mountain.

Cui Zishu left, and she took my younger brother with her. She said Jiangnan was a fun place. My brother found life in the Cui Mansion dull; he was constantly trailed by servants and maids. If he so much as tried to climb a tree, someone would be hovering below, terrified he might fall.

If he wanted bird eggs, someone would hand them to him on a silver platter. He found it all quite meaningless.

I felt it was time for him to see more of the world. Surviving the first seventeen years of his life was a victory in itself; for the years to come, I just wanted him to be happy.

My brother was delighted when he left. Sitting in the carriage, he waved to me. “Sister, by the time I come back, I want to be an uncle!”

Before he could become an uncle, however, someone else decided they wanted to be Cui Shao’s son.