Cherishing You As Always - Chapter 25

I reached out and touched her brow long, smooth, and silky to the touch. She was in the prime of youth, and even just a patch of her skin felt so soft and tender that it made one reluctant to let go.

With nothing else to wipe away her tear stains, I simply pulled up my sleeve and gently wiped her face. Just earlier, to wake her up, I had slapped her not hard, and it left no mark. Still, I touched the spot where I had hit her, afraid she might be in pain. I rubbed it a few times. A strange feeling started stirring in my heart.

Being afraid of thunder isn’t unusual for a girl. What was strange were the few things she’d said earlier.

Curiosity churned restlessly in my chest, refusing to let me calm down. The thunder rumbled several times in the distance before finally ceasing. I didn’t know how long I crouched beside her bed, only that I suddenly remembered I had to go to the academy in the morning I should get some sleep.

She was breathing softly now, her brows relaxed. Only then did I whisper, “You really scared me, showing up like that in the middle of the night.”

I added a few more thick books to the wall by the bed. Honestly, I was starting to miss my bed back home this one was hard, and next to me was a woman who might randomly do terrifying things at any moment. How is this any place for a person to live?

If I had another chance, I swear I wouldn’t be so naughty.

In the morning, the mountains were as quiet as ever. I was sleeping soundly. After the rain last night, the air felt fresher than ever, filled with the scent of grass and trees that spread through every corner of the academy.

Suddenly, a piercing bell rang out. I practically jumped out of bed, rubbing my eyes and mumbling, “Who is it? It’s so early! Doesn’t anyone care that I just fell asleep? Why use such a jarring bell to scare me?!”

My movements caused the book wall to collapse. Some books fell on Yin Yunchi’s side and woke her up with a start. She glanced outside and gasped, “Oh no! That’s the morning class bell we’re late!”

It must’ve been the thunderstorm’s fault. Neither of us had slept well, and now both of us were late.

We sprinted to the academy, and I hadn’t even washed my face. There stood Master Zhou in the hall, smiling broadly. My heart dropped no way, he’s teaching the morning class again?

Yin Yunchi and I stood behind the door, one behind the other, accepting Master Zhou’s scolding.

“Yin Yunchi, Song Lanlou. You two really know how to give your teacher a headache. Late together? And especially you…”

Master Zhou pointed directly at my nose and continued, “Even though you’re new here, you should know the academy’s rules. This is your second time being late. And now you’re even leading Yin Yunchi astray, making her late with you. Truly, it takes three years to learn good habits and only three days to pick up bad ones.”

What kind of nonsense is that? I’ve only known her for a few days how did I ‘lead her astray’? Am I really that bad?

I stared at him wide eyed, refusing to respond. Out of his sight, I pulled a face. The students seated below trembled from holding back their laughter, afraid to make a sound.

Master Zhou turned in a circle, then continued, “Alright, I’ll deal with your punishment later. What about the Dizigui (Student Rules) I asked you to copy yesterday? Bring it here and let me take a look.”

He didn’t let Yin Yunchi return to her seat. She stood there, face flushed red, hands awkwardly placed, head bowed like a child who had done something wrong.

One time being late what does that prove? Even the most talented scholars and beauties are late sometimes. Why punish us so harshly over it?

I stepped around her and went back to my seat to retrieve the Dizigui I had copied last night until my hand nearly fell off. I pretended to respectfully hand it to Master Zhou, secretly rolling my eyes. Luckily, he didn’t see that.

Then, I saw his face shift into a rainbow of colors like an actor in a street opera.

My writing must’ve had some serious impact.

Cautiously, I asked, “Teacher, are you okay? Can I go back to my seat now?”

Master Zhou glanced at me, then suddenly smiled. “Yes, of course you can.”

For a moment, I thought maybe he wasn’t so bad after all. I grinned and said, “Thank you, Teacher!”

Then I caught a gleam in his eyes uh oh.

He placed my copied Dizigui on his desk and said, “You want to go back? Sure. But only after you’ve filled all the water vats in the academy.”

What?! Those giant jars behind the kitchen? He wants me to fill them? That’s impossible!

Stunned, I blurted out without thinking, “That’s abuse!”

Master Zhou, unbothered, swayed casually in front of me and said, “You won’t be doing it alone. Yin Yunchi will help you.”

Yin Yunchi was taken aback but accepted it without hesitation. She calmly said, “I accept the punishment, Teacher.”

Then she turned to go fetch water. I, on the other hand, was still indignant.

I protested, “Teacher, this isn’t fair. I’ve been late twice you want to punish me, fine. But she’s only late once. Can’t you be a little lenient?”

The classroom was deathly silent. I had gone head-to-head with a teacher so old and respected that even scholars deferred to him.

So what if he’s the teacher? He’s still human. And when things aren’t fair, someone needs to speak up.

Instead of getting angry, he laughed and said, “Do you think my punishment is too harsh?”

I nodded seriously yes, I do think it’s too harsh.

His sharp gaze swept across the entire classroom. Then he turned back to me and said, “Yin Yunchi was implicated by you. What I can’t stand most as a teacher is students whose handwriting looks like a turtle crawl. I’m punishing you a bit more heavily to give you a wake up call. Be on time in the future and write properly. That’s how to be a good student.”

A strict teacher indeed. Is my handwriting really that bad? I bet even he can’t write better. And now he wants me to carry water? I’m a proper young lady! Carrying water? That’s not for me or for that frail girl behind me.

“Teacher, you’re a wise man who understands reason. Do you really think this so-called punishment has any meaning? Yin Yunchi got dragged into this because of me? What do I have that’s worth dragging her into? If you don’t like us, just say so. Why make it so complicated?”

Maybe no student had ever challenged him like this before. His face turned green.

Yin Yunchi, sensing I went too far, quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying, “Teacher, please don’t be angry. She just arrived and didn’t mean to offend you. Please, don’t hold it against her.”

What?! Did she just call me a small-minded person? How am I small-minded? I’m trying to argue on our behalf so we don’t have to haul water! Besides, this woman seems to have forgotten she cut me with scissors last night. How am I even supposed to carry anything?

I huffed and turned away, refusing to deal with the teacher any longer.