532 I Want It (3)
Shen Wan glanced at her and said, “Miss Chang.”
Chang Zaiqing had only seen Shen Wan once. That was when she first came to the Shen mansion. At night, Chen Ruoqiu brought her to Rongjing Hall to pay her respect to Old Madam Shen. At night, the lights were dim, and everyone was tired, so Shen Wan did not notice Chang Zaiqing. Unexpectedly, when he looked closer, he found that she was a rare and extremely elegant beauty. Thinking that Chen Ruoqiu and Chang Zaiqing seemed to be very good friends, his attitude became even friendlier.
“Miss Chang, what are you doing?” Shen Wan asked with a smile.
Chang Zaiqing turned around and glanced at the flower pots at the entrance of the courtyard. She smiled and said, “It rained last night, and many of the branches were blown away by the rain. I’m ‘bandaging’ them.”
“Bandage?” Shen Wan was a little curious and asked, “How do you bandage the flowers?”
Chang Zaiqing smiled. “Third Master, you can take a look for yourself.”
Shen Wan walked to the flower pot to take a closer look. Indeed, he saw that some of the branches were wrapped in cloth, and some were coated with something that looked like medicine. There were some scissors and cloth around, and one of the flowers was snapped in half by the wind and pieced together by a cloth.
“You’re quite considerate.” Shen Wan sighed. “It’s rare to see someone who is willing to put in the work to take care of the flowers.” In the thunderstorm last night, the flowers and plants were inevitably damaged. Even someone like Chen Ruoqiu, who loved flowers, would just throw away the damaged flowers. The damaged flowers and plants were not as pleasing to the eye as before, and they were annoying to keep. However, not only did Chang Zaiqing not throw them away, but she even bandaged them.
“Flowers have a life of their own.” Chang Zaiqing smiled and said, “Since I said that I love flowers, I can’t abandon them just because they don’t look as beautiful anymore, right? Everything has a spirit. I don’t want to be a hypocritical person. If I say I like flowers, I will take care of them no matter what.” Chang Zaiqing said heartily, “Besides, it’s not a taxing job. Why not?”
“Miss Chang is really a refined person.” Shen Wan looked at Chang Zaiqing with admiration.
“Third Master, you flatter me.” Chang Zaiqing teased, “We’re all just normal people, and I have my own selfish motives. If I can keep the flowers and plants well, I’ll feel much more at ease living in the mansion in the future. At least I can still do something to help.”
Shen Wan smiled happily. “Miss Chang, you’re overthinking. Even if you don’t know anything, no one in the Shen family will chase you away.”
Chang Zaiqing also smiled. “Thank you, Third Master.” She suddenly thought of something and looked at Shen Wan. “Speaking of which, I accidentally saw a chess game yesterday and couldn’t solve it. I wanted to ask Third Madam to help me take a look, but Third Madam seems to be a little busy today. I heard that Third Master is also an expert in chess. Can you give me some pointers?”
She thought of something and continued. “I can make tea for Third Master. Third Madam might have told you that the tea I made is very delicious.”
Her attitude was natural and graceful. If Shen Wan rejected it, it would seem like he was being rude. Shen Wan thought for a moment and smiled. “Then I won’t stand on ceremony.”
The two of them went to the stone table in the garden and started to play chess. When they played chess, they chatted casually. Shen Wan was surprised to find that not only was Chang Zaiqing’s chess skills outstanding, but she was also knowledgeable in many fields. Shen Wan had always valued inner beauty more than outer beauty. He only married Chen Ruoqiu because she was proficient in Guqin, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She was undoubtedly a talented woman. However, there was something annoying about Chen Ruoqiu. Because she came from a scholarly family, occasionally, she would put on airs and pretend to be noble.
