When Spring Burns - Chapter 50

The quiet study was bathed in the lingering glow of the setting sun.

Sheng Tingmian bit her lip and secretly glanced up, just in time to see her sister kiss a bead before putting it away…

Did her sister like her pearl tassel?

She didn’t know and couldn’t figure it out. Her mind in a whirl, Sheng Tingmian walked forward and called out, “Sister, would you like some fruit?”

He Jianxue’s heart skipped a beat at the sudden sound. Her gaze unconsciously swept over the drawer before she looked at her younger sister, assessing that she likely hadn’t seen anything. Composing herself, she asked, “Are you off work?”

Sheng Tingmian nodded, leaning forward to place the fruit plate on the desk. “Just got off.”

He Jianxue noticed that whenever her sister spoke to her, she always pursed her lips with a faint smile, a subtle expression, yet one that easily revealed her current mood.

“By the way, there’s something I need to discuss with you.”

Sheng Tingmian’s gaze settled on her, her every gesture exuding an understated elegance. “What is it?”

“Earlier, I had a lawyer gather evidence and file lawsuits regarding those malicious comments. All the cases can be prosecuted, and we’re confident of winning. The outcome will depend on the circumstances, but generally, it involves compensation and a public apology. I wanted to ask if you’d prefer to use legal means to protect yourself or if you have other thoughts.”

Sheng Tingmian was taken aback. “Sister, you hired a lawyer for me?”

He Jianxue replied, “Yes.”

“Why?” Sheng Tingmian asked instinctively. She had never considered using legal measures. In her mind, the law felt too weighty, how could someone as insignificant as her wield it?

He Jianxue was momentarily stunned by the question. She looked intently at her sister. To most people, the idea that the law is a right granted to citizens by the state is deeply ingrained. She had prepared for two possible responses, either acceptance or refusal, but “why” was a third possibility she hadn’t anticipated. In Tingmian’s eyes, using the law to protect oneself after being wronged was something that required an explanation.

She thought of Tingmian’s experience at fifteen, she was the one who had been confined, the one who was frightened, the one who needed spiritual healing, and ultimately, the one whose education was interrupted. For ordinary people, resistance comes with immense sunk costs. Such an environment and such experiences couldn’t foster a sense of legal awareness. Although Sheng Xiaoyun had protected her since that incident, still…

No wonder she often found her naive, yet her sincerity was truly precious.

“What do you mean, ‘why’?” He Jianxue sought to break through her constrained mindset. Her sister needed a normal and healthy understanding of the law. “This is perfectly normal. Using legal means is already the kindest approach I could take.”

She looked into her sister’s innocent, kind eyes. “Besides, if I can’t protect my own sister, how can I call myself your sister?”

Sheng Tingmian felt a jolt in her chest, as if struck heavily by a drumstick. “Sister…”

He Jianxue handed her the power of attorney sent by Attorney Liang. “The lawyer will act as your representative and file the lawsuits on your behalf. You just need to sign to authorize it. Leave the rest to me and the lawyer.”

Sheng Tingmian obediently signed. “Sister, may I ask you for a favor?”

He Jianxue asked, “What is it?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Sheng Tingmian spoke up, “If the person being sued doesn’t have the means to compensate, just have them write a letter of apology instead.”

Seeing her sister staring at her, Sheng Tingmian added, “Although those comments made me sad at first, I know they were actually creating negative karma through their words. That karma will cling to them, and it’s something they must resolve themselves.”

He Jianxue hadn’t expected her to have such insight. It seemed like a Daoist perspective, but that made sense, Kunqu opera had been significantly influenced by Daoism, with ideas like the concept of destiny, transcending the mundane world, distancing oneself from worldly impurities, and the frequent depiction of immortals descending to enlighten mortals in various scenes.

The Peony Pavilion, for instance, was deeply intertwined with Daoist culture.

He Jianxue smiled faintly, suddenly feeling that her younger sister had the pure and elegant demeanor of a crane.

“So, does what you’re doing count as helping them resolve their negative karma?”

Sheng Tingmian shook her head gently. “No, sister. Resolving negative karma must come from within; outsiders and external things can’t help with that. I’m merely accumulating my own good karma.”

He Jianxue immediately understood and agreed to handle things according to her wishes. “Mianmian, I see now that your excellence in Kunqu opera is no coincidence.”

She deeply resonated with the core themes of Kunqu opera and its Daoist philosophies. While others were still mechanically reciting their lines from the script, Sheng Tingmian had already reached a higher level of understanding.

As for praise, Sheng Tingmian never tired of it, especially when it came from her sister. But she hadn’t forgotten her original purpose.

She moved closer to her sister, picked up the plate of fruit, and considerately speared a piece to offer it to her lips.

“Sister, would you like some fruit?”

He Jianxue glanced at her. As Sheng Tingmian approached, her natural fragrance wafted over, a pleasant scent. Out of courtesy, she took a bite.

Sheng Tingmian felt that since her sister had eaten, the condition of “softening someone up with food” had been met. She stole a glance at her and hinted, “Sister, I heard there’s news about the new script. What kind of story is Bird Carrying a Flower?”

But after asking, she worried it might be a trade secret and quickly added, “If it’s not convenient to say, you can just give me a general idea. I won’t tell anyone.”

“So that’s why you came to find me.” He Jianxue saw through her little scheme and glanced at the plate of cut fruit. “Seems you came prepared.”

Exposed, Sheng Tingmian bit her lip and insisted, “Sister… I really just wanted to bring you some fruit to show my appreciation.”

Asking about the new script was just a side note.

“No wonder this wax apple doesn’t taste sweet.”

“…” It was already in her stomach, and only now did she bring it up.

Fortunately, she had prepared several types of fruit for a prettier presentation. Sheng Tingmian switched to another fruit, cherries, set down the fork, picked one up with her fingers, and brought it to her sister’s lips.

“Try this one, sister. It’s definitely sweet.”

He Jianxue bit into it from her hand, her red lips brushing against Sheng Tingmian’s fingers. Sheng Tingmian’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she unconsciously curled her fingertips, inexplicably reminded of the moment earlier when her sister had kissed her pearl tassel.

He Jianxue lowered her gaze, slowly savoring the fruit while recalling the touch of the skin she had just kissed.

Her sister’s hand was delicate, fragrant, soft, and tender, far sweeter than the cherry.

“This one isn’t sweet either.”

Sheng Tingmian snapped back to reality and shot her a glare. She picked a cherry from the plate and ate it herself. “How is it not sweet? You’re clearly lying, sister.”

She had sampled them before arranging the plate, how could they not be sweet? Besides, the cherries bought for the household were carefully selected by the butler and cost more than the market price. It would be strange if they weren’t sweet.

“……” Her sister really didn’t hold back when teasing her.

He Jianxue stopped joking with her. “The script of Bird Carrying a Flower is a love story.”

Sheng Tingmian’s eyes lit up. “Love?”

Could it be that her sister had actually taken her previous suggestion to heart?

He Jianxue motioned for her to sit beside her. “If you’d like, I can tell you about it. Here’s the script.”

She took out a document and handed it to her.

Sheng Tingmian accepted it and began carefully reading through it while her sister explained the plot to her.

She said that the female lead, Cui Ling, was the only daughter of the Cui family during a certain era. Frail and delicate since childhood, she found herself alone after her family fell into decline and her relatives passed away. To save money, she dismissed all the servants, keeping only a handsome guard named Jing Wanqing. However, as their finances grew tight, Cui Ling sold the ancestral home and traveled to another city, hoping to seek refuge with relatives. To her dismay, her relatives showed their true colors, refusing to take in a sickly burden like her.

Feeling she had little time left to live, Cui Ling decided to drown herself in a river. Unable to bear it, Jing Wanqing saved her. He harbored unspoken feelings for his mistress and, seeing her despair, lied that her father had once shown him kindness, vowing to help her from then on.

With renewed hope, Cui Ling chose to live. Jing Wanqing devoted himself to her, taking her to Qingmei County to settle down. The Zhang family in Qingmei County was hiring guards, so Jing Wanqing applied for the position while Cui Ling stayed home to recuperate. Over time, her health gradually improved. The two maintained a respectful and restrained relationship, but as days passed, affection quietly blossomed between them.

However, their peace was short-lived. The young lady of the Zhang family, Zhang Hexiang, took a liking to Jing Wanqing. Under the pretense of work duties, she frequently asked him to help her retrieve kites, set paper boats afloat, and accompany her to temple fairs, all in an attempt to foster intimacy between them. Unbeknownst to them, Cui Ling witnessed these interactions. At first, she secretly sulked and stopped speaking to Jing Wanqing. But as Zhang Hexiang’s advances grew bolder and Jing Wanqing, constrained by his status, could only evade her, Cui Ling finally snapped. At a temple fair, she sarcastically wished them a happy marriage before storming off in anger.

Jing Wanqing tried to stop her, but his status held him back. Unexpectedly, Zhang Hexiang issued a direct order to “marry” him by force. When Jing Wanqing awoke dressed in red wedding robes, he was furious. He tore off the wedding attire, broke free from societal constraints, and used his martial arts skills to escape the wedding banquet, rushing off to find Cui Ling.

By then, Cui Ling had come to a realization, she could never pin her hopes solely on a man. She decided to move elsewhere and start anew. Just as she was packing her belongings, Jing Wanqing hurriedly returned and ran into her. Seeing her preparing to leave, he immediately confessed his feelings and explained his predicament. The two poured out their hearts to each other, and in perfect harmony, Jing Wanqing took her away overnight, far from the chaos and impurities of the world, to live as an ordinary couple in a secluded paradise.

After hearing the story, Sheng Tingmian felt it carried profound meaning.

“Bird Carrying a Flower, Jing Wanqing is the bird, a capable one, but he is alone, coming and going in haste. His beautiful feathers attract envy but also bind him. In the eyes of the world, birds symbolize freedom, a return to the mountains and forests. He took away the delicate yet resilient Miss Cui, signifying their return to the pure, untarnished wilderness and morning dew.”

Sheng Tingmian noticed her sister’s approving gaze and smiled slightly, lowering her eyes in thought. “Miss Cui transformed from attempting suicide by jumping into the river to realizing her own worth, understanding that her life shouldn’t end just because she lost her guard. She underwent a true metamorphosis.”

“Sis, this script is so well-written, I love how it ends.”

Sheng Tingmian examined the detailed libretto lines and could tell at a glance that they were penned by someone with profound literary skill.

For instance, when Jing Wanning confesses to Miss Cui, the lines “Why not become a golden seal son-in-law, yet only see falling blossoms and the jade beauty” were elegantly phrased, rich in meaning, yet not so obscure that the audience would struggle to understand.

Each act’s closing poem also fit the scene perfectly, such as:

In the misty village, dogs bark and roosters crow early,
By the lakeside, plump fish are sold as spring departs.
If only this body remains strong and well,
A lone soul breaks, as bird shadows carry blossoms away.

After reading the final closing poem, Sheng Tingmian closed the script and looked at her sister with deep satisfaction.

He Jianxue asked her, “Do you want to be the first to perform it?”

Sheng Tingmian was about to nod, but then she recalled a comment from a fan mentioning that her sister might consider giving the role to someone else. After a moment’s thought, she instead asked, “Who do you think is suitable, Sis?”

He Jianxue raised an eyebrow. “Can’t you tell who’s suitable?”

Sheng Tingmian shot her an annoyed glare. “…I can’t tell. If you want to give it to someone else, then go ahead. It doesn’t matter to me.”

With that, she pouted, set down the script, and made to leave.

He Jianxue quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. Unexpectedly, her pull was too strong, and Sheng Tingmian’s soft, slender frame tumbled into her arms.

The chair was a swivel chair, and He Jianxue, afraid she might fall to the floor, wrapped her other arm around her waist and settled her on her lap. “Are you angry?”

Sheng Tingmian caught sight of her sister’s teasing smile and glanced away irritably. “Not at all.”

He Jianxue said, “Your pout is deep enough to plow fields with, and you still say you’re not angry?”

Sheng Tingmian glared back indignantly. “Sis, I don’t want to talk to you anymore. You’re so mean.”

He Jianxue chuckled softly, tightening her hold on her sister, who was trying to struggle free. “Alright, alright, don’t be mad. You’ll be the first to perform it. This script was bought for you in the first place.”

After a few seconds, Sheng Tingmian stopped struggling. The pout that had been deep enough to plow fields reversed, curving upward as if reaching for the sky. She held back a smile and shot her a reproachful look. “Why did you have to tease me?”

He Jianxue replied with four words: “Because it’s fun.”

How could it not be amusing to watch a little parrot get all worked up? So lively and vivid.

Sheng Tingmian gave her shoulder a light punch in exasperation. “Jerk!”

Big sister, you’re the worst!