Foreigner Of Time [Book II]

53

Lisa gave a slight smile. 

She did not mind the complicated look in Alison's surprised gaze, she simply gazed at Jennie gently.

How could she not know Jennie's intention for this?

She was someone who cared about old friends after all; she wanted to keep Alison around, but she didn't want her to 'suffer grievances' either. 

Wasn't she 'building prestige' up for her right now?

Gojo understood Jennie's purpose for this too.

He was seasoned in the ways of the world; naturally, he was able to tell that Alison treated Lisa 'differently'. It was evident from her choice of address alone.

Gojo thought to himself: how great that the Master and Madam are of the same heart, looks like I'll have to serve them with more care from now on, and there is no need to curry favor with both of them either. Judging from the present situation... As long as I'm completely loyal to Master, the Madam will think better of me too.

Gojo praised from the bottom of his heart, "The Master truly has literary talent, although this one hasn't read much before, I have heard plenty of famous phrases during my travels. The Master's work... can be considered a masterpiece."

Jennie revealed a smile, "As long as there is a will to learn, it is never too late. I've noticed that husband always orders you to handle affairs alone, so I believe that you will certainly be needed in many places from now on. As the his personal servant, it is naturally very good to have traits such as loyalty, courage, and strength. But just having those traits alone would not be enough if you want to shoulder even more responsibilities. Let's talk about today, for example... The first writing materials that you bought can barely pass as practice tools for children who have just started school. It can hardly enter the tastes of the refined. Husband has a lot to do every day, so there will be times where he overlooks the quality of little items. This checkpoint should be done by the one who handles trivial affairs, in other words, you."

"Understood. The Madam's teaching is right, this one will remember it. It's just that... this one is from a poor background, so I truly have no experience with items of refined tastes. This one will just choose expensive options from now on. You get what you pay for, as they say..."

Jennie shook her head, "Although that is a way, it is not suitable in the long term. Since we're on this topic, I will talk about the knack in the scholar's four treasures with you. From now on, watch and learn more as you follow the my husband's side. Once you've seen a lot, you'll be fine."  

"Many thanks to the Madam, this one will listen with open ears."

Jennie invited the crowd to sit down. 

She brewed some tea, then she said slowly, "For inksticks, only choose Hui ink from now on. It has the elegant fragrance of incense, and it is skilfully made too. Most importantly, the estate always uses Hui ink. The first inkstick that husband used was this type too. If he switched to another kind, I'm afraid that he might feel unaccustomed to it. 'Hui ink' is a type of inkstick, and Hui ink itself can be further classified into a few categories by the way it's made. Commonly seen types are 'pine soot', 'oil soot', and 'paint soot'. Oil soot is mostly used for paintings. Pine soot has a mild nature, and it has a lighter tone. It can be used for both paintings and calligraphy. But if you want a written work to be kept by the receiver and passed on to later generations, the former two types of ink cannot compare to paint soot. Paint soot has a strong tone and lustre. It can bring out a work's charm. And most importantly, paint soot ink does not fade for a very long time. From now on, if husband tells you to buy ink again, ask what purpose it is for, and then choose the most suitable type."