The celadon oil lamp cast a dim yellow light, leaving the room hazy and indistinct. Only the inkstone and books on the small desk, the hand holding the brush, and that finely handsome face stood clear in the lamplight-
Xiao Chan stood by the little doorway, quietly watching her young master concentrate on his ceaseless writing. Occasionally, his handsome, dark brows lifted, presumably when he reached a passage that pleased him, and his lips pressed together. That absorbed expression was truly captivating.
After finishing copying a piece, Chen Caozhi put down his brush. Looking up to find Xiao Chan standing with her hand on the doorframe, he asked in surprise, "Sister Xiao Chan, haven't you gone to bed yet? It must be nearly the third watch."
"Ah!" Xiao Chan came back to herself. "Oh, I'm going to bed now-is there anything else you need, young master?" Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke, and her heart seemed about to leap out of her chest.
"Nothing else," Chen Caozhi said. "I'll wash my hands and go to bed too. Good night, Sister Xiao Chan."
Copying Chen Caozhi's expression, Xiao Chan wished him good night, then returned to the small couch in the outer room, undressed, and lay down. She felt a little disappointed, yet ashamed as well. Young Master Caozhi has treated me as an older sister since he was little. Now I only reach his shoulder, and he still calls me Sister Xiao Chan! She sighed softly and thought, *Never mind. Just being able to stay beside him, see him often, and do things for him makes me very happy. I'm only a maidservant, after all. Sheltered by such kind and generous masters as the West Tower Chen Clan, I've never had a harsh word from the old mistress before,