Unhappy

Not long after, the system's voice rang out again. "Host, hurry up and earn more points. I went to the mall over there and found a Spirituality and Comprehension Pill, which can increase spirituality and comprehension. As long as you earn enough points to consume it, you will definitely surpass your teachers and become even more outstanding than Madam Xiao and Madam Zhang, who have received guidance from renowned masters. Even if Zhao Ruyu has received guidance from a famous master, she will definitely not be as good as you."

Xu Xi's expression suddenly turned cold, and she asked with a blank face, "Just tell me, how many points?" Agility Pill cost 20,000, so this Spirituality and Comprehension Pill definitely won't be cheap.

Sure enough, the system's voice, noticeably weak, came through the next moment. "Fifty... fifty thousand."

"Tch." Xu Xi sneered and ignored the system.

She's incredibly talented at drawing, okay? Her comprehension is definitely not low, okay? What kind of Spirituality and Comprehension Pill is she taking? What if she overdoes it?

"Alright, that concludes today's lesson. Everyone, go home and prepare what you need for drawing. We'll start drawing next time," Madam Zhang said from the front of the class.

Xu Xi packed her things and followed Xu Xue out of the classroom. As they neared the end of the academy, glancing around to make sure no one was watching, Xu Xi asked, "Did you find the books we need? And do you have the missing ones, brother?"

"Okay, I found them. They're all on your desk in your room. My brother also has the law and history books; I just need to copy a set," Xu Xue said.

Xu Xi nodded, took out a silver note from her pocket, and handed it to Xu Xue: "Have your brother go shopping with you. Don't go alone; you won't know if the goods are good or bad, and you might get ripped off. Take the money you don't need for now. There are other things to buy for your other classes, so you can buy them all together later. You can pay me back when you have the money; there's no rush."

Upon seeing that it was a one-hundred-tael silver note, Xu Xue quickly grabbed the note and stuffed it back into Xu Xi's hand. She then looked around furtively like a thief, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she found no one nearby.

She retorted, "I don't need that much. Just lend me twenty taels of silver. I'll just buy paints and some essential brushes and paper. I don't need anything fancy; I really don't need that much money."

"I have difficulty going out, so take this banknote and go with your brother to the money exchange to have it converted to a smaller denomination. You can return the excess to me later," Xu Xi said.

She didn't actually have twenty taels of silver or any silver notes. The twenty taels that Lady Zhu gave her for pocket money had been spent on tuition, and she didn't have enough left.

"Thank you, sister." Since she had agreed to lend Xu Xi the money, Xu Xue didn't refuse and took the banknotes and put them away.

Xu Xi had offered to buy everything for her, but Xu Xue insisted on buying it herself. She mainly wanted to save money and wouldn't buy anything too expensive; if Xu Xi used the same things as her, she felt it would be unfair to Xu Xi Xu Xi and make her classmates look down on her, so she insisted on buying it herself.

Xu Xi told her to observe carefully, and she had noticed it in the past two days. Zhang Lu seemed to be the type to fawn over the powerful and belittle the weak. Because her clothes and jewelry were completely different from Xu Xi's, Zhang Lu's attitude towards the two was very different. The reason she was willing to switch seats with Mu Qingqiang was probably to curry favor with Mu Qingqiang, since Mu Qingqiang was better off than Xu Xi in terms of food, clothing, and daily necessities.

Besides Zhang Lu, she also carefully observed others. She found that most of her classmates were good, but there were also a few who still showed the same temperament as Zhang Lu. It's just that some people hid it well, while others, like Zhang Lu, showed it outwardly.

Based on these observations, Xu Xue naturally didn't want Xu Xi to accommodate her by using low-end items, lest she be looked down upon.

Upon returning to the Marquis's residence, Xu Xi first paid her respects to the Old Madam. Seeing that the First Madam was also present, she took out a piece of paper containing a list of calligraphy, paintings, musical instruments, and books used in the Four Books and Four Books and Five Classics, laws, and history, which the Old Madam had written on. She handed it to the First Madam, saying, "Aunt, the teacher at the academy mentioned needing to purchase these items for the past two days' classes. Could you check if the manor's storeroom has them? If not, I'll have Qingfeng go outside to buy them."

Having accepted the silver given to her by the First Madam that day, Xu Xi would not be pretentious with the Marquis's household in terms of material things. Ancient books were very expensive; a set of the Four Books and Five Classics, laws, and historical books would cost ten or twenty taels of silver. The special brushes, painting pigments, and paper used for calligraphy and painting were also not insignificant. Not to mention the cost of a good guzheng.

These items, if all of good quality, would cost over a hundred taels of silver. Even if the Marquis's mansion didn't pay for them and instead planned to have her cover the cost from her monthly allowance and the money given that day, Xu Xi still needed to let the Old Madam and the First Madam know about this expense.

They didn't raise her for the first ten years or so, and after bringing her back, they were unwilling to spend money on her education. Now that she's successful, they expect her to bring prosperity to the Marquis's mansion. What kind of deal is that? She has to test the old lady and the first lady's character in this regard.

The First Madam took the items and looked them over, then thought for a moment, "I remember there are several zithers in the storeroom; go and take a look and choose one later. There should also be paper, pens, and paints; take a look then. If none of these are available, I'll have Matron Ruan accompany you to buy them during your ten-day leave."

"Let me see." The old lady reached out, took the paper from the first lady's hand, and held it up to a distance, squinting as she looked at its contents.

After a while, she put down the paper in her hand and said to the First Madam, "Ruyu will probably need these things too. When she arrives, you can take them both to choose them."

The First Madam frowned slightly, glanced at the Old Madam, and said calmly, "Very well."

She turned to Xu Xi and said, "Are you hungry? Why don't you go eat first, and I'll take you to pick out some things after dinner?"

Xu Xi had originally intended to tell the two of them about Madam Cui for her to participate in the imperial examination, but she was too lazy to say it now. She nodded and said, "Okay." She stood up, bowed, and walked out.

After Xu Xi left, the old lady opened her mouth as if to say something, but the first lady stood up and said, "It's lunchtime. Shall I have someone bring you food? The Marquis and the others are waiting for me, so I'll go back to my room for dinner. When Ruyu arrives, please tell her that she'll come over after she's eaten, and I'll take them to pick out some things."

He bowed slightly and withdrew.

The old lady's mouth remained open for a long time.

After a long while, she sighed and complained to Matron Jin, "What did I do wrong? All I did was ask her to wait for Ruyu come so we could go pick out things together, and she gave me the cold shoulder." She looked very Gao Xing as she spoke.

Matron Jin was originally the old lady's dowry maid, and she was the servant she trusted most in the mansion. If the old lady wanted to send someone to investigate Xu Xi's suspicions, she would naturally have to tell her trusted servants. And Matron Jin was the one who knew the inside story best.