Xia helped her little miss get inside the carriage. Looking at those girls staring at her miss, Xia knew that they were looking down on her miss. Her curiosity was piqued, and made her worried. How did Jun Hua fare in their class? Just what kind of performance did Jun Hua showed them?
Jun Hua ignored those girls and sat comfortably in the carriage.
"Xia, ask them to gather news about Fan family."
Xia brows creased. "The Fan family? Did they make any trouble for you?"
"No, it's quite the opposite. I found one of them interesting and I think she will be a good friend," Jun Hua answered.
A good friend? Xia found that phrase strange coming from Jun Hua's mouth, but didn't linger on that thought any further. She only had to carry out Jun Hua's instructions.
"I'm home, grandfather…"
Jun Hua's mouth twitched the moment she stepped into the living room. Inside the big room were her grandfather who was busy copying a book and Madam Mu sitting comfortably in front of him. These two old people, just what happened during the time she left?
Jun Zhenxian looked at Jun Hua helplessly, "Hua'er please help your grandfather."
"Madam Mu?"
Madam Mu smiled gently, yet her eyes are still burning with rage. "Your grandfather's mouth was still spouting so much nonsense. Copying a book about scholarly conducts should help him at great lengths."
Jun Hua nodded. "Then you should continue with your lesson, Grandpa. I will change my clothes first."
Jun Zhenxian stared at his granddaughter helplessly. This little rascal! Which side are you on, your grandfather or Madam Mu?
When Jun Hua left, Madam Mu stared at Jun Zhenxian. "There are still over sixty pages remaining. If you don't want to continue this tomorrow, you better get it done quickly."
Jun Zhenxian wanted to cry. I'm already old, yet you're still treating me so harshly? Jun Zhenxian was still forced to continue copying the book just as Jun Hua continued with her training.
"Madam Mu is really a strict teacher, I'm already death tired," Jun Hua sat in her room soon as the training was finished. Her training didn't last long, but it drained most of her energy.
"Xia, have you finished what I asked you to do?"
"Yes, they have collected the information. Fan family head is a marquis and this family is also heavily relying on their achievement in the battlefield. He has two children, one daughter and one son. His daughter is turning fifteen this year, but still in the same class as you."
When Xia received this information, she realized that Jun Hua had already met the daughter and found her interesting. According to the information, Fan Lanying was a tomboy girl who loves to sneak out to train with her brother, who enlisted in the military. Her brother was three years older than her, and a few months before, he was dispatched to the frontline which made Fan Lanying a bit lonely.
Jun Hua nodded at the information Xia passed to her. Now she understood how a noble girl such as Fan Lanying could have such a straightforward character. Soldiers typically have upfront and honest characters like her grandfather. Well, except for his shamelessness. With that kind of living environment, it was expected that she would grow up with that kind of character too.
Xia watched Jun Hua in confusion. Why did her Miss fall into deep contemplation?
"Do the Jun family and Fan family have some grudges against each other?"
Xia shook her head. "No, there are none. The military posts of the Fan family and Jun family were far apart from each other, which made it difficult to have any interaction."
"Their location?"
"West of Ming Kingdom."
"West?" Jun Hua was surprised. If they were in the West, wasn't it near the Lan family?
As if reading what was on her Miss' mind, Xia added, "They have terrible relations with the Lan family. They often compete on who would win more battles on the border."
Jun Hua nodded in understanding. This new friend of hers was indeed interesting. Perhaps, tomorrow they would cross paths again.
"Oh right, what is tomorrow's lesson?"
"It's painting Miss."
Jun Hua hurriedly stood up and headed towards the living room, where Madam Mu was still waiting for her grandfather to finish his writing.
"What is it Hua'er? Have you changed your mind?" Jun Zhenxian raised his head hopefully.
Jun Hua shook her head. "It's not that. I want to ask Madam Mu about the level of painting skills that a normal fourteen-year old girl has."
Madam Mu looked at Jun Hua. She nodded her head before asking her servants for her drawing tools to be brought. She picked up a brush, dipped it into painting colors, and started to draw in a white canvas.
"Normally, a fourteen-year old girl cannot draw very well unless they have been trained since they were young. Some nobles can draw a very realistic view, while others can barely pass. You see my drawing; there are still many errors here, which are similar to what a normal fourteen-year old girl do."
Jun Hua stared at the canvas before nodding. "Thank you very much Madam Mu."
"What about you? Try to draw some simple object."
Madam Mu prepared a new canvas, and Jun Hua thought for a while before she started to draw. Her hands expertly held the brush as it glided on the canvass in graceful strokes. She had chosen to paint one of the views she had once seen while in the battlefield. Soon enough, a realistic painting of misty mountains and valley came into view.
"My, you're quite a talented painter!" Madam Mu exclaimed her astonishment upon seeing Jun Hua's simple painting.
Although Jun Hua's painting was not the best that Madam Mu had seen, it was really good, far better than an ordinary girl of her age could do.
"Thank you Madam Mu."
"If you paint like this tomorrow, you will likely get into the top. But my guess is you won't."
Jun Hua smiled but didn't answer. She came to know her talent in painting when she started to draw maps for war strategies. Since then, she would paint from time to time, which greatly enhanced her skills further. Jun Hua stared at her painting and asked Xia to keep it safe. After a while, she bid farewell to Madam Mu and her struggling grandfather and went to rest.