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墨書 Inktalez
Although the Wu and Liu families lived close to each other, Madam Wu had never met Qing Wu before.
When Qing Wu first arrived at the Liu Family, she was very weak. Occasionally, the Brothers would go to the Wu Family to play, but they did not take her along. By the time she was feeling better, it happened to be New Year.
At that time, Qing Wu was dressed entirely in white, which was not very appropriate no matter where she went. Therefore, during the New Year festivities, she avoided others. Whether it was the Liu Family visiting the Wu Family or the Wu Family coming to Liu Residence, she never showed her face.
Madam Wu had long heard her son mention that the younger sister of the Wu Family was very cute and beautiful, but a bit shy. However, daughters from prominent families in the capital, unless they were exceptionally unattractive or of poor background, generally looked presentable after a little grooming.
Thus, Madam Wu did not take her son's words too seriously.
She thought of Qing Wu as just a girl kindly taken in by the Liu Family who got along well with the equally shy Wu Linxi, which was why her son praised her so much.
Now that she saw her in person, Madam Wu realized that the praises often mentioned by Wu Linxi were indeed well-deserved. Qing Wu's beauty was exceptional; she had never seen anyone more charming and lovely. Her temperament was also very pleasant. She was gentle and soft-spoken, and her unintentional displays of charm were endearing.
After both families' carriages stopped at the Summer Residence and they finally met, Madam Wu found herself liking this girl more and more as they walked together for a short while.
Her demeanor was measured, showing great respect towards her elders. She spoke softly and shyly blushed when teased. It was evident that she had been raised with care at home. What was rare was her pure nature; her eyes were clear and devoid of any pretense.
Years ago, when her son gifted his beloved Green Plum to her, he often mentioned this Liu Young Lady over the years. Just yesterday, after returning home, that silly boy excitedly exclaimed he wanted to send more flowers and plants to Liu Mei Mei. Madam Wu felt a stir in her heart and smiled, saying, "The Liu Young Lady is truly exceptional in both appearance and character; I wonder which family will have the fortune to have her in the future."
Qing Wu thought Madam Wu was merely giving her casual compliments and shyly lowered her head.
However, the He Family sensed something different in tone and quickly looked towards Madam Wu. Seeing her gently nodding made them realize their thoughts were not mistaken. Just as they pondered what Madam Wu meant by that, they noticed her subtly signaling a "two" with her fingers.
It turned out to be the second legitimate son, Wu Linxi.
The He Family tightened their grip on their handkerchiefs and began to contemplate quietly.
Lord Wu had already reached the rank of Fifth-Rank Official a few years ago. It was heard that this time he had a good chance of being promoted further. Moreover, Wu Linxi had a pleasant personality and was easy to get along with; he worked diligently and had a bright future ahead. As for Madam Wu, having known her for many years, the He Family understood that she was kind-hearted and did not like to put others in difficult situations.
Thus, it seemed that the Wu Family was indeed an excellent choice.
Thinking this way, the He Family couldn't help but glance at the girl beside them.
Previously, she was only worried about her sons' marriages and hadn't thought about Qing Wu's situation at all. She considered her daughter still young and would deal with it later. Who would have expected that her precious daughter had already caught the attention of another family's matriarch.
He Family let out a sigh of relief and said to Madam Wu, "Who knows which family it is? With her delicate temperament, it's good enough if she doesn't cause trouble for others."
This was before they had even arranged a meeting for Qing Wu.
Madam Wu felt secretly pleased, and her smile deepened, "It's good to be delicate. I like this kind of demeanor; she's very well-behaved. Besides, she's our own child; who would want her to suffer even a little?"
With her assurance, He Family felt even more satisfied with Wu Family.
Now was not the time to dwell on this matter. After exchanging a few brief words and understanding each other's thoughts, they changed the topic.
Today’s visit was to Summer Residence, where the host was an editor from Hanlin Academy. Although his rank was not high, he was very upright, and his children were well brought up. When Madam Wu visited Summer Residence previously, she had seen several daughters from Xia Family. Since she heard that He Family was worried about their children, she thought of trying to matchmake.
According to Madam Wu's idea, since this visit was just a casual greeting to see the girl briefly, it was best not to let Xia Family notice anything. Otherwise, if things didn't go well, it wouldn't be pleasant.
She had sent an invitation to Summer Residence earlier that morning, mentioning that a friend would bring her daughter along for a short visit. Upon meeting, she introduced He Family to Madam Xia and said, "Mistress Wu is eager to learn embroidery; she heard that our eldest daughter at Summer Residence is excellent at it and wanted to seek some advice."
This excuse had been prearranged between He Family and Madam Wu. They had also discussed it with Qing Wu beforehand.
At this moment, Qing Wu stepped forward, first greeting Madam Xia and then saying, "Thank you for your trouble, Auntie and Sister."
The girl appeared delicate and charming, with a hint of shyness as if embarrassed by her lack of skill.
Madam Xia quickly replied, "It's no trouble at all. Jing Sister and her cousin are playing in the courtyard; I'll call them over." After speaking, she invited them into the house and instructed someone to serve tea.
Before long, two girls around thirteen or fourteen years old came in together.
The one on the left was slightly older, with soft features and dressed in a lake blue outfit. The one on the right was younger, wearing a light yellow dress with lively eyes and a sweet smile.
Once they entered the room, Madam Xia introduced them to He Family and Madam Wu. After the girls finished their greetings, she explained Qing Wu's purpose for coming.
The older Xia Rujing smiled and nodded, asking Qing Wu, "Is there anything you don't understand, sister?"
Qing Wu had already thought about her response and said, "When I embroider peonies, the petals always seem a bit stiff. I don't know how to avoid that."
Xia Rujing pondered for a moment, then extended her delicate fingers to draw in her palm, explaining to Qing Wu, "You see, if you stitch like this, it will look much better."
As she was carefully illustrating, a girl in a yellow dress named Xia Rusi shook Xia Rujing's arm and teased, "Cousin, if you only do it this way, how can anyone understand? Why not have someone bring a frame over so you can explain it to sister on the spot? Wouldn't that be better?"
Madam Xia was talking with the two guests but kept an eye on the girls. Hearing Xia Rusi's suggestion, she agreed and instructed someone to fetch the frame and thread.
Xia Rujing was calm and spoke little. While stitching, she occasionally explained a point or two.
It was Xia Rusi who noticed Qing Wu's confused expression and took the opportunity during Xia Rujing's explanations to add a few comments for Qing Wu's understanding.
After the consultation, Qing Wu presented the gift she had prepared earlier—a box of Eight Treasures Pavilion pastries—to Xia Rujing before bidding farewell to the He family.
On the way back, the He family remained silent at first. Qing Wu sat quietly beside them. It wasn't until the He family let out a sigh that Qing Wu moved closer and sat next to her mother.
The He family's beautiful brows furrowed slightly as she asked, "What do you think of Sister Xia?"
She expected Qing Wu to simply respond with "good" or "bad." To her surprise, Qing Wu asked, "Which Sister Xia do you mean?"
The He family paused for a moment. "Do you mean..."
"Sister Jing is very nice. She is calm and gentle; I really like her. But if you're asking about our purpose for visiting, I think Sister Rusi is more suitable."
The He family had come on this trip for her son's lifelong matters. Now hearing Qing Wu's words left her somewhat puzzled.
If Xia Rujing was quite good, why did she think Xia Rusi was better?
So she asked Qing Wu about her reasoning.
Qing Wu thought of her older brother.
Liu Anzhi had a strong presence as an elder brother, always behaving in a proper manner and setting a good example for his younger siblings. He was very composed.
However, sometimes he was too composed, almost not like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old.
Qing Wu was unsure if her words were appropriate, so she lowered her voice and leaned closer to He Family, murmuring, “Brother is already quite dull. If Sister Jing is with him, the two of them together would hardly have any conversation at all.”
He Family was taken aback and laughed while holding Qing Wu. After a while, they finally calmed down and covered their mouth, saying, “That’s exactly it. I felt something was off before but couldn’t pinpoint it after thinking for a long time. Now that I hear your words, I finally understand.”
With her mind made up, He Family secretly contemplated asking about the specific circumstances of Xia Rusi's family when they returned home. If everything seemed suitable, they would consider it further.
There was no time to waste. Once at home, He Family began to arrange this matter. Meanwhile, Qing Wu was attended to by Danqing as she returned to her own courtyard.
However, before she could reach the courtyard, Dou Mama came to greet her. After sending Danqing back to the courtyard, she smiled at Qing Wu and said, “The weather is nice today. Since you are dressed well, why not go out for a walk? It would be good to buy some useful items.”
Yesterday, Liu Fangshi had just caused a commotion by bringing people over. That evening, Dou Mama specifically advised Qing Wu not to wander outside during these days when there was nothing urgent to attend to, to avoid running into trouble with ill-intentioned people.
Who would have thought that just one night and one morning later, things would change?
Qing Wu felt puzzled. However, seeing that the surroundings were filled with servants from the household, she kept her expression neutral and simply smiled in agreement.
Once they were out of sight of others, she quietly asked Dou Mama about the reason for this sudden change.
Dou Mama looked around to ensure no one was nearby and then half-covered her mouth as she whispered in Qing Wu's ear, “The master has arrived; he’s waiting for you at the corner of the street next door and has been waiting for quite some time.”
Qing Wu did not expect that it was Huo Yun'ai who wanted to see her. She hurriedly followed Dou Mama, rushing over.
She thought that Huo Yun'ai must have come in that black carriage from last time since such carriages were common and inconspicuous.
However, upon arrival, she discovered that there were indeed black carriages—two of them. Their identical appearance left her unsure of which one to approach.
Standing in the middle, hesitating, Huo Yun'ai walked down from the front carriage.
Qing Wu smiled and was about to greet him, but he continued walking. He casually reached out, took her hand, and pulled her towards the back carriage. Then he lifted the curtain of this carriage, smiling faintly as he gestured for Qing Wu to look inside.
Qing Wu was somewhat puzzled and looked over in confusion. Upon seeing inside, she was quite shocked.
"This, this is..."
She turned around, staring at Huo Yun'ai in astonishment, momentarily at a loss for words.
"Listen, do you like Green Plum?"
The corners of Huo Yun'ai's lips curled into a subtle smile. "Now, this entire carriage is filled with Green Plum, with various species and ages of trees. I believe you can find what you like among them, enough to fill your courtyard?"
Seeing the girl nod in surprise, his smile deepened. He raised his finger to gently trace her brow with his fingertip.
"If that's the case, then all of these are yours. As for those taken by others... it's better not to have them!"
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