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墨書 Inktalez
Huo Yun'ai delivered the Green Plum without hesitation, but Qing Wu, who received a cart full of items, was troubled.
If she didn't hurry to plant the Green Plum, it would certainly harm the plants. However, if she brought this cart back so openly, how would she respond if her family asked about its origins?
In the past, whenever such situations arose, Qin Shuying silently acted as a shield.
Now that she was a bit older and could no longer meet Qin Shuying casually, she naturally couldn't bring up this matter with him immediately. Since that was the case, she couldn't say that these were gifts from Qin Shuying. Otherwise, a casual denial from Qin Shuying would expose her.
After thinking it over and feeling helpless, Qing Wu could only seek out Zheng Ning for advice.
Zheng Ning did not expect Huo Yun'ai to take such action.
In his impression, the young man had a cool and calm demeanor and was certainly not impulsive. But listening to Qing Wu's description, it seemed that Huo Yun'ai had suddenly decided to bring all these items over.
This was somewhat strange.
Zheng Ning remained silent for a long time in contemplation before saying, "You should consider why he brought you this cart of items."
"How would I know? He only told me to accept this cart and not to collect anything else from others," Qing Wu sighed helplessly and suddenly remembered something. "I encountered Wu Linxi after I returned. He promised to send me a few Green Plum plants; I wonder if there's any connection."
Zheng Ning expressionlessly glanced toward the palace and then lowered his gaze, lazily tugging at the corner of his lips.
After a moment, he murmured, "So that's how it is..."
Before Qing Wu could ask for more details, he suddenly raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Fortunately, you came to find me. Otherwise, if you said that Qin Shuying sent you this, it would have raised suspicions."
"What do you mean by that?"
“Grand General has a fondness for gardenias. Because of this preference, both in the palace and at the Grand General's residence, Former Emperor ordered large areas to be planted with gardenias. Qin Shuying is carefree and has never studied flowers and plants much. However, out of gratitude for Grand General's nurturing, she pays a little more attention to gardenias. If he were to give you Green Plum, it would be more believable than if he gave you swords.”
Upon hearing this, Qing Wu nodded lightly. After a moment of thought, she realized that Zheng Ning had already agreed to help her cover up her past, and she quickly smiled and thanked him.
The delicate girl, with her charming and exquisite features, looked even more enchanting when she smiled so joyfully.
Zheng Ning sighed and shook his head, “Just a simple thank you will do. I only hope that in the future, when you think of your teacher, there will be more good things and less trouble that requires me to clean up after you; that would make me very grateful.” He waved his hand at Qing Wu, indicating that if she had nothing else, she should leave quickly.
The two had spent day and night together in the northwest and understood each other's personalities very well. Qing Wu knew that her teacher had a sharp tongue but a soft heart; no matter how fierce he seemed, he would always be duty-bound to help her when needed. So she smiled brightly again and left in a light-hearted mood.
This cart of Green Plum truly caused quite a stir.
Others were unaware, but the three brothers familiar with Wu Linxi knew just how difficult it was to cultivate this many Green Plum trees and how precious they were.
Especially Second Brother Liu An Ting.
Years ago, he had asked his friend Wu Linxi for two plants but was turned down. Now, seeing so many at once, even though he was usually gentle and polite, he could not hide his astonishment as he stared at the delicate plants, many of which were rare varieties whose names he couldn't even recall.
He stared wide-eyed at them for a long while before blankly looking at Qing Wu.
Seeing the stunned expression on Second Brother, Qing Wu suddenly realized that this cart of items given to her by Huo Yun'ai was likely far more precious than she had initially thought.
Liu Anfeng, on the other hand, was much more straightforward.
The tall youth walked around the plants twice and exclaimed, “I've seen those from the Wu Family. They aren't as good as yours. But wait, transplanting these things requires professionals, right? Do you want me to help you find Wu Linxi to assist?”
He flashed a grin, revealing his white and even teeth—his baby teeth had been knocked out by the Wenwu Brothers, but now that his permanent teeth had grown in, there was no issue.
Liu Anfeng's words struck a chord with Qing Wu.
She also understood that Green Plum was not an ordinary plum blossom; it was more precious and delicate.
It was still not the best month for transplanting plum trees. These had already been taken down ahead of time, and if they were not careful during planting, they might wither and fail in no time.
However, Wu Linxi had just been excitedly offering to bring over some of his own cultivated Green Plums, and Qing Wu had happily agreed.
Now, those words still echoed in her ears, and she suddenly brought over a cartful for him to help plant...
At this moment, Qing Wu felt too embarrassed to ask Wu Linxi for help.
Liu Anfeng noticed her embarrassment and said with a smile, "What are you afraid of? I'll go call him over for you! I remember he doesn't have to go to school today."
He turned around to run but was stopped by someone who blocked his path with an arm.
"If you go, you'll definitely mess things up. Being straightforward with Wu Linxi would save trouble, but it wouldn't sit well with him."
The speaker was Liu An Ting, who had regained his composure.
He shot a sideways glance at his younger brother, then turned to smile at Qing Wu. "I'll handle this matter. After all, I'm more familiar with him. At least it will be easier for him to accept." After saying this, he reluctantly glanced at the Green Plums before quickly heading toward the gate.
Wu Linxi arrived at Qing Wu's courtyard that afternoon.
When Liu An Ting reached him, the Wu Family was just starting lunch. Seeing Liu An Ting arrive, Wu Linxi invited him to join the meal and sent someone to inform Liu Residence.
After lunch, the two discussed their studies and the Imperial Examination before heading over to Qing Wu's place together.
When Wu Linxi arrived, his face not only showed no disappointment or frustration, but instead bore a gentle, faint smile.
As soon as Qing Wu saw his expression, she knew he truly didn’t mind, and she let out a big sigh of relief. She hurried over to welcome him into the courtyard.
Upon seeing the plants in the courtyard, Wu Linxi could hardly take his eyes off them. He examined each one closely, from the underground roots to the branches above. He even scrutinized the patterns on the trunks.
Liu An Ting chuckled and said, “Am I wrong? Qing Wu’s master is truly a refined person. The varieties he selected must be exceptional. Only someone with extensive connections like Mr. Zheng could acquire these varieties; without his intervention, it’s likely that you and I would never see them in our lifetime.”
“Indeed, indeed.” Wu Linxi’s eyes sparkled with excitement as he praised, “Thank you, Mr. Zheng. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have this opportunity.”
The more he looked, the happier he became. When he heard Qing Wu thank him, he quickly waved his hands and bowed deeply to her instead.
“I hope you will agree to let me help take care of these plants from now on.” This way, he could visit them often and feast his eyes on their beauty.
Zheng Ning did not expect Wu Linxi to offer assistance. Upon learning that Liu An Ting had persuaded him, he was quite curious and promptly asked Qing Wu about the details of the matter.
After understanding the background story, Zheng Ning stroked his chin, and his expression became quite contemplative.
Qing Wu pondered for a while but couldn’t figure it out. In the end, she heard Zheng Ning sigh softly a few times.
She didn’t catch all of his words clearly; however, she vaguely sensed that—
“If he realizes that by giving a gift he inadvertently increased that young man’s chances of visiting the residence, he might be filled with anger. Should I tell him or not?”
After hearing these words from him and reflecting carefully, Qing Wu began to understand that Huo Yun'ai’s intention behind sending all those items seemed to be to prevent her from meeting Wu Linxi too often.
She wanted to clarify Huo Yun'ai's reasoning behind this idea and was about to ask Zheng Ning in detail when she heard him inquire, “Qing Wu, have you ever heard of ‘Floral Banquet’?”
“‘Floral Banquet’?” Qing Wu faintly felt that this name sounded familiar, but upon thinking more carefully, she could not discern its origin. Thus, she shook her head.
Zheng Ning then explained the general idea of the Floral Banquet to her.
He was usually laid-back and rarely concerned himself with matters outside, unless they were related to Qing Wu, in which case he would put in some effort to address them.
Hearing him explain the “Floral Banquet” in such detail, Qing Wu had a vague idea but was not very certain. She hesitantly asked, “Sir, do you want me to bring this up because...”
“Exactly.”
Before she could finish her sentence, Zheng Ning confidently interrupted her.
“I am indeed preparing for you to attend the Floral Banquet. Not only to attend, but…”
He tugged at the corner of his mouth and smiled casually, “You must strive to take the lead in ‘painting’.”
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