Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Qing Wu could not have imagined that Huo Yun'ai would leave everything behind to come here. If she remembered correctly, he had not planned to come today.
Feeling puzzled, she stepped closer to his side and whispered helplessly, "Why are you here?" Looking around to ensure no one was nearby, she lowered her voice further, "Is there nothing to do in the palace today?"
Upon hearing this, Huo Yun'ai smiled softly and replied, "You know very well whether there is anything to do in the palace, so why ask me?"
"Then why did you come here..."
"To see your first birthday celebration, of course."
Once the young man finished speaking, his gaze shifted and landed on a touch of Crimson on her wrist. His expression turned cold, and his tone carried an imperceptible complexity.
"What is that?"
Following his gaze, Qing Wu looked at what he was referring to and raised her hand with a smile, saying, "A gift from the gentleman for my birthday."
It was a Red Coral Bracelet, with each bead shining brightly. The string of Crimson looked beautiful against her delicate white wrist.
Huo Yun'ai immediately darkened his expression slightly and smiled faintly. "Oh?" He paused for a moment and seemed to casually ask, "I heard that your brother went after him when he was leaving yesterday and managed to keep him here. Is that true?"
Although he spoke as if it were trivial, Qing Wu could tell from his tone and demeanor that he was quite concerned. She couldn't help but smile and replied, "Yes."
The curve of Huo Yun'ai's lips tightened slightly. "Did you keep him here?"
"Yes." Seeing his reaction, Qing Wu pondered for a moment and realized that he had come specifically to clarify this matter. She couldn't help but laugh and said, "You've taught me for six years; you are both my teacher and my friend. What’s wrong with me keeping him here?"
Seeing the girl’s natural demeanor, Huo Yun'ai sighed inwardly.
The issue wasn't whether she kept Zheng Ning. It was that she had actually managed to keep him.
That person was notoriously unrestrained.
After ending a six-year agreement, it was already surprising that he was willing to stay in the capital and teach her at Liu Residence. Now that he had made up his mind to leave, could she really persuade him to stay?!
Could it be...
Huo Yun'ai's eyes turned slightly cold, and she secretly remained on guard.
Could there be some hidden reason she was unaware of?
After a moment's thought, he felt he was being overly suspicious.
Zheng Ning had passed away; his mother had died, and the girl he was once betrothed to had not been found for many years. She was likely dead by now. In this life, he had no more attachments and would be alone from now on.
Huo Yun'ai understood him.
This person valued promises greatly; when he said something, he would follow through.
Even if the girl he had promised to marry was from an unknown family, since he had agreed, he would not turn his affections to another girl.
After pondering, Huo Yun'ai felt much more at ease, realizing she had been overly concerned. Hearing about Zheng Ning's return had caused her unnecessary worries.
With her mind relaxed, her expression naturally became less tense.
Qing Wu smiled and invited him into the house, handing him some books she had brought from home to pass the time. "You can read here and take a break. I will step out for a while to see my brother."
As Wen Qingyue came to mind, Qing Wu couldn't help but recall how Wen Qingyue had mistaken Huo Yun'ai's identity before. She hurriedly said to him, "Next time, you must not hide anything from my brother."
Huo Yun'ai was casually flipping through the travelogue she had read earlier and nodded indifferently. "I won't hide it from him."
Qing Wu was about to nod in satisfaction when she heard him add, "But if he makes a mistake in recognizing me, that's not my fault. Why should I explain so much to him?"
He rarely acted so willfully, leaving Qing Wu both amused and exasperated. "If you're impatient, then I'll just tell him later."
Huo Yun'ai did not oppose her suggestion, lightly responding with an "mm," and suddenly raised an eyebrow, saying, "Your drawing is indeed quite good."
His tone seemed somewhat off, carrying a hint of teasing.
Qing Wu leaned in to take a look and immediately felt embarrassed.
—The travelogue mentioned farmhouses and livestock. She had no idea what she was thinking at the time, but while writing annotations, she casually drew a pig on it.
Usually, she only flipped through it herself, so it was fine. Who would have thought that Huo Yun'ai would see it?
Seeing his barely suppressed laughter, Qing Wu felt both shy and annoyed, reaching out to snatch it away.
But he was tall and agile; Qing Wu couldn't take it from him at all.
Huo Yun'ai conveniently tucked the book into his arms and said, "This one is mine now. I'll get you a new one."
After saying this, he sighed, "Zheng Ning's leaving isn't too bad. At least your drawing has improved."
He looked serious, but Qing Wu knew better. It was clearly that pig.
The girl’s face turned red with embarrassment as she was about to argue with him when she heard a soft call from the courtyard.
Qing Wu stepped outside to see a maid in green clothing looking around. Upon seeing her, the maid hurried over, inquiring about her name and saying, "Wen Heir is looking for you. If you have time, please go over."
Upon hearing this, Qing Wu went back inside to inform Huo Yun'ai.
Huo Yun'ai had come solely for Qing Wu and did not wish to meet so many people. Hearing that she had something to attend to, he let her go about her business while he picked up another book to read carefully.
Qing Wu knew that her grandfather and brother had organized a grand celebration for her birthday. There would be many activities later on. Huo Yun'ai stayed behind for a while longer, perhaps to take another look.
So she temporarily bid him farewell and headed in the direction of Wen Qingyue.
Wen Qingyue's house is a courtyard for receiving female guests.
At this moment, more than a dozen ladies and young women had already arrived. They were gathered in the room, laughing together.
When Qing Wu arrived, their laughter suddenly paused for a moment, and then they all looked at Qing Wu. After a brief moment, their expressions relaxed again, and they continued to laugh and chat.
The unusual behavior of these people made Qing Wu feel somewhat suspicious.
Initially, she didn't think much of it, but now her gaze slowly moved over the crowd as she pondered quietly.
At first, she felt nothing particular, but after scanning the room, some slightly familiar faces made her heart skip a beat as she suddenly recalled something that had happened before. Upon looking more closely, she became increasingly certain.
...No wonder these people reacted so strongly upon seeing her.
The young ladies here were clearly those who had participated in the painting competition with her on the day of the Floral Banquet.
Realizing this, Qing Wu was somewhat unsure of Wen Qingyue's intentions.
Although she knew there would be an event today, her grandfather and brother hadn't told her what it specifically entailed. When she asked a few more questions, they only said that she would know when they set up the banquet later and that there was no need to be anxious.
They didn't need to be anxious, so Qing Wu truly didn't take it too seriously. She was just looking forward to this day and hadn't thought much about anything else.
Now seeing the situation, however, it was clear that it wasn't something that could simply be dealt with by the word "relaxed."
The room was quite spacious, furnished with hundreds of chairs, which could accommodate many guests. Currently, there were only a sparse few people inside; their laughter echoed in the room, making it somewhat headache-inducing.
Qing Wu wanted to leave but came today as a "guest," so wandering around carelessly wouldn't be appropriate. If she stood with Wen Qingyue and the others to greet guests, it would only draw more attention.
She contemplated whether she should go to that quiet courtyard from before and wait there in peace.
Taking advantage of the opportunity when the maidservants brought tea, Qing Wu took a cup and lowered her voice to softly ask the maidservant in front of her, "I heard there will be activities today. Do you know what they will be?"
The servants here are mostly from the Minister Shen's household.
On ordinary days, Madam Shen manages the household very strictly, and the servants are quite disciplined. Hearing Qing Wu's sudden question, the maid showed no signs of impatience or confusion and respectfully replied, "In response to the young lady's question, I am not particularly aware of today's activities. However, I have heard from my elder sisters that it may be related to 'painting.'"
"Related to 'painting'?"
Upon hearing this, Qing Wu felt a bit curious and pondered what her grandfather and brother had arranged. It seemed rather mysterious...
She glanced at the people in the room.
...It appeared to be somewhat related to that matter.
As Qing Wu was lost in thought about this tea, she suddenly heard a voice filled with surprise coming from outside the door.
"Lady Liu? Is that you? I can't believe my eyes! What a coincidence to run into you right after arriving."
Comment 0 Comment Count