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墨書 Inktalez
When Qing Wu woke up, she had no idea what she would face today. After being attended to by the maidservants and finishing her meal, she finally learned this "good news" from Mama Huang.
"What a coincidence! The school is taking a few days off, and the lady happens to be unavailable," Mama Huang said with a smile. "The house is going to be renovated, so it will definitely be in disarray. The lady has asked the Young Masters to keep an eye on you. Taking this opportunity, you can also get more familiar with the Young Masters."
Qing Wu smiled faintly, but inside she felt a bit apprehensive. She didn't know if her three brothers would take turns "keeping her company." If that were the case, she would have to find ways to avoid being alone with Liu Anfeng.
The head maidservant, Danqing, noticed her tension and, while adjusting her collar, said, "Miss, there's no need to worry. We will be waiting outside the corridor. If anything happens..."
She suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
She had intended to say that if anything happened, she could just call for the maidservants. But halfway through, she remembered that the young lady couldn't speak. So she quickly cut off her words.
Another maidservant attending to Qing Wu, Peach Silk, who was slightly younger than Danqing and more lively, did not notice Danqing's discomfort and chimed in with Mama Huang's earlier words: "Miss, don't worry; the Young Masters are all very easy to get along with."
Just as she finished speaking, Liu Anzhi's voice came from outside: "Sister, are you ready? If you are done, let's head to the Flower Hall together."
Peach Silk hurried over to lift the curtain while Danqing quickly went inside to fetch Qing Wu's cloak and scarf. By the time Liu Anzhi stepped into the room, Danqing was already tying Qing Wu's sash.
With her most amiable older brother coming personally to escort her, Qing Wu felt somewhat reassured. Once everything was ready, she insisted on walking by herself and refused to be carried. She took short steps and ran outside but was stunned when she looked around.
Due to the cold weather, although the sun had shone earlier, it had only melted part of the frozen snow and ice. Most of the path was still covered in hard, wet ice. If she stepped on it like this, the thick white silk cotton boots specially prepared for her by the He Family would likely turn gray and black.
Seeing her hesitation, the usually serious Liu Anzhi couldn't help but smile and said, "You really are a girl who loves to look pretty."
Mama Huang and the maidservants laughed out loud. A blush slowly crept onto Qing Wu's face.
Fearing that the young lady might feel shy, Mama Huang quickly stepped forward to pick her up without mentioning it again and said, "The workers for the renovation will probably arrive soon. Let's hurry over so we won't be disturbed by them."
When they entered the Flower Hall, Liu An Ting had already arrived. After a moment, Liu Anfeng reluctantly shuffled into the room.
Qing Wu was not very familiar with these three boys and didn't know how to interact with them. Fortunately, Liu Anzhi had already anticipated this and brought her two books to look at. Qing Wu decided to ignore the unfriendly glances that Liu Anfeng occasionally threw her way and focused intently on the book in her hands, studying it closely.
Just as she was engrossed in reading, a familiar voice suddenly came from beside her: "Do you recognize these characters, Wu Er? Can you read them?"
Hearing this address, Qing Wu was momentarily taken aback. After a pause, she realized he was calling her, so she looked up, gazing at Liu An Ting with a somewhat confused expression.
Liu An Ting felt a bit embarrassed under her straightforward and unreserved gaze.
This nickname had been given during a conversation among the three brothers about Qing Wu the previous day.
While they were gathered together, due to Liu Qingwu's presence, he and Liu Anfeng had argued for quite some time. Liu Anfeng accused him of "forgetting that Sister Lan only cares about that annoying girl," while he warned Liu Anfeng that "this is what our parents want," and he was "just following their wishes."
The two of them exchanged heated words for a while, neither willing to back down. In the end, it was their eldest brother Liu Anzhi who came up with a compromise.
"If you really don't want to call her sister, why not just call her 'Wu'? 'Wu' sounds similar to 'mist,' and if she ranks fifth in the family, it would include Sister Lan."
Upon hearing this, the two younger brothers were silent for a moment. However, they eventually nodded in agreement.
Recalling yesterday's events, Liu An Ting cleared his throat to cover up his embarrassment and said gently, "If Wu Er can't read, how about I teach you?" He then pointed to the open page and began to read clearly from the beginning, one character at a time.
Moments later, Liu Anzhi interrupted him: "Don't pressure her. If she can't speak, then let it be." He walked over protectively as if to push Liu An Ting aside.
Liu An Ting felt quite frustrated.
Yesterday, he actually heard Qing Wu speak. Who would have thought that today she wouldn't?
If she could just say something else, even a simple "mm" or "ah," it would ease his heart significantly. He wouldn't have to keep replaying her call of "brother" in his mind, feeling as if he owed her something.
Thus, Liu An Ting persisted, disregarding Liu Anzhi's objections, insisting on teaching her.
Seeing him like this, Qing Wu felt grateful for his earnest efforts and wanted to help him. However, both times she had spoken out of desperation, and now even if she tried, her lips moved but no sound came out.
After a long stalemate, even Liu Anfeng couldn't bear to watch any longer.
He said to Liu An Ting, "If the girl won't speak, then let it be." After all, witnessing the tragic death of family members was something that couldn't be easily recovered from.
Then Liu Anfeng found it a bit strange: "Second Brother, why are you so determined to teach her? You weren't like this before."
Liu An Ting had no way to express his frustration. A faint blush appeared on his fair and handsome face as he turned away without answering.
Seeing him in such an awkward state, Liu Anfeng blinked and suddenly had a realization. He chuckled and said, "You definitely have a reason. Come on, what’s going on? Why the sudden change of heart? Is it related to yesterday?" He kept pressing Liu An Ting for answers.
While the two of them were busy with their conversation, Liu Qingwu let out a sigh of relief. She grabbed a book and quietly went to the window to read.
On the second day, the steward of the General's Residence personally delivered two boxes of pastries.
The He Family took this as a return gift for the pastries they had sent earlier and refused to accept anything in return.
The previous box of pastries was specifically sent to thank Qin Shuying. How could they accept a return gift?
The butler felt somewhat troubled. Qin Shuying could specifically instruct him that the items must be delivered and must be accepted by that Girl.
With no other choice, the butler could only carefully ponder his relative's words in his heart. After a while, he finally grasped the essence of it.
— The Great General's intention was for the Liu Family Young Lady to receive it, not the Liu Family. If that is the case, why not call the young lady over?
The He Family found themselves unable to refuse this suggestion. Fortunately, Qing Wu was still young, so it was fine for her to come out and meet guests. They sent Mama Huang to bring her over.
Liu Qingwu did not understand why she had to come over suddenly and looked at Mama Huang in confusion. Mama Huang briefly explained the situation to her on the way.
After hearing this, Qing Wu also felt a bit puzzled.
Logically speaking, Qin Shuying was not someone who paid much attention to details. A box of pastries as a token of gratitude was not something particularly valuable. Why was there such insistence on returning a gift now?
It wasn't until she saw the two boxes of pastries and opened the lids that she understood Qin Shuying's intention.
The two boxes of pastries were completely different.
One box was a delicate paper box lined with oiled paper inside, containing eight different types of pastries, clearly crafted with care from a pastry shop.
The other box was somewhat special.
Inside, there was only one type of pastry, simply wrapped in oiled paper placed inside. However, this box for holding items was made of rosewood. The pastries were also unique. They were not made in the style of any shop in the capital; each piece was shaped like ten petals.
Qing Wu had some recollection of these pastries.
After finishing breakfast that day, Huo Yun'ai brought over this snack for her to try, specially made to his taste by Dou Mama. She wasn't sure if she would like it, but he encouraged her to give it a taste.
Qing Wu found it delicious and ended up eating several pieces. She didn't expect that he remembered and took the opportunity to have someone deliver it.
As for the other portion... it should be that Qin Shuying was worried that the Rosewood Box would be too conspicuous, so she bought some mixed treats from the shop to blend in.
Huo Yun'ai's thoughtful gesture would not go unappreciated by Qing Wu. She smiled and nodded at the butler of the Qin Residence, accepting the items.
The butler let out a big sigh of relief and smiled as he bowed and took his leave.
Although the He Family did not understand why Qing Wu made such a decision, seeing her natural demeanor made it clear that the items were specially sent by Qin Shuying to Qing Wu, truly not just a return gift. Thus, the He Family no longer paid attention to the matter and instructed Mama Huang to deliver both boxes of snacks to the young lady's room.
The next day was the Laba Festival. Before dawn, every household began cooking Laba porridge. The Liu Residence was no exception.
Qing Wu was called up early.
Children tire easily. She had trouble opening her eyes at first, but when she caught a whiff of the fragrant porridge, she immediately perked up. She hurriedly got up, dressed properly, and washed up before rushing to her mother's room—last night Liu Fangyi had announced that everyone would have breakfast together today. It was this thought that made her wake up so quickly.
The He Family saw her with mixed feelings of joy and concern. They were concerned that the child couldn't sleep in a bit longer and woke up early. They were joyful because Qing Wu's obedient and clever appearance made them want to cherish her even more.
She was pulled into an embrace by her mother, who smiled at her sons and said, "Isn't your sister very pretty today?"
Since Qing Wu's family had just passed away, she was dressed in all white. Earlier, when she saw how lovely Qing Wu looked with a rabbit fur scarf, she had someone add a trim of white fluff around the edges of Qing Wu's cotton coat. Dressed in this outfit, the girl appeared even more adorable and serene.
Liu Anzhi marveled at her beauty. Liu An Ting looked for a moment before slowly averting his gaze and said, "It's not bad."
Liu Anfeng was first stunned, then came to his senses and snorted, turning his head away, "It's not that great. An ugly girl is just an ugly girl."
As soon as he finished speaking, he received a knock on his head.
Liu Fangyi tapped his head and shouted, "Speak the truth!"
Liu Anfeng stubbornly called out, "She's just ugly!"
Liu Fangyi immediately rolled up his sleeves, "You little brat, if I don't teach you a lesson, you'll think you can get away with anything!"
Liu Anfeng took off running. Just as he reached the door, he collided with Mama Huang, who was about to enter. Fortunately, she wasn't very strong either; Mama Huang steadied herself against the door frame and didn't fall.
Seeing that he almost caused trouble, Liu Anfeng completely behaved himself, lowering his head and inching over to the side of the door.
Liu Fangyi was about to continue scolding when the He Family noticed that Mama Huang seemed to have something to say. They gestured to Liu Fangyi and turned to ask Mama Huang, "Is there something going on?"
"Two people came from outside wanting to see you. When I asked for details, they wouldn't say anything, just insisted that they would explain once they saw you."
Mama Huang hesitated a bit and added, "From their accents, they don't seem like people from the capital. Could it be that the Matriarch is arriving soon and specifically sent someone to inform us?"
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