Chapter 170 If the Fate Lasts Long (6)

"I've been to court quite a few times in the past half month, and he's your uncle's nephew, so we've become familiar with each other." Shi Jianan listened to her addressing Ming Zhaohuan and asked, "Zhaohuan calls me uncle, but you call him cousin. Isn't that a little weird?"

"He told me to follow my cousin's lead and call me that." Shi Jianli tilted her head to look at Ming Zhaohuan, "How about my eldest cousin also follow my cousin and call me dad uncle? That would be right."

"Okay." Mingzhao agreed with a smile as he met her eyes. Seeing the sun setting in the west, he said to Shi Jianan and Qiao Ruowei, "It's getting dark soon. Uncle and aunt, I'll take my leave now."

Shi Jianan nodded.

After watching the man go away, Qiao Ruowei turned around and patted her daughter on the back, "Did you catch the fish?"

"I found it. Uncle Yue took it home first." Shi Jianli took her arm and said, "Mom, my eldest cousin said the peach blossom forest in the eastern suburbs is beautiful. I want to go there tomorrow."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Qiao Ruowei poked the smile on her face, "You call people cousin quite smoothly."

"I told him I'll make an appointment with my second sister tomorrow. You can stay home with Dad tomorrow. I won't disturb you." Shi Jianli pulled her towards the carriage. "He asked me to call him, so I did. There's no harm in it. Our family is indeed related to him. If we go to visit my aunt and cousin, I'll probably see him more often. Calling him a little more familiarly isn't rude."

"Besides, I have to go play with his sister tomorrow."

Shi Jianli winked at her and said playfully, "Besides, he's good-looking. We should give some face to good-looking people."

Seeing only pure admiration in her daughter's eyes, Qiao Ruowei laughed, took her hand, and looked at her expression. "Yesterday, your father received a letter from your Uncle Pei, saying that your brother Pei Ye will be going to Beijing to study in two months."

"Live in our house?" Shi Jianlitou tilted his head slightly and asked in confusion.

Qiao Ruowei shook her head, "It's inconvenient for him to live in his cousin's house."

Li'er is now of marriageable age, and there are no other men in her family. It would be hard to say what would happen if Pei Ye moved in.

"Oh." The last time Shi Jianli saw Pei Ye was at her coming-of-age party last year.

Duzhou is quite far from Hezhou, and she didn't expect Pei Ye to come from Hezhou to celebrate her birthday.

After getting on the carriage, Shi Jianli sat next to Qiao Ruowei, holding Qiao Ruowei's arm, and said to Shi Jianan: "Dad, I'm thirsty, please pour me some tea."

Shi Jianan poured her a cup of tea, and then poured one for Qiao Ruowei as well, and said to her with a smile, "You become so weak that you can't sit still when you're next to your mother."

"Mom, let me take it." Shi Jianli rubbed her head against Qiao Ruowei's shoulder, "Right, Mom?"

"Yes, mother is happy to have Li'er close by." Qiao Ruowei rubbed her head, glanced at Shi Jianan, and said with a smile: "You know she likes to be clingy. When she was little, she followed you to the county government office like a little tail. If you didn't move, she wouldn't move either. Fortunately, she didn't make any noise or fuss, and she would sit for the whole day if you gave her something to eat."

My daughter is clingy, but also well-behaved.

"She doesn't stick to you anymore, and you complain to me that she has grown up and is away from home all day." The old father's heart is quite changeable.

The mother and daughter were very affectionate. The old father had nothing to say and just drank some tea.

Qiao Ruowei said to her daughter, "The weather is getting warmer. Tomorrow I'll give the sketches to the embroiderers to make summer clothes so you can get a few more clothes."

"Thank you, mother~"

"Ma'am, I want it too."

"Yours is indispensable."

The next morning, after dressing up, she went to have breakfast with Qiao Ruowei, and revised the clothing draft with Qiao Ruowei in the main courtyard. When it was almost time, Jianli took Lanxing Xianyue out.

Before leaving, she looked at Shi Jianan, who was sitting beside them reading a book and accompanying them, and said, "Daddy, I want a swing. Please ask someone to make one for me. I want one that's a bit bigger."

"Okay, let's fight in your yard?"

"It's okay to fight in your and mother's yard, as long as you don't mind me coming here to disturb you and mother so often." Shi Jianli winked at him.

"Go ahead, fight in your yard." Shi Jianan scolded with a smile, closing the book in his hand and throwing it to her, "Give me another one."

Shi Jianli took the book, put it back on the bookshelf, then took out another book from the bookshelf and handed it to Shi Jienan before leaving.

The turn of spring and summer is the season for falling flowers. The peach forest in the eastern suburbs is filled with red petals falling from the rain, all over the path. As soon as you reach the edge of the peach forest, your sleeves are filled with the fragrance of peaches.

At this time, there were already quite a few young men and girls in the peach forest. Walking deeper into the forest, it didn't take long before they saw Mingyuelin directing the maids to spread out silk cloth to catch the peach petals.

And Mingzhao is beside her.

"Second sister Ming, I'm late." Shi Jianli stepped forward and called out, then looked at Ming Zhaohuan and said, "Big cousin."

Mingzhao's eyes fell on her, with a slight smile on his face, "Yeah."

"Sister Shi, you're here." Ming Yuelin turned around and happily trotted towards her. "Not late, not late. I'm used to arriving early."

Then she asked, "Why do you call me Big Brother and Big Cousin, but also call me Second Sister Ming? It seems like you're closer to Big Brother than to me. No, you have to change the way you address me."

Shi Jianli glanced at Ming Zhaohuan and asked, "Then I'll call you Sister Lin?"

"Okay, I'll call you Sister Li." Mingyuelin was satisfied.

Shi Jianli moved closer to her and asked, "Why is your elder brother here too?"

"He said he had an appointment with Brother Yu and Ji Gudong today and was leaving the city, so he'd drop me off on the way." Ming Yuelin said with a light cough, "Brother Yu is the Marquis of Jining's son, and Ji Gudong is the Duke of Fuguo's son, my fiancé."

How come it just comes out so easily?

Shi Jianli pursed her lips and smiled when she heard that. "Oh, that's an interesting name."

Mingzhao stepped forward and said to Mingyuelin, "I'll pick you up at twilight hour."

"I know. You go to the appointment. Sister Li and I are going to play too." Mingyue waved at him without even looking at him, and replied indifferently.

She can come and go by herself without her elder brother coming to pick her up, but seeing that her elder brother is so caring and protective of his sister, she will agree to him.

Seeing her look of trying to get him out of the way, Mingzhao said helplessly, "When I first came back, you really loved me. Now you think I'm an eyesore?"

"No, no, I'm just afraid that you'll break your promise." Ming Yuelin concealed her guilty conscience and grinned at him.

After all, Sister Li is her "new favorite" now, so Big Brother will only be fond of her for a while.

"Thank you, sister, for taking care of my reputation." Mingzhao was still looking at Shi Jianli, and his eyes happened to meet hers. The corners of his lips couldn't help but curve up, and he nodded at her.

After hesitating for a moment, he smiled and said, "See you this afternoon, cousin Shi."

Shi Jianli nodded subconsciously, "Oh, okay."

Mingzhao raised his hand to stroke the petals that fell on his shoulders, and walked out. Several beams of spring light of varying brightness were blocked by the peach forest. As he walked, they lingered on his body and finally disappeared at the edge of the peach forest.

The moment he disappeared, the sky was covered by clouds and became dark.

Shi Jianli blinked, then her gaze returned to Mingyuelin. "Sister Lin, what are you doing with the petals? Making peach cakes?"