Chapter 48 Meeting the Heart's Desire "Why not ask him personally why he disagreed that day..."

When Lu Xiuyi woke up, the plate that had been holding the lily pastries was spotless. Meng Yu leaned against the chaise lounge and let out a soft burp without making a sound.

A silvery veil peeked in through the window, covering the hem of her skirt. She smiled and raised her hand to him: "I didn't expect you to be such a good cook. I didn't notice and ate it all. Since we ran out of lily pastries, I had someone heat up some rice. Would you like some?"

"I'm not hungry."

Lu Xiuyi raised his head, feeling a sharp pain in his shoulder. He rubbed it and suddenly caught a glimpse of Meng Yu smiling at him and pointing to her cheek. He instinctively touched his face and found red marks from the pressure.

The events that happened before he went to sleep came back to him, and Lu Xiuyi was furious. He sat down again with a swagger, pointed to his shoulder and said, "I'm not hungry, but since I saved you and even made you some lily cakes, you can give me a massage."

Although Meng Yu was unwilling, she realized that she was also at fault for what happened today, so she got up from the chaise lounge, moved behind him, put her hands on his shoulders, and gently massaged them.

The moonlight illuminated Meng Yu's fair finger bones, who was hidden in the darkness. Turning her head, she saw Lu Xiuyi comfortably closing his eyes.

"The old lady's seventieth birthday is in a few days. Have you thought about what birthday gift to give her?" After a moment of silence, Lu Xiuyi suddenly spoke.

Meng Yu was slightly surprised. These past few days, her mind had been preoccupied with the affairs of the estate, and she hadn't thought of this matter at all. She quickly let go of his hand and came to him: "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten. Time is a bit tight, and I'm afraid it won't be enough time to make it myself. My grandmother likes coral, so I'll go to Wanbaoge tomorrow to see if they have any coral antiques. If they do, I'll buy one as a birthday gift. Do you think that's feasible?"

Lu Xiuyi stood up, parallel to her, and said with a smile, "Since it's your idea, it's certainly feasible. However, I've also prepared another congratulatory gift, which I'll also give to the old lady at that time."

He was quick with his hands, and Meng Yu couldn't help but ask, "What gift?"

The man in front of her never lowered his lips. He gently pressed her shoulder and pushed her towards the door: "Keep this a secret. It's late. I've had water prepared. Go take a bath first."

Meng Yu had no choice but to comply with his suggestion.

The maid came in and lit the lamp, and the darkness instantly disappeared, illuminating the room.

***

The next day.

After breakfast, Meng Yu said goodbye to Lu Xiuyi and then got into a carriage with Huaiyin and went to Wanbaoge.

Upon entering, one immediately notices a uniquely shaped coral bonsai in the corner, its shape resembling a deer playing with butterflies in a jungle. The coral is placed far from the entrance, and the room is dark, with no lights on, casting a pine-flower-yellow glow on the coral.

Looking around, Meng Yu saw nothing else.

The shopkeeper greeted her with a smile. Seeing her eyes gleaming as she stared at the coral, he immediately understood and boasted, "Madam has excellent taste! This coral was transported from Songhai over three months ago and just arrived today. I guarantee you won't find another coral in the world with such a unique shape. You're lucky, Madam. If you had been a step later, this coral would probably have been sold."

Although his boasting was somewhat exaggerated, there was some truth to it. The capital was full of powerful and wealthy families, and they had no shortage of money. This uniquely shaped coral bonsai, with its deer motif, had a very auspicious meaning. If someone saw it upon entering, they would buy it without hesitation.

Meng Yu gave Huai Yin a wink, and she immediately asked, "How much is this?"

"Not expensive." The shopkeeper smiled and held up two fingers.

Huaiyin breathed a sigh of relief: "Two hundred taels, thank goodness."

The shopkeeper's expression changed slightly, and he quickly withdrew his hand, correcting her: "Miss, you're mistaken, it's two thousand taels of silver."

"Two thousand taels?" Huaiyin gasped in shock. "It's just a glowing stone, and it costs two thousand taels? You might as well rob it."

The shopkeeper exclaimed "Oh dear!" and explained, "Young lady, coral is not the same as stones. Coral is much more precious than those ordinary stones. It's not easy to obtain and is worth this price."

Huaiyin wanted to argue with him, which was a common tactic they used when buying things. However, Meng Yu examined the coral closely and found that the joints were intact without any signs of splicing. He quickly stopped her and raised his hand to her, saying, "Don't say anything. This coral is worth the price. Just tell him that we don't have enough silver with us. We can only offer a maximum of 1,800 taels."

Huaiyin told the shopkeeper what she had to say.

The shopkeeper frowned slightly, pondered for a few moments, and immediately decided to sell it to Meng Yu.

After buying the birthday gift for Old Madam Meng, Meng Yu thought that she hadn't had time to take Huaiyin out for a stroll because she had been dealing with matters at the estate these past few days. She also heard that Xunmanlou had launched some new pastries, so she went there instead.

Upon arrival, they found the first and second floors packed with people, with no seats available. The waiter, with his sharp eyes, immediately recognized Huaiyin as a maid from the Huaihua General's Mansion. Seeing Mengyu's luxurious attire, he guessed she must be Madam Lu and hurriedly went forward to inquire, only to find that she was indeed so.

“General Lu has a private room here. Even if it’s full, we would never dare to give it up. It’s usually locked, and no one except General Lu’s men would dare to open it.”

Remembering Lu Xiuyi's previous instructions, the waiter hurriedly led the two to a private room on the third floor. They walked straight in and stopped at the second to last room. As soon as the door opened, a faint scent of cedar wafted out. Inside, besides a mahogany square table by the window, two mahogany armchairs with cloud patterns, there was a landscape and flower-and-bird screen and a wall of books.

Behind the screen, an entire wall was covered with books.

Meng Yu's curiosity was piqued, so she casually flipped through the pages. Just as she had expected, there were several books on everything from astronomy to geography, and even some dry and boring scriptures.

The bookcase was spotless, either cleaned by the waiter or by someone Lu Xiuyi sent specifically to clean it. The waiter mentioned that this place is usually locked, so it was undoubtedly someone sent by Lu Xiuyi.

The windows were opened, and a cool breeze blew in. Meng Yu looked out and saw that the bustling streets were no longer there. Instead, her eyes were filled with neatly arranged houses, and wisps of smoke rose from the green tiles, drifting slowly into the air until they disappeared.

Looking further afield, there is a golden ocean, with waves sweeping across it, creating gentle ripples under the high and clear sky.

It's almost October, the golden autumn season, and the rice is about to ripen.

The snacks arrived quickly; the others were just average, except for the rose-flavored water chestnut flour pastry, which was somewhat tasty.

Half an hour later, the two finished eating. Seeing that it was getting late, they prepared to head home. Just as they were about to get up, there was a knock on the half-open door. Thinking it was the waiter, Huaiyin said, "Please come in."

The person who came was not the waiter.

The door was opened, and the faint commotion instantly amplified and penetrated in. The newcomer wore a black brocade robe, with a face as handsome as jade and eyes as bright as stars. He had one hand at his waist, and the jade pendant with a relief of a landscape hanging at his side was particularly eye-catching due to its fine texture, just like the man himself.

Huaiyin was taken aback: "You knocked on the wrong door."

The man did not give Huaiyin a direct answer, but looked at Meng Yu and smiled slightly: "Sister-in-law, nice to meet you. I am Lu Xiuyi's elder brother, Lu Jiayan."

***

When Lu Xiuyi arrived at Xunmanlou, Meng Yu and Huaiyin were just coming out.

Upon seeing him suddenly appear, Meng Yu raised her hand in surprise: "Weren't you going to the military camp? What are you doing here?"

He looked around but couldn't find Lu Jiayan anywhere. After calming down, he made up an excuse: "I finished my work and thought you like to eat lily pastries here. I thought they should have some today, so I came to buy some."

"I just ate." Meng Yu smiled and noticed a few fine beads of sweat on his forehead. She took out a handkerchief, walked closer to him, and gently wiped away the sweat by standing on tiptoe.

She suddenly approached, and the surrounding noise seemed to stop flowing for a moment. All Lu Xiuyi could see was her delicate nose, rosy lips, and eyes like a clear spring. Even his breath stopped for a split second.

A golden halo tinged her face with a soft blush, and her movements were gentle.

Even after she finished wiping and took two steps back, Lu Xiuyi still hadn't come to his senses.

Meng Yu smiled and gestured to him, "Let's go back to the manor together!"

The carriage drove away.

A loud "bang" came from a private room on the third floor.

It was crisp and clear.

Lu Xiuyi had no idea how he got into the carriage, or what he said or did in the carriage. He only knew that when he came to his senses, he was already sitting in the study of the mansion.

“Young master, I’ve inquired. Lu Jiayan hadn’t left yet; he was in his private room on the third floor.”

Chu Ze pushed open the half-closed door, came in, and bowed his head. After waiting for a while, he did not hear a sound from above. He found it strange, so he straightened up and looked.

But then Lu Xiuyi placed one hand on the table, his fingertips slowly stroking the rim of the teacup, looking lost in a daze...

"Young Master," he called out in a raised voice.

Lu Xiuyi snapped back to reality, frowning, "What's wrong?"

Chuze repeated what he had just said.

Lu Xiuyi immediately realized that Meng Yu's actions were clearly an act for the people upstairs. Although he was somewhat disappointed, he was naturally optimistic and confident, and he couldn't help but smile.

Truth and falsehood are intertwined; what is fake today may be real tomorrow.

Three days later, it will be Madam Meng's 70th birthday.

Around noon, Meng Yu and Lu Xiuyi returned to the Meng residence in a carriage, where Meng Yanqing, along with Madam Yuan and Meng Zhangzhou, greeted them at the gate.

The spacious open space in front of the gate was filled with carriages. Meng Yu glanced around and saw carriages from the Duke of Longguo's mansion, the Marquis of Chengyi's mansion, the Minister Yang's mansion, the Song family of the Vice Minister of Revenue...

The birthday celebration of the old lady of a minor official of the fourth rank was so grand that it rivaled the birthday banquet of a prince's mansion. Meng Yu frowned and looked at Meng Yanqing again, whose smile never faded.

When everyone saw Lu Xiuyi, they all came around to greet him, their faces showing no trace of the disgust they harbored behind his back.

Lu Xiuyi responded indifferently, and then stepped inside.

Madam Meng sat in the main seat in the front hall, and her children and grandchildren presented gifts to wish her a happy birthday. When it was Meng Yu and Lu Xiuyi's turn, they first ordered someone to bring up the coral bonsai. Then, Chu Ze brought two servants to carry in two boxes of things.

Inside were ten crystal-clear longevity bowls, each with a carving on its surface depicting a child offering a peach to his grandmother to wish her a long life.

"Grandson-in-law and Yu'er wish the old lady a long and happy birthday, and may she live a long and blessed life," Lu Xiu said, lifting his hem and kneeling down with Meng Yu. He cupped his hands in a fist and smiled, "Knowing that you like coral, this bonsai was specially chosen by Yu'er. And this longevity bowl was also Yu'er's idea, just to make you smile."

Meng Yu suddenly straightened up and looked up at Lu Xiuyi.

He turned his head to look at him, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Good, good, good! My grandson-in-law and Yu'er are the most filial. Of all the birthday gifts today, the ones you gave are the most to my liking." Old Madam Meng was overjoyed and quickly had someone help them up.

After the banquet was over and the guests had all left, Meng Yanqing suggested that they stay at his house for the night and have dinner together as a family.

Since the day she returned to her parents' home, Meng Yu had not returned to Qingli Courtyard. When Meng Yanqing mentioned it, she didn't ask Lu Xiuyi and immediately nodded in agreement.

Ignoring Meng Yu, Meng Yanqing looked expectantly at the person beside her.

Lu Xiuyi raised his hand and put it around Meng Yu's waist, and said gently with a smile, "From now on, Yu'er's opinion is my opinion. Since I have asked her, there is no need to ask me again."

Meng Yanqing nodded and bowed, smiling and repeatedly replying, "That's very good, very good."

Even Meng Yu scoffed at his obsequious manner.

His hand rested on her waist, and Meng Yu felt a sharp gaze piercing her from behind. Needless to say, without even turning around, she knew whose gaze it was.

After finishing their conversation, it was still early and not yet time for dinner. Meng Yanqing invited Lu Xiuyi to the study to appreciate the remaining famous paintings, while Meng Yu returned to Qingli Courtyard first.

She had only gone halfway when Meng Yin suddenly appeared from around the corner, blocking her way with a furious expression: "Meng Yu, how vicious you are! In order to marry into a high-ranking family, you are willing to disfigure me on our wedding day."

Her gaze was like fire, spreading over me.

Meng Yu's expression remained aloof, and she raised her hand with a cold smile: "Fourth sister, you need to provide evidence before you speak."

Huaiyin translated the words word for word.

"Evidence? My eyes are the evidence. If I hadn't had a rash that day, how could a mute like you have had the chance to marry into the General's Mansion? If it weren't for Lu Xiuyi's support, do you think Grandmother would have given you a second glance? The position of General Huaihua's wife should have been mine; you stole it from me." Meng Yin became angrier as she spoke, wishing she could slap her, but remembering that Lu Xiuyi was still in the mansion, she couldn't ruin his impression of her, so she suppressed her anger.

Meng Yu almost laughed out of anger: "Fourth sister, not everyone treats Lu Xiuyi like a treasure like you do. Instead of hysterically questioning me, why don't you ask him yourself why he didn't agree to change the wedding date back then?"

Meng Yin's face turned pale at those words, and she stood there stunned. By the time she came to her senses, Meng Yu had already walked away.

She seemed unwilling to accept her fate and shouted angrily at her: "Meng Yu, remember this, I will take back what is mine sooner or later."