Chapter 89: Riding Together

The layers of peonies in my hand are truly beautiful.

Xu Shuyao thought the eldest son of the Wang family had called her over because of his son, so she took the initiative to ask, "I wonder if Brother Yan is doing well after returning home?"

Wang Wendong looked at the young lady in front of him. She was wearing a pink and white dress embroidered with butterfly patterns. Her black and shiny hair was pinned with the same pink and white silk flowers. She had two small braids in front of her body. Her peach blossom eyes were full of smiles, and she looked even more charming and beautiful than the day he met her in the shop.

He retracted his gaze, but his voice was a little tense when he spoke, "My son is fine, thank you for saving my life that day!"

So, Xu Shuyao also mentioned his help in the pen and ink shop. The two of them exchanged some pleasantries and gradually walked to the side of Lingxi.

The stream in front of me is so clear that I can see the fish in it clearly.

Xu Shuyao casually pulled out a piece of grass and threw it in. The sound of water gurgling appeared and soon it rolled away into the distance.

Wang Wendong looked at her and was about to step forward.

Before he got close, a maid from the Qingyuan Marquis's mansion came hurriedly and said something to him.

After the maid left, Wang Wendong looked at the young lady by the water with a hint of regret on his face, but he still said goodbye to her and left.

After the eldest son of the Wang family left, Xu Shuyao was bored and played with the flower stems in her hands to splash water. Occasionally, a strange man came up to her and asked if she wanted to take a walk with him, but she refused him.

Some fish swam over and pecked and sniffed at the peony petals. Xu Shuyao found it very interesting and pushed the flower stalk deeper into the water.

"Be careful!" A hand grabbed her wrist and pulled it.

She turned around in a hurry and saw the familiar prince in the mansion. He had put his hands behind his back and was looking down at her with a frown.

Xu Shuyao looked back and did not see the noble and beautiful royal princess.

"What are you looking at?" Xiao Mo squatted down. The two were not far away from each other.

Xu Shuyao shook her head and continued to use the flower stalks to tease the fish in Lingxi. Soon, only the bare stems were left of the peony plant.

Xiao Mo sat on the cushion that the guards had prepared for him, smiling brightly. He picked up the cup and waved it towards her, "Want to drink?"

Xu Shuyao thought he was drinking wine and said she didn't need it. It was fine for her to just play with Yu'er like this.

Xiao Mo's eyes were filled with a faint smile: "It's not wine, it's tea."

Is it really tea?

She was actually a little thirsty at this moment.

When she heard it was tea, she sat over and the guard handed her a stool.

Xiao Mo picked up the teapot and poured her a cup. He saw her pick it up and drink it. After a while, he took out a painting from his arms.

When Xu Shuyao saw the painting, her eyes widened.

"Where did the prince get it from?"

She still remembered that she watched the old man complete the painting.

The old man's surname is Qian, and Xu Shuyao learned her painting skills from him.

After Xu's mother passed away, her father was busy with official duties, and Xu Shuyao was completely left unattended. At a young age, she often disguised herself as a man and walked in the streets of Huzhou.

Once, she was eating buns and watching a circus when an old man next to her reached out his hand. She gave him one without paying much attention to it.

But when she was leaving, the old man insisted on teaching her how to paint.

Later, Xu Shuyao was pestered so much that she took him to her mother's pen and ink shop, and gave him a piece of rice paper and asked him to paint on the spot.

The old man immediately painted a corner of the shop. There was a not-so-high shelf with pens, ink, paper and inkstone on it, but it was almost exactly the same as the scene on the spot.

Shu Yao didn't have much time to stay outside. When she did go out occasionally, she would walk around and learn other people's business skills.

The old man didn't have much time to teach him how to paint.

Sometimes when something happens at home, he may not be able to leave for ten days or half a month.

The old man lived in the pen and ink shop for several years. Even through this intermittent learning, Xu Shuyao's painting skills improved greatly.

Later, when her younger brother fell ill, she did not go out for a long time. When she went to the shop again, the manager said that the old man had passed away.

Xu Shuyao didn't know about Old Man Qian's past. His paintings were excellent and he didn't charge her for teaching.

But he said his surname was Qian, and Xu Shuyao smiled when she thought of this.

Xiao Mo watched her slowly calm down from her excitement, raised his eyebrows and said, "Want to go see him?"

Xu Shuyao nodded.

Xiao Mo looked at the guard, and the man immediately began to pack up the tea sets.

He straightened his robe, stood up, and walked forward.

Xu Shuyao walked a few steps to him and asked anxiously, "Leaving now?"

"Not leaving?" He looked at her with a smile, as if asking for her opinion.

Xu Shuyao looked at the pair of eyes in front of her that were flashing with smiles, and nodded very quickly.

The desire to see Old Man Qian prevailed, and the people from the Duke's Mansion came out together. "What if they can't see me when I go back later?"

Xiao Mo's voice came faintly: "No."

Xu Shuyao left Lingxi and was troubled when she saw the horse eating grass in front of her. Xiao Mo jumped on the horse nimbly and looked down at her.

"No?" he said.

Xu Shuyao looked back in the direction of Lingxi. At this time, she could still hear faint sounds of laughter. Although it would take some time to go back, it was not far.

"I still..." She was halfway through her words when she saw a hand stretched out in front of her.

In just a moment, the person sat in front of him.

"I don't have much time, go quickly and come back soon." Xiao Mo's voice rang in her ears.

Xu Shuyao suddenly panicked. At first, she thought that the old man lived in the city and that she would just have to ride in the same carriage with the man in front of her. This had happened before on the night of the Lantern Festival.

But now we are heading into the mountains, and we even have to ride together.

No matter how much psychological hints she gave herself, she still felt uneasy.

His body was so close that Xu Shuyao could feel his breath behind her ears, and she couldn't help but shudder.

He quickly moved forward.

However, the mountain road was rugged and the horses ran very fast.

In the end, she turned around and tightly grasped the front of the prince's lapel behind her.

In order to prevent her from falling, the other party simply grabbed her waist.

Xu Shuyao is unable to get off the horse.

But she was also very afraid of death. Although she did not trust the horse, she was very confident that the prince would be fine, so she held him tightly all the way.

Xiao Mo lowered his head and looked at the sweaty young lady in his arms. He mentioned it casually, "What do you think of my cousin?"

Xu Shuyao clutched the front of his shirt with one hand and replied vaguely, "Yes... he's a good... person!"

The horse crossed a mountain stream and she went straight into the man's arms.

Xiao Mo raised his eyebrows and straightened her up with a look of disdain, "Sit down!"

But she didn't care about so many things. Perhaps because she had physical contact with this person before, she let go.

Although he sat upright, his hands were still clenched tightly.