Chapter 5 The veil beneath the temple fair fence was lifted
Luo Qi was full of eyes, and the floating green was swaying, but Pei Huaian's eyes were only looking at the pear blossoms under the fence in the bright moon. A strange feeling quickly hit him, making his breathing slightly stagnant, and he couldn't help but walk towards the other party.
However, he was still holding a red parrot in his hand, and the stall owner hurriedly called him: "Sir, you haven't paid yet."
Pei Huaian looked down and saw the red parrot struggling to break free from his hands. He quickly returned the little thing to the stall owner and asked, "How much?"
The stall owner quoted a price, and he took out some silver and handed it over: "You can leave these parrots here for now. I'll come back to get them later."
"Okay." The stall owner agreed readily.
In just a moment, when Pei Huaian turned around to look at the girl again, he saw that the white figure was no longer in front of the bookstall.
Looking around, I found that the girl had gone to the next stall.
*
Chen Youran originally came here with her sister to pick out calligraphy and paintings, but her sister was very picky and didn't like many of them. She accompanied her sister for a long time and was really bored. She happened to catch a glimpse of a stall selling Mohelos in the corner of the book fair. Unlike the small clay Buddha statues she had seen before, the Mohelos sold on this stall were based on stories about pavilions and towers, decorated with paper-cut silk, gold, silver, pearls and jade. The little people leaned on the railings made of carved wood, looking lifelike and exquisite.
Shen Youran pulled her sister over to take a look. When she asked the price, she found out that the cheapest one cost three taels of silver, and the most expensive one cost ten taels of silver.
No wonder there are so few people in front of this stall. It turns out they are scared away by the high price.
Her sister refused to buy it for her, saying that after buying the Mohelo, the remaining money would not be enough to buy calligraphy and paintings.
But Shen Youran really liked the Mohelo at this stall. She lingered in front of the stall and refused to leave, looking at this and then that. She was not greedy and did not choose the most expensive or the most beautiful one. She only picked the one that suited her best. Pointing at the Mohelo with one hand, she tugged at the clothes of the person next to her with the other hand and skillfully acted like a spoiled child: "I want that one, it's only five taels, buy it for me..."
She thought her sister would have to bargain for a while before buying it for her, but the next moment, she saw a hand as smooth as bamboo jade handing a piece of silver to the stall owner, and then picked up the Mohele she had just chosen and handed it to her.
"Here, for you..."
That's not right.
This is not my sister's hand, nor is it a girl's voice.
Shen Youran stared up in the direction of his hand, and suddenly saw a rough and fierce Nuo mask. She was so scared that her legs went weak and she took a few steps back. She accidentally bumped into a passerby behind her, causing her to lose her balance and stagger, about to fall.
A slender arm reached out and supported her lower back in time.
"I'm sorry I scared you." The voice was clear with a lingering sound, and he must be a young man.
“No, nothing…”
After Pei Huaian helped her to stand steadily, he withdrew his hand, thinking of removing the Nuo mask on his face. But before he could take off the mask, the other party turned around and ran away like a frightened deer.
He had no choice but to give up on removing the mask and reached out to grab her again. He grabbed her wrist and stuffed the Mohele she had just chosen into her hand. "You forgot to take this."
Shen Youran's face was as red as rouge, and she was so embarrassed that she just wanted to disappear from this person's sight as soon as possible: she had just acted like a spoiled child in front of a strange man, which was really embarrassing.
She struggled to free her wrists from the grip and refused, "Thank you, but I don't know you, so I can't take your things."
"I can't take back what I've given away." The other party insisted on giving it to her, his tone a little more stubborn, "If I tell you to take it, then take it."
Even though Shen Youran had read many storybooks and knew many stories between men and women, she did not feel at all as romantic as described in the storybooks when she was being pulled by a strange man in public.
She rarely came into contact with men outside of her family. This was her first time encountering such a situation. She didn't know how to deal with it for a moment. All she could think about was finding her sister: "My sister has money. I'll ask her to come over and give you the money. Please let me go..."
She looked around for her sister, but the veil under the fence was pulled aside, and she widened her eyes in fear.
“It’s you…”
He only caught a glimpse of her eyes just now, and got a rough idea of what she looked like. However, he remembered these eyes. However, they were no longer calm, but full of fear and wariness. She looked at him with a bit of helplessness and trembling eyelashes.
The more I see of her, the more pitiful she becomes.
His heart skipped a beat, and he went even further and pulled off her veil.
A blushing little face appeared before his eyes without any hiding.
She is more beautiful than he imagined.
Pei Huaian was always generous towards pretty girls: "No need to ask your sister to come over. I have plenty of money. Since I said I would give it to you, just keep it with peace of mind..."
However, no matter how generous she was, she couldn't change his reckless behavior. Shen Youran was ashamed and annoyed by his offense. Hearing him call her "young master" all the time, his words were full of frivolousness, she thought he was a frivolous, careless and frivolous scoundrel. She became more and more afraid to ask for his things, in case he pestered her...
So she glared at him fiercely, trying to prove that she was not someone to be trifled with. "I told you not to, why don't you understand me..."
She suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head and, based on the man's tall stature and familiar clothes, she identified him as the sixth son of the Liang family, whom she had met behind the Heavenly King Hall that morning.
Because they were quite far away, she couldn't see Liang Liulang's expression clearly, but she saw Mrs. Liang beside him shook her head and said something to him, and then the mother and son turned and left.
It is not difficult to guess that the mother and son must have misunderstood her relationship with the man in front of them, thinking that she was also a fickle woman, so they left in disappointment.
She was wronged.
Angry and annoyed, she pushed the man in front of her away and ran away quickly, lifting her skirt.
"Hey, why are you running?" Before Pei Huaian could ask her name, she ran into the crowded crowd.
He weighed the Mohelo in his hand that he had not given away. Although he felt a little regretful, he did not insist on it anymore: Forget it, we will meet again if we are destined to.
Shen Youran ran behind a big tree with calligraphy and paintings hanging on it, and hid for a long time before sticking his head out. Seeing that the masked man did not chase after him, he breathed a sigh of relief with lingering fear.
Then she found her sister in the crowd. The sister, wearing a veil, looked around, and the veil swayed with her movements. It was obvious that she was also looking for her younger sister.
Shen Youran observed carefully for a while, and when she didn't see the lecher again, she ran out to look for her sister.
"Where have you been? I just..." Shen Yunshu was about to scold her for running around, but was interrupted by Shen Youran.
"Sister, I just met a scoundrel. We can't stay here any longer. Let's go home."
Listening to her sister's tearful voice, Shen Yunshu seemed to be still in shock, so she said no more and did not bother to buy the calligraphy and paintings. She took her sister's hand and walked out of the temple.
The BMW was rumbling and its wheels were rumbling. In the carriage, Shen Youran held her sister's arm and told her the whole story of her encounter with the lecher in a wronged tone, as well as the incident that was seen by the Liang family mother and son when she was pushing and pulling with the other party.
"What bad luck! Madam Liang and Liang Liulang must have misunderstood me. I need to go and explain things to them..."
After hearing this, Shen Yunshu felt both scared and regretful. At that time, in front of the Mohelo stall, her sister insisted on buying the exquisitely carved Mohelo. She had planned to go to the side to pick out a painting as soon as possible, and come back to buy it for her sister if she had any money left. Unexpectedly, she saw a rare ancient book in front of a bookstall when passing by. After buying it, she went back to the calligraphy and painting stall, which delayed her return time. In the noisy crowd, she did not realize that her sister was being harassed by a lecher.
"As for the explanation, we can ask Father to come forward later. You've been frightened, so there's no need to go there in person..."
After the two sisters returned home, when their father came back in the evening, Shen Yunshu told him everything that had happened that day.
Shen Tingyu and Liang's father served in the same court. After leaving the court the next day, he and Liang's father walked together tacitly.
Liang's father had originally been asked by his wife to cancel the marriage of his two children with Shen Tingyu. Unexpectedly, after listening to Shen Tingyu's explanation, he realized that it was his wife and son who had misunderstood the girl yesterday.
However, although the misunderstanding was resolved, the marriage still fell through. Although the Liang family believed this explanation on the surface, they were not sure whether it was a real misunderstanding or just an excuse afterwards, so they simply gave up the marriage.
On the other hand, Shen Tingyu also felt that her daughter had been offended by the lecher. If Madam Liang and Liang Liulang had stayed and watched a little longer, they would have clearly seen that Shen Youran was imprisoned, with no way out. Instead, they turned around and left, causing their daughter such a fright. Fortunately, nothing serious happened in the end...
The failure of the Liang family's marriage made Shen Yunshu feel more and more guilty. However, Shen Youran was heartless and didn't feel any regret at all. She was even happy for several days because she didn't have to get married so early, and she even forgot the unhappiness brought by that lecher.
*
June 6th, Tianfu Festival, is not an important festival, but the Pei family still sent a gift, which shows how much they value Shen Yunshu who is about to get married.
After the Tianfu Festival is Madam Pei’s birthday. As the future in-laws, the Shen family naturally received an invitation from the Pei family.
On the day of the birthday banquet, Shen Yunshu brought a sachet she had embroidered herself and attended the banquet with her stepmother Wei.
Shen Yunshu hadn't told her biological mother about her engagement, fearing her stepbrother Lu Yi might come and disrupt the marriage. However, judging by the time, her mother and stepfather should be arriving in the capital soon. Fortunately, her marriage to the eldest son of the Pei family was already a done deal. Otherwise, she was worried her stepbrother might interfere...
The carriage stopped in front of the Pei Mansion. Shen Yunshu and Wei got off the carriage together. Madam Jiang, who was beside Old Madam Pei, had been waiting at the door early. When she saw them arrive, she welcomed them in with a smile.
Mrs. Pei's birthday banquet was arranged in the flower hall of the mansion. Because the old lady was celebrating her birthday this year, except for Pei Huaijin who was far away in Lingzhou and could not leave his post without permission, and the third master Pei Yuanzhou who was busy doing business at the Quanzhou dock, all the relatives and friends of the Pei family and other branches who could come came. The five flower halls were full. The arrival of Shen Yunshu, the future eldest grandson's wife, naturally attracted a lot of attention.
As soon as she entered, countless eyes in the flower hall fell on her, some openly and some secretly. Shen Yunshu lowered her eyelashes slightly, calmed herself, walked straight to Madam Xu, placed her hands on her chest, bowed to the old lady, and presented her with a gift she had made herself. Then, the old lady introduced her to Zhu, who was sitting at the same table with her, and paid her respects to other elders.
There were two empty seats on the old lady's left, reserved for her and her stepmother.
The wine was good and the flowers were new. After the birthday banquet began, there were laughter and congratulations in the flower hall. The eyes on Shen Yunshu gradually decreased. The maid Yunshan shuttled around the hall, pouring birthday wine frequently. The female relatives drank fruit wine, which was light in color and fragrant. Shen Yunshu drank a few glasses and her mind gradually relaxed. She listened quietly to the conversation of the elders at the table with a smile on her face.
However, her future mother-in-law was not in good health, so halfway through the banquet, she asked her maid to help her go back and rest.
As soon as she left, someone casually asked, "Why didn't I see Miss Meng by my sister-in-law's side today?"
A lady from the side branch who was speaking.
The second wife of the Pei family replied, "The girl from the Meng family left the day before yesterday and returned to her hometown to get married..."
"Has Miss Meng's marriage been decided? Whose husband is she going to marry?"
"Lin Wulang of the Changxing Marquisate..."
Shen Yunshu was originally intoxicated when she suddenly heard the name of Lin Wulang of the Changxing Marquisate. She couldn't help but remember that Lin Wulang had come to ask for her third sister's hand in marriage two years ago. At that time, she had someone to find out that Lin Wulang had a very favored concubine. She was worried that her third sister would be wronged if she married him, so she asked her father to reject the Lin family's proposal. Two years later, she thought Lin Wulang would have married long ago, but she never thought that he would only now be engaged, and the one he asked to marry was someone close to her future mother-in-law.
Although Shen Yunshu had never seen the girl from the Meng family, she knew that her future mother-in-law had such a girl. She didn't expect that she would agree to the proposal of Wulang from the Lin family. She hoped that Wulang Lin had changed for the better and would not favor his concubine over his wife in the future.
"Since my eldest sister-in-law likes Miss Meng so much, I thought she would marry her to her own son." As soon as the man finished speaking, he was glanced at by Old Madam Pei, so he quickly changed his tone, "I'm talking about Qilang from your third room. Qilang and Miss Meng are about the same age..."
In fact, they all knew that Zhu originally wanted to marry the girl from the Meng family to her own son, but later the old lady fell in love with the eldest girl from the Shen family, so the matter was aborted.
Seeing the awkward atmosphere, the second wife hurriedly smiled and smoothed things over: "Speaking of which, why hasn't Xiaoqi come yet? I heard that the child prepared a mysterious birthday gift for the old lady and hid it in the house so that no one can see it..."
Everyone started teasing the seventh son of the third house again. This sixteen-year-old boy had a reputation as a playboy, and Shen Yunshu had heard a little about him.
As they were talking, they suddenly saw a light yellow figure leap into the flower hall and in the blink of an eye came to their table.
Shen Yunshu couldn't help but look up and saw a young man wearing a Suzhou embroidered double-breasted short-sleeved robe, with his black hair tied up high. He had a handsome face and was full of vigor. When he spoke, his tone was a little unrestrained. She thought it was the seventh son of the Pei family that the elders had been teasing just now.
At this time, he was carrying a birdcage. On the crossbar inside stood a pair of parrots with bright red feathers. When he teased them with straw stalks, they began to speak auspicious words one after another.
"Good luck to the old lady!"
"May the old lady live a long and healthy life!"
"Live a long life!"
"Live a long life!"
The parrot only repeated a few words, but it still made the old lady laugh. She looked at her youngest grandson lovingly, "You little monkey, you're always so good at scheming..."
Everyone at the table started laughing too.
The table was full of elders, except for a young girl, who naturally caught Pei Huaian's attention.
He turned his eyes and was suddenly stunned: "It's you!"
Shen Yunshu was stunned, with a puzzled look on her face.
His eyes scanned her face, and then his brows furrowed slightly, as if he was a little disappointed: "Oh, it's not you..."
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