Chapter 4 Gift Giving
“You…you…”
Song Lingyi was so stunned that she couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time. This person really just took advantage of him.
"Then it's a deal. Give me a chance." Lu Qian smiled, his lips curled up, "During this period, you are not allowed to flirt with other men."
As for who the 'other man' was, they both knew it.
Without waiting for Song Lingyi to refuse, Lu Qian stood up and stretched, returning to his usual unruly and frivolous demeanor, "I'm sleepy."
"I'm leaving, sister."
The casual tone was a bit ambiguous, which made Song Lingyi's heart tremble for no reason, and her eyes involuntarily followed him to the door.
The figure in brocade robe walked to the door and looked back before stepping out of the house. His eyes were too deep and dark, and full of determination to win, which frightened her and she even forgot to say no.
Hongju only dared to come in after Lu Qian left.
Seeing her own girl sitting beside the couch in a daze, she thought the young master had bullied her again, so she frowned and said to her, "Don't be afraid, young lady. I will tell the old lady tomorrow morning and let her make the decision and seek justice for you."
Song Lingyi's thoughts were in a mess and she didn't hear anything. Then she heard the words "Tell the old lady" and she was startled.
"No, you can't tell Grandma."
Hong Qi was puzzled: "Why? Didn't the young master bully you?"
Song Lingyi lowered her head and bit her lips.
"He didn't bully me."
Hearing this, Hongqiu's eyes moved to the table. Seeing the plate of cakes, she asked in surprise, "Young Master came to see you just to give you this plate of cakes?"
The sun rises from the west?
Song Lingyi was too embarrassed to talk about the proposal and just nodded blankly.
"This seems to be the date paste and yam cake sold by the pastry shop that the girl likes the most. The young master is really thoughtful." Hongqi said.
"Alas~"
Song Lingyi sighed deeply, leaned back, and lay on the soft couch as if she was about to die, staring at the beams with empty eyes, her mind blank.
After a moment, Hongju came over.
"Girl, why are you sighing?"
Song Lingyi was silent for a moment, then said wearily, "Hongju, if someone suddenly said they wanted to marry you, what would you do?"
So it was this matter that was worrying her. Hong Qi smiled and said, "Do you like this guy, young lady?"
"dislike."
Song Lingyi answered decisively, then realized she was being tricked by Hong Qi and sat up straight. "I was just asking casually. You can't talk about this casually."
"Don't worry, the young lady and I are of the same mind." Hongqiu said.
"Since you don't like it, then just pretend you haven't heard of it. Marriage is a serious matter, and it must be agreed upon by the parents and the matchmaker. With the Duke and the Old Madam overseeing things, how can you just marry someone just like that?"
That’s true.
Anyway, I'm just giving him a chance to pursue me, not really marrying him.
During her school days, there were many boys who confessed their love to her, but after she rejected them once or twice, there was no further response. If Lu Qian were her age in modern times, she would also be a high school student in the rebellious period of adolescence. How much perseverance could she have?
As long as she remains steadfast, he will naturally give up.
Maybe after a few days, when Lu Qian's novelty wears off, the proposal will be over.
Thinking of this, Song Lingyi suddenly understood and felt a little relieved. She picked up a piece of cake and gave the rest to Hongju. "There's still so much left. It would be a shame if you couldn't finish it. You can share it with Yunyao and the others."
…
After this night, Lu Qian did not pursue her as relentlessly as Song Lingyi had expected. Instead, he was very calm, so calm that Song Lingyi had been thinking of a rejection plan all night but had nowhere to go.
Apart from no longer bickering, there was no change in the way they got along.
If Lu Qian had not taken advantage of her unpreparedness when they met by chance, rubbed her hair, and held her hand, Song Lingyi would have almost suspected that her confession that night was just an absurd dream.
Early that morning, Song Lingyi went to the old lady's courtyard to pay her respects, and Lu Qian happened to be there.
"In a few days, it will be Madam Pei's birthday banquet. In addition to choosing some expensive items, we also have to prepare some more tonics. Alas, Madam Pei is old. Since she fell ill last winter, she can hardly hear with her left ear. Things in the world are unpredictable..." The old lady sat at the top, holding a tea bowl and nagging half with emotion and half with instructions.
Wang on the side listened attentively and occasionally commented.
It was not Song Lingyi's turn to worry about preparing gifts. All her attention was on Lu Qian beside her.
In the past, when I came to pay my respects, I didn’t meet him nine times out of ten. I don’t know if today was a coincidence or if someone did it on purpose.
Song Lingyi pondered and took a sip of tea. When she put down the tea bowl, her knuckles felt a hint of warmth.
She was startled and glanced sideways at Lu Qian who was leisurely picking up the tea bowl.
The man smiled faintly and raised his eyebrows, obviously on purpose. At an angle where his elders couldn't see, he moved his thin lips and said a few words silently.
If I read it correctly, it should mean 'wait for me later and go together'.
The old lady was still chattering, and suddenly glanced at the two younger generations, "Lingyi."
"ah?"
Song Lingyi came back to her senses with a start and turned to look upward.
"You can arrive in Beijing safely, thanks to Jianzhi. Last time we had a banquet, I saw that you two got along very well. This time it's Mrs. Pei's birthday, you should also think about what gift to give." The old lady glanced at Song Lingyi meaningfully.
"My mother is in charge of the gift-giving, why should she be the one to deliver it?"
Before Song Lingyi agreed, Lu Qian refused on her behalf.
Wang glared at him angrily and scolded him lightly: "Why are you interrupting when your grandmother is talking? I didn't ask you to send her off, so why are you so excited?"
Lu Qian frowned and was about to speak when his left foot was kicked. Song Lingyi squinted at him, her eyes full of warning, signaling him not to speak nonsense.
"Our two families are so close. If she sends a gift alone, it would seem that Lu Yu and I are not sincere."
Wang rubbed her eyebrows.
This damn kid is usually quite clever, why is he so dumb now? Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the focus of the old lady's words was not on giving gifts, but on trying to bring Lingyi and Jianzhi together.
The old lady smiled kindly and said, "Then you and Ayu can also prepare a gift. After the birthday banquet, Madam Pei will return to Ruyang. I'm afraid it will be difficult to see her again in the future."
Before Lu Qian could say anything nonsense again, Song Lingyi promptly agreed to prepare the gift.
After a brief exchange of greetings, Wang led Lu Qian to leave, and Song Lingyi deliberately stayed a little longer to avoid running into Lu Qian after leaving.
…
In early summer, the light and shadows are clear and the sun is bright and abundant.
After drinking another cup of hot tea, Song Lingyi said goodbye to the old lady.
After leaving the courtyard, she looked around and did not see any trace of Lu Qian. She breathed a sigh of relief and walked towards Zhilan Garden.
The Nine-Curved Corridor is exceptionally quiet.
A breeze suddenly blew, creating ripples on the surface of the pond.
Song Lingyi suddenly remembered that her uncle had bought a few rare wild fat crucian carps from a dealer the day before. She then lay down beside the railing, staring at the pond water, looking for the whereabouts of the crucian carps, not knowing that a figure was quietly approaching from behind.
"Where's the fish?"
Just as she was wondering, she caught a glimpse of another figure reflected in the pool and turned around in panic to run.
But just as she took a step, her wrist was gripped by an extremely strong force and pulled back. Her back was pressed against the railing, and the person in front of her pressed forward, trapping her within a few feet.
"What are you doing?!"
Those bright black eyes trembled slightly, and looked up at him in disbelief.
"No gifts allowed." Lu Qian said bluntly.
Don't think he doesn't know what his grandmother is thinking and wants to bring them together, unless he dies.
"Why do you care whether I give you a gift or not?" Song Lingyi raised her hand to his chest to avoid any closer contact, but she remained unyielding. "Brother Jianzhi traveled thousands of miles to Xuancheng to find me and even escorted me back to Beijing. Besides, this is also my first time celebrating Old Madam Pei's birthday, so it's only natural for me to prepare a gift."
Lu Qian was feeling irritated and uttered a soft "tsk" sound, his tone somewhat sinister: "And then?"
"What then?" Song Lingyi was confused.
"After giving the gifts and winning the favor of Old Madam Pei, should I then take this opportunity to have more interactions with Pei Zhao so that the two families can form another 'perfect match'?" Lu Qian's face was expressionless, and a gloomy aura emanated from him.
“…”
To be honest, Song Lingyi hadn't thought about it so much.
Marriage is a big deal, and besides the parents' orders and the matchmaker's words, both parties must be willing.
There are so many women in Kyoto who admire Pei Zhao, including noble ladies from prominent families and princesses of high status. Even if they get along well in conversation, it doesn't mean that Pei Zhao is interested in her.
Besides, Pei Zhao has always been considerate in dealing with people and is gentle and humble to everyone. She doesn't want to be presumptuous.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Get out of the way quickly. What if someone sees us?" Song Lingyi pushed him with great effort, but he didn't move.
Lu Qian lowered his eyes, put the tip of his tongue against his teeth, and kept staring at her.
"You can give it as a gift, and give my share as well."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
