After exchanging greetings with everyone, Madam Zhu, the First Madam, said:
“Your two cousins are studying at the academy right now and won’t be back until evening; your eldest and second uncles are both serving as officials in other places. The Emperor has issued a transfer order, ordering them to return to take care of the sick. They should be able to arrive by the end of the month; your third uncle went to the shop to check the accounts today and will also be back in the evening.”
"I think Yan'er and you get along well. I'll have her introduce you to people during the meal later. The old lady hasn't been feeling well lately. Once she's recovered, she'll naturally summon you to see her. You don't need to remember that. Just treat our Qiu family home as your own. If you don't know anything, just ask your cousins."
Zhu Jiayu agreed and thanked him quietly.
The "Yan'er" that Zhu mentioned was the girl holding her hand, named Qiu Lingyan.
She was staring at Zhu Jiayu's face for a while before asking her with an ambiguous meaning: "Cousin, you are so beautiful. There must be many young men in Suiping City who admire you, right?"
She thought of Song Jiangmei, the most beautiful woman in Heling today. That woman also had a beautiful face, and countless people in the city fawned over her. Those young masters were all like madmen, as if they would be willing to die just for her to look at them.
Zhu Jiayu was far more beautiful than Song Jiangmei. If Song Jiangmei was so beautiful, Zhu Jiayu would probably be even more so in Suiping.
Zhu Jiayu was taken aback, as if she didn't understand why she said that. After recovering, she replied in a low voice, "Cousin is joking. No, it's not true."
Qiu Lingyan then remembered her cousin's background: she came from a merchant family and her mother died early. Indeed, in this respect alone, Song Jiangmei was far superior to her, so it was understandable that no one in Suiping fawned over her.
What a poor little thing.
Thinking this, Qiu Lingyan softened her tone and said, "It's alright. Now that you're in Heling, with the status of our Qiu family in Heling, there are plenty of talented young men for you to choose from."
Green Kite listened in stunned silence from outside the door.
I have a feeling that this Miss Qiu has misunderstood something. Could it be that she really believes that her young lady is ignored in Suiping City because the Zhu family has too low a status?
It's obvious that those young masters feel they're not good enough for her young lady. Whenever they see her going out, they only dare to look from afar, afraid that getting too close would be disrespectful to the beauty.
"This Miss Qiu is so adorably naive," Green Kite thought to herself, listening intently to their conversation.
Zhu Jiayu still had that petty and narrow-minded look. When she heard Qiu Lingyan say that, she immediately showed a flattered expression, appearing to be completely naive and not knowing how to be discreet at all.
Realizing that her younger cousin had nothing to offer besides her pretty face, Qiu Lingyan gave up on trying to get close to her and rubbed her temples, saying:
"Cousin, you must be tired from your journey. I don't want to keep you talking for too long. There's plenty of time in the future. Let's have Granny take you to the courtyard first so you can rest for a while. When my brother and the others come back tonight, you'll have to work hard to deal with them!"
Zhu Jiayu naturally nodded in agreement. After bidding farewell to everyone, she turned around and, together with Lüzheng, followed the nanny to the courtyard that the Qiu family had prepared for her.
The courtyard is named Chunshanju (Spring Mountain Residence). The black plaque with gold lettering looks beautiful and elegant, yet also exudes a sense of nobility.
Seeing her look up at the plaque, the old woman said, "This courtyard wasn't originally called this. It was after the master heard about the name of the courtyard in Suiping that he gave it this new name. It seems to contain the character 'spring' in it?"
"Yes." Zhu Jiayu nodded.
The old woman said happily, "That's right. This calligraphy was also written by the master himself, and he ordered it to be sent over from Lingnan by fast horse."
“Then when I see my uncle again, I must thank him properly,” Zhu Jiayu readily agreed.
...
Zhu Jiayu was led to the courtyard by her nanny, while Qiu Lingyan went out and took a carriage to Bailu Academy, where her second and fourth brothers were.
Bailu Academy is located on Bailu Mountain. Normally, unless there is a special occasion, the academy's disciples are not allowed to go down the mountain.
Of course, rules are rules, but people are flexible. Some people are unwilling to stick it out at the academy, and the dean and teachers can't control them.
Qiu Songdao is an example of this.
He was unruly and often absent from class, but because Qiu Zhuqing, the second son of the Qiu family, was studious and ambitious, the teachers turned a blind eye to Qiu Songdao's inconsistent behavior.
However, his mother, Liu, was a shrewish woman, and he was afraid of her since childhood. Therefore, he would not easily go down the mountain unless there was something wrong, so as not to give others a handle to complain to his mother.
Today is an exception.
He lay listlessly on the rock, wondering what his new cousin, who had just arrived, would look like. He had arranged with his older cousin that after meeting his cousin, she would come to Bailu Academy to find him and tell him about her.
Seeing the Qiu family's carriage approaching, he sprang up from the rock and waved to the girl in the carriage: "Third Sister! Third Sister! I'm here!"
Qiu Lingyan stepped down from the carriage, frowning. "Didn't we agree that I would come to the academy to find you? Why did you come down the mountain again? If your second aunt finds out, she'll skin you alive!"
Qiu Songdao tugged at her sleeve and smiled pleadingly:
"What are you saying, Third Sister? If you don't tell and I don't tell, how will Mother know that I secretly went down the mountain? Besides, weren't we going down the mountain to go home today? I just arrived a few hours early."
"Tell me quickly, who is this new cousin? I've heard Mom talk about her so many times!"
He is only fifteen or sixteen years old this year, with handsome features and dimples that appear and disappear when he talks and laughs, making him look somewhat childish.
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