Noticing Shen Youying's gaze, Shen Muyu subconsciously pulled her hand back into her sleeve.
She, who usually loved to show off, was unusually low-key today. Coupled with what she'd heard about the Shu brocade yesterday, Shen Youying's strange feeling grew stronger. She feigned interest and asked, "Where did you order your bracelet, eldest sister? I think the design is very exquisite."
Shen Muyu felt a moment of guilt, but when she met the envious and admiring gaze, she couldn't help but fiddle with the bracelet on her wrist and said proudly, "This bracelet is one of a kind, and you can't just buy it from any shop."
Shen Youying asked curiously, "Oh? Where did you get it, big sister?"
Shen Muyu paused for a moment, then her eyes darted around before she said, "This was lost to my second brother's friend in a poetry contest. It's said to have been obtained from an overseas merchant." She looked at Shen Huaizhou with her beautiful eyes: "Is that right, second brother?"
Shen Huaizhou paused for a moment, then nodded and mumbled, "Yes, that's right."
Shen Youying stopped asking questions and showed a regretful expression.
Shen Muyu touched the smooth, oily surface of the jade bracelet. Seeing that she looked natural and seemed to have only asked about it casually because she thought the bracelet was pretty, he felt slightly relieved.
*
Within two days, Shen Mingjiang had selected craftsmen and began repairing various parts of the residence.
The repairs began in the front yard. Since Shen Youying and the others were women and it was inconvenient for them to have too much contact with the craftsmen, they only entered and exited through the side gate of the back yard.
However, this was not Tokyo after all, and the rules and etiquette of the Shen family were not as strict as those of the aristocratic families. So after Shen Youying spent two days getting familiar with the environment of the estate, she quietly took Danzhu Bailuo and a guard and slipped away to the lake to pick lotus pods.
Not far from Zhuangzi, there is a lake filled with lotus flowers. Although it is still early in the season, after the first batch of lotus flowers have withered, tender lotus pods have also appeared.
When Shen Youying arrived, she saw the lotus flowers and seedpods in the pond. Now that she had nothing to do at home, she started to think about the seedpods.
She changed into some light clothes and made arrangements in advance with the farmers on the estate to prepare boats. When they arrived, she left guards on the shore and boarded the boat with Bailuo and Danzhu.
The old boatman slowly poled his boat towards the dense lotus flowers, and Shen Youying, carrying a bamboo basket, picked the lotus pods that had grown well.
The lake was vast, with lotus leaves stretching to the horizon. The old boatman led the three of them around half of it, and their bamboo baskets were filled with tender lotus pods.
Shen Youying picked up a lotus seedpod with a lotus fragrance, smelled it, and said with a smile, "Father hasn't tasted my cooking in a long time. Pick a few more lotus leaves to take back, and I'll cook a lotus leaf and lotus seed chicken dish myself today."
Bai Luo suggested, "Why don't we pick more tender lotus leaves to make lotus leaf tea?"
“These lotus flowers are blooming beautifully; it would look lovely to pick a few and put them in a vase,” Danzhu added.
The three main players were chatting happily when they suddenly heard the sound of oars paddling in the distance.
Shen Youying looked up and saw a much larger pleasure boat slowly approaching from the other end. Two people were vaguely visible sitting at the bow; judging from their clothing, they seemed to be a man and a woman.
They had sneaked out, and if they bumped into a man, it would inevitably cause gossip. Seeing this, Shen Youying told the boatman to row back to avoid the other party.
Her enthusiasm for picking lotus leaves was interrupted. Bai Luo looked at the painted boat with some displeasure and muttered, "How can anyone come to this desolate place to enjoy the lake?"
Shen Youying smiled upon hearing this: "Weren't you also boating on a lake in the middle of nowhere?"
"How can that be the same!"
Bai Luo blushed, and the two of them started joking around again. Suddenly, Dan Zhu said hesitantly, "Don't you think the woman on that painted boat... looks a bit like a young woman?"
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