Chapter 91 It turns out that this is the library that Su Ying often visits
"Sir, I'm going to the kitchen."
Because Du Heng had a last-minute appointment, Qingquan thought he would be as usual, so he asked the doorman to pass on the message that the young master was going to the literary appreciation meeting and did not need to have food before 3 p.m.
Unexpectedly, the young master returned half a day early, and lunch had already been served. Qingquan had no choice but to rush to the kitchen and order people to prepare some hot food to be sent to the west courtyard.
Du Heng did not respond, but walked towards the west courtyard.
If what Yuan Song said is true, the Spring Examination will be advanced to June, so there are only four months left.
The postponement of the Spring Examination was of great significance. There must be turmoil in the court behind it, and the topic of the essay would inevitably be biased. He had to prepare early.
And then there's Yuan Song, with his strange words and actions, always testing her. If he's targeting him, that's fine, but I'm afraid he's targeting Ying'er. She's been hiding in the side courtyard lately, not leaving the house. It seems the only way to get a message across is by letter, having Taoxi deliver it secretly.
As he walked, he was thinking about how to plan the layout, his mind was in turmoil. When he reached the corridor, he suddenly saw a beautiful figure in red flash by in the distance, as if she had entered the library.
It’s Ying’er!
It was snowing heavily that day and the red plum blossoms were just beginning to bloom. Ying'er was wearing a royal crimson cloak and fell into his heart like an elf in the snow. Although it was just a piece of clothing, Du Heng was certain that it must be Su Ying.
He had been patient and restrained himself for several days since they last met. To avoid Jinniang, he had been using exam preparation as an excuse to stay put. But now, seeing Ying'er enter the library, his concerns vanished. He stepped onto the corridor and strode towards the library.
Jinniang had hurriedly traveled to the capital alone, without a maid and with very few belongings. She lived in the East Courtyard, sharing a wing room with Wanyi. Seeing her petite figure, her aunt asked Wanyi to give her some of her own clothes, which had been worn out for a year or two.
Her mother was, after all, the daughter of the old Duke's family. Although she was now in dire straits and her family was now in a poor financial situation, she was still a relative. She had never expected her aunt to be so stingy.
She had originally thought, just bear it, because only by pleasing her aunt could she have a chance to get closer to her cousin. Although she knew about her lantern festival, she had hoped her aunt would lend her a helping hand, but she was the one who despised her the most.
Fortunately, she was not the type to stick to one path until the end, so her grandmother took her into the main courtyard. It turned out that her grandmother was the one who could be trusted and relied on.
As she walked, she looked at the red cloak that her grandmother had tailor-made for her, and she felt that her hard work paid off and she had finally taken the right path.
It is obvious that cousin Heng's temperament is like that of his grandmother. As long as there is affection and morality, he cannot refuse.
She didn't know what had happened between her cousin and Su Ying, but when she saw the sachet pendant on Su Ying's waist disappear without a trace, she felt that now was a good time.
Unfortunately, Biyu belonged to her grandmother, and she didn't want to reveal her feelings too much, so she found an excuse to trap Biyu in the side room, and she used the excuse of taking a walk in the garden and planned to explore the library.
She gently pushed open the door of the library, and the view in front of her suddenly opened up. The yard was spotlessly clean. She walked through the front yard, lifted her skirt, climbed two small steps, and arrived at the door.
Second Aunt said there was a maid named Taoxi inside. Since it was her first time there, she didn't go straight in. Since her cousin liked Su Ying's personality, she had to move in there and act well-behaved and humble.
She knocked gently on the door and waited at the door.
Seeing no response, he knocked again.
After making sure that no one was there, she pushed the door open and walked in.
It turned out that this was the library that Su Ying often visited.
Looking at the bookshelves on the east and west sides in front of her, with books neatly arranged on each shelf, Jinniang couldn't help but walk forward.
They said that these books were sorted by Su Ying? But how could she sort through so many books?
She reached up and casually took a book. The title page read, "Collected Commentaries on the Great Learning." Her father had owned this volume, claiming it was a commentary on the Great Learning. Even at home, she had never shown much interest in the Four Books and Five Classics. Her mother had said that women valued virtue, and that thoroughly studying "Instructions for Women" and "Inner Training" was better than anything else.
She flipped through a few pages, but the so-called notes were still obscure and difficult to understand. She found it boring and put it back.
Then she went to the bookshelf on the other side. Wherever she looked, she saw a book that looked much older than the others. She was curious and wanted to take it down to have a look.
But the book was on a higher shelf, so she stood on tiptoe to reach it, but she couldn't reach it no matter how hard she tried.
The bookshelf is so high, I wonder if Su Ying can reach that book?
If Deng Jinniang had any self-esteem issues, this was one of them. Back in Fujian, especially back home in western Fujian, she'd been surrounded by her cousins, all of whom were equally impressive, and she didn't seem to have any shortcomings. But when she arrived in Fuzhou and met people outside the Deng family, she realized she wasn't particularly tall. Even her father was short and thin. When she met colleagues, her presence diminished before she even opened her mouth.
Only then did she understand why she had been listening to her mother complaining since she was a child.
She complained about the deep mountains and old forests of western Fujian, her father's honesty and dullness, and even his unremarkable figure. Her mother kept nagging her, telling her that one day she must return to the capital and marry a man with a wealthy family, a tall stature, and a promising future.
Thinking of this, she thought of her cousin Heng.
Cousin Heng was not only handsome, but also tall and imposing. When she was with him, she had secretly observed him, and when she stood beside him, she was barely taller than his shoulder.
What's the saying? Oh, right, like a little bird leaning on its mother. Isn't that what she and her cousin are talking about? Actually, her mother shouldn't blame her father for his size. It was because she was with her father that she could lean on her cousin's shoulder like a little bird on the night of the Lantern Festival when the girl was injured!
She felt sweet and in a very good mood. She wanted to try again, so she stood on tiptoe and stretched out her arms as far as possible.
Suddenly, a hand appeared before my eyes.
"I'll do it!"
A voice as mellow as wine came from behind, and Jinniang's heart trembled suddenly.
Du Heng strode after Fei Hong, whom he had just seen, into the library. He had a lot to say to Ying'er.
He wanted to tell Ying'er that he would not marry Jinniang just because she blocked the knife for her. He wanted her to feel at ease.
He also wanted to tell Ying'er that the Spring Examination would be held earlier and he would be very busy in the next four months.
Also, he wanted to tell Ying'er that someone had a hint at something at today's literary appreciation meeting, and he wanted to ask her who she met and what happened at the lantern festival when he was not there.
He hurriedly pushed open the door of the library, strode across the yard, and stepped onto the two steps, but just as he was about to push the door, he stopped.
He was afraid of startling Ying'er, afraid she would run away when she saw him, so he took a deep breath and gently, as if caressing Ying'er's face in a dream, pushed open the half-closed door. Then, he approached silently.
The princess's red cloak was still on her body. She stood in front of the bookshelf, tiptoeing and stretching her hands to reach for the books. Somehow, he felt that Ying'er had become thinner after not seeing her for a few days.
Seeing that she tried several times before she could touch the edge of the book, he smiled and walked over, raised his hand to take the book down, and said softly: "I'll do it!"
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