Chapter 92 Cousin, are you avoiding me?
Du Heng lowered his head and found that the "Ying'er" in front of him was only as tall as his shoulder. Realizing something was wrong, he took a big step back.
"Cousin."
Jinniang turned around with a blush on her face.
"It's you." Du Heng realized that he had recognized the wrong person. His hope of seeing Ying'er was dashed, and the gentle warmth on his face disappeared without a trace.
He handed the book to Jinniang and turned to leave.
"Cousin, are you avoiding me?"
Jinniang's words forced Du Heng to stop.
Seeing Du Heng pause, she continued, "Cousin, do you also think I'm trying to repay a favor?"
When asked this question, Du Heng didn't know how to answer.
Jinniang laughed to herself and said, "In the entire Du Mansion, the only person I can rely on is my aunt. But my aunt always thinks that everything I do is for you, my cousin. She comes to urge me to apply the medicine every day, afraid that I will do something and get a scar on my face. If that happens, I'll stay at the Du Mansion and won't leave."
"I thought my cousin was well-educated and talented, so he must be able to distinguish right from wrong and be sensible. Could it be that my cousin thinks the same as my aunt?"
It turned out that she had seen through her mother's thoughts long ago. Du Heng felt ashamed and said, "Cousin."
Jinniang shook her head at him, "Cousin, please let me finish what I'm saying."
"I don't know if you know this, but I was also educated back home. Although I'm not as knowledgeable as you, I do have a good understanding of moral principles. That Lantern Festival, I was desperate and risked my life."
"I remember when I was little, my mother took me to Beijing to visit my aunt. All the way there, she kept telling me about a cousin of mine, known as the Wenquxing, who had memorized the entire Great Learning at a young age. I wasn't convinced. My father had already taught me to read and write. Our Deng family was a large family in western Fujian, and we had many cousins, but I was the only one who could recite every line of poetry my father tested me on. My father praised me as the most talented female member of the Deng family in western Fujian, but I kept thinking, 'Is he just memorizing? How could he be as talented as a talented woman like me?'"
As Jinniang spoke, she observed Du Heng's expression and saw that he was no longer as aloof as before. Feeling somewhat relieved, she continued, "After arriving in the capital and at the Du residence, I realized that my cousin's reputation as the "Wenquxing" (literary star) actually means that there are always people who are better than you."
"That day, mother wanted me to play with you, but you said you had to go back to study. Do you remember that, cousin?"
Du Heng was speechless. He really couldn't remember these things.
"I knew my cousin didn't remember. That day, my aunt said that since we had come so far, it wouldn't hurt to skip a day of study, but you insisted that if you didn't study for a day, you would regress. My aunt was a little unhappy, and finally my mother let you go."
"After you returned to the study, I became curious. While playing in the garden with Sister Wanyi, I secretly asked her to take me to see how you were studying. I don't believe you weren't playful at all. There must be something fun that you didn't want to take us with you, so you were secretly playing in the study by yourself!"
"Sister Wanyi agreed immediately, and we came here quietly. At that time, this wasn't the library, but your study, am I remembering correctly?"
Jinniang walked over to the desk and pointed at the window in front of it. "Cousin, my sister Wanyi and I hid under this window the other day and listened to you recite a long passage in one breath. All I heard was something like 'Su Qin first tried to persuade King Hui of Qin with the strategy of forming alliances,' and 'The King of Qin sent someone to inform Lord Anling.' I had never heard those words before, and I had no idea what they meant, but I felt they were incredibly impressive, like you were discussing some important court event."
At this point, Jinniang smiled sincerely and said, "Don't worry about my cousin laughing at me. I memorized the few sentences I could hear clearly. After returning to Fujian, I recited them to my father. He then asked me how I could know the Strategies of the Warring States after just one trip to the capital. He said that the Strategies of the Warring States was only read by scholars who were devoted to their country and not for personal gain. That's when I realized that my cousin, you truly are the incarnation of the God of Literature!"
"Cousin, I was reckless at the Lantern Festival. When I saw the thief with the dagger, I only wanted to make sure your hand wasn't hurt." Jin Niang couldn't help but walk over to Du Heng again, looking at him with genuine affection, and said, "Cousin, your hands are used to present national policies and support the country. As for mine, being injured doesn't matter. That's why I blocked it without thinking."
"Who knew that this action of mine would cause my aunt to misunderstand me. However, if it happened again, I would still take the knife for my cousin."
Jinniang spoke sincerely, tears of grievance welling up in the corners of her eyes. Unfortunately, she was standing in the backlight, so Du Heng couldn't see clearly.
"To be honest, cousin, I'm going to go home after my injury heals. This time, I also want to see the place where my cousin used to recite 'Strategies of the Warring States' when he was little."
After saying that, she looked up at Du Heng while wiping her tears.
At this time, the light in the library was a little dim, and Du Heng's expression was half bright and half dark, and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy, angry, sad or happy.
Jinniang was a little nervous, afraid that her cousin would see through her attempt to gain sympathy by reminiscing about the past.
After a moment, Du Heng said, "My cousin is really thoughtful. 'Su Qin's Persuasion to King Huiwen of Qin's State of the Union' was indeed my favorite article when I was little. I'm astonished that you've memorized it for so many years."
Jinniang felt as if her face was burning with fire. Her cousin's gentle voice was like a long-treasured fine wine, which made people feel both intoxicated and intoxicated.
She couldn't help but invite him, "Cousin, you've been studying these past few days, and Grandma called you several times but you didn't come. I guess it's time for Grandma to take a break. Would you like to join me in burning incense and chanting scriptures? I think Grandma would be very happy if you went."
"Then obey your orders!"
Jinniang felt that she was really drunk.
......
At the same time, Su Ying, who was in the side courtyard, had told her aunt that Taoxi could arrange the books according to the bibliography she had compiled even if she was not in the library. However, she was still worried and wanted to explain it in person.
After much deliberation, she chose the time after lunch break. She thought that at this time, the servants would gradually begin to clean and do their work. With so many people around, if she ran into Du Heng, she would have some shelter and wouldn't be left alone with no one to hide.
She walked out of the side courtyard with trepidation, and just as she was walking onto the path, she saw two figures walking together in the direction of the library in the distance.
Feihong's figure in the distance looked petite and weak against the backdrop of the ink-colored figure, as if the ink-colored figure leaned sideways and supported herself slightly when she stepped onto the corridor.
Perhaps it was because of the blazing sun, but Su Ying felt a slight pain in her eyes. She turned around and silently returned to the side yard.
She thought that the budding love was too fragile to withstand a single blow, so if it died sooner, she would feel less anxious when they met. But when it really happened, she realized that she wasn't as open-minded as she thought. She raised her hand to her heart, suppressing the uncontrollable pain.
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