Chapter 11 The Slow-Returning Guest (Part 10) Do you want to play with me from now on? ...
The bird bells on the eaves jingled softly.
In the courtyard, Wei Mingying was surrounded by a group of little girls, each of them smiling sweetly and chatting with her.
Besides the Hou and Song families, the guests today also included some close relatives of Old Madam Xu. Their granddaughters were mostly the same age as Wei Mingying, and they had long heard that Miss Wei was skilled in Han dance, moving gracefully and lightly as a swallow. They all hoped to see her perform a dance.
Song Hanjin watched coldly, occasionally exchanging glances with Wei Mingying. Feeling stifled, she simply lifted her skirt, stood up, and stepped out of the courtyard.
The sun swayed the ancient tree with its gnarled branches, and a gentle breeze rustled through the trees. Song Qiyu stood in the shade of the tree, and she couldn't help but shiver as soon as she approached.
"elder brother."
Upon hearing this, the young man closed the book he was reading and asked, "Why did you come out?" He then pulled her arm and led her back into the sunlight.
Song Hanjin complained softly, "They all cling to Wei Mingying, including the eldest and second eldest sisters. I really don't know what's so good about her."
Song Qiyu looked down at her for a moment: "Are you unhappy?"
"I'm just bored and want to go home."
Song Qiyu remained silent.
She didn't really want to go back; it was just that Wei Mingying had stolen her fun, and now there was no one to joke around with.
The brother and sister walked aimlessly forward. Seeing that she was in a bad mood, Song Qiyu spoke to her gently and kindly. Gradually, she smiled and her dejected expression disappeared.
As I approached the stage, a burst of boys' laughter, accompanied by singing, chaotically entered my ears.
Song Hanjin glanced sideways, then slowly stopped: "Is that Song Zhirou?"
Song Qiyu followed her gaze.
Song Zhirou was cornered by the two sons of the Xu family, who were probably mocking her. He clearly heard the words "country bumpkin".
His eyes remained expressionless; he glanced at her briefly before turning away.
He didn't care, and he had no intention of interfering.
At the same time, Song Qiyu took a step forward, hesitated for a moment, and then followed.
She had only taken two steps when she turned back, her legs unable to move.
On the other side of the table, Xu's cousin seemed ready to make a move. How could Song Zhirou, a nine-year-old girl, possibly stand up to him?
She wanted to teach her a lesson, but not in this way.
Ultimately, reason prevailed, and Song Hanjin stopped observing and immediately picked up her boots to walk to the other end of the stage.
Noticing that she had fallen, Song Qiyu turned around, glanced at Zhi Rou, and knew exactly what was going on.
He quickly stepped forward and grabbed Song Hanjin, saying gently, "Leave it to me."
In fact, Zhi Rou didn't hear what Song Qiyu said clearly; she was simply stunned by his gaze. In her memory, her older brother had always been cold.
Like a mischievous child caught red-handed by an elder at home, she nervously pulled down her sleeves, which she had just rolled up, and took two steps back.
Before long, Zhi Rou spotted Song Qi Yu and the Xu family head talking together, and they seemed to be heading this way. Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind, and she collapsed to the ground, bursting into tears.
The child's cries were heart-wrenching, like a flat, loud roar, devoid of any rhythm.
The two boys were stunned for a moment, at a loss, and then threw the bag of rolled pastries back to her. With a "bang", it hit Zhi Rou's feet.
"Ce'er? Lian'er?" He paused slightly, and when the two boys turned around, they met his stern gaze.
What are you doing?!
Seeing this, Zhi Rou stopped sobbing and raised her sleeve to wipe away the unfounded tears.
Song Qiyu originally intended to lure Xu Xiumin here under the pretext of asking about the play, but she didn't expect that this fourth sister was a woman of her own mind, and she could get angry at the slightest hint of trouble.
He helped Zhi Rou up, patted the dust off her clothes, and said nothing, only glancing coldly at his cousin from the Xu family.
Anyone who saw him like this would think he was protecting Song Zhirou.
Xu Xiumin was like that; he never expected his nephew to take such good care of a mistress, and he was also angry at his two ignorant sons.
Xu Chengce and Xu Chenglian were like quails when they saw him, not daring to say a word.
Song Qiyu said, "Uncle, I'll take my fourth sister over first."
After speaking, she bowed to him and gently pushed Zhi Rou. She took small, light steps and quickly followed Song Qiyu to the flower hall.
Even sitting indoors with a hand warmer in hand, the October weather is still a bit chilly.
Xu Yueyuan chatted with Old Madam Xu, and occasionally saw Xu Yueqing smiling indifferently, always suspecting that she was laughing at her.
He couldn't help but pick up his teacup and pretend to take a sip: "By the end of the year, Mingying will be thirteen. Will the Marquis and your sister have already found a family they've chosen?"
Xu Yueqing replied languidly, "No rush."
“That’s true,” Xu Yueyuan chuckled lightly. “What’s the use of arranging a marriage early on? Even childhood sweethearts who are mutually attracted can still betray each other.”
The tone was light and casual, or perhaps sarcastic, but Xu Yueqing seemed not to hear it.
Just then, a pair of dark leather boots strode in, followed by two figures in elegant attire. The one in the lead was naturally noble, while the other had disheveled sleeves and a patch of light blue under his eyes.
Xu Yueyuan's face immediately darkened, and she put down her teacup: "What's wrong?"
Xu Yueqing also glanced at Zhi Rou indifferently.
Before she could get a response, Xu Yueyuan suddenly didn't want to hear the reason and turned to instruct the nanny, "Take the fourth young lady to change her clothes."
Madam Xu's banquet was held in a separate small building behind the flower hall. Rather than calling it a building, it was more like a spacious courtyard, decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, making it very eye-catching.
Zhi Rou sat with Song Qiyu and his sister, her eyes occasionally glancing at Song Qiyu.
He discovered her once, but he didn't say anything, only giving her a cold glance.
He didn't look much like Song Congzhao. He had thick eyebrows and eyes, and a very aggressive look. Although he was only twelve years old, he already had a lot of dignity in his ordinary expression.
Zhi Rou immediately averted her gaze, picked up a piece of cured meat and chewed it tastelessly, thinking to herself that the person who helped her this afternoon must not be her older brother.
The sounds of singing and playing instruments filled the air, and guests clinked glasses, laughing and chatting noisily.
After being scolded, Xu's two sons glanced at Zhi Rou at the banquet. Their faces turned slightly red, but in an instant, they put on a fearless act and made faces at her.
They thought this look would scare her, but to their surprise, she put down her chopsticks, pulled at her lower eyelids with her two little hands, rolled her eyes back, and retaliated.
They both paused for a moment, then she grinned and giggled.
The seats at the Hou residence were opposite those at the Song residence. When Wei Yuanzhan was talking to his mother, his gaze inadvertently swept over Zhi Rou, and he paused for a moment.
At some point, she took off her clothes and changed into something in a simple, elegant color, finally revealing her true appearance: a very delicate girl with bright eyes and white teeth.
The candlelight cast a soft glow on her face, revealing a bruise under her left eye.
He was a little curious; who had she encountered while he was away?
A few gusts of wind swept by, the lamplight flickered, and the sounds of people grew louder.
The banquet is halfway over.
Zhi Rou glanced at Madam Xu and wondered in surprise, "Is the feng shui in the capital really more conducive to health?"
Old Madam Xu sat for so long, chatting and laughing for half a day, yet she didn't feel tired at all. She recalled that when she visited Xiao'e's house before, Xiao'e's grandmother would fry a plate of chestnuts for them, and then she would lie down on the bed and let out a long, drawn-out snore.
Memories flooded her mind, her back hunched slightly, and her eyebrows and the corners of her eyes drooped.
Seeing the smiling faces around her, Zhi Rou suddenly felt restless. She looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention, lit a silk lamp and went out alone.
A person walked listlessly outside the small building, a solitary lamp flickering in the distance, the sounds of bustling activity fading into the distance. When she reached a white wall, Zhi Rou let out a long sigh of relief.
Then, I sat down next to a Taihu stone, rolled up my clothes, put the lamp aside, and listened to the bamboo and wood swaying and the pond surface rippling slightly.
Before long, the sound of rustling footsteps approached from the side. Zhi Rou turned her head and saw a figure in a light blue round-necked robe in the dim light, with brocade boots lifting and falling, pressing down on the grass.
It was Wei Yuanzhan.
He couldn't stand the noise at the banquet and came out for some fresh air, not expecting to run into her in the garden. After standing there for a moment, he moved closer to her and sat down, lifting his robe as well.
Zhi Rou merely glanced at him, smiled slightly, and made no attempt to speak to him.
The firelight illuminated her profile, revealing her thick eyelashes and delicate nose... How come he didn't realize she was a girl back then?
Wei Yuanzhan stared at Zhi Rou for a while, then reservedly looked away and asked the question that had been on his mind for a long time.
What happened to your face?
Zhi Rou didn't understand what he meant. He pointed to his eyes, and she realized, "Oh, they threw dates at me."
"Who are they?" Wei Yuanzhan raised an eyebrow.
Zhi Rou didn't answer, looking at him thoughtfully. After a moment, she suddenly asked, "Do you also want to become Mr. Xue Nan's disciple?"
Wei Yuanzhan was slightly taken aback, then said, "I want to."
"Why?"
Without hesitation, he said, "My grandfather was a renowned general, and I will follow in his footsteps, leading troops into battle and conquering battlefields."
As he spoke, Wei Yuanzhan looked up at the bright moon, his tone quite proud: "How majestic!"
“But a lot of people will die in war, and you might die too.” Zhi Rou frowned disapprovingly.
She disliked places ravaged by war. Her mother had said that once war broke out, bones would be exposed in the wilderness, and not a rooster would crow for miles around, which was especially terrifying.
Wei Yuanzhan understood this principle all too well. He lowered his head, his gentle features darkening with a somber expression.
Although Zhi Rou was naive, she was also very perceptive at times. She noticed his disappointment and immediately changed the subject.
"Why did you say before that I stole your jade pendant?"
"Because it was there before it met you, but it was gone after you hit it."
"I really didn't take it."
"Oh," he replied casually, not taking it to heart at all.
Zhi Rou kept going to see him.
"Do you want to play with me from now on?"
The surroundings were quiet. Two figures, one tall and one short, sat on the grass, each with a lamp beside them.
Her voice was like a firefly, gently passing by the ear.
Wei Yuanzhan didn't hear clearly and turned to look at her: "What?"
Zhi Rou, seemingly bewitched, said very sincerely, "Do you want to play with me in the future? I know a lot of things. I can go down to the river to pick lotus roots, and I can also use a slingshot and play football..."
She listed all her achievements one by one, talking so much that she didn't seem like a daughter of the Song family at all; she was practically a mischievous monkey.
Seeing her recount the details with such familiarity, Wei Yuanzhan gradually broke into a genuine, hearty smile.
Then he stood up, brushed the grass clippings off his robe, and did so with a hint of arrogance and mockery.
"I don't want to."
A note from the author:
Zhi Rou: I'm thinking of doing some stand-in literature...
Crown Prince: Don't even think about it.
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