Chapter 77. She recognized the folding fan.
Yin Yuan stared at the two people in front of him and said calmly, "You didn't tell me there were other people around."
“Yes,” Jiang Mimi smiled, “My wife, you didn’t tell me either.”
She turned her gaze to the man beside her: "This must be your son, right? He's so handsome, he looks exactly like Lord Yin."
Leng Zhen pursed her lips and remained silent, glancing sideways at the woman beside her several times.
He crossed his arms, looking utterly disdainful. "Oh dear," she quickly tried to smooth things over, "it's more fun with more people."
For this gathering, she not only invited Jiang Mimi as Chen Xun had suggested, but also called Leng Zhen over.
The purpose of summoning Leng Zhen was twofold: firstly, to annoy Yin Yuan, and secondly, to bring him and Miss Mi Mi together.
She remembered Chen Xun's words: Mimi was of marriageable age, and coincidentally, Leng Zhen was also of marriageable age.
Miss Mimi is slightly older than Leng Zhen and has a delicate mind; perhaps she can tame him.
Although she had heard some rumors beforehand that Jiang Mimi was originally Lord Chen's concubine and was no longer a virgin, she didn't care. After all, Leng Zhen had also had entanglements with other women and was probably also no longer virgin. Since neither of them were her partners, they could be more familiar with each other when flirting.
Leng Cuizhu said she wanted to go to Guifang Garden in the county to admire the flowers, so she pulled Yin Yuan into one carriage and pushed Jiang Mimi and Leng Zhen into another.
Yin Yuan was forcibly pulled into the carriage by her: "What are you going to do now?"
"My lord."
She bit her lip and whispered her explanation in his ear while standing on tiptoe.
After listening, Yin Yuan remained noncommittal, only raising his hand to smooth the hair at her temple, his eyes growing deeper.
"Trust me, it'll definitely work out." She drew back the curtains, scrutinizing the man and woman standing outside. "Don't you think they're a perfect match?"
Jiang Mimi seemed a little shy as she stood in front of the carriage, smiling and talking to Leng Zhen. For every sentence she spoke, Leng Zhen would reply with ten or more sentences. As they talked, Leng Zhen's face turned completely red.
Yin Yuan leaned closer to the window and glanced at her, then turned his gaze to her.
"……Um."
He closed the curtains and pulled her to sit down in the main seat.
"I heard you've been very busy lately?"
"No."
“Oh, so they told me you’ve been busy lately,” she muttered, “and I was so touched by that, that you actually took time out of your busy schedule to spend with me…”
The man pondered for a long time: "I'm a little busy."
"Busy dealing with your lover's funeral arrangements and comforting your lover's family."
Why did his words sound so sarcastic to her?
"Oh, how dutiful you are, Lord Yoon."
"And the reward?" the man asked bluntly. "Just a compliment?"
"If you want a reward, go ask your boss..."
Before she could finish speaking, her hand, which was resting on the man's shoulder, was suddenly grasped. The man's cold fingertips pried open her fingers and intertwined with hers.
She stiffened, waiting for the man's next move, but all she got was a hesitant and evasive look in his eyes.
Okay... a reward.
She almost burst out laughing.
"Should we hold each other's hands too?"
"Um."
She walked hand in hand with Yin Yuan all the way.
This made her wonder if Yin Yuan had suffered too much trauma, causing a drastic change in his personality. If it were before, she would definitely have been lying on the mat, or maybe even on the floor.
Upon arriving at Guifang Garden, she withdrew one hand and, hand in hand with Yin Yuan, disembarked from the carriage.
Leng Zhen squatted by the water trough by the roadside, her face flushed red, her teeth clenched so tightly they clicked.
"Zhenzhen, what's wrong?"
Leng Zhen looked up, slightly flustered.
He forced a smile: "Nothing."
"Father, Mother, I'm going in first."
"Where's Mimi?" she grabbed Leng Zhen. "Aren't you going to wait for her to come over and stay with her?"
For some reason, upon hearing her words, Leng Zhen quickly covered her mouth with her hand, her face turning pale.
"Oh dear, has my timing been bad?"
“No, it’s the perfect time.” Leng Cuizhu hurried to greet Jiang Mimi and pulled the girl to Leng Zhen’s side.
“Zhenzhen, Miss Mimi has never been to Guifang Garden before and doesn’t know the way. Why don’t you show her around?”
Leng Zhen covered her lips, looked up with a panicked expression, and tried to wave her hand, but Jiang Mimi grabbed her arm.
“Let’s go together,” Jiang Mimi raised an eyebrow, took Leng Zhen’s arm and walked forward, “This concubine and Young Master Leng will lead the way.”
Leng Cuizhu: "Okay."
Leng Zhen seized the opportunity: "Mother, I want to go with you."
"ah……"
Before she could answer, the man beside her pulled her forward, quickly leaving Leng Zhen and Jiang Mimi behind.
She turned around and said, "Leng Zhen doesn't seem to be in good shape."
Yin Yuan: "He's faking it."
"You want to bring them together, so let them spend more time alone together and don't put any pressure on the child."
Yin Yuan's words made sense, and she couldn't very well deny it: "Okay..."
She spent the entire morning strolling leisurely in the courtyard with Yin Yuan, feeding the fish and admiring the flowers, until noon when it was time for lunch, at which point she slowly met up with Jiang Mimi and Leng Zhen.
There is a specially designed dining hall in the park, located in the middle of the lake, where you can avoid the sun and feel the breeze blowing from all directions from the lake.
Chen Xun had booked a private room for her in advance. It was called a private room, but it was actually just a table separated by a few screens, and it couldn't block out anything except the lake breeze.
When Leng Zhen received the menu, her half-red and half-white complexion softened somewhat.
"This, this, this, this," he said, pointing at the menu as he looked up at the waiter, "I don't want these four dishes, but I want the rest."
...A gluttonous beast?
Leng Cuizhu said awkwardly, "Isn't it a bit too much? I remember you usually eat very little, Zhenzhen. Are you too tired from walking all day today, that's why..." She couldn't continue the story, so she simply closed her lips.
what a shame.
Leng Zhen ignored her and said to the waiter, "Hurry up and serve the dishes."
"Yes, sir, I guarantee all the dishes will be served to you within fifteen minutes!"
"Hurry up, I'm starving."
Jiang Mimi raised her hand to cover her lips, smiling but remaining silent.
Leng Cuizhu glanced left and right, noticing the awkward atmosphere between the two young people. She realized that it was better to rely on herself than to wait for Yin Yuan to speak up and ease the tension.
She pursed her lips and, after mentally preparing herself, said, "Um... Mimi, I heard you really like fish, especially koi. Perfect timing, there are many red and white koi and red-crowned koi in the lake in this garden. Not only koi, but also guppies."
"Shall we go see it together after we finish our meal?"
"My wife."
Jiang Mimi said softly, "Mimi likes fish, but... she likes fishing."
"Huh? Oh, oh..." She lowered her head and wrung out her handkerchief.
Leng Zhen couldn't help but burst out laughing, choking on her tea and coughing incessantly.
“It’s alright, my lady. I heard that Lord Yin likes to admire fish,” Jiang Mimi said, trying to make amends. “We can accompany Lord Yin later.”
Yin Yuan likes fish? How come she didn't know?
She looked up at the man sitting upright beside her.
“…” Yin Yuan said in a deep voice, “Hmm.”
After finishing their meal, the group rested briefly before heading to the lakeside. Leng Zhen insisted on staying to pack up all the leftovers and take them with her, but Leng Cuizhu felt embarrassed and didn't want to wait. She grumbled and left first with Yin Yuan and Jiang Mimi.
On the way to the lake, she seized the opportunity to lead Jiang Mimi aside by herself.
"Miss Mimi, what do you think of Leng Zhen?" Her question was somewhat self-humiliating.
Fortunately, Jiang Mimi was very proper in her words and actions. She didn't mention Leng Zhen's rudeness and just smiled and said, "Young Master Leng is very magnanimous and tolerant of me."
"However, perhaps it's because of her young age? Sometimes she doesn't act very maturely."
Jiang Mimi's assessment was quite accurate, and Leng Cuizhu nodded in agreement.
“Then, Miss Mimi, may I bring Leng Zhen to the Chen residence to visit you another day? Leng Zhen is aloof and doesn’t have many close friends. You two are about the same age and have similar interests, so perhaps you could become friends in the future…”
"My lady," Jiang Mimi looked towards the lakeside, "Lord Yin seems to be getting a little impatient. Shall we go back?"
She smiled and took Leng Cuizhu's arm, her eyes expressionless.
The lakeside scenery is lush and verdant. The lake water ripples gently, reflecting the swaying grass and trees, and wildflowers blending with the water. Schools of fish dart among the water, occasionally leaping out and splashing water.
Yin Yuan stood by the lake, his brows furrowed in thought.
His brow bone was reddish from the sunlight, and he opened his folding fan and held it up to block the light from his eyes.
Leng Cuizhu and Jiang Mimi came over hand in hand. Seeing him basking in the sun, Leng Cuizhu suggested, "Let's go to the pavilion over there? It's too sunny here, it's shady there."
"Yes, my wife."
Jiang Mimi took her hand again and walked with her towards the pavilion.
"..." Yin Yuan put away his fan and followed behind the two.
The pavilion was situated on slightly higher ground, at least ten feet above the lake, where the lake breeze was indeed refreshing.
Leng Cuizhu stood by the wooden railing, feeding the fish with fish food. Jiang Mimi hugged her waist and played with her, then suddenly leaned close to her ear.
"My lady, Lord Yin doesn't seem very happy. Does he feel neglected?"
"No... he's that kind of person."
Upon hearing this, she turned her head to glance at him.
Yin Yuan sat in his chair, looking down at the folding fan in his hand, neither admiring the fish nor the flowers, and he didn't even taste the Jin Jun Mei tea that the waiter had brought to the table.
He had a light sweat on his forehead, and his eyelids drooped listlessly. Even so, he only played with the folding fan in his hand, without fanning himself at all.
She recognized the folding fan; it was the old fan she had given him, old and broken, with several holes in the surface. She hadn't taken it to be repaired, just left it to break.
"It seems so."
"Should we call him over to come along?"
"good."
Heeding Jiang Mimi's words, she clutched the fish food tightly, slowly walked to the man's side, and handed him the bag of fish food.
"My lord, aren't you going to feed him?"
"……It's hot."
After speaking, he took the fish food, got up, and walked towards the railing.
She followed with a smile.
"I only have this one bag of fish food left, can you share some with me?"
The man glanced at her and said, "Oh."
The two had been snuggling together for a short while when Jiang Mimi came over from the other side of the railing.
She leaned against the wooden railing as she walked, but the railing suddenly broke in the middle. She tumbled over the railing and was about to fall when she grabbed Yin Yuan's sleeve, pulling him down into the water with her.
Water splashed onto Leng Cuizhu's face. She clutched the fish food in her palm and hurriedly called out to the two people splashing on the lake.
"Miss Mimi! Are you alright?"
"My lady, help me! I can't swim!" Jiang Mimi grabbed the man's robe tightly, but he broke free. Still unwilling to give up, she cried and pulled at the man's hair.
Yin Yuan's face rarely showed any emotion, only resentment, contempt, and exhaustion from being forced into a prolonged fight.
"open."
"Waaaah, my lord, please save me!"
"I...I'll go find someone to rescue you!"
She turned and ran out of the pavilion, bumping into Leng Zhen, who had finished packing and was coming to watch the play. She quickly pulled him to the railing.
"Tsk," Leng Zhen peeked out, intrigued, "It's true that evil people always have their own evil people to deal with them."
She originally wanted Leng Zhen to find a way to save people, but he just stood there gloating.
It just so happens that going through a life-or-death ordeal with Jiang Mimi might just bring the two of them together.
Leng Cuizhu frowned and pushed Leng Zhen down as well.
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