She admitted that I was her boyfriend
"It's time for dinner!" Ruan Yunsheng stepped into Qingyi Garden carrying a heavy lunch box. His cheerful voice woke up the dozing Song Tinghe.
Huarong skillfully arranged the dishes, and the rich aroma of the Emerald Eight Treasure Duck instantly filled the room. Song Tinghe leaned in and took a deep breath, his eyes sparkling: "It smells so good~"
"Of course!" Hua Rong said excitedly as she arranged the dishes. "Young lady was amazing today! We went to Zuixianlou, the most expensive restaurant in the capital, and the cheapest duck alone cost three hundred taels!"
Song Tinghe paused with his chopsticks, picking up a duck leg. "Three hundred taels! Are you guys robbing the national treasury?"
Ruan Yunsheng gave him a slap: "Can you think positively?"
"It's the Qi family's young master who's treating us!" Hua Rong's cheeks flushed, and her voice rose unconsciously, "Especially that eldest young master Qi, it's really... really..."
She held her face in her hands and said intoxicatedly, "His eyebrows and eyes are picturesque, as cold and pure as snow, like an immortal who fell from the sky!"
Ruan Yunsheng bit into a piece of cherry curd and nodded in agreement, "Yes, yes, and he's very well-spoken and thoughtful." She shook her head regretfully, "It's just a pity..."
"What a pity?"
A sinister voice suddenly came from behind. Ruan Yunsheng turned around and saw Song Tinghe shrouded in ghostly aura. His translucent body was almost solidified with jealousy. "Is it a pity that she's already taken? Or is it a pity that you didn't meet her sooner?"
"I didn't!" Ruan Yunsheng quickly put down his chopsticks and reached out to pull Song Tinghe's sleeve.
She softened her voice and lightly brushed his red eyes with her fingertips: "I have a good and handsome boyfriend at home, how dare I mess with others? Hmm?"
"What is a little boyfriend?" Song Tinghe raised her slightly red eyes, with a lingering sense of grievance in her voice. Her soul was swaying hazily like moonlight covered by a layer of mist.
Ruan Yunsheng looked at him like this, and her heart felt like being gently scratched by a feather. She suddenly laughed, her voice as soft as melted honey: "What my boyfriend meant is -"
She deliberately dragged out her words, watching the little girl slowly approach her with an intention to hide her feelings, "Now you are mine, I am yours, we are a couple, and I am your girlfriend."
When Song Tinghe heard this, the tips of his ears turned red, almost dripping blood. He tugged at the corner of his clothes with his fingers helplessly, and said in an unnaturally soft voice: "Really?"
"What else?" Ruan Yunsheng leaned closer to him, lightly touching his chest with her fingertips. "Do you want someone else to be my boyfriend?"
"no!"
Song Tinghe raised his head abruptly, his eyes sparkling with water, yet filled with a fierce possessiveness. "Only I can be the boss!" He then realized he was being too aggressive, and added softly, "...Is that okay?"
Ruan Yunsheng smiled with his eyes curved: "Okay."
Unable to be coaxed like this, Song Tinghe tilted her head, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, and her voice was as muffled as cotton soaked in rain: "Then you already have me, so what's the pity?"
"I just feel bad that he's so shrewd in business, it makes me look like a spendthrift!" Ruan Yunsheng leaned close to his ear, his breath making his body tremble slightly, "Unlike my Tinghe, who always picks the biggest bunch of candied haws for me~"
Song Tinghe's ears were lightly pink, but he still managed to snort coldly: "I can catch a duck for you for three hundred taels!"
"I don't want a duck, I just want my little boyfriend to smile."
The cold air around Song Tinghe suddenly dissipated. The corners of his lips couldn't help but rise, but then he hurriedly pursed them. He lowered his head, pinched the corner of his clothes and muttered, "Then, then you are not allowed to praise other men in the future."
Huarong, who was peeking out the window, covered her mouth and slipped away, screaming in her heart, this is not just a trick! It's clearly flirting!
Suddenly, a maid knocked hurriedly on the door outside the courtyard: "Second Miss! The general's carriage has passed Zhuque Street. Madam asks you to change your clothes quickly and go to the main gate to greet him!"
Ruan Yunsheng paused, put down the half-eaten candied haws, and said softly to Song Tinghe, "Be good and finish your meal at home. I'll be back soon."
As she stood up, she squeezed his palm imperceptibly, earning a snort of dissatisfaction in return.
After Ruan Yunsheng changed into a plain and decent dress and left with the maid, Song Tinghe immediately put down his chopsticks, mist swirled around him, and his soul turned into a wisp of light smoke, quietly following behind him.
His girlfriend looks smart, but that family is full of wolves and tigers, so he has to keep an eye on them personally to feel at ease.
Main gate of the Nguyen Mansion
Liu Ruyan was dressed in a crimson-purple dress with a peony pattern, and wore a red-gold headband dotted with kingfisher feathers. She looked as majestic as an imperial edict from the palace. Beside her stood her legitimate son Ruan Linxi and legitimate daughter Ruan Qinghe, both dressed in gorgeous brocade and adorned with pearls and jadeite.
When Ruan Qinghe saw Ruan Yunsheng approaching, he covered his lips with his round fan and sneered, "People from the countryside just don't know the rules. They've made the whole family wait for you. And with this plain cloth dress, someone who didn't know you would think you were here to attend a funeral."
Ruan Yunsheng walked on without stopping, the corners of his lips curved slightly. "Third sister is right. It can't compare to your gold-woven satin dress. It's so dazzling under the sunlight that someone who doesn't know would think we have a walking gold ingot hanging on our doorstep."
Ruan Qinghe was so angry that her fan was shaking. Only when Liu Ruyan gave her a sharp look did she grit her teeth and keep silent.
At this moment, the sound of horse hooves like thunder suddenly came from the corner of the street.
Ruan Jichuan, still wearing his black armor, walked into the gate exhausted, the hem of his battle robe still stained with the yellow sand from outside the Great Wall.
He first opened his arms and hugged Liu Ruyan tightly, his stubble brushing against her forehead. His voice was loud and rough, like someone who had just returned from the battlefield: "Madam, you have worked hard to manage the household! I have been away for these years, and the mansion is grateful to you."
He patted Ruan Linxi's shoulder armor hard, causing the young man to stagger half a step. "Good boy! Is the arrow wound healed? Let me show you your spear skills in the training ground tomorrow!"
Finally, he rubbed Ruan Qinghe's head and laughed out loud, "Daddy's little Qinghe has grown taller! Those phoenix eyes look more and more like your mother!"
The family was full of laughter and joy. Ruan Linxi expressed her longing with red eyes, and Ruan Qinghe begged her father to take her to ride the Ferghana horses that were tributed from the Western Regions. The warm candlelight gilded their figures.
Ruan Yunsheng stood quietly in the shadow of the corridor column, her skirt swaying slightly in the breeze, like a forgotten reed.
It wasn't until everyone surrounded Ruan Jichuan and was about to take his seat that he seemed to notice the girl in the shadows. Seeing the face that looked somewhat similar to his, he frowned slightly and said, "Who is this..."
Liu Ruyan smiled and quickly took his arm, her fingertips pinching him imperceptibly. "Master, have you forgotten? This is your daughter, Yun Sheng. The Zhuang family suffered a disaster a while ago. I felt sorry for the child, leaving her alone and helpless, so I took the initiative to bring her back."
She took out a handkerchief embroidered with lotus flowers and pressed the corners of her eyes. "Poor thing, so thin that only bones are left..."
Ruan Jichuan suddenly realized something and nodded to Ruan Yunsheng symbolically. "Is everything going well in Chuzhou? Now that you're back, you can settle down." His eyes swept over her plain dress and quickly turned to the table full of delicious food. "Please join us."
At the start of the banquet, Liu Ruyan personally picked up a silver spoon with a lotus pattern and scooped a bowl of golden, fragrant chicken soup before Ruan Jichuan. Her eyes were full of longing, "Master, you must be tired from the journey. Come and try this soup. It's made with old hens raised in the Nanshan Mountains, with angelica and wolfberries. I've been stewing it over the stove for three hours."
Ruan Jichuan took the celadon bowl with satisfaction, tilted his head back and took a big sip.
In an instant, his entire face twisted! Veins on his forehead throbbed, his Adam's apple rolled violently. The soup was so salty and bitter, as if he had swallowed a handful of sea salt, and it choked his nasal cavity.
He forced himself to swallow it, then drank half a cup of tea before finally saying, "Madam, is this soup... a little too heavily seasoned?"
Liu Ruyan took a sip in surprise and immediately choked miserably. She covered her lips with a handkerchief and coughed violently, tears streaming down her face. "How could this be! I seasoned it myself..."
She hurriedly set out other dishes, her silver chopsticks jingling. "I think I was negligent. Master, try these shredded winter bamboo shoots."
Ruan Jichuan chewed it twice, and instantly secreted a lot of saliva from the sour taste. He gritted his teeth and spat out with a grim face: "Is there too much vinegar?"
"Then try this braised venison..." Liu Ruyan's voice trembled, and sweat oozed from her temples.
We can't all be wrong...
"Spicy! It's so spicy!" Ruan Jichuan's forehead was sweating. He threw away his chopsticks and slapped his tongue. "How much chili is in this?"
After trying seven or eight dishes, they were either too salty like chewing salt or too sour and bitter like swallowing aged vinegar. Even the mildest stir-fried seasonal vegetables had a strange fishy smell. None of the delicacies on the table were edible!
Liu Ruyan's hair was trembling with panic, and she wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief embroidered with gold thread. "Master, please understand! This, this table of dishes were all prepared by the cook under my personal supervision. Every step was..."
Her voice was filled with tears. "It must be those servants who are sneaking around. I will investigate thoroughly right away!"
Ruan Jichuan looked at his wife's pale face and couldn't bear to ruin the family reunion. He just waved his hand and sighed, "Forget it, forget it. Maybe she's new in the kitchen and doesn't know the rules. I'll just keep a closer eye on her from now on."
Having said that, he looked at the messy dishes on the table, and a hint of disappointment appeared between his brows.
Just as Liu Ruyan breathed a sigh of relief, Ruan Yunsheng's attention was suddenly attracted by the shadow under the west column.
Song Tinghe was seen squatting in the corner, his translucent soul curled up into a ball, his hands supporting his chin. When he saw Ruan Yunsheng looking at him, he immediately raised his chin, blinked proudly, and raised the corners of his mouth in an arc of "praise me quickly", just like a cat that had just stolen a fish and was waiting for the reward.
Ruan Yunsheng almost laughed out loud and quickly covered the corners of her mouth with her sleeves. She suppressed her smile, coughed lightly on purpose, and secretly made a gesture with her fingertips under the table.
Song Tinghe's spirit body "whoosh" floated closer, but due to the crowd in the room, he didn't dare to show his full body. He just hid in the shadow cast by the eaves and silently mouthed to her: "Who let them bully you!"
The banquet ended in a bad mood. Ruan Yunsheng walked quietly towards Qingyi Garden, holding the hem of her skirt. When she reached the wisteria corridor, Ruan Qinghe suddenly appeared from the shadows, with his hands on his hips, blocking her way.
"stop!"
Her eyebrows arched, her fingertips almost poking Ruan Yunsheng's nose. "Did you mess with Mother's banquet today? You must be holding a grudge and put something filthy in the dishes!"
Ruan Yunsheng was holding Song Tinghe's hand, looking like she was about to explode. She held it calmly and said gently, "Why do you say that, Third Sister? I just returned home today, and the maid sent a message asking me to go to the front hall to greet father immediately. I haven't even finished my cup of tea yet."
She raised her eyes and looked directly at Ruan Qinghe, her gaze clear. "From Qingyi Garden to the main hall, I was accompanied by maids and servants all the way. If you don't believe me, you can ask them. For example, the sister in the green bodice saw me enter the banquet hall empty-handed."
Ruan Qinghe choked. She had indeed checked and found that Ruan Yunsheng had no chance to go into the kitchen, but all the dishes on the table had strangely changed their taste. Who else could it be except this disaster star who had just returned?
Every time her mother is with her, something special happens. Who else could it be?
"Hmph! You must have used some evil magic!" She stomped her feet in a cowardly manner.
Before he could finish his words, a blue-eyed cricket suddenly flew out from the woods next to him and jumped into Ruan Qinghe's collar!
"Ah! What is that!" Ruan Qinghe screamed and slapped his clothes.
Taking advantage of her panic, Ruan Yunsheng bowed and said, "Sister, you should catch the bugs first. I'll take my leave now."
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