“…”
One month later…
If you ignore him this month, he will come back from Yunling next month.
Ming Shao: “…”
Her girl's ability to talk nonsense is really improving day by day.
There is sweet honey on his lips, but he has so many evil ideas in his mind.
But even a maid like her could hear the little thoughts hidden in her words, so how could the master not hear it?
But Fourth Master Jiang said nothing and looked at Jiang Rao for a long while with a half-smile on his face.
It was not known whether he understood the room Jiang Rao left for her to hide. In the end, he just sighed "forget it, forget it" three times, waved his hand, turned around and left.
The heavy white rain connected the sky and the earth into one. He walked down the steps and walked under the black umbrella held by the servant in the corridor. He turned his head slightly, put his hands behind his back, and said lovingly, "It's up to you."
…
After the rain, the afternoon sky is as clean as a brand new mirror.
Two things were received in Jiang Rao's yard.
It was also the golden mynah bird that she gave to Concubine Yun.
The mynah bird went to Shuxiang Palace and was named "Xiao Fugui". Unfortunately, it did not get along well with Shi Liu. The cat and the bird hated each other and both wanted to kill the other to become the boss. In just a few days, the Shuxiang Palace was full of fallen bird feathers and cat hair. Concubine Yun sent back Xiao Fugui, who "never bows his head under the eaves" and dared to act aggressively in front of his natural enemies.
Without Xiao Fugui, Shi Liu's status as a pet was no longer threatened, and she became well-behaved again, becoming the lazy cat in Shuxiang Palace who only loved catching mice and not playing with birds.
Xiao Fugui likes Jiang Rao very much. After returning to Jiang Rao, he becomes well-behaved and acts like a good boy.
It can be said that everyone is in his own place.
Another thing Jiang Rao received in the yard was a flowery note from Hu Tang, inviting her to go see the flowers near Sanqing Temple tomorrow.
The next day, outside the Sanqing Temple, beside the lotus pond.
In the lotus pond at the end of August, the lotus flowers have reached the end of their blooming period. There are leaves but no flowers in the pond. Only the swimming carp are brightly colored, a mixture of red and green.
Hu Tang is hyperactive by nature and is not the type to sit still and appreciate flowers. He asked Jiang Rao to come out on the pretext of appreciating the flowers just because he wanted to spend more time with Jiang Rao. She had no friends in Jinling, and after her sister went north, she had no one to talk to.
Hu Tang cared a lot about his new friend. When he first arrived at the lotus pond, he held his face and looked at the lotus leaves, more seriously than worshiping Buddha.
Unfortunately, her ladylike demeanor was exposed after only half an hour. Soon, she lay down beside the railing as if she had been beaten, with a depressed look on her face.
She remembered that other girls would go out with their best friends to chat about everything. But all she had in her mind were sword-wielding moves, and she was afraid to talk to Jiang Rao about these boring things. Next time, she would not accept her flowery notes, would not accompany her out, and would have nothing to say when she wanted to talk. She felt listless and had no energy to muster up.
As soon as Jiang Rao got off the carriage, she saw Hu Tang wearing a formal light pink dress, with her eyebrows drawn and makeup done, and her hair tied up like a fourteen or fifteen year old girl, instead of just casually tied up like before. She felt that she was very abnormal today.
Seeing that she was restrained at the moment, she tugged at her sleeves and her collar. She was a little confused and tried to ask her, "Is your dress not fitting? Do you want to change it..."
"Change" Hu Tang was like a fish that had been away from the shore for a long time and finally dived back into the water. She ran back to the carriage and changed back into her weird outfit. Only then did she feel like she was alive again.
Jiang Rao looked at her bright and radiant complexion and thought that this was the right thing to do. She looked at the bright and dazzling little bell on her wrist curiously, "Why do you always wear a bell on your wrist?"
"My mother tied this bell to my hand. If I dare to take it off, she will punish me. When the bell rings, she will know where I am."
Hu Tang fiddled with the bell on her bracelet twice, making a jingling sound. She complained a little and sighed, "I won't pretend to be a lady in front of you anymore. I really can't be a lady."
"Then don't look at the flowers." Considering Hu Tang's personality, she probably doesn't like looking at flowers. Jiang Rao asked her, "Where do you usually like to go?"
"Martial arts field."
Jiang Rao was stunned for a moment.
Seeing Jiang Rao's dazed face, Hu Tang couldn't help but want to pinch her.
She didn't make a move out of consideration for their first meeting, and said with a smile, "Don't worry, I won't take you to a place full of stinky men. I really can't get into looking at flowers. I heard that you can draw lots at the Sanqing Temple. Should we donate some incense and ask for a lot?"
Jiang Rao nodded.
The Sanqing Temple is built on Qingyun Peak in the north of the city. The temple is presided over by a highly respected monk, and there is constant incense burning throughout the year.
The monk who was sweeping fallen leaves in front of the steps saw Jiang Rao and Hu Tang coming over and bowed, "Greetings, two donors."
After the monk left, Hu Tang asked Jiang Rao, "Why do I feel like that monk just now seemed to recognize you?"
Jiang Rao thought for a while and said slowly: "I
I returned to Jinling at the beginning of the year. Since then, I have come to donate incense every month. Perhaps the monk recognized me. ”
Hu Tang pursed his lips, a little frustrated, "It turns out that you come here more often than I do."
She originally thought that Jiang Rao had just returned to Jinling less than a year ago and had not spent the New Year in Jinling. The Sanqing Temple was the busiest when the year was approaching, so she should not have been to the Sanqing Temple. She was thinking of bringing her here for a walk so she could get familiar with the place.
Who would have thought that she had already been here?
Then she would be doing something unnecessary.
Hu Tang was not very happy. Jiang Rao noticed her disappointment. Her eyes moved slightly and she smiled. "But I'm busy with the shop and don't have time to come here myself. I asked the maids to donate the incense."
She held Hu Tang's arm and begged softly, "This is my first time here, can you take me around?"
How could Hu Tang resist such a gentle little beauty acting coquettishly towards her, and what Jiang Rao said hit the nail on the head. How could she not agree? She nodded hurriedly, and the frustrated mood just now disappeared. She excitedly pulled Jiang Rao to the merit box to donate incense.
Jiang Rao didn’t believe in gods and Buddhas so much before, but after having so many dreams, things changed.
She didn't know who was protecting her in the dark, so no matter which temple or Taoist temple she went to, she had to donate some incense money to feel at ease.
When I knelt on the cushion, I prayed for the health of my parents and the safe growth of my younger brother.
She had only asked for these two things before and had not been greedy to ask for more, but today she became greedy.
She clasped her hands together and kowtowed to the Buddha again.
——I hope the weather will be clear and sunny in the next month, without wind or rain. Pray that the plank road can be repaired easily, and His Highness the Ninth Prince will be safe and sound.
Walking out of the temple where the Bodhisattva is enshrined, the sky outside is bright, vast and blue after the rain.
The long wind blows thousands of miles away, sending blessings to you.
Jiang Rao was in a good mood, with a smile on her lips. Hu Tang followed her, looking at her smiling face from the side, and muttered, "I really envy Lord Pei."
"Master Pei?"
"Yes, aren't you going to marry him in the future?"
The smile on Jiang Rao's face immediately fell, and he asked seriously, "Who said that?"
Hu Tang opened his eyes wide in surprise, "The whole of Jinling is saying this, don't you... know it?"
Jiang Rao frowned, "No one has ever said that to me."
After hearing what Hu Tang said, she thought about how she often met Pei Songyu in the mansion in recent days, and her heart shuddered, and she felt more and more uneasy.
It was all a trap set by her father.
After returning home, she looked around carefully and saw Pei Songyu's carriage outside the alley. She held her forehead with her hand in pain.
She could guess what her father was thinking. He didn't want to force her, but he also wanted her to marry someone he thought was suitable. That's why after he took a fancy to Pei Songyu, he deliberately created opportunities for the two of them to be together.
But she only regarded Pei Songyu as an ordinary distant cousin.
Jiang Rao raised her foot, entered the mansion and walked west.
She deliberately took a route she didn't usually take, trying to avoid Pei Songyu.
But even though she hid on purpose, she still met him face to face at the corner of a corridor.
Jiang Rao glanced at the man in front of her who was more than a head taller than her, but lowered her head with a somewhat annoyed look.
Why didn’t you dodge it?
She glanced at Ming Shao behind her.
Ming Shao was waiting to see her young lady greet Lord Pei with a smile on her lips, but when Jiang Rao glanced at her, her smile immediately disappeared and she scratched the corner of her clothes with her fingers.
The uneasy little movements caught Jiang Rao's eyes.
Jiang Rao instantly understood why she changed her route so that she could run into Pei Songyu.
She gave Ming Shao a look that said, "I'll deal with you when I get back."
Then he looked at Pei Songyu, "Master Pei."
This name is not as intimate as "cousin" and reveals a sense of distance and politeness. The gentle smile on Pei Songyu's face faded a little, the corners of her lips straightened slightly, and she shook her head gently, "Cousin."
Jiang Rao pretended not to understand the implication in his words. She said softly, "I have something to say to Master Pei. Can Master Pei come to the pavilion over there to talk?"
She originally wanted to dodge, but she was already bumped into and couldn't avoid it.
After all, you can hide for a while, but you can't hide forever.
Along the way, Pei Songyu walked beside Jiang Rao, as if he was using his tall figure to block the still scorching afternoon sun for the little girl next to him.
Jiang Rao walked a few steps faster, walked out of his protection, and entered the pavilion first.
After Pei Songyu sat down, she got straight to the point and said, "There have been some rumors in the capital recently, pairing you and me together. I wonder if Lord Pei has heard of it?"
Pei Songyu raised his eyes and looked at her with a deep gaze, neither nodding nor shaking his head.
When he first met her, he thought he would not like this kind of girl who was brought up in a wealthy family and had never had to do any housework.
Too delicate.
He lowered his eyes and said, "I call you cousin and you call me Master Pei, which is really too distant."
After he pointed it out, Jiang Rao readily followed suit and changed his address to "cousin."
But her frank and clear eyes remained unchanged. "I have no intention towards my cousin. These rumors are detrimental to our reputations. We can't let them go on."
After she finished speaking, she felt like a huge stone had been lifted from her heart.
She was afraid that Pei Songyu would take the rumors seriously.
She admired this cousin, but she didn't like him. She couldn't let him misunderstand her any further. What if it delayed their good marriages?
After talking about this, even if Pei Songyu felt that she was being too sentimental and thinking too much, she felt relieved.
Jiang Rao achieved her goal and left.
She spoke too directly. Pei Songyu's hands under the table tensed slightly, and a gloom fell in his eyes.
After a while, he raised his eyes and looked in the direction where Jiang Rao left.
He smiled bitterly.
"What if I'm interested?"
…
Ming Shao followed behind Jiang Rao, lowering her head gloomily, "Miss, have you ever thought that Master Pei might... be interested in you?"
"But I have no intention of doing so."
After hearing Ming Shao's words, Jiang Rao frowned, "If he was interested, I should have told him earlier."
Ming Shao: “…”
The girl can't be moved by a man like Lord Pei. I hope her heart is really made of stone, right?
Ming Shao felt a little disappointed. The girl and Lord Pei standing together were such a beautiful sight. It would be a pity if this marriage could not take place.
Afraid that Jiang Rao was just slow to realize things and hadn't figured it out yet, Ming Shao said, "Miss, you should have said it later. What if you regret it when Lord Pei gets engaged to someone else..."
Jiang Rao didn't care at all. "If he gets engaged, I will definitely send him a good gift. After all, it's my cousin who is getting married, so I can't embarrass him or lose the pomp."
Ming Shaohuan wanted to persuade her, but Jiang Rao was tired and didn't want to talk about it anymore, so she stopped.
She pretended to be cold and looked at Ming Shao fiercely, "I haven't settled accounts with you yet, and you went to tell others to tell me where the account is."
Ming Shao immediately shrank her head like a quail and lowered her head.
Jiang Rao didn't really want to punish her. She knew Ming Shao had always been doing this for her own good. It's just that the phrase "for your own good" can make people feel suffocated most of the time. Whether it was good or bad was obviously up to her. It's like a fish drinking water. Everyone has their own concerns about good and bad. She just pretended to scare her. Seeing Ming Shao lower her head, she turned around and continued walking forward.
In her hand she held the fortune stick she had just gotten from the temple - "The previous relationship has not been severed and the new one is coming, if the fate comes together, leave it to nature and let it be."
Hu Tang also drew a fortune at that time, and the fortune read: "Cicadas guard the osmanthus tree in winter, and duckweed is grown in autumn water."
Jiang Rao looked at Hu Tang's signature and thought it was
Well, they simply didn't ask anyone to interpret their fortunes to see whether they were good or bad luck.
…
In a blink of an eye, seven days had passed since the day when Yun Ling's supervisor set off.
The backyard of the grain shop.
Hu Tang sat cross-legged beside Jiang Rao, watching her fingers fiddling with the beads on the abacus, with an envious expression on his face, "If I could calculate like you, I would definitely be able to ask the rigid and strict teaching nanny in the mansion to resign. She is too fierce."
Jiang Rao smiled faintly.
Her smile was much lighter than usual, and even the dimples on her cheeks were not visible. It was almost as if she was not smiling. Hu Tang saw the difference in her expression and asked, "Niannian, are you a little unhappy?"
Jiang Rao paused for a moment while moving the beads, and then muttered as she finished calculating the accounts on hand, put the abacus aside, and looked up at Hu Tang, "Is there any?"
She blinked slowly, her eyes felt a little sore, and she rubbed her eyes.
"You look like you didn't sleep well."
Jiang Rao put down the hand that was rubbing her eyes and said, "Hmm," "I didn't sleep well."
She hadn't had any dreams in the past few nights, but she wanted to know what was happening with Yun Ling, so she made herself fall asleep on purpose. However, she slept too much during the day and couldn't fall asleep at night. She got up and stared into Xiao Fugui's eyes under the moonlight.
"What's bothering you so much?"
Hu Tang pulled her hand and said, "Is it because I said something wrong last time and misunderstood the matter between you and your cousin that you are angry with me now?"
Jiang Rao shook her head, "No."
What should she say.
Ever since Rong Ting left Yunling, she always felt empty inside.
After the beginning of autumn, her two grain shops had new goods coming in, and they needed to clear the accounts. She also had to find a way to clear out the overstocked goods in the other two shops. There were also many invitations to the flower-viewing banquet, and she had to go if she couldn't refuse...
She was integrating into Jinling's circle little by little. Obviously, there were many things she needed to do, but since she couldn't see Rong Ting anymore, she couldn't know all his big and small things like before. She felt like she hadn't done anything and felt uneasy.
"I want to know what the plank road in Yunling looks like now."
Jiang Rao said softly.
But until the plank road over there is repaired, it is difficult to send even letters over.
She looked worried, Hu Tang raised an eyebrow and asked directly, "Since you want to know, why don't you just go there?"
Jiang Rao: “Hmm?”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
