Chapter 51 What a handsome seven-year-old boy!
The young official looked at Lu Zhaoruo upon hearing the sound.
"Is this lady well?"
Because he was holding Abao, he couldn't perform a full bow, so he only nodded slightly, while the beaded string hanging from the ferret's forehead remained completely still.
Such demeanor is not something that can be cultivated in an ordinary family.
Lu Zhaoruo curtsied in return, looked at Abao in his arms, and said, "Abao, why weren't you waiting for me at the candy pea stall?"
Her voice still trembled slightly.
Ah Bao stretched her neck in the arms of the young master, her green eyes narrowed into slits, quite content: "Mother, Ah Bao knew him in her past life, he is not a bad person."
"Just now I saw this cat lying alone in the snow, and I took the liberty of protecting it."
The young master's voice was clear and pleasant, deliberately omitting the fact that Abao was following behind.
Lu Zhaoruo's breath hitched.
The young official stood in the snow, his face as exquisite as jade carving, his whole being exuding a noble air, like a celestial child who had stepped out of the Xuanhe Painting Academy.
Those eyes were so clear they could reflect the trajectory of flying snowflakes; there was not a trace of the filth of a common child.
The wind whipped up snowflakes and rushed in; he turned to the side and used his back to shield Abao from the wind.
Lu Zhaoruo smiled just the right amount of her smile, placed her hands on the New Year's goods package, and curtsied slightly: "Thank you for your kindness, young master."
She glanced at Abao, who was nestled in the other person's arms, and said with a hint of helplessness, "My cat is so unruly, I'm sorry to have made you laugh."
Ah Bao's ears twitched, and she slowly slid down from the young master's arms...
The young official's gaze swept over Lu Zhaoruo's arms, which contained the most frugal items a poor family would use during the New Year.
His eyes flickered slightly, and he suddenly bowed respectfully: "My lady has to carry things and look after the cat, and the snowy road is difficult to travel."
He stepped aside to make way for the blue-draped carriage parked at the alley entrance, saying, "If you would not mind, I can send someone to escort you, madam."
"Mother, please say yes!"
Ah Bao hurriedly tried to lift the hem of her skirt, saying, "It's very warm in the car."
Lu Zhaoruo had already taken far too many New Year's gifts, so she agreed.
As they reached the alley entrance, one of the attendants lifted the carriage curtain, and a warm fragrance wafted out.
The carriage was covered with soft cushions made of Yuezhou silk, and copper bell sachets hung in the four corners to prevent bumps. Even the gaps in the windows were carefully stuffed with rabbit fur to protect against the wind. Most strangely, there was an exquisite gilded warmer fixed in the corner, with charcoal burning brightly inside, but not a trace of soot.
Lu Zhaoruo thought to herself, "Is this young official perhaps a member of the royal family?"
The carriage curtains were drawn low, keeping the wind and snow out.
The room was warm and cozy. The young master knelt on a green cattail mat, his small hands resting lightly on his knees, his back straight as bamboo. Although he was still young, he already showed signs of being well-mannered and raised.
He leaned slightly forward, his voice clear and youthful yet steady: "My surname is Xiao, and my given name is Wuyun. My father runs a stationery shop in the capital, and he has a little reputation."
Lu Zhaoruo gently stroked Abao's back fur with her fingertips, a smile playing on her lips: "I am Lu, and my husband's family are merchants from Shenmen. Please excuse my humble appearance."
Ah Bao hurriedly said, "Mother, tell him my name is Ah Bao!"
To Xiao Wuyun, it sounded like Abao meowing incessantly.
Lu Zhaoruo gently tapped the cat's nose: "This cat's name is Abao, young master, please don't blame it for being rude."
Xiao Wuyun's eyes suddenly lit up. He instinctively reached out, but then quickly withdrew his fingers and neatly folded his hands in his sleeves: "Abao... what a fine name."
Abao twitched his ears: "Meow?"
Just like in its previous life, it's even more like a tense cat than before.
Lu Zhaoruo looked at Xiao Wuyun with a smile: "Your name, could it be from the poem by Lord Xin, 'I'd rather be myself than a minister. I've traveled all over the world, but I'll return to farming'?"
Xiao Wuyun was stunned upon hearing this, his face full of shock: "Madam Lu actually knows this phrase?"
Lu Zhaoruo said slowly, “The name ‘Ning Zuo Wo’ takes the character ‘Wu’ to signify independence and not following the crowd; the name ‘Huan Ren Zou Bian Que Gui Geng’ takes the character ‘Yun’ to signify the hope of settling down in the fields. The name ‘Wu Yun’ embodies both the pride of ‘Ning Zuo Wo’ and the tranquility of ‘Gui Geng’. It is truly a good name.”
"Most ordinary housewives don't recognize these things. Madam Lu is really... amazing. I admire her greatly."
As he spoke, he placed his right hand loosely in front of his chest and nodded slightly in the direction of Lu Zhaoruo, which was considered a child's bow.
Lu Zhaoruo sat on the cushion opposite her and smiled gently: "I've only heard my father say a few words about it, how can it be considered 'learned'? It's rare to have such insight at such a young age."
The two began to chat more happily.
Abao curled up on the soft cushion, holding a delicate pastry in his front paws, taking small bites, his cheeks puffing out, just like a squirrel stealing food.
His eyes were still darting around, glancing at Xiao Wuyun one moment and then at Lu Zhaoruo the next, wondering why the two of them suddenly got along so well.
Seeing its憨态 (simple and honest) appearance, Xiao Wuyun's eyes lit up with a smile, and he reached out to gently wipe away the crumbs from its whiskers with a handkerchief...
Lu Zhaoruo asked with a smile, "Young master seems to love cats very much?"
"I like it..."
His voice was as soft as snow falling through a window screen, then he paused, his long eyelashes casting a shadow, "But..."
A servant's voice came from outside the carriage: "Young master, we have arrived at the Shen family residence."
At this moment, the blue-draped carriage slowly came to a stop in front of the stone steps at the back gate of the Shen residence.
Dongrou, bundled up in a thick coat, stood under the eaves, holding a warm yellow lamp in her hand. Seeing the carriage stop, she hurried forward, her breath billowing white smoke: "Madam, you're finally back..."
Lu Zhaoruo, supporting Dong Rou's hand, stepped off the carriage and turned to nod to Xiao Wuyun: "Thank you for seeing me off today, young master."
Xiao Wuyun returned the greeting with proper posture and took three or five steps when he suddenly heard a soft "meow" sound behind him.
He paused, turned around, and asked, "Madam Lu... may I visit Abao more often in the future?"
"Of course."
Lu Zhaoruo smiled and replied, glancing at Abao's excited little tag, "Abao is looking forward to it too."
Xiao Wuyun returned to the carriage with a smile.
The attendant asked, "Young master, where are we going now?"
Xiao Wuyun: "Go find Brother Xiao."
After returning home.
Ah Bao confessed honestly.
It turns out that it knew Xiao Wuyun in its previous life.
It was on this day that it met him while it was greedily eating sugar peas. In its previous life, it didn't follow him, but on its way back, it was blocked by a vicious dog in an alley corner.
It was the young master who arrived carrying an umbrella. He tilted the umbrella horizontally, and the vicious dog slunk away.
Lu Zhaoruo thought to herself, "No wonder it insisted on coming here today."
Later, they often met in Tea Soup Lane by Linhai Lake.
Because people often idly stroll around the teahouse, playing with cats and walking birds, Ah Bao's appearance wouldn't attract attention.
Xiao Wuyun would always bring it sugar peas, ghee cakes, and occasionally honey-soaked pineapple blossoms, a delicacy only found in the palace.
He spoke very little, but his fingertips would always gently scratch Abao's chin, as if he were drawing something through its warm fur.
"My mother doesn't like cats."
One day, he suddenly said.
“My mother was extremely strict. If I memorized the wrong words, I would be forced to kneel all night as punishment. If I wrote the wrong character, she would hit my palms with a ruler until they bled. If I did anything to displease her, she would lock me in a dark room. It was very dark and very cold…”
“Once I secretly kept a cat as a pet, just as cute as you… Later my mother found out, and she grabbed it by the tail and slammed it onto the white marble steps, splattering blood all over my face.”
He didn't know that Abao could understand.
She just held Abao in her arms, tears falling one by one.
On the day the emperor passed away.
Xiao Wuyun placed a bag of candied peas in front of Abao, his fingertips lingering behind its ear for a long time: "Wait for me."
December of the following year.
The heavy snow bent the crabapple branches in Tea Soup Alley.
When Chang Heng's figure emerged from the wind and snow, A Bao's ears perked up instantly...
But he came alone through the snow, his shoulders covered in a thick layer of white.
The scarred man slowly squatted down, unwrapped the sugar peas wrapped in oil paper, and found the sugar peas already frozen solid.
"My young master... will not be coming back."
His Adam's apple bobbed a few times, then he suddenly wiped his face hard: "These are candied peas he... made for you himself, telling you... not to wait any longer..."
The cries of a vendor selling candied peas drifted from the alleyway, the wind and snow swirling around them, swallowing the last few words completely.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
