Chapter 41 Chest, I Was Wrong
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A moonlit floating bridge, talented scholars and beautiful women, Lin Xihe leaning on the railing in contemplation—the bustling night scene unfolds slowly, like a scene from an ancient costume epic. A soft call comes from beside her ear, pulling her thoughts back from the modern world.
The talented man's gaze fell upon the beautiful woman.
Whether it was a misperception or not, Lin Xihe felt that something was off about the text.
A chinchilla tail dangled from beside the jade pendant at her waist, matching her pom-pom. Her attire was exceptionally elaborate, like an over-the-top male lead in an ancient costume drama.
"Freedom of choice in what you wear," Lin Xihe thought again. Even if Wen Zhixu went to the temple fair dressed in the Emperor's New Clothes, it was none of her business—just don't try to drag her along.
Suddenly, countless pigeons rained down like a blizzard.
Lin Xihe: Huh? Did I accidentally wander onto the Harry Potter set?
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that the crowd on the ground had already gathered under the bridge, and the windows of the private rooms at Xianqinglou were also crowded with onlookers.
Even as a modern person who has seen a bit of the world, Lin Xihe had to admit: this scene was far too grand.
Wen Zhixu took out a purse.
Lin Xihe's heart skipped a beat: What? What's inside...?
Wen Zhixu half-squatted down.
"!"
Oh my god, he knelt down before me?!
My arch-nemesis proposed to me?
The more critical the moment, the more Lin Xihe's CPU started to veer off course, thinking about all sorts of irrelevant things.
The pigeons were cooing, and she really wondered what other tricks Wen Zhixu would pull: Don't domineering CEOs use drones to propose?
Lin Xihe subconsciously picked at her fingers, afraid that these "unmanned pigeons" would fly into the air and spell out "Marry Me" on the spot.
Her eyes widened as she watched Wen Zhixu rummage through his purse.
He half-squatted on the ground, his voice as gentle as moonlight: "Don't rush, let Miss Lin feed you."
Then he stretched out his arm and opened his hand: "Here you go."
Lin Xihe looked closely.
Golden and yellow.
Corn kernels.
"..."
Ha, hahaha! The classic activity of feeding pigeons! In a short moment, Lin Xihe's brain went from crashing to being forcibly restarted, and her adaptability improved by leaps and bounds.
The pigeon she was feeding, though old and its feathers no longer bright, still had sharp eyes and exuded the aura of a "pigeon boss".
"Is this the pigeon that delivered the letter to me that day?" Lin Xihe recognized it.
"Yes, he was raised by my elder brother."
A meritorious pigeon that has served on the battlefield and delivered intelligence.
"Wow," Lin Xihe exclaimed, "Your brother raises so many pigeons, he's amazing."
The preface states: "The other pigeons were borrowed by me."
"..."
Wen Zhixu borrowed all the pigeons from the bird shops and pigeon enthusiasts in Shengjing to make an appearance.
Everyone craned their necks. They saw the eldest daughter of the Lin family untie the secret letter from the pigeon's leg, unfold it, and read it aloud. Before she finished reading, her expression changed drastically; her eyebrows shot up, and she lifted her skirt to chase after the second young master of the Wen family.
Amidst a sea of lights, the beautiful woman startled countless white feathers, creating a breathtakingly beautiful scene.
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Once the temple fair was over, the previous rumors were basically dispelled.
Meeting a man in secret? That was Miss Lin openly and legitimately visiting the temple fair with her future husband, what's wrong with that?
From then on, a small group of people quietly began to talk about the anecdotes of this perfect couple.
"When I met the young lady from the Lin family in the silk dress, she only brought her personal maid."
"Young Master Wen Er was browsing a jade shop with his servant."
"Did they have a fight?!"
"No, no, if they break up, I'll never believe in love again."
Lin Xihe's birthday is in a few days.
Lin Zhaoheng insisted on a grand celebration, so Lin Xihe had no choice but to go to a silk shop to select fabrics.
The shopkeeper presented a bolt of new silk: "Miss Lin, this is a newly arrived cicada wing silk, perfect for hot summer weather."
Qingwu glanced at it and saw that the fabric was so thin and transparent that even courtesans would find it too frivolous, let alone a pure and noble lady. The maid immediately turned sour.
Seeing this, the shopkeeper realized there was a serious misunderstanding and repeatedly bowed, "Miss, please calm down! This gauze is for decoration, not for use alone!"
Lin Xihe gestured, asking the shopkeeper to cut an extra piece.
Mo Hu and Bu Bu were delighted with their new outfits. Thin gauze was piled up on the dogs' backs, and Wen Zhixu, looking at this incongruous attire, looked away.
"Wear what I give you." He picked up a thin strap. "And what's this?"
Wen Ba: "Miss Lin said that this is a maid's hat."
"..."
The dog, dressed as a maid, lay sprawled in the shade, tongue lolling out as if dozing, utterly dejected. Bubu flew onto its owner's shoulder, a pair of lace wings dangling from its back.
"Gah." In its struggle for survival, it emitted a fawning low cry.
Seeing its cooperation, Wen Zhixu snorted, "You're smart to know what's good for you."
The birthday celebration of the eldest daughter of the Lin family is the most important KPI for everyone in the household. Anyone who doesn't cooperate has long been kicked out of the mansion by Lin Zhaoheng.
Last time, Min Shi was so frightened by the snake shedding its skin that her legs went weak. She knocked over the hot teapot in the maid's hand and burned half of her face.
During her recovery, she kept cursing and swearing. Lin Zhaoheng, fearing it would affect his precious daughter's mood, waved his hand and threw Min Shi into an old house a hundred miles away, only assigning her two old women and a servant.
Treat it as an exile.
During this time, Lin Zhaoheng tried to find out what his daughter was thinking, but whenever he mentioned "your mother" even slightly, he would be met with a cold look from Lin Xihe.
"Father, you can do whatever you want. I have no right to interfere with your free will. Please don't disturb my mother's peaceful life."
"But she has already left Shushi Nunnery."
Lin Xihe put away her good temper: "Even if she wants to go to heaven, it has nothing to do with you. I'm going to stay with my mother for a few days. I'll come back when you've thought it through."
"How could you do this..."
Lin Xihe: "My parents divorced, and the court didn't award custody to either parent. It was based on my personal wishes..."
"!" Lin Zhaoheng was truly at his wit's end.
With her daughter Kangfu recovered, Huixin had something to worry about, so how could she possibly enter a Buddhist nunnery? According to Lin Xihe's arrangement, she moved to a courtyard at the foot of Yueling Mountain.
The house was taken over by the daughter. Although it was not as spacious as Tinghexuan, she added many novel items according to her wishes.
For example, a clean room with flushing, and a water room with a simple manual shower system.
A day later, after throwing paper balls, knocking on the wall, and even making a lotus lantern to float in the pond connecting the two mansions, Wen Zhixu finally confirmed that Lin Xihe was not at home.
After inquiring with the nanny of the Lin family, they learned that Lin Xihe had "run away from home".
Wen Zhixu had no choice but to ride the silly horse named "Chunlv". After getting lost several times, he finally found the small courtyard where Madam Lin lived.
Since he was an outsider, it wasn't convenient for him to go in.
"Why hasn't the furniture delivery person arrived yet? Qingwu, go and ask."
Wen Zhixu tried to avoid it, but his eyes met those of the maid behind the door. He immediately put a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet.
Qingwu called out to those inside, "Madam, Miss, the Second Young Master has come to see you!"
"Why is Xiao Xu here?" Madam Lin stood with her arms crossed, her face no longer showing the amiable kindness of a neighborly aunt, but instead with the critical eye of someone looking at a future son-in-law. No matter how she looked at him, she felt that this young man seemed to be lacking in something.
My daughter had barely settled in when this kid started sticking to me like a leech.
Reckless and ignorant.
Madam Lin sniffed. Apart from the light fragrance of flowers in the courtyard, there seemed to be a faint, lingering sour smell.
Strange, the plums in the yard haven't ripened yet, so where does this flavor come from?
She looked up and observed closely, and from Wen Zhixu's forced composure, she glimpsed the source of this sour feeling.
What a perfect description of wanting something but not getting it, feeling frustrated and speechless.
"I came to see my mother," Wen Zhixu replied, feigning surprise. "I was just passing by the foot of the mountain when I decided to come and take a look."
"It's on the way—" Madam Lin drawled, "I've seen it, let's go back. If we go up the mountain now, Abbess Huici will have some free time."
Wen Zhixu's gaze passed over her shoulder, and the green plum tree in the courtyard stood silently.
His childhood sweetheart has vanished without a trace.
Sunset, dusk, a lean horse—a desolate scene.
Lin Xihe lifted her skirt and caught up, calling out three words.
The heartbroken man on horseback turned around, his dull eyes instantly brightening.
"What are you laughing at?" Wen Zhixu, with his sharp eyes, caught the slight smile on Lin Xihe's lips and tightened his grip on the reins.
Lin Xihe had just been imagining Tang Sanzang from "Journey to the West," arguing with Sun Wukong and being heartlessly abandoned by his disciple. She quickly snapped back to reality, biting her lip, and asked, "Go see your mother?"
Wen Zhixu pulled out something he had been hiding in his pocket for a long time and said angrily, "I came to see you! Are you satisfied now?"
"Peach preserves?" Lin Xihe glanced at the words "Chantangzhai" on the paper package, which is a top-tier online celebrity snack shop in Shengjing.
Recently, newly made peach preserves have hit the market, and the shopkeeper has learned a rule from somewhere: each person is limited to one purchase.
In Shengjing, the young ladies with a sweet tooth sent their servants to queue up and compete for the food, and Lin Xihe naturally sent Qingwu to do so. Unexpectedly, Qingwu got into an argument with Miss Zhao's head maid, and they even tore each other's hair in the street.
We won, but the dried peaches are gone.
"Oh..." Lin Xihe's eyes widened at the sight of the dried peaches, and she eagerly moved closer to the horse, reaching out to take one.
For some unknown reason, Na Wenzhi suddenly raised his arm high.
Lin Xihe couldn't reach it, so she jumped on tiptoe.
He raised the oil paper package a little higher.
Driven by her craving, Lin Xihe jumped up and down twice, her fingertips barely brushing against the oil paper package, but still unable to reach it.
He did it on purpose! To get revenge for her staying indoors earlier.
"Hmph, I'm not eating!" She turned and left.
"Not eating?" The young man's voice, carrying the fragrance of June flowers, reached Lin Xihe's ear. "I had people stand in line for half an hour, and my legs are sore from standing."
In reality, he personally arranged the arrangements. Of all things under the heavens, the second young master of the Duke of Wen's mansion holds the most prestige.
"I won't eat it." The girl's reply came against the evening breeze, and was not clearly heard.
As dawn breaks and dusk falls, the sun is swallowed up by the valley.
Although Chunlv didn't know the way, that didn't mean it wasn't a good horse. Wen Zhixu spurred its horse, and it understood, chasing after the figure ahead.
Hearing the clatter of hooves growing closer behind her, Lin Xihe couldn't help but jog. She was principled; if she wasn't going to eat, she wasn't going to eat, even if they caught up!
The young man on horseback leaned down and easily lifted the girl onto the horse. Before she could even gasp in surprise, he had already gently pulled her into his arms.
She was lifted into the air, the world spinning around her. The next instant, her cheek was forced against a solid chest. Thump, thump, thump, her heart pounded like a drum, making her ears tingle.
Lin Xihe looked up blankly.
He pleaded in a low voice, "I was wrong. Please, just have a bite, okay?"
Lin Xihe's thoughts suddenly went blank, and her gaze fell on his Adam's apple, noticing it bobbing a few times.
……eat?
What did he ask her to eat?
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