Upon hearing Bao Qianqiu's inquiry, Shen Yu, fearing that Princess Yanghua's words might hurt someone, quickly grabbed Yanghua's arm and preemptively replied, "Sister Qianqiu, how have you been? This is my close friend Zhang Hongyu, the eldest daughter of the Grand Tutor's mansion."
Zhang Hongyu? Could she be the abandoned woman everyone's been talking about? Bao Qianqiu wasn't one to fawn over the powerful. She first nodded to Hongyu to show goodwill, then started talking to Chenyu, "Sister Chenyu, how have you been? I remember the last time we met was three years ago. After that, my brother and I went to take up our posts in other places. If my brother hadn't been promoted to the position of Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, I'm afraid we still wouldn't have been able to meet."
"Yes, it's been three years. Sister Qianqiu is finally back. We can get together more often from now on." Chenyu sighed and bowed respectfully to Bao Qianqiu.
Chen Yu was so courteous because Bao Qianqiu was indeed a filial daughter:
Three years ago, Master Bao was assassinated. Bao Qianqiu observed three years of mourning. Time flies, and now she is twenty-nine years old, making her an older single woman. Therefore, she is genuinely here for a blind date today, and she would be happy if she could win Song Hua's favor.
She nodded in response to Chen Yu, then turned to Song Hua and invited him, "Young Master Song Hua, the Kong family is hosting a polo match tomorrow. How about we go to the orphanage together the day after?"
"Good! That's exactly what Songhua was thinking."
"By the way, Qianqiu brought a child's painting and would like Young Master Songhua to inscribe it. Shall we go to the study?"
Tch! Bao Qianqiu wants to be alone with Song Hua?
Seeing that Song Hua agreed, Hong Yu felt a pang of jealousy, but she kept it to herself and focused her gaze on the scroll in Bao Qianqiu's hand, having already devised a plan.
In her eyes, Bao Qianqiu was nothing more than a dull and boring woman, less beautiful and less graceful than her, and two years older than her. For her to compete with her for Songhua was simply overestimating herself. With just a little effort, she could easily get close to Songhua.
She slowly backed away, her hand on her forehead. Her upper body seemed to lose its support, and she leaned against the railing, collapsing limply. She then grabbed the scroll in Bao Qianqiu's hand.
"Quick, grab her!" Chen Yu shouted.
The group turned to look and saw Hongyu's body slide past the railing, about to fall into the water. At the critical moment, Bao Qianqiu grabbed Hongyu's arm, and felt Hongyu pull her forcefully. Splash! Splash! The two fell into the water one after the other.
Bao Qianqiu struggled and cried out, "Young Master Songhua, save me..."
The same applies to red jade.
Seeing this, Yang Hua, Song Hua, and Chen Jing were all panicked, while Chen Yu remained dumbfounded. Others might not know, but Chen Yu knew perfectly well why Hong Yu, a woman from the water towns of Jiangnan, had been fishing with fishermen since childhood and had even saved Bai Ye Hua from drowning, was now unable to swim.
Splash! Song Hua jumped into the water, darting past Hong Yu and swimming towards Bao Qianqiu in the distance. Bao Qianqiu was invited by Yang Hua; if something went wrong, Yang Hua wouldn't be able to explain it to the Bao family. He escorted Bao Qianqiu to the shore and then went back into the river to look for Hong Yu.
To him, Hongyu was nothing more than a beautiful abandoned woman, yet out of a sense of duty, he still decided to step forward. Strangely, Hongyu had been nearby just moments before, how could she have vanished in the blink of an eye?
Seeing that Song Hua had gone to rescue Bao Qianqiu first, Hong Yu took the opportunity to dive underwater and swim to deeper water. Suddenly, she surfaced and shouted, "Help! Young Master Song Hua, save me..."
Seeing Song Hua swim over, her thrashing gradually slowed until Song Hua grabbed her arm. She then wrapped her arms around Song Hua's neck and cried out, "If Young Master Song Hua hadn't come soon, Hong Yu would have drowned."
Song Hua was embarrassed. As an unmarried man, he was hugging and embracing a discarded woman. Wouldn't he be ridiculed? Moreover, he was on a blind date with Bao Qianqiu today and could not be close to other women.
He hurriedly pulled Hongyu's arms away, but Hongyu was short and without Songhua's support, she sank down and choked on water.
"Ah! Young Master Songhua, save me..."
Helpless, Songhua had no choice but to pick up Hongyu and walk towards the shore.
Under the blazing sun, the water shimmered. Hongyu, dressed in a vibrant pink dress, wore a snow-white bodice beneath. From afar, she resembled a lotus emerging from the water, carefully held in the arms of Songhua Gongzi.
She wrapped her arms around Songhua's neck, deliberately rubbing her bodice down with her arm, and then whispered her thanks in Songhua's ear, "Thank you, Young Master Songhua, for saving my life. Hongyu will always remember this and will repay you in the future."
Song Hua was terrified. Seeing Bao Qianqiu looking over, he deliberately raised his voice and said, "Miss Hongyu can't swim. How can Song Hua just stand by and watch her die?"
“Young Master Songhua is skilled in both literature and martial arts, and has a kind heart, which Hongyu admires. Although Hongyu is a woman and was born a maid, she is literate and proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. If Young Master Songhua’s adopted son has no one to take care of him, he can be sent to Hongyu’s residence.”
When the topic of his adopted son came up, Song Hua looked at Hong Yu. Water droplets clung to her fair cheeks, glistening like pearls, sliding down her face and landing on her chest, which was also covered in a fair, pinkish-white hue. However, the skin beneath her bodice was smooth as jade. He instantly blushed, his heart pounded, and he was afraid he would stutter if he opened his mouth.
Seeing this, Hongyu smirked and looked up at the shore, where Bao Qianqiu was looking at her anxiously. She couldn't help but glance at him, unable to hide her disdain. She deliberately tightened her arms around Songhua's neck, and asked coquettishly, "Is Young Master Songhua willing?"
Song Hua's whole body tensed up, and he felt a surge of heat in his nostrils, so he dared not speak.
"Songhua, your nose is bleeding."
A nosebleed? Song Hua blushed instantly and, with Yang Hua's help, got ashore. She quickly put Hong Yu down, and a handkerchief appeared in front of her.
Looking up, I saw that it was Bao Qianqiu who handed it to me.
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