Chapter 24
On the Mid-Autumn Festival, the half-brother of Nan'an Hou, a member of a branch of the Lu family, rushed to the capital from Lin'an with his family. The two brothers have not seen each other for decades since they separated. No matter what the relationship between brothers is, they still have to work hard on the surface.
For the Mid-Autumn Festival, everyone in the Marquis' Mansion was busy inside and outside, and only the two masters of the Lanfeng Pavilion were able to sit idle. The young master would not take care of such trivial matters, and the young marquis has not been in good health since the beginning of autumn. He used to be able to walk a few steps, but now he is completely dependent on a wheelchair and needs someone to push him wherever he goes.
The Lu family's branch had sent a message in advance, informing them of the time they would arrive at their house. When the time was almost up, Lin Qingyu and Pan went to the gate of Nan'an Marquis's mansion to welcome guests. From afar, they saw five or six luxurious carriages slowly approaching.
Lin'an is a prosperous place, and the Lu family is one of the largest families in Lin'an, so their display is naturally grand. The leader was Nan'an Marquis's eldest brother and Lu Wancheng's uncle. After the two brothers met, they exchanged polite greetings, with more courtesy than family ties, and then entered the house hand in hand. Lin Qingyu followed behind with little interest. A well-dressed man came up to him and said, "I guess this must be Lin Shaojun?"
Lin Qingyu did not respond, and Pan said, "Young Master, this is the Marquis's nephew, the young Marquis's cousin."
"My name is Lu Baishuo, the sixth child in my family. If you don't mind, you can call me Lu Laoliu." The man smiled elegantly, "Auntie is fine. I'm grateful that you still remember me."
This Lu Baishuo was a little too natural and familiar, and Lin Qingyu had no desire to get to know such a person.
"How could I not remember?" Pan smiled and said, "Young Master, the Sixth Young Master came to the capital to do business last year and stayed in your house for three months. He has a very good relationship with the First Young Master."
It turns out that this person has such a relationship with Lu Wancheng.
Lin Qingyu had a vague idea and nodded to greet Lu Baishuo. Lu Baishuo asked, "Is Wan Cheng's illness getting better? I brought a lot of supplements that I bought at a high price with me when I came to Beijing this time. I hope they can help."
Lin Qingyu said: "If the Sixth Young Master has nothing else to do later, you can follow me to visit him at Lanfeng Pavilion."
Lu Baishuo said: "That's great."
The servants in the marquis's mansion were busy moving things and taking the guests to the guest rooms. After Lu Baishuo settled down, he followed Lin Qingyu directly to Lanfeng Pavilion. Before entering the house, Lin Qingyu said, "I would like to ask the Sixth Young Master to do me a favor."
Lu Baishuo said politely, "Mr. Lin, please feel free to speak."
Lu Wancheng was in good spirits these days, but in order to avoid visitors, he insisted that he was sick again, and that he was sick with a disease that prevented him from getting out of bed and would kill him if he did. I thought I could stay away from those messy relatives, but I didn't expect Lin Qingyu to bring someone to my door.
"Young Marquis, your fifth brother is here to see you."
Lu Wancheng put away his usual nonchalant tone and put on the demeanor of a noble young man. Just as he was about to call out "Fifth Brother", he saw that the person next to Lin Qingyu looked uncomfortable. Then he remembered something and smiled, "Madam, don't lie to me. This is not Fifth Brother, it's Sixth Brother."
Lin Qingyu narrowed his eyes slightly and said calmly, "Really? I was wrong."
Lu Baishuo breathed a sigh of relief and laughed out loud, "I told you so. After all, I stayed at Lanfeng Pavilion for three months last year. It would be heartless for Wan Cheng to forget about me so quickly."
Lu Wancheng glanced at Lin Qingyu meaningfully, and said seriously: "Don't worry, Sixth Brother, even if you turn into ashes, I will recognize you."
The cousins were both talkative people, chatting with each other, and there was nothing unusual to see.
But this could not completely convince Lin Qingyu. Lu Wancheng never reveals his true colors in front of others. Only when he is with his own people will he talk about his past without any guard. Lu Wancheng didn't want to say anything, he just waited. If you are really tired of waiting, it won’t be too late to use threats or inducements.
The two chatted happily for a while about family matters, and then they heard a lot of noise outside. Hualu came in to report that all the relatives who had come today had swarmed to Lanfeng Pavilion, saying that they were here to visit the patient.
Lin Qingyu saw through their little thoughts clearly. These people undoubtedly came for the marquis's property. They came to visit the sick in name only, but really to give birth to a child. Lu Wancheng married a man, but due to his frail health he was unable to take a concubine, so he was destined to be childless. If he could adopt his youngest son into Lu Wancheng's family, there would naturally be benefits in the future.
When Lu Wancheng heard the noise of children in the yard, he suddenly felt overwhelmed and raised his hand to support his forehead: "Qingyu, I suddenly feel dizzy. I'll leave the reception to..."
Lin Qingyu pretended not to hear. Seeing the salted fish being forced to stand up was sometimes a kind of fun: "Please invite them in."
Lu Wancheng: “…”
Many people came this time, including Lu Wancheng's cousins, nephews, and grandchildren. Lu Wancheng has a high seniority in the Lu family, and some people even call him grandpa. These people filled the front hall, with Lin Qingyu and Lu Wancheng sitting in the main seats. Lin Qingyu drank his tea by himself, not speaking unless necessary, and was determined to make someone "diligent" for once.
Lin Qingyu watched coldly, and Lu Wancheng had no choice but to bite the bullet and entertain the guest. Even though he is extremely unwilling to do it, if he is really asked to do it, he can do it perfectly without any mistakes, and the scene is as if both the host and the guests are enjoying themselves.
"I heard that the person from Qingdai Pavilion is still unwilling to come out to meet people?"
"After all, it was the second wife's child. After causing such a scandal, she is naturally too ashamed to face people again."
"They say lust is like a sword hanging over your head. The ancients were right..."
Lin Qingyu looked at Lu Wancheng with a smile on his face, and the impatience in his eyes could hardly be hidden. He suddenly realized the fun of teasing a salted fish.
Perhaps noticing his gaze, Lu Wancheng looked back. In an instant, the impatience in his eyes turned into a breeze, and no trace of it could be found.
A cousin of Lu Wancheng flattered him: "I think the young marquis looks very good, I think he will recover soon."
Lu Wancheng smiled and said, "Thank you for your good words."
"Once you are well again, you should start to think about having children. What are your plans?"
The person who spoke was the eldest son of the Lu family, Lu Baishuo's elder brother. The words were so obvious that Lu Baishuo couldn't help but frown and reminded him, "Brother, this is the young marquis's own business, let's not ask about it."
The eldest brother of the Lu family seemed to be having trouble thinking. He said, "This is a matter of the Lu family, and it is closely related to us. I want to ask what happened. I heard that the young marquis is planning to take a concubine?"
Lin Qingyu finally said the first sentence: "Where did you hear that?"
The eldest of the Lu family laughed and said, "Young Master, don't be surprised. It's normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines. Although the young marquis is sick, he is still a man and has seven emotions and six desires..."
Lu Wancheng spread his hands and said, "How can this body of mine have any emotions? Even if I do, I have given them all to Qingyu." He turned his head to look for Lin Qingyu, his eyes filled with spring water, "Qingyu, you are all my desires."
Lin Qingyu almost choked himself when he took a sip of tea - what's wrong with Lu Wancheng again? !
Several people looked at each other, and then sighed:
"What did I say? Young Master Lin is a man of extraordinary talent and beauty. How could anyone else be worthy of Wan Cheng's attention?"
"My uncle and aunt are so loving and harmonious. I envy them so much!"
"May grandpa and grandma be together forever and live happily ever after..."
Lin Qingyu's forehead twitched when he heard this. The instigator seemed to be guilty and didn't dare to look him in the eye. He held the teacup to cover his face, looking like "I can't hear anything".
Lin Qingyu interrupted his grandson's endless chatter: "Young Marquis, it's time to take the medicine."
Everyone wanted to get closer to the two, but after hearing this, they were too embarrassed to continue disturbing them and stood up to leave.
After the guests left, before Lin Qingyu could say anything, Lu Wancheng let out a hiss, crossed his arms, and rubbed them frantically: "Help, I'm so wet."
Lin Qingyu didn't know what "oil" meant at first, but after considering the actual situation, he vaguely understood it and agreed sincerely: "Indeed."
In the evening, Marquis Nan'an hosted a banquet in his mansion to entertain everyone. Lu Wancheng did not attend due to illness, and Lin Qingyu stayed in Lanfeng Pavilion on the pretext of taking care of him.
The evening clouds have all gone, the moon is bright and the stars are sparse, the clear light is silent. On the stone table in the courtyard were moon cakes, water chestnuts, dates and pomegranates, as well as a pot of osmanthus honey wine. However, Lu Wancheng could not touch either the mooncakes or the honey wine, and could only watch to satisfy his craving.
He looked at the mooncakes for a while, then turned his gaze to Lin Qingyu standing beside him. There is a special charm in looking at beauties at night, with long hair like waterfalls, clothes like frost, and the teardrop moles at the corners of their eyes appearing particularly moving under the moonlight. It’s a pity that the beauty’s brows were gloomy, as if she was worried about something.
The only thing on my mind during Mid-Autumn Festival is homesickness. Lu Wancheng said, "There are so many people in the mansion right now, and it's really annoying. Why don't we stay at the Lin Mansion for a few days and come back after they leave?"
Lin Qingyu said: "The guests are at home, and you, as the host, still want to slip away?"
"I have given them enough face today. That's enough."
Lin Qingyu didn't comment, holding the wine glass in his hand, lowered his eyes and asked: "How did you recognize Lu Baishuo?"
Lu Wancheng said nonchalantly, "I guessed. I remember that Sixth Brother and I were good friends. Lu Baishuo was brought here by you alone, so his relationship with me must be complicated, so I guessed that he was the Sixth Brother - and it turned out to be true."
Lin Qingyu nodded, poured himself a glass of honey wine, and stopped asking questions.
"Qingyu, this is the first Mid-Autumn Festival we spend together, and it will also be the last Mid-Autumn Festival." Lu Wancheng looked at the bright moon in the sky, smiling lightly, "Next year's Mid-Autumn Festival, will you... still remember me?"
Lin Qingyu raised his head and looked at the same jade plate as Lu Wancheng, saying, "Although we started out with bad fate, we have been together all the way. I already regard you as a close friend. Money is easy to get, but a soulmate is hard to find. I... will always remember Lu Wancheng."
Always remember... Lu Wancheng.
Lu Wancheng was silent for a long time, and suddenly said: "Last time in Changsheng Temple, you asked me if I had any other names, and I said no."
Lin Qingyu's hands tightened: "Yeah."
"I lied to you. I have another name." Lu Wancheng said in a deep voice, "I hope you can remember this name."
Lin Qingyu's eyes flickered, and he seemed a little nervous. Lu Wancheng wanted to lighten the atmosphere, so he started to talk nonsense in a serious tone: "My last name is Zhu, and my given name is Dazhuang. Besides calling me 'Wancheng', you can also call me 'Brother Dazhuang'."
Lin Qingyu's expression suddenly disappeared and he stood up to leave.
He never changes his bad habits. He must be crazy to get seriously involved with such a person.
Lu Wancheng stopped him with a smile: "Okay, okay, I won't tease you anymore. Actually, my last name is Jiang, and my name is..."
Before he could finish his words, Hua Lu interrupted their conversation with an urgent shout: "Master, someone is coming from the palace!"
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