angry
That day, after returning from Linxi, Lu Chang stopped at the city gate and helped Jingwan dismount. As a result, the hand that had been holding Changxiu's sleeve was now in Lu Chang's hand.
Jingwan continued walking behind Lu Chang, her palms warm, and she couldn't help but keep looking at the person who had led her away.
In Luxi City, after crossing Ruyi Bridge, passing through Zhuque Street, and then to the small gate inside the Gao family mansion, Lu Chang let go of his hand and smiled, "Go in."
Jingwan nodded, but as soon as she turned around, she couldn't help but look back at him again.
She was also in Lu Chang's eyes.
Embarrassed, she turned and ran away.
That night, instead of getting a proper rest as Lu Chang had hoped, he tossed and turned, unable to sleep, only placing the hand that Lu Chang had held against his cheek until the rooster crowed before finally closing his eyes.
After waking up, she was playing with the stray cats in the courtyard when she overheard two maids talking about a happy occasion in the mansion. Upon asking, she learned that the old lady's sixtieth birthday was just a month away.
Even if the Gao family is in decline, the old lady's sixtieth birthday celebration cannot be too frugal. Besides, the grandchildren in the family have all grown up, and this birthday banquet can also help them make a good impression and allow the two ladies of the mansion to find suitable husbands for these children.
Therefore, people frequently came and went from the mansion to purchase food and decorations for the birthday banquet.
On the old lady's birthday, everyone in the family wanted to present a gift. Gao Yun called Jing Wan over and asked her what she wanted to give to her grandmother.
Jingwan had already thought it through. Since the word for "longevity" is a homophone for "beast," she had recently acquired a piece of jade and wanted to carve a white crane jade piece. Although the jade was not large, its quality was excellent, and it was a token of her affection.
Gao Yun asked in confusion, "Where do you get so much jade? How come you can never finish carving it all?"
Jingwan blushed. When Gao Yun asked her that, she suddenly realized that she was really trying to take advantage of her cousin's kindness. After all, these jade pieces were bought by her cousin. She had been eating her cousin's food without feeling guilty these days and had been accepting his gifts without hesitation. Knowing that she was bored at home, her cousin would bring jade pieces with him every time he saw her. After accumulating them for a long time, she had quite a few pieces.
She lied, saying that she brought it from the Northwest, and that she had made a living by collecting jade since she was a child, and had saved up some.
This dispelled Gao Yun's doubts. She said he was a manual laborer, otherwise where would he get the money to buy jade?
Then she asked Shijun what birthday gift she wanted to give to her grandmother.
Remembering her mother's instructions not to compare herself to Gao Yun, but to show her sincerity, Shi Jun glanced at Jing Wan and said, "I plan to give Grandmother a jade ruyi, which is a good symbol."
Upon hearing this, the arrogant Gao Yun sneered, her smugness undisguised, clearly looking down on the birthday gifts from her two sisters.
Shi Jun was furious, but she could only suppress her anger and avoid looking at her.
After finding out that the gifts the two wanted to give were really not presentable, Gao Yun changed the subject, saying that her mother had asked her aunt yesterday to take advantage of her grandmother's birthday banquet to build relationships with other ladies and find suitable husbands for them.
She glanced at Jingwan and said, "My mother said that she has no say in your affairs. If you want to get married in the future, go to your father and he will find someone for you."
Jingwan was only fifteen. When she heard the topic of marriage, she lowered her head shyly. She had no desire to get married; she was still young. Even if she were to marry in the future, she would marry someone she loved…
Upon hearing this, Shi Jun became somewhat anxious: "What did my mother say?"
"What can I say? You're sixteen already. If you delay any longer, how will you find a suitable one? You know, all the good ones have already been chosen by someone else!"
This tone of voice was clearly learned from the Wang family.
Shi Jun was about to get up, but then, as if thinking of something, she sat back down with a furrowed brow. She placed one hand on the small table and the other on her lap, remaining completely still as she pondered deeply.
When it came to marriage, Gao Yun was very open and honest. Seeing Shi Jun like this, she just assumed that Shi Jun was embarrassed. She didn't care and used a silver fork to pick up pieces of fruit and eat them with a carefree attitude.
“I also heard from my mother that it’s time for my cousin to find a wife. I heard that several ladies have asked my aunt to arrange a marriage between them and my cousin, so my aunt wants to take this opportunity to settle things for him.”
When she mentioned Lu Chang, Jingwan looked up abruptly, somewhat incredulous. But upon reflection, it was indeed true; her cousin was nineteen, while other young men of that age would have already been engaged.
She had never imagined that Lu Chang would get married. Even Shi Jun raised her head and retorted, "The imperial examinations are just around the corner. My cousin won't let these things bother him. How could he agree to an engagement?"
Seeing her reaction, Gao Yun sneered inwardly. She knew exactly what this older sister was thinking. She had probably been coveting her cousin for a long time, which was why she reacted so strongly to the news that he was getting engaged.
She casually tossed the silver fork into the plate and carefully wiped her hands with a handkerchief: "I don't know about that, but you should worry about yourself. I heard from my mother that your aunt really likes that grandson of Prime Minister Qin and wants to marry you off to him!"
After saying that, he tossed the handkerchief aside and walked away leisurely.
Shi Jun immediately got up and hurried outside, probably to find her mother and ask her some questions, leaving Jing Wan alone, staring blankly at the pond by the pavilion, feeling depressed.
A month later, the old lady's birthday banquet brought a lively atmosphere to the once quiet Duke's mansion.
Before dawn, Jingwan got up early and went to the main hall with Gao Yun's family.
The old lady was in exceptional spirits today, beaming with joy as she watched the younger generation kneel down to offer their congratulations.
Everyone presented their gifts, and just as they had said that day, Gao Shijun presented a jade ruyi. The old lady gladly accepted it and patted Shijun's hand to show her affection.
After all, she was her own granddaughter, and among the younger generation, she doted on Shi Jun the most.
Bo Jun presented a landscape painting of a tortoise and a crane, and glanced at his cousin Lu Chang beside him with a smile, saying that the painting was done by the two of them, and asked his grandmother not to dislike it.
The old lady personally received them, admired their work carefully, and praised their superb painting skills. She then instructed her head maid to hang the paintings in her room.
Bo Jun couldn't help but pat Lu Chang on the shoulder, quite proud. Rather than saying that the painting made the old lady happy, it was the scene of brotherly affection and respect that made her feel very gratified.
Gao Yun couldn't help but turn her head and snort coldly. She had known since she was a child that her grandmother was biased and loved her two biological grandchildren the most. But she just couldn't accept it. Just because her father wasn't born to her grandmother, did she have to treat her so coldly?
She wanted to tell her grandmother on this occasion that she, Gao Yun, respected her the most among all the people in the household.
After the members of the main branch of the family had finished presenting their birthday gifts, Gao Yun gave a wink to her maid, who wisely left. When the maid returned, she was accompanied by two servants carrying in a large object.
The large object was covered with a red cloth. Gao Yun arrogantly lifted the red cloth, revealing a white jade and sandalwood screen in front of everyone.
The sound of gasps filled the hall, making the owner of the gift even more pleased.
A statue of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva is carved on Hetian white jade. The Bodhisattva has a solemn and dignified appearance and sits on a lotus pedestal, conveying a sense of spiritual enlightenment.
Such a large piece of white jade is extremely rare. Even Jingwan, who grew up collecting jade in the Northwest, was stunned and admired the jade's creamy texture without blinking.
Such fine jade is meant to be sent to the imperial court; it's hard to find in the common people. I wonder how Gao Yun obtained it.
She thought about it casually, then suddenly felt a jolt, quickly looked away, and secretly glanced at everyone.
The old lady still wore a proper smile, after all, she was used to big occasions, but the smile was a bit distant, lacking the intimacy from before.
The Duchess ignored the jade and the second wife opposite her, turning her head to the side. However, Shi Jun, who was younger than her mother, was not as good at keeping secrets and stood behind her mother with a pout, biting her lip.
Bo Jun was already familiar with the other person's style, so he wasn't surprised and maintained his gentle smile.
Looking to her left, Jingwan was startled when she saw her cousin's amused expression. She lowered her head and dared not look again.
This person is really something... Why look at her when there's such good jade to look at?
Gao Yun's face was grim, but he suppressed his temper and whispered in Wang's ear, "You've really been a bit too flamboyant this time."
Where could Gao Yun have given such a fine gift? It must have been the work of his "virtuous wife".
Wang Shi, however, loved to be flamboyant. If she were asked to keep a low profile, she would feel uncomfortable. Now that she had shown off and made a good impression, she immediately comforted her husband, saying that it was a gift from her godfather and that she could not refuse such a heartfelt gesture.
This godfather was none other than Eunuch Yang Fujin.
Knowing that it belonged to a eunuch, Gao Yun could not say anything more, no matter how angry he was.
The old lady naturally had to praise the second branch of the family, giving them face, and also had the servants carry them to her own room.
With such a white jade screen as a backdrop, the little white crane that Jingwan presented seemed rather ordinary and unremarkable.
However, she was a nobody in the Gao family, and with Wang Shi causing trouble before, everyone in the mansion was preoccupied with their own thoughts and didn't care what she gave them.
Bo Jun, however, was exceptionally kind. After presenting the gift, he went to Jing Wan's side and praised her for her improved carving skills.
“In the past, it was only similar in appearance, but just now when I looked closely at the white crane’s eyes, I felt that the crane had the appearance of a long cry, and it even had the appearance of a spirit.”
Jingwan exclaimed with delight, "Is it true? Don't lie to me!"
Bo Jun nodded seriously: "Why would I lie to you to please you? Of course it's true."
Thinking that she must have put in a lot of effort in private, otherwise she wouldn't have improved so much, Bo Jun said, "I went to the West Market a few days ago and happened to see a stall selling some scraps of jade. If you like them, I'll bring them to you next time."
Jade carving requires daily practice, and the more jade material, the better, regardless of its quality. Her cousin bought her only the finest jade, but she always felt her skills were rusty and dared not easily make a cut. She thought it would be better to have Bo Jun bring her some cheaper jade.
"Then I'll trouble you to buy some for me, but if the price is too high, then it's not necessary, as I'm really short on cash."
Upon hearing this, Bo Jun laughed heartily: "Don't worry, it's all free. I have a friend who loves to buy fake antiques there and has suffered a lot of losses. The owner made a lot of money and then offered to give him the jade materials, but he refused because he has no interest in jade. I'll tell him to get them from the owner next time."
Jingwan was naturally delighted: "Then thank you very much, cousin."
As the two were chatting happily, a voice rang out: "What are you saying? Let me join in the fun."
Lu Chang came over, stood between the two, looked at that one, and then looked at this one.
Even though he knew that the two of them only had the feelings of cousins, Lu Chang still felt uncomfortable watching them talk, especially when Jing Wan called him "cousin," which made him a little jealous.
I originally thought she called her cousin "cousin" in a nice way, but I didn't expect her to call him "cousin" "brother" in such a nice way too.
Bo Jun, unaware of his cousin's thoughts, frankly repeated what he had just said.
"Oh, so you're here to deliver jade!" He smiled, but a chill emanated from him. He left with just that ambiguous remark.
The two cousins were left staring at each other, wondering why the cousin had suddenly become angry.
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