detached from branch
The fear she felt was soothed by this embrace, the terror in her heart slowly dissipated, and her trembling voice calmed down. Quietly, she smelled the comforting scent of cypress and was deeply immersed in that day.
After being rescued by Wuxia, she did consider who might want to harm her, but after thinking through everyone present, she couldn't find anyone she had a grudge against. The only person she had a conflict with was Gao Yun. But according to Wuxia, after she was rescued, it was Gao Yun who helped her choke and vomit the dirty water. Moreover, it wasn't Gao Yun who pulled her into the water. When she sank into the water, she looked down and saw that the person holding her feet was a man dressed as a servant of the Prince of Runan's mansion.
Jingwan continued to tell Lu Chang what had happened that day. Actually, it was better to tell him, otherwise she would only think about it from time to time and feel a wave of fear.
Hearing her mention that the servant was dressed in the clothes of a servant from the Prince of Runan's mansion, Lu Chang frowned deeply. His stern expression was frightening, even to Jing Wan. How could a scholar possess such a heavy, sinister aura? Noticing her fearful gaze, Lu Chang quickly relaxed and continued listening to Jing Wan. Unexpectedly, she leaped out of his arms like a little fish, grabbing his collar and exclaiming, "I know! It was those people who scooped up water lilies! They were scooping up water lilies near the small boat I was on!"
She remembered the glint of light she had seen as she sank to the bottom of the water—it was the glint of a knife! Unlike the servants on the shore, the servants around her who were scooping up water lilies all carried a small knife at their waists, which was specifically prepared to cut the tangled roots of the water lilies. The person who pulled her down was carrying one!
Lu Chang asked her, "Do you remember what that person looked like?"
Jingwan shook her head dejectedly: "He was wearing a mask, I couldn't see him."
It was very hot, but Lu Chang still couldn't help but hug her tightly. Jing Wan was scared, but he was even more scared than her. He almost lost her.
Judging from this, it should be an attempted murder, trying to stage it as an accidental drowning. However, because she was good at holding her breath and someone came to her rescue in time, if it weren't for divine intervention at any point in the process, she probably would have really been buried at the bottom of the lake.
It seems that once she speaks out, she'll truly be fearless. In Pingdu, she'd kept these words hidden, afraid to say them. The Prince of Runan is a high-ranking official and a member of the royal family. If she were to speak rashly, who would hear it? Wouldn't the people in the Prince's mansion think she was spreading rumors and framing the Prince?
But now, she is thousands of miles away from Pingdu. She said, "Cousin, I think it's really good to leave Pingdu. There are too many strange people there. Even if you are rich, I am not destined to enjoy it."
"Besides—I don't like it there either, and I'm afraid I won't have any reason to go back in the future."
Lu Chang opened his mouth to speak, but swallowed his words several times. Even in front of Jing Wan, he still had the pride of a man.
After learning that she was with the Qin family boy, not a single person had privately compared them, and they couldn't understand what the Qin family boy had to offer him. They thought he was just taking advantage of her vulnerability, taking advantage of the situation when he wasn't by Jingwan's side.
Liking someone is without reason, not because of wealth or poverty, beauty or ugliness, nobility or lowliness; it is simply that in the moment of looking up or down, there is a connection of hearts.
Did the Old Man of the Moon tie the red thread first, or did the lovers eventually become a couple on their own?
He wanted to ask Jingwan if Qin Ziyou was no longer a reason to go back, but he kept his mouth shut, firmly remembering his duty as an elder brother.
Now that he has brought her to Chaozhou, there are many things he needs to explain, and even he himself is uncertain about the future.
"This isn't a good place either; it's remote and wild, and the people and things we encounter in the future might not be easy to get along with. But if we can settle down here, the road ahead will be much smoother."
Jingwan, like a newborn calf unafraid of tigers, didn't care what the future held and just laughed, "Azhiqi said I was a wolf reincarnated from the mountains. When I came here, I saw that there were many mountains, so it seems that I am quite suitable for this place."
Lu Chang felt a warmth in his heart as he listened to her words of comfort.
After dinner, Jingwan went to her small building. She had been itching to sit on the swing on the balcony on the second floor for a long time.
The kitten used up two small yellow fish and fell asleep on the balcony. She sat on the swing and gently rocked. It was still a bit stuffy in the evening, but as the ancients said, a calm mind brings coolness. Now, far away from the hustle and bustle, she just sat quietly on the swing, as if nothing had anything to do with her. She hummed an unknown tune, her bare feet occasionally brushing the ground. No one would know if she hummed a wrong tune.
Lu Chang was wiping a long sword. He didn't speak, but a smile curved his lips as he listened to her humming a Northwest folk song off-key.
I've always loved only the quiet moments of time.
She was tired and finally yawned. She curled up on the soft couch like the cat. It was open and a bit chilly outside. She didn't want to go back and lay down on the couch to sleep. But she didn't expect that a large black and white patterned cat would stop on her tender white feet. Lu Chang didn't dare to swat it away and gently waved his hand to shoo it away.
Fangjuan came over at his signal, and covered her feet with one piece of ice silk and her face with the other, finally avoiding the mosquitoes. However, the heat was too intense, and after sleeping for a short while, a fine layer of sweat appeared on her forehead. He had no choice but to take a palm leaf fan and gently fan himself.
Jingwan slept comfortably and unknowingly moved closer to Lu Chang. Even the cat came over and snuggled up to her, rubbing against her in the cool breeze. When she woke up the next day, she found herself on a small bed in the room. Behind the curtain, Fangjuan was standing by the bed waiting for her, and outside the door, a group of maids stood ready to come in and serve her.
Jingwan wanted to refuse, but even in the Gao family, she had never been served by so many people. She was very reserved and only asked them to bring in the basin of water. Fangjuan, however, looked troubled. She curtsied and said, "Miss, if we are not served well, the steward will punish us."
She was an extremely beautiful girl, with the petite and delicate features of a southern girl, and her eyebrows and eyes were like paintings. She spoke in a gentle and soft voice. Now she looked troubled, and even Jingwan felt that she had gone too far. She scratched her messy hair and compromised, saying, "Then you can come in!"
Upon hearing this, Fangjuan's previous gloomy expression vanished, and she happily agreed. She then went outside and led a group of maids in. Some carried basins of clean water, while others held rose-scented handkerchiefs. Each maid performed their duties. Finally, Fangjuan took the handkerchief and wiped Jingwan clean, finger by finger, before leading her to the dressing table.
She styled Jingwan's hair in a popular southern style. With such soft hair, applying more hair oil would be excessive, so she simply braided her hair into long, thin braids.
Two long braids were left on one side, while the rest were tied together diagonally and adorned with silver tassels. Jingwan couldn't help but shake her head. The tassels swayed, and her charming and lively appearance made her admire herself in the bronze mirror for a while.
When they arrived at the hall, Lu Chang was already waiting. Jing Wan came over, turned around in front of him, and asked, "Cousin, is it pretty?"
She has never hesitated to show her beauty to outsiders; she has always been like this since she was a child, always loving beauty.
Lu Chang naturally praised her, which made everyone eat more breakfast. He had important business to attend to today, and even though he wanted to spend more time with Jingwan, he was reluctant to leave. Before leaving, he only instructed Fangjuan that she could take the guards and take the young lady out for a stroll, so that she wouldn't get too cooped up at home.
Fangjuan agreed and respectfully saw him off. She hadn't spent much time with this master, but the steward in the house was a strict man. He came from the military camp and managed the household using the same methods he used in the military. One was not allowed to speak too much, look too much, or think too much. One had to listen to the master in everything and be absolutely loyal.
Fangjuan had always worked in the household, and the steward was satisfied with her sense of propriety, which is why she was transferred to Yuqin Pavilion. She was indeed very sensible; even when she heard the young master and this young lady addressing each other as cousin, she never speculated about any other relationship between them, and only wholeheartedly took care of the good people.
After Lu Chang left, Jingwan went to the small building, where there was a spacious room with newly made jade carving machines, jade materials of various sizes and of excellent quality, carving tools, and ancient books on jade carving.
There was also a small couch in the room. Fangjuan said that the young master had instructed that if the young lady got tired of carving jade, she could rest here for a while.
It's not that she wasn't moved.
Of all the people in the world, only Lu Chang would care about her like this.
She stayed in the small room for two hours before coming out. Even though she was young, staring at the jade for so long made her feel a little uncomfortable. Fangjuan used hot water to soothe her eyes and then urged her to go for a walk. Before she could say much more, Jingwan was persuaded, changed her clothes, and left the mansion. This trip truly broadened her horizons.
May is the season when Chaozhou has many delicious fruits, among which lychee is the best.
Jingwan was seeing this fresh fruit for the first time. Qin Ziyou had previously ordered Zuixianlou to send her a few bowls of sweet soup, which contained a lychee honey. However, it had been preserved in a jar and was very sweet, so she couldn't taste any flavor. Today, she was finally seeing a fresh one.
This fruit is not easy to preserve and can be eaten immediately after being removed from the branch. The lychees in the market also have branches and leaves attached, and people buy some to eat at home.
She squatted beside the lychee farmer's full basket of lychees, staring intently at the rough, unripe fruit. Hearing the farmer praise the basket of good fruit and seeing the servants and servants following behind her, dressed in rich and luxurious clothes, she knew he was an important guest. She quickly picked the freshest one for him to try.
Jingwan took it and awkwardly peeled it open. Fangjuan took it, squeezed the fruit in the middle, and the shell cracked open, the juice flowed out, revealing the crystal clear, almost transparent flesh inside.
Fangjuan then handed it over, leaving the juice on Jingwan's hand. She peeled the skin and put the whole fruit in her mouth. Instantly, the unique fragrance and sweetness of the lychee filled her mouth and spread along her face. The juice was so delicious that she almost swallowed her tongue.
She couldn't resist licking the sweet taste off her finger, looking incredibly tempted. Fangjuan naturally watched as the fruit farmer picked out a small basketful.
As she walked through the market, she ate lychees one by one, with Fangjuan following closely behind to help her carry them. By the time they finished shopping and returned home, they had eaten most of the lychees in the small basket.
Lu Chang was extremely busy today and had just returned home when he saw his cousin running towards him like a little butterfly, which instantly swept away his fatigue.
Jingwan stopped and mysteriously told Lu Chang to close his eyes.
He always enjoyed playing these childish games with her, and he closed his eyes as well.
"Open your mouth."
He opened his mouth and felt something soft enter it. He gently bit down, and juice gushed out.
Lu Chang opened his eyes, slowly chewing the fruit, and saw her smiling expectantly, "How is it? Delicious, isn't it?"
She was waiting for him to experience the same joy.
So he said, "One more."
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