Chapter 169 If the Fate Lasts Long (5)
"The martial arts exam is still two years away. I've learned what I need to learn. Big brother, I'll follow you into the army to hone my skills for two years."
"Okay, I'll arrange for you to go in in two days, but you have to start as the lowest-level soldiers."
"I know."
…
The next day, Shi Jianli and Qiao Ruowei went to Taiyuan Lake together. After chatting with the owner of the shop for half an hour, Qiao Ruowei went to the government office to get the paperwork, and then took Shi Jianli to look for other shops.
Half a month later, on a day off, the family of three strolled around Taiyuan Lake and prepared to go back as the sun was setting.
The afternoon light of late spring enveloped the entire Taiyuan Lake, shrouded in a layer of slightly tipsy haziness.
She turned the fan handle twice between her fingertips. As she walked around the pier, Jianli saw some plump fish playing among the lotus leaves. She squatted down and poked the leaves with the fan.
The fish ran away in shock. Shi Jianli turned around and waved to Shi Jienan's attendant who was following not far away, "Uncle Yue!"
Yue Lan stepped forward and asked with a smile, "What do you want, young lady?"
"The fish here look really good. Why don't you go ask where you can catch a couple?"
"good."
After walking for a while, Qiao Ruowei looked back and didn't see her daughter. She turned around and saw a girl in lotus clothes who had almost blended into the new lotus. If you didn't look carefully, you couldn't tell where she was.
Qiao Ruowei said helplessly: "This greedy cat, probably has set his eyes on the fish in the lake again."
No one in the family likes to eat fish. I don’t know who she inherited the taste from, but she loves this.
Not seeing Yue Lan, Shi Jianan knew his daughter had called him to do something else. He smiled and said, "In addition to koi fish, we should also plant some of the food that Li'er likes in the lotus pond in the mansion. She thinks koi fish are not fresh enough and not tasty enough."
Thinking of her daughter's aggrieved look when she told them that koi were good-looking but not tasty, Qiao Ruowei couldn't help laughing. "It will take some time to catch this fish. Let's go for a walk and let her play on her own for a while."
"good."
He handed the fan to Lanxing. Shi Jianli squatted by the pier, broke off a lotus leaf, and waited for the fish to come over. Then he poked the fish's heads one by one with the lotus stem.
Xianyue warned her, "Miss, be careful not to fall in. Even though it's late spring, the water in the lake is still very cold."
Shi Jianli put the lotus leaf back into the water, "It won't fall."
"Meet Prince Ming."
When Shi Jianli heard the sounds of Lanxing and Xianyue saluting, he turned his head.
Seeing Ming Zhaohuan, she asked in surprise, "Why is Prince Ming here?"
He stood against the light in the direction of the setting sun, his body covered with a layer of lingering afterglow, and his face was bright and beautiful, but Shi Jianli could not see his expression clearly.
"I met up with some good friends today. When I came out to leave, I saw Miss Shi and your father and mother, so I came over to say hello." Mingzhao glanced at the ripples expanding on the water, then turned to look at her.
I saw her here from a distance.
Shi Jianli stood up and pointed at her parents across the lake, "Oh, then Prince Ming will have to wait a while."
"Yeah." Mingzhao lowered his eyes slightly to look at her, paused, and then said, "You can follow Third Brother and call me cousin."
She tilted her head slightly, looked at him for a moment, and blinked, "Cousin?"
"Hmm." Mingzhao raised the corners of his lips slightly, and after a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Are you free lately?"
Shi Jianli was puzzled: "Huh?"
Including this time, they have only met three times. They are not familiar enough to ask about each other's recent situation, right?
Mingzhao also explained: "Yesterday I heard my sister casually muttering about whether it would disturb you if she came to play with you. When I saw her today, I remembered it and asked her for her."
"I'm not busy from today on. I'll go play with her tomorrow."
"She likes you very much. She will be very happy to know this."
Shi Jianli looked at him again. "I've been in Beijing recently and have heard a lot of gossip. I heard that my eldest cousin is well-mannered and friendly to his younger siblings. He has a very good reputation in Beijing. Today, it seems that his reputation is well-deserved."
Mingzhao remained calm and responded without any guilt, "Thank you."
In fact, he hadn't thought about being friendly to his sister at all at that time. He mentioned his sister only out of his own selfish motives.
Yue Lan happened to come back, followed by a servant carrying a few fish. He bowed to Shi Jianli and said, "Miss, the fish are back."
Then he looked at Ming Zhaohuan and said, "Greetings, Prince Ming."
Yue Lan followed Shi Jianan to court. Shi Jianan talked with the Ming Weishen brothers. Occasionally Ming Zhaohuan was there too, and he also knew Ming Zhaohuan.
Mingzhao also nodded.
Seeing that the fish was even bigger than the one she had seen in the water, Shi Jianli's mood brightened up. "Let's go back after Mom and Dad come over."
"How would you like to eat, young lady? I'll send it back first, and it will be almost ready for you when you get home."
"It's all fine. Let the kitchen decide. I'm not picky." Anyway, whatever the chef at home cooks tastes good.
Yue Lan nodded in agreement and left with the servant carrying the bucket.
Seeing the joy on her face, Mingzhao asked, "Cousin Shi, do you like eating fish?"
"Yes." Shi Jianli glanced at him.
He changed his tune quickly.
"No wonder your father asked my second uncle a few days ago which farm is suitable for raising fish." Mingzhao observed her expression calmly. "The farm of the Duke of Anguo has always raised black carp and crucian carp, which are quite delicious. If you like it, cousin Shi, I'll have some sent to your house."
Shi Jianli thought about it and nodded, "Okay, thank you, cousin."
"You're welcome." Mingzhao raised the corners of his lips a little more.
After looking at each other for a while, Shi Jianli turned her head away. Seeing that Shi Jianan and Qiao Ruowei were still some distance away, she turned around and faced the lake.
The gentle evening light fell on her face, adding a layer of warmth. A blue butterfly, dragging the evening rhythm with it, flew over and landed on the back of her hand that was resting on the railing.
Shi Jianli took a look and lifted her fingertips. The butterfly was startled and flew away, but she curled her eyes in joy.
Mingzhao's gaze lingered on her, but before she noticed, he looked away and brought up the topic, "Has it been half a month since you arrived in Beijing? Are you having any trouble adapting?"
"There's nothing to adapt to. Although I haven't been in Beijing for a long time since I was a child, Beijing is where my mother grew up. I felt a sense of familiarity when I first arrived. It was like revisiting an old place but feeling very novel." Shi Jianli turned her head to look at him, her eyes fell on his eyebrows, then quickly left and met his gaze.
One has to admit that this Ming prince is too handsome.
"The peach forest in the eastern suburbs and Tongguang Temple in the western suburbs are both beautiful in spring. I wonder if you've ever been there. If not, you should go. I remember that some of my sisters love to go there."
"Spring is almost over. Since my eldest cousin said so, it would be a shame not to go for a stroll. I will invite my second sister to go with me tomorrow. Could you please tell her when you get back that I'll meet her at the peach forest in the eastern suburbs at noon tomorrow?"
"Okay, I'll help you pass on the message."
While they were chatting, Shi Jianan and Qiao Ruowei also came back. Shi Jianli turned around and called out to them.
Mingzhao even bowed to them, "Uncle Shi, Auntie."
"I just walked over and I thought you looked like me from a distance. Why is the photo still here?" Shi Jianan raised his hand and gave him a slight support.
"I was meeting up with friends, and when I saw my uncle on the way out, I thought it wouldn't be rude to come over and say hello."
Shi Jianli looked at Shi Jianan, then glanced at Ming Zhaohuan, who was smiling like a spring breeze, and asked, "Dad and cousin seem very familiar with each other."
It seemed that her father admired him quite a bit.
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