Chapter 321 Junior Sister Returns (Happy National Day, please vote at the beginning of the month!)
Li Guo'er was somewhat relieved that she had sent Cai Shou and the others away just before entering the courtyard.
Otherwise, if they saw the blue and pink undergarment and panties in her hands, she would feel like dying.
I'm so ashamed I can't face anyone.
Li Guo'er considered herself not to be the kind of shy, timid girl.
Her extreme personality can be roughly seen from her feigned surrender at Donglin Temple and her fierce betrayal of Wei Shaoxuan.
Li Guo'er, weary of the spring boudoir, craves excitement and thrills beyond the mundane routine of daily life.
Even so, for her, the set of intimate apparel that Ouyang Lianghan delivered to her door by climbing over the wall was still too daring and provocative.
Especially at this time tonight.
Li Guo'er buried her face in her chest, her soft hands clutching a blue and pink bodice and underpants, her fingers digging into the fabric until they bled and turned pale.
It was as if she was trying to process for a moment someone's unconventional gift.
The flush on her cheeks faded a little, and she looked around somewhat flusteredly.
The courtyard was completely silent.
Li Guo'er couldn't help but glance at the courtyard gate.
No one is coming in right now.
She quietly breathed a sigh of relief, like a drowning person finally catching a breath of fresh air.
However, when Li Guo'er turned around, she stared wide-eyed at the shameful gift in her hand and the three new umbrellas neatly arranged at the door.
A look of worry appeared in her bright eyes.
"What should we do with this? We can't just leave it at the door. If my mother and Caishou see what's inside this bundle, they might as well just kill me with their swords."
The little princess with plum blossom makeup suddenly gritted her teeth and cursed angrily:
"And you, Ouyang Lianghan, you so-called gentleman, if word gets out that you sent a woman a bodice, you won't get away with it either."
"Are you doing this on purpose? Seeing that I'm pretending to be stupid by not putting away the love umbrella, you're going to increase your efforts?"
Her tone was somewhat embarrassed and annoyed:
"At least I didn't lose them! Why are you in such a hurry? Sister Xie is coming back tonight, are you not even willing to wait a moment longer? This is a coup, what do you take me for? Ouyang Lianghan, you are truly despicable..."
Li Guo'er paused in her self-talk, seemingly lost in thought for a moment, a troubled look appearing on her little face:
"If I, the princess, accept it and he finds out, wouldn't that mean I'm tacitly agreeing to it, leaving no room for maneuver? What if he becomes even more reckless and continues to cooperate with him?"
The young woman shook her head:
"No, no... But if I don't accept it, he'll send something even more outrageous. But if he's already given me something so private, what could be more shameful and outrageous?"
"Could it be...could it be something from the picture book that that silly girl Caishou secretly looked at!"
The more Li Guo'er analyzed, the more worried and ashamed she became.
For some reason, her heart started pounding faster inside the collar of her snow-white ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress).
After someone repeatedly and boldly crossed the line in my heart.
There was a vague, inexplicable thrill, and of course, anger and embarrassment were also present, making up the majority of the feeling.
For a moment, Li Guo'er frowned slightly in the face of the gifts sent by Ouyang Rong.
There was some hesitation and worry.
"What a pleasant surprise it is..."
Just then, the familiar footsteps of a man and a woman came from outside the courtyard, and the ethereal voice of Sister Xie could be faintly heard, as if she were calling out to someone.
Li Guo'er was startled like a frightened bird, and almost dropped the private clothes in her hand.
Did Xie's older sister come back ahead of schedule?
She turned around abruptly, not having time to think much or care about anything else, and hurriedly stuffed the small blue and pink garment into her bundle, holding it in her arms.
Immediately, he grabbed the three new umbrellas beside the door, ran inside, and went back into the house to hide.
Li Guo'er was a little flustered.
...
After the meeting in the study at Juxian Garden ended, Ouyang Rong did not leave immediately.
He glanced at the night sky outside, then sat down and drank tea with his eldest son.
I want to wait a little longer.
He had just finished a meeting in his study and was planning to have a few words with Li Guo'er about the Juhua Poetry Society.
However, Ouyang Rong noticed that as soon as he turned to walk towards the back of a princess with plum blossom makeup, it was as if she had eyes in the back of her head; she walked even faster and left without looking back.
It seems that Li Guo'er doesn't want to talk to him.
Ouyang Rong frowned slightly.
With a personality like that, I don't know how she'll ever get married. What man could possibly handle and tame her?
He put down his teacup and shook his head.
"My dear, Xie Xian's niece is back."
Wei Mei arrived with her maids, beaming with joy as she announced the good news.
"real?"
Ouyang Rong suddenly stood up.
However, he noticed that Li Dalang and Wei Mei were looking at him with some surprise and strangeness, and he seemed quite excited.
The main reason is that Ouyang Rong always seemed too nonchalant in front of Li Xian's family.
Ouyang Rong coughed, put down his teacup, lowered his eyes to straighten his collar and cuffs, and calmly asked:
Where is it?
"My dear niece said she'd go wash her hands and face first before coming to see us at the flower hall."
Ouyang Rong remembered that his junior sister had never cared about such small details before meeting.
He said calmly, "Let's go."
"good."
Ouyang Rong and his group rushed to the flower hall.
But halfway there, they encountered a beautiful figure in fiery red.
It was Xie Lingjiang, whom we hadn't seen in a long time.
Along the long corridor where a wind chime hangs every ten steps, in the cold wind...
Ouyang Rong and this woman in red dress met face to face.
He stared at her intently.
She was looking at him too.
The two of them slowed their pace.
This caused Wei Mei and Li Dalang to bypass Ouyang Rong and warmly greet him first.
However, Ouyang Rong, who was a beat slower, didn't hear what Wei Mei and Li Dalang were saying.
Xie Lingjiang seemed to agree, nodding with a somewhat mechanical smile.
Their eyes never left each other.
Li Dalang stopped exchanging pleasantries, quietly reached out his hand, and pulled his mother away.
The corridor has returned to tranquility.
The two looked at each other in silence.
However, this atmosphere did not last long.
Ring ring~
Xie Lingjiang turned her head, glanced at the lonely wind chime hanging on the eaves, and pursed her red lips:
"Why is Senior Brother here tonight? Isn't the next meeting scheduled for the day after tomorrow?"
Ouyang Rong did not answer, but asked instead:
"Why did you come back in such a hurry? The letter was sent by carrier pigeon from Yangzhou and arrived in the evening, but you arrived in the middle of the night. Isn't that the same as sending it for nothing?"
Xie Lingjiang corrected: "It's the boat that's in a hurry, not me."
Ouyang Rong nodded: "Then why not take a slower boat?"
"Well, Senior Brother should ask the boatman. It's not like I'm the one driving the boat," she said, pouting.
Ouyang Rong didn't speak, but strode closer.
He squinted at the beautiful face in front of him, its cheeks still glistening with water droplets that hadn't been wiped dry.
Ouyang Rong raised his hand and wiped her cheek with his thumb, tilting his head slightly:
What did you call me?
Xie Lingjiang instinctively shrank back shyly, her big eyes rolling upwards as she stared blankly at Ouyang Rong, who was cupping her cheek with one hand.
The polite and warm atmosphere created by their long separation vanished instantly. The Xie family noblewoman, who had been haughty and stiff just moments before, stammered as she called out:
“Tan... Tan Lang”
Ouyang Rong felt the beauty's cheeks quickly become hot in his palm.
He put on a stern face and spoke in an adult tone:
"If you call it wrong again next time, I'll punish you with a flick of the wrist."
Xie Lingjiang's lips pursed rapidly, a silent protest against someone's domineering attitude:
"I'm a grown man, why are you still hitting me with a chestnut? Don't treat me like a little girl, my love."
Ouyang Rong nodded: "He's only eighteen, how is he old?" He glanced down.
"Everywhere is big."
Xie Lingjiang didn't think much of it, puffed out her cheeks slightly, and argued:
"When I went home this time, I saw the Wang family girl next door in Wuyi Lane, who is a year younger than me. She used to follow me around, but now she's showing signs of pregnancy. She got married in the first year of Tianyou."
Ouyang Rong stroked his chin with one hand and nodded: "I understand, Wanwan also wants to show her pregnancy."
"..."
Xie Lingjiang, unable to contain herself any longer, kicked his boot with a pair of embroidered shoes below.
Ouyang Rong winced in pain, took a breath, nodded, and re-analyzed the situation, saying, "In that case, Wanwan is indeed considered an old maid."
“What do you mean, ‘old maid’?” Xie Lingjiang couldn’t help but glare. “It’s not that no one wants me.”
Ouyang Rong asked in disbelief, "Is there anyone else who would dare to take you?"
"Tanlang...you..."
She turned her pretty face away, not wanting to talk to that person anymore.
Ouyang Rong suddenly took Xie Lingjiang's right hand and strode forward: "That's right, this person is me."
He nodded calmly.
Xie Lingjiang tried her best to keep her pretty face tense. "Hmph."
Ouyang Rong smiled and suggested, "Are you hungry? Come on, let's go to your yard and see if you have any noodles. Let's go eat down there."
Xie Lingjiang looked away, feigning impatience in her tone:
"You eat noodles every night at midnight, but you don't seem to gain weight."
She paused, looked him over a couple more times, bit her lip, and lowered her voice:
"It's almost New Year's Day, why has my beloved lost weight?"
The noblewoman Xie, who was being led away by Ouyang Rong, spoke in a gentle tone that carried a hint of reproach.
Without turning his head, someone casually remarked:
"Why has Wanwan gotten so fat? Is the food in Wuyi Lane in Jinling that good? I just pinched her cheeks, and they're so chubby, like a baby's."
This interruption instantly dispelled the previous atmosphere.
Xie Lingjiang was both amused and annoyed, and nodded slightly: "Alright, alright, then you don't want it."
Ouyang Rong shook his head seriously: "That won't do. I want Wanwan even more. It's good to be a little chubby. I like chubby girls."
"Ha, you're just saying one thing and meaning another."
He corrected, "It means you're straightforward and outspoken."
"Hmph, truly worthy of being a renowned gentleman."
She glanced at him sideways, then pouted and hummed twice.
Ouyang Rong pretended not to hear.
After a short while, seeing that no one was around the corridor, Xie Lingjiang, like a naive little girl, grabbed her senior brother's right arm with both of her slender hands and swung it back and forth like a swing:
"Wait, Tanlang, I forgot to ask just now, you almost succeeded."
"What do you mean, 'succeeded'?" He blinked.
Xie Lingjiang narrowed her eyes: "You should tell me first what you want to do in my courtyard. Don't do anything reckless. Sister Guo'er is right next door."
It seemed like a reminder, but also like a concern.
"Just pretend she doesn't exist." Ouyang Rong: "Besides, can't I really just eat noodles?"
"You're really that honest?" A hint of suspicion appeared on her pretty face.
"Otherwise what?"
"Hmph, do as you please, but there are many people in the manor, so I don't want to become a scapegoat."
Ouyang Rong chuckled. He, Ouyang, was quick-witted and never stood out.
After an incense stick had burned, the two approached the two boudoirs by the lake.
Xie Lingjiang asked, "Does Tanlang know the way? How come he knows it so well?"
Ouyang Rong blinked: "Actually, there's a little surprise."
She asked expectantly, "What little surprise?"
"You'll see when you go into the courtyard."
"Ha, playing tricks."
After walking for a while, as they approached the boudoir, Xie Lingjiang couldn't help but turn her head:
"You go first... what exactly is this little surprise?"
Just as Ouyang Rong was about to open his mouth, his face froze, and he couldn't help but look at the two courtyards in front of him, one bright and one dark.
Suddenly, I realized that the order of the light and dark was a bit off.
At this moment, he held Xie Lingjiang's hand, his steps still unconsciously leading him toward the once dark but now brightly lit courtyard on the right.
"Senior Brother, why are you going that way? This is Sister Guo'er's courtyard. Shh, let's not disturb her. If she sees us, she'll start nagging us during the day."
"Ah." Ouyang Rong stared blankly around, then opened his mouth and repeated, "Ah?"
Seeing his blank and silly appearance, Xie Lingjiang smiled and ignored it, stepping past Ouyang Rong's hesitant steps and pulling him into the quiet, unlit courtyard on the left.
Push the door open and enter.
Xie Lingjiang immediately looked around, her face full of curiosity: "Where is Tanlang's little surprise?"
"..."
Ouyang Rong silently turned his head and looked at the southeast corner of the courtyard. There were no chrysanthemums there, but a cluster of orchids.
He couldn't help but swallow hard.
"This...this is Wanwan's courtyard?"
"Yes, didn't someone come earlier?"
“I…” Ouyang Rong forced a smile: “I have been here before, it looks familiar.”
"What happened to Tanlang's face...?"
"It's nothing, it's just that the winter wind is a bit cold."
"oh."
Ouyang Rong suddenly said with a serious expression, "Oh, I almost forgot, there's an urgent matter with Dalang, I need to go over there."
"What happened again?" Xie Lingjiang said dejectedly.
Ouyang Rong quickly and gently reassured her, "I'll be right back, Wanwan, wait for me obediently."
"Alright then, I'll take a shower and change first, then I'll come find you later, my love. When I see you, I... I won't be able to sleep tonight, you have to keep me company and chat with me."
"Okay, okay," he readily agreed.
Not long ago, Ouyang Rong was hoping to sneak into Xie Lingjiang's boudoir, but now he couldn't stay there for even a moment longer. Even though his junior sister wanted to take a bath, he didn't dare to linger or cause any trouble.
Xie Lingjiang glanced at his departing figure with some curiosity.
In the shadows in front of the boudoir, someone paused and lingered until they heard Xie Lingjiang enter the building, then let out a long sigh.
Ouyang Rong immediately turned his head and tiptoed into Li Guo'er's boudoir on the right.
He muttered to himself:
"It's over, it's over, I hope the things are still there."
"I wonder if Li Guo'er has noticed that I'm coming in and out every day. But given her personality and how much she hates me, she must be laughing at me to death."
Ouyang Rong blushed. He was already furious about dying, but this was in front of Li Guo'er, whom he had never gotten along with.
"But she shouldn't have lost it, right? Besides, when I delivered the package just now, those three umbrellas were still there, which proves that she hasn't paid any attention to them these past few days..."
Ouyang Rong wiped away a cold sweat, but when he climbed over the wall and entered, he immediately saw that the entrance to the boudoir was empty.
The bundle and the three new umbrellas were gone.
"Oh no, it was just here a moment ago, when was it taken in?"
Ouyang Rong paced anxiously in circles outside the boudoir:
"Was it put away by the maid, or... was it taken by Li Guo'er? But why would she take it? Does she dislike me and want to take advantage of me?"
He immediately looked distressed: "I've got a bad reputation now, I'm really going to be the butt of this."
Not knowing whether Li Guo'er was asleep or not, Ouyang Rong hesitated, wondering whether to knock on the door and ask.
Squeak—!
The main gate of the boudoir in front of the door suddenly opened.
"How dare you come here!"
Hearing the noise, Li Guo'er opened the door and looked at him with surprise, her tone somewhat complicated:
"Sister Xie lives next door, what are you doing sneaking over here?"
Ouyang Rong was taken aback, then quickly clasped his hands in a fist and bow, his face sincere: "I'm very sorry to bother you so late at night, please listen to me..."
Her eyebrows furrowed, and she pointed towards the door:
"I don't want to hear this. Get out, Ouyang Lianghan. I don't want to talk to you at all right now. How dare you come here? Our friendship in Longcheng is over... Get out of here."
Ouyang Rong shamelessly reached out his hand: "That's fine, but you have to give me back my things first."
Li Guo'er laughed in exasperation: "So you know fear now? Do you really think this princess cares about them?"
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Rong breathed a sigh of relief. As expected, she hadn't lost anything. Let her laugh at her if she wanted to.
He looked relieved: "Alright, alright, of course I know you don't care. Don't hide it, quickly take it back and give it to me..."
For some reason, Li Guo'er, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, bristled and interrupted him, her clear voice growing louder:
"Ouyang Lianghan, what do you think I, the princess, am going to do with these things? Do you think I really want them? I'm just afraid others will misunderstand. Of course, I don't care about them. I'd rather throw them away."
"Don't lose it!" Ouyang Rong's face immediately tensed up.
She sneered, "Hmph, so you know how shameful you are?"
"No, can you please keep your voice down?" He waved his hand helplessly.
"You're scared now? Get out of here, you princess."
Li Guo'er pretended to slam the door.
Ouyang Rong swiftly stretched out his foot, wedging it in the door crack:
"Hey, no, let's go inside and talk. It's too dangerous outside, and Wanwan might overhear us. Come in with me..."
Seeing him spouting sweet nothings and slipping in through the crack in the door, Li Guo'er looked on incredulously, her face flushed, and her lips parted slightly:
"What are you doing here, Ouyang Lianghan? How...how dare you?"
The person who entered: "..."
Something doesn't sound right about that.
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(End of this chapter)
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