Chapter 894 Aqing: May I ask your surname, sister?
Li Wan was the first to see the girl carrying a sword.
It seems they came from the ferry crossing behind them.
Before she could react, the sword-wielding girl ran past her and threw herself into Liu Aliang's arms.
The whole process happened very quickly, and Li Wan was still somewhat dazed.
And the afterimage left at close range as she passed by her: snow-white Wu-style clothing, slender figure, tattooed words on her white forehead... Li Wan felt that these were vaguely familiar.
Like her, Song Zhian, who was closest to Ouyang Rong, was also there.
Song Zhian happened to be standing in front of Ouyang Rong, and they turned around together.
At that moment, the sword-wielding girl flew into the arms of the young man in the felt hat like a swallow returning to its nest, burying her head in his broad shoulder, her face just above his shoulder, facing Song Zhian behind him.
The two women were, in a sense, facing each other at close range.
However, the girl carrying the sword seemed to be caught up in a joyful mood, burying her face in her brother's shoulder, her attention entirely on Ouyang Rong, her eyes not looking at Song Zhian.
But Song Zhian saw her small face clearly.
Song Zhian's gaze slowly moved upwards, finally settling on the "Yue" tattoo on the girl's forehead.
Li Wan, with a puzzled expression, went around to the back of the young man in the felt hat, tilted her head to examine the face of the girl carrying the sword, as if trying to confirm something.
At one point, the noblewoman's expression began to change.
In particular, she caught a glimpse of Song Zhian's changing expression out of the corner of her eye...
Li Wan and Song Zhi'an stood frozen in place.
Lu Jinghong, Yu Mili, and Sha Ergou, who were furthest away, had already turned around and noticed the visitors and the complicated scene behind them.
Like Song and Li, they were also at the same angle, their eyes involuntarily fixed on the iconic, familiar face of the girl in Brother Liu's arms.
At this moment, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Ouyang Rong and the unexpected young woman carrying a sword embraced tightly.
The surrounding air was completely silent, with only the rustling of the wind blowing through the trees and the sound of everyone's clothes.
Amidst the silence, the sound of the wind was amplified, and everyone clearly heard Brother Liu's helpless voice. At the same time, they also saw him gently pat the head of the girl carrying the sword.
Why did you come here?
“Brother! You’re really here! I knew you would come looking for me, but... I never expected it to be like this…”
Feeling the force of A Qing's desire to pull him into her brother's arms, Ouyang Rong, who was about to speak, leaned back slightly, leaving some space between them to avoid getting too close and to avoid suspicion.
The brief moment of close contact when he bumped into her seemed to have made him vaguely sense something. At that moment, a thought suddenly flashed through Ouyang Rong's mind for no apparent reason: Aqing is not a child anymore, she is already a grown woman.
"Entering the Sword Marsh is a very important thing for my sister, so I can't be absent. I always have to come and see her. I miss you too, brother."
As Ouyang Rong spoke, a smile could not be hidden at the corner of his mouth. However, as he spoke, he subtly pushed away the sword-wielding maid who was very attached to her brother.
The two separated slightly from each other.
Aqing paid no attention to the strangers and their various gazes around her. She stood in front of Ouyang Rong and unconsciously tiptoed to make herself appear less short. Her forehead reached up to her brother's chin with its stubble. However, she still had to tilt her head slightly to make eye contact with him.
But the moment their eyes met, a hint of shyness flashed in Aqing's eyes. She subconsciously looked away, then looked back and asked him a new question without blinking:
"Brother, how long have you been here? I only found out you were here because of the chicken soup today. And you even made me chicken soup..."
At this point, her voice trembled with excitement as she murmured, "My brother is so good."
Ouyang Rong pondered for a moment, then looked around at the silent scene.
Actually, he had a lot to say to Aqing and questions to ask her, but Ouyang Rong held back and didn't say anything in front of Song Zhian, Li Wan, and the others.
"Not long after, I stayed in Peach Blossom Town for ten days. Then, I happened to meet that goddess. She kept her promise and had someone take me into the Sword Swamp..."
"I see. No wonder when I went to see Master yesterday, he sent someone to tell me that he was already making arrangements. I thought Master was just busy and was only giving me a perfunctory answer."
Aqing nodded slightly and muttered something.
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Rong's expression changed slightly.
He suddenly remembered his fruitless wait in the Dripping Cave yesterday. It seemed that Aqing really had gone to plead with Lady Zhishuang, afraid that she had forgotten the promise she made to the siblings.
As Ouyang Rong pondered, A Qing turned her head away. Instead of looking at Song Zhian, who was closest to her brother, she first looked at Lu Jinghong, Sha Ergou, and the others, whose eyes were wide open. Her gaze fell on the bamboo tokens at their waists, but she quickly looked away.
Ah Qing, who was silently pushed away from her brother's embrace, instinctively grabbed his sleeves with both hands and asked in a soft, sweet voice:
"Brother, did you participate in the assessment too? Was it the Bamboo Hall assessment? Hmm, which stage did you start from, brother...?"
Ouyang Rong's words were concise and to the point:
"You came in a bit early. You participated in the entire assessment. I've heard about your situation."
Aqing seemed a little shy, her voice was so soft it was barely audible.
"Brother, why were you hiding? You've been here all along, you knew everything..."
Ouyang Rong shrugged: "I just haven't been able to find you..."
Crack!
A thud suddenly came from the ground.
Ouyang Rong and A Qing immediately turned around, and Song Zhian, Lu Jinghong and the others who were intently eavesdropping also turned their heads to look at the source of the sound.
Suddenly, the food box in Li Wan's hand fell to the ground, the lid rolling away. She bent down and hurriedly picked it up.
"Sorry, sorry, my hand slipped. But don't worry, there are no pastries inside, and the plate isn't broken... By the way, you, you can continue. Brother Liang, you and your sister have a good chat. You don't need to help. I'll do it myself."
Li Wan's face turned red, and with an apologetic expression, she waved her hand and forced a smile.
She politely declined Ouyang Rong's offer to bend down and help her, and squatted down to pick up the things herself.
Aqing glanced sideways, curiously looking at the noblewoman who was in a flurry of activity.
Ouyang Rong withdrew his gaze and exchanged a knowing glance with A Qing.
The brother and sister did not continue their reminiscing.
The people around gradually came to their senses.
Their expressions and states were all different.
Song Zhian stared intently at the young woman carrying a sword, who was chatting intimately with Brother Liu. Her expression was obscured by the light shining from the courtyards in the bamboo grove behind her. She remained quiet and composed.
Even in the darkness, Yu Mili's flushed face was visible, her almond-shaped eyes wide as copper bells as she stared at A Qing, swallowing hard.
He looked excited, wanting to strike up a conversation but also too excited to speak.
Lu Jinghong stood at the back of the crowd, holding his sword, and remained silent throughout.
At first, he, Sha Ergou, and Yu Mili stared wide-eyed. But after seeing the girl in Brother Liu's arms and recognizing the noble status of this sword-wielding young woman, the young man in brocade robes gradually fell silent, silently holding his sword and standing at the very back of the crowd.
Unlike Sha Ergou and Yu Mili, he did not find himself unable to resist getting closer to examine them.
Lu Jinghong, who was laughing and joking with his companions not long ago, seems to have become a silent gourd.
At one point, he seemed to realize that his legs were getting sore and numb from standing, so he turned his gaze away, took a deep breath, and quietly changed his posture.
"Brother Liu."
Sha Ergou couldn't help but take a step forward and shout.
The short-haired young man was shy and simple, not daring to look directly into Aqing's clear and beautiful eyes. His face flushed red, and he stared at Ouyang Rong, timidly saying:
"So you really do have a sister. The chicken soup and peaches were indeed prepared for her. It turns out Brother Liu was telling the truth. We misunderstood. We were presumptuous today and even unceremoniously stole some food. Brother Liu, I'm so sorry..."
These words made the atmosphere on the field even more awkward.
Apart from Song Zhian, who kept staring at A Qing, Lu Jinghong, Yu Mili, and Li Wan did not dare to look at Ouyang Rong and all looked away.
Ouyang Rong spoke calmly:
"It's nothing."
The answer was very brief. He turned his head and first asked Li Wan:
“It’s getting late, I’m sorry to have taken up so much time, Madam Li, could you please have another pair of chopsticks? I didn’t expect my sister to come looking for me. I was planning to have dinner at your place before crossing the island to find her.”
"Ah, haha, sure, of course, it's no big deal."
Li Wan realized what was happening and immediately nodded. She turned her head with a normal tone and smiled sweetly at the young woman carrying the sword:
"Is this Miss Liu Qing? Please come to my courtyard for a meal."
Ouyang Rong also nodded slightly to A Qing:
"Aqing, let's go eat first. We can talk about it after dinner."
Aqing smiled sweetly:
"Okay, I'll listen to you, brother."
"Alright, this way, Miss Liu Qing."
Li Wan, laughing and talking, took the lead and walked forward, and everyone moved along to follow.
Aqing obediently followed Ouyang Rong and politely addressed Li Wan:
"Just call me Aqing, just like you do, Madam."
"Okay, Miss Aqing."
Ouyang Rong seemed to remember something, immediately pointed around, and whispered:
"I forgot to introduce you, Ah Qing. This is Madam Li, this is Er Gou, whose surname is Sha. You can call him Brother Er Gou. This is Miss Yu, whose name is Mi Li. She should be about your age..."
Ouyang Rong briefly introduced everyone, and Liu Qing watched carefully. She greeted all the people her brother introduced with great respect, without showing any disdain.
When their names were called, Sha Ergou and Yu Mili were so excited that they stammered a few words in response.
The girl Liu Qing, whom they had been talking about and who seemed so unattainable during the day, was now standing right in front of them, greeting them kindly and taking the initiative to get to know them. The two of them couldn't help but rub their faces, feeling a little like they were sleepwalking.
However, when talking to Aqing, Sha Ergou stammered and blushed more easily than a young girl; while Yu Mili, on the other hand, chattered incessantly, her talkative nature hard to suppress.
Ouyang Rong's speech only introduced the three people mentioned above, who were also the three closest to him.
The main problem was that Song Zhian and Lu Jinghong were at the very back of the group. The group was moving forward, walking on the bluestone path in the bamboo forest, and it was not convenient to look back.
Soon, Li Wan led everyone to the small courtyard where she and her son lived.
Li Wan took out the key from her sleeve, quickly opened the courtyard gate, turned around, and warmly welcomed the new guests.
"Miss Aqing, Brother Aliang, this way please. I wonder if my cooking will suit your tastes, haha."
Li Wan spoke in a familiar tone, then peeked at the back of the line and complained a little:
"Jinghong, hurry up! Why are you walking so slowly? The guests have arrived. Hurry up and make some tea. Also, you haven't greeted Miss Aqing yet. Come and get to know her. Why are you being so shy?"
Compared to the silent Lu Jinghong, Li Wan seemed to adjust more quickly and even took the initiative to greet her son.
Unable to hide any longer, Lu Jinghong, who had been lagging behind, gritted his teeth and stepped forward.
Under A Qing's slightly curious gaze, the young man in brocade robes released the sword he had been tightly clutching, lifting it with one hand. After this seemingly nervous little movement, he looked up, first quickly glancing at Ouyang Rong, who maintained a blank expression, then turning to Liu Qing and forcing a smile:
“Miss Liu, I’ve heard so much about you. My name is Lu Jinghong, and I come from Fanyang.”
Aqing vaguely noticed that the young man in brocade robes seemed to be looking at her brother with a strange gaze. Not knowing what had happened, she took a few more glances at him.
"Hello, Mr. Lu."
Aqing greeted everyone in a natural and generous manner.
The girl's gentle yet intense gaze made Lu Jinghong dare not meet her eyes for long. He lowered his head slightly and gestured with his palms towards the courtyard gate:
"Miss Liu, please come in..."
Just then, Aqing, who was facing Lu Jinghong and her son, casually took Ouyang Rong's arm, which was hanging down beside her. She took two steps forward, then suddenly turned gracefully to the side, smiled softly at the tall, beautiful, and quiet young woman behind her brother, and said in a gentle voice:
"What is your surname, ma'am?"
The surrounding air fell silent.
All eyes turned to Song Zhian.
Not long ago, Song Zhian had been smiling and saying she wanted to get to know Miss Liu Qing, but now she was somewhat silent.
She glanced at Ouyang Rong beside her, then looked back at Liu Qing, who was clinging tightly to her brother's arm.
Only Yu Mili, being very carefree, spoke up:
"This is Sister Song. Sister Song's name is so beautiful, it's Zhi'an, much nicer than my Mili. It sounds like it was given by a scholarly family... We met Brother Liu at the Red Dust Inn. Sister Song was a maid in the lobby, and I was responsible for helping my mother with the accounts at the counter. At that time, Brother Liu had just started working at the inn and was struggling financially. Sister Song often helped Brother Liu and Brother Sha..."
Aqing and Song Zhian turned their heads at the same time to look at Yu Mili.
Yu Mili's voice gradually faded as she looked around.
As the two women stared at her, she sensed a strange atmosphere for a moment, but couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Just then, Song Zhian suddenly stepped forward and said gently and gracefully:
"Miss Liu Qing, I've heard so much about you."
Ah Qing's laughter:
"Thank you, Sister Song, for taking care of my brother."
Song Zhian shook her head: "It's Brother Liu who's taking care of us."
To Li Wan and Lu Jinghong, these were clearly just polite words as usual.
Upon hearing this, Aqing immediately nodded:
"That's true. My brother is just too responsible and loves to worry. He likes to take care of the people around him. Any woman who meets my brother is blessed, a blessing from eight lifetimes."
Everyone was stunned for a moment.
But the young lady Liu Qing looked resolute, as if she were stating a matter of course...
(End of this chapter)
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