The boy didn't seem to be good at coaxing people. Seeing her like this, he became impatient and reached out to pull her.
Shi Lan sidestepped his long, slender hand covered in calluses; her plump body was surprisingly agile.
Rong Qing was surprised that she had managed to dodge it, and couldn't help but let out a surprised "Eh".
Shi Lan stared intently at him, as if she had encountered a young beast on guard.
Rong Qing chuckled, intrigued, and his large hand, seemingly slow but actually extremely fast, reached out to grab Shi Lan's short, fat arm.
Shi Lan pursed her lips and suddenly swung her arm at him. Something shot straight toward his face like a meteor.
Rong Qing bent over, his upper body strangely bent at a ninety-degree angle, and with one hand he quickly grabbed the object that was attacking him.
Shi Lanxiu frowned slightly and reached out to remove another earring.
Seeing their master attacked, the attendants two steps away quickly shouted and formed a battle formation to attack Shi Lan.
Shi Lan frowned, picked up a freshly baked pie from the stall, and, ignoring the vendor's panicked shouts, threw it at him.
Caught off guard, Rong Qing was thrown at, and his attendants were naturally not spared either.
A commotion broke out around them. Shi Lan looked around and, taking advantage of the moment when he was looking down to straighten his clothes, quickly slipped into the crowd and slipped away.
After straightening his clothes, Rong Qing looked up and couldn't help but chuckle softly. He looked down at the small gourd in his palm that was emitting a pink glow and said, "Go and find out who ordered this."
The attendant respectfully accepted it, then turned and disappeared into the crowd.
Rong Qing shook the hem of his clothes and turned in another direction with light steps.
At Lanxiang Courtyard, Shi Lan drank two cups of sweet water, the sweet taste slowly calming her rapidly beating heart.
Cuizhi waved away her attendants and knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face. "Miss, how could you leave the manor alone? There are so many bad people outside. If anything happens to you, how will I live?"
Shi Lan glanced guiltily at Cui Zhi, jumped off the kang (heated brick bed), and reached out to help her up. "Alright, it was my fault this time. I'll let you know next time."
Is there a future?
Cui Zhi stared wide-eyed, her pink lips parted and closed for a long time, unable to utter a word.
Shi Lan chuckled awkwardly, rubbed her stomach, and said, "Cuizhi, do you have anything to eat? I'm hungry."
"Yes, I'll get it for you," Cuizhi knew Shilan was very opinionated and that persuasion would be useless. As she turned away, she could only secretly resolve to never leave her side again.
A moment later, Cuizhi brought over a few snacks, including honey date cake and steamed lotus petals. Shi Lan was thinking about the braised pork knuckle that her father had promised, so she only ate a few bites to fill her stomach.
In the evening, Shi's mother sent someone to call her over for dinner. Shi Lan happily tidied herself up and went to the flower hall.
In the flower hall, Mr. Shi was already seated in his proper place, with Mrs. Shi sitting to the side. When Shi Lan entered, she saw the two of them smiling and whispering, not knowing what they were saying.
Shi Xi saw her and waved to her. When she came closer, Shi Xi asked in a low voice, "Are you feeling any better?"
Shi Lan was surprised, but still nodded and said, "Much better."
Shi Xi looked at her carefully for a while and saw that she looked better, so she pulled her to sit down next to her: "That's good. Cui Zhi said this morning that you didn't sleep well last night and are resting now. Don't stay up late playing around in the future."
Shi Lan smiled guiltily and mumbled a reply, "Yes."
As they were talking, Mr. Shi said something to Mrs. Shi, and then picked up his chopsticks to start the meal.
Liu Mama hurried in from outside, her usually amiable face beaming with joy. "Master, Madam, the eldest young master is back."
Shi's father grinned, a hint of a smile playing on his handsome face.
Mother Shi quickly got up, walked briskly to the door, and asked repeatedly, "Is Rong'er back?"
Before the words were finished, the curtain was lifted, and a young man who looked five or six parts like Shi Lan stepped in. "Mother, your son has returned."
Shi's mother excitedly pulled Shi Rong along, saying, "Quickly, let your mother see how much weight you've lost."
Shi Rong smiled and let his mother look him over.
Seeing that Shi Rong's mother was still holding onto him, Shi's father coughed lightly and said, "Alright, come and sit down."
Shi Rong bowed to his father and said in a clear voice, "Father." Seeing his father nod slightly, he pulled his mother to sit down.
Shi Xi looked at Shi Rong with delight, and when her father wasn't paying attention, she called out softly, "Big Brother."
Shi Rong turned his gaze gently and softly changed his tone to "Xi'er, Lan'er".
Shi Xi smiled, while Shi Lan stared blankly at him, her mind flashing back to him wearing a loose robe, reeking of alcohol, staggering along the garden path with a wine jug in his hand, before suddenly collapsing under a flowering tree, lost in a drunken stupor.
When her son, who had been away from home for a long time, returned, Shi's mother was overjoyed. During the meal, she could no longer pay attention to Shi Lan and stared at Shi Rong with her eyes fixed on him, while her hands kept serving him food without stopping.
The family dinner ended as Shi Rong struggled to swallow his food.
Shi Rong's return home brought a touch of brightness to the Shi family, but as the date of the autumn imperial examination approached, the atmosphere in the Shi family began to tense again.
Every day, Shi's mother was busy packing Shi Rong's belongings for his return to his ancestral home. Every day, the first thing Shi's father did after returning from court was to teach and test Shi Rong, correcting the flaws in his writing. Shi Xi was busy embroidering a purse with two magpies perched on a branch, hoping that her brother would pass the imperial examination with flying colors. Under the influence of this atmosphere, Shi Xi began to learn how to make sesame cakes from Cui Zhi, which symbolized the wish for sesame flowers to bloom higher and higher.
Soon, Shi Lan had to admit that she really had no talent for cooking. Shi Xi's embroidery was almost finished, but Shi Lan's masterpiece was still a disaster.
Looking at those oddly shaped sesame cakes, Shi Lan was somewhat perplexed.
Cuizhi picked up a small cake and took a bite, then suggested as tactfully as possible, "Miss, perhaps we should forget about it. It's still early; I can make some honey-glazed meat jerky in time."
"No need," Shi Lan pouted, clearly unconvinced. She filled a plate and turned to walk towards the Tide Courtyard where Shi Xi lived. She refused to believe that her cooking skills were really that bad, and she was confident that her good sister would give her a less discouraging evaluation.
Lanxiang Courtyard and Chaoxi Courtyard are some distance apart. Shi Lan turned a few corners and entered the garden. Cui Zhi was not paying attention and failed to catch up.
Shi Lan walked briskly for a while, then felt tired and slowed down. A man's clear voice came from not far away.
“Yuanheng, this Chengni inkstone is too valuable, please forgive me for not being able to accept it.”
Shi Lan stopped in her tracks, craned her neck, and peered into the distance through the gaps in the trees.
Amidst the layers of lush greenery, Shi Rong, dressed in a long blue cloth robe, placed the object in his hand on the stone table and pushed it toward the man in brocade robes in front of him.
The man smiled, picked up his teacup and took a sip. “I only know that the greatest value of an inkstone is that it allows those who appreciate it to wield their brushes and create articles that are widely praised. Shen Zhi is exceptionally talented, and with the autumn examinations approaching, it is the perfect time for it to come in handy.”
As the man spoke, he pushed the inkstone back.
Shi Rong pondered for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "In that case, I am unworthy of such an offer."
Shi Lan grimaced, feeling a wave of nausea. Shenzhi was Shi Rong's nickname. People who could call each other nicknames were usually very close friends. Shi Rong had been sincere to Ning Zhan, but Ning Zhan had ruined his lifelong dream and destroyed his bright future.
(To be continued.)
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