An early summer breeze carried the fragrance of lotus flowers into the garden. Chen Weiwan squatted beside a Taihu rock, teasing a ladybug that had strayed into the flowers with a piece of foxtail grass. Chuntao stood three steps away, holding a bowl of iced mung bean paste. With a sharp eye, she spotted two figures emerging from the moonlit gate—Li Xiu in his royal blue brocade robe and Shen Ruorou in her lilac gauze skirt. Like two overturned palettes, they stood out against the shimmering green garden.
"Miss," Chun Tao lowered her voice, the porcelain bowl of mung bean paste making a soft sound, "Those two 'actors' are together again. Look at Li Xiu's hand, he really wants to hang on Second Miss' waist!"
Shen Weiwan squinted and saw Li Xiu leaning on a cane, his other hand casually resting on Shen Ruorou's elbow. The two were so close that their breath could spray on each other's faces when they spoke. Shen Ruorou lowered her eyes, twisting her handkerchief with her fingertips, but she couldn't hide the smugness at the corners of her mouth, like a fox that had stolen a chicken.
"Tsk," Chen Weiwan stood up and brushed off the grass debris on her skirt. "Looks like you haven't had enough of the 'broken sleeve' rumors from the other day. Are you thinking of another 'deeply affectionate couple' drama?" She stuck some foxtail grass into the cracks in the rocks and winked at Chuntao. "When I'm 'passing by' later, just follow the old rules—run to the waterside pavilion where the crowds are. Remember to 'invite' the daughter of Taifu Wang as well."
Chun Tao understood and tiptoed towards the main road with the mung bean paste in hand. Chen Weiwan straightened her collar, coughed twice deliberately, and walked slowly towards the rose stand.
"Mr. Li, let go!" Shen Ruoruo's voice was filled with deliberately suppressed anger, "If Weiwan sees this, she'll frame me again!"
"Arrangement?" Li Xiu's voice was filled with greasy confidence, and his cane made a "knock knock" sound on the bluestone slab. "Ruorou, why should you be afraid of her? That fool knows nothing except throwing tantrums and playing tricks." As he spoke, he exerted force on his wrist, trying to pull Shen Ruorou into his arms. "When I marry her, the general's estate will belong to you and me..."
“Bang!”
The handkerchief in Shen Weiwan's hand "accidentally" fell to the ground. She opened her eyes wide, pointed at the two people hugging each other, and screamed throughout the garden: "Ah! Cousin! Mr. Li! What are you doing?!"
Li Xiu and Shen Ruoruo were struck by lightning and hurriedly separated. Li Xiu staggered back, his crutch slipped on the moss, and he was about to fall. Seeing this, Shen Weiwan "kindly" reached out to help him, but the moment her fingertips touched his arm, she suddenly pushed him hard!
"Ouch!" Li Xiu already had difficulty walking, and after being pushed by her, he lost his balance and fell into Shen Ruorou's arms with a "thud". The two of them lost their balance and both tumbled to the ground. Shen Ruorou's gauze skirt was pulled high, revealing a piece of her snow-white ankle. Li Xiu's hair crown was also tilted, and a few strands of hair stuck to his sweaty forehead, looking very miserable.
"You...you don't come over!" Shen Weiwan hid behind the rockery, her voice trembling like a frightened little rabbit, "I'll go tell my aunt! And Miss Wang from the Taifu family, let everyone come and judge!"
As soon as she said this, Chuntao, who was hiding in the corridor, immediately raised her voice: "Miss! Slow down! Don't fall!" At the same time, she ran towards the water pavilion. When she passed by the daughter of Master Wang who was admiring the flowers, she deliberately "accidentally" knocked the round fan out of her hand.
"Chun Tao! Why are you panicking!" Miss Wang's eyebrows were raised, but when she saw the "grand scene" in the center of the garden, her eyes widened instantly - Li Xiu and Shen Ruoruo were getting up from the ground, two buttons of Shen Ruoruo's clothes were torn open, revealing the bra inside, Li Xiu's brocade robe was stained with mud and grass, and their faces turned red and white, just like mandarin ducks just fished out of a mud pit.
"Oh my God!" Miss Wang covered her mouth, a hint of excitement flashing in her eyes, "Miss Shen Er? Master Li? You..."
The sweeping boys and flower-watering ladies around had already been alarmed and now all gathered around, with their heads stretched out like elongated turtles, pointing and giggling one after another.
"Tsk tsk, in broad daylight..."
"Didn't Master Li say he liked the eldest lady? Why is he entangled with the second lady?"
"Look at the Second Miss's clothes! All the buttons are undone!"
Shen Ruorou heard the discussion, looked down and saw her messy clothes, screamed, and hurriedly covered her face with a handkerchief, her face flushed redder than a ripe tomato. Li Xiuze was ashamed and angry, struggling to stand up, pointing at the rockery where Shen Weiwan was hiding and roaring: "Shen Weiwan! You plotted against me!"
"I plotted against you?" Shen Weiwan poked her head out from behind the rockery, tears of innocence on her face. "Mr. Li, I was just passing by. Who told you to be unable to stand steadily and pull your cousin down?" She paused, looked at Miss Wang, and said with a wronged tone, "Ms. Wang, you saw it all, right? It was Mr. Li who made the first move!"
"You're talking nonsense!" Li Xiu was so angry that his cane was shaking. "It was clearly you who pushed me!"
"I pushed you?" Shen Weiwan blinked, looking "confused". "I'm so far away from you, how can I push you? Could it be that I would hit the cow from a distance? Mr. Li, you must have done something wrong and your mind is confused, right?"
She turned to the servants gathered around and said, "You all saw it, didn't you? It was Master Li who lost his balance and tried to frame me!"
The servants who had long been dissatisfied with Li Xiu and Shen Ruoruo immediately understood and agreed:
"Yes, yes, Master Li fell down himself!"
"I saw it too. The young lady was quite far away!"
"The Second Miss's clothes are all messed up. It must be Young Master Li who's being a hooligan!"
"You...you guys..." Li Xiu was pointed at by everyone and was so angry that he couldn't speak. But he was limping and had just fallen down, so it was difficult for him to even stand still, let alone argue.
Seeing this, Shen Ruorou knew that staying any longer would only make her more embarrassed. She quickly straightened her clothes and bowed to Miss Wang with forced composure: "Miss Wang, what happened today is purely a misunderstanding. Please don't spread it..."
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