Chapter 30 You Call Me Third Uncle? ? ? "But she calls me Good Third Brother..."
Jia Lian failed to sneak in. He had originally thought that since they were all from military families, he would at least see a couple of acquaintances.
After waiting and waiting, the only one who was somewhat familiar turned out to be Prince Zhongshun, whom the family's phoenix eggs had offended.
To be honest, Jia Lian felt ashamed to have to force his way in. So when he saw Prince Zhongshun's entourage, he actually breathed a sigh of relief; now he finally had an excuse.
He got back into the carriage with a straight face, yawned and said, "Let's find a nice shop and get something to eat. We were woken up early this morning and haven't had breakfast yet."
Lin Daiyu had already settled into a side room in the Four Seasons Pavilion. Granny Shen found her a trunk and went outside to wait and serve her. Zijuan was somewhat joyful when she first got into the carriage, but now she was starting to get nervous.
She looked at Lin Daiyu cautiously: "Miss."
"Now that you're here, what else can I say? Just take good care of you."
Zijuan breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "Would you like some tea, miss?"
"No need." Lin Daiyu glanced at the sky and said, "The ceremony will begin at noon, soon."
When people are nervous, or have done something they shouldn't, they inevitably talk more. Zijuan was no exception. She smiled and said, "On my way here, I saw that although the Dingnan Marquis's mansion is nice, it is not as big as our Rongguo Mansion, and the servants are not as grand as those in our Rongguo Mansion."
This was actually a way for her to encourage herself. As a maid from the Rongguo Mansion, she was naturally not afraid of the Dingnan Marquis's Mansion, and she was sure she could serve her young lady well.
But it's not a good idea to say that when you're visiting someone's home.
Xueyan called out "Sister Zijuan" and then said, "Let's go sit over there. The young lady will be attending the ceremony later, so we won't be needed."
Before long, Granny Shen came to invite people, and Lin Daiyu went with her to attend the ceremony.
Zijuan muttered again, "Why not have a maidservant serve them, but instead have an old woman follow them around?"
Xueyan glanced at her subconsciously, wondering what was wrong with her today? She wasn't this slow-witted back in the Rongguo Mansion.
Perhaps out of nervousness, Xueyan dared not say anything to her. In the Rongguo Mansion, apart from the servants in Bao Er Ye's room who were not respectful to elders, all the other head maids were head maids, and everyone else had to listen to her orders. She had no say in anything.
Granny Shen led Lin Daiyu to the large flower hall not far away.
"Although they are all women, the ladies and young women are separated. The Empress's two nieces are also coming. I heard that they are a bit arrogant, and some older women do have a rather unpleasant way of speaking... so they are sitting separately. There is enough space, so as not to make a scene."
Lin Daiyu felt a little uncomfortable upon hearing this. Her reputation in the Rongguo Mansion wasn't good either, and now... although Granny Shen was a kind person and treated her sincerely, she couldn't help but empathize with her feelings.
Granny Shen led the way to the door, then deliberately lingered so that the two young ladies from the Li family inside would see her. Once their eyes met, she left.
Lin Daiyu went in alone. There were already four young ladies in the room, and their eyes lit up when they saw her come in.
Li Yilan smiled and said, "Is this Miss Lin? I am Yilan, and this is my younger sister Yixiang."
The first to speak was undoubtedly the Li family's daughter. Lin Daiyu curtsied and accepted the half-bow. Li Yilan then introduced her to the other two girls.
One was Qiao Chutang, and the other was Meng Lexi.
Li Yilan knew that this was a guest invited by her fourth uncle. Moreover, they didn't have much contact with Mu Chuan. When Mu Chuan taught them horse stance or occasionally ate together, he was always very proper and respectful, referring to himself as her fourth uncle.
Although he looks a bit younger recently, he is still Uncle Four.
Therefore, in their version, this fairy-like girl is the daughter of Uncle Si's old friend, someone of the same age and generation.
Li Yilan affectionately took her arm: "Come over here, it's clearer here, Fourth Uncle is going to beat the war drums in a little while."
When the music started, the last two girls, the Empress's nieces, finally arrived. Perhaps they had been reminded by more than one person beforehand, and they themselves arrived quite late. Moreover, they were the ones who came over every day from the Rongguo Mansion. Lin Daiyu actually thought they were alright.
Besides, no one would look down on someone the moment they meet them.
"It's starting! It's starting! Fourth Uncle is out!"
"Why can't we see clearly?" The girls inside the room almost unanimously expressed their regret.
Lin Daiyu found it amusing. The window screen was colored and embroidered, and she was far away, so she could only make out the tall and sturdy figure on the stage. As for the clothes... she could barely make out that they were brown, and judging from the color, he was probably not wearing a long robe. She couldn't see any details at all.
"We can only hear the sound now."
Mu Chuan had already climbed onto the high platform. He was wearing the short-sleeved shirt, trousers, and short brown jacket that were commonly worn in the military. He had a cloth belt around his waist to make it easier to move around.
The women in the distance couldn't see clearly, but the men sitting below the stage could see it perfectly.
Lord Meng, who had brought his daughter, even turned around on the spot and looked at her with concern.
Very good!
He couldn't see anything at all, and he didn't even know where his daughter was, but now he was relieved.
"Before, the long robes made it hard to see anything, but I never imagined that the Marquis of Zhongyong was so strong."
"Hahaha, your Ministry of Revenue's gate is not innocent!"
"No wonder the retired emperor and His Majesty both favor the Earl of Loyalty and Bravery."
"Such a robust physique truly makes him the bravest in the army."
Sitting in the main seat, Prince Zhongshun joked with Marquis Dingnan: "How come it took you ten years to get ahead under your command? If you were in my household, your daughter would have married him, and you'd probably have three children by now."
Initially worried that his daughter might see this, Lord Meng couldn't help but imagine what might happen if this person were one of his retainers...
He would definitely support him, grant him his freedom, marry his daughter to him, pave the way for him, and help him rise to prominence!
Wait a minute, what was he worried about just now?
The sound of drums beating rang out, and the ground seemed to shake as Mu Chuan struck the war drums.
Prince Zhongshun exclaimed in surprise, instinctively grabbing the armrest of his chair. He couldn't help but recall what the emperor had said during their last meeting: "...If only the marriage had been delayed by another six months."
King Chungshun sighed regretfully... He also felt a little remorseful.
Okay, I'll call them back tonight and ask my daughter how she's doing.
"I never expected the war drums to sound so beautiful," sighed Song Qingfu, the Empress's niece.
"Exhilarating and passionate," Lin Daiyu echoed, her words even causing a slight ache in her heart.
"I'm tempted to go horseback riding and shoot a couple of arrows myself," said Song Qinglian, another niece of the Empress, pursing her lips. "The Marquis of Zhongyong is really good at encouraging people."
Everyone laughed, and Li Yilan said, "Fourth Uncle is really capable."
“From now on, when the army goes to war, it will be your fourth uncle who beats the war drums.”
"The New Year is just around the corner, and there will be sacrificial rites in the palace. I need to suggest to my aunt that we invite the Earl of Zhongyong to beat the drums."
Hearing him call her "Fourth Uncle" so often, Lin Daiyu couldn't bring herself to call him "Third Brother." Wouldn't that be taking advantage of the girl for nothing?
Besides, the atmosphere was so nice; she didn't want to be a generation above others for no reason.
“We have to learn it now. Fourth Uncle just moved to the capital, so I’m afraid there won’t be enough time. And that drummer from before, he’s been practicing for a long time too.”
“You’re quite soft-hearted,” Song Qingfu said, but then added with a hint of resentment, “I was just asking, and my aunt might not even agree.”
She sighed as she spoke, “My aunt always says that I can’t make unreasonable demands just because she’s the empress, but I have to have something I like. I just like—things I like.”
It's hard to say for sure, but Lin Daiyu felt this very deeply.
She glanced at Song Qingfu subconsciously. Most people would notice if they were being looked at. Song Qingfu also turned her gaze away, and the two girls' eyes met.
Song Qingfu smiled and said, "You are really beautiful."
Lin Daiyu felt embarrassed; she rarely received such a direct compliment: "You look good too." Her rare moment of being at a loss for words made her even more awkward.
Lin Daiyu then asked, "I've never had butter tea before. Shall we try some?"
Li Yilan asked in surprise, "Didn't Fourth Uncle give it to you? That stuff... it's not really that good to drink, it's greasy, but if you sprinkle some salt on it and drink it hot for a sip or two, it's quite comforting."
Li Yilan called her maid to order butter tea, and Li Yixiang asked Lin Daiyu, "Do you also call him Fourth Uncle? Then our birth order is about the same."
Oh no! Lin Daiyu suddenly felt a pang of regret, as if she had told a lie and now had to make a hundred rounds of regret.
"I... should call him Third Uncle." It doesn't seem much better.
But it's not a big problem, Lin Daiyu thought numbly. Third Brother said to push all the blame onto him.
“That’s because my sister has led me astray,” Li Yixiang chuckled. “My sister really does have that ability.”
Soon, two old women followed the maid in carrying things. Butter tea, especially in winter, couldn't be brewed and delivered; it had to be made fresh.
However, things with a lot of oil do smell delicious when cooked, and Lin Daiyu began to look forward to it.
On the other side, after Mu Chuan finished beating the war drum, a servant brought him clothes to put on him. Prince Zhongshun also went up to the high platform, first touching the drum, then reaching out to tap it. Mu Chuan handed him the drumsticks.
"Try it? Swing your arm out, relax your wrist slightly, use your upper arm to drive the force from your shoulder all the way to the drumstick, swing it down the whole way."
With a loud thud, the drumhead shattered.
Prince Zhongshun was taken aback, and Mu Chuan laughed, "Your Highness's strength is truly remarkable."
Well, the word itself isn't quite right, but the characters themselves are rather fitting.
No matter how many times the mighty general struck the door, this last strike was indeed made by me.
King Chungshun laughed, but felt even more regretful: "If only I had a daughter. Alas... it's too late to have one now." Besides, he hadn't had a child for three or four years.
The next step was for General Li to take Mu Chuan to the ancestral hall to offer incense.
“When he comes out again, he will be my fourth uncle.” Li Chengwu, who was with his group of friends at the table, laughed rather arrogantly: “If you ever disrespect me in the future, be careful, I’ll get my fourth uncle to beat you up.”
After waiting for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Mu Chuan helped General Li out, and firecrackers immediately went off. Li Yilan smiled and said, "He is now my proper fourth uncle."
Li Yixiang extended her hand and smiled, "The banquet is ready, everyone please."
The majority of the guests were men, who were seated in the main hall, while the women were divided into ladies and young women, and were seated in the side rooms on the left and right.
The young woman and the woman were ushered inside first, and then a maid brought them warm water to wash their hands.
The group took their seats according to their assigned positions, and the dishes were served quickly.
Li Yilan said, "I won't go into detail about the dishes in the capital, as everyone has tried them. Some of them were specially brought from Pingnan Town by my fourth uncle and his family, and they can't be found anywhere else."
Song Qingfu glared at Lin Daiyu, but to be honest, Lin Daiyu came from the Rongguo Mansion, so Song Qingfu even felt that the glare was a little weak.
"You kept saying the butter tea was delicious, but you only took two sips. I, on the other hand, was completely naive; I'm not hungry at all right now."
Lin Daiyu smiled, quickly glanced at the dishes on the table, and said, "Stewed mutton always needs hawthorn in it. Why don't you have a bowl of soup first to help with your digestion?"
Song Qingfu looked at Lin Daiyu in disbelief, while the others laughed.
You want me to use mutton soup to aid digestion?
"How about some bok choy with hawthorn cake?" Lin Daiyu quickly tried to salvage the situation.
Song Qingfu chuckled twice, and Li Yixiang continued, "Since you want to drink soup, I recommend this black-boned chicken stewed with cordyceps. It's a really good thing, only available in April and May each year, a special delicacy brought back from Beili."
Cordyceps? I'd read about it in medical books before; it can cure all sorts of lung ailments. Besides, it was recommended by the host. Lin Daiyu replied first, "Then please give me a bowl. It is indeed—delicious."
After saying this, she lowered her head and drank her soup without saying another word.
"It's actually quite delicious?" Song Qinglian also ordered a bowl. "Hmm, it's delicious, but it's not really to my taste. However, you can definitely taste some of the black-boned chicken flavor."
Li Yilan said, "That's because you're healthy. My mother gave birth to my younger brother in winter, and my father was injured at the time. She was so anxious that she didn't take good care of herself and developed lung problems, coughing for more than ten years. But after taking this for only two months, she hasn't coughed at all this winter."
The Song sisters were a little skeptical. As the empress's nieces, they had many people coming to their door, subtly trying to sell them things. They could make a lot of money just by opening their mouths.
"I've never heard of it. What good stuff could there be in Beili?"
“It’s true,” Lin Daiyu suddenly said. “The Compendium of Materia Medica says that it nourishes the kidneys and lungs, stops bleeding and resolves phlegm, and can treat all kinds of deficiencies and injuries. There is also a book called The Moon King’s Medical Diagnosis that says that cordyceps can cure all kinds of lung diseases. I heard that Empress Wu Zetian’s cough and asthma were also cured by taking this.”
She suddenly gave such a long explanation, and since it was mostly based on sources, it was quite convincing. So everyone got a bowl.
"Yes, black chicken soup is delicious."
Lin Daiyu laughed too: "Black chicken soup is indeed delicious. I love black chicken soup the most."
She said she's still doing well, whereas at this time of year in previous years she would have been so sick she couldn't even leave the house, and would cough endlessly whenever she was exposed to a cold wind.
She took another sip of the black chicken soup, savoring it carefully, and confirmed that it was indeed the right flavor.
From the first time her third brother brought her food, every few days, there would be a faint taste of this flavor in the soup.
She thought it was because the way things were done outside was different from how the Jia family did it.
She still remembered how her cough wouldn't go away, and how Baoyu searched through all the medical books he could find, especially the "Moon King's Medical Diagnosis," a medical book from over a thousand years ago, and a very obscure medical book from the border people.
At the time, they only found medical books, not medicinal herbs, and Baoyu lamented that it was a pity he didn't have the money.
She has been eating it quietly for a month now.
Third Brother... Third Brother, oh Third Brother. How could you not even say a word?
Lin Daiyu not only felt a heat in her chest, but also a heat in her eyes.
“That doesn’t taste very good,” Li Yilan suddenly said.
Lin Daiyu looked up and saw that Song Qinglian had taken a liking to a dish on the corner of the table that looked like winter melon stewed with salted pork.
The only difference is that this salted meat is a bit darker reddish in color.
"You are the hostess," Lin Daiyu said with a smile, "Why are you undermining yourself?"
Li Yilan looked away shyly: "That meat was like firewood, extremely tough."
"Have you ever eaten firewood?" Song Qingfu swallowed the food in her mouth and asked seriously but doubtfully.
Lin Daiyu finally understood: they were the Empress's nieces, and naturally carried the connotations of power and influence. Even the slightest inappropriate word could be seen as bullying.
Just like she is the granddaughter of the Rongguo Mansion, she naturally carries the word "outsider." Since she is an orphan who came to live with them, she should live a life of quiet confinement like a pitiful little thing.
"I've never tried firewood before... You'll know once you try it."
Lin Daiyu was also curious: "I'll try some too. After chewing it carefully, it's still... um, quite chewy."
She amused the others at the table.
"It's chewy, hahaha."
"I already said this doesn't taste very good."
Lin Daiyu quite liked eating like this. Of course, she had to swallow the food in her mouth before she could speak. The food tasted better when she talked about it.
Since the girls don't drink alcohol, they naturally eat faster. After everyone had finished eating, Li Yilan said, "The opera troupe won't start until the male guests have finished eating. Shall we... go to the main hall? Fourth Uncle taught us several games, shall we try them?"
Everyone present was quite curious about Mu Chuan.
The two Song sisters were almost introduced to Mu Chuan.
Lin Daiyu had already collected several toys from Mu Chuan, and she was curious about what else Mu Chuan would play with.
As for the others, although they weren't closely related, a strong and powerful general was naturally incompatible with playing games, which immediately piqued my curiosity.
Li Yilan led them to the main hall a little further back, where a maid brought out a long wooden box with an opening on one side and partitions inside.
Li Yilan gave a demonstration first.
“Look, these are ten pairs of gemstones of different colors. One is placed inside the partition, facing away from each other, so no one can see it. The other is placed outside. Let's line them up in a row, and each person can only place one at a time. Ah Xiu, you will be the referee. You can only raise the right or wrong sign, and you can't talk. If you guess right, put it on top; if you guess wrong, put it on the bottom, mixed in with the original stones. Don't give anyone hints.”
Everyone here is smart, and they quickly figured out how to play.
Li Yilan then brought out the prizes: "These are little trinkets they brought back from Pingnan Town. Whoever wins gets to choose one."
Although it's described as a small trinket, it's actually made of precious jewelry such as coral and pearls. It's just that it hasn't been finely polished and made, so it looks a bit rough.
A group of girls lined up, smiling and waiting for the game to begin.
It was quite quiet at first, but after playing two rounds to get used to the process, the chatting started.
"I almost became your fourth aunt," Song Qingfu suddenly said, surprising everyone.
Everyone was startled. Meng Lexi, who was placing the pebbles, lost her grip and the pebbles fell to the ground.
She quickly said, "You're not allowed to turn around."
"Who cares about that? And then what?"
“My aunt refused,” Song Qinglian said with a smile. “It’s not exactly a refusal, she didn’t agree in the first place, saying she was afraid the general would bully us.”
"Both of them? My fourth uncle can't be like that..."
The girls all laughed, and Lin Daiyu chimed in, "My third uncle can't, can he?"
"Well, before we even met, my family elders already felt it wasn't a good match."
The Li sisters breathed a sigh of relief and laughed, "Otherwise, we would have become elders."
Qiao Chutang suddenly said, "I heard your fourth uncle is forty?"
The Li sisters and Lin Daiyu spoke almost at the same time.
"My fourth/third uncle isn't that old. He's at most thirty."
After she finished speaking, the three girls who knew the truth laughed together. Lin Daiyu added, "At twenty-seven, she looked haggard when she first came back."
"I won!" Meng Lexi placed the last stone on the pebble.
Lin Daiyu laughed and said, "You ambushed us while we were chatting."
“How could this be a sneak attack? This is your third uncle helping me.” Meng Lexi said, laughing as she spoke, “Thank you, third uncle.”
As the group was laughing together, the sound of gongs and drums suddenly rang out outside. Li Yilan said, "The opera troupe is about to start. This opera troupe is the one that Prince Zhongshun often uses, the best opera troupe in the entire capital."
Except for Lin Daiyu, all the other girls were eagerly anticipating it. But it wasn't a big problem; no one here would laugh at her for not knowing.
"Did King Chungsun have a deep understanding of opera?"
“King Chungshun’s household kept three opera troupes.”
"The best actress in the entire capital is also from his family, Qi Guan'er, but she no longer performs. The best one now is Zhi Guan'er, who is also from his family."
Now Lin Daiyu heard about it. Qi Guan'er, isn't that the same Qi Guan'er as Bao Yu?
They made their way to the upper level of the stage, but the performance hadn't started yet.
Because two eunuchs who had been keeping a low profile came out to deliver the imperial decree.
The timing of the imperial decree was also very important, so at the perfect moment, the two chief eunuchs in the palace stood up at the same time.
"Feng—" The two exchanged a glance. How to put it? Colleagues are enemies.
However, Dai Quan yielded first. He knew that the emperor wanted to appoint the Earl of Zhongyong as the Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Camp, and he knew that the Emperor Emeritus's favor could never surpass that of the Emperor himself. If he were to announce the decree from behind, he would only make a complete fool of himself.
He smiled at Quan Furen, who was quite good at serving people, though a little lacking in ambition. But he had been the steward for many years, so he smiled and said, "Please, Eunuch Dai."
After reading the Emperor Emeritus's decree, Eunuch Dai summarized it as: Mu Chuan was to serve as a supervisor at the imperial mausoleum for a period of time.
The retired emperor has been in power for over a decade, and his tomb has long been completed. Now, those who are supervising the construction are just getting a gilded title. When the retired emperor passes away, these people will all be promoted one rank.
Mu Chuan accepted the imperial decree and said, "Please rest assured, Eunuch Dai, I will set off in the next few days."
Grandpa Dai also smiled and said, "Let's talk about it after we've dealt with things at home."
Ke Yuanqing's eyelids twitched. Well, the general was going to the imperial mausoleum to supervise the construction, and the incident happened at this time, so it was a natural shield for him.
Oh no, I can't call it a talisman, it's more like the other side's natural sin plus three levels.
They were already incredibly talented, and then they had extraordinary luck on top of that... It's truly heartbreaking to hear.
After Eunuch Dai finished announcing the decree, Eunuch Quan began again.
Although General Ning, the commander of the Northern Camp, has submitted several memorials requesting to retire and return to his hometown, this is the Capital Camp. To become the commander of one of the five major camps of the Capital Camp, one's ability is secondary; they must all be the emperor's confidants.
Ah... Although I am only a first-class earl for now, and my life is over, it is really hard to say what the future holds.
If he doesn't make any mistakes while serving as the Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Camp for at least three to five years, his rank will be promoted by one level.
Wait a minute, and then there's the Emperor Emeritus's... Even if he's only promoted from First-Class Earl to Third-Class Duke, and then from Third-Class Duke to First-Class Duke, he's not even thirty yet. Does that mean he won't make any more contributions later?
On the second floor of the stage, Li Yilan said with a smile, "I have to go and congratulate Fourth Uncle in a while."
The two eunuchs didn't leave after delivering the decree. Firstly, since the other party hadn't left, they had to stay. Secondly, the emperor/retired emperor had also said to relax and keep a close eye on things, and not to let anyone cause trouble at my Qiao Yue/General's banquet.
The grand show was about to begin.
This opera troupe is indeed quite different from the Jia family's opera troupe. The Jia family's opera troupe is good at singing, but this troupe has its own style.
Lin Daiyu suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. Back in the Rongguo Mansion, she had heard her maternal grandmother and second aunt say that when going out, they were always either very careful or worried about being looked down upon, as if the outside world was full of storms. But Sister Feng didn't say these things often, and she quite liked going out.
Now she came out, only to find that there was neither wind nor rain outside, and everyone was very friendly and—
"melon seeds?"
Torreya nuts.
"You have quite the appetite."
"You don't want it?"
"I like to eat this too."
It's really different.
Shi Xiangyun was clearly engaged, but after several years, apart from the fact that her future husband was a man, there was no other news.
It's as if a girl's use of the word "man" implies she's breaking the rules.
But people outside are not like that. Everyone is quite normal, and there aren't so many rules to follow that make life difficult for them.
They even teased her third uncle—no, I mean her third brother—and everyone was very happy.
This was only her first time going out, and Lin Daiyu was already looking forward to the second time.
"The opera troupe is really good."
"Of course, when it comes to eating, drinking and having fun, there is nothing that King Chungsun is not good at."
"I'll ask my third uncle to hire this opera troupe too."
After listening to the two speeches, Lin Daiyu also went to change her clothes, but when she saw Zijuan's nervous expression, she actually had the idea of running away.
Lin Daiyu quickly said, "They are still waiting for me," and hurriedly left.
Unfortunately, the days are short in winter, and it was only early afternoon when people began to say goodbye.
Lin Daiyu thought that Rongguo Mansion was close by, so she could listen to a couple more plays before leaving. However, the thought of going back to Rongguo Mansion and being questioned with apparent concern and subjected to subtle and overt comparisons made her restless and unwilling to go back.
"Are you thinking of leaving?" Song Qingfu whispered in her ear, "These two plays aren't very good, but men like them and order them every time. It would be better to see a few different ones. There are many banquets coming up before the New Year. Next time I'll treat you, and you can't refuse."
The next person was Li Yilan. There was an opera troupe performing below. She couldn't hear what they were saying very clearly, but she heard "it's time to leave." She said, "It is indeed about time. I'll go and ask someone to invite Fourth Uncle."
Lin Daiyu was both amused and exasperated, but it was indeed time to go back.
Someone went to inform her maid, while someone else went to call Mu Chuan. Soon, the two met in the small hall next to the screen wall.
"Third Uncle, the Empress's niece is quite nice, not at all like—"
"What did you call me?" Mu Chuan's incredulous tone was almost heartbreaking.
"Ah!" Lin Daiyu covered her eyes, surprised that she had exclaimed. She was a little afraid to look at her third brother's expression.
"Third Brother, it's Third Brother!" Lin Daiyu emphasized, but her hand was still raised, her fair and pink palm making one want to scratch it.
“They all call you Fourth Uncle, so I can’t exactly call you Third Brother, can I? Otherwise, wouldn’t I be an older generation and become someone’s aunt for no reason? I’m not even as old as them.”
"Third Brother..."
After a long silence, Lin Daiyu became a little nervous. She peeked at Mu Chuan through her fingers and saw that his expression was normal, and he even seemed to be smiling. She knew that she had probably passed the test.
Third Brother is such a good person. He treats her well and never gets angry.
But he still had to put on an act, otherwise his time to beg for mercy would be too short, and the third brother would lose face.
Lin Daiyu quickly covered her eyes again: "Third Brother, you said you would take all the blame, so you can't scold me."
Lin Daiyu's voice grew softer and softer: "Good Third Brother, I was wrong. Please forgive me this time. I won't do it again next time."
"Fine, then, Uncle Three it is." This time, he genuinely laughed.
Lin Daiyu then lowered her hand, her expression earnest to an exaggerated degree: "Third Brother, it's Third Brother! If anyone calls you Third Uncle again, I'll get angry with them!"
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Author's note: I want to defend the male protagonist.
He was tall, imposing, handsome, and had a strikingly beautiful face with well-defined features.
Most importantly, he has a body of perfect muscles that can make even the most indifferent woman unable to resist raising the corners of her mouth.
Eight-pack abs, full pectoral muscles, and firm, perky glutes!
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