Chapter 142 Strange Events
Meng Lingge cautiously took two steps back and asked tentatively, "Big cousin, what kind of trouble have you gotten into this time? Why do you need to go to such lengths to coax me into taking the blame? But I'm not the Lingge I was four years ago, and I won't fall for your tricks again."
Both sides are intelligent people.
Meng Lingge knew, of course, that was not what Du Yuanhua meant.
Du Yuanhua, of course, understood Meng Lingge's tactful refusal.
They were cousins, and for his cousin to directly reject him would make him lose face, and it would be difficult to avoid awkwardness if they met again. So his cousin jokingly turned him down; she wasn't falling for his trick, she was rejecting his feelings.
He had mustered up his courage for many days, and this was the first time in his life he had taken the initiative. Although it wouldn't necessarily lead to a lifelong introverted personality, he still couldn't avoid feeling sad.
But Meng Lingge had already tried her best to protect his self-esteem, and if he pressed further, it would only make things more awkward for both of them.
Du Yuanhua's smile looked more like a grimace.
“My cousin has grown up and is indeed not easy to fool anymore. But she has taken the blame for me so many times before, and I still owe her a lot of favors, which I will definitely have to pay back slowly in the future.”
“Of course,” Old Madam Du chimed in. “Cousins should help each other out. If Lingge ever needs your help, Grandmother won’t stand for it if you don’t.”
"I know you're busy with business, so you should retire early. Take care of your mother yourself, and don't let her get angry every day, as if everyone owes her something."
Seeing that Du Yuanhua's eyes were red, Old Madam Du was worried that her eldest grandson would burst into tears, but she was too lazy to comfort him.
They then prepared to send him away, telling him to go back to his room and cry.
Then, remembering the matter of the First Madam, he didn't forget to tell Du Yuanhua to comfort the First Madam and not to take his anger out on Meng Lingge when he was dismissing people.
"Then Yuanhua will not disturb Grandmother and Cousin any longer."
He rushed over with joy, only to leave dejected.
Meng Lingge never expected so many unexpected things to happen during her trip to Jiangnan. She had no intention of hurting her cousin, but she had no choice but to do so.
She already has a true love, so of course she can't give anyone else any expectations; this is her respect for relationships.
Madam Du said softly, "Lingge, you came to Jiangnan to celebrate my birthday and also to relax and have some fun. Don't let this affect your mood. Yuanhua isn't a bad person; he definitely won't hold a grudge against you just because you refused him. Now that you've resolved this issue, you should be happy."
My granddaughter is so beautiful that she easily attracts unwanted attention. Whether she likes it or not, or whether she takes the initiative, she can't avoid all sorts of trouble coming her way.
"Grandma is right. The happiest thing for Lingge is to spend more time with Grandma."
Meng Lingge also believed that her cousin would not turn love into hate, but she did not expect that this trip to Jiangnan would involve so many romantic entanglements, which would cause her a lot of trouble.
The grandfather and grandson chatted for a long time about the Meng and Du families, and it wasn't until lunchtime that they helped each other to the dining room.
When they arrived, the other masters of the Du family were already seated, but the old lady did not sit at the table, and no one else dared to touch their chopsticks.
During the meal, Meng Lingge greeted each of the elders in turn. Her cousins were very enthusiastic towards her, but her two aunts still looked rather unhappy.
Du Yuanhua wasn't there; he was said to be busy with business again.
Although her aunts didn't like Meng Lingge, they still took care of her since it was her first day there. Most of the dishes on the table were her favorites, and her two favorite dishes were specially placed in front of her seat.
With the warm hospitality of Madam Du and her cousins, the meal was quite enjoyable for both host and guests.
After the meal, Meng Lingge went to Juyunxuan, the courtyard where her mother lived before she got married. Whenever the mother and daughter came to the Du family, they would stay here.
This courtyard is bright and spacious, even more impressive than the courtyards where my two aunts live. It is also very well maintained, and it is clear that someone cleans it regularly. From the details of this courtyard, you can see my grandmother's favoritism towards my mother.
After resting for a while on the soft couch in her bedroom, Meng Lingge, along with two maids, carried the gifts she had brought from the capital and delivered them to each member of the Du family.
The Du family is not short of money, but what they buy themselves has a different meaning than what others give them.
Moreover, each of Du Shiyin's gifts was prepared according to the recipient's preferences, truly touching everyone's hearts. The joy of the cousins upon receiving the gifts goes without saying, and the smiles on the faces of the two aunts also became more genuine.
Meng Lingge originally thought that her relationship with her two aunts could be peaceful, and that she could get by with a smile when they met. She thought she could get by in Jiangnan.
The next day, her two aunts suddenly became warm and attentive to her.
The eldest aunt's face was practically frozen with smiles, while the second aunt ran around doing everything for her, getting her precious fabrics to make new clothes and having her cousins take her to the flower market.
It wasn't until noon that she figured out the reason.
Du Yuanhua let Qiaoling stay overnight in his room yesterday.
Perhaps knowing that Du Yuanhua no longer intended to marry her, the two aunts breathed a sigh of relief, and all the resentment they had accumulated towards her vanished.
This is really good news.
This is a good thing for Qiaoling, her older cousin, her aunt, and Meng Lingge.
My cousin is truly a man who can take things in stride.
Meng Lingge had heard from her grandmother that Du Yuanhua had liked her for many years, and she thought it would take him some time to accept it, but she didn't expect him to recover so quickly.
Meng Lingge was genuinely happy for him.
Since her two aunts' attitudes towards Meng Lingge improved, Meng Lingge has become the center of attention in the Du family, enjoying widespread popularity.
Her older and younger cousins would ask her to play almost every day. Whenever anyone in the Du family got something new, they would send it to Juyunxuan first. Even her maternal grandmother complained that she was spending less and less time with her.
The days of comfort and ease always pass quickly. In the blink of an eye, Meng Lingge had been at the Du family for almost half a month, and soon it would be her grandmother's birthday.
However, two strange things happened in succession on this day.
First, Chen Luo rode Hongying out to buy items for Meng Lingge. In the short time it took to shop, Hongying, which was parked outside the shop, was poisoned and died tragically at the shop entrance without even making a sound.
Hongying came from the capital with Meng Lingge and her group. They had spent more than ten days together and had developed a special affection for this rather intelligent horse. Upon hearing this terrible news, they were all furious and wanted to find out who had poisoned Hongying.
However, at that time, Old Madam Du's birthday banquet had already begun, and the mansion was filled with guests from all sides. Meng Lingge could not ruin the atmosphere because of Hongying's matter, so she had to put the matter aside for the time being and deal with it after her maternal grandmother's birthday.
However, when Meng Lingge arrived at the banquet and was about to celebrate her grandmother's birthday with her cousins, she suddenly discovered that Dongqing was missing.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
