0038 Jade Exquisite (Part 4)
After the imperial banquet was reheated and served, Li Qiao ate a few bites hastily. Seeing the thin moon hanging outside, he asked Madam Li for leave.
Madam Li could not persuade him to stay any longer, so she said to Shu Wei, "It's already dark outside. Wei'er, take a lantern and escort the Prince to the gate of the mansion."
Upon hearing this, Shu Wei stood up, bowed to the person in the seat of honor, and then walked outside with Li Qiao.
After Li Qiao left, Madam Li glanced at the people in the room and said indifferently, "Alright, there's no need for so many maids to serve you in the room. Leave a few useful ones behind, and the rest of you can go and have some fun. Go to the kitchen and ask for some food to share in the festive atmosphere."
The younger maids immediately cheered, but because Madam Li and Madam Luo were still sitting in the hall, they couldn't show too much excitement. However, their bows and farewells became noticeably lighter.
A-Jian was somewhat tempted, but then she thought that she was now the young lady's personal maid, and should be the kind of "useful person" that Madam Li had mentioned. Therefore, she suppressed her feelings and stood behind Shu Fu with her head down.
Unexpectedly, Shu Fu saw through her thoughts, turned her head and winked at her: "I don't need anyone to serve me here, you can go and rest by yourself."
“But, young lady…” A-Jian was still a little hesitant.
"It's alright. I'll take the lanterns back to the Spring Festival Gala Building after I finish eating. You can go back after you've had your fun."
Having confirmed that Shu Fu meant what she said, A Jian happily bowed to her, then turned and ran out joyfully.
Not long after A-Jian left, Shu Mingde came in from outside, walking side by side with Shu Wei.
Shu Fu frowned almost imperceptibly, feeling that something was strange, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
When Luo saw that Shu Mingde was late, she couldn't help but scold him, "The Prince just left and you came right after. If you had come a moment earlier, you might have been able to speak with the Prince."
Shu Mingde bowed to each of the people in the room before answering Luo's question. He straightened his expression and said solemnly, "Although I study for the purpose of taking the imperial examinations, I also want to strive for it through my own abilities. I have never had the idea of currying favor with the powerful. Moreover, before class ended today, the teacher asked me a question, and I finally had some ideas, so I went straight to my study as soon as I got back. I did not deliberately avoid the Prince."
After a long silence, Madam Li finally spoke. She clapped her hands and said, "Young Master is right. The children of the Shu family should have such spirit and determination. Madam Luo, you shouldn't be so narrow-minded."
These words made it sound as if she were a sycophantic opportunist, and that only Madam Li was a righteous and upright elder.
She didn't say that when she threatened her with Shu Mingde's career advancement and forbade her from supporting Afu!
Luo was filled with unbearable frustration, but she forced a smile: "Yes, Aunt is right. I was just too naive."
Earlier, everyone felt uncomfortable eating because Prince Li Qiao of Wuwei was present. Now that Li Qiao has left, the Shu family has resumed the banquet.
After paying his respects to his elders, Shu Mingde naturally followed Shu Wei and took his seat. Only after they were seated did he belatedly realize—
In the past, he would sit with his older sister, Shufu, at these family banquets.
Shu Mingde looked up and met the bewildered and hurt expression in Shu Fu's eyes.
He hesitated for a moment, then walked around to Shufu's side, bent his knees and sat down beside her, deciding to explain things to her.
“Sister,” Shuming pulled on Shufu’s sleeve hanging by her side and said in a low voice, “I happened to run into my elder sister on my way here after she had seen off a guest, so I came in with her and we naturally ended up sitting together.”
He paused for a moment: "Besides, my elder sister is a very good person. She not only takes care of us younger siblings, but she is also very talented! The question that the teacher left me with just now was given to me by my elder sister."
“Elder sister, I know roughly what has happened these past few days. It seems that some misunderstandings at the Xu family's Spring Festival banquet have caused you to have a rift with your elder sister. But your elder sister is a really good person, and you shouldn't have any prejudice against her…”
"You came all this way just to tell me this?" Shu Fu suddenly spoke, interrupting him.
Shu Mingde was taken aback, then felt somewhat embarrassed and annoyed.
Why is she angry for no reason? He didn't do anything wrong.
She's the older sister, but isn't the eldest sister also an older sister?
He only sat with his elder sister once and said a few nice words for her, so who is she giving him this cold look?
Shu Mingde stood up abruptly and said coldly, "If Second Sister doesn't want to hear me speak, then I won't say anything."
After saying that, he turned to leave. After taking two steps, he suddenly turned back and said to Shu Fu, "In my opinion, Second Sister is indeed not as gentle as Eldest Sister. No wonder Grandmother used to favor Eldest Sister."
Shu Fu looked at him in disbelief, and suddenly felt a chill in her heart.
Is this still the obedient and clingy younger brother she remembers?
There are four siblings in the family, and they are the only ones who were born to the same father and mother. Their relationship has been extraordinary since childhood.
Mother is frail, and Father is preoccupied with government affairs.
Since she was old enough to understand, she had helped her parents take care of Shu Mingde a lot. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Shu Mingde was raised by her. How could he bear to say such a thing to her?
Shu Fu pursed her lips, and a sudden surge of intense soreness welled up in her eyes, as if someone had ripped out her tender heart and liver, ravaged it, and then mercilessly thrown it back into her heart.
She glanced around the hall.
Madam Li called Shu Wei to her side, and the two of them sat together, talking about something. A long-lost smile appeared on the old lady's usually calm face.
Madam Luo turned her head and gave instructions to Granny Li. The two places were not far apart, and she could clearly hear Madam Luo carefully instructing her: "Young Master is young and has a lot of schoolwork. I'm afraid he won't be able to sleep at night. Go and heat up some milk for him in advance, and have someone deliver it to his room tonight."
Shu Fu paused for a moment, her gaze finally settling on Shu Yin, who was standing in the corner like a transparent person.
Shu Yin seemed to sense something, and her movement of stuffing the flame into the handkerchief paused.
She looked up and met Shu Fu's gaze, gave a slightly embarrassed smile, but didn't stop what she was doing.
Shu Yin is not a person with a strong appetite. In fact, in order to maintain her slim figure, she used to eat very little even when she was eating a full meal, let alone bring sweet pastries home to eat.
After a moment's thought, Shu Fu understood who she had given it to.
However, it was Aunt Yu who couldn't possibly be there.
She leaned back, suddenly feeling utterly bored. It was as if everyone in the world had something or someone they cared about, while she was the only one drifting aimlessly on the sidelines.
Shu Fu let out a breath, stood up, apologized to Madam Li and Madam Luo, and then left Qichuan Hall.
Madam Li readily agreed, and Madam Luo only frowned slightly before letting her go.
Shu Fu left Qichuan Hall, and her body gradually disappeared into the deep night.
She had no lamp in her hand and could only rely on the sparse moonlight filtering through the trees and the scattered lights on the brick path to barely see.
Halfway down the road, Shu Fu still managed to prick her foot on a small pebble.
She staggered a couple of times to regain her balance, and then heard someone call out urgently behind her.
"Second Miss—"
Shu Fu turned around to look, and just then the clouds parted and the moon became brighter, allowing her to see the other person's face clearly.
"Second Miss, you didn't fall, did you? I saw that you seemed to have tripped over something. I wanted to help you up, but I was carrying things in both hands and couldn't get them off."
Aunt Yu extended her two slender arms for her to see clearly. Sure enough, one hand held a lamp, while the other arm draped a half-new pink Suzhou-embroidered rabbit fur cloak.
Her eyes were filled with worry, and her delicate brows were slightly furrowed; her concern seemed genuine.
Shufu smiled and curtsied to her.
"Hello, Aunt Yu."
"Second Miss, you mustn't," Aunt Yu's expression changed slightly, revealing a hint of anxiety. "I am but a lowly woman, how can I accept such courtesy from you, Miss?"
Shu Fu greeted her only because she was her father's concubine, and thus considered her elder. If she were to shamelessly accept the greeting, she would be utterly ungrateful.
Aunt Yu stepped aside to avoid Shu Fu's greeting, hesitated for a while, and then timidly asked, "Second Miss came out early... but I wonder if Third Miss is still inside having her meal?"
She smiled sheepishly, "I was afraid it would be chilly at night, so I brought her a cloak. But I didn't know when you would finish eating, so I stood outside for a while."
Shu Fu withdrew her gaze from the old cloak: "Third Sister is still inside, and it will probably be a while before she is done. Aunt Yu, why don't you entrust the cloak to the servants in the hall? When Third Sister comes out, it will naturally be handed over to her."
"Second Miss's idea is good, but I haven't seen Third Miss for several days and I'm always thinking about her, so I wanted to take this opportunity to see her." Aunt Yu's eyes darkened and her tone suddenly dropped.
Shu Fu recalled how Shu Yin had wrapped the pastries in a handkerchief earlier, and seeing how much Aunt Yu cared for Shu Yin, she couldn't help but feel a little envious.
She softened her voice and said earnestly, "Don't worry, Aunt Yu, Third Sister always keeps you in her heart. If I'm not mistaken, Third Sister will definitely go to Aunt Yu's courtyard tonight to look for you."
———
Ahhhhh, this long storyline is finally over! Now we can start writing the romance scenes (tears).
There probably won't be such long storylines anymore; they'll be more evenly distributed in the future. (￣▽￣～)
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