Chapter 15 Blind Date
Without Madam Zhu's knowledge, none of the Yu family members noticed the handsome young man following behind her.
The boy was of medium height and wore a moon-white silk robe with a dark blue orchid pattern, cinched at the waist with a black leather belt inlaid with jade, which made his waist appear slender and strong.
Looking closely, his face is quite delicate, with a complexion like white jade, long and narrow eyebrows that are slightly upturned, bright eyes like stars, a high nose bridge, and thin lips with a light red hue.
Yu Mingshu inexplicably felt that he looked very well-behaved, like a top student from a single-parent family in junior high school who grew up with his mother. He looked like a boy who was good at studying but not good at socializing.
"Yishan greets Auntie." Zhu Yishan took a few steps closer and gave Wu Qiuniang a proper bow.
Wu Qiuniang said with satisfaction, "In the blink of an eye, Liulang has grown up so much. I heard that he will also take the provincial examination next year. If he can pass the examination, your Zhu family will have three Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations)."
Madam Zhu smiled even more broadly, patted her youngest son on the shoulder and said, "Then I will take your kind words, sister-in-law, and hope that my sixth son can live up to expectations and hold another banquet on this day next year!"
Zhu Yishan, however, was somewhat shy and said with shame, "Mother and Aunt really think too highly of me. My elder brother studied hard for twenty years before passing the imperial examination. How could I possibly pass it in one go?"
Wu Qiuniang was afraid that he would feel pressured by this, so she quickly softened her tone and comforted him: "You are only sixteen years old and you can participate in the provincial examination. You are already much better than ordinary people. If it were my Sanlang, it would be unknown whether he could even take the exam at the age of twenty-six."
Yu Dan remained silent and was instead scolded. He lowered his head, pursed his lips, and sighed inwardly: I should have known better than to come back.
After exchanging pleasantries, Madam Zhu was busy receiving other guests, so she asked Zhu Yishan to lead the three members of the Yu family to the front courtyard to take their seats.
“Auntie, our two families have a very close relationship. My mother specially arranged seats in the front for you and your younger siblings.” Zhu Yishan led the three of them to the round table at the very front.
Yu Mingshu noticed that a woman holding a child was already sitting at the table behind her. The woman's clothes were not particularly luxurious, but upon closer inspection, one could tell that the materials of her clothes were of excellent quality.
The child in her arms looked to be six or seven years old, a lively and active age, but confined to a small space by the woman, he was inevitably restless, tapping the table one moment and fiddling with the lid of the teacup the next. The woman would occasionally frown and scold him in a low voice, but to no avail.
Zhu Yishan noticed that Yu Mingshu's gaze was on the child, and took the initiative to introduce her: "This is my ninth younger brother, Yiheng."
“So it’s Ninth Prince.” Yu Mingshu understood.
The woman's attire did not resemble that of a wet nurse or other servant, so she must be Zhu Jiulang's birth mother and Zhu Yuanwai's concubine.
While Zhu Yishan was being called away by a guest, Yu Dan whispered in his sister's ear, "Master Zhu is really good at having children."
Yu Mingshu nodded vigorously in agreement. Given the Zhu family's tradition of having many children, she would never agree to marry into their family.
Zhu Yishan returned quickly, carrying a plate of pink pastries.
He placed the pastries in front of Yu Mingshu and said gently, "Mother said that my sister loves the peach blossom pastries from Lianxiangzhai the most, so she specially prepared a few today and asked me to bring them to entertain her. Miss Yu, please try them. Do they still taste the same as before?"
Yu Mingshu stared at the delicate pink lotus-shaped pastries on the plate, but she didn't have much of an appetite. However, Zhu Yishan's gaze was too earnest, and his words were too polite. If she didn't eat them, it would be somewhat disrespectful to the Zhu family.
"Please thank Aunt for your kindness on my behalf, but I am dressed in such elaborate attire today that I am afraid of soiling my dress and smudging my lipstick. Could you please ask someone in your household to wrap up these peach blossom pastries so that I can take them back to enjoy?" To come up with these words, she used all the emotional intelligence she had ever possessed.
“There are two or three more portions in the kitchen. I’ll have the servants pack one separately and have the young lady take it back later.” Zhu Yishan’s tone was calm, without the slightest displeasure. “Just leave this plate on the table.”
Wu Qiuniang secretly observed the two men's words and actions. Yishan was a handsome and well-educated young man, gentle and polite. What was wrong with such a young man? However, Yu Mingshu had obvious resistance in his eyes, and it was clear that he was not satisfied with this marriage.
She didn't want to force her daughter to marry a man she didn't like, and she was also unwilling to miss out on the Zhu family, whom she knew so well as potential in-laws.
Marriage is a serious matter and requires careful consideration. Marrying down makes one vulnerable to being schemed against and exploited by the husband's family, while marrying up makes one more susceptible to being criticized and tormented by the husband's family. If she were not a son of the Zhu family, she would never be able to truly feel at ease no matter what social class she married into.
This is really worrying.
Madam Zhu's voice came from not far away. Wu Qiuniang and Yu Mingshu both looked over and saw Madam Zhu leading another family of three, young and old, towards their table.
The old man walking in the middle was clearly Yang Congen.
Yu Mingshu was startled, but Yu Dan was even more surprised.
What could be more terrifying than encountering the principal at a banquet?
Yu Mingshu reacted faster, stood up and greeted Yang Congen: "Master Yang."
Wu Qiuniang and she stood up almost simultaneously and greeted each other in unison. Only Yu Dan was a beat behind, awkwardly standing up to say hello on his own.
Yu Mingshu quickly realized that since Zhu Yuanwai and Yu Zhui were candidates in the same year, and Yang Gong was Yu Zhui's mentor, he could naturally also be Zhu Yuanwai's mentor.
Given how adept Zhu was at networking with influential people, how could he possibly forget his mentor when hosting a banquet for his guests?
What she was most curious about now was the boy that Lady Yang was leading. The child was walking unsteadily and looked to be only two or three years old. Could he be Lady Yang's grandson?
“This is the eldest grandson of Yang Gong’s eldest son. I heard that he could recognize characters at the age of two and recite poems at the age of three. He is known as a child prodigy,” Yu Dan answered her question.
"Really?" Upon hearing this, Yu Mingshu looked at the child with the pigtails sticking up in the air again.
"Please sit down." Yang Congen's gaze swept over everyone, and he was filled with emotion. Since Yu Zhui's death, he had not met with the younger generation of both families for a long time.
The group helped Yang Congen and his wife to their seats. Wu Qiuniang and Madam Zhu chatted with him about the past, while Yu Mingshu's attention remained on the child.
The child had been staring at the peach blossom pastries on the plate ever since they were served, his big, bright eyes filled with longing for the food.
Seeing him reach for the pastries, while Madam Yang was engrossed in her conversation and didn't notice what was happening, Yu Mingshu couldn't help but step in to stop him, pressing down the child's restless hand.
This action immediately drew the attention of the elders, who all looked at her with puzzled expressions.
Yu Mingshu had no choice but to explain, "These pastries are very dry, and children have narrow esophagi. I'm afraid he'll choke."
Madam Yang patted her grandson's hand and scolded him with a laugh, "You have no manners at all. You want to grab and taste everything you see. People will think you're starving at home."
Children don't understand rules. Once they see something they like, they'll try every means to get it and stuff it into their mouths.
Madam Zhu rolled up her sleeves and moved the plate of lotus-shaped pastries a little further away. Then she said to Yu Mingshu, "Mingshu, you haven't been here since our family moved to this house, have you? It's no fun having you sit here listening to the elders gossip. Why don't we have Liulang take you for a stroll in the garden?"
Wu Qiuniang also said, "Sister-in-law is very thoughtful. I think Sanlang has been itching to go out and about for a long time."
Yu Mingshu didn't even have a chance to refuse before the elders sent her to take a walk in the garden.
This wasn't about keeping her bored; it was clearly about getting her to spend more time with Zhu Yishan.
The people of Daliang are still too open-minded.
To be fair, the Zhu family residence was quite beautiful.
Although the garden is small, it has a winding pond with a stone arch bridge over it. Under the bridge arch, there are schools of koi carp, and there is an artificial hill on the bank with flowers blooming at its foot. The scenery is elegant and no less than that of famous gardens.
Yu Mingshu's gaze fell on the plump koi fish, while Zhu Yishan's eyes lingered on the hem of her skirt.
“Miss Yu, the last time I saw you you were still a child. Today I suddenly find that you have grown into a graceful and elegant woman, with the appearance of an immortal. I really dare not recognize you.”
Yu Mingshu turned around and saw that Zhu Liulang's ears were slightly red. What an innocent young man!
She politely returned the compliment: "I see that Brother Yishan is also handsome and refined, clearly a scholar."
Zhu Yishan suppressed his lip and said softly, "After Uncle Yu left, I heard that your family moved to Yong'an Ward in the west of the city?"
“Yes.” Yu Mingshu nodded.
Are the neighbors in Yong'anfang easy to get along with?
"They are all ordinary women from the city. Most of them like to listen to trivial matters and join in the fun, but they are not bad at heart."
"So... what do you usually do at home?"
Faced with this basic question about matchmaking, Yu Mingshu remained silent for a few seconds before saying, "When I have nothing to do, I read in my father's study."
Zhu Yishan's eyes lit up. "So you also enjoy reading! I was worried you'd think I was a boring bookworm!"
As he spoke, he stopped and looked directly into Yu Mingshu's eyes, asking with great interest, "What books has Sister Shu been reading lately? Could you tell me?"
Yu Mingshu regretted it; she seemed to have inadvertently opened Zhu Liulang's heart.
She glanced at Yu Dan, whose face was beaming with excitement, swallowed the Book of Rites that was about to be uttered, and changed her words, saying, "I recently came across a storybook called 'Strange Cases of Ancient and Modern Times,' which is quite interesting."
Yu Dan looked at her with a puzzled expression.
Yu Mingshu used her eyes to threaten him into shutting up.
Zhu Yishan's smile froze on his face, and it took him a long time to realize what book she had mentioned.
Although he was puzzled, he still politely said, "I didn't expect Miss Yu to like reading this kind of book. If I see similar stories in the future, I will definitely send them to you."
"Then I thank you in advance, brother," Yu Mingshu replied perfunctorily.
Before Zhu Yishan could finish strolling through the garden with Yu Mingshu and her brother, he was summoned away by a graceful maid, who said she was going to help out in the front yard.
Yu Dan exclaimed from the bottom of his heart, "Sister, Zhu Liulang is really attentive to you."
Yu Mingshu scoffed, "Men are always attentive when pursuing women, but once they get married, they may not remain so. Anyone who believes this trick is doomed."
Yu Dan hesitated and said, "But his eyes are quite sincere, not fake."
Yu Mingshu scoffed: "In public, Zhou Changchun also showed great care for the Sun family."
Yu Dan was speechless for a long time before muttering softly, "Alright, what my elder sister said makes sense."
The two slowly turned back to the front yard, and when they were about ten steps apart, they suddenly heard the woman's anxious cries.
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