porcelain vase
On the way, Yun Xiuxiao talked with Qin Lan about what he saw and heard in Cang County. The girl Xiao Ai sat beside them, drinking tea silently with her eyes lowered, occasionally looking at the sword tassel in her hand.
The light and shadows in the window passed over the night scene of Liangdu City with its twinkling lights. Xiao Yingzhu sat opposite her, leaning his head lazily, and they looked at the moon together.
He only used an ink hairpin to lightly tie up his long hair when he went out today. The wind outside the bamboo curtain blew up the edge of the curtain slightly, and the moonlight and lights scattered into the room. The black hair that passed through his fingertips was as soft as a feather, leaving a faint itch.
The laughter nearby wasn't loud, but in the silence between her and Xiao Yingzhu, it seemed to be magnified countless times, making the stillness even more apparent. An invisible barrier seemed to separate the five people into two groups.
I drank a little too much cold tea in the afternoon, and the acrid bitter taste seemed to still linger in my throat. Now I replaced it with the sweet Dragon Ball. Even though I knew how valuable it was, I couldn't help but feel a little reluctant in my heart. I always felt bloated, so I politely declined the teacup that was handed to me by the other side.
Because Xiao Yingzhu was sitting opposite her, her eyes never left the window. At this moment, she could see Xiao Yingzhu's slender hands holding the cup opposite her. Her hands, which were lightly placed on her legs, always felt a little empty, so she clenched them slightly.
Fortunately, the carriage was moving fast, carrying the fresh breeze from the forest, and went straight downhill all the way, stopping not far from Jiang's house. The subtle silence between the two of them also eased a little because of the change of having to leave temporarily, and Jiang Nian immediately got up and went down from the other side.
She didn't know if it was because of the question just now, but she told the truth because she thought that Xiao Yingzhu was a little unhappy. From the time she came down the mountain until now, she felt that the relationship between the two of them was a bit awkward. When she lifted the curtain and went down, she didn't dare to look in Xiao Yingzhu's direction, and when she hurriedly got up, the corner of her eye only caught a hint of the cool moonlight as white as a spring.
Yunxiu was surprised to see Jiang Nian walking so fast, then turned around and quickly glanced at Xiao Yingzhu, then turned his head to whisper to Qin Lan.
"Miss Jiang's reaction seems a little strange. Did something happen while we were away?"
Xiao Yingzhu, who had been looking out the window, finally put down the teacup in her hand. The celadon cup touched the table with a sound that was neither light nor heavy.
The carriage became a little quiet. Qin Lan smiled and glanced at Yunxiu, who had immediately calmed down like a quail. He did not glance at Xiao Yingzhu's expression at the moment, but only looked thoughtfully at the dark celadon on the table, the edge of which was shining with the light from the outside lights.
The expressions of the two people when they greeted each other just now were a little different from before, and the conversation that followed also felt strange.
Everything was fine in the afternoon. What happened between the two of them before he came?
Qin Lan waited quietly for a moment, then looked up and saw Xiao Yingzhu lightly withdraw her hand, lean back in her chair, close her eyes and rest, then he looked at Yunxiu quietly again.
The two of them looked at each other as if their brain waves were connected, and they could both tell from each other's expressions that they were confused and curious about the gossip.
Xiao Yingzhu's temperament was usually unpredictable, and her mood wasn't easily revealed on her face. For others to sense the change now was already a significant reaction.
What could have caused Xiao Yingzhu to undergo such an obvious change in just half an hour?
…
Could it be that the aromatherapy hasn’t been sent out yet?
Considering Xiao Yingzhu's usual behavior, he secretly thought about his face, height, and IQ, and finally ruled out the possibility of "failed to send the gift" and started thinking again.
Qin Lan was busy thinking about things, and Yunxiu had no one to kill time with. Seeing Xiao Yingzhu in the dark, he was afraid that Xiao Yingzhu would still bear a grudge, so he quietly moved a little further away.
Everyone in the carriage had different thoughts. Among them, only the person who seemed to be isolated from the world, cut off from the subtle emotions around him, and just looked at the sword tassel with his eyes lowered, suddenly raised his head.
Ai, who had no interest in the nobleman's obscure and ambiguous feelings, looked up and saw that no one around was touching the snacks on the table. He seemed unaware of the strange atmosphere in the carriage caused by a certain lady, so he reached out and took a piece from the table and put it in his mouth.
After taking a few bites, he thought it would be good to add some water, so he added another dragon ball to his drink.
—
Perhaps because he was slow to warm up, Jiang Nian subconsciously raised the back of his hand and touched his cheek only after entering the gate of Jiang Mansion.
I don't know when it became warm and hot.
After the conversation in the evening, the relationship between me and Xiao Yingzhu became unclear, like a hazy cluster of fog, entangled with fine threads. With just the slightest movement, the hidden emotions would be pulled out from the depths of the obscure fog, leaving nowhere to hide.
I was obviously just joking with him occasionally as usual, so why did he suddenly become weird today?
Thinking of the change in his mood, Jiang Nian subconsciously blocked out the most clear and obvious answer and put it behind his mind.
The most important thing now is the war at hand.
After entering the Jiang Mansion and making sure that she was no longer visible from the carriage parked outside, Jiang Nian raised her slightly lowered head and tucked her slightly scattered hair behind her ear.
When they went to Qishan Mansion in the morning, they just said goodbye to Fuling casually and did not tell her the specific time of return. Now even if they knew where she went, they didn't know where to find her. It was getting late and they should be getting anxious.
After crossing the courtyard, he was about to go directly to his own yard to tell his two maids that he was going to attend a night banquet later, but he met Jiang's mother on the way.
Surprised to see Jiang's mother coming out of her courtyard, Jiang Nian immediately straightened his expression and bowed to Jiang's mother.
"Mother."
Jiang Mu's face was pale due to her long-term illness. When you stood closer to her, you could smell the bitter smell of medicine.
For some unknown reason, Mother Jiang seemed a little more tired today than usual. The maid serving her stepped forward and talked to Jiang Nian with a smile.
"This morning, Fuling said that the young lady had gone to Duke Xiao's residence. Madam expected you to return late, so she planned to visit the young lady in her courtyard later. But just as she stepped out of the door, thinking of looking for you later, she happened to run into you here."
Seeing the jade porcelain bottle in Jiang's mother's hand, Jiang Nian paused for a moment, then smiled softly.
"I need to discuss something with them later, so I was just about to go back to the wing room to explain to the maid, but I didn't expect to run into my mother here."
She glanced calmly at the bottle, and when she raised her eyes, there was some curiosity in them.
"Mother, did you come to visit me in your daughter's courtyard today because of this jade bottle?"
From the moment he first met Jiang's mother, Jiang Nian keenly caught a glimpse of the jade porcelain bottle. He kept thinking about it in his mind during the conversation, and only now found an opportunity to ask about it.
Just as the maid was about to answer, Mother Jiang raised her hand to gently stop her and replied to her gently.
"This jade porcelain bottle was entrusted to me by a distinguished young man when I went to the pharmacy to get medicine today. He said he would hand it to you personally."
The bottle was kept warm by Jiang's mother. Jiang Nian thanked her and took it. He lowered his eyes and turned the bottle mouth to observe this small jade porcelain bottle.
The jade porcelain is exquisite, but because it is small, it can be covered by closing the palm of your hand, so it is not conspicuous and is very convenient for conveying messages secretly.
She shook the jade porcelain bottle in her hand slightly, and heard the rustling sound, which sounded like ordinary granules of medicine.
During the time she'd been living in Huan Dynasty, she hadn't seen any of the original owner's friends come to visit her. Judging from her mother's tone, she knew they were strangers, so there weren't many people left who could hand over her things.
The mind immediately thought of the spy sent by Meng Jian. After turning his thoughts over several times, Jiang Nian raised his head, smiled gently at Jiang's mother, and briefly described Zhou Jinyu's face.
"…Is it him, Mother?"
Seeing Jiang's mother nod slightly, she immediately made up her mind and put away the jade porcelain bottle.
He was delayed for a while in Jiang's house because of the jade porcelain bottle. Now it was too late to go to the wing room to find Fuling Guizhi to explain that he would be back late. Jiang Nian was thinking of asking his mother to explain when he saw Jiang's mother suddenly stop in her tracks as she was about to leave.
"That distinguished young master also said... this was a 'sincerity of alliance'."
“…”
Jiang Nian was slightly startled, and he could hear the confusion in Jiang's mother's words. Then he changed his mind and naturally continued speaking along the lines of Zhou Jinyu's words.
"I previously discussed some business matters with him regarding the pharmacy, and he promised to send me a gift... I declined it earlier, but he unexpectedly returned the favor while I was away. I'm sorry for not taking good care of you and causing you trouble."
Mother Jiang stood outside the courtyard for a long time. The wind blew in the evening, and it was a bit cold outside. She was also tired, so she stopped asking questions and listened to Jiang Nian's additional words of advice. Finally, she returned to her own courtyard.
Watching the dim moonlight gradually blurring the figures of his mother and maid, Jiang Nian's gaze fell on the direction they left for a while, then lowered his eyes and looked at the jade porcelain bottle in his hand.
In the dark halo, it emits the clear light of茭白, which is particularly obvious in the hand.
During the previous conversation with Zhou Jinyu, except for the initial mention of the alliance, he didn't mention it again afterwards. Now he gave her a bottle of "sincerity of alliance", what did he want to convey?
He had come to the pharmacy openly before because Meng Jian had ordered him to do so, hoping to attract her attention so he could pass on the message to Xiao Yingzhu. And now, he had inexplicably given her a jade porcelain bottle. Could it be that Meng Jian had assigned him a new mission?
Xiao Yingzhu and the others were still waiting outside the Jiang Mansion. Jiang Nian always felt that Zhou Jinyu's purpose in giving her the jade porcelain bottle was not so simple, but she did not have more time to think about it carefully. She had already wasted a long time in the Jiang Mansion. She held the porcelain bottle, turned around, and left the Jiang Mansion again and returned to the carriage.
—
This time I went to Jiang's house and told Jiang's mother about my late return. I felt a lot more relaxed now, and I could avoid being questioned by others in the future.
The carriage stopped in the dark. She raised her hand and lifted the curtain. Everyone in the carriage shifted their gaze at the same time and looked in her direction.
The hand holding the curtain paused, Jiang Nian hesitated a little, looked around the car, paused at the side of Xiao Yingzhu's face in the dark, then quickly turned away as if burning, and spoke tentatively.
"What's wrong?"
Is it because I just wasted too much time at the Jiang Mansion?
Qin Lan looked like he had figured something out. Seeing Jiang Nian standing motionless outside the carriage, he pulled open the curtain and reached inside with his hand, a smile unclear in his eyes.
"No, no, we were just about to take a break before talking again. You've arrived at the perfect time. Let's go. By the time we get to Guanyue Tower, the food should be ready."
The curtain that he was holding fell free from his hand. He saw Qin Lan looking at him with a dark, inquiring look in his eyes. He then turned around and asked the driver to drive, but his eyes glanced at Xiao Yingzhu, and he felt a little doubtful.
Yunxiu, who was laughing happily just now, now restrained himself a little and became a little more serious. When he saw Jiang Nian, his expression was not as lively as when he pretended to be pitiful in the afternoon. He just glanced at her and turned away, his face showing a faint paleness.
Returning to his original seat, Jiang Nian was not planning to hand over the jade porcelain bottle to Xiao Yingzhu right away because he was facing him face to face, which created a somewhat awkward and subtle atmosphere. He would wait until the end of the evening banquet before giving it to him. Therefore, he considered the identities of the people in the carriage and finally set his sights on Yun Xiu.
"I noticed you looked a little pale just now. Are you feeling unwell?" He seemed fine when I got off the car.
After all, he was the one who would take over and assist his pharmacy for free. It was also thanks to him that he learned about the pharmacy's business situation after going to Cang County. He was also half a subordinate, so there would definitely not be much time for conversation and communication later.
Talking to him at this moment would not only give each other some trust and familiarity, but also temporarily avoid the subtle embarrassment of facing Xiao Yingzhu.
However, compared to the former, the latter is obviously the most important to her at the moment.
Yun Xiu was inexplicably called out by Jiang Nian. He raised his hand to touch his face, then looked down at the remote location where he was sitting. He immediately felt like a living target, with a faint sense of death as if his soul was about to float out of his body.
Meeting Jiang Nian's concerned eyes that didn't seem fake, Yun Xiu was speechless for a moment. Just when she was thinking of finding some excuse to prevaricate, Ai beside her stretched out his hand to Jiang Nian, looked at her indifferently and lightly, and handed her the pastry in his hand.
“This is delicious.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
