Chapter 48 Who is it?
Looking at Song Luoning, Xiao Yu felt a mix of emotions. Suddenly, even the pastries in his hand lost their appeal, and he tossed them onto the plate with a hint of disgust.
Song Luo Ning glanced at the half-eaten pastry on the plate and frowned slightly: "Does my husband not like this peach blossom pastry? Luo Ning will have someone bring another one."
Heh~
Xiao Yu scoffed lightly, smacked his lips, and didn't respond to her words: "My wife's money can come and go as it pleases."
"......"
Song Luo Ning blushed, realizing that Deng Tu Zi was thinking about what had happened before. He had indeed misunderstood her back then, and hadn't had a chance to explain afterward. She pursed her lips and said, "Husband, do you really not want it? If not, Luo Ning can put it away." She made a gesture to pull it back.
"Who said I don't want it?" Xiao Yu snatched the silver note before she could withdraw her hand, her gaze lingering on the number on it for a moment: one thousand taels.
The young lady is really generous, unlike me who only gives her a few taels of silver each time. I immediately felt very uncomfortable. I guess the young lady only accepted my small amount of silver because she was afraid of hurting my pride.
She's the young lady of the Prime Minister's mansion, and she can spend a thousand taels of silver in one go. Even when she asks someone to deliver a letter, the tip starts at one tael of silver. But I'm just a soul from another world, and I don't even have my own body. Where do I get the audacity to be angry with the young lady? Thinking of this, I immediately felt deflated and left with only a sense of powerlessness.
Why is it that other people who transmigrate live a life of luxury or have some kind of superpower, while I only have a low-end version of a random reward system, and the rewards are bizarre, mostly medicines, which are completely useless to me as a modern person in ancient times?
She paused for a moment, then pushed the silver note back, feeling a pang of sadness in her heart: "You should keep it, my wife. I don't really need the money."
Seeing her like this, Song Luoning felt a pang of sadness. Her fingers curled slightly, and after a long while, she nodded and said, "Alright, Luoning will keep it for now." She paused, then pursed her lips and continued, "Husband, come back to Luoning to get it if you need it."
The two were silent for a while. Xiao Yu didn't press her to ask why she lied to him about having no money, and Song Luoning didn't insist on giving her any more money.
Although nothing seemed to have happened between them, resentment had actually grown between them.
Xiao Yu felt lost about the future and had subtle emotions beyond her affection for the young lady, while Song Luo Ning seemed hesitant to speak.
Time passed quietly. After breakfast the next day, Chen Yu and the little maid insisted on going to the capital for a stroll. After discussing it, everyone decided to go out together, so that the trip to the capital would not be in vain. Since they were all women, the steward arranged a larger and more spacious carriage and assigned four attendants to protect them. On the surface, the four people looked like ordinary attendants, but in fact, they were all specially trained Imperial Guards who could fight against a hundred men.
The group boarded the carriage together. Song Luoning sat next to Xiao Yu, her body stiff. Both of them deliberately avoided touching each other, feeling very awkward.
The carriage moved slowly, passing through bustling streets. The noisy shouts of vendors came through the carriage walls. The little girl lifted the curtain and stared at the outside with curious eyes. Every now and then, some peddlers would stand by the roadside and shout at the carriage, "Miss, would you like to take a look? These are all rare and exotic items."
"This is much more lively than our town," the little girl exclaimed.
“How can a town compare to the capital?” Chen Yu nodded, and when she saw something new and interesting, she didn’t forget to turn around and share it with Jiang Wanrou.
Liang Chengqiu sat quietly with no expression on his face, only responding with a word or two when Chen Yu asked him a question.
When the disturbance started, the group got out of the car. Chen Yu helped Jiang Wanrou, with Liang Chengqiu by her side. They chatted and laughed, while Xiao Yu and Song Luoning followed behind in silence.
After walking for a while, Song Luoning felt her sleeve being tugged. Turning around to look in the direction of the force, she saw Xiao Yu's bright peach blossom eyes filled with grievance: "Wife, is there anything you want?"
Song Luo Ning's heart skipped a beat, her eyes trembled slightly, and she slowly shook her head, asking in return, "Where is my husband?"
Xiao Yu felt awkward, knowing that the young lady would definitely not be interested in these trinkets. Her gaze fell on the people in front of her. Chen Yu and the little maid had each bought a few things. Looking at herself and the young lady, she felt a pang of disappointment.
"I'd like to buy a round fan; the painting on it looks nice." Xiao Yu casually picked up a round fan from the stall and started playing with it. The fan surface was decorated with peach blossoms, with a blank area, and the painter had not inscribed any poems.
The stall owner said, "Young master has a good eye. This painting was made by Mr. Sui'an himself. It's a pity that it's missing a poem, but it's still a good thing to have Mr. Sui'an's painting."
Mr. Sui'an?
Xiao Yu was somewhat surprised. He carefully examined the painting. The peach blossoms on the fan were indeed lifelike, each with a different posture and expression. No two blossoms were the same, even if there were subtle differences. It was clear that the artist had put a lot of thought into the painting.
Seeing that she was looking at her intently, Song Luoning asked, "Does my husband like it?"
Xiao Yu came back to her senses and hummed in agreement. Judging from the stall owner's words, this Mr. Sui An should be quite famous. If it is an authentic work, it may have room for appreciation in the future.
"How much is this?" Xiao Yu asked, examining the fan from all angles.
The stall owner held up five fingers and chuckled, "Five taels of silver."
Five taels of silver? Xiao Yu was shocked, his gaze fixed on the round fan.
Isn't this robbery? A broken fan is worth five taels of silver? You know, five taels of silver is enough for an ordinary family's expenses for a year. Is it certain that buying this kind of fan for five taels of silver will appreciate in value?
Xiao Yu twitched the corner of his mouth and was about to put it down when he saw Song Luoning put down five taels of silver and say in a clear and melodious voice, "We'll take this."
? !
No, it's so expensive, why would Song Luoning buy it?
Before Xiao Yu could stop Song Luo Ning, the stall owner quickly collected the money, beaming, "Alright, Madam, is there anything else you need?"
"......"
"Wife, why did you pay so quickly..." Xiao Yu glanced at the stall owner, tugged at Song Luoning's hand, and lowered his voice.
The intense heat made Song Luoning pull her hand away. She pursed her lips to suppress her excitement, raised her head, and saw that the young man had a serious expression, his brows were slightly furrowed, and he seemed to want to say something but was afraid that others would hear. Song Luoning's heart softened, and a slight smile appeared on her lips. She explained, "Mr. Sui'an is indeed very famous in the capital. Judging from the style, it should be her original work without a doubt."
"Really?" Xiao Yu blinked.
“Well, I was fortunate enough to see Mr. Sui’an’s paintings once. If…” Song Luo Ning paused.
If what?
Xiao Yu bit her lip. This young lady really knew how to whet people's appetites. She stared at Song Luoning with bright, unblinking eyes. Song Luoning curled her fingers, looked away guiltily, took a deep breath, and continued, "If it's an authentic piece, it's worth a hundred taels."
One hundred taels?!
Xiao Yu was startled and immediately tempted. He swallowed hard, pulled the fan closer to his chest, and stared at the fan. He never dreamed that Mr. Sui An's painting would be so valuable. Although he couldn't be 100% sure it was genuine, all investments are risky. Great men don't concern themselves with trifles. It's just five taels of silver, isn't it? If he didn't even have that much courage, wouldn't he be very likely to miss out on this hundred taels?
Furthermore, these peach blossoms are so lifelike that even if they are not Mr. Sui'an's original work, it would be a huge loss to buy them for personal enjoyment, especially since the young lady herself said that they are very likely to be genuine.
Song Luoning couldn't help but find it a little funny to see her conflicted yet relieved expression.
"Have you thought it through, my husband?"
"Hmm, this peach blossom is painted quite well."
Xiao Yu put away his fan, and Song Luo Ning pursed her lips with a faint smile. The two walked side by side, a delicate fragrance spreading around them. Xiao Yu took the opportunity to support her arm, and the atmosphere between them was warm and harmonious.
Although the capital city was prosperous, only a few streets were truly bustling. Moreover, it wasn't particularly lively during the day. Many vendors would set up their stalls when the moonlight was dim and the city lights were twinkling. This was when the capital city was at its most lively, and many noble young men and women would drive out and spend lavishly.
Even so, there were quite a few people on the street. Among the group, Chen Yu and the little girl had the most fun, looking around and buying quite a few trinkets in half a day. Liang Chengqiu followed behind them, carrying the things. They chatted and laughed all the way, having a great time. By the time they returned, the sun was already setting.
Steward Zhang stood anxiously looking around in front of the door. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the carriage return. When the carriage stopped, he came forward and said, "Miss, you're finally back."
Xiao Yu lifted the carriage curtain, and Butler Zhang immediately bowed and greeted him: "Young Master."
Xiao Yu nodded and got off the carriage. He turned around and helped Song Luoning out of the carriage. After everyone got off, Song Luoning was helped by Xiao Yu to walk into the courtyard.
Butler Zhang glanced at the young couple's hands clasped together, hesitated for a moment, and followed behind, saying as he walked, "Miss just went out for a while, and then Young Master Li arrived. He's still waiting in the front hall."
"Young Master Li?" Xiao Yu was taken aback and looked at Song Luoning.
Who is it?
They had been gone for two hours, and this Young Master Li had been waiting here for a full two hours. What important matter could have taken so long? Xiao Yu felt a lump in her throat.
Song Luoning frowned and asked, "Oh? Did you say anything?"
"He didn't say." Steward Zhang shook his head. "But he seemed quite anxious. I was worried something had happened to him, so I asked him. He just said not to disturb Miss and that he would wait."
Song Luoning nodded without saying anything.
Xiao Yu was getting anxious. Why was the young lady so calm? She followed her all the way to the front hall.
When Young Master Li saw Song Luoning return, he immediately stood up to greet her, bowing respectfully and saying, "Miss Song."
"Hmm." Song Luoning curtsied in return and responded lightly, "May I ask what business Young Master Li has with me?"
“Nothing important, I just heard from Young Master Song yesterday that you were back, so I came to see you. I heard that you…” Young Master Li’s eyes flickered, and he looked at Xiao Yu with undisguised jealousy in his eyes, especially when he saw the two of them leaning close together, his jealousy almost bursting out.
This young master Li was the eldest son of the Minister of Rites. He was handsome and skilled in literature. Many noble ladies in the capital were interested in him, but he didn't choose any of them. Instead, he fell in love at first sight with the eldest daughter of the Song family at the flower-viewing banquet hosted by the Princess.
It wouldn't matter to anyone else, but everyone in the capital knew that the eldest daughter of the Song family was a sickly woman who was always out of breath and coughing, and wouldn't live past twenty. Yet this elegant young man was infatuated with her, which aroused the resentment of many women.
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