Chapter 107
Lin Hairu hurried out to pick up Nan'er, and Yining followed her out. As soon as they left the west side room, they saw a young man in a brand new royal blue robe holding a child, patting its back and soothing it. Only when he turned around did Yining realize it wasn't Lin Mao. His features were elegant, and he was handsome and graceful. It was Gu Jingming, whom she hadn't seen in a long time.
He also saw Yining and smiled slightly: "Cousin Yining is here too!"
Yining also bowed to him and said, "I'm here to visit my mother. Hello, cousin Jingming." But the child, sobbing, threw himself into his mother's arms. Nan Ge'er, a seven-month-old boy who couldn't speak yet, was wearing a small red silk jacket and golden melon anklets on his feet. He hugged his mother's neck aggrievedly.
Gu Jingming looked at it and said with a smile: "Lin Mao took it to see the cranes and let it touch the crane's head, which scared him..."
Why is Lin Mao always so unreliable? Lin Hairu patted Nan'er on the back to comfort him and asked, "Where is Lin Mao?"
"Following behind," Gu Jingming paused and said, "...he insisted on sending you a crane!"
Yi Ning felt like laughing after hearing this. Cousin Mao was still so funny! The three of them went to the flower hall and sat down. Sure enough, not long after, they saw a young man in a gray robe walking towards them. From a distance, they could see that he was holding a crane in his arms, its beak and wings tied with silk. His attitude was very natural, as if he was holding not a crane but just an ordinary box or bundle.
"Aunt, I brought you a crane." Lin Mao walked into the flower hall and said to Lin Hairu, "You can just take a yard to raise it. It will add some fairy air to your yard. I think your yard is perfect for raising a crane. I specially picked out a lively one..."
Lin Hairu looked at the crane with disdain, asked a servant to take it to the kitchen, and then asked him to sit down: "Look how scared you made Nan'er?"
Lin Mao smiled, his narrow, long eyes still looking very pretty. "He's timid..." He glanced back slowly and saw Yi Ning standing behind Lin Hairu. She was wearing a light yellow jacket with a persimmon calyx pattern. Her skin was as white as snow, her eyes were clear and bright, and the small mole at the end of her slender eyebrows was bright red. This color had a kind of arousing aura.
He was suddenly slightly stunned.
"Cousin Mao, how are you?" Yi Ning took a step forward, unable to resist a laugh. "After all these years, Cousin Mao has given up on alchemy and started raising cranes?" She pointed at Lin Mao's sleeve and said, "There are still two crane feathers stuck on it."
Lin Mao looked down and saw that there were indeed two feathers. He pulled the crane feathers off his sleeve and said calmly, "What do you mean, cousin Yining? Raising cranes is just a hobby for me. I am now a fifth-rank official in the imperial court."
"What's there to brag about? Her third brother is already the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple!" Gu Jingming said with a smile while drinking his tea, "I think it won't be long before Lord Xu will promote him again."
Gu Jingming also knew what happened to the Luo family back then, but no one wanted to talk about it again. He just remembered that Yi Ning was the daughter of the Duke of Yingguo's mansion and had been fostered at the Luo family. Luo Chengzhang didn't dare to offend the Duke of Yingguo's mansion, so he turned a blind eye to Yi Ning's residence there, pretending he didn't know.
Lin Mao ignored her and asked with a smile, "Cousin Yining, which alley is the Duke of Yingguo's mansion located in? How about I send someone to send you two young cranes so you can raise them for fun?"
Yining waved her hands and said no. She was so lazy, why would she get this thing?
Over there, Nan Ge'er leaned in his mother's arms, curiously watching the people talking. He didn't like the bad guy who scared him just now. He turned his head to look at Yi Ning. The child was saved because of Yi Ning. Regardless of whether they were biological children or not, Lin Hairu naturally wanted them to be closer. Smiling, she handed the child to her: "Yining, come hold me?"
Of course, Yi Ning wanted to hug him. She reached out and took the sweet, soft child. He sat in her arms, bewildered, as if he wasn't used to it. Yi Ning smelled the milky fragrance of him and kissed him on the cheek. The child seemed startled, yelping and turning away from her embrace.
Yi Ning thought he was even cuter, and that children at this age were the best. If he were older and became like Ting'er, it would be a headache to discipline him.
At this time, the maid outside said that the Sixth Miss came to pay her respects to the Madam.
After hearing this, Gu Jingming's smile turned a little cold.
Luo Yilian was still graceful when she walked in. She was stunned to see Gu Jingming was there.
Yi Ning had just heard from Lin Hairu that Luo Yilian had reached marriage age the previous year. A matchmaker had proposed marriage to Luo Yilian, but Concubine Qiao, believing the man's family background was too low, disagreed. Luo Chengzhang, always fond of Luo Yilian, hadn't pressured her into accepting. Luo Yilian was now desperate to find a husband. However, her mother and daughter were too discerning, and the families who were available didn't favor them, so a marriage hadn't been decided yet. Concubine Qiao was now hoping to find a good family for Luo Yilian in the capital.
Luo Yilian greeted Lin Hairu and softly called Gu Jingming "Fourth Young Master Gu".
Gu Jingming covered the teapot and said with a smile, "Lin Mao, didn't you say you were going to look for Luo San? I think he should be back soon."
He didn't want to see Luo Yilian.
Luo Yilian understood what he meant. She bit her lip, feeling a little ashamed and angry. She watched Gu Jingming and Lin Mao walk past her, their slender fingers tightly grasping the handkerchief.
Nan Ge'er sat in Yi Ning's arms, curiously grabbing her bracelet to play with it. Yi Ning pulled her hand away, not wanting him to play with it, and he anxiously tugged at her sleeve. Luo Yilian glanced back at Yi Ning, feeling even more uncomfortable. She was no longer a legitimate daughter of the Luo family, but a legitimate daughter of the Duke of Ying. If it weren't for her, the concubine wouldn't have ended up like this...
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