The eldest house was decorated with lanterns and was bustling with activity that night. The day after the wedding gifts were delivered, the bride's reception took place. All of the Luo family's more distant relatives had come, but some were too far away for Lin Hairu to recognize, so Chen took Yining with her to identify them.
Yining smiled and recognized all the distant relatives of the Luo family. Xuezhi immediately handed her some water. Yining took it and drank a sip. She was indeed thirsty.
Luo Yixiu suddenly came out from the side and whispered to her to go to the inner room with him.
The inner room was quiet; the maids and servants were waiting outside, and candles were lit. Luo Yixiu pulled Yining to sit on the wooden kang by the window and asked her quietly, "Why didn't you see your cousin Ming today?"
Yining didn't know either, she spread her hands.
Luo Yixiu asked her with great interest, "Yining, what kind of woman does your cousin Ming like?"
"I'm not familiar with him either—" Yi Ning decided to put an end to the trouble once and for all. She asked again, "You've only met him a few times and you're already in love with him? Last time, you had a quarrel with Sixth Sister because of her."
"I bicker with Luo Yilian simply because I can't stand her behavior." Luo Yixiu curled her lips and said faintly, "Of course I like him. He's so handsome, who wouldn't like him! Doesn't your sister like him too?"
Yining thought of Luo Yixiu's marriage declaration again.
"So you want to marry him?" Yining asked back.
When Luo Yixiu heard Yining's words, a glint flashed in her eyes, as if she was really looking forward to it. She leaned close to Yining's ear and said, "If I say yes, Yining, could you help me?"
Yi Ning immediately became wary, remembering the great achievements of Luo Yixiu's sister, Luo Yiyu. She immediately said, "Fourth sister, you must think twice before you act. Don't act impulsively. My cousin Ming is from a prominent family and would definitely despise such a thing."
Luo Yixiu said unhappily, "I'm not going to do anything. He just wants me to help him find out what he likes. I want to make knee pads for my eldest and second brothers, and I'll make a pair for him too."
It’s just spring now, why do I need knee pads?
Yi Ning didn't expose her, merely nodding gently. It was normal for a girl like Luo Yixiu, raised in seclusion, to be tempted by a distinguished young man, but most women weren't as bold as Luo Yiyu. So, she might as well give it a try. It would only take a word.
Only then did Luo Yixiu smile happily and gave her a pair of heavy gold bracelets.
She carried the pair of heavy gold bracelets back to the house. The next day when Yining woke up, she saw the bracelets on the dressing table and immediately remembered them.
Yi Ning hesitated as she toyed with the pair of gold bracelets. Luo Yixiu had been very kind to her, and it was just a favor, not a big deal. She sighed, asked Xuezhi to put the bracelets away, and then she left for the bamboo garden.
It just so happened that Gu Jingming asked the servant to move the desk outside while he was painting.
Seeing Yining coming, Gu Jingming asked his servant to give Yining some candy he had brought from Zhending and asked her, "Cousin Yining, it's rare for you to come see me. What's the important matter?"
Yi Ning shook her head and walked over to his desk. He was painting a spring outing. The painting was meticulous and beautiful. She praised him, "Cousin Ming's painting is excellent. He must have a famous teacher, right?"
"Your third brother learned from Lord Sun, so his painting skills must be outstanding as well." Gu Jingming polished the last stroke and asked the servant to come over and wrap up the painting to frame it.
"He can't draw." Yining said casually.
Gu Jingming seemed a little surprised, so Yi Ning smiled and explained, "Third brother doesn't like painting, but his calligraphy is pretty good."
Gu Jingming smiled slightly, the sunlight falling on his shoulders and back. The boy's figure was indeed very handsome. He nodded and said, "Then I am finally better than him in one aspect. Since you like that painting, I will have it framed and sent to you."
Yi Ning thanked him for the painting and thought it would be better to ask directly, since it would only take one sentence to get the job done. So she said, "Cousin Ming, do you have any favorite patterns?"
Gu Jingming glanced at her sideways, seemingly confused as to why she suddenly asked, but still said, "I don't really like anything in particular, but the orchid pattern is pretty good."
"Cousin Yining is here?"
Suddenly, a voice came from behind her. It was Lin Mao coming over. He stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Yining with a warm smile.
"You came to see me?"
Gu Jingming couldn't help but smile, and raised his eyebrows: "Brother Lin Wu, I came to see me."
"Really?" Lin Mao still looked at her with a smile, but his gaze and expression were fixed, with an indescribable seriousness.
The look in his eyes is actually different, and you can feel it when he looks directly into your eyes.
Yi Ning looked into his eyes and realized that Lin Mao's eyes were indeed very beautiful. His deep pupils were clear and black, as if no matter what he said, people would believe it. She suddenly understood why the civil and military officials had been deceived by him. When he looked at her directly, those eyes were indeed a pair that made it impossible to escape.
Yining couldn't help but avoid his gaze. She didn't know why she felt guilty.
Just at this time, the servant came to tell her that Young Master Luo was waiting for Yining in her room.
When Yining heard that her third brother was looking for her, she said goodbye to the two of them. Seeing Yining's figure going away, Lin Mao said to Gu Jingming: "Maybe we will become even closer relatives in the future. Then you have to call me Fifth Brother Lin." He would not lower his name to follow the little girl. He was a senior in the family and might even be able to raise Yining's generation.
Gu Jingming looked at him puzzledly, frowned and warned him: "This is my cousin, and Luo Shenyuan's biological sister. Don't do anything rashly. Yi Ning has been without a mother since she was a child, so you have to be cautious in everything you do."
Although he didn't know what Lin Mao was planning, it was always a good idea to warn him. After all, Yi Ning was still young, and his mother cared about him very much, so he had to take care of him.
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