Yi Ning wasn't seriously ill; once her fever subsided, she was almost fully recovered. She wanted to thank Luo Shenyuan for saving her life, but she never found the chance. Instead, Luo Chengzhang sent a number of supplements for his youngest daughter.
To show his concern for his little daughter, he insisted on visiting her in person every day for four or five days, bringing her supplements every day.
After recovering from her illness, Yi Ning put on her clothes and sat beside a small table, looking at the pattern Xuezhi had drawn for her. From time to time, she would glance out the window. Early summer was approaching, and the crabapple tree outside was in full bloom.
Luo Yixiu came to ask her to play in the front yard. She said that the crabapple trees in the front yard were in bloom, and they looked like layers of pink snow, very beautiful.
Xuezhi, Songzhi, and the other maids took their round fans, small stools, and other things and followed the two little ancestors to view the flowers. As they walked, Luo Yixiu said, "My fourth sister is so pitiful. She's been confined to her house by our mother all day, unable to go out. She has to learn needlework and housekeeping. Our mother has even discussed with our grandmother that we should arrange her marriage first." Little Luo Yixiu loved to tell these stories she'd heard from the adults, and she would tell them all to Yining as if they were secrets.
Luo Yiyu is now thirteen years old and can be married.
"Has Fourth Sister already proposed marriage?" Yining asked.
Luo Yixiu shook her head and said, "Mother really likes the second son of the Cheng family, the one that once produced a cabinet minister. But the second son is from a famous family, and his grandfather is the Duke of Ying. He is also a young juren, and he will pass the imperial examination in the future. Grandmother said that he might not like our fourth sister. Grandmother likes the son of the co-magistrate of the Liu Mansion even more. She said that he is calm and reliable, and he has no other brothers and sisters. Luo Yiyu will be blessed if she marries him."
"They're deadlocked in their opinions. Fourth Sister cries in her room all day long. It's so annoying." Luo Yixiu rolled her eyes and whispered, "She likes Second Master Cheng."
The two girls chatted as they reached the end of the crabapple forest. Yining could already see a yard ahead. In it grew a loquat tree, bearing abundant fruit this season. Its branches reached the outside of the wall.
Luo Yixiu was delighted when she saw it: "Yining, there are loquats growing here, let's go pick some!"
Yining saw the bright yellow fruits hanging on the branches, which looked very tempting. She thought she could pick some to make loquat paste. The maids saw that the branches were not very high, so they did not stop the two little ancestors.
Yi Ning and Luo Yi Xiu were having a great time. She picked a lot and wanted to give some back to Old Lady Luo. She filled a small cloth bag with fruit. She showed it to Xue Zhi and said, "There are so many! I'll share them with you when we get home!"
But Xuezhi's expression was a little strange, and she whispered, "Seventh Miss, look back."
Yi Ning turned around with a bag full of loquats in her arms, and saw Luo Shenyuan standing not far away with his servant, looking at them indifferently.
Yi Ning was slightly startled. Why was Luo Shenyuan here? She thought it was a good opportunity to thank him, so she ran over with the loquat in her arms and said with a smile, "Third brother, I was just about to look for you."
Luo Shenyuan's mouth twitched slightly: "What do you want from me?"
Yi Ning said, "You saved me, so I have to thank you anyway!" She seemed to remember something and grabbed a handful of fruit from her cloth bag, saying, "Third brother, take this. These fruits are for you to eat, as a way of thanking you for saving my life."
Luo Shenyuan paused for a moment, then slowly reached out his hand. Yi Ning's small hand struggled to grab a handful of fruit and placed it in Luo Shenyuan's palm. He gently grasped it, but Yi Ning saw the scar again, and was startled.
But she heard his calm voice from above her head: "Using other people's things to express gratitude to them, Seventh Sister, you have also grown."
Yining was a little confused.
What does it mean to take other people's things? What does he mean?
Luo Shenyuan said nothing more, took her fruit, and walked straight into the yard with the servant. Then, the door of the yard was closed.
Xuezhi watched Yining's foolish behavior with her own eyes but could not stop her. She waited until her master disappeared before she hurried to her side and said, "Seventh Miss, the Third Young Master lives in that courtyard. That loquat tree must have been planted by the Third Young Master as well. It was so hard to get so many fruits, and you secretly picked them, but you actually gave them to him... I wanted to remind you, but you ran too fast."
After hearing this, Yining was stunned for a long time.
It turned out that the third brother was watching them from a distance without saying anything because they were stealing his fruit.
Seeing Luo Yixiu still standing under the loquat tree picking fruits with great interest, Yi Ning walked over, tugged at Luo Yixiu's belt and said, "Fifth sister, we should go back."
Luo Yixiu's cheeks were flushed, she was having a great time playing. "Yining, why are you in such a hurry? Look, there are so many big ones on top, I have to pick them all off."
Yining was so disappointed that she said, "Fifth sister, did you know that we were all captured by the master just now?"
Luo Yixiu looked bewildered: "Ah? What did you get arrested for?"
Yi Ning felt that playing with the little girl like this was like going backwards. She probably thought her impression of Luo Shenyuan had plummeted again.
At this moment, the courtyard door creaked open, and the servant who had been with Luo Shenyuan came out. He walked up to them and said respectfully, "Fifth Miss, Seventh Miss, Third Young Master invites you in for a cup of tea before leaving."
Luo Yixiu thought for a moment and jumped down from the stool: "I'm thirsty. Let's go, Yining. Let's go find your third brother and ask for a glass of water."
After saying that, he pulled Yining into the courtyard. The courtyard was immaculately tidy. Although small, it was lined with evergreens and a few crabapple trees in full bloom along the bluestone path. Yining spotted her third brother sitting in the main hall, two cups of tea in front of him, reading a book.
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