Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Holding her waist, he pressed back...
Shuyun freed one hand to touch her face, and her cheeks were cold from the tears.
She remained silent, unwilling to reveal what she had overheard.
Xiao Ye reached out and gently stroked the calico kitten she was holding with his fingertips. The kitten was so small that it kept making baby noises, and a few meows broke the quiet atmosphere.
Shuyun lowered her head and looked at the kitten. Compared with the man's big palm, the cat looked particularly small, not even as big as his palm.
The kitten seemed to like him very much. It rubbed its face against his paw and meowed.
Shu Yun said sullenly, "Brother, I want to raise a cat."
Because Xiao Shuzhen didn't like cats, they were rarely seen in the mansion. Shuyun now lived to the east of the mansion, very close to Xiao Ye's residence. As long as she kept an eye on the kitten, it wouldn't run off to Quhe Hall to the west.
Xiao Ye looked at her, his little face full of frustration, disappointment and sorrow, his dark eyebrows slightly furrowed, and his pair of tear-red eyes looked expectantly.
After a while, Xiao Ye said, "If you want to raise one, then raise it. The orange cat my brother gave you is gone, so you have to keep a close eye on this one."
Shu Yun curled her lips, feeling a little better, but still unhappy. She stroked the kitten with her slender white fingers and said, "You need to keep a close eye on it."
She thought for a moment and named the tiny calico cat, "Then your name will be Tuantuan."
Xiao Ye said, "Sister, you like cats. This calico cat is so docile. Why are you so unhappy now that you got it?"
Shu Yun pursed her lips, looked at the man opposite her, shook her head, and was speechless for a long time. She just felt depressed in her heart and her chest was stuffy.
Without getting the answer he wanted, Xiao Ye stopped asking and knew that she had lost her way while chasing a cat, so he took her back to the tent.
Qiongzhi was waiting outside holding her dress. When she saw Shuyun appear, her anxious expression eased. "Where have you been, young lady? I haven't seen you for a long time." She saw the kitten she was holding and said, "This kitten is so cute."
Shuyun wanted to go into the tent to change clothes, but she was worried that the cat would run away if she let go. She looked at Xiao Ye and said, "Brother, can you keep an eye on it for me?"
Xiao Ye nodded, and Shu Yun handed the kitten to him, smiling sweetly, "Thank you, brother."
She stroked the kitten and went into the tent to change her clothes.
The tent curtain was lifted and then fell, and in the silence there was only the faint rustling of fabric. Xiao Ye stared at the tent.
The kitten in his palm licked his fingers. Xiao Ye lowered his eyes, patted its head gently, took out some cat food from his sleeve and fed it.
*
After changing into a green skirt, Shuyun returned to the tent carrying the kitten. The first round of polo match had been decided, and Li Ce won.
Lin Yunxi saw how adorable the kitten was and reached out to hug it. The kitten nestled in her arms, making soft noises, its round eyes sparkling. Who wouldn't like such a cute kitten?
Shuyun was absent-minded and found her aunt in the stands. Her aunt was sitting at the table with several other ladies, chatting together.
Shuyun lowered her eyelids, feeling depressed.
Lin Yunxi noticed that something was wrong with Shuyun, so he returned the kitten to her and asked with concern, "Yun'er, what's wrong with you?"
Shuyun was crouching on her knees, feeling depressed. She talked to Lin Yunxi about everything. "I was chasing the cat just now and heard some gossip."
Lin Yunxi roughly guessed the content of the gossip, which was nothing more than about Shuyun's life experience. He comforted her, "It's okay, it's okay. The mouth is on someone else's body. Maybe they are saying it on purpose for you to hear it. Don't take it to heart."
Lin Yunxi said, "The seat we're sitting in today has a wide view. It was reserved specifically for us by the prince. It's still the same as before. Many things have changed, and yet they haven't changed."
After Lin Yunxi's comfort, Shuyun felt much better and took things to play with Tuantuan.
*
Old Lady Cui knew that Xiao Ye had gone to the polo match. Her grandson was already of marriageable age, but there was no one around him. The child lost his mother when he was young, and he was withdrawn and paranoid, with something hidden in his heart. If this continued, no one knew what would happen.
Madam Cui called Xiao Ye over and asked, "For yesterday's polo match, the Prince of Huainan invited most of the girls from the aristocratic families in the capital. Does Brother Ye have any favorites?"
Xiao Ye shook his head.
Madam Cui was worried. "Grandmother is not stupid. If you have a girl you like, Grandmother would be very happy. As long as her family background is decent, Grandmother would agree. What kind of girl does Ye'er like? Grandmother asked the matchmaker to pay more attention."
Xiao Ye's brows were indifferent, and he stroked the cup with his fingertips, watching the tea swaying slightly in the cup. After a while, he said, "The surname Chen is very good."
"Chen?" Old Madam Cui stared in deep thought. There were two prominent families with the surname Chen in the capital, but she didn't know which family her grandson loved.
Xiao Ye put down his cup and changed the subject, saying, "But my grandson has no intention of getting married recently. Grandma, I have things to take care of, so I'll go back first."
Madam Cui waved him off and said, "Every time I talk to you about this, you shirk it and always have excuses. Forget it, get busy."
As if remembering something, she called Xiao Ye and asked, "A while ago, I asked you to help Yun girl keep an eye out for a suitable man. Is there anyone who is suitable?"
Xiao Ye was silent for a moment and replied, "No."
Old Madam Cui didn't say anything. After Xiao Ye left, she felt a little uneasy and the Buddhist beads in her hand turned faster and faster.
I asked him to help look for one, but there has been no response. I'm afraid it's not that there is one, but that they won't allow me to find one.
After coming out of Shou'an Hall, Xiao Ye returned to Yanfu Residence. Suddenly, the hem of his clothes was grabbed, and the pulling feeling was extremely obvious.
Xiao Ye lowered his head and saw the calico kitten lying at his feet, half-crouching and pulling at his clothes.
Xiao Ye picked up the kitten and it meowed softly and sweetly.
He went to Hengwu Garden. Shuyun was embroidering something in the room. When she heard the voice, she looked up and stood up with a smile, "Brother, why are you here?"
Xiao Ye said: "My sister's cat."
Shu Yun took the kitten from his hand, rubbed its head, and said, "Tuan Tuan, don't run around."
Just now, when she was embroidering, Tuantuan was still by her side, but ran away after a while. Fortunately, she was met by her brother. If Xiao Shuzhen had seen it, she would have told the maid to throw Tuantuan away.
Xiao Ye saw the embroidery frame on the table and asked, "What did you embroider today?"
"I'm making sachets." Shu Yun smiled. "A few days ago, I promised to give a sachet to my fourth sister, but something got me stuck, so I haven't finished it yet. The Dragon Boat Festival is coming soon, so I thought of making a few more mugwort sachets to give to the sisters in the mansion."
Shu Yun treated them all equally and emphasized, "Brother has one too. It's different from the one I gave him a while ago. I plan to make him a navy blue mugwort sachet."
The fabric on the embroidery frame was also blue, but it was the color of a clear mountain, not something that looked like something for a girl.
Xiao Ye looked at the clear mountain-colored material and asked calmly, "Who is this embroidered for?"
Shu Yun didn't notice the man's subtle changes, "Cousin."
The girl looked shy and put away the embroidery frame embarrassedly. Xiao Ye smiled faintly. She was immersed in this relationship at the moment, but so what, she would be sad soon.
Xiao Ye glanced at the few pieces of malt candy placed next to the cup, his lips tightly pursed.
Shuyun was slightly stunned. She handed Tuantuan to Qiongzhi and took out two pieces of malt candy wrapped in oil paper. She spread out her palm and held it in front of Xiao Ye, asking, "Brother, do you want some malt candy? My cousin gave it to you yesterday."
A hint of gloom appeared on Xiao Ye's calm face. Shu Yun looked dazed, and felt that the air around her had condensed like ice and frost.
Xiao Ye took the malt candy and didn't leave any for Shu Yun.
Looking at the man's back as he left, Shu Yun frowned and muttered softly, "Brother is a little strange today."
My brother doesn't like sweet things, and Shuyun asked because she knew he didn't eat malt sugar.
Unexpectedly, he took away the only five remaining candies.
*
In early May, before Shuyun gave the mugwort sachet to Zheng Shaojiu, she heard that the Zheng family had sent a matchmaker to the Wei family to propose marriage, and the Wei family agreed to marry their daughter to Zheng Shaojiu.
Shuyun was struck by lightning, as the embroidery frame fell to the ground with a bang. She suddenly fell down on the edge of the couch, stunned for a long time, unable to come back to her senses. It felt like a huge rock was pressing on her chest. The corners of her eyes gradually turned red, and crystal tears flashed in her eyes.
"Miss..." Qiongzhi put her arm around Shuyun's shoulder and comforted her.
Tuantuan ran around the house, jumped onto the platform, and tried to grab the small bell hanging from the cat toy with its claws. The bell rang loudly and crisply, making a lot of noise, but no one paid any attention to it.
Shuyun lowered her head and wiped her tears, then instructed Qiongzhi, "Take some silver and go to your aunt's house, and quietly ask the servants about this."
Qiongzhi took some silver and left. Shuyun was restless. With a pair of red eyes, she held Tuantuan on her lap and stared out the window in a daze.
Qiongzhi acted quickly. She wandered outside the Changyi Earl's Mansion and found several maids and servants who served Madam Xiao closely in the mansion and asked them about the situation.
That day at the polo field, Mrs. Xiao met the girl from the Wei family and liked her very much. She also had a very pleasant conversation with Mrs. Wei. A few days later, she asked a matchmaker to go to the Wei family to propose marriage on behalf of her son Shao Jiu.
The elders of the Wei family nodded in agreement. The Zheng family has been preparing for the betrothal ceremony these days. Madam Xiao personally inquired about the items needed for the betrothal and was particularly attentive. In addition, the Dragon Boat Festival was coming soon, so everyone in the house was busy.
"What about your young master? Does he really want to get married?" Qiongzhi blurted out and asked.
The old woman laughed and said, "You can marry her even if you don't want to. Madam has chosen an auspicious day and will go to the Wei family to ask for marriage proposals after the Dragon Boat Festival. Are you going to cancel the engagement?"
Qiongzhi was in a complicated mood and didn't know how to start the conversation after she returned. The girl and her cousin from the Zheng family were in love with each other, but an accident happened at this critical moment.
After Qiongzhi returned, Shuyun asked her about the whole matter. Her eyes were red from crying and she was dazed and her heart felt as if it was cut by a sharp knife, and it hurt so much.
"I understand." Shu Yun covered her face and cried, her thin shoulders trembling, and she choked with sobs: "Go away, I want to be alone."
On the couch, Shuyun lay on the pillow, sobbing, warm tears falling from her cheeks, wetting the pillow.
Steady footsteps sounded in the room, getting closer and closer. The man stopped beside the couch. She was crying hard, half of her face was hidden in the pillow, and her wet hair was stuck to her cheeks, like a flower beaten by wind and rain, withering at the slightest touch.
Xiao Ye lowered his eyes to look at her, his shadow covering her tearful face, "You're crying so sadly."
Shuyun could vaguely see the man's figure in her tear-filled eyes. She bit her lip, not wanting to speak, and closed her eyes dejectedly.
Xiao Ye bent down and moved closer, his fingertips resting on her soft cheek, touching the warm tears. He wiped them away and then gently twisted them between his fingertips, as if he could already taste the salty and sweet taste.
"Brother reminded you a long time ago, but you didn't want to listen." Xiao Ye said calmly: "If Shao Jiu had you in his heart, he would come to see you when he returned to the capital after patrolling the border."
"My cousin was forced to do it. He had no choice." Shuyun's voice was filled with tears and she choked. She slowly opened her eyes. The man's handsome face was very close to her, and his tall nose was almost touching her face. It was a close distance she had never been at before. She was startled, her heart froze, and her wet eyelashes trembled.
Xiao Ye still bent down, wiping her eyes with his tear-stained fingertips, "Sister, you are so stubborn. You haven't given up yet."
Shuyun pursed her lips, tears gradually filling her eyes again, making her even sadder.
Xiao Ye wiped his tears, always having endless patience with her, "Don't cry."
He sat down beside the couch, stretched out his long arms, lifted Shuyun up, and let her head rest on his thighs.
Shuyun was about to get up, but the man's big hand pressed her waist and pushed her back.
When the broad palm touched her waist, Shuyun's mind suddenly went blank, her whole body trembled, and she looked at him in panic.
Xiao Ye's hand was still on her waist.
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