Chapter 13 Heart Fluttering He couldn't help but ask, "Miss Ali,..."
*
Yu Liuzhu frowned slightly, her gaze enigmatic and complex.
From childhood to adulthood, she respected Xie more than she was close to her. Her impression of Xie as her grandmother was that she was understanding and open-minded, never making things difficult for her daughters-in-law or being harsh on her children and grandchildren.
If she remembered correctly, at this time in her previous life, Madam Xie had already begun to practice vegetarianism and chant Buddhist scriptures, and had completely stopped concerning herself with the affairs of the household.
Why is life so different again and again?
She couldn't help but look at Shen Qinglu; the fresh red stung her eyes, like a fire burning from her eyes into her heart, making her increasingly uncomfortable the more she looked.
Especially since Shen Qinglu was still holding onto the fake snake.
The fake snake was made extremely realistically, with a triangular head and brown snake stripes, and it was so lifelike that its size and feel were no different from a real snake, which shows the skill of the person who made it.
"Little sister Ali, quickly throw that thing away, don't frighten Grandmother."
Shen Qinglu hid the fake snake in her sleeve and shook her head, "It's fake, Grandmother isn't afraid."
Madam Xie was initially a little intimidated, but after realizing it was a fake snake, she wasn't so afraid anymore. However, she still couldn't help but say a few words to Yu Jingliang, "Second Brother, you mustn't scare people like that next time. It's fortunate your sister Ali is so brave; she saw through it at a glance. If it were anyone else, they might have been terrified..."
Before he could finish speaking, he realized something was amiss.
Yu Liuzhu was one of the bystanders who were so frightened that they suffered serious injuries.
Yu Liuzhu felt nothing but disgust for her second brother, Yu Jingliang. Sometimes she would think darkly that it would have been so much better if her parents had only given birth to her and her eldest brother.
Yu Jingliang, perhaps, had considered abandoning her as his sister countless times, so when he took this opportunity, his words were like daggers.
“Sister Ali’s courage is more like that of the second young master of the Yu family.
What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener; both Xie Shi and Yu Qingxue felt a jolt in their hearts.
Fearing he might say something shocking again, Xie quickly changed the subject, "Second Brother, now that you've joined the Divine Martial Camp, you absolutely cannot continue to be as reckless as before, spending your days fiddling with your strange and useless gadgets."
Yu Jingliang scratched his head, somewhat ashamed. "I know, Grandmother. I've been learning how to make bows and crossbows from the archery masters in the camp recently. Several senior officials from the Divine Mechanism Bureau even praised me for my talent."
The Divine Martial Camp is the emperor's personal guard, and it gathers almost all the most powerful warriors or the most skilled mechanical weapon makers in the entire Great Ye Dynasty.
Although he was recommended by the Shen family, he still went through layers of screening before being accepted into the camp. He wouldn't have been accepted if he didn't have some real skills.
As the grandmother, Madam Xie was naturally very pleased and had to offer her some encouragement.
"What is a crossbow?" Shen Qinglu suddenly asked.
Yu Jingliang's eyes lit up. "Does Sister Ali want to see?"
He had just finished a bow that he was quite proud of last night and was thinking of showing it off to someone.
Shen Qinglu nodded, "I haven't seen it before."
"Then I'll take you to see it." Without waiting for a reply, Yu Jingliang grabbed her and said to Madam Xie, "Grandmother, can I take my little sister Ali to play?"
Before Xie could say anything, Yu Qingxue quickly spoke up to stop her, "Second Brother, your sister Ali is different from ordinary people. I'm afraid she can't play with you."
Shen Qinglu looked at Xie Shi with longing and anticipation mixed with obvious pity.
Xie Shi is positioned in the middle of the scales, with herself on one end and Yu Qingxue on the other. Both she and Yu Qingxue are on the same scale, relying entirely on emotional appeals.
She always knew how to move others and gain their sympathy; her increasingly pleading eyes were her way of constantly escalating her appeal.
Now it all comes down to whose side has the greater weight, and which side the Xie family will lean towards.
Madam Xie thought to herself that the child was getting better now and should go out more to see more, learn more, and know more. Perhaps he would recover even faster. After thinking for a while, she said, "He's just playing in the mansion. Nothing will happen. Let Erlang take good care of him."
So Shen Qinglu won this contest.
"Grandmother, don't worry, I will definitely bring Ali back safely." Yu Jingliang said happily, patting his chest to make sure.
As Xie sighed at their natural affinity, she subconsciously glanced at Yu Liuzhu beside her.
"Tang'er, if you have nothing to do, why don't you come and play with us?"
Yu Liuzhu and Yu Jingliang had never gotten along, and Yu Liuzhu had no interest in bows and crossbows, so he replied, "I promised my mother that I would help her settle last month's accounts later."
Upon hearing this, he snorted lightly and then left with Shen Qinglu.
Madam Xie felt utterly powerless. She told Yu Liuzhu to hurry back and leave Yu Qingxue behind.
Yu Qingxue knew exactly what her mother meant. Without hesitation, she knelt before her, weeping bitterly, "Mother, I didn't want to do that either. I couldn't control myself, just like how you always protected me and my elder brother before."
This is a confession for hitting Shen Qinglu in order to protect Yu Liuzhu.
No one knows a daughter better than her mother, and similarly, a daughter knows best how to exploit her mother's weaknesses.
Sure enough, Xie immediately felt the same way.
She was widowed young, and as a mother, she was strong. In those years, she did not hesitate to risk her life to protect her two children.
After a long while, she let out a soft sigh.
"Qingxue, things have come to this, and I can only do my best to help you. So I will take care of Ali. No matter what happens in the future, whether your elder brother and sister-in-law resent or hate you, I will bear it."
"Mother!" Yu Qingxue cried even harder, tears streaming down her face. "It's my bad luck that I've caused you so much worry. My sister-in-law is someone who can't tolerate any wrongdoing. Even if you take good care of Ali, she probably won't let it go. Otherwise, we should just keep it a secret..."
"no!"
“Mother, I’m really scared. I’m scared that people will blame you… Anyway, if Ali can’t get better, she won’t be able to marry into a better family, and she won’t be able to bring any help to the Yu family. It’s better not to say anything. It’s better for us, and for my brother and sister-in-law…”
"I said, no!" Xie's heart pounded. She took a deep breath and said earnestly, "Qingxue, we can't make the same mistake again. We should make amends."
make up?
Her life is ruined. Who will make it up to her?
Yu Qingxue was seething with rage, screaming and resentment inside, but she pretended to listen to the advice and said, "Mother, I understand."
*
Yu Jingliang's courtyard was located at the northernmost part of the mansion. Along the way, he would talk to Shen Qinglu about everything he encountered. From the artificial hill to the trees, he would tell her how they were built and when they were planted, without holding back any information. Now that they were on their own territory, he was even more knowledgeable and talked endlessly about everything.
"...This house was part of my great-great-grandmother's dowry. She was the only daughter of the Marquis of Changping, and her dowry was extremely generous. Before she died, she instructed that this house should be passed on to a daughter of the Shen family. The Shen family had no daughters for three generations, so this house ended up in my mother's hands."
When he was at the Shen family, he had seen a portrait of the old ancestor when she was young. The portrait depicted a very noble and beautiful woman.
Turning my head casually, I met Shen Qinglu's slightly upturned face as she listened attentively, and I was inexplicably struck by a hint of the spirit of that ancestor in my cousin's brows.
The thought flashed through his mind, and his gaze fell on the still-present red mark, which stood out even more against his jade-like skin in the sunlight.
"Ah Li, does it hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt." Shen Qinglu was not about to let go of such a good opportunity to win her heart. Her big, dark eyes were blank as she touched her chest. "It's just here that hurts."
"I know how it feels, Ali. It's okay. Once we get used to it, it won't hurt anymore." He said in a low voice, then gave a self-deprecating laugh.
Shen Qinglu nodded obediently, "Second Brother, I'll get used to it."
His sensible and obedient demeanor made Yu Jingliang experience what it was like to be an older brother for the first time in his life.
Unconsciously, their relationship took a leap forward.
His courtyard wasn't large, but it contained wooden dummy posts, stone locks, a dragon-patterned pole, archery targets, as well as stone tables and benches, clearly indicating it was the residence of a martial arts practitioner.
Inside the side room, there were also various kinds of weapons.
"Ah Li, look, this is a bow. Would you like to touch it?"
Shen Qinglu feigned curiosity and carefully took the bow he offered, listening to his explanation of its construction. When he became particularly enthusiastic, he even offered to teach Shen Qinglu how to use it.
There are targets right in the yard, which is convenient.
Holding the bow, aiming, drawing the string, and shooting—one taught diligently, and the other learned meticulously.
"Yes, yes, that's it!"
Yu Jingliang was so excited that his voice almost cracked.
He was also surprised and delighted that Shen Qinglu could learn so well after only a few lessons, and that her strength in pulling the string was no less than that of a man.
"Try it yourself."
With that, he stopped giving instructions and stepped aside.
Shen Qinglu was not afraid at all. With her back to him, she nocked the arrow and drew the bow in one smooth motion.
A cool breeze blows, and the red robes flutter like rising beacon fires. The red smear on their foreheads seems to be the soldiers who, with the determination to die on the battlefield, tore off their blood-stained robes and tied them around their foreheads to show their resolve.
Her stunning beauty and elegant demeanor concealed a firm and composed spirit, which not only amazed and deeply moved those who saw her, but also stirred their hearts, as if they were witnessing the flames of war on the frontier, with the sound of drums resonating in their hearts and making their blood boil.
Outside the courtyard gate, Mu Lin seemed to hear the sound of his own blood rushing to his head.
"Whoosh"
Shen Qinglu's arrow landed near the center of the target.
Yu Jingliang cheered and then saw Mu Lin. He was even more delighted. "Ah Lin, what brings you here? You just saw it, didn't you? My Ah Li is exceptionally talented and is definitely a good prospect for martial arts."
Mu Lin calmed himself down and slowly walked in.
When he saw the lingering red marks on Shen Qinglu's face, he looked at Yu Jingliang questioningly. Yu Jingliang pulled him aside, said a few words briefly, and then went inside to fetch something.
Shen Qinglu's gaze remained fixed on him.
The person before me was handsome and composed, a completely different temperament from the gentle and refined person deeply etched in my heart. Yet, because of their resemblance, it was enough to soothe the longing that transcended life and death and the passage of time, bringing tears to my eyes.
He couldn't ignore Shen Qinglu's gaze. Looking back at the beautiful girl with tears in her eyes, he couldn't help but ask, "Miss Ali, we met three years ago, do you remember?"
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