Enemies meet on a narrow road
Today is the 60th birthday of the old lady of the Shen family, a wealthy family in Ganzhou City.
His family has been in business for generations and they like making connections, not to mention that his daughter married the magistrate of Gan County.
"Cousin, this is my good friend Chen Yu who helped me last time at Liufeng Pavilion."
At this moment, Cao Cang, the son of the county magistrate, who was standing at the porch of the main courtyard to celebrate his grandmother's birthday, was pulling his cousin Shen Lingze to introduce him to a friend he had just made.
As soon as he finished speaking, the man standing next to him clasped his left hand with his right hand and bowed.
"Mr. Chen came here so rashly and was a bit rude."
Shen Lingze knew very well what kind of person his cousin was. Although he always loved beautiful women, he was not a bad person.
Turning back, he returned the greeting to Chen Yu.
"Mr. Chen is not only my cousin's friend, but also a distinguished guest of the Shen Mansion."
The three of them were in the courtesy room when they saw Fuyao, dressed in green, walking slowly towards them with her mother.
Seeing this, Shen Lingze hurried forward and bowed.
"Aunt, sister Fuyao is here."
Madam Tong nodded in response, and then Madam Shen hurried out to greet her.
At this moment, Fuyao, who was wearing a light green gauze skirt and a green long-sleeved shawl, let go of A Niang's hand and stopped.
"Brother Lingze." Her voice was clear, her eyebrows were curved, and her lips were red like the moon.
The gentle Shen Lingze smiled at the lively woman in front of him.
"Who do I think I am?"
Cao Cang, who was just talking to Chen Yu, stepped forward and greeted him hurriedly, as if he was afraid that others would not notice his presence, "It's really Fuyao!"
"Hello, Mr. Cao!"
Fuyao turned her head to look at the person in front of her, and then saw Chen Yu standing not far behind Cao Cang.
And his pair of bright eyes were looking at him intently.
You robber, how dare you come here? Fuyao suppressed the anger in his heart!
Today he was wearing a navy blue robe and his hair was still tied up high.
His face is like a crown of jade, his eyes are like bright stars, and his nose is like a hanging gall bladder.
Those slightly upturned red lips look so charming on this elegant and handsome face!
Seeing him looking at her quietly with deep eyes, he seemed to be smiling.
He seemed to be searching for something, but he remained silent.
This expression was very similar to the way he looked at her in Liufeng Pavilion a few days ago. Fuyao couldn't help but be shocked.
Seeing her looking at the man behind her, Cao Cang raised his hand.
"Chen Yu, a friend of ours, just arrived in Ganzhou not long ago."
Then he pointed at Fuyao and said to Chen Yu,
"The young lady of the housekeeper's household, Shangguan Fuyao."
As he spoke, Chen Yu had already come in front of them and raised his hand.
"Meet the young lady."
Seeing him saluting her so confidently, Fuyao thought to herself, what a stinky bandit, now he is so serious!
The Shen family and the Tong family, that is, Madam Tong's family, are old friends, so they have frequent exchanges. During their time together, Shen Lingze had already developed a secret crush on Fuyao.
But Madam Shen felt that Fuyao had lost her father at a young age and her family had fallen into poverty, while Madam Tong was still living with the orphan and widow of the second wife.
Although there are several pharmacies in Ganzhou now, she always feels that it is thanks to the Shen family that the city is getting better and better.
Moreover, Madam Tong was lenient with Fuyao. In her eyes, Fuyao was not a lady from a noble family at all, and was not worthy of such an outstanding son of hers.
The banquet was about to begin. Old Mrs. Shen was escorted to the front of the hall, and all the guests had taken their seats in order.
"Fuyao, come and sit next to me." Mr. Shen, who had just sat down in the main seat, looked up and saw Fuyao sitting not far away and called out to her affectionately.
Hearing this, Fuyao quickly stood up and walked to her side.
“Grandma Shen, Fuyao wishes you a happy birthday and a long life.”
"Okay, sit down."
Mr. Shen kindly pulled her to sit next to him.
"I haven't seen you for a while, and you didn't come to see me with Lingze."
Fuyao lowered his head and smiled ashamedly.
"I made a small mistake recently and was grounded by my mother."
"You, I've watched you grow up since you were little, but you haven't changed at all. I'm sorry for your mother's hard work!"
Mr. Shen held Fuyao's hand, first looking at her with a loving expression, then turned his head to look at Madam Tong who was sitting in the guest seat.
"Trouble you, Mr. Shen, to keep me in mind."
Madam Tong, dressed in purple, said with a smile.
At the banquet, everyone enjoyed the food and chatted happily.
Mr. Shen knew that Fuyao didn't like such occasions, so he chatted with her for a while and then let her go to wander around on her own.
Bored Fuyao walked leisurely on the bluestone steps, bent down, picked up a stone and threw it forward.
Suddenly, there was a rustling sound from under a tree not far away, and then a blue figure walked out.
"Madam Shangguan, you are trying to silence someone by killing them!"
Chen Yu walked towards her calmly and with an imposing manner.
"You're kidding. You and I are not even related. Why would I do such a thing?"
Fuyao frowned and turned her head away from him.
"That's right. Madam Shangguan lives in seclusion, never leaving the house. How could she have anything to do with me?"
Chen Yu, who had come to her side, lowered his head and looked at the girl in front of him in a low voice.
"My lady, the way she is dressed today looks just like you."
"Give me back my things!"
Fuyao turned her head and pouted.
"Fuyao."
Just as she opened her mouth to ask for something, Fuyao heard someone calling her name and turned around to see Shen Lingze walking towards them.
"I'm bored, want to go out for a walk?"
He said with concern.
Fuyao lowered her head and nodded slightly.
Then Shen Lingze looked at Chen Yu again,
"Brother Chen is here alone too?"
"Just having nothing to do, just wandering around."
Chen Yu looked at Fuyao meaningfully and replied with a smile.
Fuyao looked at his serious expression and couldn't help wanting to tear him into pieces.
If she wasn't afraid that her mother would know that she went to the brothel, she would never let him stand there!
After a day of socializing with my mother, I finally got home.
The tired Fuyao sat lazily on the swing in the yard, staring blankly at the full moon in the sky.
Although it was dark all around, the bright moonlight seemed to be exerting all its strength to illuminate the entire earth.
She suddenly remembered what her mother had said in the past few days. She was already over the age of 15 and it seemed that she should consider marriage.
But for her, she didn't want to just find someone to marry. She wanted to see the outside world.
Although my mother never talked about the past, and although she had never seen my father.
But when she was a child, she knew from other people's words that her father seemed to be a powerful man and had served as an official in the court.
It’s just unclear why he suddenly died of illness, and then A Niang took her back to her hometown, Ganzhou, to live.
She once asked her mother out of curiosity, but all she got was silence.
She couldn't help but think of her stolen hairpin. If she had the chance, she would definitely ask Cao Cang about the robber's background.
Why did he inexplicably snatch a woman's hair accessories?
You must get back what belongs to you.
These days, because Madam Tong was watching her closely, Fuyao seldom went out except occasionally going to the pharmacy to pick her up and take her home.
In a few days, Xu Jinsheng, the eldest son of Xu Renfeng, the governor of Ganzhou, will have his coming-of-age ceremony. The magistrate Cao's family and the wealthy Shen family are among the invited guests.
Shen Lingze knew Fuyao's temperament, so she specifically asked Madam Tong to take her out for a walk in the name of her sister.
Mrs. Tong, who originally wanted to refuse, thought that Fuyao was already over 15 years old, and it would be good for her to go out and meet more people, so she agreed.
Early in the morning, the Shen family's carriage was waiting in front of the housekeeper's house. Soon, Fuyao, dressed in green, came out with Shen Lingze.
In the carriage, Shen Lingze almost lost his mind as he looked at the girl in front of him who looked like a begonia drunk in the sun.
Today, Fuyao's black hair was tied up high in a bun, with a white jade hairpin pinned on the left side of the bun and green hairbands falling naturally from both sides.
Because she turned her head to look out the window, the slight cool breeze blew her scattered hairband gently, hitting the man's heart bit by bit.
But Fuyao was so busy admiring the scenery outside the window that she didn't notice any of this.
"It is truly a great honor for you all to take the time to attend my son's coming-of-age ceremony today. I know that you all took the time out of your busy schedules to come here because you care about me and have high hopes for me. I thank you all on my behalf and wish you a long and healthy life."
Today's coming-of-age ceremony began with Xu Zhizhou's words of gratitude on the stage.
Looking at such complicated and slightly boring etiquette, Fuyao suddenly regretted coming here today.
"Tired?"
Seeing her drooping her head, Shen Lingze lowered his head and asked quietly.
Fuyao shook his head quickly and smiled.
Finally, the tedious process was completed and the guests took their seats and began the banquet.
During the banquet, some people played musical instruments and performed dances, which was very lively.
Not far from Taimu, Fuyao suddenly saw a familiar figure.
It was none other than Chen Yu, who had snatched her hairpin that day.
It’s true that enemies meet in a narrow road!
Suddenly she also wondered who this Chen Yu was.
First, he stole her hairpin from a brothel, then he became friends with the county magistrate's son Cao Cang, and now how come she has become the prefect's guest of honor.
Perhaps noticing someone looking at him, Chen Yu raised his head and met the puzzled eyes of the curious woman opposite him.
In fact, he had seen her as early as when Fuyao arrived with Shen Lingze, and then he curled the corners of his mouth slightly.
Seeing him suddenly looking at her, Fuyao's starry eyes flickered slightly, and she lowered her head and raised her hand to drink the wine in the glass.
"Aren't you afraid of getting drunk if you drink this much?"
Shen Lingze, who was just chatting with Cao Cang, turned around and showed concern.
"Won't."
Fuyao put down the wine glass in her hand, picked up a plum and put it in her mouth.
In fact, she didn't know why she suddenly drank it all in one gulp. Maybe she was discovered while peeking, and she unconsciously picked up the wine glass.
This big robber made her drink a glass of wine for no reason, and she didn't like the taste of wine.
Just as her thoughts were wandering, a familiar and beautiful piano sound came.
I looked up quickly and saw Xianning, who was wearing yellow clothes, playing her pipa rhythmically with her head tilted.
Fu Yao couldn't help but feel happy as she didn't expect to see her good sister here.
"Seeing her so happy!"
Seeing that her slightly frowned brows were instantly opened, Shen Lingze couldn't help but teased her.
Fuyao turned around and said happily,
"Is it not possible?"
A dimpled smile.
Watching her admiring the performance of the woman on the stage intently, Shen Lingze's eyes were filled with soft light.
Fu Yao, my good sister, who I haven't seen for a few days, was walking back and forth in the yard. I clearly saw her going in this direction after the performance just now.
"We are not familiar with this place either, so walk slowly." Shen Lingze, who was following worriedly, joked.
"Brother Lingze, go and do your work. You don't have to follow me."
Fu shook his head and said without replying.
Seeing her like this, Shen Lingze shook his head and smiled helplessly and continued to follow behind silently.
In an elegantly decorated bedroom, Xian Ning, dressed in yellow, was sitting at the table.
"I've heard for a long time that you are very talented, and today I see that it's true."
Xu Jinsheng, who was sitting on the other side of the table, was holding a glass of wine.
"Miss Xianning, Xu is here to serve you."
Xian Ning, who was about to leave after the performance, was brought here by the servants of the mansion.
Glancing at the full glass of wine, she looked up.
"Today is your coming-of-age ceremony, so I should be the one to offer a toast. After drinking this glass of wine, I'll take my leave. I apologize for disturbing you."
As soon as she finished speaking, she drank it all in one gulp.
Seeing her like this, Xu Jinsheng raised the corners of his mouth.
"That's really refreshing, girl."
Seeing that he had finished the wine in his hand, Xian Ning stood up and prepared to leave.
But as soon as he stood up, he felt his legs and feet go weak, and he almost fell down because he had to support himself on the table with his hands.
"Girl, what's the rush?"
Xu Jinsheng grinned and walked forward to pick her up.
"Sir, what are you doing?"
Seeing this, Xian Ning reached out to push him away, but she couldn't muster the strength.
After walking around the yard several times and still not seeing Xianning, Fuyao couldn't help but worry.
There is only one entrance to this yard. I clearly saw her come in but there was no sign of her.
Suddenly, she heard a woman's cry for help from the house in front.
She was very familiar with Xian Ning's voice, so she ran towards the house, with Shen Lingze following closely behind.
The moment she opened the door, she saw Xu Jinsheng lying on the bed and violently pulling at Xianning's clothes.
She didn't have time to think for a moment, she flew forward and kicked him to the ground.
Seeing who was coming, Xu Jinsheng was furious.
"You are really bold."
Then he turned over and stood up.
At this time, Fuyao had come to the bedside, hugged Xianning, whose clothes were torn, and comforted her who was crying.
"Mr. Xu, please be merciful. Xianning is just a musician. There's no need to ruin the relationship because of her."
Shen Lingze stepped forward hurriedly.
"Peaceful? You are worthy!"
Xu Jinsheng was furious at the interruption of his good fortune.
"Since you like to meddle in other people's affairs, I will let you know what you should and shouldn't meddle in."
"Xu Yanei, why do you have to do this?"
A voice, neither loud nor soft, sounded behind everyone's ears.
Everyone turned around and saw Chen Yu walking in with a smile on his face.
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