Previous life.
"Ziyi, Sister Wanqing's sixteenth birthday is coming up in a few days. Have you prepared a gift for her?"
Lu Huan took a sip of tea, then took out an embroidered handkerchief and gently wiped the water stains from the corners of his mouth. He said nonchalantly, "Not yet."
His friend Liang Wenbin uttered a puzzled "It's only a few days away, and you're still not prepared. Sister Wanqing will be so sad when the time comes."
Lu Huan glanced at him calmly and said, "The housekeeper will take care of the gift."
Liang Wenbin: "Tsk, do you really not understand or are you pretending not to understand? Wanqing wants a birthday gift prepared by you personally, not one prepared by a housekeeper."
"What's more, Sister Wanqing's feelings for you are obvious, and she already reached the age of marriage last year. If you take this opportunity to ask her out, then wouldn't you be..."
Lu Huan glanced at him coldly, with impatience in his eyes.
Liang Wenbin paused for a moment, "Okay, since you know, I won't persuade you anymore."
"What are you looking at?"
Liang Wenbin followed his gaze and saw a crowd of people coming and going downstairs. He had no idea what he was looking at.
"Hey, have you heard about the Right Prime Minister Su family?"
Lu Huan slowly withdrew his gaze and asked, "What happened to the Su family?"
"This Right Prime Minister Su Songqi, his appearance is truly determined by his heart. He looks like an old fox."
"The news that he favors his concubine over his wife has spread all over the streets and alleys. Don't you know about it?"
"Speaking of which, Madam Liu is quite pitiful. I heard that not only was her housekeeping power taken away, but even her monthly allowance was withheld by that concubine."
Lu Huan: "How did you know what happened in the backyard?"
Liang Wenbin: "My sister and the youngest daughter of the Su family, Su Qingci, are close friends. I heard this from her."
"It's really pitiful. I heard that Madam Liu was so angry that she collapsed a while ago. Not only did the Su family not hire a doctor for her, but even the money for the medicine was taken from Madam Liu's own dowry."
Liang Wenbin seemed to have accidentally seen something. He suddenly pointed to a place across the street and said to Lu Huan, "Hey, that woman in white who just walked out of the pharmacy is Su Qingci."
"She was holding a few packets of medicine in her hand. It looked like she was here to get medicine for her mother."
For some reason, Liang Wenbin suddenly had an idea. He thought of his brother, who seemed to have been looking at the pharmacy across the street. Could it be...
Are you looking at Su Qingci?
But he quickly rejected the idea.
Lu Huan is a man with a calm mind and no desires. In his eyes, women are probably no different from men. How could he look at her?
Su Qingci got on an inconspicuous carriage, and Lu Huan immediately withdrew his gaze, but he couldn't see anything unusual. Liang Wenbin secretly cursed himself for being too suspicious.
His brother is still so cold-hearted. He has never cared about other people's affairs. Why would he look at her?
…
Xu Wanqing's birthday soon arrived.
On that day, the Xu Mansion was crowded with guests, and the sons and ladies of noble families in the capital came to the banquet one after another.
On this day, Su Qingci also came and presented the best gift he had prepared within his ability.
However, this gift attracted ridicule from other noble ladies and Xu Wanqing.
"Miss Su is the daughter of the Right Prime Minister after all. How come she is so reluctant to offer such a gift? Isn't it embarrassing?"
Su Qingci's face flushed slightly, but he still straightened his back and said calmly, "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you all."
"The Su Mansion's gift has been presented. This gift is from my heart. Although it is not luxurious, it is carefully prepared by me and represents my heart."
Xu Wanqing snorted lightly, her face full of disdain: "A token of appreciation? How much is a token of appreciation worth? You dare to bring such a shabby thing to my birthday party."
The noble ladies around echoed and pointed fingers at Su Qingci.
In fact, they all knew that her stepmother was the housekeeper in the backyard of her house. Her stepmother always made things difficult for her and her mother, so naturally she would not prepare a generous gift for her to bring to the banquet.
Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that this gift was the best she could offer. While it wasn't the most expensive, it certainly wasn't shabby or disrespectful.
But Xu Wanqing and others still used her pain to mock her and ridicule her, with such mean faces that it was disgusting.
Liang Wenbin and Lu Huan arrived later, and they couldn't bear to hear everyone ridiculing Su Qingci.
Liang Wenbin: "Sister Wanqing should change her temper. After all, she is the daughter of the Right Prime Minister. She should at least give others some face."
He sighed: "Who among the noble families in the capital doesn't know about the Su family's affairs? Yet she took the lead in ridiculing Su Qingci."
"Unfortunately, my sister has caught a cold these days and can't come to this banquet, otherwise I could go and help her."
Liang Wenbin suggested, "Hey, Ziyi, if you go and plead for mercy, maybe Sister Wanqing won't treat her like this."
Lu Huan didn't say anything, but he knew something. This was the situation of a woman who was not favored.
He thought silently, perhaps, his mother had been like this before, being mocked and ridiculed by the women in the capital, who laughed at her for being born in a small place, but having the good fortune to marry a great general.
Facing the same Su Qingci, he suddenly...felt a little reluctant.
However, in response to Liang Wenbin's proposal, Lu Huan said calmly, "If I help her, Xu Wanqing will only target her even more."
Liang Wenbin looked puzzled, but before he could ask anything, he saw Lu Huan walking towards Xu Wanqing with a gift.
The closer he got, the clearer Lu Huan could see.
Even though he was ridiculed by everyone, Su Qingci did not get angry or annoyed. He just apologized to Xu Wanqing with an expressionless face.
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