Chapter 51
In the afternoon, a few rays of golden sunlight leaked through the window lattice and fell on the rosewood desk.
Zhao Yan'er was leaning on the chaise longue, holding a thread-bound book in her hands, reading intently.
Her black hair was loosely tied into a bun, with a few strands hanging on her temples, trembling slightly as she shook her head.
Suddenly, her eyebrows raised, and her fingers holding the scroll tightened unconsciously, and she murmured in admiration: "This book is so well written!" There was a bit of excitement in the ending tone, and her eyes were shining.
There were light footsteps in the corridor, and Chuntao came in with a lacquer tray. In the tray was a crystal bowl filled with freshly cut iced lychees, each one plump and translucent.
Seeing her young lady like this, she couldn't help but slow down her steps, put the tray on the table, and asked softly, "Young lady, what good book have you read? Look how happy you are. I could hear your voice through the window just now."
Zhao Yaner then raised her eyes, a smile still on her face, and her eyes and eyebrows relaxed.
She placed the scroll beside the couch, pointed at the pages, and said with a smile, "This book written by Luo Sanrong is truly interesting."
Chuntao leaned over to take a look, but didn't quite understand the point.
She smiled and peeled a lychee and handed it to her: "Since it is a good book, please read it slowly, young lady."
Zhao Yan'er covered the book, holding a litchi in her mouth, and at the same time instructed Chuntao to find an eunuch named Luo Sanrong.
After Chun Tao found him, she discovered that Luo Sanrong was the favored eunuch beside the Crown Prince. She immediately reported it to her mistress, but Chun Tao just replied, "We found him!"
I just didn't expect that the person in the palace was actually someone close to my beloved.
After hearing the news, Zhao Yan'er couldn't wait to enter the palace to visit the love expert named "Luo Sanrong".
The maid brought Zhao Yan'er to the pavilion, where Luo San'er was already waiting. The maid introduced Zhao Yan'er to Luo San'er, saying, "Eunuch Luo, she is a friend of Her Royal Highness the Princess."
Zhao Yaner looked at Luo Sanrong in front of her and asked curiously, "Are you Luo Neiguan?"
Luo Sanrong bowed and said, "Yes."
Zhao Yan'er dismissed the maids, leaving only Luo Sanrong and herself. She told Luo Sanrong about her unsuccessful pursuit.
"According to you," Luo San'er frowned slightly, concluding, "He was probably a handsome man of noble status." She paused, tapped the table with her fingertips, and added, "But he has a cold personality. Even towards such a stunning young lady, he doesn't show the slightest bit of warmth."
Zhao Yaner also said distressedly, "Although I have tried many times to get his attention, it's no use at all."
Luo Sanrong continued to ask curiously: "How did you do it?"
Zhao Yaner said: "When I fell, I took the initiative to reach out to him to help me up, but..."
Before she could finish her words, Luo Sanrong interrupted her and said, "Miss, you should have slapped him without thinking and pretended you were not interested in him."
This answer was completely beyond Zhao Yaner's imagination. She asked in surprise, "Is it really like this?"
She lowered her eyes and said shyly, "But... whenever I see him, I feel like smiling." She raised her hand and pressed her cheek, feeling a burning sensation where her fingertips touched. Then, somewhat disappointedly, she said, "Not only that, I asked him to go for a walk with me, but he turned her down straight away."
"Did you really do that?" Luo Sanrong's words were not teasing at all.
Zhao Yaner may know that her behavior may seem a bit too bold to others, so she spoke in a low voice.
Luo Sanrong looked at her with a smile in his eyes, as if he was looking at something through her.
Zhao Yan'er asked with some confusion: "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there really no way you can help me?"
Luo Sanrong slowly shook his head, a hint of encouragement in his cold voice as he said word by word, "No, it's just that you don't need my help at all."
Zhao Yan'er's eyes were filled with confusion. Luo Sanrong paused and patiently explained to her, "What's the point of knowing all the ways of falling in love?"
Seeing that she was still puzzled, Luo Sanrong added gently, "I envy you for being able to express your feelings without reservation."
Zhao Yaner pointed at herself and said, "Me?"
Luo Sanrong nodded, "Yes."
Luo Sanrong smiled sincerely as she looked at Zhao Yaner, who was shyly lowering her head, and said softly, "You and him will definitely be happy."
After a pause, he continued, "Because the power of sincerity is truly strong."
Zhao Yan'er's cheeks flushed, she bit her lower lip slightly, her eyes full of longing for the future, and she softly replied, "Thank you for your good wishes."
——
The late spring sun slanted over the tops of the soapberry trees, dyeing the adobe walls of a farmhouse a warm ochre.
On the bluestone slab at the foot of the wall, the soapberry foam in the wooden basin was rising and falling with a pair of dry hands, and it was sticking to the hem of the gray cloth skirt.
Tail Blade stood under the old locust tree outside the fence, his black shorts covered in dust, and the tassel of the sword at his waist swayed slightly in the wind.
Wei Dao walked up to the old woman and asked, "Excuse me, grandma, have you ever heard of the name Hong Jingxiu?"
The dull sound of the hammer hitting the clothes suddenly stopped.
The old woman raised her wrinkled face, the loose flesh at the corners of her eyes drooping, obscuring the light beneath them. She pressed her wet hands against her apron, the water stains leaving two dark patches. "Are you talking about the Hong family, whose entire family was beheaded?"
Weidao nodded, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the rope around the handle.
"Hong Jingxiu doesn't know, but there is indeed a strange person. At first I thought she was a widow..."
The old woman glanced towards the gate and lowered her voice as if she was afraid of being overheard. She suddenly moved closer and lowered her voice even more. "Because she and her daughter live together, but sometimes you can hear them arguing..."
Weidao's brows frowned slightly.
She paused and tapped the edge of the wooden basin with her knuckles. "Sometimes a man would come to her door, put some rice and flour there before leaving. I thought it was her father, but I didn't expect it to be Hong Jingxiu."
Wei Dao asked again: "Have you heard any news since the riot?"
The old woman started to hang out the washed clothes. As she was hanging them, she said with disdain, "Oh, he must be dead!"
After hanging a few pieces of clothing to dry, he took a breath and continued, "The officers and soldiers searched extensively to capture this family. How could they have been allowed to survive until now?"
Wei Dao followed the old woman closely. After hearing this, he was silent for a moment and continued to ask, "Do you remember anything else about that girl?"
The old woman finally finished drying the clothes and walked to a nearby rock to rest. She recalled what the girl looked like. "...When she was very young, she had big eyes, and was very bright and beautiful."
Wei Dao took a step closer and asked anxiously, "What's her name?"
The old woman knocked her head, trying hard to recall the girl's name, and murmured unconsciously: "What was her name?"
She frowned, as if searching her mind for a long time, before she spoke slowly, with a hint of uncertainty in her tone, "...Luo Er, I think it's called this."
"...Luo Er..." He muttered softly, "Hong...Luo Er..." He completed the sentence word by word, his voice trembling with disbelief, "It's Hong Luo Er..."
Wei Dao's heart was filled with an inexplicable emotion. He absentmindedly walked out of the fence gate, not noticing that in the shadows of the trees, another group of people were investigating Hong Jingxiu's daughter...
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