Chapter 8 Uncle, I'm sure Miss Sheng won't bother with the child. ...
Leaning on the railing and looking out, Song Baoyuan lazily lay on the backrest of the pavilion, half-opening her eyes, letting the breeze blow her long hair away.
The wine gourd in her hand was already half empty, leaving her with a faint aroma of wine.
A few people passed through the pavilion, but none of them caught her attention.
Song Baoyuan didn't know how long she had been there. She kept her mind blank and didn't want to think too much.
But even so, time is hard to bear.
"This lady."
The young girl's voice came from behind. Song Baoyuan was a little slow to react. She turned around and saw a little girl dressed as a maid.
"Is there something wrong?" she asked calmly.
The little girl had a pleasant round face, and she looked innocent. She smiled and said, "My princess is enjoying herself in the pavilion across the way and is a little bored. Seeing that you, Madam, have been here alone for a long time with nothing to do, I sent me over to ask if you would like to play a game of hand with my princess?"
Princess? Song Baoyuan was surprised and looked across.
There are only two princesses in Kyoto City. Apart from the little princess who is not even three years old in Prince Rui's Mansion, there is only Princess Liu'an in Prince Wei's Mansion.
"But..." Song Baoyuan was a little bewildered, "I only know a little bit about Go, and I'm not very good at it."
"That would be great!"
Song Baoyuan: “?”
The little girl realized she was too excited and pursed her lips. "It's just to relieve boredom. My princess doesn't care that much about winning or losing. If Madam is willing, please move."
Song Baoyuan thought that since the princess had invited her, how could she refuse?
She followed the little girl silently through the long corridor and into the pavilion opposite.
"Princess, I have brought the person here."
"This humble servant greets Princess Liu'an."
In the center of the pavilion, a woman with her face in her palms looked at the newcomer. She was dressed in snow-blue brocade, with dazzling gold hairpins in her hair. She had an elegant temperament, but at this moment there was a hint of confusion in her eyes.
"Calling yourself a minister's wife, you're an official's wife." Liu An tapped his temple with his slender index finger. "Ever since I saw you, I've been thinking that anyone who can come here must be rich or noble. I'm a big fan of hustle and bustle, and I'm a frequent attendee of banquets and meetings, big and small. I have some impression of the officials' wives in Kyoto. Especially your face. If I'd seen it before, I'd definitely have an impression of it. But why do you look so unfamiliar to me?"
Song Baoyuan lowered her head. "I rarely show up in public. This must be the first time I've met the princess."
"Really?" Liu An narrowed his eyes, "Tell me your name."
"My wife's surname is Song, and my husband is the Junior Minister of the Dali Temple."
Liu An was stunned for a moment, then suddenly raised the corner of his lips and smiled as if he had suddenly realized something: "Then aren't you the merchant girl who...used a favor to repay the favor and stole the man of Lord Sheng's granddaughter?"
Song Baoyuan: "..."
Sure enough, that's what people say about her outside, and it's not surprising at all.
As if he had found great fun, Liu An was very interested and invited him to sit down.
Song Baoyuan felt uncomfortable all over, but had no room to refuse, so she sat down silently.
"I heard that the girl from the Sheng family whose marriage you snatched away is still unmarried."
“…”
*
In the evening, Jiang Chengyou, having washed off the mud, sat on a small bench by the lake, a small fishing rod in hand. Next to him, Jiang Suisui, dressed in pink, sat beside him, holding a string of candied haws.
Liu'an was watching them closely from behind to prevent them from falling into the lake.
Jiang Keyu, who was accompanying them, took a few steps back silently, only to see Qiao Yue running back.
He whispered, "Did you find the lady?"
Qiao Yue frowned and shook her head. At the same time, Qiao Yin, who had hurried back from the other side, was panting and speechless. She could only wave her hands to indicate that she had gained nothing.
"Don't worry, second brother." Sheng Qiyin comforted him, "Sister Song is not a child. This villa is very large. She may have wandered far away or gotten lost. Nothing serious will happen to her."
"How dare you say that!" Qiao Yue was in a bad mood. Her anxiety made her forget her status and she shouted, "You took my wife away, and you're just standing here alone!"
"I don't want to shirk my responsibility, but isn't it more important to find Sister Song right now? When she comes back, I will definitely apologize."
Sheng Qiyin looked guilty, and suddenly lowered her head and said, "I'm sorry, brother. I..."
Qiao Yue got angry when she saw her like this, "Are you still feeling wronged?"
"Alright!" Jiang Keyu interrupted coldly and whispered, "Find someone first."
Qiao Yin stepped forward and tugged at Qiao Yue's sleeve, whispering, "It's important to find the Madam."
Although she was angry, now was not the time to care about it. Qiao Yue stomped her feet, turned around and trotted away.
Jiang Keyu no longer waited there. She asked Liu'an to take good care of the brother and sister who were fishing, and then went to look for them herself.
Fortunately, the two siblings were focused on the fishing rod and did not notice that their parents were missing.
It was getting late, and most of the people visiting the villa had left, leaving only a few people still wandering around.
Afraid that something might really happen after dark, Jiang Keyu became more and more anxious and asked everyone she met.
Finally, on the way, he met a child who looked like a gourd seller. After giving him some money, he asked anxiously, "Excuse me, have you ever seen a beautiful woman who is about my shoulder height, wearing a sky-blue dress?"
The child was stunned for a moment, as if recalling something, and then slowly asked, "Does she still have a green purse?"
"Yes! Have you seen her?"
The child nodded. "She bought the first pot of wine I sold today. It's over by the pavilion. But that was in the morning, and several hours have passed."
"Pavilions and waterside pavilions? Where are they?"
The child pointed behind him and said, "Just keep following this road and you'll get there, but it's quite far if you walk there."
"Thank you very much."
Before Jiang Keyu could hear her next words, he had already taken a step and ran towards where she was pointing.
As the sun sets, the afterglow falls on the lake, causing the waves to shimmer and be dazzling.
The pavilions and waterside terraces were empty except for a woman sitting on a bench, leaning against the edge of the pavilion. She had a red string wrapped around her index finger, with a gourd hanging from it, teasing the koi that had emerged from the lake.
Jiang Keyu, who was a few steps away, stopped and stared for a long time.
His wife's long black hair now flowed down over the lake. Her beautiful face was bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, her eyes hazy and her cheeks flushed.
She is so charming even without any accessories.
It was a look he had never seen before.
A shadow gradually covered her eyes, and Song Baoyuan slowly raised her eyes and turned her head to look.
The man coming against the light was tall and slender, and looked...very handsome.
In a trance, Song Baoyuan recalled the first time they met, when she was six years old and sitting on the steps, using brute force to dismantle the Nine Rings. Suddenly, she heard her father calling her. She looked up and caught a glimpse of Jiang Keyu standing at the doorstep against the light.
Dad said, "From now on, you have to call him brother."
The six-year-old girl couldn't read, and the only adjective she could think of was "beautiful."
She was so shocked to suddenly have such a handsome brother that she dropped nine rings in a row.
Countless times later, when her brother came home from the academy, the maid would call him in advance, and she would drop everything she was doing and run to the door.
It's not a welcome, it's a peek.
She hid behind the eaves, secretly watching her brother cross the threshold and walk down the corridor...
Nine years as siblings, six years as husband and wife.
She just looked at him, waited for him, and spent fifteen years full of anticipation.
Jiang Keyu was surprised, but did not show it, for fear that she would mistake it for a blame.
So when he approached, he just asked in a normal tone: "Have you been drinking?"
"Yeah." Song Baoyuan came back to her senses and slowly stood up, holding onto the eaves pillar. "A little bit at a time."
Suddenly the wind blew, and her long hair flew and covered her face.
Jiang Keyu was dazed for a moment, and subconsciously stretched out her hand, somewhat at a loss, "Where's your hairpin?"
Not only the hairpin, but also Song Baoyuan's hairpins, earrings, bracelets, purses... except for her clothes, everything on her body was gone.
But there is an extra gourd.
"Lost." Song Baoyuan whispered.
She now understood why the little maid who came to see her on behalf of the princess was so happy when she heard her say that her skills were not very good.
Princess Liu'an's chess skills are terrible, but she doesn't like others to give in to her. She likes people who lose to her based on their strength the most.
Jiang Keyu was confused, "What?"
"A stranger asked me to play chess, and I agreed since I had nothing better to do." Song Baoyuan felt tired and explained simply, "I lost all my belongings to her."
Only then did Jiang Keyu discover that there was an unfinished chess game on the stone table next to her.
"Then, since we've dispersed, why are you still here?"
The reason was a little hard to explain. Song Baoyuan bit her lip and said, "I had already lost my clothes, but I wanted to save some dignity. That person asked me to leave after dark, unless I could solve the remaining game on the table."
"who?"
"I don't know him." Song Baoyuan's voice was a little hoarse, "I didn't ask."
Jiang Keyu glanced at it a few more times, picked up the chess piece, and broke the game casually, thinking that the man's chess skills were just average.
As he made his move, he casually asked, "Is it a boy or a girl? What does it look like?"
Song Baoyuan did not answer immediately. She raised her hand and rubbed her eyebrows to delay time reasonably.
It's childish, but...
"He's a man, plain-looking, but he loves to laugh." She said calmly, "But is this important?"
"It's not important." Jiang Keyu's face was expressionless, and no emotion could be heard from her tone. "We met by chance, and we may not see each other again. I was just asking casually. I'll move this chess piece for you. Let's go home."
"Um."
As soon as Song Baoyuan finished speaking, he pulled her back with big strides.
The sky gradually darkened, and against the wind, Jiang Keyu's pace was so fast that she had to jog to keep up.
She walked so fast that she kept brushing away the black hair that flew into her face.
Jiang Keyu suddenly stopped, and Song Baoyuan hurriedly stopped and looked up at him in confusion.
Jiang Keyu said nothing, pulled out a handkerchief from her waist, folded it into a strip, turned around and used it as a hairband to gather Song Baoyuan's loose long hair.
His arms were passed over his shoulders, and Song Baoyuan's face was very close to his chest. When she looked up, she could see his cold jawline.
"Are you angry?" Song Baoyuan asked tentatively.
Jiang Keyu paused and looked at her in surprise, "No, why should I be angry?"
"Why should I be angry? It's just that it's inconvenient for you to be like this. Besides, it's getting dark, Sui Sui and Jiang Chengyou are still waiting for us, so we have to leave quickly."
Don't ask too many questions, don't care, and don't worry at all.
Although it was expected, Song Baoyuan still couldn't hide her disappointment. She lowered her head to hide her expression and said "Oh".
"Let's go."
After tying her hair, Jiang Keyu took her hand again, held her wrist tightly, and continued on their way.
The evening wind was a bit chilly, causing their clothes to flutter, but no one noticed.
All the way in silence.
*
Seeing the couple come back, Sheng Qiyin was the first to rush over, looking guilty and almost crying, "Sister Song, you are finally back. If you hadn't come back, I would have died to atone for my sin."
Song Baoyuan, who was hugged by her again, was helpless and said, "It's my problem."
"Sister Song, where have you been?" Sheng Qiyin sniffed, frowned slightly, and asked in surprise, "Have you been drinking?"
Song Baoyuan didn't want to explain herself a second time, so she said lightly, "I met a kid selling alcohol on the road. Seeing how hard she worked, I did some business with her. I bought everything, drank a little, and then just wandered around..."
She suddenly stopped, her eyes fixed, "What are you wearing?"
"It's yours, Sister Song!" Sheng Qiyin let go of her, picked up the skirt and spun around in place, "I didn't expect it to fit so well."
She smiled and explained, "During the day, my second brother and I were on a bamboo raft and our clothes got wet. I didn't expect this to happen, and I didn't bring any change of clothes. My second brother was afraid I'd catch a cold, so he gave me yours."
Because she has two children, Song Baoyuan is used to preparing changes of clothes when taking them out. Unexpectedly, they all came in handy.
Although I didn't use it on myself.
"I wanted to ask you, but I couldn't find you, so I took the initiative." Jiang Keyu explained.
"It's okay." Song Baoyuan repeated in a low voice, "It's okay."
Rather than comforting them, it was more like talking to myself.
Jiang Keyu thought it was just a trivial matter and brushed it off in a few words. She turned her head to look at the brother and sister who were still by the lake and said, "Pack your things and get ready to go home."
"No!" Jiang Chengyou said without even turning his head. "I promised my mother that I would catch the fish myself and grill it for her. My mother is back, but my fish hasn't been hooked yet!"
Jiang Keyu was about to forcefully remind him again, but she saw Song Baoyuan walking past her. She walked over to the brother and sister, squatted down, touched their heads, and said gently, "Mom is waiting for you."
It was not easy to offend her, so Jiang Keyu could only swallow back the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
"Sister Song." Sheng Qiyin stepped forward and continued the conversation. "Tomorrow, I'll have someone wash the clothes and come back to return them to you in person."
Song Baoyuan, like her children, stared at the fishhook and said nonchalantly, "No need, it's just a piece of clothing. If you like it, keep it. If you don't like it, you can throw it away."
Sheng Qiyin was stunned, and her eyes suddenly widened. "Sister Song, do you dislike me? I didn't mean to wear your clothes, I just..."
She turned around and looked at Jiang Keyu helplessly.
Qiao Yue suddenly appeared, standing between Sheng Qinyin and Jiang Keyu, blocking their view.
She said with a fake smile, "Miss Sheng, you misunderstood. My wife doesn't dislike you, she just never uses things that have been used by others. After all, there are plenty of them."
Even Jiang Keyu could feel this hostility.
He thought Qiao Yue was still angry about Sheng Qiyin losing her wife, which was normal, so he just stepped forward to remind her: "It's getting late, Xiao Si, you should go back first."
"Second brother." Sheng Qiyin walked around Qiao Yue and came to him, saying honestly, "It was my fault today. I will never defile Sister Song's things again. We have been good brothers for so many years, you know me, I just..."
She hesitated and sighed, "Anyway, please explain to Sister Song for me. I hope she won't be angry with me. And don't let me affect your relationship."
"I didn't mean what you said." Song Baoyuan felt depressed and stood up and turned around.
"That's good!" Sheng Qiyin said quickly, a bit flattering in her awkwardness, "I don't know when we'll meet next time."
An idea suddenly struck her. "Oh, right, you're going to Big Brother's housewarming party, Sister Song! I'm sure you won't know many people then. I'll walk around with you and introduce you to others, as an apology for today."
Song Baoyuan had no idea what she was talking about.
Seeing her confusion, Sheng Qiyin blinked in surprise and covered her mouth, "Sister Song, why don't you seem to know? Could it be that... you weren't invited?"
It turned out to be another party of theirs. Song Baoyuan was already used to it, but it was a bit embarrassing to be said like this.
Before she could react, an impatient shout suddenly broke the atmosphere.
"This uncle!"
Jiang Chengyou stamped his feet in anger, "Can you please keep your voice down? You scared my fish away!"
There was silence.
Sheng Qiyin realized later that the child was calling her, "What did you call me?"
Jiang Keyu looked over in disbelief and slowly walked past her son.
"Uncle, isn't it?" Jiang Chengyou was shrouded in his father's shadow, overwhelmed by his aura. His voice immediately weakened and he muttered, "Sister Qiaoyin said that Daddy's good brothers, those older than Daddy are called uncles, and those younger than Daddy are called uncles."
Jiang Keyu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She pulled his ear in annoyance and said, "Can't you see I'm a girl? You should call me auntie."
Jiang Chengyou felt wronged and pouted, "Oh."
"Did Sister Qiaoyin say something wrong?" Jiang Suisui asked with her innocent little face.
Song Baoyuan reached out and touched her face, "Sister Qiaoyin is right."
"So what's wrong, brother?"
Song Baoyuan couldn't answer.
"Children speak without restraint." She smiled, "I'm sure Miss Sheng won't bother with a child."
Sheng Qinyin pulled the corners of her mouth stiffly.
"nature."
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