Chapter 57
Seeing her eyes red and swollen from crying, her voice choked with sobs, and her soft little hands helplessly leaning against his chest, Yun Kai felt a strange, sour feeling fill his chest. He didn't care about anything else, just wanted to hold her in his arms, love her, comfort her, and satisfy her no matter what she asked for.
As he thought about it, his mind wandered to a different path. With the beauty in his arms, his mind suddenly conjured up some indescribable images. Her eyes were hazy, her lips were translucent, and she lay in his arms, her mind vacant, as if she had been thoroughly feasted upon.
Yun Kai felt his heart tremble at the thought in his mind. He stared at her slightly parted pink lips and unconsciously approached her. Yue Ming didn't understand why his face was getting closer and closer to her. She nervously sniffed the snot that was about to slide down her nose.
Her sniff woke Yunkai up. He suddenly found that his lips were only an inch away from Yueming. The warm breath fanned his face, full of ambiguity.
He hurriedly led Yueming to the washbasin rack and wrung out a towel for her to wipe her face. After calming himself down, he walked to the door and told Feng Xiaosai to prepare the car. He wanted to take Yueming out to cool down her anger.
Holding Yueming, who was still sobbing, she arrived at the gate of the Tusi Mansion. Yueming looked at the carriage at the door, sniffed, and asked with a tearful voice, "Where are we going?"
Yunkai took her over the threshold without the need for a horse slave to kneel. He put his arms around Yueming's waist and pushed her onto the shaft of the cart. He jumped on the cart himself and told Feng Xiaosai, Ye Hu and the others not to follow him.
Feng Xiaosai nodded in agreement, and Ye Hu hesitated and said, "The young lady has no one to serve her... I'm afraid it won't work."
Yun Kai glanced at her, dropped the curtain, turned around and got into the carriage, knocking on the wall. The driver whipped the horse and the carriage clattered forward. Ye Hu wanted to follow but Feng Xiaosai grabbed him. He said angrily, "My sister! The Second Young Master told you not to come close to me, so why are you still coming forward? Is our Second Young Master going to eat your young lady?"
Haven't your young masters bullied our young lady often enough? Ye Hu angrily shook off Feng Xiaosai's hand. "If we don't follow closely, the young lady will say we're lazy and get beaten. If we follow closely, she'll think we're in the way and scold us. Do you have any reliable information from your Tusi Mansion? How should we serve the young lady so that the second young master will be satisfied?"
Xiaosai was not angry after being scolded by Yehu. He put his hands in his sleeves and said with a smile: "The most important thing in serving the master is to read his expression. You can't trust the master's thoughts! Don't be upset, sister, think about it in a broad way. With the second young master here, even if Miss Yueming suffers, it is the second young master who suffers. If others want to make Miss Yueming suffer, the second young master will beat their skin. For Miss Yueming, the second young master even beat the young master of the third wife's family. What are you worried about?" You can't afford to worry even if you want to! You might as well learn from him! Look how smart he is. He deliberately didn't prepare a horse stool when he asked the horse slave to prepare the carriage.
Ye Hu and Ai Ye were so angry at Feng Xiaosai's words that they fell backwards. These master and servant were just sweet-talking but they were not speaking human language!
Yueming opened the carriage curtain a little and saw the carriage heading towards Paifang Street. He frowned and said to Yunkai, "Are you taking me to a cockfight again? I'm really upset and can't bear to watch two chickens pawing at each other."
Yun Kai was sitting across from her, chin in his hand, deep in thought. Upon hearing this, he denied it calmly, "No."
"I don't want to listen to Zhang Ha either."
"Well, we won't go to listen to Zhang Ha either."
He agreed nonchalantly, answering each question one by one. Yueming became a little angry and asked with a frown, "Where are you taking me?"
"You'll know when you get there."
He seemed mysterious, but in fact he didn't dare to look up, for fear that she would see the spark that could not be concealed in his eyes.
He had already made up his mind, but he didn't know if Yueming felt the same way. Although she was old enough to be married in Yunxiang, Yunkai still felt that she was too young, too young to understand what a man was.
If he speaks rashly and is rejected, how can he get along with her in the future?
The carriage stopped at a weaving workshop, and Yunkai jumped out first. Turning back, he saw Yueming had also come out of the door, with her arms open, waiting for him to carry her out of the carriage. Yunkai was delighted by her dependent attitude.
After carrying her down from the carriage, he held her hand and led her into the weaving workshop. When the steward heard that the second young master had arrived, he hurried out to greet him. He was very surprised to see him holding the hand of a beautiful Han girl.
Yun Kai ordered, "Bring the pattern album and the finished products to Miss for her to choose from."
On the way, she kept guessing where he would take her, but it turned out they were going to buy clothes. She said to Yun Kai with a lack of interest, "I don't want to see it anymore. I want to go back."
Go back and continue crying in bed?
Yun Kai led her to a couch in the hall and said softly, "Didn't I promise to take you to see your uncle when the Tao family gets married next month? Now's the time to get ready. Pick out some fabric and make some skirts to wear when you're visiting. Don't wear those Western-style dresses, it's impolite."
Lan Yingde wasn't coming back, and Yueming had no interest in anything. Just as she was about to refuse, Yunkai spoke first, "Whether you're happy or not, your father isn't coming back for the time being. Instead of crying all day, you might as well find something to do to cheer yourself up."
The shopkeeper personally brought up the pattern book and fabrics. Yunkai handed the book to Yueming and said, "Pick something festive, not black."
In the Tusi Mansion, Mrs. Yin heard Tonglin report that the Second Young Master had taken Yueming shopping. She put down her hookah and asked, "Did Yunkai and Yueming go out hand in hand?"
Tonglin offered her a cup of tea and said, "Not only did they hold hands, but it was the Second Young Master who carried Miss Yueming into the carriage."
Yin Tai smiled and said, "These two kids don't know how to avoid people."
Tonglin smiled and said, "It seems that after the eldest young master's wedding is over this year, it will be the second young master's turn next year."
Yin Tai shook his head: "I'm afraid Lan Yingde won't agree to this so easily."
Tonglin was a little confused. When the second young master first showed some interest in Miss Yueming, Yin Tai was happy to see it happen. Why was he worried now?
She hesitated for a moment and said, "No matter how capable Lan Yingde is, he's just running errands for the Tusi Mansion. Isn't it enough for his daughter to be a young mistress in the Tusi Mansion? Does he really want to marry his daughter off to the powerful people in Kunming?"
Mrs. Yin took a sip of tea, skimmed the tea with the lid of her bowl, and sighed, "He's a very insightful person. You think marrying into the Tusi Mansion is a great opportunity, but he's still afraid that his daughter will suffer there! In his eyes, no matter how outstanding the Second Young Master is, it's not as practical as choosing an honest son-in-law."
The most important thing is that Yueming is still young. Even if Lan Yingde agrees, Yunkai will have to wait!
On the Dragon Boat Festival, Yueming changed into her newly made tube skirt. Her hair barely reached her shoulders, and Aiye had to work very hard, using up half a bottle of shavings water, to style it into the fan-like style of a Dai girl.
Ye Hu walked around the yard and picked two red camellias to put on her hairpin. Yueming held her little face in her hands and looked at herself in the mirror from left to right, and felt that she was extremely beautiful.
Although Yueming thought she was incredibly beautiful, Aiye thought her attire was too plain. After rummaging through Yueming's jewelry box, he managed to find a pair of gold bracelets inlaid with rubies and put them on her. "Today is a festival, and the young ladies from all the mansions are wearing gold and silver, but your jewelry and skirt don't quite match. Wait until the master comes back and have him buy you some new ones!"
Yueming picked out a twisted wire necklace from the box and put it around her neck to compare. She thought it was okay for Ai Ye to put on her. "I was in a hurry to come to Yunxiang, and most of my jewelry is in the bank safe. I can just take it out when I get back. There's no need to buy more."
The young lady talked about something they didn't understand again. Ye Hu and Ai Ye responded casually, hung the shawl on her and tidied it carefully, and escorted her out to Yin Tai's yard for dinner.
When she met a servant on the way, he saluted her, said "Happy Dragon Boat Festival" and then "Happy Birthday".
Yueming was very happy and asked Yehu to go back and get some money to give as a reward along the way.
Arriving at Yintai's house, Tusi and Yintai were sitting in the middle of the hall. Aiye and Yehu supported Yueming and carefully knelt down, clasping their hands together and touching their foreheads to greet Yintai and Tusi: "Master, Madam, Happy Dragon Boat Festival."
When the chieftain saw her dressed like this, he smiled and said, "It really looks like that."
Yin Tai hurriedly asked Tong Lin to help her up. Looking at Yue Ming, who was dressed gracefully and politely today, Yin Tai felt indescribably satisfied.
She wore a goose yellow cross-collared top with a fitted waist, a red-brown skirt embroidered with gold thread, and a silk scarf with small gold-thread flowers draped over her arm. After being dressed like this, the girl seemed to have grown up all of a sudden, and was as beautiful as a spring flower in a bud.
Yin Tai took her hand and said with a smile: "It seems that the Second Young Master is a very dedicated teacher. You now exude the aura of Miss Xiang Kan."
Yunkai had been transfixed by Yueming since she entered. Today, she looked like a magnolia on a branch, her fair face lightly daubed with rouge, delicate and bright. She was so charming that he couldn't take his eyes off her.
When he heard his mother call his name, he subconsciously answered, "Yes, it's pretty."
Everyone in the room burst into laughter; even the Third Wife, who was at odds with the two of them, couldn't help laughing, covering her mouth with a handkerchief.
Yin Tai jokingly said, "Do I need your approval to say Yueming is pretty?"
Looking at Yueming, who was bowing her head in shyness, Yin Tai shook her head and said, "It's still a bit plain." She ordered Tonglin, "Go and get Yueming my hairpin with a Kasalong pattern. And also bring me my Jinbu with agate inlays."
Yueming didn't care about being shy when she heard this, and quickly looked up and said, "I've been staying in your house for a long time and I'm already very uneasy. How can I take your things?"
Yin Tai patted her hand and soothed her, "If Yun Kai hadn't mentioned it, we wouldn't have known it was your birthday today! I heard that the fourteenth birthday is very important for you Han girls, and we should have celebrated it properly for you. But this brat just told me last night that we don't have time to prepare any decent gifts for you. I'll just give you a few old things. Don't mind if you dislike them."
Yueming quietly turned her head to look at Yunkai, and saw that he was also looking at her. When their eyes met, she quickly turned her head back and didn't look away.
Everyone congratulated Yueming with a smile, but Bao Guosheng said with a frustrated look, "I didn't even know it was Miss Yueming's birthday today. I didn't prepare any gifts."
For Yueming, the most important thing about her birthday is that there are people to celebrate with her. She will be happy if she gets the gifts, but it doesn’t matter if she doesn’t.
She said to Bao Guosheng, "Then just say happy birthday to me, and I'll take it as a gift."
Bao Guosheng cupped his fists and wished her happy birthday, then solemnly stated that he would make up for the gift.
Tonglin brought the jewelry as instructed, and Yin Tai personally inserted the hairpin into Yueming's bun. The golden flowers surrounded her black hair, which was very playful. When he was giving her the forbidden steps, Yin Tai felt a thin string at the waist of her skirt, but he couldn't find the belt. He looked at her in confusion.
Yueming leaned over to Yintai's ear and whispered sheepishly, "I forgot to buy a belt, and I was afraid my skirt would fall off, so I asked Yehu to find a red string for me to tie it on."
Yin Tai covered his mouth and chuckled, then said seriously: "I can't give you this belt. According to the rules, it should be given by the lover." After saying that, he deliberately glanced at Yun Kai.
Yueming saw that Yin Tai not only exposed her secrets but also teased her. She stamped her feet and complained in a soft voice: "Madam..."
Seeing Yueming coaxing Yin Tai so happily and even giving her something, the Third Madam pinched the Third Miss sitting next to her and scolded her quietly, "Why don't you go and coax the Madam too! You just sit there and giggle. That little bitch has done all the courtesy. Isn't her family rich? Why does she act so shabby? She dares to take what the Madam gives her. She has no manners at all."
The third young lady was scolded by her mother, but she did not say a word in reply and moved aside calmly.
Anyone with eyes could see why Yueming was so happy. She might even be his sister-in-law, and the Third Wife, oblivious to the situation and only jealous, was using Yueming's birthday as an excuse to give her a gift and say a few kind words, so that all grudges could be forgotten. She was even jealous of the Madam giving Yueming gifts! She didn't know what to say to her. Even the timid Eighth Wife, who usually hid in the yard with the children, took the time to pull out a ring and handed it to her!
Yin Tai took the lead, and everyone followed suit, putting jewels on Yueming one after another. Soon, she was covered in jewels.
Yueming raised her thumb and laughed so hard that she couldn't breathe. On it was the ring that Li Yang had taken off casually. Her fingers were so thin that she couldn't wear it at all, so she had to keep it raised.
"I finally found a way to make money today. Next time I celebrate my birthday, I'll still wear plain clothes."
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