On the morning of the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, as usual, they set off firecrackers. After breakfast, Yu Shu sits in the living room and waits for the Ji family to pick her up.
Zhao Hui asks Shen Ma to bring the luggage she packed last night to the front. He Fangzhi does not go out today. He drinks his morning cup and talks to Yu Shu about the health of spring. For example, one can make wintersweet tea, jasmine tea, eat light food, exercise early in the morning, rub one's ears at sunset, etc. Yu Xiaoxiu listens with great interest. Kim Bao is lying on Yu Shu's lap lazily. His little ears tremble as Yu Shu gently scratches his back.
After sunrise, people from the Ji Family arrived. A horse carriage arrived at the door of Zhao Hui's house. A steward and a maidservant were there to receive her. When they arrived at the door, they did not enter. Instead, they asked the servant who was guarding the door to go in and tell Zhao Hui to come out.
Yu Shu sees that it is still early and Xue Rui is not here yet. She asks the servant to go out and say that she is not ready yet. She asks the servant to wait outside and does not invite them in.
Zhao Hui is puzzled and asks: "Why are you not leaving?"
Yu Shu said: "Yesterday, I mentioned to Brother Cao that no one from the Ji family will come to pick us up. He said that he will ask Lao Chui to come. Wait a little longer. I will go with Lao Chui's carriage."
When the steward hears that they still have to wait, he grumbles and sits in the carriage with the maidservant. Obviously, he is not happy to take this errand.
After waiting for a while, they arrived at a corner. Yu Shu heard the servant running an errand telling her that the carriage had arrived. She bade farewell to her godmother and godfather, but Zhao Hui insisted on sending them to the door. Yun Dou and Shen Nanny each helped her carry a bundle.
When they arrive at the gate, they see two carriages parked side by side. They are not eye-catching, but it is easy to distinguish them because of the people standing beside the carriages. When Lao Chui sees Yu Shu, he jumps out of the front seat, grabs the rope with one hand, and pulls up the curtain with the other hand. He smiles and says: "Miss, please get in the carriage. I met a wedding party on the East Street, so I took a detour."
Yu Shu noticed that Xue Rui was not sitting in the car. She muttered in her heart and turned to the Ji family. "I'll take this car … You can follow behind."
The man from the Ji family was still unwilling and said, "Master has ordered us to pick you up. It's better for Miss to come with us. Otherwise, what if there's a fork in the road? Do we still have to turn back to look for you?"
Yu Shu is too lazy to care about them. She asks Shen Ma to put the two bags of luggage on Lao Chui's carriage. Then she turns back and touches Zhao Hui's belly to remind her to take care of her three meals. Finally, she pats Yu Xiaoxiu's shoulder and says, "Listen to your godmother. I'll take you to see your mother later."
Yu Xiaoxiu nods his head and looks at her eagerly … Yu Shu almost can't bear to leave. She hands the warm ball of Kim Bao to him. However, the little guy hooks her sleeve with its claws and screams. She can't get rid of it.
Yu Shu is amused. This little bastard is usually afraid of her. But today, it is pestering her. She doesn't care if it understands or not. She strokes its fur and says, "I'm not going to a good place. You should live a good life here."
The man from the Ji family sees her playing with a mouse … The maidservant almost screams. She is frightened and hides behind the steward.
Yu Xiaoxiu sees Kim Bao hanging on her sleeve shamelessly. He can't help but laugh … He suggests, "Sister, you take it with you. At least it can be a companion.
Yu Shu is worried that she can't get rid of Kim Bao. When she hears him say this, she smiles and says, "Okay."
So she puts Kim Bao into her sleeve and gets on the carriage. She waves to Zhao Hui and the others. Lao Chui puts down the curtain and urges the horse to leave. The people from the Ji family have to follow.
Lao Chui drives the carriage … He doesn't care where the people from the Ji family are going. He drives the carriage from the south of the city to Qianyuan Street. He stops in front of the gate and asks Yu Shu to get off the carriage.
The Ji family's coachman saw this from afar and hurriedly told the people in the carriage … The steward stuck his head out to take a look and saw Yu Shu moving from one carriage to another. He was somewhat knowledgeable and recognized the newly arrived luxurious carriage with a vermilion crown. It was a carriage used by a court official. He was surprised and urged the coachman to catch up, wanting to see who it was. But before he could catch up, he was left behind again.
As for Yu Shu, she changes the carriage and sees Xue Rui in the carriage. He is wearing an embroidered jade crown, his hair is neat, his brown coat is buttoned on his shoulders, his collar is spotless, and his waist is decorated with embroidered pouches, jade rings, green ribbons and gold tassels. From head to toe, he looks like a handsome and dignified young master. He is even more elegant than usual. She guesses that he is trying to support her image. She can't help but laugh, "Big brother, you don't need to dress like this. Just tell me your name. People will know that you are the young master of the Xue family. They won't dare to neglect you."
She called him 'Big Brother' very naturally, so Xue Rui smiled as well. He glanced at her and said, "This is my usual attire. It's only because you're a little girl who doesn't pay much attention to details that I keep everything simple when I'm interacting with you. Today is the fifth day of the new year, so it's time for me to wear new clothes and a new hat to celebrate the festival. Do you think that everyone is like you who doesn't follow the rules?"
As he says this, he glances at what Yu Shu is wearing. It is still the same dress that he saw two days ago. Nothing has changed.
Hearing the ridicule in his words, Yu Shu unhurriedly says, "I was about to say that I will buy some clothes in a few days so that I can dress decently in the future."
When Xue Rui saw that she was actually in the mood to dress up, he came up with a plan, "Why do you need to wait for a few days? You can go to Wangji Lou tomorrow, and I'll look for two tailors to take your measurements with the cloth and picture books. We'll see what style you like, and we'll make them together."
At first, Yu Shu wants to say that there is no need to trouble her. But on second thought, she just became brother and sister with him yesterday. It would be boring to be unreasonable. So she nods and says, "Okay." She remembers to bring enough money tomorrow so that he won't have to pay for her.
At this moment, Jin Bao chirped twice and peeked out from Yu Shu's sleeve. Xue Rui was not surprised when he saw that little Goldie. He already knew that the siblings were raising a little thing that looked like a mouse. He had heard Yu Xiaoxiu talk about its origins. Xue Rui was born in a wealthy family, so he had seen a lot of playthings since he was young. Flowers, birds, grass, and fishes were all common to him. There were even people who kept tigers and wolves in captivity, so it was not a big deal for a mouse. Moreover, he did not make a fuss when he saw that they had raised it cleanly.
Yu Shu knows that Kim Bao smells the fragrance of the desserts on the tea table. It is hungry. So she breaks a little and feeds it. Seeing that Xue Rui is looking at it, she says, "I will take it to be a companion. Otherwise, it won't be able to sleep at night."
Xue Rui reminds her, "Be careful of being scratched by the cat."
Yu Shu pokes Kim Bao's head and warns it, "Did you hear that? Don't run around. If the cat catches you, it will swallow you in one bite. You won't even have time to call for help."
Xue Rui sees that she is reasoning with the mouse. He just smiles and doesn't say a word.
While they are talking, they arrive at the door of the Right Magistrate's Mansion. The carriage that is chasing after them has been left behind.
Xue Rui is not in a hurry to get down. First, he asks the servant outside the carriage to take the name card and hand it to the door. He asks to see Ji Huaishan in his name. He doesn't mention anything about Yu Shu. On the name card, it is written "Shaoqing of the Supreme Court, Xue Rui".
After a cup of tea, a housekeeper comes out of the carriage to invite them.
Yu Shu and Xue Rui get off the carriage one after the other. The servant behind is carrying her luggage. The housekeeper doesn't know who Yu Shu is. He feels strange. However, because he is afraid of Xue Rui's identity, he doesn't ask.
"Mr. Xue, please come this way." Hearing the way of address, it is obvious that the housekeeper knows him. Otherwise, he should call him "lord" instead of young master. After all, the Xue family is so famous in Anling that everyone knows them.
Entering someone else's garden, Xue Rui is not restrained at all, but he is less kind and more arrogant. Occasionally, he stops, points at the scenery in the garden and tells Yu Shu, "This Right Magistrate's Mansion was built in the Baotai period. At that time, the Right Magistrate who served as the Celestial Commissioner was the late Mr. Zhou Shaoxing. He was born in the Three Rankings of Dayan in the early Baotai period. He was famous for his Feng Shui. The East Tomb of the Imperial Mausoleum was built by him at that time. Look at the Feng Shui in this garden, it was also done by him. After several Right Magistrates moved in, they didn't dare to change it without authorization."
Yu Shu nods and suddenly asks curiously, "What is the current Right Magistrate good at?"
Xue Rui doesn't laugh at her for being ignorant. He answers, "The current Right Magistrate is also a capable person who was born in the Three Rankings of Dayan in the past. He is best at looking at stars, but it's a pity …"
He pauses. Yu Shu asks, "What's a pity?"
Xue Rui smiles and continues to walk forward with her, "It's a pity that Yunhua Yi Zi was still alive. No matter what kind of genius he is, he will lose his edge. There is only one person who can cover the whole court. The moon shines but the stars don't know."
Yu Shu heard the mockery in his words and laughed. She followed him, thinking that Ji Huaishan might be full of himself now, but there were times when he was suppressed to the point where he couldn't even lift his head.
The housekeeper, who is leading the way, listens to the conversation between the two of them. He becomes more and more suspicious of Yu Shu's identity. He doesn't know why the Eldest Young Master of the Xue family is visiting today.
He escorts the two of them to the flower hall in the garden. There is already charcoal on the stove. Tea and fruits are served. The housekeeper bids farewell and says, "Our master will come back after changing his clothes. Mr Xue, please wait for a while and drink some tea."
On an idle day, Ji Xingxuan is in her room drawing a two-color Nine Plum Blossom painting. Two maids hold a brush and a handkerchief, waiting by her side. The parrot on the windowsill suddenly calls out, "Young Mistress is lucky! Lucky! "
Hearing the sound, someone outside reports, "Young Mistress, Master wants you to tidy up and meet a guest in the garden."
Ji Xingxuan picks up her brush and observes the color of the plum blossom. She asks, "Who is the guest?"
"He said it is the eldest son of Minister Xue's family."
A drop of green juice drips from the tip of the brush and colors appear on the blank space. Ji Xingxuan stares at the ruined painting and sighs softly. She doesn't feel like drawing anymore. She places the brush on the tray in the hands of the maid and says, "Tell grandfather that I will be there in a moment."
She then washes her hands and lets the maid comb her hair. She changes her clothes and applies a thin layer of powder. She puts on a veil and a short green cloak by the door before heading to the front yard.
In the middle of the courtyard, she sees Ji Huaishan who is coming out from the study. Both grandfather and grandson walk towards the flower garden together. After dismissing the two maids, Ji Xingxuan asks, "Why is the master of the Xue family suddenly paying a visit?"
With his hands clasped behind his back, Ji Huaishan slowly replies, "The invitation says that he wishes for this old man to help him with something. Hence, he wants you to come and listen.
Ji Xingxuan mutters, "I have mentioned to you before that when Junzhu brought me to the Ding Bo Hall to meet Prince Xiang, I met Mr Xue who brought Yu Shu with him. From this, it can be seen that the two of them are close friends. You just met her yesterday and allowed her to enter the residence today. Today, he is here to visit. It is quite a coincidence. Do you think this Mr Xue is here for someone else?"
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