Lu Hong stood there for a long time.

A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts: “Big brother!”

Lu Hong came back to his senses and called out “Second brother” with a smile.

The boy standing in front of him was about eleven or twelve years old, with fair skin and delicate features. It was Lu Qian, the second young master of Lu’s family.

Lu Qian was born in less than eight months and was frail and sickly since childhood. He had been taking countless precious supplements and decoctions since birth to grow up safely. His body was far less than that of a young man of the same age, and he was not tall, only came up to Lu Hong’s chest.

Lu Hong had an indifferent relationship with his stepmother Ling, but he loved and cared for his younger brother very much. The two brothers had a very deep relationship.

“I just finished lunch, and I didn’t see you.” Lu Qian complained with some dissatisfaction: “I’m looking for you everywhere, why are you standing here alone?”

Lu Hong subconsciously didn’t want to mention the encounter with Ling Jingshu, so he casually said: “The peony only blooms in April, and in the Ling family’s garden, the multi-colored peonies that bloom in March are planted. I have nothing to do by myself, so I just came to see them with my own eyes.”

Fearing that Lu Qian would continue to ask questions, he hurriedly pointed at the blooming peony not far away, he said, “Look, this is Luoyang Brocade. A flower with different colors and different branches and leaves!”

Lu Qian followed Lu Hong’s gaze and looked over.

Huge flowers were hidden among the green branches and leaves, beautiful and charming.

“It’s really beautiful.” Lu Qian exclaimed with a smile: “I heard from my grandmother that it was planted by Shu biǎojiě^[1]a female cousin who is older than you from the maternal side. Shu biǎojiě is really clever and ingenious, but unfortunately, she has been recovering from illness, I haven’t seen her… “…”

“Shu biǎomèi just left not long ago!”

Lu Hong blurted out.

Lu Qian’s eyes quickly flashed an eager light, and his voice trembled strangely: “Brother, have you met Shu biǎojiě?”

Lu Hong didn’t notice Lu Qian’s strangeness, nodded, and replied: “Well, I saw her here. When I came to Peony Garden before, she happened to be there.”

The surprise, at first sight, was deeply imprinted in my heart. Probably will never be forgotten in this lifetime.

Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, Ling Jingshu didn’t seem to have a good first impression of him… It was a bit polite to say that, in actuality, it was very bad.

There must be some misunderstanding that he didn’t know about. The next time he will see Shu biǎomèi, he has to ask a question and explain the misunderstanding.

Lu Hong’s thoughts floated around, and it took a moment for him to come back to his senses.

This time, he just met Lu Qian’s inquiring gaze: “Brother, what are you thinking about? Are you thinking of Shu biǎojie?”

Lu Hong coughed with a guilty conscience: “Nothing, don’t talk nonsense.”

Lu Qian blinked, and suddenly asked with a smile: “Brother, is Shu biǎojie beautiful? Is she gentle?”

Lu Hong suppressed the turbulence in his heart and nodded: “Yes, it is indeed beautiful.” Beautiful, but not really gentle. Her cold eyes can make people freeze.

Lu Qian continued to ask: “What did you tell her just now?” 

Just as Lu Hong was about to answer, he suddenly felt that something was wrong, and he couldn’t help laughing: “What are you asking about? I met her for the first time, but we exchanged names and greeted her. I didn’t say anything at all.”

Of course, the matter of showing goodness but being categorically rejected was not mentioned.

Lu Qian smiled a little unnaturally: “It’s nothing, I just asked casually.” Soon the topic started again: “Lunch break is almost over, let’s go to Ling’s home school to study now! Before it’s too late.”

Lu Hong responded with a smile, and before leaving, he subconsciously looked at the blooming Luoyang Brocade.

Lu Qian watched Lu Hong’s subtle actions, and there was a gloom in his eyes that was not proportional to his age.

…

Bai Yu held back all the way, and after returning to the Qiushui Pavilion, she couldn’t help but tentatively ask: “The young master of the Lu family is very handsome, and he understands etiquette well, there is no rudeness. Why did the young lady embarrass the Biao Young Master?” 

The young lady was usually gentle and kind, and she rarely even treated her servants with a straight face. Today, she was extremely indifferent to the Biao young master whom she just met, which was really puzzling.

Ling Jingshu saw Madam Ling and Lu Hong one after another, her heart fluctuated and her mood was unstable, far less calm than her general appearance, and she responded a little impatiently: “There is no reason, I just don’t like him. Do you need a reason to hate someone? ?”

Bai Yu: “…”

Ling Jingshu choked Bai Yu for a while, secretly annoyed and blaming herself. Bai Yu asked a few questions out of concern, how could she turn her anger on Bai Yu?

“Bai Yu, I’m sorry.” Ling Jingshu’s tone softened, and an apologetic look appeared on her face: “I didn’t mean to rebuke you. I just don’t like people from the Lu family. I feel disgusted from the bottom of my heart and don’t want to have any contact with him. “

Bai Yu was moved for a while.

At this time, the status of the slaves was low, the master was in a bad mood, and it was common to be beaten and scolded. How could the master apologize to the maid? Miss treated her too leniently!

“Since the young lady doesn’t like the young master of the Lu family, just ignore him in the future.”

Bai Yu quickly changed her mind and began to make suggestions for Ling Jingshu: “Auntie will definitely live for a while when she comes back this time. The young master of the Lu family lives in Ling’s residence. In the future, we will have the opportunity to meet. It is better to get close to Miss Eight, if Young Master Lu takes the initiative to speak, Miss Eight will definitely block him.”

This was a good idea.

Ling Jingshu smiled and nodded.

Seeing that her suggestion was accepted, Bai Yu felt very relieved, and continued with a smile: “If the young master of the Lu family comes to Qiushui Pavilion, the young lady will pretend to be sick and not be cured.”

Ling Jingshu responded with a smile, but she didn’t take it seriously.

Bai Yu said this because she did not understand Lu Hong’s temperament.

If he made up his mind to approach and please a person, there were many ways to do it. Blindly avoiding was not the solution. However, she was already cold-hearted and could never be moved, so there was nothing to worry about.

…

The next morning.

As soon as they arrived at the entrance of Yonghe Hall, they met Lu Hong and Lu Qian’s two brothers.

“Shu biǎomèi,” a surprise flashed in Lu Hong’s eyes: “My second brother and I came to greet my grandmother. I didn’t expect to meet you here by such a coincidence.”

Lu Hong wore a light blue Confucian shirt today and used a square scarf of the same color to braid his hair. Compared with yesterday, there was less luxury of being a noble son, but it was a little more elegant. There was a just right smile on the extremely handsome face, and a pair of black eyes stared at her tenderly.

Which young girl can refuse such a graceful and beautiful boy?

What a “coincidence”!

Obviously, he had been waiting nearby for a long time and secretly ordered his servants to watch her movements, creating such an unexpected encounter.

Ling Jingshu twitched the corners of her lips, her eyes were indifferent, and she called Lu biǎogē lightly.

Lu Hong tried his best to “meet” Ling Jingshu, naturally, he wouldn’t back down because of this little setback, he said with a smile: “Shu biǎomèi doesn’t have to be so unfamiliar, I’m two years older than you, you call me Hong biǎogē. That’s it.”

Ling Jingshu’s expression was still indifferent: “I will go to Yonghe Hall to greet my grandmother. If Lu biǎogē is not in a hurry, please let me go, and don’t stand in my way.”

Lu Hong: “… “

Bai Yu looked at the Biao young master Lu Hong, whose face was turning red and white, and there was a trace of sympathy in her heart.

It was really strange that the always gentle and kind lady seemed to be particularly disgusted by this young master, and she refused to even be perfunctory and polite. With a cold face and cold words, she almost said “I hate you, get out of the way”.

Lu Qian stood aside, never speaking, his eyes fixed on Ling Jingshu’s indifferent pretty face. The shock in his heart, no one knew.

That gaze was like a substance, hard to ignore. Quickly brought back some distant and unpleasant memories.

Ling Jingshu moved quietly in her heart and looked at Lu Qian.

“Shu biǎojie,” Lu Qian almost immediately returned to normal, smiling and clasping his fists and bowing: “I’m Lu Qian. Shu biǎojie can call me Qian biǎodi or Ah Qian.” 

The slightly thin and frail young man was not tall. Even shorter than her. There was a pleasing smile on his white face, and his delicate eyebrows were very similar to Ling’s.

Ling Jingshu frowned invisibly, quickly raised her brows, and bowed her head in a salute: “It turns out to be my cousin.” 

The attitude was not warm, but it was better than the indifference shown toward Lu Hong. Lu Qian said with a smile: “Since we’re here together, let’s go to Yonghe Hall to greet Grandmother! It’s more lively if there are more people. Shu biǎojie will go first.”

.

It was just that Lu Qian’s face was young and immature, but it seemed a bit ridiculous to pretend to be an adult to make such a move.

Ling Jingshu wanted to refuse, but could not refuse, she simply answered calmly and walked in first.

A flash of joy flashed in Lu Qian’s eyes, and he greeted Lu Hong with a smile: “Brother, let’s go in too.”

Lu Hong’s enthusiasm was hit against the wall, freezing cold from the inside to the outside, and he felt that he was greatly embarrassed in front of Lu Qian. He couldn’t slow down for a while. Nodding indiscriminately, he felt very depressed.