C55 (1/2)
Yan Meng followed the mama to the entrance of Shi Yue's room. Since this was an inn, he didn't need to pay much attention to this place as compared to other countries. After the mama said that she would enter, she let Yan Meng enter by herself.
”Please take a seat, Brother Yan!” When she saw that Yan Meng had deliberately come to see her, she quickly made him sit down, and then poured a cup of tea on the table and handed it to him.
Yan Meng took the teacup. Seeing that Shi Yue seemed to have just washed her face, the rouge on her face couldn't be seen. She casually pulled back her hair, making her look somewhat pitiful. After talking for a while, Yan Meng took out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it over to Shi Yan. ”Sister Shi, this handkerchief was dropped by you. I've brought it back for you.”
When Shi Yue saw the dirty handkerchief, her face changed and she said, ”I threw this away. Why did Brother Yan pick it up for?”
”Although it's dirty, the materials and embroidery of the mandarin ducks are extremely good. How can it be thrown away like that?” Yan Meng's father had been giving him activities in the Needle Bureau. He was going to hold a position in the Bureau of Needle Arts next year, so he was quite familiar with embroidery and other things. Although the handkerchief was dirty, it looked completely useless and brand-new. He couldn't help but say: ”This embroidered mandarin duck is alive and well, so it can be seen that it was used in thought, why did you throw it away so casually?”
Shi Yue's heart was filled with grievance, she hated herself for not throwing the handkerchief further away, but since Yan Meng had no choice but to answer, she said in a low voice: ”Yesterday when I entered the palace, I brought this handkerchief with me, so Brother Ci borrowed the handkerchief to wrap me a sesame cake. He made it greasy, and then he got the mama to wash it and give it back to me. I saw that the handkerchief was being held here and there, so I decided to give it up. ”
”Since Little Sister Shi doesn't want it, then just give it to me!” Yan Meng did not mind that the handkerchief was a bit dirty. He closed his palm and said, ”I have never seen such an exquisite handkerchief!”
This …” Shi Yue's heart skipped a beat. Throwing away this handkerchief with a mandarin duck embroidered on it would be alright, but if he agreed to give it to Yan Meng, then who knows what would happen? At that moment, she became anxious and said, ”If you are going to give Big Brother Yan a handkerchief, then it will also be a new one. This note is already this dirty, it's inconvenient to send.
”That's good!” Yan Meng saw Shi Yue blush slightly. He suddenly thought back to when he was young and played the game of playing the bride and groom with her. When she stole the rouge from an adult and applied it to her face to make the bride, her big eyes would twinkle and she would laugh arrogantly. After hearing that he had been at a disadvantage with his stepmother for the past few years, he felt a sense of pity in his heart as he said, ”I'll take it home and wash it.”
Shiyue watched as Yan Meng stuffed the handkerchief into his pocket. For some reason, her nose suddenly felt sore. She carefully handed the handkerchief over to Jiang Hua An, but Jiang Hua An didn't even spare a glance at it. After he threw the handkerchief on the ground and stomped on it a few times, it became dirty, but Yan Meng hid it like a treasure. The difference between the two was the difference in their attitudes and intentions.
Yan Meng couldn't help but ask when he saw Shi Yue lower her head. She didn't look as spirited as when she was young. ”I heard that your stepmother and you …” He hurriedly stopped talking. He clearly knew about these things, so why did he ask so many questions? Currently, she was also 14 years old. As long as she betrothed someone and married them after the new year, she wouldn't have to look at them under her stepmother's eyes. As he thought of this, he suddenly touched the handkerchief in his arms. His face was slightly red as he stood up and said, ”It's getting late. I'll be leaving first.” I'll come back and cheer you on the day you participate in the embroidery event. ”
”Brother Yan, you should return this handkerchief to me!” When Shi Yue saw Yan Meng touch the place where the handkerchief was hidden, there was a look of admiration on her face, and she had mixed feelings. However, she remembered mama's words, and said that if she didn't plan for herself this time, when she returned home, she would be forced to give in to her stepmother. It would calm Yan Meng down. In addition to not being born from a direct mother, he was also outstanding in other aspects. He was also a good person who had grown up with him and knew everything about him. Perhaps it was because of the concubine, but he was extremely lenient towards his sisters and was not tyrannical. If he married her, she would naturally protect him, and that would be better than others. As he thought about it, he said in a low voice, ”That handkerchief is all dirty. I'll just embroider another one to Brother Yan to give to you.”
”Then I'll be waiting for Sis Shi's new handkerchief.” Yan Meng was overjoyed. He stood up and was about to say something, but he couldn't say anything. He looked at Shi Yue and said, ”I want this dirty handkerchief as well.” As he spoke, he lifted the curtain and stepped out of the doorway. He then suddenly stepped back and removed the jade fish from his belt. He boldly looked at Steamed Bun and said, ”This is something passed down by grandpa. Take it, little sister!” Before Shi Yue could react, Shi Hao handed her a piece of paper. Seeing that she had bent her palms, he stepped back, lifted the curtain, and walked away reluctantly.
On the other hand, when He Yuan ran to his room, he was unable to recover from his shock for a long time. When He Yuan ran to his room, he was unable to recover from his shock for a long time. At this moment, he thought back to what Jiang Hua An had just said and recalled his expression. He couldn't help but wring his sleeves. Did Jiang Hua An really like him, or was he just teasing a little kid? As she looked at her face in the mirror, although she had delicate features, she was still childish and looked like a child. Jiang Hua An was already 21 years old. Wasn't he supposed to like women? How could he like a child? He … he was just teasing me, right?
”Sister Yuan, I saw you run over from the front. Why didn't you tell me after calling a few times? Have you lost your soul today? ” Chen Zhu's voice came from outside the door, and a small face peeked out from the side of the curtain. She looked at He Yuan suspiciously, ”You've picked up a treasure. Why are you smiling so foolishly?” As he spoke, he entered the room.
”Did I laugh?” He Yuan pressed his face, tilted his head and said, ”Big sister Qin, didn't you say you were to be used as a scented sachet? ”Why did you come here empty-handed?”
”Earlier, even Sister Yue said that the sky had turned hot, just in case someone comes out to smoke. She said that each person will make a scented bag and wear it. Instead, I called someone to buy fragrant flowers and other things, but didn't see elder sister Yue again this morning. Everyone was busy laughing and joking while they were drawing the pictures, so I took advantage of this to come over. ” As he said that, he pulled He Yuan up and pressed the perfume bag on her waist. He said enviously, ”Your mother was quite considerate, to think that she expected the people here to have such a bad smell. She had already prepared a perfume bag for you.” As he spoke, he moved closer to her and said, ”Last night before going to bed, I heard a mama say that Brother An took big sister Yue's handkerchief, and then ordered mama to send it back. I wonder if that's true?”
”It wasn't Brother An's handkerchief. However, when my brother saw the ingenuity of the sesame seed cake, he borrowed Sister Yue's handkerchief and wrapped it with the sesame seed cake. Afterwards, he went to the Third Prince's palace and casually stuffed the handkerchief with the sesame seed cake into Brother An's arms.” When He Yuan heard the rumours of the mama, he hurriedly tried to excuse Jiang Huashan and told her the whole story. He snorted, ”These mama are used to passing things on in a weird way.”
Listening to He Yuan's ”pa pa pa” sound, Chen Zhu moved closer to her and said, ”Hand over the sesame cake!”
”I ate it last night!” It was only now that He Yuan realized that in order to help Jiang Hua An explain himself, he couldn't hide the fact that Jiang Hua An had brought a sesame seed cake from the palace to give to him. He pulled Chen Zhu's face away a little and said softly, ”Didn't you all go to the palace yesterday and eat it already?”
”I didn't eat.” Chen Zhu said indignantly, ”There are too many people, and on top of them are the Emperor Queen and many other old men with beards. We don't dare to move about recklessly, we only dare to eat the things placed in front of us. I don't dare to eat too much, for fear that I'll be disrespectful. ”