Happy New Year everyone O(∩_∩)O~
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Lu Hong stood there for a long time.
A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts: "Brother!"
Lu Hong came back to his senses, smiled and called "Second brother".
The young man 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 less than eight months old and has been frail and sickly since childhood. I don’t know how many expensive supplements and decoctions I took before I grew up safely. His body is far smaller than that of young men of the same age, and he is not tall either. He only reaches Lu Hong's chest.
Lu Hong has a distant relationship with his stepmother Ling, but he loves and cares for his younger brother very much. The two brothers have a deep relationship.
"I just finished lunch and there was no sign of you." Lu Qian complained with some dissatisfaction: "I've been looking for you everywhere. Why are you standing here alone in a daze?"
Lu Hong subconsciously didn't want to mention his encounter with Ling Jingshu, so he said casually: "Peonies only bloom in April, and the Ling family's garden has multi-colored peonies that bloom in March. I have nothing to do, so I just came here Open your eyes.”
Lest Lu Qian keep asking questions, he quickly pointed to the blooming peonies not far away and said, "Look, this is Luoyang brocade. It has flowers of different colors, and the branches and leaves are also different!"
Lu Qian followed Lu Hong's gaze and looked over.
The huge flowers are hidden among the green branches and leaves, and they are delicate and beautiful.
"It's really beautiful." Lu Qian smiled and exclaimed: "I heard from my grandmother that it was planted by cousin Shu. Cousin Shu is really smart and ingenious, but it's a pity that she has been recovering from illness. I haven't seen her yet... ..."
"Cousin Shu left not long ago!"
Lu Hong blurted out.
Lu Qian's eyes quickly flashed with an eager light, and his voice had a strange trembling: "Brother, have you met cousin Shu?"
Lu Hong didn't notice Lu Qian's strangeness, nodded and replied: "Yes, I saw it. When I came to the Peony Garden before, she happened to be there."
The surprise when we first met was deeply imprinted in my heart. I will probably never forget it in this lifetime.
Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, Ling Jingshu's first impression of him seemed not to be very good... To put it mildly, it was very bad.
There must have been some misunderstanding that he didn't know about. Next time I see my cousin Shu, I have to ask her and explain the misunderstanding.
Lu Hong's mind was wandering with thoughts, and it took him a while to come back to his senses.
When he regained consciousness, he met Lu Qian's inquiring gaze: "Brother, what are you thinking about? Are you thinking about cousin Shu?"
Lu Hong coughed with some guilt: "It's nothing, don't talk nonsense."
Lu Qian blinked and suddenly asked with a smile: "Brother, is cousin Shu beautiful? Is she gentle?"
Lu Hong suppressed the turbulence in his heart and nodded: "Yes, it is indeed beautiful." Life is extremely beautiful, but it is not gentle. His eyes are so cold that they can freeze you to death.
Lu Qian continued to ask: "What did you just say to her?"
Just as Lu Hong was about to answer, he suddenly felt something was wrong and couldn't help but laugh: "Why are you asking so much? When we first met, we just exchanged names and greeted her, and we didn't talk at all."
The overtures of kindness but being rebuffed were of course ignored.
Lu Qian smiled unnaturally: "It's nothing, I just asked casually." He quickly changed the topic: "The lunch break is almost over, let's go to the Ling family to study now! Before it's too late."
Lu Hong responded with a smile. Before leaving, he subconsciously looked at the blooming Luoyang Brocade.
Lu Qian took in Lu Hong's subtle actions, and a trace of gloom that was inappropriate for his age flashed across his eyes.
... ...
Bai Yu waited all the way, and after returning to Qiushui Pavilion, she couldn't help but asked tentatively: "The young master of the Lu family is very handsome, and he knows etiquette, and there is nothing rude. Why does the young lady make the young master so embarrassed?" "
The young lady is usually gentle and kind, and rarely has a straight face even when dealing with servants. Today, I am extremely cold and unkind to the young cousin I just met, which is really puzzling.
Ling Jingshu met Ling and Lu Hong one after another. Her heart was ups and downs, and her mood was unstable. It was far less calm than she appeared on the outside. 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, feeling 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 softened her tone, with an apologetic look on her face: "I didn't mean to ridicule 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 anything to do with him."
Bai Yu felt moved in her heart.
At this time, the status of the slave is low, the master is in a bad mood, and it is common for him to beat and scold him to vent his anger. How can any master apologize to his maid? The lady was so generous to her!
"Since the young lady doesn't like the young master of the Lu family, just ignore him from now on."
Bai Yu quickly changed her mind and began to make suggestions for Ling Jingshu: "My aunt will definitely stay for a while when she comes back this time. The young master of the Lu family lives in the Ling Mansion, and there will be opportunities to meet in the future. It is better for the young lady to get close to the eighth young lady. If it is young master Lu, If you take the initiative to speak, Miss Eight will definitely stand in your way."
That's a good idea.
Ling Jingshu smiled and nodded.
Seeing that her suggestion was adopted, Bai Yu felt very happy and continued with a smile: "If the young master of the Lu family comes to Qiushui Pavilion, the young lady will just pretend to be sick."
Ling Jingshu responded with a smile, but she didn't think so in her heart.
Bai Yu said this because he didn't understand Lu Hong's temperament.
If he makes up his mind to please someone, there are many ways to do it. Simply avoiding it is never the answer. However, her heart has long been as cold as iron and there is no way she will be moved, so there is nothing to worry about.
... ...
The next morning.
As soon as they arrived at the entrance of Yonghe Hall, they met two brothers, Lu Hong and Lu Qian.
"Cousin Shu," Lu Hong's eyes flashed with surprise: "My second brother and I came to pay our respects to my grandmother. I didn't expect to meet you here by such a coincidence."
Lu Hong wore a light blue Confucian shirt today and tied up his hair with a square scarf of the same color. Compared with yesterday, it was less luxurious than a noble man, but more elegant and graceful. A perfect smile appeared on his extremely handsome face, and a pair of bright black eyes stared at her tenderly.
What young girl can refuse such a handsome young man
What a “chance encounter”!
He had obviously been waiting nearby for a long time, and secretly ordered his servants to keep an eye on his movements, creating such an unexpected encounter.
Ling Jingshu twitched the corners of her lips, her eyes were cold, and she called Cousin Lu lightly.
Lu Hong worked hard to "encounter" Ling Jingshu by chance. Naturally, he would not back down because of this small setback. He smiled and said: "Cousin Shu, there is no need to be so unfamiliar. I am two years older than you. You can call me Cousin Hong." That’s it.”
Ling Jingshu's expression remained indifferent: "I will go to Yonghe Hall to pay my respects to my grandmother. If Cousin Lu is not in a hurry to go in, please give way and don't block my way."
Lu Hong: "..."
Bai Yu looked at Young Master Lu Hongbiao, whose complexion was turning red and white, and felt an inexplicable sympathy in his heart.
It's really strange. The lady who is always gentle and kind seems to be particularly disgusted with this young cousin, and she doesn't even want to be polite and perfunctory. The cold face and sarcastic words were just short of saying "I hate you, please get out of the way".
Lu Qian stood aside and remained silent, his eyes fixed on Ling Jingshu's cold and pretty face. No one knew the shock in my heart.
That gaze was like substance, hard to ignore. It quickly brought back some unpleasant memories from a long time ago.
Ling Jingshu's heart moved quietly and she looked at Lu Qian.
"Cousin Shu," Lu Qian returned to normal almost immediately, smiling and clasping his fists in a bow: "I am Lu Qian, cousin Shu, you can call me cousin Qian or Ah Qian."
The slightly thin and thin boy was not tall, even shorter than her. There was a pleasing smile on her fair face, and her delicate features were very much like Ling's.
Ling Jingshu frowned slightly, then quickly relaxed her brows and bowed her head in salute: "It turns out he is my latent cousin."
His attitude was not warm, but it was still better than the indifference he showed towards Lu Hong.
Lu Qian said with a smile: "Since we are here together, let's go to the Yonghe Hall to pay my respects to my grandmother! It's more lively when there are more people, so Cousin Shu will go first."
As he spoke, he stepped aside, looking polite.
It's just that Lu Qian's face was young and immature, and it seemed a bit ridiculous that he would act like an adult.
Ling Jingshu wanted to refuse, but couldn't, so she simply responded calmly and walked in first.
Lu Qian's eyes flashed with joy, and he greeted Lu Hong with a smile: "Brother, let's go in too."
Lu Hong's enthusiasm was dampened, and he was freezing from the inside out. He felt that he had been humiliated in front of Lu Qian, and he couldn't calm down for a while. He nodded casually, not to mention feeling depressed.
... ... (To be continued)