The next morning, Lu Hao was awakened by the sound of heavy rain. It was rare for the northwest to have such heavy rain in spring, and the old lady of the Sima family was very kind and asked them to stay for another day. Lu Hao saw that the rain was indeed a bit heavy, and the official road must be muddy after being soaked by rain all night, so he did not refuse.
In the morning, the women of the Sima family should have paid their respects to the old lady, but because it rained today, the old lady did not pay her respects. Lu Hao had breakfast with the old lady, chatted with her, listened to her reminiscing about the past for half an hour, and then said goodbye and returned to the courtyard of the guest room.
When passing by Hibiscus Garden, Lu Hao asked a passing maid and learned that this was a garden for recreation in the mansion. Now that the lotus flowers were not in bloom, basically no one came here, so he wanted to go in and take a look. Lu Hao just walked into the yard holding an oil-paper umbrella, but saw Mingyu sitting on the steps leading to the lotus pond from the waterside pavilion, with an open book on her lap.
However, Mingyu's attention was obviously not on the book. She just looked up and stared blankly at the rain flowing down in lines under the eaves of the waterside pavilion. The lotus leaves in the lotus pond had just emerged, showing bright green. Mingyu's expression was dull and silly, even more adorable than the lotus leaves that had just emerged.
Lu Hao's first reaction was to avoid her, but he felt that he was being too cautious. The people in the northwest were open-minded, and the old lady was so generous, so there was no need to be so cautious. Following the outer wall of Furong Garden, Lu Hao held an umbrella and came to another entrance of Furong Garden. There was a rockery between them, so no one could see him.
Under the cover of the rockery, Lu Hao began to practice boxing in the corridor. This was his habit for many years. He sank his qi into his dantian, was as quiet as a virgin and as agile as a rabbit. His punches were strong, long and powerful, and his fists were neat and smooth. After a quarter of an hour, Lu Hao's muscles and bones were flexible and he was sweating.
Just when he was about to take off his shirt, he remembered that he was not at home anymore. Lu Hao smiled and withdrew his hands from taking off his clothes.
The rain was still pouring down, offsetting the sound of the wind caused by his boxing. From time to time, a cool breeze blew in through the windows of the corridor, blowing away the heat in his body and making him feel cool and comfortable.
After a while, Sima Hong's voice was heard outside Furong Garden, "Mingyu? Mingyu?"
Lu Hao immediately stopped boxing and prepared to go out. It would be bad if he was seen by others. Through the gap in the rockery, Lu Hao saw that the little girl, who was originally in a daze, showed a sad expression that only adults would have after hearing her husband's call. She covered her ears and pouted her mouth, pretending not to hear it.
She still had her hair in a bun, which was a style only worn by young girls. She must have gotten married at a young age but had not yet consummated her marriage, Lu Hao thought. I just don't know where this girl came from. The Sima family was so well-off that they could hire such a young girl as their second young mistress.
Only when the sound of footsteps got closer did Mingyu sigh and put down the hands that were covering his ears. What was this little dog going to do now
Sima Hong ran in excitedly, followed by Bai Hao, who was frantically holding an umbrella for his master. The hem of Master Bao's blue satin robe had been soaked by the rain, turning a large area darker in color, but he didn't care at all.
"I knew you were here. Why didn't you answer when I called you just now?" asked Master Bao.
Mingyu blinked innocently, "Ah? You called me? I didn't hear you, the rain was too loud!"
Lu Hao on the rockery almost laughed out loud. What a cunning little girl.
Sima Hong did not doubt Mingyu's answer, and said to Mingyu with a smile: "It's raining, I found a good thing, I brought it to you to see."
Mingyu showed little interest and was only flipping through the book on her lap. She forgot to turn the pages after a while and the occasional drizzle soaked the pages. "What good stuff?" Mingyu asked lazily.
The sixteen-year-old boy grinned twice and suddenly threw the thing in his hand onto the book on Mingyu's lap. Mingyu saw the "good stuff" at a glance and screamed "Ah" in fright. She threw away the book in her hand and stood up hurriedly from the steps. However, she was too frightened and lost her balance. She fell directly into the lotus pond in front of her with a "thump".
Lu Hao on the other side of the rockery was dumbfounded, the mischievous Sima Hong was dumbfounded, and Bai Hao holding the umbrella was also dumbfounded. The only thing left was a toad that Sima Hong had just thrown onto Mingyu's knees. It puffed up its snow-white belly, croaked happily, and jumped into the lotus pond.
Lu Hao was speechless at what Sima Hong had done. He was about to run out and jump into the pond to save her, but he saw the little girl standing up from the pond by herself. It turned out that although the lotus pond looked deep, the actual water was only up to Mingyu's waist.
Water was dripping everywhere on Mingyu's face and hair. Her little face turned pale with anger. She stared at Sima Hong with his chest heaving up and down. It was obvious that she was very angry. Her hands hanging on both sides of her body were clenched into fists.
Even if it's a prank, there should be a limit! Lu Hao looked at the girl's wet and slender back, shook his head and sighed. Girls are timid, how can they use a toad to scare people, let alone this delicate little girl in front of him.
Sima Hong got really excited this time. He didn't expect to get Mingyu into the pool. Seeing Mingyu soaked in water and standing in the rain, he felt guilty. He quickly pulled Mingyu out and brought her under the eaves. He stammered, "Well, I just wanted to tease you, but you always ignored me... I didn't mean anything else, don't be angry..."
Mingyu's face was covered in water, her hair was still dripping with water, her legs and feet were covered in the black, smelly mud from the pond, and she stood there in a miserable state. She swore that she had never been so miserable or unlucky in her life!
The cold wind blew over, and Mingyu, who had just been pulled out of the water, shivered a little. She walked down the stairs. She didn't want to pay attention to Mr. Bao's insincere apology. Her eyes were sore and she wanted to cry, but she tried hard to hold it back. She missed her father. If her loving father knew that his precious daughter was bullied like this, he would be so distressed. If she was still in modern times, with her father protecting her, she would never be bullied like this!
Sima Hong really felt guilty this time, but he had always been reckless and bullied people, and had never apologized to anyone. Now he apologized to Mingyu, but his tone was not sincere at all, and Mingyu did not appreciate it at all. Sima Hong was very upset. He did not expect Mingyu to be so timid that she fell into the pond when she saw a toad!
Feeling regretful, Sima Hong took a few steps forward and held Mingyu's wet hand, saying seriously: "Don't be angry, I really didn't mean it..."
Mingyu turned her head, her body felt cold and her face turned pale, which made her eyebrows and eyes look even darker. Her pair of bright black eyes were filled with burning anger. She looked at Sima Hong's face that deserved a beating. Finally, anger overcame reason, and Mingyu finally did something she had always wanted to do.
He squatted down, grabbed a ball of smelly mud from the edge of the pond, jumped up, and smeared it accurately on Master Bao's handsome face.
The entire action was smooth and coherent, and was completed in one go. Mingyu must have practiced it countless times in his mind.
Then, Mingyu stared with her eyes wide open and pursed her lips, walking away in the rain in a rage, cursing Master Bao countless times in her heart, this idiot, this bastard, this playboy, this spendthrift, this disaster star, this unlucky god... She would be unlucky whenever she met him. In her previous life, she must have offended all the gods in heaven, and as a punishment she had to become the concubine of this bastard!
Sooner or later, she will be killed by this bastard! If she doesn't die, she will die of bad luck! It would be best if she hanged herself with a white silk thread as soon as possible, and put an end to it once and for all, cleanly and neatly.
Sima Hong's face was covered with smelly mud. Before he could say a word, Bai Hao, who was holding an umbrella behind him, let out an "Ah Woo". Sima Hong wiped his face with his sleeve, first wiping off the mud on his eyelids, then turned around and glared at Bai Hao fiercely.
When Lu Hao saw Sima Hong's face covered in mud, he couldn't help laughing out loud. This little girl looked quiet and delicate, but he didn't expect her to have such a hot temper.
Bai Hao's "Ah Woo" was glared back at by his master and he swallowed it back into his throat. Sima Hong hurriedly chased after him and shouted, "Ming Yu, don't go. I'll take you back. I really didn't mean it..." Bai Hao hurriedly followed.
Lu Hao smiled slightly at the rockery. There was a quiet girl as bright as jade, and a carefree boy who was trying various ways to get close to the girl and attract her attention.
Boys of Sima Hong's age like to bully the girls they like. If they accidentally annoy them, they have to apologize carefully to please the girls.
If the Lu family had not fallen, he might have experienced the same days as Sima Hong.
As noon approached, the rain gradually subsided.
After having lunch at Sima Hou's mansion, Lu Hao insisted on continuing his journey in the rain because he had to return to Beijing to report on his work on a certain date. The old lady and Sima Qing could no longer try to keep him.
When saying goodbye, Sima Qing said with a smile: "Brother Yang is also in the capital. The Lu family and the Sima family are relatives. You and Brother Yang should take care of each other in the capital."
Lu Hao thought of the stern and serious Sima Xi. Thinking about it carefully, he and his younger brother Sima Hong had many similarities in appearance, but the two brothers had completely different personalities. It didn't seem like they were born from the same mother.
"Your Majesty, you are too polite. The eldest young master is truly a rare talent, and is deeply appreciated by the Emperor and the Grand Tutor. He will definitely have a bright future." Lu Hao said with a smile. This was the truth. If nothing unexpected happened, with Sima Xi's status as the Crown Prince's companion, if the Crown Prince ascended the throne, it would be possible for him to be one of the three highest officials in a few years. The Sima family's youngest son was incompetent, but they still had an older son who could support the family.
Thinking of his outstanding eldest son, Sima Qing couldn't help but feel happy. Of course, as a marquis, he still retained some rationality. Hearing others praising his son like this, he quickly said modestly: "No, no, you are flattering him. He is still young, and you are older than him and have more experience. If he has any shortcomings, just point them out."
The two exchanged polite words for a long while. Xiao Qi dozed off while waiting behind them. Finally, when the two finished their polite words, Lu Hao and his group braved the drizzle and set out on their journey back to Beijing.
Along the way, through the misty rain curtain in front of him, Lu Hao could always see Mingyu's dazed look.
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