It was the end of July and the autumn heat was still fierce. Luo Lingxiu came out of Miao's yard. Even with a silk fan to block the sun, she could still feel the sunlight shining through the fan on her face, which was burning painful. She couldn't help but quicken her pace back to the yard.
When passing through the corridor, Luo Ling Xiucai felt better with the shelter of the eaves. Thinking back to what had just happened, although Sima Lian was annoying, what annoyed her the most was that she was humiliated in front of Mingyu, that yellow-haired girl. She felt irritated and depressed.
As soon as she entered the corridor, Luo Lingxiu saw Sima Hong holding something in his hand and walking hurriedly from the corridor with a white hair. Luo Lingxiu's face lit up and she shouted, "Cousin, what are you doing?"
Master Bao then noticed Luo Lingxiu, and he stopped two or three steps away from her. He smiled and said, "I just went out and just came back."
Today Sima Hong wore a sky-blue thin silk robe, a gold and jade-inlaid belt around his waist, and a red gold crown on his head. He had a tall and strong figure, and was indescribably elegant and handsome.
As he hurried along, sweat oozed from Master Bao's forehead and nose, and there was new dark blue stubble on the corners of his mouth. His Adam's apple moved up and down as he spoke. A drop of sweat slid down from Master Bao's thick hair by his ear and flowed down his Adam's apple into his collar. The masculine aura emanating from his body made Luo Lingxiu suddenly blush and her heart beat fast, and she couldn't help herself.
As if possessed, Luo Lingxiu couldn't help but take two steps forward, took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off Master Bao's face, and smiled at Master Bao affectionately, "Look at you, you're covered in stinky sweat!"
Before Luo Lingxiu's handkerchief touched him, Mr. Bao quickly took two steps back to avoid Luo Lingxiu's hand, and Luo Lingxiu's hand stayed awkwardly in mid-air.
Baihao hurriedly lowered his head and looked around with his head tilted. It was lunch time and there was no one on either side of the corridor, which made him feel relieved.
Luo Lingxiu looked ugly, embarrassed and blushed. She clenched her handkerchief tightly and was so angry that she wanted to tear it into pieces.
Master Bao couldn't bear it, so he took the handkerchief from Luo Lingxiu's hand with a smile, roughly wiped his face with it, and gave it back to Luo Lingxiu, laughing exaggeratedly: "Oh, my stinky sweat has ruined the scented handkerchief of my sister-in-law, please don't blame me, sister-in-law!"
Luo Lingxiu's anger immediately turned into joy. She burst into laughter and snatched the handkerchief back. Her face flushed as she said coquettishly, "You are already an adult, but you still don't behave properly and keep saying nonsense!"
Master Bao chuckled twice and didn't say anything else.
Luo Lingxiu shifted her gaze to Master Bao's hand, which was a palm-sized mahogany frame, carved with auspicious cloud patterns, exquisitely crafted and beautifully painted. She asked curiously, "What is this?"
Master Bao looked at the shelf in his hand and said with a smile, "Mingyu's brother gave her a stone. She treasured it like a treasure and didn't want me to see it. She usually kept it in a box. I made a shelf for her to put the stone on, so she can put it on the table and admire it."
Luo Lingxiu's smile froze on her face instantly. The emotions surging in her heart were sour and bitter, as if something was pulling at her heart. After a while, she calmed down and said with a pout, "You are from a humble family after all. You have no knowledge." She stared at Master Bao and sneered, "You think such a junky thing is a treasure! You want to match a piece of rotten stone with a mahogany frame?"
For some reason, Master Bao thought of the pair of jade unicorn paperweights. When he heard Luo Lingxiu say this, which seemed to hint at something, he felt uncomfortable and said in a cold tone, "Sister-in-law, I'll go back first."
Luo Lingxiu wanted to say something else, but Master Bao quickly walked past Luo Lingxiu with Baihao and walked over there. After a while, his figure disappeared around the corner.
Luo Ling clenched the handkerchief delicately, her knuckles turning white from exertion. If it wasn't for that nasty person, how could her cousin be so cold to her!
In the evening, after Mingyu and Lixiang had dinner, Mingyu sat in front of the lamp and read a book, while Lixiang took a small basket to do needlework, and while embroidering, she told Mingyu about what happened that day. After a while, someone was heard calling Lixiang's name at the gate of the yard.
Lixiang quickly put down the needle and thread in her hand and went out to take a look. After a while, she came back and said to Mingyu, "Second grandma, Mei Zi in the kitchen's family came to see her and brought her a lot of food. Mei Zi asked me to go over to share the food. Let's all go..." Lixiang was not greedy for the food Mei Zi brought when she got married. She wanted to establish a good relationship with the people in the kitchen, just like her sister Bixi before, so that she could take better care of them with meals.
Mingyu smiled, remembering that when she was in college, she also brought food from home by herself. All the girls in the dormitory were fighting for it. They were not greedy, but just enjoying the fun of fighting for food. She smiled and said, "Go, don't delay too long, the yard will be locked soon."
Under the candlelight, the little girl's skin was smooth and ivory-white, her black eyes reflected the candlelight, and when she smiled, she showed a row of neat and small teeth. Just looking at her made people feel sweet in their hearts. Lixiang was stunned for a moment, then came to her senses, smiled heavily, nodded, and went out.
Mingyu was sitting on the couch alone, reading a book. A cool breeze blew past the window, causing the candlelight to flicker a few times, making the words on the book blurry and unclear. Mingyu simply put the book down, leaned back on the couch, and closed her eyes to rest. She didn't want to become nearsighted here, where there weren't even glasses. She would have to squint to see things in the future. How uncomfortable!
As soon as Mingyu closed her eyes, the scene of Sima Lian and Luo Lingxiu confronting each other today emerged in her mind. The two of them were like fighting cocks, neither of them giving in. One had been holding a grudge for a long time, and the other was domineering and refused to back down. She didn't know what kind of future Sima Lian could fight for her. She was afraid that there would be no peace in the days to come.
And she, Mingyu couldn't help but sigh when she thought of herself. Life was becoming more and more hopeless. When would her brother come to pick her up? Even if her brother passed the imperial examination, could he help her get a divorce from Sima Mansion smoothly? These were all problems.
Soon, the night completely enveloped the earth, and the courtyard was filled with starlight. Mingyu calculated the time and found that Lixiang had been gone for a long time and had not returned yet.
There was also the sound of the nanny padlocking the door. Mingyu was startled and hurriedly dragged her shoes out. She smiled at the nanny outside the door and said, "Wait a minute, nanny. My maid was called to the kitchen for something and hasn't come back yet. Can you wait a while before locking the door?"
The nanny had a bunch of heavy keys hanging on her body. She looked a little embarrassed and said, "Second Madam, I am only following orders. If I don't lock the door on time, it will be my fault and I will be punished by you."
Mingyu took a deep breath, nodded and smiled, "Okay, can you lock other places first, and then lock Yiqing Courtyard? This should be possible." As she spoke, she took off the only hairpin on her head and handed it to the nanny, "Please be flexible, nanny."
The maid who locked the lock saw two pearls on the top of the silver hairpin under the starlight, and she put it away without making a sound, saying with a smile: "Second Madam, you are too polite. I will go to lock the lock somewhere else first. But after I lock the lock, if your maid hasn't come back yet, I still have to lock the lock before the appointed time. I can't wait any longer."
Mingyu felt a little pain for the hairpin, remembering what her brother had told her before, that these wealthy families needed money for their personal relationships and servants. She had never needed it before, but now she understood that even if she was a legitimate second wife, she would not be able to move forward without money. Mingyu nodded and said, "I know about this, I won't make it difficult for Madam, thank you for your understanding."
The nanny smiled and bowed, and went to another courtyard first. Mingyu stood at the gate of the courtyard waiting anxiously. The road leading to Yiqing Courtyard was always silent, and not even a shadow of a person could be seen. Lixiang was not the kind of person who would play without knowing her limits. Mingyu was most afraid that something had happened to her since she hadn't come back so late.
Now Mingyu is in Sima Hou Mansion, and the only person she can trust and rely on is Lixiang. If she has any accident again, Mingyu will really be alone. Thinking of this, Mingyu can no longer stand, and a huge panic swept Mingyu's heart.
Looking at the dark eaves in the distance, Sima Hou Mansion was as dark as a dormant beast after nightfall, as if it could swallow a person in one gulp. When the night wind blew, the grass and trees made a strange sound.
After waiting for a while, no one appeared on the path ahead, so Mingyu made up her mind and ran to the kitchen. Meizi was a maid who helped in the kitchen. Mingyu remembered that the courtyard where the servants lived was separated from the kitchen by a wall. Lixiang should have gone to the courtyard where Meizi lived. If she had nothing to do, she could find her there.
Mingyu ran very fast along the way. When she was about to reach the courtyard where the servants lived, she saw from a distance that the courtyard, which should have been turned off, was now brightly lit and full of noise.
A maid standing at the gate of the courtyard saw Mingyu coming and quickly shouted to the group of people behind her who were fighting each other, "Stop arguing, stop arguing! The master is coming!"
Seeing this scene, Mingyu's face involuntarily darkened. She slowed down her pace, adjusted her breathing, and walked over slowly but powerfully, staring sharply at every maid who appeared in front of her. She didn't know three of them, but she recognized the other three. Two were Luo Lingxiu's maids, Hongxi and Hongxian, and the other was a familiar face, Master Bao's maid—Yingrong.
The maid standing in the front was dressed in plain clothes with spots of dirt on her coarse cloth, like a kitchen maid. She held her breath and lowered her head after receiving Mingyu's gaze, and quietly stepped aside. Hongxi and Hongxian, on the other hand, looked indignant, looking up at Mingyu unconvinced.
Yingrong looked at Mingyu, Hongxi and Hongxian, feeling a little at a loss. She didn't know where to put her hands and feet, and an embarrassed blush appeared on her face.
Mingyu stood still and asked with a straight face, "Where is my maid Lixiang?"
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