Chapter 9: Infatuation

  With a heavy heart, she slowly walked out of her own house and stopped in the courtyard, looking around.

  On the left is the main house where the Guo family lives, and on the right is the gate of a small courtyard.

  Yan Liu saw her hesitant expression, saw her unusual expression, and hesitated not to move forward. She couldn't help but step forward and say: "Miss just said she wanted to go to the big madam..." Her words had only been spoken halfway when they were interrupted by Ling Yu Xuan's raised hand.

  "I suddenly thought of something I need to discuss with Sixth Brother! Let's just go back and talk to Big Madam later!" Ling Yuexuan said resolutely.

  Yan Liu heard this, her expression subtly uncertain: "If Miss wants to see Sixth Master, it would be better for me to go and invite him. Why must she personally go over? We are currently outside, not at home, it's best to minimize going out!"

  Ling Yuexuan heard this, but became even more impatient. She coldly said: "The Ling, Xiao, and Lu families have always been close, and although I don't often see Eldest Brother Xiao and Cousin Lu of the Lu family, it's not like we've never met before! What's with all these taboos? Just follow me!" After speaking, she didn't bother with Yan Liu anymore, and strode out of the courtyard. Yan Liu had no choice but to chase after her.

  The two of them walked along the corridor, and as soon as they came out of the Huahua Gate, they took a hundred or so steps forward. Suddenly, a clear male voice came from the side: "Shi Mei?" The tone was surprisingly full of surprise.

  Ling Yuexuan's advice to Yan Liu was ignored, but in her heart, she wasn't entirely calm. Suddenly hearing this sentence, she was first startled, and when she turned around to see the person clearly, she couldn't help but blush. After a moment, she took a step back with a hint of embarrassment: "So it's Brother Lu, what brings you here?" Her voice was as thin as a mosquito's hum, completely unlike her usual tone.

  It was Lu Weiyin who had just arrived, and upon seeing Ling Yuexuan, he quickly walked over with a smile and said: "I have something to discuss, I was thinking of going to the inner courtyard to talk to Big Sister Ling about it, that's why I came this way. Little sister, where are you headed? Are you going to find Brother Yuanqing?"

  Ling Yuexuan was very clear that she should nod at this time. But somehow, she couldn't help but nod and blurted out: "I... I came out... just... taking a walk... and now... I'm about to head back..."

  Feeling her face burning hot at this moment, Ling Yuexuan hastily turned her head away and said: "Since Eldest Sister is living with me now, if Landlord Brother has something to discuss with her, then let's go over together!"

  Lu Weiying was overjoyed when he heard this, and hurriedly smiled: "This is the best!" Ling Yuexuan was originally a rare beauty, and now with a blush on her face, she added even more color. It made Lu Weiying stare at her with wide eyes.

  Yan Xuan, who was standing beside Ling Yuanshu, was a perceptive person and couldn't help but feel startled when she saw the situation. She quickly stepped forward to support Ling Yuanshu, intentionally or unintentionally blocking Lu Weiyin's line of sight. Ling Yuanshu naturally understood Yan Xuan's intention, but couldn't scold her, so he could only secretly glare at her. However, Yan Xuan's actions did manage to clear Ling Yuanshu's mind a bit.

  Lu Weiying on the other side smiled and said: "I heard that tenth sister came here to admire the plum blossoms?"

  Ling Yuexuan heard this and nodded: "Yes!"

  Lu Weiyin said, "Speaking of which, my family in Tanzhou also has a large plum blossom forest! Although it's not as good as the green sprout ridge plum blossoms, it's also famous far and near in Tanzhou! Every year when winter comes, our family will invite some old friends to come and drink wine and appreciate the plum blossoms together, it's quite lively!"

  Ling Yuexuan heard this and couldn't help but feel interested. He then asked about it, and Lu Weiyin answered one by one, not forgetting to mention the scenery, objects, and human feelings of Tanzhou. Originally, he had a good eloquence, and now that he spoke out, his words were truly wonderful and connected like pearls.

  As they walked and talked, they soon entered the inner courtyard. When Luo's residence appeared before Ling Yuexuan's eyes, she couldn't help but sigh and blurt out: "We've actually returned so quickly!"

  Lu Weiying burst out laughing and said: "It's great to have a beautiful companion. I'm just regretful that the journey is too short! Who would have thought my sister had the same lament?"

  Ling Yuexuan suddenly heard this, and couldn't help but blush. She glared at Lu Weiyin with a hint of annoyance, then turned around and hastily ran back to her own room without saying goodbye. Lu Weiyin watched her go, his eyes wide with surprise for a moment before he sighed and shook his head, lost in thought. But soon, he composed himself and stopped a maid who was passing by the courtyard, asking her to inform Lady Luo that he had something important to discuss with her. The maid nodded and led Lu Weiyin to Lady Luo's quarters.

  Lu Weiyin had just entered Luo's house when a group of people suddenly appeared from the west side of the ear room.

  Still staring at the door of the Luo's house, Xiao Chengyan said unpleasantly: "This Lu Weiying, not only does he not know how to restrain himself, but he becomes more and more overbearing, simply... simply..." She had wanted to curse him with another sentence, but for a moment she couldn't find suitable words.

  The person standing beside her was none other than Yuan Dai. After a moment of silence, Yuan Dai said, "He seems to be quite carefree!"

  She could hear the implication in his words and couldn't help but pout, saying: "My big brother is really too slow!"

  Yan Dai smiled and changed the subject: "Sister Yi, shall we go to our younger sister's place or our elder sister-in-law's place now?"

  Xiao Cheng pursed her lips and thought for a moment: "Let's go to Shige's place first!"

  Yan Dai nodded and didn't say anything more, then she and Xiao Cheng walked towards Ling Yuan Xuan's place.

  …………

  When Lu Weiying entered, Guo's wife didn't say anything, but signaled the wet nurse to take Ling Ting'an and Ling Yanqing away. She asked Lu Weiying to sit down, and after calling a maid to serve tea, Guo's wife again dismissed everyone else, leaving only her personal maid, Liu'er, to accompany them.

  After a brief silence in the house, Lu Weiying finally smiled wryly and said: "The reason why I came here, sister-in-law should know, right?"

  After a moment of silence, Madame Guo slowly said: "Uncle's reason for coming here, I don't know and I don't want to know! However, it's rare for Uncle to come over, so why not sit for a while and chat about some trivial matters? Apart from that, I only have one thing to tell you..." She paused slightly before continuing: "After the snow melts, it's still best for Uncle to head down the mountain early!"

  Lu Weiying was taken aback, but he stood up and bowed deeply to Guo Shi, then sat back down with a smile: "Come to think of it, Sister-in-law has been married to my brother for many years now, and Brother is the same, how come they haven't brought Sister-in-law back to Tanzhou to take a look?"

  "Guo smiled and said: 'He's busy every day, rarely seen, let alone in Tanzhou, even this Lü Yu Ling can't spare the time to come!' Although she spoke with a smile, the deep loss in her eyes was so thick that it almost couldn't be dispersed."

  Lu Weiyin was actually a person who was very good at observing others' expressions and words. As soon as he saw that Madame Guo's expression was unusual, he quickly changed the subject and began to talk about some interesting things in Tanzhou. The two of them chatted for a moment, and just as Lu Weiyin was about to get up and take his leave, a maid suddenly came in with a report: "Madame, Miss Xiao has arrived with our two young ladies!"

  Madam Guo heard this and was just about to get up, but from outside came the sound of Xiao Chengyan's voice: "Sister-in-law doesn't need to come out to greet us, we've already entered!" As she spoke, the curtain moved, and the three girls had already walked in one after another with smiling faces.

  Mr. Guo saw the three people coming in and couldn't help but smile: "You guys! I still have guests here!"

  Xiao Cheng smiled and said, "Brother Lu is not an outsider, so it's a bit too formal for you to call him 'guest'!" Her original appearance was already bright and moving, but with a smile, the whole room lit up, and everyone felt warm inside.

  In comparison, Ling Yuexian's delicate and lovely appearance was greatly overshadowed by her dazzling brilliance.

  Lu Weiying suddenly caught sight of this national beauty's smile and was immediately enchanted.

  Ling Weiyang's eyes were slightly dazed, and Ling Yuexuan didn't know what to make of it for a moment. She bit her lip, turned away, and silently sat down beside Yu Dai. As soon as Yu Dai and the others arrived, the maidservants naturally busied themselves, clearing away the leftover tea and brewing new cups. After taking a sip, Yu Dai smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, this tea is usually very good, but now that it's cold outside, it seems a bit too weak!"

  She said that, Guo's expression changed to a smile and she said: "Ninth sister suddenly mentioned this today, is there something on your mind?" As she spoke, she turned her head towards Lu Weiying and said: "Ninth sister's tea is even praised by the old lady. Uncle is in luck this time!"

  Until now, Lu Weiying was still a bit dazed, from time to time she would steal a glance at Xiao Chengyan, and after hearing this, she only forced herself to say: "If that's the case, I'd better thank Ninth Sister first!"

  Yan Dai slightly raised her eyebrows and instructed Wen Ping: "Wen Ping, go back to the house and bring the apricot kernel powder we brought to make a paste!"

  Madam Guo couldn't help but smile when she heard it was apricot kernel tea, saying: "So what Ninth Sister said was actually apricot kernel tea! Speaking of which, drinking this apricot kernel tea in winter is indeed the best. It's just that brewing this tea is quite troublesome, so even in our household, we only make it occasionally!"

  Yan Dai smiled and said, "Elder sister doesn't know that I'm a person who acts on impulse and likes to do things spontaneously. Therefore, the apricot kernel tea in my house is made using a clever method. First, the apricot kernels are ground into powder, then a secret method is used to make apricot kernel frost. When you want to drink it, just take some of the powder and either infuse it with boiling water or mix it with milk, finally adding a bit of seasoning."

  Mr. Guo thought for a moment and said, "This method does sound much simpler, but I wonder how the flavor will be?"

  Yan Dai smiled and said: "How is the taste, just wait for a moment when Wenping comes to try it, you will know!" She said, then turned to Lu Weiyin and said: "Lu Shixiong is here, I must ask him to comment on it!" Lu Weiyin nodded repeatedly in agreement.

  The crowd chatted again, and then Wenping also brought out the apricot kernel frost. Yuandai hinted that Wenping should first bring out the apricot kernel frost for everyone to see. Guoshi and others took a look at Wenping's hand.

  The apricot kernel paste is packed in a transparent white crystal small bowl, and it lives up to its name. Its color is pure white, just like frost and snow, making people love it at first sight. When the lid is opened, there is also a faint sweet fragrance that hits the nose, making one's mouth water three feet away.

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