He had indeed thought before that giving such a fine thing to Yun Guan was a waste, but now, wasn’t that a thing of the past?
The fourth sister who used to be obedient and compliant in every way had now grown cold toward them, so of course they needed to offer some sweeteners.
This was called the art of managing younger sisters.
Meng Yunwan gently pushed the Eternal Bloom back. “Thank you for your kindness, Third Brother, but I don’t want something others have rejected.”
Seeing Meng Nan’s face suddenly flush red, Meng Yunwan gave a cool smile.
Previously, Meng Nan had stubbornly refused to give her this flower, not even relenting at her birthday banquet, only to turn around and present it to Meng Yu Tang.
Meng Yu Tang was quite pleased, though it wasn’t necessarily that she particularly liked the flower—it was just that anything Meng Yunwan wanted, she had to snatch away.
Unexpectedly, Meng Yu Tang was allergic to the material of the Eternal Bloom, breaking out in a full-body rash within a day.
Meng Yunwan thought that with her allergy, it should finally be her turn, right? Yet to her surprise, as soon as she mentioned it, Meng Nan harshly accused her of being cold-hearted, saying that even when her sister was suffering from an allergy, she was still coveting that flower.
Afterward, he tossed the flower into the warehouse to gather dust.
He would rather let it gather dust in the warehouse than give it to Meng Yunwan.
Only after Meng Yunwan’s reminder did Meng Nan belatedly recall this incident. “Whoosh”—his handsome face flushed with embarrassed anger.
He retreated to the side without a word.
Meng Ruan glared at his younger brothers—two fools!
He cleared his throat and stepped forward, holding the Goat Hair Brush. “Yun Guan…”
“If Eldest Brother is going to say how hard you searched for this Goat Hair Brush and how you specifically brought it for me today, then I advise you to save your breath,” Meng Yunwan said expressionlessly.
Meng Ruan was taken aback, somewhat displeased. “Yun Guan, how can you speak like this? Your Second and Third Brothers’ gifts may have been thoughtless, but where have I offended you?”
“We came to the palace early to visit you and even brought gifts specially for you. We don’t ask for gratitude or repayment, but what about you? Is this your attitude? Yun Guan, if you yourself treat family affection as nothing, how can you blame others for not caring about you?”
As the young man’s accusations, word by word, reached her ears, Meng Yunwan finally grew somewhat impatient.
Unable to bear it any longer, she interrupted, “Because this Goat Hair Brush is the birthday gift I gave you when you were ten years old!”
“At the time, you thought it was shabby. After accepting it, you never used it and directly threw it into the warehouse. You forgot about it all these years, and now you’ve dug out the gift I gave you ten years ago to regift to me!”
Meng Yunwan was truly fed up at this moment. “Eldest Brother, must I spell it out so plainly?”
A deathly silence fell.
Meng Ruan hung his head, Meng Fan’s face flushed red, and Meng Nan bit his lip tightly, avoiding Meng Yunwan’s gaze.
The three of them had never felt so humiliated.
Looking at them, Meng Yunwan only felt weary. “Please return, my three brothers. There’s no need to come to Lin Hong Palace in the future unless necessary.”
After a pause, she added, “Prince Yi is indeed ill, and there is no other reason. My brothers need not worry—this matter will not implicate the marquis’s mansion.”
If Meng Ruan and the others had only been embarrassed before, these words now tore away their last shred of dignity.
Meng Ruan took a deep breath. “Yun Guan, you…”
“Yun Guan, look what good thing I’ve brought for you!”
A boisterous male voice abruptly broke the silence of the hall as a crowd of seven or eight young men and women swarmed in.
Having waited at the agreed-upon spot for quite some time without seeing Meng Yunwan, they had come to fetch her themselves. “Yun Guan, didn’t we agree to visit Prince Yi today? Why haven’t you left yet?”
“Yun Guan, the Crown Prince caught a cricket for you. He—”
“Alright, alright, everyone quiet! Let me speak!”
Ling Qianche shoved the others aside and approached, holding a glittering golden object. He smiled ingratiatingly at Meng Yunwan.
“Yun Guan, this is called a golden cricket. You catch a live cricket, soak it in pine resin wine until all eight legs soften, leaving only the body. Then you inlay gold foil where the legs used to be, set pink diamonds and agate into the forehead and abdomen, and finally encase the whole thing in a crystal-clear piece of jade to make a golden cicada pendant.”
“Hehehe, I spotted a cricket in the courtyard while practicing martial arts this morning, so I caught it and made this. Do you like it?”
Though usually arrogant, the young man was now as gentle as a lamb, his eyes brimming with affection and anticipation for his younger sister.
Meng Yunwan solemnly accepted the pendant.
She put it around her neck, unable to put it down. “I love it. Thank you, Crown Prince.”
“I’ll wear it every day and not let your kindness go to waste.”
He had simply seen a cricket in the courtyard, caught it on a whim, and then used every possible technique to craft this golden cicada pendant for her.
How could she not love it?
“Y-Yun Guan, sister… I also have something for you…”
It was Zhou Cheng, grandson of Grand Tutor Zhou and an auditor at the Shangshufang. He presented Meng Yunwan with a long-lost illustrated compendium.
The boy, only eleven or twelve years old and younger than Meng Yunwan, had gifted a treasure yet seemed afraid she might not like it, watching her nervously.
Meng Yunwan accepted it and gently patted his head. “Thank you, Brother A-Cheng.”
Zhou Cheng’s face flushed red.
But his was not the reddest.
At that moment, the faces of Meng Ruan, Meng Fan, and Meng Nan were truly as red as persimmons, wishing they could hide behind a screen.
Exchanging glances, they quietly retreated, trying to make themselves as inconspicuous as possible.
Unfortunately, Ling Qianche spotted them just then and swaggered over. “Hey, aren’t these the three young masters who made me sick last time? Oh, you still have the nerve to come to the palace? Tsk tsk, and you brought all this junk? What’s this?”
Ling Qianche casually picked up the Eternal Bloom.
As soon as he touched it, a petal fell off. He clicked his tongue in disdain. “Such a worthless thing, and you dare give it as a gift? Some people’s faces are thicker than city walls!”
Meng Yunwan burst out laughing.
Immediately, waves of laughter filled the hall, the mocking voices piercing the Meng brothers until they could no longer hide. Clutching their gifts, they scurried out of Yunyue Hall in disgrace.
Their retreating figures looked utterly dejected.
Yet Meng Yunwan watched them go, feeling nothing but relief.
Somewhere along the way, she had stopped caring about the feelings of Meng Ruan and the others. Whether they loved or hated her, it seemed to stir no ripple in her heart.
She no longer considered them family.