Yu Yuan turned around and finally saw Yu Luo. “Luo’er.”
Yu Luo’s gaze was no longer as warm as before. She simply responded, “Eldest Brother.”
When Eldest Miss Yu had been around, she had treasured these two brothers dearly. Her eyes had always been full of deep admiration and reverence whenever she looked at them.
Yu Yuan and Yu Che had naturally understood the little feelings of a young girl.
Back then, they had only thought that Eldest Miss Yu liked to act spoiled.
Affections that came too easily were naturally looked down upon by those who did not know how to cherish them.
Now, Yu Luo no longer felt any familial warmth toward the two of them.
When she looked at them, her gaze was no different from the way she looked at anyone else.
It was even less warm than the way she looked at Ziming and Bitong.
Yu Yuan, seeing Yu Luo treat him so coldly, felt a sudden emptiness.
He did not fully understand it himself. At first, he hadn’t minded Yu Luo clinging to him.
But now that she had truly kept her distance, he felt uncomfortable in his heart.
Of course, Yu Luo had no idea what Yu Yuan was thinking.
If she had mind-reading abilities, she would probably have scolded him as “shameless.”
Yu Yuan cleared his throat to cover his discomfort. “Luo’er, you were ill recently. Are you feeling better now?”
“Thanks for your concern, Eldest Brother. I’ve mostly recovered.”
Yu Luo was outwardly polite, but inwardly she could not help rolling her eyes at Yu Yuan.
If Liu Yanran had even a mild fever, whether real or feigned, Yu Yuan and Yu Che would have rushed over anxiously.
Yet this time, Yu Luo had been seriously ill, and the two of them had not even bothered to visit.
And now they had the nerve to ask pretentiously if she was better.
Seeing Yu Yuan so concerned about Yu Luo, Liu Yanran had long felt uneasy.
She hurriedly grabbed a handkerchief and coughed violently.
Cai Die saw the scene and quickly said, “Biao Xiaojie caught a chill last night and coughed all night. She still hasn’t recovered.”
Yu Yuan, seeing Liu Yanran’s eyes watering from the cough, immediately shifted his attention to her. He fussed over her, asking if she was cold or uncomfortable, while also giving Cai Die some silver to buy a pear syrup to soothe her lungs.
Yu Luo watched coldly, finding it rather amusing.
She said lightly, “Since Cousin Yan is unwell, you shouldn’t go out today, or you might get sicker.”
Upon hearing this, Liu Yanran’s coughing gradually subsided.
Her expression turned slightly awkward. “Since I promised Miss Su, how could I just not go?”
Yu Luo mocked, “Of course. How could Cousin Yan bear to miss an opportunity to show off and compete for attention?”
Liu Yanran’s ears flushed bright red. “You—”
Yu Yuan interjected, displeased. “Luo’er, how can you speak to your cousin like that? You mustn’t be so rude in the future.”
Yu Luo ignored them and climbed into the carriage.
Only after the carriage started moving did she remember something important.
The Big Brother had some interest in Liu Yanran.
Would her previous behavior make him think she was bullying his precious little darling?
Thinking this, Yu Luo felt a pang of nervousness.
She quickly lifted the carriage curtain to look outside.
Li Xiao was riding his horse.
The tall horse walked steadily, and he looked particularly cold and imposing.
Yu Luo only wanted to steal a glance at him, but unexpectedly, their eyes met in that instant.
Yu Luo: “……”
Li Xiao spurred his horse forward and came beside the carriage curtain. “Eldest Miss, any instructions?”
Yu Luo: “orz”
She could not exactly say that she had no instructions and only wanted to look at him.
At that moment, Yu Luo heard the street vendor calling out, selling Osmanthus cakes.
“I want to eat Osmanthus cake.”
The Big Brother would surely buy two portions—one for her and one to flirt with Liu Yanran.
Yu Luo thought this, but Li Xiao had already ridden off.
Less than a quarter of an hour later, the curtain was lifted from outside.
Li Xiao handed Yu Luo a portion of Osmanthus cake.
Yu Luo: “……”
Wait—Big Brother, you really only bought one?
Li Xiao raised an eyebrow. “Eldest Miss doesn’t want another?”
“This one is for me? You didn’t buy one for Miss Liu?”
For the first time, a trace of confusion flashed in Li Xiao’s eyes. “Why should I buy one for her?”
Yu Luo did not know what to say.
It made sense. The Big Brother never actively courted women or bought things for them. Only if someone made an effort to court him would he respond.
Once she realized this, Yu Luo slowly began eating the Osmanthus cake.
Beside her, Liu Yanran watched enviously. If Yu Yuan and Yu Che were here, she would not have been so ignored.
At Su Mansion, the various Eldest Misses gradually arrived.
As the hostess, Su Peilan naturally sat in the center.
Yu Luo had not yet arrived, and the others were chatting idly.
One young lady said, “Lan’er, why did you invite Yu Luo? Why bother? Whenever she’s here, we can’t have a moment’s peace.”
Another added, “Yu Luo is so vulgar. Always dressed in red and green, looking like the daughter of a merchant family. Being around her makes us look crude too.”
Su Peilan smiled. “Since I invited Liu Yanran, I could not leave Yu Luo out—it would be improper. Besides, her family is the most prestigious among us. Not bringing her along would surely offend Madam Yu.”
Su Peilan was only the daughter of a prefectural governor, her status far below that of a marquis’s daughter like Yu Luo.
But Su Peilan’s elegance, beauty, and talent earned her high regard among the young ladies.
Furthermore, her father, a minor official in the Capital City, wielded considerable influence in the local area.
With his wealth piled high and the garden they built resembling a painting, the other young ladies could not help but envy her.
Su Peilan had her maid serve tea.
The young ladies sipped it and could not help but praise its quality.
Su Peilan smiled. “Of course it’s fine tea—it was tribute tea to the palace. One or two gold coins wouldn’t even buy this amount. Do you know its name?”
They all shook their heads, saying they didn’t know.
She smiled. “It’s called Silver Moon. See how the silvery-green leaves float in the water, like a silver moon? That’s why it’s named so.”
The young ladies agreed, indeed seeing the resemblance.
The young lady who had spoken earlier complained, “This tea is wasted on Yu Luo. She never has manners, drinks like a cow, and when she’s around, it makes the rest of us look bad.”
Su Peilan felt a small thrill of satisfaction hearing the others disparage Yu Luo.
The main reason she had invited Yu Luo was to contrast herself with her.
The more vulgar Eldest Miss Yu appeared, the more refined Su Peilan seemed.
Without comparison, how could she appear special?