Whether Lu Zhiyou had overheard their earlier conversation was unknown to Leng Yaoda; all she knew was that she had nearly been frightened to death by his voice.
The young man standing beside the girl quickly retreated a few steps, moving aside to nod at Lu Zhiyou. “Elder Brother.”
Leng Yaoda answered Lu Zhiyou’s question. “It’s nothing much. I was just thinking of returning a gift to Brother Zhiyou, so I came over.”
After hearing her words, Lu Zhiyou was stunned for half a second, then a flicker of surprise flashed in his eyes. “Yaoyao… came to return a gift to me?”
The girl lowered her head and replied, “Yes.”
A glimmer of something unreadable flickered in Lu Zhiyou’s eyes before he smiled. “I didn’t expect Yaoyao to be so thoughtful today. Usually, you’re only focused on having fun and have never thought about returning gifts to us.”
Leng Yaoda stiffened slightly, unconsciously tightening her grip on her handkerchief.
“After all, Daji and Brother Zhiyou’s relationship is no longer as it was before. A few days ago, Mother specifically reminded Daji that she must not be as thoughtless as before.”
With a few words, the girl brushed off Lu Zhiyou’s subtle probing. The young man walked over and gave her a gentle smile. “Zhiyou thanks Yaoyao. Yaoyao is very thoughtful.”
Watching their interaction, Lu Shixiu’s jaw tightened, and a flicker of hurt flashed in his eyes.
Yaoyao had previously said she admired him, so why did it not seem that way now?
But if she truly had no feelings for him, why would she go to such great lengths to act that way in front of His Majesty?
Lu Shixiu’s heart was in turmoil.
The young man couldn’t figure out where things had gone wrong.
Meanwhile, Leng Yaoda was so preoccupied with dealing with Lu Zhiyou that she completely overlooked Lu Shixiu’s troubled thoughts.
Or perhaps, even if the girl had noticed, there was nothing she could do.
Lu Zhiyou wanted to invite the girl to stay longer in the front hall, but Leng Yaoda naturally declined politely. “No, Brother Zhiyou. Daji must return to the estate for lunch and take a short nap. In the afternoon, I also want to chat with Sister Wen.”
The Wen and Lu families were both top-tier civil officials. It was already good enough for them to coexist peacefully without interfering in each other’s affairs; there was no possibility of them being on particularly good terms.
Hearing the girl’s words, Lu Zhiyou’s smile remained unchanged. “Very well. Yaoyao is welcome to come anytime. If I’m not home, A Xiu can keep you company for a while.”
Hearing his elder brother suddenly mention him, Lu Shixiu quickly glanced at the two and said, “Yes, Sister Daji, please feel free to come.”
Leng Yaoda didn’t want to say more. The girl stood up to bid farewell, and Lu Zhiyou escorted her all the way to the gate.
Returning to Jing Garden, Lu Shixiu had already left. Lu Zhiyou walked into the room expressionlessly.
The attendant Qing Ping, seeing the young master return, immediately bowed and handed him a box.
“Young Master, this is the return gift I received from Miss Leng.”
Qing Ping presented the box with both hands. Lu Zhiyou picked it up and opened it, taking out the jade pendant with his right hand and examining it repeatedly.
Noticing the exquisite tassel underneath was personally made by the girl, he blinked, somewhat surprised.
Leng Yaoda was outstanding among Noble Ladies—this he knew—but the girl had never displayed this side of herself in front of him.
Even at the Hunting Grounds, men and women were separated, each seeking out a few friends to enjoy themselves with.
Lu Zhiyou was about to put the jade pendant back into the box when his slender, pale fingers paused. In the end, he directly hung it on his waist.
“You may leave.”
Qing Ping acknowledged the order and, as he withdrew, his peripheral glance caught the jade pendant hanging from Lu Zhiyou’s waist.He had followed the young master for over ten years and knew that beneath his smiling face, the young master was actually indifferent to everything, even emotions.
According to Lu Zhiyou’s words, “Matters of love and affection are exhausting and troublesome; only fools enjoy tying themselves up in such things.”
Lost in his thoughts, Qing Ping suddenly had a flash of insight, secretly wondering if his young master might have fallen for Miss Leng.
But soon, Qing Ping shook his head, dismissing the idea. The young master was simply avoiding trouble. Otherwise, if Miss Leng later saw that he wasn’t wearing it, she would surely pester him with questions again!
Leng Yaoda returned to Pear Water Residence and, thinking of Lu Shixiu’s demeanor, couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
It still wasn’t right. She couldn’t involve Lu Shixiu and then pretend as if nothing had happened.
She had thought that with time, things would improve, but it now seemed it wouldn’t be that simple. She really needed to find an opportunity to explain things properly to him.
However, the chances for the two of them to meet were too few nowadays. She would likely have to wait a few more days and personally seek him out during the Tingyun Mountain Hunt.
…
April 28th, 1:30 PM.
Leng Yaoda had been riding in the carriage for over three hours and was starting to feel a bit carsick.
No matter how smoothly the carriage traveled, it was still far inferior to modern transportation.
The young lady had already finished a small plate of candied fruits. Fearing she might suffer from bloating and indigestion as before, Yingzhu and Baoyu dared not bring out any more for her.
Leng Yaoda didn’t press them further and asked listlessly, “Old Li, how much longer?”
Old Li, having driven for half a day, was already tired. The closer they got to Tingyun Mountain, the more carriages of all kinds appeared. He looked up at the mountain peak.
“Miss, we’re almost there. Probably about half an hour more.”
Another hour.
Leng Yaoda sighed inwardly.
Yingzhu noticed she was uncomfortable, swaying and unable to sleep properly, so she spoke up, “Old Li, it’s fine to go a bit faster. It’s really too stuffy inside the carriage.”
“Alright.”
Upon receiving the order, Old Li the coachman picked up speed, gradually overtaking other carriages.
Baoyu muttered, “No wonder only the younger ladies and gentlemen come. Such a long journey is truly unpleasant.”
Leng Yaoda lifted her eyelids to glance at her. “We come here every year, but it’s impossible to get used to it. The journey is still unbearable.”
Yingzhu picked up an ice-silk round fan and fanned her, trying to make the young lady as comfortable as possible.
She said, “That’s right. It’s especially hot today, making the carriage even stuffier. Even switching to breathable gauze curtains doesn’t help.”
Leng Yaoda rested her forehead in her hand without speaking, closing her eyes to feign sleep.
Finally, after nearly an hour, the carriage stopped at the foot of Tingyun Mountain, where many other carriages were also parked.
Old Li called into the carriage, “Miss, we’ve arrived.”
Leng Qi and Leng Lin had come on horseback, traveling two to three times faster than the carriage, and were already inside the hunting grounds.
The young lady hurriedly stepped out of the carriage, taking deep breaths of the fresh natural air, feeling as if the fog in her mind had finally cleared.
If she had stayed in the carriage any longer, she wasn’t sure she wouldn’t have vomited inside.
Opening her eyes, she was greeted by the magnificent and majestic green mountain ranges, surrounded by rolling, picturesque scenery.
The hunting grounds were located halfway up Tingyun Mountain, accessible by foot, with breathtaking views along the way.
Yingzhu and Baoyu also smiled, retrieving a few small bundles from the carriage. These contained the young lady’s change of clothes for the next few days, as well as her riding attire for playing polo.Leng Yaoda was skilled at playing polo and pitch-pot, but these were activities more favored by men. As she grew older, she rarely engaged in them anymore, and even others had forgotten that the young lady was actually quite adept at horsemanship.
After taking just a few steps upward, she heard a lazy, magnetic voice from behind: “Sister Daji.”