Xiao Jinglin hadn’t gone far.
After Ren Yaoqi came out and walked just a few steps, she saw her sitting on the ground with her back to them in a nearby patch of grass, holding a small wooden disc in her right hand and throwing it forcefully.
Shaniu, who had been crouching beside her, shot out swiftly as she moved, catching the wooden disc in her mouth with an “awoo” before it hit the ground, then turned and trotted back excitedly, placing the disc she held in her mouth into Xiao Jinglin’s hand while wagging her tail and panting with her tongue out, looking at her excitedly.
Ren Yaoqi: “…”
Xiao Jingxi explained without changing expression: “Shaniu saw the guards in the garden training dogs like this before…”
Hearing voices, Xiao Jinglin turned back to glance at them, then stood up, patted the grass debris off herself, and walked over.
Shaniu was having great fun and was immediately displeased when she saw Xiao Jinglin about to leave. With an “awoo,” she bit onto Xiao Jinglin’s skirt hem and dragged her desperately to prevent her from leaving.
Xiao Jinglin expressionlessly lifted her foot and kicked under Shaniu’s neck. Using skillful force, she sent the round Shaniu rolling several times to the side before stopping.
“Awoo—” Shaniu scrambled up, shook her ears, and looked at Xiao Jinglin with bright, sparkling eyes. As if discovering a new game, she quickly ran back, curled into a ball, and flopped down at Xiao Jinglin’s feet, practically writing “Please kick me!” on her forehead.
Xiao Jinglin ignored her. She walked up to Ren Yaoqi, looked at her, then at Xiao Jingxi, pursed her lips, and gazed at Ren Yaoqi without speaking, just watching her with her eyes.
This was the first time Ren Yaoqi had seen an expression resembling anxiety and unease on Xiao Jinglin’s face.
Just now, Xiao Jinglin had come down on her own without greeting Ren Yaoqi, leaving Ren Yaoqi and Xiao Jingxi alone together. As Ren Yaoqi’s friend, Xiao Jinglin felt she had betrayed her friend and was afraid Ren Yaoqi would blame her.
After thinking for a moment, Ren Yaoqi understood what was troubling Xiao Jinglin. She smiled and stepped forward to take Xiao Jinglin’s hand: “I’m a bit hungry. Shall we fly kites after eating?”
Xiao Jinglin breathed a sigh of relief, her face also showing a smile as she immediately grasped Ren Yaoqi’s hand in return: “Come on, I’ll take you to eat something delicious.” Without even glancing at Xiao Jingxi, she pulled Ren Yaoqi away.
The delicious food Xiao Jinglin mentioned was a roasted roe deer. Whether it was originally kept in the garden or hunted specially, it was being roasted right in the courtyard of the Embracing Moon Pavilion.
When Xiao Jinglin brought Ren Yaoqi to Embracing Moon Pavilion, the roe deer was already roasted. The firewood rack was still set up in the courtyard, and two women were using small knives to slice meat on cutting boards. On the round table in the courtyard were a steamer basket of flatbreads, a clay pot steaming with hot soup, a plate of washed and cut fruit, and nothing else besides these.
Xiao Jinglin pulled Ren Yaoqi to sit at the table, then waved for the two women slicing meat and the servants in the courtyard to withdraw.
Xiao Jingxi also came in afterward, smiled, and sat across from Ren Yaoqi.
Xiao Jinglin didn’t want anyone to serve them. She washed her hands herself, then went to bring over a plate of breast meat that the two women had sliced earlier. She put the roasted meat in steamed flatbread and placed it on the plate in front of Ren Yaoqi: “Try this.” Then she got up again to fiddle with the roasted roe deer at the cutting board.
Xiao Jingxi ladled a bowl of soup from the clay pot and placed it in front of Ren Yaoqi: “This is pork bone and mountain delicacy soup. Roasted meat is commonly eaten during military banquets—Jinglin said to let you try it too.”
Ren Yaoqi glanced at Xiao Jingxi, also ladled a bowl of soup and placed it in front of him, then ladled one for Xiao Jinglin as well.
Xiao Jingxi’s eyes were full of smiles, making Ren Yaoqi want to glare at him.
The ambiguous atmosphere didn’t last long. Xiao Jinglin soon returned with two large plates, each containing a roasted front leg.
Under Ren Yaoqi’s surprised and curious gaze, Xiao Jinglin expressionlessly placed one plate in front of Xiao Jingxi, then said to Ren Yaoqi: “Men should drink heartily and eat meat with gusto. How can you rely on effeminate men who are more particular than women?” After saying this, she gave Xiao Jingxi a sideways glance.
Xiao Jingxi looked down at the greasy roasted roe deer leg on his plate, his eyelid twitching.
Xiao Jinglin didn’t look at him either, just sat down next to Ren Yaoqi, then picked up her own roasted roe deer leg with her hands and took a big bite provocatively, chewing slowly and methodically.
Xiao Jingxi: “…”
Ren Yaoqi looked at the competing siblings and felt both helpless and amused.
Xiao Jinglin was having a tantrum with Xiao Jingxi. Ren Yaoqi couldn’t say much, so she glanced at Xiao Jingxi and lowered her head to eat her food—she was truly hungry.
The flatbread with roasted meat tasted quite good.
Xiao Jingxi shook his head and drank his soup.
Xiao Jinglin had quite an appetite. Soon, most of a roasted roe deer leg had gone into her stomach. Although her eating style was bold, her movements weren’t crude.
Ren Yaoqi found it interesting, and watching Xiao Jinglin eat so heartily improved her appetite considerably. She drank a bowl of soup and ate two flatbreads with roasted meat.
Only Xiao Jingxi, from beginning to end, calmly and silently drank his soup. Even when squeezed out by his sister, Second Young Master Xiao wouldn’t be provoked into grabbing a roasted roe deer leg to gnaw on.
Ren Yaoqi used flatbread to wrap some roasted meat and placed it on the plate in front of Xiao Jinglin, then very “casually” wrapped another and placed it on Xiao Jingxi’s plate.
Xiao Jingxi couldn’t help but curve his lips, picked up the one from his plate and ate it slowly, then said softly: “Not full yet, want more.”
Xiao Jinglin glared at Xiao Jingxi and snorted coldly.
Ren Yaoqi: “…”
This meal was eaten with daggers drawn. Ren Yaoqi felt the roasted meat was very heating, so after eating, she insisted for the first time against all opposition, having two bowls of strong kudingcha tea brought up and firmly watching Xiao Jinglin and Xiao Jingxi drink them before being satisfied.
After the meal, they rested for a while, then the three went to fly kites.
Ren Yaoqi finally saw the kites that were supposedly painted by Xiao Jingxi himself: a large qilin, a large white tiger, each as big as Shaniu, and a thing over ten feet long that resembled both snake and dragon. When the kites were flown in the sky, Shaniu looked up and chased after the white tiger kite with great joy.
Naturally, Ren Yaoqi didn’t have the strength to fly such large kites. She took an ordinary paper kite and, with Pingguo’s help, got it into the sky. While pulling the string in her hand, she turned to ask Xiao Jingxi, who had been standing behind her, “Which one did you paint?”
Before the kites went up, Ren Yaoqi had looked carefully. Although those large kites were painted very realistically, they only had craftsmanship without spiritual essence, like the work of kite-making artisans, really not like Second Young Master Xiao’s style, even though Ren Yaoqi had never seen Xiao Jingxi’s paintings.
Xiao Jingxi looked at the paper kite in the sky, smiling but not speaking.
Ren Yaoqi knew she had guessed correctly and couldn’t help feeling frustrated. She stopped paying attention to Xiao Jingxi.
After flying kites all afternoon, estimating it was getting late, Ren Yaoqi wanted to return to the city. She had been out all day today, and although she had already informed Li Shi, it wouldn’t be good to return too late.
Xiao Jingxi ordered people to prepare a carriage to send Ren Yaoqi back.
Ren Yaoqi was angry at Xiao Jingxi for deceiving her, so she hadn’t paid attention to him all afternoon, while Xiao Jinglin had been gloating all afternoon.
When Ren Yaoqi boarded the carriage, she immediately saw an open wooden box on the carriage’s low table. Walking over to look clearly, she saw that there was a kite inside the wooden box.
Ren Yaoqi reached out to take the kite and only then could see clearly that this was a “beauty kite.” From the hair and facial features to the hair ornaments, the “beauty kite” was lifelike and very realistic, showing that the person who painted the kite was very serious and meticulous. When she saw the “beauty’s” face, Ren Yaoqi was stunned—it was clearly herself.
Ren Yaoqi thought of something and couldn’t help lifting the carriage curtain, then saw Xiao Jingxi standing not far away.
Xiao Jingxi seemed to have anticipated early on that she would lift the curtain. The moment their eyes met, the smile in his eyes was warm and affectionate, making Ren Yaoqi blush involuntarily.
Xiao Jinglin, who was sitting in the carriage with Ren Yaoqi and witnessed the entire scene, “Hmph!”
On the road back to Yunyang City, Xiao Jinglin finally couldn’t help saying to Ren Yaoqi: “Yaoqi, I’m sorry, I…” She was rarely awkward for a while, then said, “Xiao Jingxi is just a black-hearted sesame bun!”