Luo Lingyu’s spine instantly stiffened, and the rosy glow on her face froze: “…”

Had she used lip rouge when leaving in the morning? It seemed not, so how could it be on her face… Could it be that when washing her face last night, she hadn’t cleaned thoroughly, leaving remnants of makeup until this morning?!

In Luo Lingyu’s mind flashed an image of herself looking terrible like a madwoman. Disheveled hair, the flower mark on her forehead smeared into a red patch, several imprints pressed on her face, lip rouge smeared outward, her entire face a mess of colors… Had she been casting amorous glances at Lu San Lang all morning looking like this?

Behind her, the maid Jingyue saw Young Miss Luo’s face turn from green to white before being completely hidden behind her sleeve. Luo Lingyu seemed to shrink a head shorter, neither daring to glance at the handsome young master beside her nor speak loudly. She slowed her pace again, following Lu San Lang step by step: “Cousin, let’s walk faster, I want to go back.”

Lu Yun gave a light “mm”: “Alright, let your elder brother give cousin sister a proper tour of the Lu family compound.”

Luo Lingyu widened her beautiful eyes, about to raise her head to glare at Lu Yun. But her eyelashes trembled, and she immediately remembered her current madwoman-like appearance, quickly lowering her head again. Luo Lingyu felt anxious inside—how could someone who loved beauty as much as she did bear to walk through the entire Lu family compound? It was bad enough to be seen by the Lu family elders, but her stunning beauty… Luo Lingyu swallowed her pride: “Cousin, I suddenly remembered the way, you must be busy, I can…”

Lu Yun said seriously: “Your elder brother isn’t busy. After all, I usually just go out drinking, gambling, and playing with women. Being so debauched, if I suddenly cultivate myself and stay home to accompany cousin sister, our ancestors should burn incense in gratitude, saying I’ve finally settled down.”

Luo Lingyu: “…!!!”

The young man glanced down at her; though she covered herself thoroughly with her sleeve, through the gauze she seemed to still see Lu Yun’s mocking dark eyes. Luo Lingyu’s face and ears burned red, her complexion alternating between white and purple. Her mind went blank, feeling utterly humiliated, truly mortified to death. So he had heard everything she said to the cousin sisters in Hualin, and not only heard but over-interpreted it…

Luo Lingyu said softly: “That’s not what I meant…”

Lu Yun: “Then give your elder brother the chance to show you around the gardens.”

…

That morning, the biggest gossip in the Lu family attracted the attention of many men and women. The servants stared wide-eyed at Lu San Lang, who normally never got close to the family’s young ladies, slowly leading the newly arrived cousin-sister throughout the Lu family compound.

Lu San Lang maintained his noble and elegant bearing, introducing each part of the Lu family compound to the cousin and sister behind him with a wave of his hand. He, who was usually so cold, actually led the young lady to pay respects to all the elders. Old Madam Lu was too shocked to speak, and the First Madam even dropped her porcelain bowl.

Surprisingly, the cousin-sister didn’t seem honored but kept covering her face with her sleeve, stammering and refusing to show her full face. Even when meeting Old Madam, she covered her face completely. When asked, the cousin’s sister seemed about to cry, saying she had accidentally met Third Cousin on the road, and Third Cousin had insisted on dragging her along…

Lu Yun’s manner was cold, his expression unpredictable, and seeing him like this, even Old Madam Lu didn’t dare ask more.

People had mixed opinions about the newly arrived cousin sister, but hearing that Lu San Lang was showing Luo Lingyu around the gardens, many servants ran to watch—

Boating on the lake, passing through long willow corridors. The tiles flew like birds’ wings, the beautiful lady accompanying the young master. Dappled sunlight fell layer upon layer on the green shade, the roof corners standing like raised wings. Clothes floating in the breeze, sun shadows and water ripples, following them layer by layer, wave after wave, illuminating both their faces.

Sometimes bright, sometimes shaded, the young lady walked with a lowered head and red face alongside Lu San Lang down the long path…

Even without seeing their faces clearly, the moment felt supremely beautiful, a perfect match of talent and beauty.

By the flower corridor and long pool, the cousin sisters gathered in twos and threes to secretly watch, seeing the man and woman walking together, they were stunned, their hearts sinking. The cousin sisters who had been to Hualin that morning were so angry they twisted their handkerchiefs to pieces, mentally stabbing voodoo dolls, cursing Luo Lingyu as despicable and shameless. She had spoken so nicely, then turned around and walked together with Lu Yun… On just her second day with the Lu family, Luo Lingyu had made countless enemies for herself.

That morning’s event of Lu San Lang showing the Luo lady around the gardens became a topic of endless discussion for many days:

“Never seen San Lang show a lady around the gardens before.”

“And for a full two hours.”

“Pity the cousin sister wouldn’t show her face. We heard the cousin sister’s beauty could sink fish and drop wild geese, but we had no chance to see it.”

“San Lang seems different with this cousin’s sister.”

…

Back at “Snow Tracing Courtyard,” seeing the questioning gaze of maid Lingyu and Young Miss Luo Yunhua who had run out to watch upon hearing the news but missed seeing Third Cousin, Luo Lingyu collapsed on the couch, half her body aching. Lingxi went out to give medicine to Luo Yunhua who still had a fever, while Lingyu combed the young lady’s beautiful long hair, asking curiously: “Third Young Master indeed treats you differently… Could it be that Third Young Master admires you?”

Luo Lingyu bit her lip, wanting to cry but having no tears. Her haggard appearance made others hesitate to ask more.

Seeing the young lady wave her hand, finally lowering the sleeve that had been covering her face all morning, her arm was completely numb. She lay on the table, weakly saying: “Don’t speak of it, look at my makeup. Third Cousin said my makeup was smeared, all morning I didn’t dare…”

Lingyu made a surprised sound: “Young Miss wears no powder or rouge, your face is pure as snow, how could the makeup be smeared?”

Luo Lingyu thought for a moment she had misheard, hurriedly taking up the mirror to look at her face. The person in the mirror had a lotus-like face, phoenix eyes, and extremely beautiful features… After a while, Luo Lingyu didn’t want to think about Lu Yun teasing her, hesitated for a moment, then muttered to herself questioningly: “Perhaps I sweated, and the makeup came off…”

This day’s experience was hard to describe—to others, it seemed like a beautiful story, but to Luo Lingyu it was embarrassing. Luo Lingyu developed something of a psychological shadow regarding Lu San Lang, and for several days didn’t dare seek opportunities to see Lu Yun. Once she stopped seeking opportunities, Luo Lingyu discovered that Lu Yun truly didn’t participate much in the Lu family’s young men’s and women’s social activities—she didn’t see Lu San Lang for several consecutive days. Luo Lingyu collected herself and turned her attention to other matters—such as building good relationships with the Lu family men and women.

…

Milk curd and rice flour combined steamed into pastries. The pastry filling was thick and snow-white, with added fruit coloring becoming crimson. The crimson pastries placed in jade-green bowls, red liquid against the green base, when touched would drip but not leak, only wisps of steam floating up. The sweet fragrance lingered in the air as several ladies in the room set up long tables and gathered on the sitting couches. They eagerly watched as delicate hands used silver spoons to scoop white pastries onto plates, then arranged them on golden platters—

The sight was dazzling, crimson, snow-white, and golden yellow combined, some towering, some precariously balanced, solidified on the plates. The magnificent snowy treats and their gorgeous colors complemented the lady’s slender hands, how brilliant and beautiful.

Luo Lingyu heard the maids swallowing their saliva and said with a smile: “This is Gold and Jade Agate Pastry, a famous pastry from the Northern Kingdom. It’s not seen in the South, Lingyu, try it.”

Lingyu, who had grown up in Jianye, stared with wide eyes at the mountain of red pastries. Before she could speak, the nine-year-old Young Miss Luo Yunhua sitting nearby had already eagerly spoken up: “This is made by my sister herself, no one else knows how! It’s especially delicious!”

She impatiently pushed Lingxi, who looked at her with amusement and served her a bowl. Meanwhile, Lingyu also served herself a bowl at Luo Lingyu’s urging. When tasted, it was neither sticky nor fluid, neither solid nor liquid. Such a strange texture had never been encountered before, yet it disappeared in the mouth as soon as it touched the teeth. Lingyu savored it carefully, and after finishing one spoonful, found it incredibly delicious and refreshing, her eyes brightening—”Young Miss is so talented. Did you learn to make such delicacies by yourself? This servant has never tasted anything like it.”

While noble ladies were all skilled in food and cooking, Luo Lingyu smiled modestly, feeling slightly proud inside. She didn’t forget to ask: “Is it good?”

Lingyu took another taste, savoring it for a while: “Sweet but not cloying, leaving a fragrant aftertaste, like water yet not water… The young ladies should all enjoy trying it. But as for the young masters, it’s hard to say.”

Luo Lingyu sighed in relief, smoothing her temples. The North favored pastries, the South favored tea. Luo Lingyu and her sister had lived in Ruyang in their youth, right at the junction of the Northern and Southern kingdoms. Though they were Southerners, they had absorbed more Northern customs. After coming to Jianye, Luo Lingyu tried to improve her skills, by making this Agate Pastry. Lingyu had authentic Jianye tastes, and if she found it delicious, the Lu family ladies should feel similarly.

Luo Lingyu’s beautiful eyes gazed deeply at the maid, her lashes fluttering like wings. Understanding the meaning, Lingyu stood up with Luo Lingyu’s personal maid and bent one knee: “This servant will go with Sister Lingxi to send some for the household young ladies to taste. Should we send some to the young masters as well?”

Luo Lingyu didn’t care about the ladies, she had been waiting for this question about the young masters: “Go ahead. Whether they like it or not is their business, but maintaining proper etiquette is mine.”

This was her true purpose. Luo Lingyu personally rose, took out exquisite food boxes, and brought out jade-green small bowls one by one, filling them with the pastries. She moved unhurriedly and gracefully, while Lingyu and the other maid watched entranced behind her. After portioning out all the small bowls, Luo Lingyu stood at the food table, her long lashes fluttering upward, seeming lost in thought.

Her complexion alternated between snow-white and pink, her brows furrowed as if deeply troubled. Even Luo Yunhua, sitting on the couch eating pastries, couldn’t help but lean forward, concerned about what her sister was thinking. The room’s candlelight flickered once, illuminating Luo Lingyu’s eyes, showing her face suddenly flushing red like clouds, biting her rouge lips.

Luo Lingyu said “Wait a moment” and deftly took out one bowl from the food box. She then took a small bottle from her dressing table’s box, opened the stopper, and dropped two drops onto the dazzling red and white pastry in the bowl. Behind her, Luo Yunhua jumped up and shouted: “The flower dew! You promised to save it for me! There were only a few drops of flower dew in total!”

Luo Lingyu ignored her and solemnly handed this small bowl to Lingyu, telling her to be sure not to mix it up. She said softly: “This bowl must be personally delivered to Third Cousin.”

Lingyu: “…”

Could this be what they call favoritism?