The next morning, Yining was woken early. Still drowsy, she covered her mouth with her small hand as Xuezhi carried her. She saw Luo Shenyuan standing outside her door before dawn had even broken.
Old Madam Luo gestured towards Luo Shenyuan’s back, telling her, “From now on, your Third Brother will escort you to your studies.”
He wore a dark straight-collared robe as he entered to pay respects to Old Madam Luo. Then he extended his hand to Yining, saying, “Seventh Sister, let’s go.”
Yining stared blankly at his hand.
Old Madam Luo fixed her granddaughter with a steady gaze. “What are you waiting for? Go!”
As Luo Shenyuan held her hand, Yining still felt dazed. She thought to herself that her grandmother was indeed a woman of action. Her hair was styled in two buns, adorned with coral stone chains. With her round, pink-cheeked face and the small mole, she looked like a steamed bun with a red bean filling. No matter how you looked at her, she resembled a sweet bean-paste bun.
Lost in thought, Yining didn’t watch where she was going on the stone path. She stumbled over a large rock and nearly collided with Luo Shenyuan’s back.
His hand steadied her as he said coolly, “Don’t you watch where you’re walking?”
Snapping back to reality, Yining responded with a small “oh” and obediently looked at the path.
Luo Shenyuan was much taller than her, with a longer stride. Yining had to practically jog to keep up with him. Seeming to notice this, he slowed his pace slightly to allow her to match his steps.
Finally catching her breath, Yining thought this might be a chance to talk with him.
“Third Brother, have you eaten breakfast?”
“Yes.”
“What did you eat?”
“…Morning meal.”
“Oh, I haven’t eaten yet…”
Luo Shenyuan stopped to look at her. Yining continued softly, “Third Brother, you start classes half an hour earlier than me, so you wake up earlier. But I usually eat breakfast around this time.” Without food in her stomach, she lacked energy.
Luo Shenyuan looked at her bun-like face, his brow furrowing slightly. “Why didn’t you say something earlier?”
“Grandmother rushed me out, so I couldn’t…”
Xuezhi, following behind Yining with a small basket, stepped forward with a smile. “I’ve brought some breakfast for Young Miss – honey steamed cakes. We just need to find a place to eat.”
Luo Shenyuan had no choice but to accompany her to a pavilion at Tingfeng Hall. As Yining ate her breakfast, Songzhi poured her hot tea. Yining broke off a piece and offered it to Luo Shenyuan. “Third Brother, would you like some? It’s very good.”
Luo Shenyuan looked at her, paused, then said, “I don’t eat sweets.”
Seeing he wouldn’t eat it, Yining took several more bites herself. After finishing a steamed cake and drinking two cups of hot tea, she felt energized.
As Yining ate her breakfast, she heard men’s voices from outside.
“…Second Young Master’s visit truly brings honor to the Luo family.”
Another youthful voice responded, “You’re too kind, sir. I’ve long wanted to visit Baoding and have heard much about the Luo family school.”
Listening carefully, Yining recognized one voice as Luo Huaiyuan’s, but couldn’t place the unfamiliar young man’s voice. She glanced at Luo Shenyuan, who was also looking towards the bamboo grove outside.
The pavilion was hidden among lush bamboo, but those inside could see out through the gaps. Yining saw a group of people entering, including Luo Huaiyuan, Luo Shanyuan, and the Luo family’s eldest uncle as an escort. There was also a very handsome young man, followed by numerous servants and guards – quite an impressive sight.
He wore a light blue round-collared long robe with right-side fastenings, and his tall, slender figure was adorned with a flawless white jade pendant at his waist. His face was as fair as polished jade, with outstanding grace and poise. His refined, handsome features were accentuated by a faint smile.
Yining stared at the familiar jade pendant at his waist, momentarily stunned.
She lowered her voice and asked Luo Shenyuan, “Who is that young master with Eldest Brother?”
Luo Shenyuan glanced at the youth. “The Cheng family’s second son.”
Yining fell silent for a moment. She suddenly recalled Luo Yixiu telling her days ago that Madam Chen wanted to arrange a marriage between Luo Yiyu and the Cheng family’s second son. She had said this young master was “a young juren scholar with a maternal grandfather who is the Duke of Ying and might look down on Luo Yiyu.”
But she hadn’t expected this person to be Cheng Lang.
When Cheng Lang was little, he was often bullied by his elder brother and would come to her at the Lu family home with tears in his eyes. Yining would hold him in her arms to comfort him, feeding him honey cakes. Back then, Cheng Lang was very dependent on her, and if she disappeared, he would run around looking for her.
The Yining of that time never imagined this child would become the grandson of the Duke of Ying.
Not only was Cheng Lang a young juren scholar, but he was also exceptionally talented. In the future, he would enter the cabinet as a minister and become a sharp blade in Lu Jiaxue’s hands.
Yining glanced at Luo Shenyuan, thinking that his true future rival had appeared.
He and Luo Shenyuan would be at odds in the imperial court, engaged in open and covert battles, both highly skilled. However, in the end, Cheng Lang would be no match for Luo Shenyuan. Only Lu Jiaxue could truly rival Luo Shenyuan’s intellect.
As Yining pondered this, Luo Shenyuan gently gripped her small shoulder, guiding her to the side to hide in the dense bamboo.
Yining looked up, about to ask something, but Luo Shenyuan made a gesture of silence.
She looked up and saw that the group had reached the pavilion. Luo Huaiyuan invited Cheng Lang to visit Old Madam Luo, and the group walked away, chatting and laughing. After they had gone, Luo Shenyuan turned his head and asked, “Do you know why we had to hide?”
Yining, noticing how close his handsome face was and faintly sensing his breath, felt flustered and didn’t respond immediately. “Why?”
Seeing her blank expression, Luo Shenyuan’s lips curved slightly. “Eavesdropping is one thing, but being caught would have caused you trouble.”
Yining rarely saw him smile, and when he did, it was quite attractive. The gloom in his eyes dissolved like ink in a landscape painting, becoming clear and bright. But as she came to her senses, she felt skeptical, thinking he had been eavesdropping too.
Luo Shenyuan straightened his clothes and said calmly, “Yining, I need to go to class now.” He paused, then added, “I’ll come to pick you up in the afternoon.”
So Grandmother had entrusted him with both drop-off and pick-up duties.
Yining thought for a moment, and seeing he was about to leave, quickly grabbed his hand.
Luo Shenyuan turned to look at her as if asking if she had something else to say.
This was the first time Yining had touched the scar on his hand – rough and uneven. It was the wound inflicted by the young Yining… She said, “Third Brother, you don’t have to do what Grandmother says. If you’re too busy, you don’t need to come pick me up.”
Luo Shenyuan looked at her and said slowly, “…I didn’t say I was too busy.”
Oh… Yining could only let go of his hand and smile. “Then I won’t keep you from your studies, Third Brother.”
This was Yining’s first time back at school since her illness. Though Lady Gu was still strict with her, at least she was no longer openly antagonistic.
After classes ended, Yining indeed saw Luo Shenyuan waiting for her outside. He stood under a tree with his hands behind his back, tall and lean, his expression solemn. Seeing her emerge, he turned slightly and extended his hand again. His eyebrow raised slightly as if asking why she wasn’t coming over.
Once again, Yining was led back by him. Just as they reached Old Madam Luo’s quarters, they heard laughter and chatter from inside. Upon entering, Yining saw Madam Chen, Lin Hairu, and her two elder brothers present. Cheng Lang sat beside Luo Huaiyuan, and upon hearing the noise, he turned to look at her. His features were extremely handsome, with red lips and white teeth, but his thick eyebrows and bright eyes gave him a rather dashing appearance. Those captivating dark eyes seemed to gaze at everyone with deep emotion.
Cheng Lang smiled and asked, “And who might this be?”
Yining was thinking that although she was young, it wasn’t polite to ask outright about a young lady’s identity. Wasn’t there a saying about children of seven not sitting together? She was almost eight now. But Old Madam Luo smiled and said, “I haven’t introduced you yet. This is our third son, Huijie’s elder brother, Luo Shenyuan.”
Cheng Lang’s gaze towards Luo Shenyuan held a hint of curiosity. He stood and cupped his hands in greeting. “So this is the brother-in-law of the Marquis of Dinbei’s heir.”
Yining finally understood that they had been asking about Luo Shenyuan, not her.
She thought to herself that this moment was truly historic, as the future bloodshed of the Lu faction would not be directly caused by Lu Jiaxue, but by Cheng Lang. However, when she looked up, she noticed her eldest and second brothers’ expressions were rather peculiar.
Of course, they would be – Old Madam Luo had ostensibly only introduced Luo Shenyuan. But she was telling others that Luo Shenyuan’s status was different now; he was now a legitimate son of the Luo family. The old lady had begun to value him. This meant that the male descendants of the main branch would no longer have exclusive access to official career resources.
Luo Huaiyuan and Luo Shanyuan had never paid much attention to this usually silent third brother before. But when Old Madam Luo introduced Cheng Lang as “the grandson of the Duke of Ying, a young juren scholar,” Luo Shenyuan returned the greeting with neither servility nor arrogance, his usual composure intact: “Second Young Master Cheng, I’ve long heard of your reputation.”
Compared to the still-unknown Luo Shenyuan, Cheng Lang was indeed already famous in Baoding Prefecture.
Old Madam Luo felt somewhat emotional. Luo Shenyuan indeed possessed a calmness and composure far beyond his years, possibly due to the hardships and trials he had endured in his youth – it was almost a kind of serenity born from enduring humiliation.
Cheng Lang smiled but said nothing more. However, his gaze lingered on Luo Shenyuan for a few seconds before shifting to… Yining, whose hand Luo Shenyuan was holding.
Yining found it a bit strange. In the past, he had been an ignorant child who chased after her everywhere. Now she was the little dumpling, while he had become a tall, handsome youth.
“And who might this little sister be?” he asked.
Old Madam Luo smiled and said, “She’s my ward, usually quite playful and mischievous. Her name is Yining, and she’s Huijie’s full-blooded younger sister.”
“Yining?” Cheng Lang suddenly echoed.
Old Madam Luo explained, “All our girls’ names start with ‘Yi’. She’s always so lively, so I hoped she might be calmer, thus naming her ‘Yining’. Is there something amiss?”
Yining looked at Cheng Lang and saw his smile fade as he seemed to sigh. “No, nothing’s wrong. It’s just that an old acquaintance of mine shared this name. I felt a bit nostalgic for a moment.”
“This acquaintance of yours, who might they be?” Old Madam Luo asked.
Cheng Lang studied Yining carefully, then shook his head. “The names are the same, but their appearances are completely different. That acquaintance… she was more delicate.”
Yining thought to herself that back then, to maintain her figure, she hardly dared eat much, naturally appearing delicate.
Cheng Lang beckoned Yining to come to him. As she approached, she realized he had indeed changed quite a bit, but if he were a bit plumper and more childish, he might still resemble the little Cheng Lang she once knew. Cheng Lang removed a string of prayer beads from his wrist and gave them to Yining. “I feel a connection with little sister Yining. These are for you – small-leaf red sandalwood beads I obtained from a temple. They’ve been blessed by an old monk for peace and health.”
Yining accepted them with thanks and returned to Old Madam Luo’s side. Given Yining’s young age, the others didn’t pay much attention, and prayer beads weren’t considered particularly valuable. As Yining held the beads, still warm from body heat, she thought to herself that Cheng Lang had indeed grown up. She could hardly recognize the child she had once doted on and comforted when he cried.
Soon after, the true representatives of the Luo family – her uncle and father – returned. Naturally, the men went off to discuss matters of the imperial examinations, while Yining and the others returned to the side room. Upon entering, Yining was startled to find Luo Yilian, Luo Yiyu, and Luo Yixiu all peering from behind a screen to spy on Cheng Lang. Seeing her enter, they all made shushing gestures. Luo Yixiu even waved her over to join them in eavesdropping.
Yining felt a bit of a headache coming on, but seeing that the adult women sitting nearby weren’t planning to intervene, she decided to join them, curious about what Cheng Lang and the others were discussing.