As the weather began to warm, Lin Hairu was directing her maids to thoroughly clean the rooms. They replaced the Xiangfei bamboo curtains and the embroidered kapok pillows on the luohan bed. Just as she was planning to replace the items in Yining’s room, using the things she had originally prepared for her, an excited elderly servant hurried through the corridor to deliver the news.
“Madam, the two young masters have arrived at the gate!”
Lin Hairu took a sip of tea and replied nonchalantly, “Wasn’t my sister-in-law only sending Lin Mao? Who else has come?”
Her sister-in-law had written many letters, praising the Luo family’s clan school as unparalleled. Her sole purpose was to quickly send her younger son to Lin Hairu. Reportedly, he could no longer stay in Yangzhou after burning down half a street while attempting alchemy in a shop. The incident had so enraged the Luo family patriarch that he chased the boy with his walking stick. Although the Lin family had paid compensation, Lin Mao now found it difficult to show his face in public. Otherwise, how could he bear to leave Yangzhou, where he was the local bully, to come to Baoding and behave himself?
Lin Hairu viewed Lin Mao as a troublemaker and had no desire to take him in. However, since he claimed to be coming for the wedding, she couldn’t refuse.
“It’s the young master from the Gu family,” the servant replied, still smiling. “Young Master Lin met Young Master Gu on the road, so they traveled here together.”
Young Master Gu? That would be Yining’s cousin.
Lin Hairu had heard much about the Gu family. Old Master Gu had been the current emperor’s tutor, making the Gu family the most prominent clan in Zhending. Their influence was so great that a sneeze from them could shake the entire city. Yining’s eldest maternal uncle was even the Vice Minister of Works and was said to be highly regarded by a certain Grand Secretary.
She suddenly felt nervous. Why had someone from the Gu family come as well? They would need to entertain him properly and not slight Young Master Gu. Lin Hairu’s attitude changed immediately. She instructed the servant to hurry to the kitchen and order more dishes prepared, and to inform Yining of the visitors. Earlier, thinking only Lin Mao was coming, she hadn’t planned to show him much hospitality.
Yining was sprawled on the luohan bed, resting. With the main household busy preparing for the wedding, they had given the tutor a month’s vacation, leaving her with free time.
She had planned to take a good nap, having stayed up half the night listening to Luo Yixiu’s complaints about Luo Yiyu, and was now drowsy.
Just as she wrapped herself in the quilt, Xuezhi told her that her two cousins had arrived and began pulling off her covers, urging her to go to the main hall.
Yining, still groggy, wondered which cousins had come.
As Xuezhi pulled her up to do her hair, Yining recalled that on the day she had ended her mourning period, Lin Hairu had moved several boxes of jewelry and hair ornaments into her room. It was evident that Lin Hairu had been holding back for a long time and showed an unusual enthusiasm for filling Yining’s room with things.
Xuezhi selected a pearl headband for Yining to wear and led her to the main hall.
Outside the main hall was a waterside corridor with a pavilion in the middle, offering the best view. Ripples spread across the clear lake surface, with the tips of young lotus leaves peeking out, and in the distance stood white and pink flower trellises. It would be even cooler in summer. Before Yining reached the main hall, she saw two figures standing in the pavilion, seemingly gazing into the distance.
One of them turned his head at the sound of footsteps, a slight smile on his face. He had narrow, long eyes and beautiful phoenix eyes. Unconventionally, he wore a Taoist robe. Seeing Yining standing at a distance, he smiled briefly before turning back.
In that fleeting glance, Yining recognized the future Lin Qingtian.
He would later become famous for tricking court officials out of nearly a million taels of silver for disaster relief. Yining had seen him once before.
The other figure stood tall and straight, his hair bound with a jade crown. Even from behind, he appeared elegant and handsome. He seemed absorbed in the scenery and didn’t turn around.
Being too far away, Yining didn’t call out to them and entered the main hall first. As it happened, Luo Yixiu and Concubine Qiao were paying their respects to Lin Hairu. The now five-year-old Xuan’er had grown quite sturdy and had become more well-behaved in recent years. He greeted Yining as “Seventh Sister.” Thirteen-year-old Luo Yiling was slender and graceful, with a fair and beautiful face and captivating autumn-water eyes. Since Qingqu had treated her fainting spells, her complexion had become much rosier, and she could now eat two bowls of rice at each meal without gaining weight, much to the envy of Yining, who gained weight easily.
Seeing the young Luo Yiling, Yining understood how Luo Chengzhang couldn’t resist keeping Qiao Yuechan by his side when she was young. In terms of beauty alone, Luo Yiling surpassed even Luo Yiyu. As for Yining herself, although she had achieved a standard figure, her face still retained some baby fat, giving her a charming and naive appearance. However, it was said that Yining’s birth mother, Minglan, had been a renowned beauty, so Yining likely wouldn’t be too lacking in looks either.
Luo Yiling was sipping a bowl of white fungus soup when she lowered her eyes and saw two more people enter.
The one in front had phoenix eyes that seemed to smile even when he wasn’t, giving him an approachable air. He too wore a Taoist robe. The other was exceptionally dashing, with his hair bound by a jade crown, handsome and bright. He wore a moon-white straight robe and stood with his hands behind his back.
Lin Hairu smiled and invited the latter to come forward, asking warmly, “Are you the fourth young master of the Gu family? I’ve never met you before, but seeing you today, you truly are talented and handsome. You must be tired from your long journey.”
The young man in moon-white replied gently, “Aunt, there’s no need for such formality. You can call me Jingming.”
Lin Mao, standing to the side, drawled, “Aunt, aren’t you being too partial? Your nephew is tired too, why don’t you ask about me?”
Lin Hairu glared at him, saying, “You be quiet! After losing so much of the family’s money, how dare you speak up!”
Gu Jingming chuckled, appearing even more handsome and gentle: “I came with Cousin Lin, I hope we’re not intruding, Aunt.”
“Not at all, not at all.” Lin Hairu beamed at Gu Jingming, thinking how well-bred the Gu family’s son was. Looking at her own aimless Lin Mao, she wondered why she couldn’t have a nephew like Gu Jingming! The more Lin Hairu looked at Gu Jingming, the more pleased she became, wishing she could claim him as her nephew.
Lin Hairu remembered Luo Yining and pointed to the drowsy girl seated nearby, smiling, “Jingming, your cousin is here.”
Yining, leaning against the armrest and feeling sleepy, raised her head upon hearing Lin Hairu call her. She saw a handsome young man of about fifteen or sixteen standing before her. Still dazed, Yining didn’t respond immediately. Lin Hairu, seeing this, urged anxiously, “Yining, this is your Fourth Cousin Ming!”
Luo Yining finally shook off her drowsiness and obediently called out, “Ming Cousin.”
After the greeting, she felt something was amiss. She remembered Lin Hairu telling her that the Lin family’s fourth young master was quite plump, so how could this one be so handsome and ethereal…
“Cousin Yining, it’s been a long time,” Gu Jingming smiled and nodded. “Your aunt misses you very much and asked me to come see you.”
Yining finally realized that this was the fourth young master of the Gu family, her maternal cousin.
“Is this Cousin Yining?” Lin Mao asked from the side, looking at her for a long while before slowly saying, “The reality surpasses the rumors.”
Yining’s mouth twitched slightly as she stood up and said, “Thank you for the compliment, Cousin Mao.”
“You know I’m Lin Mao?” Lin Mao asked with a smile.
Yining nodded slowly and smiled, “The reality surpasses the rumors.”
Lin Mao noticed her round face, clear and beautiful almond eyes, and the small red mole at the tip of her eyebrow, finding her truly adorable. He felt an itch in his hands; he had a bad habit of liking cute things and even kept several Pekingese dogs at home. When he saw something cute, he wanted to pinch it, especially something that looked so pinchable.
Lin Mao forcibly kept his hands behind his back, reminding himself that the young lady was not that young anymore, and he couldn’t just pinch her.
But he wanted to pinch her… He wondered if she would cry.
Lin Hairu, unaware of what her nephew was thinking, noticed his silence and glanced to the side. Concubine Qiao and her daughter had been quiet all this time, but Luo Yiling was staring intently at Gu Jingming, forgetting even to drink her white fungus soup.
“This is Concubine Qiao of our household, and the sixth daughter, Yiling,” Lin Hairu introduced them to Gu Jingming.
Gu Jingming nodded slightly to Luo Yiling and said gently, “Sixth Miss.”
“Cousin Ming, there’s no need for such formality. You can call me cousin as well,” Luo Yiling stood up and curtsied, her eyes like autumn waters as she gazed at Gu Jingming.
She knew very well who this fourth young master of the Gu family was. Gu Jingming was the only son of Yining’s eldest aunt, born into a noble family with even deeper roots than the Luo family. It was said that Old Master Gu greatly valued this legitimate grandson born in his old age and personally tutored him. Gu Jingming had even studied alongside the crown prince… She hadn’t expected him to be so handsome and ethereal, yet so gentle and polite.
Lin Hairu inwardly scoffed at this. Gu Jingming had drawn a line by calling her “Sixth Miss,” yet she insisted on calling him “cousin.”
She told Lin Mao and Gu Jingming to rest first. After Luo Yiling and Concubine Qiao left, she pulled Yining aside and said, “Your Cousin Lin Mao is unreliable. Don’t play with him usually. I think your Cousin Ming is gentle, polite, and quite outstanding.”
Yining’s mouth twitched again, noting her stepmother’s drastically different attitudes towards the two cousins. Judging by her admiration, Lin Hairu seemed to wish Gu Jingming was her nephew.
She patted Lin Hairu’s hand comfortingly and said, “Mother Cousin Mao is quite outstanding too.”
Hearing this, Lin Hairu said resentfully, “Mei’er, you don’t know. He’s recently become obsessed with alchemy. He burned down at least ten shops in Yangzhou. Your eldest aunt sent him here for me to discipline. I just had a servant check, and his alchemy furnace was brought along on his carriage. I need to have someone throw it out, or there will be no one to clean up the mess if he causes trouble.”
Yining didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at this. She truly couldn’t understand the recklessness of these great figures in their youth.
Lin Hairu, being decisive, immediately sent Ruixiang with several servants to dispose of Lin Mao’s alchemy furnace.
Seeing that she was no longer needed, Yining decided to return and continue her nap. She always reacted slowly and felt groggy when she hadn’t slept well.
Meanwhile, Lin Mao was examining his new quarters. Lin Hairu had arranged for them to stay in the Bamboo Garden in the outer courtyard, surrounded by lush forests and bamboo groves, creating a serene atmosphere. Gu Jingming’s servant was unpacking their belongings while Gu Jingming sat nearby reading a book.
“I’m afraid your alchemy furnace won’t survive,” Gu Jingming said with a smile, noticing that everything had been brought in except Lin Mao’s furnace. “You should give it up. Ancient texts record that many elixirs contain toxins that harm the body when consumed.”
Lin Mao looked at him in surprise: “You think I’m making them for myself to eat?”
Gu Jingming: “…”
Lin Mao continued to survey the room’s furnishings and said to Gu Jingming, “I noticed that the Sixth Miss seemed quite interested in you.”
Gu Jingming merely smiled and said lightly, “I didn’t notice anything. This time, I came firstly at my mother’s request to check on Cousin Yining, and secondly to meet with Luo Shen Yuan. I worry you might get bored.”
“How could I be bored?” Lin Mao waved his hand dismissively. Suddenly, he thought of Yining’s soft cheeks.
…He still wanted to pinch them. What should he do?