The man didn't answer, but stopped writing. His narrow slender eyes raised, and he looked at the boy quietly.
The boy gulped. He was most afraid of this kind of gaze of his uncle, because he couldn't see through it. He always felt that if his next sentence couldn't satisfy him, a beast would spring out of his eyes and eat him up in one bite.
"Aunt Liu has to attend the convention, and she should get up early. I'm afraid that I won't catch up with her by then and oversleep. Tonight, c-can I…rest early?"
"Go ahead." The man dropped his eyes, and continued annotating.
The boy didn't recover for a while.
Done?
So easy?
"Anything else?"
"No, no more! Uncle, tomorrow you also have to get up early. Oh, if I go out tomorrow, I'd be afraid if you aren't around to accompany me," the boy blurted and immediately slipped away.
In the study, the man's brush paused over the paper, unable to write for a long time.
The ink slowly condensed at the tip of the brush and dripped down, leaving a black stain on the paper.
Just as his mind was in turmoil, the word was also blurred.
He had tried with all his might to restrain himself.
He restrained himself from crossing the wall, from seeing her, from appearing in front of her, and from letting her appear in front of him.
But he still couldn't resist the temptation to let the boy go to the guest house; to use a third person to gain a connection with her; to explore a subtle glimpse of what she had to say.
When the boy said he wanted him to accompany him to the convention, an overwhelming glee burrowed in his heart.
Feng Qingbai threw the brush out of his hand in frustration and held his forehead, gasping for breath.
He felt like he was on the verge of madness
He got up, pushed the door open, and his footsteps unknowingly led him to the back wall of the guest house. He leaned against the wall and looked up into the night sky.
The stars were twinkling; the moon was hazy; and it was cold and quiet.
But behind him, the courtyard was quite lively.
Someone was singing a song without a word in tune, but the cheers and praise were incessant!
Even through the courtyard wall, he could imagine how joyful that picture was.
The corners of his lips curled up. He closed his eyes and began to imagine that he was also in that picture, sitting beside the young woman, watching and listening to them.
Qian Wanjin only sang half the song, but two of the three audience members in the courtyard were already in stitches. Even Wei Hong couldn't help herself, and her shoulders trembled several times.
They spent most of the day in a gaily-painted pleasure-boat just because Qian Wanjin had to learn a song.
When they returned to the courtyard, Qian Wanjin had almost forgotten the tune.
He spent quite a lot of money, but the result of learning it was that they could barely listen to it while they were on the boat. By the time they returned to the courtyard, Qian Wanjin had almost forgotten the song.
The final result, in Qian Wanjin's own words, was that he had a talent for singing a tune that was completely out of tune.
"Have you laughed enough?" Pulling off his veil and putting away his orchid fingers, Qian Wanjin glared at Liu Yusheng. "You said you wanted me to sing you a song for amusement. Isn't that why I bothered to work so hard? There's no end to the laughter!"
"I'm so happy now. I can't stop." Liu Yusheng's eyes almost disappeared in laughter, and she wiped her tears several times.
This brat, Qian Wanjin, not only learned how to sing a song for the sake of it, but he also learned how to seduce from those female entertainers.
Orchid fingers, swaying the hips, and throwing a wink.
This matter can only be known by the four of us. If there's a fifth person who knows about it, don't blame me for silencing you."
Liu Yusheng: "Don't worry. Top secret information is only digested internally."
Da Huang: "Young Master, I'm tight-lipped."
Wei Hong: "I never gossip."
Qian Wanjin believed them.
But he forgot that Wei Hong never gossiped, but she carried gossip. Liu Yusheng's internal digestion, that internal, was particularly extensive. As for the tight-lipped Da Huang, the timing of his silence always spoke volumes.
As the moon rose in the middle of the sky, the excitement subsided.
The lights in the courtyard went out, and the people rested. The man outside the courtyard wall remained leaning against the wall, standing for a long, long time.
The moonlight that sprinkled on his face and body made him even more lonely.
The next morning, Liu Yusheng woke up early.
Today was the official opening day of the convention. She wanted to go there early to see if there was any news from Baicao Valley. She didn't know the follow-up of the person's disappearance yesterday. If that person was fine, would he appear in the convention today?
It wasn't a must for her to find people from Baicao Valley. But if there was a chance that she could get answers to her doubts about refining medicine, she would like to try. It has nothing to do with fame or fortune. It was akin to someone encountering a problem in his favorite field and wanted to seek people to talk to in order to find answers. She liked medicine, and she also liked to study it. It was her interest.
And today, they arranged a table for her at the convention, and the Xinghua Village Cough Cream was also going to be on display.
In the past few years, in addition to producing fruit wine and medicinal liquor, the brewery has also introduced some emergency medications, such as medicines for children's colds and flu, fever reliever, and cough suppressant. All of them were commonly used and not too prominent.
It could benefit the people without being too conspicuous and creating a sense of crisis among her peers. They also avoided attracting attention.
"Aunt Liu, Aunt Liu, are you going to the convention today?" In the courtyard, a sudden shout from a boy reverberated.
Qian Wanjin, who was counting the beams with Da Huang under the eaves, immediately peered into the courtyard and raised his eyebrows at the intruder. "Who are you? What's all the shouting about? What Aunt Liu? Who are you looking for?"
The boy nonchalantly sized up Qian Wanjin, "Before asking someone's name, you should first introduce yourself. That's the rule."
He wore a blue-belted robe and a white jade crown on his head. The ten-year-old boy stood with his hands behind his back, and looked quite elegant and indifferent.
His demeanor was orderly.
"Idiot," Qian Wanjin rolled his eyes, "There is no Aunt Liu here. You've gone to the wrong place. I don't want to know who you are, so let's not exchange names, and just leave."
Aunt Liu? Who else was he looking for besides Lucky Nannan?
This guy was foppish, and a white face. He wasn't a good person at first glance.
Before leaving home, he promised the family that he would take good care of Nannan and not to let anyone scam her.
There were too many bad people out there. Qian Wanjin somehow felt that his daughter had grown up.
The boy looked at Qian Wanjin and gave him back a "Hmph."
In the west room, Liu Yusheng opened the door and walked out. The boy immediately smiled, "Aunt Liu!"
"…" Looking at the boy who acted like a puppy, Liu Yusheng had mixed feelings.
Aunt your sister.
The young emperor's aunt?
Should she dare to answer? Was her neck not hard enough?
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
Qian Wanjin leaped over a few steps to stand between her and the boy. "Lucky Nannan, do you know this guy?"
Liu Yusheng nodded. "I met him yesterday, his name is Mo Feng…and he also lives in this small courtyard."
Wei Hong glanced at Mo Feng beside her, then looked away.
She knew him, but she had to pretend she didn't.
The boy also leaped over and nudged Qian Wanjin aside. "Aunt Liu, I also want to go to the convention to play. Let's go together."
Qian Wanjin got angry and raised his hand to separate the boy from her. "Stay away! Why are you getting so close? Men and women should keep a distance!"