Chapter 496: Ling Yi
Lu Sheng walked slowly to Lu Wei and looked at her with a faint smile.
“Oh, you’re returning home?” Lu Wei gloated. “I’m really sorry, Lu Sheng. I don’t know why my carriage suddenly stopped moving. I’m afraid you can’t enter anytime soon.”
Lu Sheng glanced at the carriage and said lightly, “What a coincidence.”
“Isn’t that so?” Lu Wei forced a smile. “Sorry for blocking my your way back!”
Lu Sheng sized her up and smiled faintly. “It seems like Minister s.h.i.+ treats you quite well.”
When Lu Wei heard that, her smile froze.
When she mentioned Minister s.h.i.+, Lu Wei looked at the handsome young masters and could not help but grit her teeth.
“Since Sister Wei can’t settle this carriage, I’ll settle it for you.”
Just as Lu Sheng finished speaking, Chu Sihan happened to walk over.
He glanced at the dying horse kneeling on the ground and said lightly, “This horse has been fed with Soft Tendons Powder.”
“What’s Soft Tendons Powder?”
Lu Wei’s voice was asking, but her eyes flashed guiltily. She did not dare to look at Chu Sihan and Lu Sheng.
She had guessed that Lu Sheng would return home today, so she got someone to find a medicine that could make the horse weak.
She had calculated the time to feed this horse.
Pa.s.sers-by could pa.s.s, but not ox carts and carriages.
She wanted to disgust Lu Sheng.
Neither of them answered her question.
Chu Sihan looked at the coachman and instructed lightly, “Think of a way to move this carriage to the side.”
After the coachman agreed, he discussed with the other coachmen and moved the carriage away. Then, they dragged the horse to the side.
Seeing how they easily resolved the ‘obstacle’ she set, Lu Wei felt upset.
However, with Chu Sihan’s ident.i.ty, she did not dare to say anything except thanks.
Before Lu Sheng boarded the carriage, she glanced at her mockingly. Seeing Lu Wei’s unhappy expression, she turned around and boarded the carriage.
Seeing the carriage slowly pa.s.s by her, Lu Wei stomped her foot angrily.
“Third Aunt, are you alright?”
The servant was shocked when she saw her suddenly lose her temper.
Mdm and the other two aunts were already old, but Lu Wei was at the tender age of jade. Minister s.h.i.+ naturally doted on her exceptionally.
Hence, seeing her lose her temper, the servant could only ask carefully.
“Lu Sheng, I’ll definitely not let you lead a good life!”
Lu Wei clenched her fists and gritted her teeth as she glared in the direction of the carriage.
If Lu Sheng was not unwilling to lend them money to treat her brother’s leg, why would she become a concubine to that old man, Minister s.h.i.+?
She stared at Minister s.h.i.+’s round face every day and had to suppress her disgust and work hard to please him.
On the other hand, Lu Sheng married someone she yearned for but could not reach. That person even doted on her so much. On what basis?
However, no matter how angry she was, she could not do anything to Lu Sheng.
She could not in the past, much less now.
The current Lu Sheng was the magistrate’s wife. Other than sulking, she could not do anything else.
“Brother, there are a lot of carriages!”
When they heard that Lu Sheng was returning today, Lu Jiang and Lu Xin waited at the entrance early in the morning.
Hence, when they saw the carriage heading over, the duo hurriedly reported to Lu Ran.
When Lu Ran, who was speaking to Li Zheng, Liang Ping, and the rest, heard this, he hurriedly stood up and walked towards the door.
The rest naturally stood up and followed him.
Soon, the carriages stopped at both sides of the Lu family’s entrance.
Lu Sheng had just lifted the curtain when Lu Jiang and Lu Xin rushed over.
“Second Sister! Second Sister!”
The duo stood at the side and shouted excitedly.
Even Xiao Yuan Zi, who ran out from behind, shouted ‘Second Sister,’ causing everyone to laugh.
“Greetings, Lord!”
Although Chu Sihan married Lu Sheng, he was still the high and mighty Lord Chu to Lu Ran.
The others were naturally no exception and bowed.
Chu Sihan smiled faintly and said, “We’re family. There’s no need for such etiquette.”
When they entered, there were already three tables in the courtyard.
After everyone sat down, Lu Ran, Tao Jia, Liang Ping, and the rest served the dishes.
Smelling the familiar smell, Lu Sheng raised her eyebrows.
Lu Ran explained to her in a low voice, “Without you around, and because my culinary skills are not good, I could only get Uncle to prepare them and send them over.”
“Pretty good.”
Lu Sheng smiled and nodded. “Brother, go and sit there too.”
Today was different from usual. In the past, men and women sat together. Today, the men sat at one table while the women sat at another. Aunt Yu and Mdm Fang sat at another table. There were also Mdm Chen, Mdm Qiu, and a few other children.
Lu Ran looked outside and said in a low voice, “Brother Mu and Brother Yu haven’t arrived yet. I’ll wait for them first.”
Lu Sheng nodded. “Okay, I’ll go over and talk to Sisi and the rest first.”
“Cousin-in-law, you came back at the right time. Take a seat. We have good things to share here.”
Lu Sheng had just returned when she was pulled to sit down by Fu Sisi.
“Oh?” She raised an eyebrow. “What’s that?”
Ling Yi said shyly, “It’s just some fruits. My father brought them back from Baiyue. I brought them over for everyone to try.”
Baiyue?
Lu Sheng was surprised. There was actually a term called Baiyue in this s.p.a.ce-time dimension?
Yu Mingyue got someone to move the items off the carriage.
It was a basket of mangoes. They were already ripe. When they were moved up, Lu Sheng could smell a familiar smell.
“Mango?”
She raised an eyebrow.
“Miss Lu… No, Young Madam Chu ate this before?” Ling Yi was a bit surprised.
It was her first time seeing this thing. It was said to be very rare, and she wanted to give it to Yu Mingyue to try.
However, Yu Mingyue said that this was a good thing and wanted to bring it over for everyone to try.
Lu Sheng coughed lightly and smiled faintly. “I was lucky to have eaten it before.”
“So its called a mango?”
This was the first time Ling Yi knew the name of this thing.
“I don’t know its name, but I heard it’s called mango.”
Lu Sheng did not know what mango was called in this era.
“Is it delicious?”
Fu Sisi asked.
Lu Sheng explained, “They’re basically sour when they’re unripe. When they’re ripe, they’re mostly sour and sweet. Of course, if the fruits aren’t old enough and are plucked early, even if the skin is yellow, the meat will still be sour.”
“When I heard Cousin-in-law say that, I almost drooled.”
Fu Sisi smacked her lips and stared at the basket of mangoes with a burning gaze.
Ling Yi explained, “This is sweet. I’ve tried it all.”
Her father said that these items should not be kept for long, so he gave almost all of them to others. She specially got someone to keep this basket.
“Take a seat first. I’ll go and cut for you.”
Lu Sheng stood up and carried the basket of mangoes to the kitchen.
Yu Mingyue, who was about to get up to help, and the others stared at Lu Sheng’s back view in the kitchen in shock. They only regained their senses after a long while.
“I didn’t expect Cousin-in-law to be so strong!” Fu Sisi swallowed her saliva.
There were a few watermelons in the kitchen. Lu Ran must have plucked them from the vegetable field.
Lu Sheng took out a few plates and used them for the mangoes and watermelons.
The mangoes had not been grafted before. The core was a bit big, but it was very sweet and smelled very fragrant.
After cutting the fruits, Lu Sheng sent them to the three tables.
Watermelons were already common to others. However, when they saw mangoes, they asked about them.
Lu Sheng explained and returned to the original table.
On the other hand, Ling Yi was very curious when she saw the watermelon.
“What’s this?”
“I know that!” Yu Mingyue smiled and explained, “This is called a watermelon. Miss Lu planted it. It’s very sweet!”
Yu Mingyue picked up a piece and pa.s.sed it to her. She smiled and said, “Try it. It’s for relieving the heat.”
“Thank you!”
Ling Yi took a small bite and nodded. “It’s very sweet and has a lot of juice. It can indeed quench my thirst.”
“Right?”
Yu Mingyue smiled faintly.
Ling Yi looked at Lu Sheng and smiled. “When we were in the capital previously, I often heard from Mingyue that Young Madam Chu has a lot of strange things here. I didn’t expect to see vegetables and fruits that I haven’t seen before.”
Lu Sheng pursed her lips and smiled. “Miss Ling Yi, if you like it, eat more.”
The group was chatting happily when another carriage stopped outside.
When Lu Ran saw this, he spoke to Chu Sihan and the rest before leaving to fetch them.
After a while, he walked in with Mu Yan and Yu Yang.
Ling Yi glanced curiously at the door. When she saw who it was, she could not s.h.i.+ft her gaze away.
“Brother! Why are you here too?”
Yu Mingyue stood up and walked over with a smile.
Yu Yang said warmly, “I have something to discuss with Brother Lu. Why are you here?”
“Miss Lu said that she was returning home today and asked me to come over for a drink with her.”
As Yu Mingyue spoke, she hurriedly added, “Oh right, Brother. Ling Yi is back. She’s sitting there.”
Upon hearing Ling Yi’s name, Yu Yang’s gaze followed Yu Mingyue’s gaze.
Their gazes met and they looked at each other for a long time without any intention of looking away.
“Brother Yu, what’s wrong?”
Mu Yan shouted at him but he did not reply. He hurriedly poked his arm.
Yu Yang regained his senses and quickly retracted his gaze. He asked Mu Yan, “What did you say just now?”
Mu Yan shrugged at Lu Ran silently to express his helplessness.
“Mu Yan wants you to greet the Lord with him first,” Lu Ran repeated Mu Yan’s words softly.
“Oh, let’s go!”
Yu Yang glanced at Ling Yi before walking towards Chu Sihan’s table with Lu Ran and Mu Yan.
Lu Ran looked at Yu Yang, then at Ling Yi, and smiled faintly.
It seemed like there was another pair of lovers who had feelings for each other but had not spoken about it yet.
Yu Mingyue returned to her seat and smiled at Ling Yi. “Ling Yi, you still remember my brother, right?”
“Yes!”
Ling Yi lowered her eyes and nodded.
Their family had only moved away for three years. How could she forget Yu Yang?
“When you moved back to the capital previously, he even asked me a few times.”
“Did… did he?” Ling Yi’s heart trembled.
“Sigh—”
Yu Mingyue suddenly sighed faintly.
The few of them looked at her suspiciously, only to hear her mumble, “My brother is focused on studying. My mother wants him to start a family and work, but he always finds all kinds of excuses. He worries my mother to death.”
When Lu Sheng saw her glancing at Ling Yi from time to time, she knew that she was testing her.
How smart was Yu Mingyue? How could she not tell how her brother felt about Ling Yi?
When Ling Yi heard that, she seemed to heave a sigh of relief.
Yu Mingyue saw her reaction.
A smile flashed across Yu Mingyue’s eyes. She held Ling Yi’s hand and asked, “Ling Yi, do you still want to return to the capital?”
Ling Yi’s eyes darkened and she nodded. “Yes, I’m only back here to visit Grandmother.”
Almost all of the Ling family’s business was in the capital now, so they would definitely not move back easily.
“That’s alright. You have to tell Uncle Ling and the rest that you want to stay for a few more days. You haven’t returned to Huang Yang Town for a long time. You’ve just returned. If you’re returning to the capital soon, that’s too much of a hurry.”
For her brother’s happiness, Yu Mingyue tried her best to keep Ling Yi.
“The capital is not fun. Huang Yang Town is better. Although the place is smaller, there are a lot of delicious things.”
After filling her stomach, Fu Sisi put down her chopsticks and spoke.
Ling Yi was surprised. “Miss Fu is from the capital too?”
It was also her first time meeting Fu Sisi. She only knew that her surname was Fu, but she did not know anything else.
Fu Sisi nodded. “Yes, I’m from the capital too.”
“Then… Miss Fu, do you know a girl called Fu Yiyi?”
When she said this, Lu Sheng saw Fu Sisi’s expression freeze.
“Why did you mention her all of a sudden?”
Her words were filled with disdain.
Ling Yi smiled faintly. “I met her once when I was touring the lake with my sisters. I heard she’s a daughter from the Prime Minister’s Mansion.”
“Miss Ling Yi, let me tell you. If you see that person again in the future, remember to stay away,” Fu Sisi warned sincerely.
“Why… why?”
At that time, Ling Yi saw that many people were sucking up to Fu Yiyi. All of them were praising her non-stop, as if their mouths were smeared with honey.
She knew that she was a big shot, but she could not bring herself to ingratiate herself with her and only dared to watch from the side.
She had only heard about Fu Yiyi’s ident.i.ty from her sisters later.
When she heard that she was from the Prime Minister’s Mansion, she was shocked.
“Just listen to me.”
Fu Sisi really did not want to mention anything more about Fu Yiyi.
“Oh!”
Ling Yi frowned and suddenly felt that something was amiss.
“Miss Fu’s surname is Fu too. Miss Fu Yiyi’s surname is Fu too. What’s your relations.h.i.+p?”
Fu Sisi pouted and replied reluctantly, “She’s our adopted daughter.”
“Huh?”
Ling Yi was stunned. “Then, aren’t you also… a daughter from the Prime Minister’s Mansion?”
Fu Sisi nodded. “Yes!”
Ling Yi was dumbfounded.
She did not expect to meet someone from the Prime Minister’s Mansion in this small village.
No, Fu Sisi called Lu Sheng her cousin-in-law, while the others called that Young Master Chu Lord Chu. In other words, that Lord Chu was actually Chu Sihan?
Wasn’t Lu Sheng the magistrate’s wife?
Oh my!
Who did she know on this trip?!
Previously, after she returned home, she specially told the family about her encounter with Fu Yiyi. The elders were all very happy.
They even told them to keep in touch with Fu Yiyi.
If her parents knew that she was not only sitting at the same table as the daughter from the Prime Minister’s Mansion, but also saw the legendary Lord Chu, they would be so excited.
“Ling Yi, are you alright?” Yu Mingyue asked worriedly when she saw her suddenly fall into a daze.
“I… I’m fine!”
She pursed her lips and asked Yu Mingyue softly, “Is that Lord Chu the magistrate from Lin Jiang Mansion?”
Yu Mingyue nodded and replied in a low voice, “In the entire Huang Yang Town, he should be the only Lord surnamed Chu.”