)

  She carefully picked up a plate of green rice balls from the table, which didn't look very good in shape, and presented it to her brother, Qi Zhen's face full of expectation for praise.

  Qī Yòu looked at Huá Rú who had just come in and asked with his eyes, "Can you eat?"

  Hua sat down opposite him with a serious expression and said, "This was personally made by Zhen's sister, husband, try some."

  Qī Zhēn was very proactive, picking up a piece and putting it in a small dish, pushing it in front of his brother. Qī Yòu had no choice but to pick up his chopsticks, take a small bite, and chew for a few seconds before looking at Qī Zhēn in surprise. The flavor wasn't bad, just a bit sweeter than expected.

  "Brother, is it still edible? Don't skip words."

  Qī Yòu nodded slightly, "Not very."

  She was praised, Qi Zhen was dazed and didn't know what to do, this was her first time being praised, especially by the person who was the best brother to her, she was so happy.

  Hua Ru lightly coughed twice with her handkerchief covering her mouth, without looking at the two of them, and said, "Wasn't it someone who said they would give the unpalatable food to their brother?"

  Qī Zhēn's face turned red, and she carefully placed a piece on the plate in front of Huà Rú Chū, saying in a soft voice, "Sister, you have some too."

  Hua Ru initially smiled and looked at her, took a small bite, the taste was indeed still passable, at least much better than she had imagined. "Unexpectedly, our Zhen Niang is quite talented, doing so well on her first try."

  "It's not the first time either, this is the fourth time I've made it, and all the previous ones were inedible." Qi Zhen's face turned red with embarrassment at having wasted so many ingredients.

  Do you still want to come and learn? Don't skip class.

  Qī Zhēn looked at her brother and then turned to her sister-in-law, "Can I not jump characters?"

  "Of course, if you're willing."

  The little girl nodded repeatedly, "I'll come, I'll be here early."

  Qiu Yongle thought that Xiaomei's lively appearance was a rare sight, this was the first time he saw her so happy. Every time he saw her by his mother's side, she was always timid and fearful. He was always busy outside, even if he felt sorry for her, there was nothing he could do about it. Now that his mother was not around for these few days, he should be able to let Xiaomei relax a bit.

  If I couldn't even spend a few peaceful days at my parents' home, then after getting married, I would be restricted everywhere, and that would be unbearable.

  After dinner, Qi Zhen understood that she shouldn't linger too long, this was already the happiest day for her, and she couldn't be greedy for more.

  "Jenmei, this hand-held mirror was meant for you as a gift, take good care of it and don't let others see it."

  Qī Zhēn stole a glance at her brother, still didn't dare accept it, "Sister-in-law, this is really too valuable..."

  "Take it." Before she finished speaking, Qi You said, "On your birthday, Mother won't be around. If you want to invite someone into the manor to play, just let your sister-in-law know and she'll take care of the birthday banquet for you."

  Hua Ru was helpless, and her elder sister-in-law was like a mother to her. These things were indeed what she should do. Seeing Qi Zhen look at her, she nodded and said: "Just ask whoever you want to come and post the notice, just let me know how many people will be coming."

  Qī Zhēn thought for a moment and shook his head very honestly, "Actually, I don't particularly want to see them either. Every time we meet, it's all about comparisons, so it's better to just spend the holiday with brother and sister-in-law."

  Hua Ru initially looked at Qi You, and Qi You didn't object either. Children from wealthy families grow up in that kind of competitive environment, it's hard to say whether it's good or bad. If Qi Zhen likes it, he will naturally fulfill her wish, but if she doesn't want to hang out with those people, he won't force her either.

  "Alright, I'll come back earlier tomorrow."

  Qī Zhēn waved his hand repeatedly, "No need, brother, you can just be like usual, don't delay important things for me, having sister-in-law accompany me is enough."

  "We'll talk about it another day, let's go back, it's getting dark."

  "Good." Qi Zhen was overjoyed and bowed, "Zhen'er won't disturb brother and sister-in-law anymore."

  Hua Ru Chu tilted her head and instructed, "Yun Shu, you see Zhen Niang off."

  "Yes, Miss Zhen, I'll send it over."

  Watching the two of them walk far away, Hua Ru Chu finally asked the question that had been on her mind, "Jian Mei is also fifteen years old, doesn't she have a personal maid by her side? Isn't someone always following her around?"

  "Got scolded by mom and now lying in bed resting."

  Kan Qi Zhen looks so happy today, but I really didn't see this coming. Hua Ru Chu walked to the bottom of the tree, where her family and brother-in-law liked to sit for a while every evening. Qiu Zhen had already swept the place clean and arranged tea cups and pastries on the table.

  Qī Yòu saw that Rú Chū was thinking, and explained that Qī Zhēn was very sensible. No matter how sad she was, she wouldn't show it in front of us. She's worried that you'll be afraid of your mother because of this.

  "It's something she would worry about." Taking the teapot from Autumn's hand, Hua Ruochen poured tea into the cups in front of them, and the fragrance wafted up to their noses, smelling very good.

  "Take care of things on your side at the tea garden, the prince will ask about it every day."

  "Alright, but tea frying can't be rushed.

  "It's good that you have a plan in mind." Qi You's eyes swept across the courtyard, finally landing on the vase of flowers on the table. "I remember that the Qi Manor didn't have peach blossoms."

  "Ah!" Hua Ru Chu took one out and played with it in her hand, "Ma Bo sent those flowers over and also brought a few of these, I don't know where he got them from."

  After watching her hands for a while, Qi You suddenly asked, "If... the Qi Manor were to be managed by you, would you also renovate it like this courtyard?"

  Hua Ru was taken aback for a moment, "I haven't thought about this issue."

  "Think now."

  Hua Rujun started thinking with her hands supporting her cheeks, from the Qi Manor entrance to every place she knew of... there really wasn't a single place that she liked.

  "But probably not."

  "Why?"

  Hua Ru smiled, "It's just that in the martial arts world, there are also divisions between Southern and Northern martial arts. Because of a small matter, people can drag out big theories to argue endlessly. Southerners lean towards the South, Northerners lean towards the North. People are like this, even if they're dissatisfied with their hometown, they only allow themselves to be dissatisfied in their hearts, but can't bear for others to say a single bad word about it. I think the Qi Manor is too monotonous, even desolate, not comparable to my Hua family at all. But the people of the Qi Manor wouldn't think so, they would only think that their home is good. If I were to make changes, I'm afraid that no matter how hard I try, it still won't be half as good."

  Home? Qi Youxin sneered in his heart, how many people in the Qi Manor understand the meaning of home? If it can bring them benefits, even if they have to tear down the Qi Manor, I'm afraid not many people will hesitate. "Not all Taiyuan aristocratic families are as desolate as the Qi Manor. The Qi Manor was founded on military merit and has always been grand and spacious from the beginning, making people feel the majesty of the Qi Manor, but now it's so desolate. Over the years, the Qi Manor has made some changes, but it has become more and more like a monster."

  That is to say, the Qi family's current appearance cannot represent all Taiyuan Shijia? She still thinks that all northerners only care about high gates and high eaves?

  She put the peach branch back in the vase, Hua picked up her teacup and took a sip, the fragrance of the tea improved her mood somewhat. "Does Zhen want to make a fuss about her birthday?"

  "My daughter has never been valued in the Qi Manor, and few people will remember her. Even my father might...". He paused for a moment before continuing, "If they don't bring it up, you don't need to pay attention to it either. Let's just live as the three of us and have some peace."

  "Alright, the three of us will go." After calculating the dates, Hua Ru suddenly remembered that her husband's birthday was also approaching. Her daughter didn't receive much attention, and she wondered if anyone would remember the birthdate of this eldest grandson.

  Unconsciously, the two of them had finished the tea in their cups. This time it was Qi You who picked up the teapot to refill their tea, "Regarding Qi Zhen's marriage, I've mentioned it to the Crown Prince and we have a few candidates in mind. The Crown Prince wants to settle on one as soon as possible, what do you think?"

  "Is this something we should ask Mother about?"

  "No need, I won't let Qi Zhen suffer, her calculations are none of my concern. The Qi family has already sacrificed me, no need to drag Qi Zhen's marriage into it for their own benefit."

  Sacrifice? Is it referring to marrying her? Hua Ru's eyes narrowed slightly, hiding the turmoil within. Then whose fault should she blame for her sacrifice?

  His hand was held by someone, and his fingers were straightened one by one. The warm fingertips slid over the complex lines on his palm. The man's low voice had an almost imperceptible gentleness, "All my sacrifices do not include you, the imperial edict of marriage is the greatest reward I have received."

  Is this sweet talk? You speak so righteously, have you considered the listener's feelings? Especially when the person speaking is still expressionless, it's as if they're saying the weather is great today. Hua Ru's body temperature rose involuntarily, and without looking, her face must be very red by now.

  " Qi, Qi you..."

  "Really?!"

  The nasal humming sound was so sensual that it couldn't be described, and Hua Ru initially thought her ears must have gone bad, or else she would have heard the pampering and indulgence in it.

  He didn't hear what was said afterwards, Qi You's line of sight moved up, "Huh?"

  "I forgot." He shook his head, also shaking off the wrong feeling from just now. In a fluster, he only thought of bringing up another matter to throw this feeling far, far away, best not to have it appear again.

  The increasingly ambiguous and warm interactions between the two people made Hua Ru's heart flutter, knowing that this would lead to trouble, but she could only helplessly let things develop in this way. She couldn't just tell Qi You not to be good to her, not to be gentle with her, not to touch her...

  They are a couple, Qi You is always standing firm, while she is naturally soft and weak, unable to bear Qi You's cold treatment. Sometimes, she would rather have Qi You be a bit cruel to her, even if it means going to the concubine's quarters to indulge in warmth and comfort, so that she can keep her true feelings intact.

  Intelligence will also succumb to emotions, she never dared to hope to be the exception, especially when that cold and taciturn man in front of others is trying to shed all his defenses in front of her, putting all his weaknesses at her mercy. If she wasn't born without a shred of emotion, what choice did she have but to surrender to such a man?

  But she still stubbornly refused to surrender, didn't want to give up her heart.

  The game between the two of them was unpredictable, but she was very clear that her heart was no longer as firm as it was at the beginning. This was a very dangerous signal, and she knew it, yet couldn't help herself.

  My butt hurts from sitting for too long... (If you like this work, welcome to subscribe and reward. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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