As soon as Lin Jinyong said he wanted to cross from that bridge, Miao Fenyu and Tie Er Niu exchanged a glance, remained silent for a moment, then Tie Er Niu spoke up: "Alright, let's listen to the young lady."

  A quiet path winds its way into the mountains, disappearing amidst vibrant peach blossoms and pear blossoms. A warm breeze stirs, scattering flowers all over the ground. Occasionally, a few birds chirp, making it even more serene and peaceful.

  But there was a discordant voice and environment - Lin Jinyong's wet shoes made a "slurp" sound with every step, causing everyone to turn their heads, and Lu Xuan said lightly: "Fourth sister's shoes can still sing."

  Lin Jinyong retorted, "Second Brother is indeed a connoisseur. He can even discern the beauty of music from such a sound. Why don't you go back and compose a song called 'The Shoe Song'?"

  Tie Er Niu's face turned red, wanting to laugh but not daring to, slowed down his pace; Miao Ya gently grasped Lin Jian Rong's hand and whispered: "Miss, how about we tell Young Master that we'll head back first and let Brother bring him over?"

  Lin Jinyong bit his teeth and smiled: "No need. I'm fine."

  Lu Duan didn't care about Lin Jianrong's obviously unpleasant expression, and continued to walk slowly on his own, occasionally stopping to take in the surrounding scenery.

  Changshou was only a half-grown kid, not interested in the scenery, but more interested in Tie Er Niu's fish basket - there was a strange fish, with a flat head and no scales. Although he had followed Lu Xiang from Jiangnan, he thought he was more knowledgeable than ordinary servants, but he had never seen anything like it before. He wanted to ask Tie Er Niu, but felt embarrassed.

  Miao Ya found out, let out a cold snort, and covered up the fish basket: "What are you looking at? Haven't seen fish before?"

  "I've never seen a fish like this? So long, so thick, I don't know how many times I've seen such a big fish!" Changshou curled his lip and gestured: "Look at the fish in this basket, can you eat them? They're just some rotten fish, only finger-width fish are edible, have you gone hungry crazy? Country bumpkin! Never seen the world."

  Miao Ya's words were stuck in her throat, she had indeed never seen a fish that was so long and so thick.

  Lin Jian said calmly: "Yes, this fish is what I want to eat. I'm a bit hungry and haven't seen much of the world."

  Changshou hesitated for a moment, then forced himself to say: "Fourth Miss, I wasn't talking about you." But he didn't know that Lin Fourth Miss was such an overbearing person who only allowed her family's servants to bully him, but wouldn't let him retort.

  Tie Er Niu whispered two sentences in Miao Wa's ear, and Miao Wa immediately replied: "Chang Shou, you're impressive for having eaten big fish, but have you ever had this kind of peach blossom fish? Looking at your rarely seen and strange appearance, you must not have even seen it before! What's the matter?" "Peach blossom fish?" Lu Jian asked curiously, "Let me take a look at the fish basket."

  Tie Er Niu didn't immediately untie, but instead went to look at Lin Jian Rong's face. Seeing Lin Jian Rong's stern expression and silence, he spoke in a rough tone: "Young Master, this fish is dirty and smelly, don't get your hands dirty."

  Changshou let out a loud "hmmph", his eyes widening as if he was about to say something, but Lu Jian swept him with a calm gaze and he had no choice but to shut his mouth and continue walking silently.

  With a rustling sound, several people dodged and weaved through the flowers and willows, rounded several bends, and finally heard the sound of water again.

  Lin Jinyong looked up and smiled at Lu Xian: "It's almost there. Second brother, you keep your promises, right?"

  "Of course it counts."

  "Wouldn't you say it to my mother? Wouldn't you say it to others? Is longevity comparable to reckless talk?"

  Lu Xian looked at Lin Jianrong and said seriously: "Don't say it. Changshou doesn't dare to. If he says half a word, I'll break his leg."

  Lin Jinrong smiled slightly: "Alright, if any of today's events are leaked out, even half a word, you'll never pass the imperial examination in this lifetime!" She was too clear about how important the imperial examination was to Lu Xian. Not to mention passing the imperial examination, it would be better if he couldn't even pass the provincial examination.

  This autumn, Lu Xian is going to the government office for the exam, and everyone wants to get a good start. Why are these four girls so stingy? Changshou hastened: "Fourth girl, how can you be like this? My young master came with good intentions. If it's someone from your side who spreads the word, it will also be blamed on my young master! What kind of logic is that?"

  "What's wrong with me? You don't believe it? Does the master's words need your interruption? Whose rules are these? The people around me won't leak a single word, I just can't trust you guys."

  Changshou was left speechless by her, panting and gasping for air. This fourth young lady was even more troublesome than her three elder cousins!

  Lu Xian's lips pursed again and again, but in the end, he didn't say anything. He just calmly said, "Okay." A pitiful person must have a hateful side. If he didn't drag this dead girl to roam around the mountain today, making her wail and beg him to let her go back, then his surname wouldn't be Lu! In short, he was out for a stroll with plenty of time, while Lin Jianrong had sneaked out with limited time. Let's see who could drag whom on.

  As the two of them harbored their own secrets, they had already turned a corner with their feet, and suddenly saw a stretch of greenery as smooth as jade, carrying a faint coolness that poured down.

  The clear river water was like scattered pearls and jade, singing a joyful song as it leaped down from the heights. When it arrived here, it slowed down, transforming into a tranquil pool of emerald jade. Beside the jade pool, a towering ancient tree's newly sprouted leaves occupied half the sky with their lush green color. The wild grass was so vibrant it seemed to be dripping with dew. Not far away, on the mountain cliff, a branch of peach blossoms burst forth in full bloom. The green leaves and pink flowers were reflected in the water, along with the blue sky and white clouds, creating an enchanting beauty that couldn't be put into words. Lin Jingrong had already exclaimed once before, but at this moment, he couldn't help but let out a small gasp of wonder again. He glanced over at Lu Xian's expression, which hadn't changed much, but noticed that his eyes hadn't blinked even once. This showed that he was indeed captivated by the scenery.

  "Isn't it beautiful?" Lin Jianrong smiled slightly and pointed to the wooden bridge not far away: "Walking from here, it's even more beautiful ahead!"

  Lu Xian looked back, but saw that the wooden bridge didn't have any railings or anything like that. It was simply built with three or four logs as thick as an arm, and the wood was covered in a thick layer of wet moss. The wood had been eroded by wind and rain into a rotten dark brown color, and it was only wide enough for one person to pass through at a time. Just looking at it made him feel quite uneasy, as if he would slip and fall into the water with just one misstep. And who knew how deep the water was? He hesitated for a moment, unable to make up his mind whether to go or not, so he tentatively asked: "Should we go together or one by one?"

  Lin Jinyong sneered at him: "Second brother, have you read too many books and become foolish? This bridge made of such thin wood has been spanning here for who knows how many years, exposed to wind, sun, and rain. I'm afraid it's already rotten inside, how can it withstand the weight of several people? Of course, we need to cross one by one."

  Tie Er Niu's mouth moved slightly, wanting to remind Lu Xian that the right side of the bridge was not good to walk on, but he saw Lin Ze Rong's black eyes staring at him, with a green glow reflected in them, although it was just the reflection of the surrounding greenery, he felt scared and subconsciously closed his mouth tightly.

  To be honest, this river is really nothing to them. He and his little friends used to toss each other into the water and even fight in the river. Fourth Sister wants to bully someone, so be it. The water isn't very deep, and there are no stones or anything inside. At worst, he can just go down and rescue him. It's more in line with his dreams to let this seemingly annoying handsome young master and his nose-upturned servant take a loss.

  Miao Ya was a bit afraid, and carefully asked Lin Jian Rong: "Miss, we've been out for a long time, if we don't go back soon, I'm afraid Lüzhi sister and the others won't be able to hold on. Let my brother accompany Young Master Biao, and we'll go back first." "One must keep their promises." Lin Jian Rong comfortingly held Miao Ya's hand, smiled at Lu Xian, and said: "I'll go first!" Then she strode onto the bridge, avoiding the wooden plank on the right that Miao Ya had warned her about, and walked to the other side with ease. She looked at Lu Xian provocatively and said: "How is it? Is Second Brother Biao not daring to come over? If you don't dare, then go back, and today's matter will end here."

  Lu Xian's surface seemed to be carefree, but in reality, he was just a man who couldn't resist excitement. Lin Jianrong could run past quickly and easily, so why couldn't he? Even if he thought Lin Jianrong would definitely not be okay, he still smiled lightly, flipped his sleeve, and stably walked onto the bridge.

  "Master, slow down! I'll support you!"

  Lin Jian warned faintly: "I've said it before, this bridge can't be crossed by two people at once."

  The tortoise withdrew its legs again.

  Lu Jian had already walked to the middle of the bridge, Lin Jiner silently calculated.

  One, two, three, four, five, six! "Crack!" With a loud noise, Lu Jian's body suddenly tilted to one side, and his foot stepped into the air. As he swayed back and forth trying to find balance, Lin Jingrong covered her mouth and screamed: "Be careful! The bridge is going to collapse!"

  "Master!" Changshou shrieked and dashed onto the bridge, charging straight at Lu Xiang.

  A loud "splash" sound, followed by two dull "thuds", and two panicked figures fell into the emerald green water. A rotten tree trunk almost hit Lu Xian's head.

  Falling into the water is not scary, but that wooden beam almost hit someone, it's really frightening to watch. Miao Ya and Tie Er Niu exclaimed at the same time, Tie Er Niu immediately took off his net and fish basket from his waist and handed them to Miao Ya, kicked off his shoes, and prepared to jump down. Although the water is not very deep, people who can't swim will still drown. The two people below were flailing about and shouting for help, clearly both of them are landlubbers.

  Miao Ya didn't go to pick up the fishing net and basket, but instead stared foolishly at Lin Jianrong on the other side of the river. Tie Er Niu followed Miao Ya's gaze and saw Lin Jianrong standing there, motionless, staring at Lu Xian who was struggling in the water. Her face still had the exaggerated shock color from when she shouted out in surprise earlier, but her whole person gave off a very calm feeling, not afraid at all, and even seemed to be expecting and enjoying it, especially those half-drooping eyes that seemed to still hold a hint of a smile.

  It was just a matter of an instant, but Lin Jingrong felt as if it had been a thousand years.

  Seeing Lu Xian struggling to float in the water, all memories of the cold water, all grievances and anger poured towards her. Lu Xian, have you ever experienced this taste? Is it comfortable? Are you very scared? Are you very desperate? Are you very wronged?

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