Spring Banquet

// The plight of the Fourth Miss

At that time, she didn’t pay much attention, but now, looking back, Li Huaiyu felt that what Lu Jingxing said was right. When it comes to friends, having one sincere friend is enough.

With a relieved smile, she turned around, planning to take another look at Jiang Xuanjin.

However, as her gaze shifted, she was surprised to see someone standing at the door of the guest room.

Startled, she jumped in place and glared at him, “How did you come out?”

Jiang Xuanjin adjusted the dark cloak he had taken advantage of and still had no color on his face. His gaze towards her was cold, “It’s time to leave.”

“You’ve only taken the medicine for a short while, and now you want to leave?”

Ignoring her, Jiang Xuanjin stepped out of the door, passing by her, and causing a gust of wind.

His arrogant demeanor was consistent with the style of Prince Ziyang Jiang Xuanjin, but for some reason, Huaiyu had an intuition – this person was not happy.

“Hey,” she called out, “I even begged for the elixir for you, and I even tried it for you. Why do you still treat me like this?”

He paused his steps, but didn’t turn his head, “Fourth Miss, restrain yourself.”

Restrain herself again? She always restrained herself. What if she ended up creating a pit beneath her feet?

About to retort with a few sarcastic remarks, Jiang Xuanjin lifted his steps and walked past her with a dignified figure.

“Thank you, Fourth Miss. Goodbye,” Cheng Xu followed behind, bowing to her.

Huaiyu waved her hand, helplessly watching Jiang Xuanjin’s retreating figure, thinking that this person’s guard was truly heavy. She thought she had made some progress, but in the blink of an eye, he reverted back to his original state.

It was quite difficult to handle.

The eastern courtyard was empty, and thinking that she would send off Jiang Xuanjin later, Bai Dezhong, that old man, would definitely come to settle the score with her. Huaiyu decided to just go back to the Second Miss’s yard, intending to find something to eat.

However, when she finally found the small courtyard she had searched before, she was surprised to find that there were still people inside.

“Did the Second Miss come back?” Bai Xuanji smiled warmly when she saw her, beckoning affectionately, “Come here quickly. Mother ordered me to bring you something.”

Unable to see Purple Yang Jun as she had intended and being left with his back view, this girl still had a smile on her face. Huaiyu couldn’t help but give her a thumbs up. With such grace, she could rival those smiling foxes at court.

“What is it?” she asked curiously, walking over.

Bai Xuanji stepped aside, and behind her, Xiyun held a tray with a stack of clothes on it.

“In two days, it will be the young master’s 18th birthday at the Jiang Residence,” Bai Xuanji smiled, “Originally, you were not allowed to go, but since you have already regained your consciousness, you should also go out and see the world. Time is short, and there is no time to make new clothes for you. I have only worn this outfit twice. I hope the Fourth Miss doesn’t mind.”

Oh, so that’s the case. Huaiyu nodded and picked up the clothes on the tray to take a look.

The fabric was average, much inferior to what she used to wear, and the color… it was a light pink.

In any other occasion, this outfit would pass, but for the birthday banquet of the most favored young master of the Jiang family, as the future young mistress, this outfit appears frivolous.

Glancing at her expression, Bai Xuanji smiled and asked, “Don’t you like it?”

“Do you want to hear the truth?” Huaiyu turned her head to look at her.

Bai Xuanji hesitated for a moment and then chuckled, “As sisters, you can speak your mind.”

“Then I’ll be honest.” Huaiyu put the clothes back on the tray and smiled, “I don’t like it.”

Bai Xuanji was taken aback, seemingly surprised by her directness. The smile on her face finally faded a bit, and she slightly frowned, “In that case, I’ve overstepped. Since you don’t like it, you can prepare your own clothes.”

As she said that, she glanced at the old dark-colored gown Huaiyu was wearing and a hint of mockery finally appeared in her eyes, “Just don’t regret it later.”

“Miss!” The little maid Lingxiu, who had been standing with her head lowered, couldn’t hold back anymore and gently tugged at Huaiyu’s sleeve.

Huaiyu turned her head and stared at the maid for a moment, realizing that she was the one who came into the room carrying a basin of water when she first woke up.

“What is it?” She raised an eyebrow.

Lingxiu anxiously whispered, “You don’t have any other clothes to wear. Keep this dress, it can still save face for you. Otherwise, you won’t even be able to enter the Jiang Residence!”

Her voice was low, but Bai Xuanji was standing nearby and could hear every word. The mockery in her eyes grew deeper, “Lingxiu, don’t bother. Fourth Miss doesn’t like this old dress of mine.”

“Second Miss, please calm down. My young lady has only recently regained her senses and doesn’t understand many things,” Lingxiu stepped forward and repeatedly bowed to Bai Xuanji, “Thank you for your kind intentions. I’ll take the dress for the young lady…”

“Forget it. This old dress doesn’t match the future young mistress of the Jiang family,” Bai Xuanji interrupted her with a fake smile, then looked at Li Huaiyu out of the corner of her eye, “Fourth Miss has a connection with Purple Yang Jun. Isn’t it easy for her to get a nice dress? Xiyun, let’s go.”

“Yes.” Xiyun, the maid holding the tray, kneeled and followed behind Bai Xuanji as they walked away.

“This…” Lingxiu became anxious and was about to chase after them, but her wrist was grabbed by someone.

“Even if you chase after her now, she won’t give you the dress,” Huaiyu yawned, feeling a bit tired, “Save your energy.”

Lingxiu didn’t understand and looked at her in confusion, “Second Miss came here specifically to bring you the dress. She was just upset by you earlier and couldn’t face you for a while. As long as I plead with her…”

Huaiyu chuckled lightly, “If you plead with her, will she give it to you? If she really had my best interests at heart, she wouldn’t have given me this kind of outfit. Aren’t you being foolish?”

Lingxiu was stunned, her face blushing slightly. Being called foolish by her own mistress, this was…

“I feel that having something is better than nothing.” Lingxiu pinched her handkerchief, expressing her worry, “Second Miss wasn’t wrong. With the limited time, there’s no chance for you to make another outfit. As for the Jiang Residence…”

“Let’s not talk about that for now.” Huaiyu grabbed her and entered the small room, then collapsed wearily onto the bed. “Go find me something to eat. I’ll take a nap after eating.”

Lingxiu opened her mouth, glanced at the daylight outside, realizing it was already time for lunch, and hurriedly ran to the kitchen.

She had been busy running around for the past two days, and her body was exhausted. She hadn’t dared to sleep deeply by Jiang Xuanjin’s side. Now, she finally had a peaceful place, and Huaiyu quickly fell into a deep sleep.

She slept until the sun was setting.

Struggling to break free from the chaotic dreams, Huaiyu opened her eyes and glanced around the room.

It was quiet, and there was no food on the table. Lingxiu seemed to have not returned yet.

She furrowed her brow in confusion, got up, rummaged through the wardrobe, found a clean old garment to change into, and then went out to find someone.

Lanterns were already lit under the eaves of the residence, and the fragrance of food wafted in the surroundings. Li Huaiyu didn’t know the way, so she randomly grabbed someone on the street and asked, “Have you seen my maid?”