Chapter 8, Let's Pick Flowers

Amidst a few delicate calls, Mo Shuangqi rushed forward, holding a handkerchief to wipe Liu Yong's face. Liu Yong stepped back a few paces and waved his hand, saying: "I am fine!"

Mo Shuangqi was distracted and could not sit still. After a while, she pulled Lin Mei down to enjoy the flowers, ensuring that they were far enough from the pavilion so that Zhou Minmin and the others could not hear her. She then said: "Xiao Mei, I need to find a way to meet someone shortly. Please help me by diverting Mingxiu and the others."

Wow, the fragrance is overwhelming! Lin Mei has a sensitive nose; the excessive scent is unbearable, yet she cannot resist it and has already covered her nose.

Lin Mei peeked out from behind Mo Shuangqi and caught a glimpse of Su Zhongxing's gaze sweeping over. She quickly withdrew her head. For a moment, she feared that Su Zhongxing and his companions would approach, causing her to appear weak and embarrassed. She wanted to return to the hall first, but was also afraid of encountering other men along the way. In this struggle, she could only hope that the rich fragrance of flowers would mask the scent emanating from Su Zhongxing and Liu Yong, allowing her to avoid a calamity

Upon seeing Lin Mei, she guessed immediately. Mo Shuangqi, knowing that she could not keep it a secret, could only speak softly about her past with Liu Yong.

As spring is just beginning, the flowers are in full bloom, and amidst the gentle breeze, the fragrance of the blossoms is enchanting

Zhou Minmin was sitting in the pavilion talking. From her perspective, she noticed two people strolling over from the other side, and according to their route, they would definitely pass the pebble path and arrive at the spot where Mo Shuangqi and Lin Mei were standing. After discerning the figures of the approaching individuals for a while, she recognized that it was Liu Yong and Su Zhongxing, and called out to Mo Shuangqi and Lin Mei, "Hey, what have you been talking about for so long?"

He clearly promised me..." Mo Shuangqi raised her head, tears glistening in her eyes, her lips biting down so hard they were bright red, "I don't believe he has forgotten everything from the past."

Having brought Wu Yuyi along, Qiao Jiaru felt somewhat annoyed. Wu Yuyi was her distant cousin, whose family had fallen on hard times and was not qualified to attend the birthday banquet of the Lady of Yongping Marquis. However, upon hearing that she had received an invitation, she came to plead, saying she wanted to see the world. Unable to resist Wu Yuyi's entreaties, she brought her along. Unexpectedly, Wu Yuyi was restless and quickly sought to associate herself with the marquis's daughter.

Lin Mei paused in front of a flower of moon-white color, slightly entranced. She was always more sensitive to scents than the average person, and as she bent down to take a gentle sniff, she licked her lips and said: "This flower has a truly enticing fragrance"

"You all go ahead and take a look, I will come over shortly." Zhou Minmin noticed Lin Mei's interest in the fragrant flower and paused to smile, saying: "This flower was transplanted by my brother from the temple. According to He Tushu, it was originally brought back from overseas by the abbot of that temple. When it blooms, the people in the temple pick the flowers, dry them, and use them to brew tea, which has a delicate fragrance and is quite famous. My mother loves this scent, but she does not allow us to pick it randomly, so it remains lively on the branches to this day."

Mo Shuangqi also sniffed beside her, but caught the scent coming from Lin Mei. She pressed down on Lin Mei's shoulder and said: "Quickly confess, what fragrance have you used?"

Who do you want to meet? Liu Zhuangyuan! Lin Mei was somewhat surprised and suspicious; such private meetings between men and women have never been a good thing. Should she help or not?

"These flowers smell really fragrant!" Mo Shuangqi steadied herself, turned back with a smile towards the pavilion, and waved, saying, "You all should come down and have a whiff; it is truly delightful."

As Mo Shuangqi caught sight of Lin Mei, just as she was about to give her handkerchief another vigorous toss, she lifted her head and instead retracted the handkerchief. In the midst of her glances, radiance overflowed, and with a gentle bite of her lip, half-smiling, she murmured: "Brother Liu!"

These two individuals are speaking in riddles, are they playing word games? Lin Mei secretly sighed for Mo Shuangqi, sighing, your brother Liu, the flowers he wishes to pick are in the Hou residence

Zhou Minmin followed Mo Shuangqi's gaze and called out, "Brother Liu, didn't you say last time that you liked these fragrant flowers and wanted to take a few back to dry and brew tea when they bloomed? They have indeed bloomed, just waiting for you to pick them!" The last part of her sentence trailed off, both charming and alluring, even more enticing than the blooming fragrant flowers.

Lin Mei frowned as she looked at Mo Shuangqi, but in her heart, she recalled her mother, Gu Ke'er. Mother, back then, also believed in Father, only to be disappointed to the point of death later on

Lin Mei turned her head slightly, and let out a loud sneeze

Mo Shuangqi lowered her eyes, looking at her toes, and after a while said: "Therefore, I need to find him and ask for clarification"

The young ladies present are either of noble birth or wealthy, with two of them being the nieces of a marquis. They aim to flatter Zhou Minmin, but do so in a manner less overt than Wu Yuyi. Upon hearing Wu Yuyi's words, everyone chuckled but did not engage further. Zhou Minmin, pleased by the compliments, spoke to Wu Yuyi in a much more amiable tone.

"No, not at all!" Lin Mei said with a smile, brushing away Mo Shuangqi's hand, "I dislike incense the most."

Mo Shuangqi's handkerchief, however, is infused with a special fragrance, and as soon as it is taken out, it emits a delightful scent that surpasses the floral aroma. She proudly looks at Lin Mei and says, "No matter how fragrant you are, can you surpass the scent of my handkerchief?"

Zhou Minmin led everyone down and smiled, saying: "This plant is called Xiangluohua, and it is indeed unusually fragrant"

Luo Mingxiu noticed that Zhou Minmin had stopped, so she also halted her steps, bypassed the fragrant flowers, and went to observe another bloom. From behind the cluster of flowers, she cast a gloomy glance at Lin Mei.

"In your residence, there are many things that are quite rare, not just these flowers? Everything I see seems delightful to me." A young lady named Wu Yuyi took the opportunity to flatter Zhou Minmin a few times.

At this moment, Zhou Minmin smiled at several young ladies and said, "Those few flowers over there are quite rare; let us go down and take a look later."

Mo Shuangqi was fully focused on Liu Yong, neither noticing Zhou Minmin's unusual tone nor paying attention to Lin Mei's actions, but simply gazing at Liu Yong, automatically filtering out the other people and scenery.

Liu Yong heard Zhou Minmin's words, glanced over, and strolled over, smiling as he said: "I have already obtained flowers in the temple and have brewed tea several times. The flowers in your residence are under the care of the marquis and the madam, so I cannot pick them at will."

Lin Mei covered her nose and looked up, seeing Liu Yong and Su Zhongxing approaching while conversing. She quietly took a few steps back and hid behind Mo Shuangqi.

Brother Liu! Mo Shuangqi noticed Liu Yong looking over and involuntarily took a step forward, unconsciously flicking the handkerchief in her hand backward, only to hit Lin Mei's face.

"Why do you smell even better than this fragrant flower?" Mo Shuangqi threw a handkerchief at Lin Mei's face, "You have such a nice scent, but you refuse to tell me what it is, right?"

Well, if you don't let someone say something harsh, you won't give up, right? Lin Mei shook Mo Shuangqi's hand and asked, "What would you do if he rejected you?"

Ah!

Zhou Minmin led several young ladies through the sea of flowers, pointing and discussing. After they grew tired from walking, they ascended to a pavilion to sit, where they had someone serve tea, engaging in conversation and laughter

If Liu Zhuangyuan still remembers you, why hasn't he sent you a letter? Moreover, you are staying at the Su residence this time, and your brother has even visited the Zhuangyuan's residence. Why does Liu Zhuangyuan not mention a word about the past between you two? Lin Mei secretly sighed; it was clear that he had forgotten you, yet you still believed that he had his reasons. What should be done about this?

"You have no issues, but I have matters to attend to!" Su Zhongxing was splattered with saliva, his anger flaring up. In a moment of loss of composure, he hurried a few steps forward, directly confronting Lin Mei.

The other young ladies, upon hearing Zhou Minmin's words, all leaned in to sniff and covered their mouths with laughter, saying, "It is indeed very fragrant." As they spoke, they held hands and moved towards the other side to see the koi. They turned back to Zhou Minmin and said, "Last time we heard that your residence acquired several colorful striped koi, this time we must take a good look."