Ich verkaufe meine Kleidung und kaufe etwas Wein, den ich mit dir trinken kann

Kapitel 46

"Xiaofeng, come with me." Without another word, I dragged Xiaofeng outside—I had made up my mind; I couldn't let her continue to be so depressed. I had to turn her back into the happy and lively girl she used to be.

I ran to the lakeside and around the artificial hill. I then blindfolded Xiaofeng with my hands and pushed her in front of a wooden frame covered by a huge white cloth.

"Thump, thump, thump!" I laughed and let go, gesturing for her, who looked bewildered, to lift the cloth—the image showed a young girl standing in the wind. Holding a begonia branch, she lowered her head to gently smell its fragrance, her eyes seemingly intoxicated, her cheeks beaming with a smile, fresh and pretty—it was Xiao Feng.

"How is it? Isn't it beautiful? It took me four or five days of non-stop work to draw this! Okay, Xiaofeng, don't be angry with me, okay?" I shook her shoulder and pleaded with her in a soft voice.

Xiao Feng stood quietly in front of the huge portrait, staring blankly for a long time. Finally, she reached out and very lightly touched the face of the person in the painting, but still didn't say a word—sigh! Does this trick even work? This is the ultimate move of our art department's handsome guy to woo girls. It's said that no matter how arrogant a girl is, she can't escape this killer technique! I was forced to use this trump card. If it still doesn't work, I really have no other ideas!

Sigh! Never mind. Guessing like this isn't going to work! I pressed Xiaofeng's shoulder, turned her around, closed my eyes, and clasped my hands together, sincerely begging for forgiveness. "Xiaofeng, I'm sorry! I really shouldn't have lied to you! But I swear, apart from not telling you I'm a girl, I haven't lied to you about anything else! I genuinely consider you my little sister! Please believe me!"

Huh! Still no response? You're too difficult to deal with! My little sister from ancient times?! I can't keep her eyes closed forever, can I? I had no choice but to open my eyes and was startled—Xiao Feng's big eyes were filled with crystal tears, and her beautiful face was a mixture of pain, sadness, emotion, guilt... and regret? Why can't I find even a trace of happiness no matter how hard I look?

"I'm sorry, Brother Qingyang!" Xiaofeng sobbed, leaning against my shoulder. "You've been so good to me, I was so willful! I'm sorry!"

YES! Success! I hugged her tightly and excitedly gave her a victory sign! The ultimate technique truly lived up to its name!

"Hehe, Xiaofeng, can I sign my name for you?" I was extremely excited, and picked up the calligraphy brush I had prepared beforehand to sign my name in a flourish—cough! Signing artistic characters with a calligraphy brush is really awkward!

"Brother Qingyang, what did you write?!" To my surprise, Xiaofeng smiled upon seeing the strange signature, giving me a playful, pouty glare—oh! What a blissful glare!

"Don't you understand this? This is called artistic lettering! Hehe, anyway, it's still early, how about I draw you another sketch? I guarantee this signature will be absolutely gorgeous!" I proudly patted my chest to assure her.

"Okay! But what does 'beautiful to the point of bubbling' mean?" Xiao Feng asked, her eyes wide.

"It just means it's incredibly beautiful!" I took down Xiaofeng's portrait and placed a small sheet of Xuan paper on it—tsk! It hurt my heart to look at it. It's just a sketch, why use such expensive Xuan paper? These are all antiques! I only asked Huaiyuan to make an easel for me based on the picture, but he even sent over the brush, ink, and Xuan paper. Might as well use it!

Xiao Feng didn't say anything, but just sat beside me with her knees drawn up, quietly keeping me company as I painted—just like when I first arrived in Jiangning.

The clear, serene sky, the vast, boundless lake, the egrets leisurely strolling on the sandbars, the willows drooping along the shore, the fishing boats darting back and forth on the lake, and the village girls casting nets from their small boats... all combine to create an extremely beautiful and harmonious scene.

I lowered my head and carefully added the final stroke of my signature. I examined it from all sides, then smiled with satisfaction at Xiaofeng. "How was it? I didn't lie to you, did I? I told you, the wait was worth it!" But Xiaofeng wasn't even looking at the drawing! —What's going on?!

Following her gaze, we looked into the lake—a small boat was rapidly approaching us. And standing on the bow, hands clasped behind his back, the imposing figure of the man was none other than Huaiyuan!

After living there for a while, I realized that the wealth of Jingyou Manor far exceeded my expectations. Its business scope was extremely broad, ranging from cloth and silk to embroidery and weaving, from money lending to antiques, from restaurants to inns, from land routes to waterways—it seemed like it wanted to get involved in anything that could make money. And basically, all the information was handled by hand and by memory, making management very inconvenient. Unlike modern times, with complete computer software, professional personnel, and advanced communication facilities. Therefore, as the owner of the manor, I was actually very busy on a daily basis—even though we lived under the same roof, we often wouldn't see each other for days.

Seeing Huaiyuan suddenly appear at an unexpected time, I couldn't help but feel excited. Without thinking, I put down my pen and hurriedly ran towards the ferry bridge—damn, it wasn't him, only the back view looked somewhat similar. I stood disappointedly at the ferry landing, glaring at the man I had mistaken—was it really the "cold-faced man in purple" I had seen that day? What was he doing here? Could he also be Huaiyuan's friend?!

Today, the cold-faced man was dressed in a dark green long robe, appearing refined and elegant, like a gentle nobleman. However, his icy, emotionless eyes revealed a strong sense of isolation and detachment from the world—like a lone, ethereal wild goose, making one want to explore the vicissitudes and wandering hidden deep within them.

He glanced at me indifferently out of the corner of his eye, then calmly brushed past me, a faint smile blooming on his lips? —I wasn't mistaken; though it was only for a moment, only a tiny hint, it was undeniably a smile. And that single smile, like the first ray of sunshine after the winter snow melted, inexplicably warmed me.

I turned around in a daze, and there stood a graceful, ethereal girl in a scarlet dress, her cheeks as white as snow. She ran towards the cold-faced man, rushed into his arms, hugged his neck, and burst into laughter like silver bells, calling out repeatedly, "Big brother, big brother, big brother!!"

So he was Lu Jianfeng, the "Flowing Cloud Sword"?! No wonder he was so aloof, no wonder he was so proud and otherworldly! No wonder he was so young yet so weathered! He was originally just a drifting, aimless cloud! But seeing his subconscious outpouring of genuine emotion towards his sister—even if it was only for a moment—left me with a strange sense of awe!

"Big brother, this is Brother Ye Qingyang. He's a close friend of Brother Mo Hui and Brother Wufeng. Brother Ye, this is my big brother, Lu Jianfeng, the Flowing Cloud Sword." Lu Rulan smiled and happily showed off her outstanding brother to me.

"Oh, so you're the eldest young master of the Lu family! It's an honor to meet you!" Facing that handsome face that instantly returned to its indifferent state, I forced a smile and gave a perfunctory reply—Hey! I don't owe you any money, so why are you giving me that smug look?!

"Hmm." Lu Jianfeng didn't even glance at me, giving me a nasal sound—he was incredibly arrogant. Pshaw! So what if he's handsome?

"Big brother, let's go in quickly, Aunt Yun is still waiting for you!" Rulan gave me an apologetic look, then giggled and tugged at Lu Jianfeng's sleeve as the two siblings walked side by side.

To say I wasn't at all envious of their sibling relationship would be a lie. I watched their retreating figures, sighed wistfully, and suddenly lost all interest in drawing. I smiled apologetically at Xiaofeng, "Let's stop here for today. I'll draw something else for you tomorrow, okay?"

Xiao Feng pouted slightly and said sullenly, "I don't like that young master Lu. He pretends to ignore you, but when you're not looking, he secretly turns around and stares at you. I don't think he's a good person."

"Is that so?" I replied casually—he probably did this because he misunderstood something about me and Xiaofeng that day?

However, Lu Jianfeng's sudden visit did make me feel uneasy—well, I admit, not just a little, but quite uneasy. Although his relationship with Rumei was clearly not as close as his relationship with Rulan, they were still siblings, and he was the eldest son of the Lu family. Could it be that he was entrusted by Master Lu to arrange the marriage between Huaiyuan and Rumei?

Although Huaiyuan showed me much care and concern, he never once uttered the word "love" to me. As for his relationship with Rumei, he only vaguely said he would give her time—but never clearly stated what decision he would make after that time!

I always thought love was all sweetness and happiness. I never knew loving someone could be so painful. The phrase, "I don't care about forever, I only care about having had it," I used to find truly beautiful, poetic, and romantic. I used to think that when hopeless love approached me, I could simply watch from afar, offering quiet blessings, nonchalantly saying, "As long as you're happy, I'm happy," and then gracefully leave you with a departing silhouette, so you'd cherish me in your heart forever…

“Hui’er! Lu Jianfeng has arrived at the manor. I believe you can guess why he came! When exactly do you plan to marry Rumei? This matter has been delayed for six years, and Rumei is already twenty-four. We can’t delay any longer.” Jiang Han’s earnest voice came from the other side of the wall.

Oh no, what if they find out I'm hiding here and think I'm eavesdropping on their conversation? I instinctively held my breath and hid even deeper under the banana leaves—even though I knew they couldn't see me at all.

"I have my own ideas about this. Grandpa, you don't need to worry." Huaiyuan was silent for a long time, but gave me an answer that was both expected and utterly disappointing.

"What's your idea? I know you're interested in that girl Qing'er. Grandpa doesn't actually object to you being together. If it could bring you double happiness, I'd be more than happy!" Jiang Han seemed quite dissatisfied with me, his tone carrying a hint of warning. "Unfortunately, according to Dingshan, that little girl arrogantly said she wouldn't share her husband with anyone? And she even said she never said she wanted to marry you?! Little Huizi, what have you been doing for the past six years? How come you can't even handle a woman?!"

"I will make Qing'er marry me willingly. I will also give Ru Mei and the Lu family an explanation. Grandpa, you can handle this yourself!" Huaiyuan's voice carried a hint of helplessness—and I, already deeply hurt, slumped against the wall with a soft thud... This book is first published on Xiaoxiang Novel Original Network. Please retain this information when reprinting!

[Volume 3: War and Chaos - Chapter 8: Warming Hands to Try on Plum Blossom Makeup]

"Who's there?" Huaiyuan asked alertly—oh no, we've been discovered. I couldn't help but smile wryly; martial artists' hearing is indeed extraordinary. I stood still like an ostrich, hoping they wouldn't find me.

"Rumor has it that Jiang Mohui, the Heartless Swordsman, has homosexual tendencies and has fallen for a scholar surnamed Ye. It seems the rumors are wrong; that Ye is actually a girl who has changed her hairpin and hat!" A deep, resonant male voice suddenly rang out—why does that sound so familiar?

"Sword Wind? Why aren't you staying at Caiyun Pavilion? What are you doing at Liaoting Garden?" Huaiyuan's words were indifferent, revealing no emotion.

"Well, I have other matters to attend to, so I won't keep you young people company. Mo Hui, you should have a good talk with Jian Feng." Seeing that his situation was not good, Jiang Han quickly made an excuse to leave—no wonder he was Guan Dingshan's close friend. These two old foxes were truly masters of slipping away unscathed.

"What? Not welcome? If I hadn't come, how would I have learned of Master Jiang's earth-shattering secret?" Lu Jianfeng's voice was cold and sarcastic—it seemed the rumors of discord between the siblings were unfounded. He seemed quite angry with Huaiyuan.

"Jianfeng is joking. It's just a woman, nothing to hide, is it?" Huaiyuan remained calm and answered slowly—"Just a woman?!" Is this your true opinion of me?! I clenched my fists tightly, my nails digging into my flesh.

"Is that so? I wonder if Rumei will agree with and accept your viewpoint?" Lu Jianfeng mocked Huaiyuan coldly.

“It’s not her place to decide my affairs,” Huaiyuan replied calmly—followed by a long silence—the two men must have been exchanging glances.

"Do you think the Lu family is so easily bullied?" Lu Jianfeng's voice already contained a hint of anger—tsk, he got angry so quickly. What's the use of pretending to be cold on the outside?! When it comes to indifference, he really still needs to learn a few more years from Huaiyuan. That guy is truly like an old monk in meditation when he's quiet; it really takes some effort to provoke him into anger.

“As long as you don’t say anything, it has nothing to do with the Lu family.” Huaiyuan kindly offered Lu Jianfeng this advice in a flat, emotionless tone.