Chapter 26: Heart-pounding (Part 1)

  Ronghua was at a loss for what to do, but the third young lady of the Jia family beside her was kind-hearted and hurriedly stretched out her hand to help her pull up her clothes.

  Miss Jia helped to untie Ronghua's clothes that were stuck on the rock, and in her haste to dodge, she bumped right into Zhao Xuanhu. Her face flushed red as she curtsied and greeted him with a "Ask Master Xuan for his well-being." She couldn't help but notice how handsome Zhao Xuanhu looked, with a gentle and refined demeanor, causing her heart to beat faster. Tense and flustered, she clenched her fists tightly, forgetting that she was still holding onto Ronghua's sleeve.

  Zhao Xuanhuan's gaze seemed to linger on Miss Jia San for a moment before falling onto her hand.

  Miss Jia San was so frightened that she trembled slightly, and after half a day, Zhao Xuan Huan replied to her in a light tone and left.

  Ronghua emerged from behind the mountain rocks, glanced at Jia San's blushing face, and Jia San's hand holding that corner of her clothes didn't know if Zhao Xuanhuan had seen it.

  "Turn around and scold your sister, 'You, come to play here, fortunately met a family member, if there are outsiders, you will be ashamed to death.'"

  Miss Jia still grasped the hem of Ronghua's clothes, and it wasn't until the nurse gave her a look that she realized what she was doing. She hastily let go of Ronghua's clothes and flashed him an embarrassed smile.

  Zhao Xuan Huan left, and Miss Jia San's heart was no longer here. She also lost interest in other scenery in the garden.

  After a while, **Nai found an excuse, "It's been half a day, the young ladies are also tired, and the play is almost over, let's go back!" She said, leading Jia San Miss and Rong Hua back to the theater.

  The main show in the opera house has indeed ended, and everyone had a relaxed expression. Zhao Xuanhuang bid farewell and left, and Miss Jia San couldn't see Zhao Xuanhuang's figure, and she couldn't help but reveal a disappointed look on her face.

  Mrs. Cai called out to the maid, "You've come back just in time, go get some refreshing ointment for my sister-in-law to take back with her, she was just using it and saying how good it is!"

  Nai Xiadao said: "I just happen to have two more boxes there, I'll send someone to fetch them for the mistress." She then sent two maidservants to go and get them.

  Shu Hua saw that everyone was tired, and smiled: "The ladies have been watching the play for half a day and are also tired. Why don't we go to the flower hall to rest for a while? After dinner, we will still invite each lady to watch the flower lanterns."

  Everyone laughed.

  "Today, no one is allowed to leave a step early," said Mrs. Cai. "The mansion has just prepared a batch of lanterns and wants all the ladies to help appreciate them."

  The host said so, and the guest naturally agreed.

  Mrs. Cai looked at the two young ladies from the second house and saw that they hadn't returned together, so she asked: "Where did those two girls go? We dispersed for a while, didn't they know?"

  Before Nai could speak, Jia San Missy interrupted and said: "The two sisters have gone to the Pear Blossom Court to play chess. I'll go call them."

  Her face didn't look good, and she hadn't expected her sister to be so anxious. As soon as she knew that Master Huan had returned, she hastily went... All the words she had instructed earlier were in vain.

  Mrs. Cai smiled and praised Miss Jia, with a seemingly profound meaning in her words, "This child is indeed clever, so you go on a trip, be careful, this garden is not very familiar to you, don't get lost."

  With a servant girl following, how could they take the wrong path? Who else but Madam Cai's special someone would be so clueless.

  Miss Jia was just about to leave when Mrs. You, who was standing beside her, also smiled and said: "Let Ronghua accompany you together, the two sisters can keep each other company."

  Ronghua looked at the madam and slightly nodded her head.

  Miss Jia smiled and pulled up Ronghua: "With a younger sister accompanying me, that's the best."

  Miss Jia San led her personal maid, Rong Hua carried a wooden pole, and behind them were also the maidservants from the Hou Mansion.

  There were also quite a few people in this row, and I don't know how Miss Jia San was going to get rid of all these people.

  Just halfway through, Miss Jia San indeed had a situation. Her personal maid, Wang'er, suddenly said: "Miss, why is one of your earrings missing?"

  Miss Jia San touched with her hand, and the left ear was empty. The pair of ruby earrings inlaid with gold were indeed missing one. Miss Jia San's face suddenly turned pale, and she hurriedly lowered her head to search.

  Wan'er said: "If this earring is lost, it's a big deal. It was given to the young lady by Madame Tai, and it was still on her ear just now. It must have fallen somewhere."

  All the maids and servant girls, upon hearing that Miss Jia had lost something, also hurriedly lowered their heads to help search, but they had already searched all along the way and hadn't seen any sign of the earrings.

  "Perhaps Miss and ** lost it somewhere else when they went to the garden just now."

  Miss Jia San touched her earlobe, looking worried and anxious. She glanced at Rong Hua beside her, "Sister, can you think with me? When we were in the garden just now, was my earring still there?"

  Rong Hua thought for a moment before saying: "Sister asked about this, but I really didn't notice. However, when I just arrived, sister's earrings were still there."

  An old woman asked: "Why don't we send someone to inform Nai, and let Nai send some more people to search the garden thoroughly?"

  Miss Jia thought for a moment and still felt it was not suitable, "If it were an ordinary day, it would be fine. But now that our honored guests are in the front, wouldn't this matter spoil everyone's mood? I think it's better to do it this way: you all split up and help me search in the garden. If we find it, then there's no need to say anything. If not, then we'll have to wait until our guests leave before saying anything." After finishing speaking, she asked Ronghua, "What does sister think?"

  She asked him what he meant, but it was just a formality. Ronghua nodded, "Sister is right, we should find it quickly. There are many people in the mansion now, and with the opera troupe here, someone might pick it up by mistake. The money is not important, but that pendant was given by our ancestors and can't be lost easily."

  Miss Jia said: "Sister really can understand my heart." Then she turned her head to assign the maids and servant girls, to carefully search for them in the places they had passed.

  Everyone left in an instant.

  "Alright, little sister," said Miss Jia San, "I'll take Xiang'er with me to search ahead and also visit the two sisters at Lianghua Temple. Since you're not familiar with the layout of the mansion, it's better for you to wait here for news."

  Ronghua said: "Sister should also be careful, if you can't find it, come back early and report to the adults."

  Miss Jia San smiled and hastily left, leaving Rong Hua standing alone with Mu Yi.

  "Miss Jia San must have gone to the Wu Wei Residence."

  The wooden puppet didn't understand what was going on and curiously asked: "Miss, how did you know?"

  Ronghua smiled slightly, because Miss Jia San knew that Wu Wei Ju was the most likely place Zhao Xuan Huan would go.

  "Miss, what about us?"

  Ronghua didn't say a word, but instead slowly walked forward with a wooden expression.

  As the wind blew, the cloak on Rong Hua's body was like a very faint cloud in the sky.

  Zhao Xuan Huan handed her this set of clothes at that time, his smile was warm and gentle, telling her, "I've thought of a way."

  She thought he was just comforting her, but could it be that this piece of clothing would make Mrs. Cai agree to the marriage? At that time, although she was half-believing and half-doubting, her heart was like the full moon on the lake at that time.

  She had forgotten that the moon changes, let alone shadows.

  Human hearts are unpredictable, unexpectedly this dress did not betray its trust, in the small courtyard of Yi Cheng Hou Fu it stirred up a commotion, if she hadn't died that year, perhaps they would have had a chance to be together...

  Or maybe...

  It is an unchangeable outcome after all.

  It's just that this life has been missed after all.

  No, they have already missed even coming to life.

  Ronghua had unknowingly walked to the front of a fake mountain not far from the Weeping Flower Gate, and just as he was about to turn his head to speak with Muxin, he suddenly discovered that Muxin had gone who-knows-where behind him. As he was bewildered, his wrist was tightly grasped and his entire person was pulled into the midst of overlapping rocks.

  Rong Hua hadn't even lifted his head when that clear and familiar voice had already reached his ears, "I thought I was seeing things wrong, didn't expect it to be real."

  Ronghua couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, and with great effort, she lifted her head to see the person in front of her clearly. Suddenly, she let out a startled cry, "Brother-in-law?"

  Hearing Rong Hua's surprised voice, Zhao Xuanhuan suddenly came to his senses and looked at the person he was holding again. His hand felt like it had been scalded, and he abruptly let go of Rong Hua.

  The person in front of him, with a small chin and pursed lips, looked even more delicate and elegant. His black hair fluttered in the wind, his eyes shone like jade, bright and clear, with a hint of pride and aloofness that seemed to be born with him. Especially when he wore this dress, it gave him a sense of familiarity, as if he had been wearing it for years.

  It was obviously not her, but he just couldn't tell them apart...

  He seemed to be making an effort to breathe, "There's a banquet outside, I had some wine and was rude." The thick tone still carried some moisture. After this sentence, he fell silent and just stared at her.

  Zhao Xuanhuan's breath gently blew on her face, indeed carrying a faint scent of wine.

  Rong Hua slightly shrugged her shoulders, and her fingers curled up lightly.

  The wind blows through the bamboo leaves with a rustling sound, everything has nothing to do with this place anymore, and in the quietness, there is an emotion that is hard to ignore.

  "Scared you, didn't I?" Zhao Xuan Huan seemed to have discovered something and slowly bent down to search the ground. He picked up a duster, hesitated for a moment, then looked up at Rong Hua with an unclear gaze in his clear eyes. He wiped off the dust on the duster with his brocade robe and pinched it.

  Rong Hua slightly withdrew her head, but Zhao Xuanhuan still stubbornly reinserted the hairpin into Rong Hua's hair.

  "What's your name?"

  "My humble abode is where Tao's elegance resides."

  He was even more surprised. Rong Hua, Tao Rong Hua, had exactly the same name.

  Tao Jia, he suddenly thought of it, "You are the eighth sister of the Tao family?"

  Ronghua nodded slightly.

  Zhao Xuan hesitated for a moment before asking again: "Where did this set of clothes come from? Who in the mansion gave it to you?"

  Ronghua shook her head, her eyes fixed on her toes, "It was made by a tailor."

  After all, she was a woman waiting in the boudoir, and would always be reserved in front of men. He had made such an absurd move... It was just unexpected that there would be such a coincidence, and the dress worn by Tao's eighth sister was almost identical to the one he had given to Rong Hua back then.

  No time to revise anymore, the kid is crying and throwing a tantrum, sigh, have to go coax her to sleep.