Chapter One Hundred and Eight: Double Blessings, Part Three

Dream Chuchen came to an abrupt halt at the sound, waiting for Lianyue to continue.

But in the end Lianyue only said, “It’s nothing... let’s go,” then rose from her chair and followed behind him.

The two of them tacitly avoided the subject of the moment before. They called for Yaoyao, who had already finished packing up, and when they reached the dining hall they found Lanshui and Dream Chuchen approaching from another direction, with Zizhu following behind them.

Lianyue studied the composed Lanshui with a very suggestive look, but in the end, aside from the smile at the corner of her lips, she could not see anything particularly unusual. Instead, she drew several warning glances from her eldest brother, Yue Lingjun.

Lianyue shot him back a few discontented looks and said sourly, “No wonder they say that once you marry a wife you forget your mother. Now that you have Sister Lan, Big Brother has started throwing warning looks at me.” At the same time she did not forget to needle her second brother. “Second Brother, you must not learn from Big Brother. If you do, I’ll simply abduct your bride and run away with her.”

Dream Chuchen was innocently caught in the crossfire, but knowing that Lianyue was only joking, he warned her inwardly once and remained outwardly serene, a smile resting at the corner of his lips. Only his gaze, almost absentmindedly, brushed past Yaoyao.

High-strung with excitement and delight, Yaoyao had not taken her eyes off Dream Chuchen the entire way, so naturally she did not miss his passing glance. She hurried to state earnestly, “I would never run away with Sister Lianyue! Senior Brother Chuchen, please rest assured, I’ll definitely be a proper bride.”

Lianyue had only been joking. If this had been before, Yaoyao would certainly have played along with her flawlessly. But now she was actually ruining the act in front of everyone, a complete traitor who forgot justice for the sake of beauty. Lianyue shot dart after dart of accusation at Yaoyao with her eyes, but Yaoyao was too busy looking at Dream Chuchen to receive even one of them. The smile at the corner of Dream Chuchen’s mouth only grew brighter.

Yue Lingjun and Lanshui, on the other hand, were delighted by Yaoyao’s words and greatly relieved. Originally, Dream Chuchen’s feelings for Yaoyao had gone unnoticed only because Yaoyao was too slow to realize, while Dream Chuchen had held on stubbornly, refusing to make it plain. They could only stand by and watch. But from the way Yaoyao spoke now, it seemed Dream Chuchen had already laid everything before her, and the result was favorable.

Yue Lingjun glanced at the Lanshui beside him. Things on his side were also progressing. He had not expected that the two brothers whose love lives had been the most fraught would break through the clouds and see a rainbow at the same time.

And standing between the two pairs, Lianyue looked every bit like a matchmaker pulling the red thread.

At this point, among the siblings, only the youngest sister’s happiness remained unsettled. Yue Lingjun thought of Yuwen Lingxi, who had shared hardships with them in the forest, and quietly sighed. Through those few days of contact, relying on a man’s instinct, he had also sensed that Yuwen Lingxi seemed to be interested in Lianyue, but not in any way that involved romantic feeling. He was like a different person from the Yuwen Lingxi who had shown a moment of tension three years ago at Phoenix Ridge. He seemed less suitable than the seemingly carefree Prince Xiaoyao, Qiao Zhi.

If he had to choose between the two, Yue Lingjun still leaned toward the cold, world-saving Yuwen Lingxi. Of course, that did not mean Qiao Zhi was bad. After these days of contact, his impression of Qiao Zhi had changed, and he had begun to doubt the rumors of the past three years. But the fact that Qiao Zhi was the Sixth Prince was enough for Yue Lingjun to rule him out at once.

His own sister had already tasted all the sweetness and bitterness of such a life. No matter what, he did not want the youngest sister to follow in the eldest sister’s footsteps.

These thoughts flashed through Yue Lingjun’s mind like lightning. Lianyue was still glaring furiously at the ungrateful Yaoyao, who cared only about winning over Dream Chuchen, stamping her foot in irritation. But Yaoyao still did not react. In the end, Lianyue could only retreat in defeat to Lanshui’s side and complain pitifully, “Sister Lan, you mustn’t be like Yaoyao. I’m so lonely all by myself.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll always stand on your side,” Lanshui said, surprisingly going along with her. “Since Yaoyao is acting like this, next time she asks you for anything, ignore her.”

Lianyue broke into a radiant smile. “You’re right, Sister Lan. We’ll do it that way from now on.”

Only then did Yaoyao realize how serious the matter was. Her gaze moved away from Dream Chuchen as she asked worriedly, “You’re not serious, are you?”

“Of course we are serious,” Lianyue said, now that she had backup and a little more confidence. “You don’t even try to win over your sister-in-law. One day when you’re sold off by my second brother, I’ll be sure to help count the money.”

Yaoyao turned helplessly to Dream Chuchen again, but still she could not see any change in his expression. Then another thought flashed through her mind: the way the others spoiled Lianyue so much. Her face, which had only just brightened, fell at once. She inched closer to Lianyue, and the moment her hand touched Lianyue’s sleeve, Lianyue shook her off.

Just then, from inside the door, Mrs. Qu called, “Young Master, Young Lady, breakfast is nearly ready. You may come to the table.”

Lianyue then led Lanshui into the front hall first.

In order to make up for her mistake, Yaoyao sat right next to Lianyue, and Dream Chuchen naturally took the seat on her other side.

Once everyone had sat down and the final dish had been served, Yaoyao, who had long been hungry enough to gnaw on her own hands, tried to curry favor with Lianyue. She picked up the bamboo shoots in front of her and placed them onto Lianyue’s plate. “Sister Lianyue, the bamboo shoots today look especially tender and delicious. It’s my favorite dish. You try them first.”

Lianyue stole a glance at the flattered Yaoyao, then deliberately lifted the bamboo shoots from her own plate and placed them onto Lanshui’s plate. With studied intimacy she said, “Lianyue remembers that Sister Lan likes bamboo shoots best. Sister Lan, eat more.” Then she pretended to think again. “That’s not enough. Zizhu, bring the whole dish over to Sister Lan.”

Zizhu held back a laugh and, under Yaoyao’s eager gaze, moved the bamboo shoots to Lanshui’s front.

Lianyue’s mood brightened at once. Unable to resist another prank, she pointed to another dish before Yaoyao. “Zizhu, and this plate of jade-green tofu. Big Brother likes it best. Put it in front of him.”

“This dish of pine nut corn is my favorite, bring it here. And move that one over a little farther; Second Brother likes it. This pastry, I remember Qingfeng and the others like it best, take it off the table first. And this one too...”

After a round of instructions, Lianyue had cleared away a large space in front of Yaoyao. Finally, she pointed to a dish of bitter melon before her and said, “I used to like this dish too, but somehow I think it suits Yaoyao best. Put it over there for her.” With that, she personally moved it over.

The others at the table all indulged Lianyue’s arrangement, eating the dishes she had specially assigned to them. Only Yaoyao’s face was now even more miserable than the bitter melon in front of her. Saliva in her throat, she stared at the food she could not reach. Whenever her chopsticks extended toward another dish, Lianyue would smack them back.

After several attempts, Yaoyao, already hungry, frowned and put a slice of bitter melon into her mouth, swallowing it whole as if she were eating poison.

Lianyue was amused by her expression and moved the dish of bitter melon back in front of herself. Zizhu, in turn, cooperated by returning the bamboo shoots to Yaoyao’s side.

The little face that had been wrinkled just moments before instantly smoothed out. While lifting the bamboo shoots with her chopsticks and placing them back onto Lianyue’s plate, Yaoyao said, “I knew Sister Lianyue was the best. How could you possibly make me eat only bitter melon? And these bamboo shoots really do look delicious. Try them quickly.”

After saying that, she watched Lianyue pick up the bamboo shoots and put them in her mouth, and only then did she take some for herself, savoring them with obvious enjoyment. She did not forget to put a few bites onto the plate beside her for Dream Chuchen as well.

After that, although only one dish remained before Yaoyao, Dream Chuchen, making use of his long arms, naturally made sure she was never left hungry. Of course, there were also the dishes Lianyue sent her way.

Breakfast was, in the end, a cheerful affair.

After they had eaten, the group sat in the adjoining side hall.

Yue Lingjun said, “This morning we have already bid farewell to Aunt. We’ll set out in one hour. The Sixth Prince and Young Master Yuwen will travel with us.”

After speaking, Yue Lingjun looked toward Lianyue. Lianyue very much did not want to travel with them, especially with her nominal fiance, Yuwen Lingxi. For some reason she always felt there was something strange in the way he looked at her, though she could not say exactly what. But these few days they had both helped so much that refusing outright would truly be difficult.

Frowning, she looked at the others’ expectant gazes and said, “Why are you all looking at me? I have no objections.”

“Then it’s settled.” Yue Lingjun lifted his brows. “The luggage is already packed. After we go to the Qin residence to bid farewell to Aunt and Uncle, we can leave. Later, the Sixth Prince and Young Master Yuwen will come directly to the Yue residence and meet us there.”