met free Chapter 358 There is a girl
Chapter 358 There is a girl
Chapter 358
Perhaps the Right Prime Minister and his wife were right. Compared to their first meeting, Du Lingfeng seemed a bit more worldly-wise. During this period, Luo Shuiyao also sent a letter to the Marquis's residence. Unfortunately, the Marquis's wife had something to do at her family during those days, so she was unable to meet her again.
In the blink of an eye, the April 15th Hundred Flowers Festival arrived as scheduled.
This festival has always been a grand gathering for young women. The streets and alleys are ablaze with flowers—red like fire, pink like clouds, white like snow—filling the air with rich fragrance. A dazzling array of ingenious gadgets is on display, and the sounds of hawking and laughter echo throughout, filling the air with a festive and lively atmosphere.
Luo Shuiyao was accompanied by Chun Xing and Chun Tao. Aunt Zhang chose to return home to be with her grandson. Luo Shuiyao, holding Du Lingfeng's sleeve, wandered around the city.
The Right Prime Minister's wife was genuinely pleased to see Luo Shuiyao and Du Lingfeng out for fun. However, she worried about someone being reckless and bumping into them, so she arranged for guards to covertly protect them. With this safeguard, Luo Shuiyao felt free to wander through the streets and alleys with Du Lingfeng, fully enjoying the rare, relaxed atmosphere and lively festival.
At that moment, a crowd gathered in front of a lantern vendor, who boasted that anyone who solved the riddle would receive a free lantern. The capital was filled with self-proclaimed elegance, many of whom were accompanied by their loved ones. This provocation from the vendor spurred everyone to pursue the lantern, each determined to win it for their family.
Luo Shuiyao and Du Lingfeng were squeezed in the middle of the crowd. Luo Shuiyao pointed at one of the lotus-shaped lanterns, her eyes full of curiosity and anticipation, and asked, "Brother, can you possibly solve this riddle?"
I saw that the words written on the lantern were: "The spring rain continues and my wife stays alone", guess one word.
The words "brother" rang out, and the men and women who had been watching them secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Previously, everyone had privately speculated about their relationship, but now, upon hearing it, they were actually brother and sister. Looking at the handsome man and beautiful woman before them, some men and women who considered themselves to be quite good raised their heads and chests, hoping that the brother and sister would notice them.
Du Lingfeng never cared about other people's gazes. After hearing Luo Shuiyao's question, he looked at the riddle, thought for a moment, and uttered a word: "One."
"Wow, brother, you are so awesome!" Luo Shuiyao couldn't help but admire.
"I didn't expect that this young man is not only handsome, but also so talented in writing." A woman looked at Du Lingfeng with peach blossoms in her eyes.
This annoyed the man beside her. He shook his head, casually opened his folding fan, and gently fanned it. He said with disdain, "Cousin, he only said 'one', but he didn't even tell me the solution to this puzzle. How can he be said to be correct?"
"What's so difficult about that?" The woman called cousin rolled her eyes at the man, her tone tinged with impatience. "Just ask the stall owner and we'll know, right? Stall owner, isn't the answer one?"
After hearing this, the stall owner just smiled but didn't say anything. He clasped his fists slightly and said apologetically: "Please don't blame me, young lady. I really can't say this."
The woman curled her lips at the words, then turned to look at Du Lingfeng, her face showing dissatisfaction, "Did you hear that? Someone is belittling you, why don't you refute him?"
Du Lingfeng usually ignored most of the people around him, and only a handful of them would respond to him. Now, facing a strange woman, how could he take her seriously? Hearing the woman's words, he stared at the lantern, eager to take it down, without even giving her a glance.
The woman grew increasingly dissatisfied, feeling she had lost face. The slight admiration she had felt for Du Lingfeng's appearance instantly vanished without a trace. "You look so impressive, how come you don't even know the most basic etiquette? I'm talking to you, are you even listening?"
Luo Shuiyao saw it all clearly. Seeing that Du Lingfeng paid no attention to the woman's intentions, fearing that something might happen again, she quickly stepped forward and stood in front of Du Lingfeng. A gentle smile graced her face as she said, "This young lady is obviously very polite. It's just that I, your eldest brother, have never been good with words. Hearing your question, I was momentarily flustered and didn't know how to respond, so I remained silent. How about letting me, your younger sister, answer you on his behalf?"
Upon hearing this, the girl glanced at Du Lingfeng, who was staring at the lantern. Seeing he showed no reaction, she accepted Luo Shuiyao's kindness. She wasn't deliberately trying to pick a fight, but as a woman in the boudoir, she had finally mustered the courage to speak to someone, only to be completely ignored. She felt embarrassed and annoyed because she couldn't save herself. She wasn't a bad person by nature, but when she heard Luo Shuiyao say this, she feigned a coquettish hum, "It's okay if you can't guess. I'll buy it for you, if for no other reason than that I like you."
Luo Shuiyao did not feel humiliated by her self-deceptive addition. Instead, she thought the girl was innocent and cute, so she smiled and nodded: "Okay, then I will thank you first."
"Stop talking nonsense! Hurry up." The girl probably didn't expect that someone would be so easy to talk to after being "offended" by such words. She was at a loss for a moment and glared at Luo Shuiyao in pretended anger.
Luo Shuiyao paid no mind to her feigned ferocity, dodging the gaze of the man calling himself "cousin" beside the girl. Clearing her throat, she spoke methodically, "'Continuous spring rain' implies the absence of 'sun,' and 'wife alone' indicates the husband's absence. It's like removing 'sun' and 'husband' from 'spring,' leaving only 'one.'"
"So what my brother said was right."
"Haha, this girl is right. This is the answer to the riddle." The stall owner praised with a dry laugh, while picking up the bamboo tube to pick up the lotus-shaped lantern and handing it over.
Actually, according to his previous promise, he should have handed over the lantern when someone revealed the answer. But after hearing someone question the clarity of his explanation, he started thinking again, thinking about selling the lantern for some money. After all, during a festival like this, a lantern would fetch at least 30 wen each. Unexpectedly, the girl solved the riddle so easily, and he reluctantly handed over the lantern.
Du Lingfeng, a slender figure, took the lantern from the stall owner without a second thought. He then quickly turned and handed it to Luo Shuiyao. He didn't say anything, but his eyes clearly conveyed that the lantern was for her. Luo Shuiyao took the lantern with both hands, a smile on her face, and whispered a thank you.
Then, she turned around and smiled at the little girl who was glaring at them angrily, then pulled Du Lingfeng and squeezed out of the lantern stall that was surrounded by people with great effort.
In the restaurants lining the street, Ye Yunzhou watched the scene below with a sullen expression. Others might not understand, but he knew it all too well. These two weren't even related by blood, so how could they be so close? Could a grown man get lost? He didn't need to be constantly followed.