Xiao Jinglin had not gone far.
After Ren Yaoqi came out, she saw her sitting on the grass not far away, facing away from them, holding a small wooden disc in her right hand and throwing it forcefully.
Silly Girl, who had been crouching beside her, dashed out the moment she moved, catching the wooden disc in her mouth with a playful "aowu" before it hit the ground. Then, she turned and trotted back excitedly, wagging her tail and panting, placing the disc in Xiao Jinglin’s hand.
Ren Yaoqi: "..."
Xiao Jingxi explained calmly, "Silly Girl saw the guards in the garden training dogs like this earlier..."
Hearing the voices, Xiao Jinglin glanced back, then stood up, brushed the grass off her clothes, and walked over.
Silly Girl, having a great time, was reluctant to see Xiao Jinglin leave. With an "aowu," she grabbed the hem of Xiao Jinglin’s skirt, stubbornly tugging to keep her from going.
Expressionless, Xiao Jinglin lifted her foot and gave Silly Girl a deft kick under the neck. The plump dog rolled several times before coming to a stop.
"Aowu—" Silly Girl scrambled up, shook her ears, and looked at Xiao Jinglin with bright, eager eyes. As if discovering a new game, she quickly ran back, curled up at Xiao Jinglin’s feet, practically begging to be kicked again.
Xiao Jinglin ignored her. She walked up to Ren Yaoqi, glanced at her and then at Xiao Jingxi, pursed her lips, and silently watched Ren Yaoqi.
It was the first time Ren Yaoqi had seen a look resembling unease on Xiao Jinglin’s face.
Earlier, Xiao Jinglin had left without saying goodbye to Ren Yaoqi, leaving her alone with Xiao Jingxi. As Ren Yaoqi’s friend, Xiao Jinglin felt she might have betrayed her and feared Ren Yaoqi would blame her.
After a moment’s thought, Ren Yaoqi understood what was troubling Xiao Jinglin. She smiled, stepped forward, and took Xiao Jinglin’s hand. "I’m a bit hungry. Shall we go fly kites after eating?"
Xiao Jinglin breathed a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on her face. She immediately clasped Ren Yaoqi’s hand in return. "Come, I’ll take you to eat something delicious." Without even glancing at Xiao Jingxi, she led Ren Yaoqi away.
The "something delicious" Xiao Jinglin mentioned was a roasted roe deer. Whether it was originally raised in the garden or hunted on the spot was unclear, but it was being roasted right in the courtyard of the Moon Embracing Pavilion.
When Xiao Jinglin brought Ren Yaoqi to the Moon Embracing Pavilion, the roe deer was already cooked. The firewood was still burning in the courtyard, and two maids were slicing the meat on a chopping board. On the round table in the courtyard were a steamer of flatbread, a clay pot of steaming soup, and a plate of washed and sliced fruit—nothing else.
Xiao Jinglin sat Ren Yaoqi down at the table, then waved away the two maids slicing the meat and the other servants in the courtyard.
Xiao Jingxi followed them in, smiled, and sat opposite Ren Yaoqi.
Xiao Jinglin preferred not to be served. After washing her hands, she brought over a plate of sliced breast meat prepared earlier by the maids. She placed the roasted meat inside a steamed flatbread and set it on the plate in front of Ren Yaoqi. "Try this." Then she got up and went to the chopping board to work on the roasted roe deer.Xiao Jingxi ladled a bowl of soup from the clay pot and placed it before Ren Yaoqi. "This is pork bone and wild mushroom soup. Roasted meat is often served at military banquets. Jinglin said you should try it too."
Ren Yaoqi glanced at Xiao Jingxi, then also served a bowl of soup for him, and another for Xiao Jinglin.
Xiao Jingxi's eyes were filled with amusement, making Ren Yaoqi want to glare at him.
The ambiguous atmosphere didn't last long, as Xiao Jinglin soon returned, holding two large plates, each with a roasted front leg.
Under Ren Yaoqi's surprised and curious gaze, Xiao Jinglin expressionlessly placed one plate in front of Xiao Jingxi, then said to Ren Yaoqi, "Men should drink and eat heartily. What kind of reliable man fusses more than a woman?" She then shot a sidelong glance at Xiao Jingxi.
Xiao Jingxi looked down at the greasy roasted roe deer leg on his plate, his eyelids twitching slightly.
Xiao Jinglin ignored him, sitting down next to Ren Yaoqi. She picked up her own roasted roe deer leg with her hands, took a large, challenging bite, and chewed slowly and deliberately.
Xiao Jingxi: "..."
Ren Yaoqi watched the bickering siblings, feeling both helpless and amused.
It was clear that Xiao Jinglin was picking a fight with Xiao Jingxi. Ren Yaoqi didn't know what to say, so she glanced at Xiao Jingxi before lowering her head to eat. She was genuinely hungry.
The flatbread wrapped with roasted meat tasted quite good.
Xiao Jingxi shook his head and drank his soup.
Xiao Jinglin had a hearty appetite. In no time, most of the roasted roe deer leg was gone. Though her eating style was bold, her movements were not crude.
Ren Yaoqi found it amusing. Watching Xiao Jinglin eat so heartily even improved her own appetite. She drank a bowl of soup and ate two flatbread wraps with roasted meat.
Only Xiao Jingxi remained calm and composed, silently drinking his soup from start to finish. Even if provoked by his own sister, Second Young Master Xiao would not be goaded into grabbing a roasted leg and gnawing on it.
Ren Yaoqi wrapped some roasted meat in a flatbread and placed it on Xiao Jinglin's plate. Then, very "casually," she wrapped another and placed it on Xiao Jingxi's plate.
Xiao Jingxi couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile. He picked up the one on his plate and slowly ate it, then whispered, "I'm still hungry. More, please."
Xiao Jinglin glared at Xiao Jingxi and snorted coldly.
Ren Yaoqi: "..."
The meal felt like a battlefield. Ren Yaoqi thought the roasted meat was too heat-inducing, so after the meal, for the first time, she insisted against all objections and had two bowls of strong bitter tea brought over. She firmly watched Xiao Jinglin and Xiao Jingxi drink it before letting the matter rest.
After the meal, they rested for a while before going to fly kites.
Ren Yaoqi finally saw the kites that were said to be painted by Xiao Jingxi himself: a large qilin, a large white tiger—each as big as Silly Girl—and a snake-like, dragon-like creature over ten feet long.
Xiao Jinglin was strong enough to fly the large white tiger kite steadily into the sky all by herself. Silly Girl was overjoyed, tilting her head back and chasing after the white tiger kite that looked so much like her, happily and tirelessly. The other two large kites were flown by Hongying and Hongxiao.
Naturally, Ren Yaoqi wasn't strong enough to handle the large kites. With Pingguo's help, she flew an ordinary paper kite into the sky.While pulling the string in her hand, Ren Yaoqi turned to ask Xiao Jingxi, who had been standing behind her all along, "Which one did you draw?"
Before the kites took to the sky, Ren Yaoqi had examined them carefully. Though those large kites were vividly painted, they displayed craftsmanship rather than artistic flair, seeming more like the work of skilled kite makers. They didn’t resemble Second Young Master Xiao’s style at all. Even though Ren Yaoqi had never seen Xiao Jingxi’s paintings, she felt those kites were unlikely to be his work.
Xiao Jingxi gazed at the kites in the sky, smiling without a word.
Ren Yaoqi knew she had guessed correctly and couldn’t help feeling annoyed. She stopped paying attention to Xiao Jingxi.
After flying kites all afternoon, Ren Yaoqi estimated it was getting late and decided to return to the city. She had been out all day and, though she had informed Madam Li beforehand, returning too late still wasn’t ideal. The mountain-climbing gathering at Tianqing Mountain was also likely coming to an end around this time.
Xiao Jingxi instructed Tong He to prepare a carriage to take Ren Yaoqi back.
Shortly after, Tong He returned and whispered a few words into Xiao Jingxi’s ear. Though Ren Yaoqi wasn’t far from Xiao Jingxi, she couldn’t make out what Tong He was saying. Xiao Jingxi listened calmly, his expression unchanged. Ren Yaoqi assumed Tong He might be reporting something related to the Yanbei Prince’s Mansion and paid no further attention, nor did she try to listen carefully.
After Tong He finished speaking, Xiao Jingxi walked over to Ren Yaoqi and asked, "The carriage is ready. Shall we head back now?"
Ren Yaoqi, still upset that Xiao Jingxi had tricked her, hadn’t spoken to him all afternoon. Xiao Jinglin had taken delight in this all day. Now, looking back, Ren Yaoqi felt she had been somewhat petty, as if she were regressing in maturity.
Xiao Jingxi, however, didn’t seem bothered at all. Every time Ren Yaoqi glanced back during the afternoon, she met his smiling gaze.
When Ren Yaoqi boarded the carriage, she immediately noticed an open wooden box on the low table inside. As she approached, she saw it contained a kite.
Ren Yaoqi reached out and took the kite, realizing it was a "beauty kite."
The "beauty kite" was exquisitely detailed, from the hair and facial features to the hair ornaments and clothing, all vividly and meticulously painted. It was clear the artist had put great care and effort into it. But when Ren Yaoqi saw the "beauty’s" face, she froze—it was unmistakably her own.
Ren Yaoqi stared in stunned silence for a moment before suddenly realizing something. She couldn’t help but lift the carriage curtain and immediately spotted Xiao Jingxi standing not far away.
Xiao Jingxi seemed to have anticipated she would open the curtain. The moment their eyes met, his gaze was warm and affectionate, causing Ren Yaoqi to blush.
Xiao Jinglin, who had witnessed the entire scene while sitting in the carriage with Ren Yaoqi, snorted, "Hmph!"
On the way back to Yunyang City, Xiao Jinglin finally couldn’t hold back and said to Ren Yaoqi, "Yaoqi, I’m sorry, I…" She hesitated awkwardly for a moment before adding, "Xiao Jingxi is nothing but a black-hearted sesame bun!"
OpenNovel