Time Travel: The Noble Family-Chapter 488 - 181: Chance Encounter

Yueyao went out every morning to paint from life, practiced calligraphy, and read books in the afternoon. Occasionally, she would even do some needlework to prevent her skills from getting rusty.

Xiang Wei, watching Yueyao painting every day, with the same scenery sometimes depicted several times, asked, "Miss, why do you always repeat painting the same scenery?"

Yueyao smiled at Xiang Wei’s question and explained, "The same thing appears differently when viewed from different positions." The same scenery, through different angles, gives people a completely different feeling. She was now trying to capture that difference.

Xiang Wei picked out one of Yueyao’s paintings, which was of a mountain peak. The peak was steep and perilous, with overlapping ridges and a forest of strange peaks, with wisps of clouds wrapping around the mountaintop like a celestial being draped in flowing silk. Xiang Wei liked this painting very much, "Miss, give this painting to me!"

Yueyao looked at her and said, "I don’t give my paintings away." Until now, she had only given away one painting, to Zhuang Ruolan. Luo Mingzhu’s painting didn’t count as given away; Yueyao planned to take that painting back since the poem mentioned was far from satisfactory.

Xiang Wei complained, "Miss, you are too stingy." It’s just a painting, and you can’t bear to part with it.

Yueyao just smiled.

Yueyao saw Mingzhu engrossed in reading one day and, smiling, asked Bai Yi, "Does the Marquis’ household have a library?" Although the household was from a military aristocratic family, having been established for nearly two hundred years, there should be a rich collection of books.

Bai Yi nodded with a smile, "Miss, tell me what books you want to read, and I will make a list." Since Yueyao’s arrival, she had hardly been seen without a book, greatly influencing the young master. Now, Mingzhu didn’t think of sleep the moment she saw a book.

Yueyao made a long list. Although it was already late July, Yueyao, with the mindset of taking any unread books back with her, did not mind the length of the list.

The music master had to return to Capital City that day, and Luo Mingzhu had no other matters to attend to. Eager for company, Mingzhu insisted on following Yueyao to the mountain, not wanting to stay alone in the courtyard, feeling bored.

Yueyao didn’t mind, as she wouldn’t be disturbed while painting anyway. The group climbed another mountain, and Yueyao found an excellent spot. She set up her easel under a tree with lush foliage, ready to paint.

Luo Mingzhu, however, picked up some leaves and began to play tunes on them.

Yueyao hadn’t expected Mingzhu to improve so much in the past two months and encouraged her, "With your current progress, you’ll definitely be able to play a complete piece after another month of practice."

Mingzhu’s face lit up in a smile, "Yueyao, play me a tune; the one you played last time. I love listening to it." Yueyao liked to play cheerful music that brought joy to the heart and soul.

Yueyao nodded and said, "Okay."

The more Luo Mingzhu listened, the brighter her eyes shone. When Yueyao finished playing the tune, she ran to Yueyao’s side and declared, "Give me at most two months, and I will be able to play as well as you do."

Yueyao hummed in acknowledgment, "As long as you persist and don’t give up halfway, you’ll definitely learn well." The biggest fear in learning something new is a lack of perseverance; continuous practice will inevitably lead to success. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

Luo Mingzhu felt Yueyao was always looking down on her and said with a pouting mouth, "When have I ever given up halfway? I study diligently with the teacher every day." Today, it was only because the teacher had something to attend to that she accompanied Yueyao; otherwise, she was very hardworking.

Bai Yi laughed quietly on the side; his young master lacked patience and needed spurts of motivation from Miss Lian from time to time. Otherwise, she would slack off.

Unaware that her playing had attracted two others, Yueyao saw two young men approaching. She looked up to the sky. In her previous life, she couldn’t meet them even though she wanted to, but in this life, she wanted to stay far away, yet fate kept bringing them together unintentionally—such a mischievous fate.

Bai Yi looked at Yueyao’s expression with some confusion. Logically, seeing one’s fiancé should elicit shyness or happiness, but he wasn’t sure if it was his imagination—Yueyao seemed to dislike Shen Conghao. Every time she saw him, she looked impatient.

Shen Conghao and his friend were also roaming the mountains. They were drawn by the sound of music, and unexpectedly found Yueyao and Luo Mingzhu.

Shen Conghao had seen Yueyao twice before, but both times she had been veiled, so he hadn’t seen her face. This time, recognizing Xi Yu and hearing Yueyao’s voice confirmed her identity for him.

This was the first time Shen Conghao had seen Yueyao’s true face: her fine features and pleasant temperament were only marred slightly by her somewhat tanned skin.

Yueyao had been coming out every morning, getting tanned by the relentless sun, making her skin a bit dark. Although there was no sun today, the heat caused Yueyao’s forehead to be dotted with fine beads of sweat.

The youth with Shen Conghao, seeing him staring blankly at Yueyao, felt it inappropriate and nudged him cautiously. It wasn’t polite to stare like that.

Mingzhu, her face looking displeased, said, "Who let these loafers in? Bai Yi, drive them away immediately."

Bai Yi hurried over and whispered to Luo Mingzhu, "Miss, Young Master Shen is Yueyao’s betrothed." It was not too impolite for him to look at his future wife.

Luo Mingzhu huffed and said, "So what if he is the betrothed? Drive them away." Mingzhu could certainly recognize Shen Conghao. It was just that she didn’t like him, and this was a rare opportunity.

Yueyao was very surprised. Since Shen Conghao was always with Ning Lixuan, how could Mingzhu not know Shen Conghao? That was very strange.

The young man beside Shen Conghao quickly said, "Miss, we were just playing on the other side and came over when we heard the music. We didn’t mean to offend the two young ladies." This young man truly did not recognize Yueyao and Mingzhu.

Luo Mingzhu raised her eyebrows and asked, "Who are you?"

Yueyao also looked at the young man who was speaking. He was dressed in a blue and green brocade robe with a jade crown securing his hair, his features handsome and his appearance, while not particularly striking, held an uncommon calm and wisdom in his eyes.

Yueyao saw that the young man was only about thirteen or fourteen years old, yet his eyes held a steadiness surpassing that of ordinary people. Perhaps he had been through many experiences; after all, a person needs to face challenges to grow.

The young man spoke with a gentle tone, "My surname is Niu, and my name is Niu Yanghui." The young man did not disclose his family background.

Yueyao’s eyes flickered as she remembered that in the Capital City there were four talented young men: Shen Conghao, Niu Yanghui, Ning Lixuan, and Guan Jingshuo.

Guan Jingshuo passed away early. Ning Lixuan did not participate in the imperial examination. Shen Conghao and Niu Yanghui took the exams in the same year, and it was a sensational year for the imperial examination because the top three scholars were all youths: Top Scholar Shen Conghao, Second Place Scholar Niu Yanghui, Tanhua Mao Jianbai, all of them under twenty years old.

Bai Yi spoke up and asked, "Is Lord Niu, the Vice Prime Minister, related to you?"

Niu Yanghui replied, "He is my father."

Upon hearing Niu Yanghui say the words "my father" with a pause, Yueyao, being a very sensitive person, could already sense from this subtle difference that the relationship between father and son was probably not very close.

Shen Conghao, seeing that Yueyao, aside from an initial glance, did not spare him a second look, felt somewhat disappointed. But having encountered her at last, he was determined to make the most of the opportunity to talk to her.

Shen Conghao looked at the drawing board placed on the side and smiled as he asked, "Yueyao, are you here to paint?" Like any betrothed, Shen Conghao naturally knew of Yueyao’s reputation.

Luo Mingzhu, quite unhappy, said, "Even though you are Sister Yueyao’s fiancé, it doesn’t mean you can call her by her given name so casually. It’s better to call her Miss Lian!" Indeed, Shen Conghao’s behavior was a breach of etiquette.

Yueyao didn’t utter a word; her silence could be interpreted as agreement.

Shen Conghao felt dejected. He had realized that Yueyao seemed to dislike him greatly. From the beginning to now, Yueyao not only hadn’t spoken to him but hadn’t even glanced at him.

Yueyao said indifferently, "Sister Luo, let’s go back." She really couldn’t muster any warmth for Shen Conghao. Anyway, they were going to break off the engagement sooner or later; it was better to have less contact.

Luo Mingzhu was hearing Yueyao call her "sister" for the first time and immediately broke into a smile, saying, "Okay, Sister Yueyao, let’s go back." After speaking, she went forward to take Yueyao’s hand, while the maids and old nanny packed up their things.

Niu Yanghui watched their retreating figures with surprise. When a fiancée happened upon her betrothed unexpectedly, wasn’t it usual to show a shy demeanor? Why was Miss Lian so cold? Nevertheless, Niu Yanghui was a man of discretion and knew what should be said and what should not.

Shen Conghao, feeling listless, said, "Let’s go back." He had lost all interest in staying. Shen Conghao truly couldn’t understand why Yueyao was so cold towards him.

Niu Yanghui considerately asked, "Brother Conghao, did you perhaps do something to cause a misunderstanding with Miss Lian? It seems she has quite a problem with you." Shen Conghao’s appearance, talents, and character were all exemplary; the issue had to be a misunderstanding.

After some thought, Shen Conghao shook his head, "No, I didn’t!" Then he paused before he added, "Could it be a misunderstanding from the time at Four Treasures Square? But that’s not possible, is it?"

Having heard Shen Conghao mention something at Four Treasures Square, Niu Yanghui shook his head and said, "That’s not a misunderstanding. Miss Lian and Miss Luo are close; when Heir Ning spoke so disrespectfully, and at the time you were also with Heir Ning, it is inevitable that Miss Lian would overthink." Niu Yanghui had a good relationship with Shen Conghao, but only a cordial one with Ning Lixuan.

Niu Yanghui, experienced as he was, could see through people quite clearly. He believed that Ning Lixuan chose friends first based on their family background and then their talents. Niu Yanghui felt that Ning Lixuan wasn’t the type to form deep friendships with, and so he kept his relationship with Ning on a purely superficial level.

After considering it carefully, Shen Conghao shook his head. She didn’t say anything at the time; if she was transferring blame to him for that, he really was too innocent.

Niu Yanghui did not say more. Some things are better hinted at than spoken outright.

Luo Mingzhu, holding Yueyao’s hand in high spirits, said, "From now on, you should call me sister, you know." For some time, she couldn’t coax Yueyao into calling her sister by any means. She never expected that today, in front of others, Yueyao would finally call her sister, which thrilled Mingzhu greatly.

Yueyao laughed inwardly, though her expression remained calm as she indifferently replied, "Depends on my mood." In public, of course, she had to maintain her image, but privately she wouldn’t concede a single step to Luo Mingzhu. Lately, she had come to understand Luo Mingzhu’s temperament: accommodating her would only lead to trouble.

Luo Mingzhu could never stand Yueyao’s demeanor, feeling that Yueyao deserved a scolding. However, she had the desire but not the nerve. Last time, she had spoken just a couple of extra words, and Yueyao turned against her; if she did it again, they’d surely have another falling out.

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