The little maid named Su Ling blinked her big eyes, bit her finger, and whispered, "But the third young lady's door has never been closed once."
Xiao Liu rolled her eyes and glanced at her. "Just because I don't close it doesn't mean you don't need to knock," she said. Then, bypassing her, she walked out of the door.
The little maid Su Ling followed behind her, nodding obediently. "Okay, Su Ling understands," she said.
Xiao Liu turned around, looked at Su Ling, and said, "You go back. I'll go find Father."
Su Ling blinked her big eyes and nodded. "Okay," she said. Then she turned around and left.
Xiao Liu walked towards the back yard, a smile playing on her lips.
Kids are really naive. It's so easy to divert the topic. She wondered what Father was thinking, assigning such a clumsy girl as her maid.
When Xiao Liu reached the back yard, her two elder sisters were nowhere to be seen.
Her almond - shaped eyes were filled with disappointment. She turned around and walked away.
The peach blossoms were in full bloom. As a poet once said, "Falling red dots, even peach blossoms seem to know sorrow." But children didn't understand sorrow yet; they only knew the blossoms were beautiful.
Taking advantage of no one noticing, Xiao Liu secretly broke off a peach branch. Suddenly, her eyes fell on a little bug on the peach blossom. She frowned, quickly threw the branch on the ground, and shook her hands.
Even the most beautiful peach blossoms would be annoying with bugs on them.
Xiao Liu pouted and walked towards the pond.
She sat by the pond and threw a few small stones into it. Several koi fish were startled and swam in all directions.
How boring.
Xiao Liu hugged her legs and sat quietly. Her skirt trailed on the ground. Her long eyelashes cast shadows, and a few strands of hair brushed against her cheeks. She reached out and pushed them away.
She always felt there was a pair of eyes on her. Xiao Liu frowned and looked around. Suddenly, her gaze fell on a figure in a pavilion not far away.
Xiao Liu looked up and saw a figure in red sitting quietly in the middle of the pavilion. Holding a brush in his hand, he was lowering his eyelashes and lightly sketching something on the paper. His red robe was gently fluttered by the wind, the long gown dragging on the ground, and the pavilion curtains flapping, adding a touch of ethereal aura.
His eyelashes trembled slightly, and he raised his eyes, just meeting her gaze.
Xiao Liu was stunned. She thought this person was extremely good - looking.
On his fair - as - jade face were a pair of beautiful eyes. Under his high nose bridge, his red lips were slightly pursed. His long black hair was casually scattered. The red robe was embroidered with golden silk patterns, and his white inner clothes were neatly arranged. His long and slender fingers gently held the brush.
He was a handsome young man.
Those phoenix - shaped eyes were devoid of any warmth, even cold as ice. After meeting her gaze, he shifted his eyes and continued sketching on the paper.
Who was he?
Xiao Liu was a bit confused. She stood up, lifted the corner of her skirt, and walked towards him.
"Who are you? Why are you in my house?"
The hand holding the brush suddenly stopped. His brows furrowed slightly. He looked up at Xiao Liu, who had walked over without him noticing, but didn't say a word.
Xiao Liu pouted, quite dissatisfied with his reaction.
She lowered her eyes and casually glanced at the white paper. At a glance, she recognized that the person drawn on it was herself. She opened her mouth in surprise.
The little girl in the painting was sitting quietly by the pond. Her soft black hair fell on her neck. Under her delicate nose was a small diamond - shaped lip. Her big almond - shaped eyes were looking into the distance. Her peach - pink silk skirt trailed on the ground, and a pair of embroidered shoes were hidden by the grass. Everything was drawn vividly.
Seeing her staring at the painting, the young man was about to crumple it up. But Xiao Liu was extremely quick. She blocked the painting before he could.
"Don't tear it," Xiao Liu looked up at him, protecting the painting on the stone table with both hands and puffing out her cheeks.
The young man was stunned. He dropped the brush, stood up, and was about to leave.
Xiao Liu didn't know why he got angry so easily. She got anxious and finally gave up protecting the painting. She turned around and grabbed his sleeve.
When his sleeve was grabbed, he looked down at Xiao Liu. There was no emotion in his phoenix - shaped eyes.
"Let go," he said coldly.
Let go?
Xiao Liu opened her eyes wide. How could this person talk so scarily?
Seeing that she had no intention of letting go and was just staring at him blankly, he felt a bit annoyed. He yanked his sleeve, and unexpectedly, because Xiao Liu was so weak, he pulled her down to the ground.
"It hurts..."
Everything spun around. Her head hit the ground. Xiao Liu rubbed her head and got up, her small nose wrinkled.
The young man was stunned for a moment, and a look of guilt flashed across his face.
"Help me up!" Xiao Liu looked up at him, reaching out her hand and stubbornly staring at him with her almond - shaped eyes.
The young man glanced at the outstretched hand, raised his phoenix - shaped eyes, turned around, and walked away.
Xiao Liu, sitting on the ground, turned around in surprise and saw him walking straight away without looking back.
A red string tied the end of his long black hair, hanging on his waist. His red robe swayed gently as he walked. He didn't seem like a bad person, so why was his heart so cold?
Xiao Liu was a bit frustrated. She propped herself up from the ground, stamped her foot, and walked in the opposite direction.
During dinner, Xiao Liu looked around but didn't see the young man in red.
Her two elder sisters had gone out of the capital to play. The only person who could play with her in the Dai Mansion was Su Ling. But Su Ling was such a silly girl. All she could do was follow her around. She only knew to listen to what others said and then do it stupidly.
But Su Ling was still a bit useful. When Xiao Liu casually mentioned the young man in red, Su Ling stupidly said that she had heard from the first mistress that the young man came to the Dai Mansion on his own; no one had invited him.
Xiao Liu pursed her lips. She didn't understand what it meant for a moment, but she knew that he was a guest who wasn't really a guest.
After that, every time Xiao Liu stepped out of her room, she would always run into him.
He still didn't like to talk and ignored her. Sometimes he sat in the pavilion sketching with a brush, sometimes he sat under a tree taking a nap with his eyes closed, sometimes he sat by the pond throwing stones, and sometimes he would wave a branch, practicing simple sword - fighting moves.
Anyway, he was a lingering shadow.
There were two knocks on the door.
Xiao Liu was reciting a poem. She ignored it and continued to look down at the book.
The knocking sounded again, and it became more and more frequent, disturbing her. Xiao Liu couldn't help but turn over the book, turn around, and said to Su Ling, who was knocking on the door at the door, angrily, "The door is open. Why are you knocking?"
Su Ling bit her lip. Her big eyes glanced at Xiao Liu, and she said aggrievedly, "But you said, third young lady, that we have to knock no matter whether the door is open or not..."
Xiao Liu had long forgotten what she had said. She looked back at the book. Having lost the mood to recite the poem, she turned back to look at Su Ling and asked, "What's the matter?"
Su Ling blinked her big eyes and said, "Just now when I passed by the peach tree, I saw the hydrangea that the eldest young lady lost on a tree branch."