Xiao Liu rubbed her painfully bruised arm and managed to prop herself up with difficulty. But due to her sprained ankle, she couldn't stand steadily and had to lie prone on the ground. With great effort, she raised her head and called to the red - dressed young man who was still walking briskly not far away, "Come and help me quickly. My foot hurts!"
The red - dressed young man stopped in his tracks. He slowly turned around, his gaze falling on Xiao Liu lying on the ground. His extremely beautiful phoenix eyes glanced at her, cold as ice. He didn't come over but turned around again and walked away on his own.
Xiao Liu's almond eyes stared intently at his departing back, and her pupils trembled slightly.
It was at that moment that Xiao Liu completely lost hope.
An outsider would always remain an outsider.
Xiao Liu wasn't one to haggle over such things. After a few days, she threw this matter to the back of her mind and continued to enjoy herself.
But she heard from Su Ling, the little maid, that the red - dressed young man seemed to have accidentally broken the inkstone that the second mistress liked the most while painting. He was scolded by the second mistress, his salary was suspended, and she was planning to drive him out of the Dai Mansion.
Although Xiao Liu's acquaintance with him was extremely shallow, she still felt a pang of loss when she heard that the second mistress was going to drive him out of the Dai Mansion.
After thinking for a while, she decided to go to the second mistress to plead for him. So, under Su Ling's extremely admiring gaze, she resolutely went to find the second mistress.
When she reached the front of the main hall, Xiao Liu looked inside, and sure enough, the red - dressed young man was there.
He looked calm. Facing the second mistress's cold scolding, there wasn't much of a reaction on his face. His long black hair was still neatly tied up, his red robe was tidy, and his white inner garment was neatly arranged. He just stood not far away, silently without saying a word.
Xiao Liu looked at him a few times, curled up the corners of her mouth, blinked her eyes, lifted her skirt, stepped over the threshold, and sweetly called out to the beautiful woman in the gorgeous long dress inside, "Second Mistress."
The beautiful woman was taken aback for a moment, then turned to look at Xiao Liu who was walking towards her. Xiao Liu was the youngest child of the Su family and was very good at talking. Naturally, the beautiful woman liked her the most. When she saw Xiao Liu, all the anger on her face disappeared. She stood up from the sandalwood chair, bent down to look at Xiao Liu, and said with a smile, "What's up, Xiao Liu? Instead of reciting books in your room, you're being lazy again." Although she said so, her tone was full of affection rather than blame.
Xiao Liu showed a bright smile and said to her, "Xiao Liu has already recited all the poems that father asked me to." She then turned to look at the red - dressed young man standing beside them. He was quietly looking at her. When their eyes met, he looked away. Xiao Liu turned back again and looked at the beautiful woman. In her delicate voice, she said, "Second Mistress, this elder brother drew a picture of Xiao Liu last time. It was so beautiful. Can Second Mistress ask him to draw another picture of Xiao Liu?" As she spoke, her eyes glanced at him from time to time.
The red - dressed young man's body paused slightly. His extremely beautiful phoenix eyes were calm. He didn't say a word.
The beautiful woman straightened up, looked at him, thought for a while, and the hesitation on her face faded. She said with a smile, "If Young Master Feng doesn't mind, then draw a picture of the Third Miss. Your salary will still be paid in full, not a single cent less."
Xiao Liu secretly looked at him, raised her eyebrows, and made a face. See, I'm helping you.
The red - dressed young man was stunned for a moment. A strange look flashed across his expressionless face, as if he didn't know how to respond. He was silent for a while, then looked at the beautiful woman and said lightly, "Thank you, Madam, for your kindness. But Yu Fei's painting skills are still shallow. I'm afraid I can't capture the Third Miss's charm."
Xiao Liu widened her almond eyes. She was trying to help him, but he ignored her?
The beautiful woman pursed her lips. Before she could say anything, Xiao Liu looked up at the red - dressed young man and said with a smile, "If elder brother draws well, Xiao Liu can give elder brother a lot of gold." As she said, she reached into her cuff and took out a purse embroidered with peach blossoms.
Xiao Liu looked down at the purse. It was embroidered by her second elder sister, and she had been using it until now. Her second elder sister was better at needlework than her eldest sister.
Hearing this, the red - dressed young man frowned slightly. He secretly thought in his heart that no matter how smart she was, she was still just a child. Did she think that everything could be dealt with by money?
Seeing that he didn't say a word, Xiao Liu thought he had agreed. She stuffed the purse into his hand with a smile.
He lowered his head but didn't take the purse. His gaze fell on Xiao Liu's face. Just one glance and he was stunned. Her almond eyes were quietly looking at him, her pink lips slightly parted, looking like a blooming peach blossom. There was actually a trace of loneliness hidden under that bright smile.
He waved his sleeve, looked at the beautiful woman, and said lightly, "Then I'll give it a try."
Xiao Liu looked at him, a look of joy on her face. She looked down at the purse. Seeing that he didn't take it, she stuffed it back into her cuff.
The beautiful woman smiled brightly and no longer mentioned his previous mistake.
After that, Xiao Liu would go to find him when she was free. At first, he didn't say a word and was indifferent to what she did. Later, he would occasionally say a few words. Maybe it was because of his personality that he didn't like places that were too lively.
Xiao Liu invited him to go out of the mansion, but he refused. He seemed to be a bit repelled by crowds.
On this day, the sky was clear, the wind was warm, and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky.
The vines climbed up along the wooden window. There were a few morning glories blooming on the carved wooden railing. Xiao Liu lay prone in front of the window, quietly looking at the courtyard.
The saying "the flowers in the idle courtyard are beautiful" was really true. The Dai Mansion was neither too big nor too small, but the courtyard was full of peach trees. As soon as the window was opened, one could see the blooming flowers on the trees. It was indeed a pleasing sight.
A red figure came into view, and Xiao Liu stood up straight.
The red - dressed young man was still wearing a red long robe. His waist - length black hair was tied at the end with a red rope. Whenever he walked, his long hair would sway gently. His long sleeves fell, revealing a silver - embroidered hem. His hands were very beautiful, especially when he held a writing brush.
"The idle courtyard is filled with the gentle breeze. Spring sways like a thread. I pause for a while and tidy my hair. Unexpectedly, the mirror catches half of my face, making my hairpin askew. I step into the fragrant boudoir. Why should I show myself completely..." Xiao Liu rolled her eyes, curled up the corners of her mouth, and recited the poem she had learned before.
Sure enough, the red - dressed young man's gaze was drawn over. The two of them looked at each other through the window. Xiao Liu lay prone in front of the window, smiling brightly at him, and said, "Did I recite it wrong?"
His extremely beautiful phoenix eyes looked at her quietly, like a deep pool with no end in sight. He said lightly, "Did you change the last line yourself?"
Xiao Liu was a bit surprised and opened her mouth wide. She didn't expect him to notice this. She tidied up her sleeves, tilted her head to look at him, and said with a smile, "Yes, I changed it later."
"If you don't enter the courtyard, how can you know how beautiful the spring is?" He smiled faintly, like a gentle ripple on the deep pool, with a fleeting kind of amazement.
Xiao Liu couldn't help but admire him a bit more. She thought he only knew how to paint, but it turned out he also understood some poetry.
That smile quickly disappeared from the corner of his mouth. He turned around and was about to continue walking forward. Xiao Liu quickly called out to him and said loudly, "I, I want to learn how to paint!"
He stopped in his tracks. He was obviously a bit surprised. He turned his head and said lightly, "Are you really going to learn?"
Xiao Liu didn't expect him to respond to her. A look of joy appeared on her face. She quickly nodded and said, "I really want to learn!"
He lowered his eyes, paused for a few seconds, then slowly walked over. When he reached the window, he looked at her quietly and said, "Do you know what is needed for painting?"