Chapter 37: Leading the Way

”Did Fifth Cousin just come out of Grandaunt’s yard?” Qiu Yun asked with a distant smile in his elegant posture.

The Qiu family is a long-established family in Yanbei, and now Qiu Yun’s grandfather’s house is the direct line of the Qiu family. Although Qiu Yun ranked third among his grandchildren, his father is the eldest son of the head of the Qiu family. He is the only son of the Eldest House, and it can be said that the roots are straight and the seedlings are red¹.

- Having a good family background

Therefore, whether in the Qiu family or in the Ren family, Qiu Yun is a moon that is admired by all the stars. He is highly respected among his siblings.

Ren Yaoqi didn’t like Qiu Yun in her previous life, he looked like a refined and noble son in front of others. But behind people's backs, he always stood aside smiling and watching Yun Wenfang find her for fun, while he was responsible for being the lookout.

She hates Yun Wenfang for trampling on her, but Qiu Yun, she disdains to associate with him.

”Yes, Third Cousin. Grandmother must be very happy to know that you are here.” Ren Yaoqi smiled back at him, and replied quietly, her smile was more perfect than his, and her posture was more disciplined than his.

After saying this, she lowered her head and turned sideways, politely letting them go first.

Qiu Yun looked at her in astonishment.

Yun Wenfang, who was standing beside him, chuckled, put his hands on Qiu Yun’s shoulders, and tilted his body halfway, but his eyes were jokingly looking at Ren Yaoqi: “Jin Yuan², is this the eccentric cousin you mentioned earlier? It doesn’t look like it ah.”

- Not sure about this. I guess it's a courtesy name? Like they have a personal name(Qiu Yun) and a courtesy name(Jin Yuan).

He doesn’t look like a son of a noble family, but like a prodigal who plays games. Fortunately, he is young and has a good appearance, so he is not too annoying to look at.

Qiu Yun clenched his fist in embarrassment, and coughed it softly against his lips: “Zi Shu, you remembered wrongly, that was what Yuan Hui said about his cousin.”

Yun Wenfang smiled and glanced at Qiu Yun, then went to look at Ren Yaoqi, wanting to see if she was as easy to get angry as Qiu Yun said, but saw her standing there with her head bowed in the same posture, without even raising her eyes, It seems that she didn’t hear his jokes at all.

That polite and distant attitude made them somewhat bored.

Yun Wenfang frowned slightly, for some reason, Ren Yaoqi’s expression made him feel very uncomfortable.

Although it was the first time they met and Ren Yaoqi didn’t do anything wrong, he just felt uncomfortable.

Perhaps as Ren Yaoqi thought, some people just don’t naturally get along.

So he turned his head and winked at Qiu Yun and said, “Since we encountered your cousin, then he doesn't need to lead the way?” He was referring to Yang Cheng, the steward of the outer courtyard who brought them in.

When Yun Wenfang was in Yun Estate, he was the type where everything goes his way, but now he is in someone else’s territory, he doesn’t seem to realize that he has to restrain himself.

The steward, Yang Cheng, looked up at Ren Yaoqi, then at Qiu Yun, and finally lowered his head obediently. It means that he is just a slave, and everything is subject to the arrangements of the masters.

Seeing the smile on Yun Wenfang’s face, Qiu Yun knew that his bad habit of teasing people was coming again, and couldn’t help feeling a little helpless. The two of them were classmates, and he knew a lot about Yun Wenfang, knowing that when he wanted to make trouble for someone, ten cows would not be able to pull him back.

It’s just…he looked at Ren Yaoqi, and for some reason, he felt that Fifth Cousin today was a little different from before.

Only then did Ren Yaoqi raise her head, and nodded to Yang Cheng without changing her face: “Steward Yang, please go back. Since I have met the guest, I should take them to greet the elders.”

She now understands that some people cannot be confronted head-on, but must smooth their fur.

She has no intention of becoming enemies with Yun Wenfang and Qiu Yun. These two are just irrelevant people, not worth her effort and thought. She has so much to do.

Yang Cheng didn’t want to get involved in the disputes between his masters, so he couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief, salute, and withdrew. Anyway, someone had already been sent to report to Ronghua Courtyard, so it wouldn’t be rude.

Ren Yaoqi nodded to Qiu Yun again, then turned around and led the two of them to Ronghua Courtyard.

Seeing that she was good to talk to, Qiu Yun couldn’t embarrass her any longer, so he turned to Yun Wenfang and talked about places to visit near Baihe Town.

Ren Yaoqi walked unhurriedly with her head down, without interrupting. However, Yun Wenfang always looked at her once or twice from time to time. Because he watched frequently without any scruples, even Qiu Yun noticed it.

Qiu Yun winked at him quietly and asked him what was the matter. Yun Wenfang rubbed his chin, blinked, and smiled without saying a word.

”Hey, what has Cousin been up to lately?” Qiu Yun was helpless and started to strike up a conversation with Ren Yaoqi.

Ren Yaoqi replied softly: “Just like other sisters, doing needlework and chatting.”

”Doesn’t Fifth Cousin like reading, writing calligraphy, and painting?” Qiu Yun asked with a gentle smile.

Ren Yaoqi smiled slightly: “It’s just a pastime when bored, it’s not as good as my cousins and brothers who are really learning.”

”You can also draw?” Yun Wenfang interjected leisurely, “Draw a painting tomorrow and give it to this young master to take a look.”

His words were quite big, Ren Yaoqi didn’t want to argue with him, just smiled and didn’t talk to him.

On the contrary, Qiu Yun clasped his hands together, looked at the two of them with a smile, and said, “Brother Zishu’s painting skills are indeed good. But… my Fifth Sister dare not say anything else, regarding painting… Zishu, you may not necessarily be superior.”

Ren Yaoqi frowned slightly.

Sure enough, Yun Wenfang's next sentence: “Then I really want to see it.”

Fortunately, it was not far from Ronghua Courtyard, and soon Ren Yaoqi led the people to Ronghua Courtyard.

Old Madam Ren should have gotten the news before and knew Yun Wenfang’s true identity, so when she saw Yun Wenfang, she treated him very kindly.

After Ren Yaoqi brought them, she bowed and left.

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