Chapter 44
Chapter 44 044
Song Jianing didn’t say a word to Guo Xiao for half a month. He didn’t advance his life, a stepbrother who questioned her character, why did she accompany him to lie to him? Since she entered the mansion, Guo Xiao has never given her a good face, and is always cold. Every time she is unlucky, the corner of her mouth blisters or her nose is bumped, he will fall down and scold her for what she deserves.
In the presence of Ting Fang’s brothers and sisters, Song Jianing didn’t show it, and Guo Xiao wouldn’t take the initiative to speak to her when she was not completely dead anyway, and then met alone in private, Song Jianing walked away as he couldn’t see him. In doing this at the beginning, Song Jianing was somewhat fictitious. Seeing that Guo Xiao didn’t say anything, Song Jianing became bolder.
On the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month, on the day of the new year, a heavy snow fell in the capital, and on both sides of the trail that people swept out, the snow was about a foot thick. The people in the three rooms used the meal at Mrs. Tai’s in the afternoon. After the meal, Mrs. Tai thoughtfully said: “It is estimated that the snow will fall until tomorrow. You can use it in your yard at night, and you don’t need to come over.”
The Sanfangren smiled and promised.
Ting Fang had something to tell her sister, asking Song Jianing to leave later, Lin and Guo Boyan went back first, and Guo Xiao stayed for some reason. Ting Fang glanced at her elder brother, smiled and dragged Song Jianing to her Yuchunju. The two sisters sat on the warm couch in the east room and whispered: “An’an, tomorrow, brother’s birthday, what gifts are you going to give?”
Song Jianing opened her mouth, and when Tingfang reminded her, she immediately remembered. Guo Xiao’s birthday is just one day after the new year, so it’s very easy to remember. Every time she entered the twelfth lunar month in her previous life, Guo Xiao arranged to take care of her, and Madam Li, who arranged to take care of her, reminded her to prepare Guo Xiao’s birthday as soon as possible. Song Jianing prepared for seven years, and last year also Followed by the Guo family brothers and sisters, Song Jianing might not have forgotten if it hadn’t froze with Guo Xiao this time.
“You forgot? Didn’t I remind you?” Ting Fang couldn’t laugh or cry.
Song Jianing pretended to be embarrassed and lowered her head.
Ting Fang doesn’t blame her sister, and eagerly helps her sister’s idea: “Now it’s too late to embroider anything by hand. I embroidered a purse and punched a jade pendant. My brother recognizes my stitches. Take the jade pendant. Just say. You gave it.”
Song Jianing feels bad. If she doesn’t remember her previous life, she can send Guo Xiao as a step-sister to such a personal object, but Song Jianing remembers those days and nights, she can’t send it, so she can find one. He refused with an excuse: “The elder sister did what the elder sister did. Gifts are more important to your heart. I will look for it. Even if it’s almost, the eldest brother shouldn’t care.”
For this reason, Ting Fang nodded with a smile, helped her sister to tie the cloak, and sent her out.
The sisters stepped out of the hall with their feet back and forth, and saw Guo Xiao turning from the corner of the corridor wearing an ink cloak. Song Jianing pursed her lips, and a bad thought suddenly came to her heart. Sure enough, getting closer, Guo Xiao looked at her and said, “Grandma has stopped, let me pick you up and go straight back, no need to say goodbye.”
“Alright, then you walk slowly on the road.” Ting Fang smiled at his sister, and saw his brother holding an umbrella in his hand, and casually ordered: “Brother hold on for An An.”
Song Jianing came with her parents before dinner, and did not bring her own maid.
Guo Xiao hummed faintly and told his sister to go back first. He turned and left.
Song Jianing followed him, and Guo Xiao went down the corridor first, standing under the steps with an umbrella, obviously waiting for her. Song Jianing tilted her head slightly. Seeing that sister Ting Fang was still looking at them, she had to walk to him, a little far away, and then felt Guo Xiao moved toward her, his arms raised, and the umbrella surface blocked all snowflakes.
When going out, she has small steps, and he has not big steps. Just looking at the back, the two brothers and sisters seem to be very close.
After leaving Changxin Courtyard, Song Jianing lifted the cloak and hood behind her head and whispered to the ground, “I’m leaving now.”
Leaning forward, they all ran a step. The left arm was suddenly grabbed by someone. The grabbing was too sudden, and the strength was so strong that Song Jianing, who couldn’t run out and couldn’t stand still, tilted and fell directly into his arms. Guo Xiao raised the umbrella with one hand and held her shoulder with the other. When she stood firm, he changed to holding her arm, and before Song Jianing said, “Isn’t he going to talk to me for the rest of my life?”
Song Jianing did not expect that he would ask this question, and temporarily forgot to struggle.
Knowing that she would not run away, Guo Xiao let go of her arm, and his voice softened a little: “Go back together.”
Song Jianing pursed his lips, glanced at the jade pendant on the man’s waist, acquiescing.
There is no wind today, only the rustling snow of goose feathers, and only the sound of two people’s different footsteps. Song Jianing looked ahead and secretly guessed if Guo Xiao had something to say. Guo Xiao looked down and saw her white cheeks under the brim of her hat. The colder the sky, the more she looked white and shiny, and her lips were red.
He was about to grow up one year old, and his temper was getting bigger and bigger. When he changed into the mansion, she dared to show him his face?
But daring to be angry also means that she is really wronged. Guo Xiao carefully thought about what he said that day. If she was asked to misunderstand him, the main reason was that she deliberately approached the King of Shou. The fat girl’s character was questioned, and there was indeed anger and hatred. His reason. Guo Xiao didn’t want to be hated by his stepsister for no reason.
“In the study room that day, apart from sending you paint, did Your Three Highness bully you?” Guo Xiao asked in a low voice as he walked.
Song Jianing frowned subconsciously: “Why is he bullying me?”
Guo Xiao only said: “It’s fine if you don’t bully. His temper is uncertain, and because you have been humiliated by Duanhui, I am worried that you will be implicated.”
Song Jianing stopped in astonishment and looked at him in disbelief. The clear apricot eyes became darker and brighter against the hooded snow-white fox fur. Guo Xiao looked at this delicate little face without a trace, and reminded him with a brother’s tone: “Although you are young, you are the most outstanding girl in the Guo family. As a brother, I have to think carefully. If I change to another man with a foreign surname that day, I will also intervene.”
Song Jianing’s heart was shocked. It turns out that Guo Xiao interrogated her not because he suspected that she was charming, but because he was worried that the King of Shou was respectable? That’s true, then Guo Xiao is actually kind. Thinking about it this way, Song Jianing, who was no longer angry, suddenly remembered the few good things Guo Xiao treated her. This person had also defended her when Princess Duanhui bullied her.
“Why are you angry?” After the misunderstanding was clarified, Guo Xiao asked in turn.
Song Jianing blushed, unable to tell him the truth anyway, and turned his head to the side embarrassedly.
She didn’t want to answer, and Guo Xiao didn’t ask further. He kept sending Song Jianing back to Linyun Hall. Before entering the door, Guo Xiao suddenly stood in front of Song Jianing, looked at her eyes and asked, “Remember tomorrow, what day is it?”
Song Jianing nodded, feeling weird. In his two lifetime memories, this was the first time Guo Xiao took the initiative to ask her for a gift.
Back to his yard, Song Jianing sat on the bed holding the small copper stove, silently worried. Now that it’s reconciled, she can’t give Guo Xiao a birthday gift too perfunctory, right? But what should I give?
It was cold in winter. Song Jianing hadn’t touched the needle and thread recently, and asked Liu’er to open the cage, which was almost full of rare items for the girl’s household. Song Jianing bent over and turned over, digging out a small cedar wood box, carefully opened it, and inside was the box of cherry red paint that the King Shou gave her. Song Jianing had an idea to hide the future heirlooms again. After a while, he went to his mother to ask for paint.
Lin is a talented girl, so the study naturally prepared these things, and smiled to find out why her daughter suddenly wanted to learn painting. Song Jianing remained mysterious and left with a few boxes of paint. He stayed in the room for the rest of the night, not going anywhere.
The next day the snow stopped. The brothers Guo Fu and Guo Shu were in good spirits. They visited the Guogong Mansion early in the morning and ran to discuss with their four younger sisters: “The winter garden in the back garden is blooming. The snow is very beautiful. Pack out the pavilion over there, let’s go to the pavilion to cook snow and make tea to celebrate the birthday of the big brother, how about?”
Yunfang was the first to agree: “Okay!”
Song Jianing, Ting Fang, and Lan Fang also agreed. The six brothers and sisters first went to the pavilion with their gifts, and when they were there, they sent a small servant to invite Guo Xiao.
After Guo Xiao learned about it, he didn’t wear his cloak either, and went straight to the back garden. The tall and tall young man, dressed in a black brocade robe, walked slowly from the middle of the white snow on both sides, with a cold and handsome face like a jade. Song Jianing sat next to Ting Fang holding the furnace, watching Guo Xiao approaching like this. Thinking back to the conversation with Guo Xiao yesterday, she felt that if Guo Xiao really wanted to be a good brother, she would try hard to be true with him. Brother and sister.
“Brother, this is the dagger I bought at a high price. I cut the iron like mud and gave it to you.” Guo Fu proudly took the lead in giving a gift.
Guo Xiao took the dagger and took it out to take a look. The blade was sharp and cold, and it turned out to be a good knife.
What Guo Shu gave was a “soldier book” that was said to have been lost. The book was handed over to his cousin, who deliberately stood by to prevent his sisters from reading it. Guo Xiao looked at him suspiciously, turned a page, and saw a couple of children and men hugging inside. Guo Xiao’s expression did not reveal any strangeness. He closed the book and put it away, patted his cousin on the shoulder and said, “Come to me tomorrow. study.”
Guo Shu couldn’t laugh anymore.
It was the turn of the four younger sisters. Ting Fang gave a pouch embroidered by herself, Lan Fang was a belt, and Yun Fang gave a pair of thick insoles. Song Jianing finally gave him a scroll of scrolls to Guo Xiao, and said with a smile: “I wish my eldest brother will get better and better, and I will become an official in the future, and I will go all the way up.”
Guo Xiao looked at her and opened the scroll in public, revealing a plum blossom picture, which was obviously copied from a famous plum picture. The branches are not like branches, and Aoxue’s red plums can’t see any vigor, one by one. The flowers are clustered together, only the mellowness of the painter can be seen. Yunfang laughed loudly, and Guo Shu heaved a sigh of relief: “Well, my gift is finally not the bottom line.”
Song Jianing was used to their jokes and didn’t care.
“Practice well next time.” Guo Xiao said in a majestic manner as he rolled up the handwritten drawings his stepsister gave him.
Song Jianing hummed perfunctorily. Since they are all elder brothers, what kind of beauty and ugliness does he care about?
After giving the gifts, the four girls walked out of the pavilion to enjoy the plums. After not rewarding them for a while, two whizzing winds suddenly came from behind them. Song Jianing took a step slower, and was hit by a snowball in the back of the head, and the snow fell to her neck. The ice made her breathe. Yun Fang was also smashed, and immediately after the jump, he threw a snowball to fight back. Song Jianing was afraid of the cold, so he only hid with Ting Fang’s arm.
The twins’ provocative laughter, and the crisp anger of the little girls, crossed the wall and clearly passed to the next door to the palace of Shou.
Zhao Heng, who also came out to enjoy the snow scene, slowly stopped on the road, turning his head to listen.