vrcanaries Chapter 184 The ruthless flow of water
Chapter 184 The ruthless flow of water
At noon the next day, Qin Ruo had just finished lunch and was taking a rest in the yard.
Xun Dong came to report that Lu Jingchen had arrived and was waiting in the hall.
When Qin Ruo changed her clothes and arrived at the hall, Lu Jingchen was staring at the calligraphy and paintings on the wall in a trance.
"Mr. Lu, sorry to have kept you waiting." Qin Ruo stepped into the hall and spoke, breaking the silence in the room.
Hearing the voice, Lu Jingchen turned around, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and then he returned to his usual gentle and elegant demeanor.
"Miss Qin, please forgive me for coming to visit you without permission."
"Mr. Lu, you are too polite. I wonder if you have any important business here? Xundong, serve some tea." Qin Ruo smiled slightly, motioned for him to sit down, and then sat down herself.
"Miss Qin, I have no other reason to come here. The Spring Examination is approaching, and I will leave for Beijing today. I am afraid I don't know when we will meet again, so I came here to say goodbye to Miss Qin."
Lu Jingchen's voice was gentle, but his eyes seemed to have thousands of words to say.
"Miss Qin is a great chess player. I always benefit a lot from playing against you. I'm afraid it will be difficult to meet chess friends with similar interests like you in Beijing..." Lu Jingchen immediately added.
He wanted to say that he was a close friend, but when the words came to his mouth he changed it to chess friend.
The corners of Qin Ruo's mouth twitched slightly. If Lu Jingchen hadn't said it, she would have almost forgotten it.
Lu Jingchen is a juren who is going to take part in the spring imperial examination. Logically, other students should have set out early and rushed to the capital to make preparations, but why does he seem to be in no hurry at all?
Could it be that this person wants to play a game of chess with me before leaving?
He is really a chess fanatic.
"Mr. Lu, all good things must come to an end, so there is no need to be sad. Here, I wish you success in the imperial examination and a bright future. As for chess, it is just a pastime in your spare time. If we meet again in the future, we can continue to learn from each other."
Qin Ruo casually gave Lu Jingchen a few words of encouragement and blessing, and then asked with concern
"The Spring Examination is approaching. The journey to the capital is long. Can Mr. Lu make it in time?"
"Thank you, Miss Qin. Everything has been arranged and we still have plenty of time. I like the paintings and calligraphy in this hall. I wonder if Miss Qin would like to give them up?"
Lu Jingchen picked up the cup of tea and took a sip. Although he looked calm, he was actually extremely nervous inside.
He should have set off for the capital after the New Year, and although he received several letters from home urging him to do so, he kept putting it off.
He should have set off yesterday, but he wanted to meet Qin Ruo before returning to Beijing.
But when he arrived at Qin's house, Qin Ruo was not there, so he came to nothing.
Lu Jingchen knew very well that once he returned to the capital, the chance of him returning to Taihe County would be almost zero.
Therefore, Lu Jingchen had to postpone the time for another day.
When he came to Qin's house with Qin Ziyan before the New Year, he saw several paintings hanging on the wall.
He asked casually at that time, and when he learned that it was Qin Ruo who did it, he thought about coming over, but he didn't have the chance to speak at that time.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Lu Jingchen still said it out loud. This might be the last chance.
Besides really wanting the calligraphy and painting, he also wanted to meet Qin Ruo openly under a pretext.
After being warned by Qin Ziyan that time, he deliberately avoided Qin Ziyan for a long time, feeling conflicted and entangled.
The fiancée Qin Ziyan mentioned was just his mother's wishful thinking, and he did not agree with it.
However, the marriage of children from aristocratic families affects the entire family and is never decided by themselves.
It's not just a matter between two people, but a matter between two families.
After realizing his feelings for Qin Ruo, Lu Jingchen became even more resistant to his mother's arrangements.
What he can do is try to stand high and take his destiny into his own hands.
He decided to wait until he returned to Beijing and after the Spring Examination was over, and then express his attitude to his mother.
I came here today, thinking of taking this opportunity of parting to express my feelings to Qin Ruo.
Unfortunately, Lu Jingchen's plan was doomed to fail.
"You mean the calligraphy and paintings on the wall? They are just casual graffiti and are not worthy of being displayed in a formal hall. However, if Mr. Lu really likes them, just pick one and take it away." Qin Ruo couldn't help laughing.
This was indeed something she had scribbled in her spare time before.
When Qin Ziyan saw it, he liked it very much, so he simply took it outside, had it framed, and hung it in the hall.
"They were originally created by Miss Qin! Forgive my poor eyesight, if you hadn't told me I would have thought they were created by some great artist. These paintings are very pleasing to the eye, thank you Miss Qin for giving them to me."
Lu Jingchen pretended to be surprised, his eyes moved between several paintings and calligraphy, and finally stopped on a scroll depicting a snow scene.
The painting is covered in snow, with lush green pines and cypresses. A few strokes of light ink outline the contours of distant mountains, creating a profound and cold artistic conception.
The paintings created by Qin Ruo are indeed good, and he is not intentionally exaggerating.
He pointed to the snow scene and said, "This is it. I like it very much."
"Mr. Lu, thank you for your compliment. I'm glad you don't mind it. Xundong, take this painting down for Mr. Lu." Qin Ruo smiled and told Xundong to take down the painting on the wall.
Lu Jingchen got what he wanted, and was secretly happy. He took the scroll handed to him by Xundong and rolled it up carefully, looking extremely cautious.
Xun Dong saw Lu Jingchen's look and shook his head secretly.
Sitting back in his seat, Lu Jingchen wanted to say something to Qin Ruo, but because Xun Dong was always beside him, he swallowed the words back silently.
"Mr. Lu, do you have anything else to say? Feel free to say it." Qin Ruo noticed that Lu Jingchen was hesitant to speak, and her heart was slightly moved.
Xun Dong stood behind Qin Ruo, his eyes on her nose and his nose on his heart. He pretended not to see Lu Jingchen's reaction.
Lu Jingchen touched the white jade hairpin in his sleeve that he had not given away last time, and stood up with a determined heart.
"Miss Qin, I know I may be too abrupt. But no matter what the result is, I want to... want to ask you..."
"Nice to meet you, Miss Qin." A sudden voice interrupted Lu Jingchen's words.
Lu Jingchen's servant boy and page boy entered the hall under the guidance of Banxia.
The servant stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Qin Ruo, then turned to Lu Jingchen and said, "Sir, it's getting late. It's time to set off."
Lu Jingchen put back the hairpin he was about to take out with a wry smile. He bowed to Qin Ruo and his speech became fluent.
"Miss Qin, I heard Zi Yan mention that you once made him a kind of calming incense, which was very effective. Recently, I have been unable to sleep at night because of preparing for the Spring Examination, and my thoughts are in turmoil. I wonder if Miss Qin has any left, and would you sell me some?"
"I thought it was nothing, a small matter. Mr. Lu is about to go to the capital, and I just don't have anything prepared, so I feel bad. But I have some calming incense ready, and since you need it, it's just a parting gift. After all, you are Zi Yan's senior brother, and it would be awkward for me to ask for money."
Qin Ruo breathed a sigh of relief and agreed readily.
She turned around and told Banxia to go to her room to get some incense. She had indeed mixed a calming incense some time ago, which was specially made for Old Madam Xie.
Qin Ziyan asked for some and now there are some left, which is just right for use.
Looking at the way Lu Jingchen spoke incoherently and hesitantly just now, if you didn't know, you would think he was trying to confess his feelings to you.
The way Lu Jingchen speaks is really scary.