Chapter 38: Is It You?
Having seen no one, Yu Lingzhao didn't take it to heart, assuming she had simply misseen.
Then she had another thought: the beautiful young man might not necessarily recognize her anyway.
After all, that day in the pavilion, she had been wearing a disguise.
In that brief moment, Yu Lingzhao suddenly remembered what she wanted. She whispered a few words to Feiyu, who nodded and went to speak with the shopkeeper.
The staff at Ruicai Hall were very sensible, as soon as the party reached the private room, tea and pastries were served. This level of service awareness was indeed very thorough.
He Xuan praised them as well. "The workers here certainly know how to handle things. With this level of skill, it’s no wonder the business is booming."
Yu Lingzhao nodded; that was exactly it. In a place like the capital where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold, one had to be discerning to survive.
To become the leader of an industry, one had to possess something that transcended the industry itself; otherwise, how could one command such respect?
Yu Lingzhao picked up a pastry and tasted it. Finding the flavor quite good, she told Huayue to try it and see if she could recreate it back home.
Yu Qizhi and Yu Xunyang were both observing the private room.
The decor was indeed well-done, landscape paintings, a lively view of the street, and partition curtains inside to make changing clothes convenient.
The shopkeeper moved quickly and arrived shortly with his assistants, placing the treasures of his shop one by one on a long table against the wall for display.
"Pray look, noble ladies. These are our finest hairpins, mutton-fat jade, Hetian jade, pearwood; we have mutton-fat white and emerald green as well."
Yu Lingzhao stood up, walked to the long table to look, and called Yu Xunyang over. "Third Brother, come try on some hairpins."
Yu Xunyang walked over happily. "Which one?"
Yu Lingzhao took a look. Her Third Brother had a lively personality and wasn't suited for those overly somber colors, so she picked out a gold-inlaid purple jade hairpin.
Seeing that his sister had made a choice, Yu Xunyang naturally lowered his head to let her secure the hairpin for him.
Once Yu Xunyang was finished, before Yu Lingzhao could even say anything, the shopkeeper began his praise.
"The young lady truly has an excellent eye! With this gold-inlaid purple jade hairpin, the young master looks even more noble and exceptionally handsome!"
Yu Lingzhao smiled, the shopkeeper was truly a smooth talker. With one sentence, he praised three people. He praised her taste, her brother's looks, and the quality of his own goods.
No one dislikes hearing pleasant things, and Yu Xunyang was no exception. Wearing the hairpin, he intentionally walked past his Second Brother with a cheeky, "punchable" expression to look in the mirror.
Faced with his Second Brother’s sharp gaze, he was completely fearless, a classic case of enjoying the moment now and worrying about the beating later.
Yu Lingzhao hadn't expected her Third Brother to provoke their Second Brother like that. Stifling a laugh, she picked up a mutton-fat white auspicious cloud jade hairpin.
She turned around, looked at her Second Brother, and said pointedly, "Guard Yan, your build is similar to my Second Brother's. Come and try this hairpin on his behalf."
Yu Qizhi was still wearing his mask, he had already made a mental note of his foolish younger brother's death-seeking behavior.
But upon hearing his sister haughtily pretending to order him around—when she was actually buying him a hairpin, the corners of his mouth beneath the mask curled up slightly.
Yu Qizhi walked over submissively and lowered his head just as Yu Xunyang had done. Beside them, the shopkeeper was busy imagining who-knows-what, a smile spreading across his own face.
Yu Lingzhao secured the hairpin for her Second Brother and looked him over, feeling as though something was still missing. She turned back and picked out a Chinese cedar wood hairpin inlaid with pearls, excitedly preparing to put it on him.
Yu Qizhi took a closer look and didn't know whether to laugh or cry, this hairpin was a bit too delicate.
However, unable to withstand his sister's enthusiasm, he had no choice but to "sacrifice his life to accompany the lady."
As it turned out, the pearl-inlaid Chinese cedar wood hairpin looked quite fitting once it was on. Yu Lingzhao even called He Xuan over to take a look.
He Xuan nodded in agreement, compared to the mutton-fat white one from earlier, this pearl-inlaid wooden one was indeed more suitable.
Yu Qizhi remained silent. His current identity was that of a guard, making it inappropriate for him to speak at such a moment.
Yu Lingzhao knew perfectly well that her Second Brother wouldn't speak, so she acted with total impunity, making him try on several more pins.
The more she tried, the happier the shopkeeper became. Sure enough, she decided to take several of the hairpins they had tested.
Yu Xunyang curled his lip on the side. "Sister is too biased toward Second Brother."
Yu Qizhi glanced sideways, shooting his younger brother a subtle, warning look. Yu Xunyang’s heart skipped a beat; seeing his brother's expression, he reluctantly shut his mouth.
Yu Lingzhao raised an eyebrow triumphantly. "Quality over quantity! Third Brother, that purple jade hairpin is exceptionally suited to you! Really! If you don't believe me, ask Sister-in-law."
Yu Xunyang looked at He Xuan suspiciously; he believed his Sister-in-law wouldn't lie to him. He Xuan nodded.
"It is indeed very good. You should wear this one when you go out in a few days."
One could only say that Third Brother was easy to fool, though Yu Lingzhao did pick out two additional jade pendants for him. Her Third Brother was perfectly matched with these sorts of flashy, ornate things—a match made in heaven!
Upon leaving Ruicai Hall, the group was feeling a bit hungry.
As it happened, Yu Lingzhao wanted to check out a pastry shop, while He Xuan spotted an ironworks shop at the corner of the street and wanted to take a look.
Yu Lingzhao originally intended to go with He Xuan, but He Xuan said having the third brother accompany her was enough, she didn't want the young girl going to such a dusty, soot-filled place.
Considering she had a meeting with the Qin family later and didn't want to look disheveled, Yu Lingzhao didn't stand on ceremony with He Xuan.
She let Yu Xunyang go to the ironworks and agreed to meet up later at a teahouse called Quyuan.
When Yu Lingzhao arrived at Quyuan, the waiter invited her into a private room and began recommending the breakfast pastries.
The waiter mentioned that a steamed milk cake from the neighboring Yechun Tea House, paired with their own kumquat and ginger silk honey, was an absolute delicacy. This description made Yu Lingzhao’s mouth water.
She turned her head and looked imploringly at her Second Brother, her eyes practically screaming the words "I want to eat that."
Yu Qizhi had always indulged his sister, it was just a pastry, after all. Since his sister wanted it, there was no reason for an older brother not to satisfy her. "Wait here."
Yu Qizhi dropped those two cool words and headed out.
Yu Lingzhao laughed and said to the waiter, "Aren't you afraid of losing customers by recommending another shop's pastries so highly?"
The waiter could tell this young lady was of extraordinary status and replied with a rather proud smile, "You might not know, but our Quyuan has been in business for years and naturally has a few tricks of its own. Once you taste it, you'll know I'm telling the honest truth."
Amused, Yu Lingzhao gave Feiyu a look. Feiyu stepped forward and tipped the waiter with some silver pieces. The waiter thanked her and sensibly withdrew.
Unlike other teahouses that were multi-storied, Quyuan was a large courtyard with winding corridors that separated the private rooms.
Yu Lingzhao didn't want to sit idly in the room alone, so she decided to go out and look around. She had noticed earlier that even in this season, Quyuan still had lotus flowers to admire. Leaving the room and walking to the right, she saw the lotuses—a major highlight of Quyuan.
Yu Lingzhao thought to herself that it was no wonder the place was called "Quyuan" (Garden of Interest), having things appear out of season was indeed very interesting.
"Young Lady Bodyguard, is that you?"
Yu Lingzhao heard a somewhat familiar voice. She turned her head and saw a truly elegant, ethereal, and beautiful young man.
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