Chapter 407: Little Hat Mimi Really Doesn't Play Favorites!

As the saying goes, catch thieves with the stolen goods, catch adulterers in the act.

Today I've been caught again; it really seems like sheer bad luck.....

Wait, no, no.

What's wrong with it!

What adultery are they talking about? They're a married couple who've bowed to each other!

Yu Lve, my cousin, not wishing them harmony is one thing, but constantly staring at their affection—what's that supposed to mean?

Du Shanü turned back angrily, and sure enough, not far off she saw a cold-faced youth with a saber at his side, on horseback.

Yu Lve rode up on his horse in the evening light; looking at their expressions, aside from fatigue, he could hardly conceal his feelings, which were hard to put into words.

That expression—Du Shanü knew it all too well.

If Chen Weifang is the head of Chinu's side, then whenever Du Shanü does something outrageous in her presence, she'll rush out to favor Chinu.

Yu Lve is even more like the head of Yu Baobao's side—he not only has to worry about the whole family's affairs, but must constantly keep an eye on the good-for-nothing juniors.

Even Yu Baobao, to ordinary eyes, looks even more clueless than Chinu......

No matter what, Cang Cheng daily owes its thanks to my cousin's hard work!

In an instant, Du Shanü's natural thought of 'my husband, I can kiss him whenever I want' withered away.

She and Yu Baobao stood shoulder to shoulder, heads bowed like children who'd made a mistake, waiting for Yu Lve, the head of Cang Cheng, to grace them with his presence.

Yu Lve indeed did not disappoint; he dismounted, led his horse up to them, and began a nagging that left Du Shanü somewhat dazed:

"You two left before dawn this morning, and now the sun's almost setting and you're still not home—have you been playing hooky?"

"Moreover, how could you go out without bringing an attendant? If you ran into bandits and I wasn't by your side, what would you do?!"

"Moreover, Xiao Ai, what's with all those peach blossoms on your mind? The mountain air is damp; dew on the blossoms gets into your hair, and if you don't dry it, a breeze will give you a chill."

Favoritism.

Still the usual, familiar favoritism.

Before, because Yu Lve spoke little in front of Du Shanü, her impression of him wasn't particularly deep.

But today, upon seeing him......

Indeed, just as Chen Weifang favors Chinu, this cousin Yu Lve naturally dotes on Yu Baobao.

This familiar nagging, that tone that makes your ears ache......

Du Shanü sighed inwardly, watching Yu Baobao desperately cover her ears, pretending not to hear—was she dropping her icy facade in front of outsiders? She explained:

"We came out to admire the peach blossoms, and incidentally to pluck a few branches to take home and make peach blossom pastries—we didn't expect to lose track of time......"

Exactly, it's all a misunderstanding!

Don't keep going on about her Yu Baobao!

No! No!

Du Shanü fiercely shielded her own Yu Baobao; with someone backing her up, Yu Baobao instantly straightened her back:

"Exactly, exactly! (*? ▽? *)"

Du Shanü continued:

"We were actually about to head home! It's just that my cousin arrived earlier, making it seem like we're late—we're not late at all!"

"Exactly, exactly! (*? ▽? *)"

"If my cousin keeps nagging us, we'll really get angry! Right now we'll pack up and run away from home—left leads to the ferry crossing, right to the post station; we'll part here, may the green hills not change, the clear waters flow forever......."

"Exactly, exactly...... wait Σ(? □? ；) how did we just run away from home?"

He clearly doesn't want to run away from home at all!

Earlier, when he went to find the Wife Master, although to others it didn't seem far, he still suffered greatly on the road!

Moreover, after being sent back, his cousin neither scolded nor beat him, yet that red-rimmed gaze made him secretly vow never to run away again!

But now......

Yu Baobao, at a loss, tugged at Du Shanü's sleeve in front of her; Du Shanü turned her head and blinked twice quickly.

Yu Baobao relaxed at once, tacitly understanding:

"Phew! Turns out it was a strategic retreat, not for real! (*? ▽? *)"

Wow!

How can this silly Yu Baobao even blurt out her thoughts like that!

Du Shanü stiffened, almost buckling at the knees, and collapsed flat on the spot——

I'm convinced.

Really convinced.

She fears neither heaven nor earth, but meeting people like Yu Baobao and Chinu truly leaves her helpless!

Yu Lve also seemed a bit embarrassed at having raised his cousin to be somewhat clueless; seeing the situation veer toward the strange, he hurriedly gave a light cough to steer the conversation back on track:

"So... have you picked the peach blossoms? Can we head back now?"

The emphasis of Yu Lve's words was actually on the last question, but he couldn't get past how guilty the two in front of him were.

Thus, as soon as he said that, Yu Lve saw the two opposite each other, blinking——

Yu Baobao: "......."

Du Shanü: "......."

The two felt awkward for a few breaths, then spoke in unison:

"Does one sprig count as picking?"

Yu Lve: ".......?"

Yu Lve almost doubted his own ears:

"What?"

They picked all day—could it be that they only gathered a single branch?

Just like that, they actually dare to make a fuss and run away from home?

The crude man doesn't understand the grace of peach blossoms, so naturally he can't comprehend their efficiency.

That look on his face is clearly——

"Your hands and feet are really too slow! If I were doing it, one kick could knock down a whole peach tree; following behind me, from morning till night you could gather a mountain's worth of peach blossoms!"

Du Shanü understood this expression, and her teeth-grinding inevitably intensified.

How could such an unromantic man have won Yunniang's affection!

However, Yu Lve could never say such a thing, and Chen Weifang lacks the ability to read people's minds.

He only expressed a fleeting dissatisfaction at their slowness, then immediately said:

"Forget it, we'll send someone to pick again another day."

"Indeed, there's still business today... Chun Rijian came in person, reportedly to report an important matter to the Lord."

Chun Rijian?

Isn't he usually stationed in Dun Cheng, helping oversee the manufacture of weapons?

If there weren't truly an important matter, one wouldn't expect him to be running about everywhere, right?

Moreover, she is now in Cang Cheng, not the Zhoufu; if he makes this trip, he certainly won't see Chen Weifang.

In that case, this important matter is surely no small affair.

Du Shanü composed herself, mounted, led Yu Baobao onto the horse, and while riding, asked:

"Did he reveal what business brought him here?"

Yu Lve mounted even more swiftly and neatly than Du Shanü:

"Replying to the Lord, he didn't say, but I can gather a rough idea."

"A few days ago the Lord ordered me to swiftly prepare and seize Qiong Zhou; I sent a fast horse with a letter to Dun Cheng requesting many weapons, so Chun Rijian perhaps learned of our plan to take Qiong Zhou for that reason."

"He came rushing over today, seemingly hoping to keep the hometown elders safe, urging you to withdraw the order and not send troops to assault Qiong Zhou...."

"He said he might have another method that could help you take Qiong Zhou without bloodshed."

?? Here they come, here they come!