Chapter 599: Chapter 208 Heart in Turmoil_3
"Really."
He glanced at Lu Tong, a smile forming at the corners of his mouth, "But it also depends on whether Doctor Lu’s colorful ribbon meets your expectations."
Lu Tong: "..."
...
The Qiqiao Market was bustling with a never-ending flow of people, and it was said that the lamps stayed lit all night long.
Lu Tong and Pei Yunmeng strolled for quite a while, walking the entire length of the street under Panlou, and finally spotted Pei Yunshu and her group at a vendor’s stall.
Freshly plucked banana leaves, soaked in a medicinal mixture on their broad, oil-green surfaces—craftsmen were writing poetry and painting on them, which was very elegant. Pei Yunshu was selecting attentively with her head lowered; Xiao Zhufeng stood behind her, keeping a protective distance. Upon noticing Lu Tong and her companion, Duan Xiaoyan immediately waved, "Brother, Doctor Lu—"
Pei Yunshu turned around, smiling, "Ah Ying, Miss Lu."
Duan Xiaoyan approached excitedly, showing off the big and small packages hanging from her arms.
"We intended to wait for you at the bottom of Qiqiao Tower. Sister Pei said she wanted to see a puppet show, so we followed for a while. We were worried you would go back on your own if you couldn’t find us, but fortunately, we waited."
Fangzi said, "It’s just one street beneath Qiqiao Tower, so it’s still pretty easy to find each other if you wait."
Pei Yunshu looked at Lu Tong, "Miss Lu, how did your contest of skills go at Lanye earlier, did you win anything?"
Lu Tong took out the Peony Wooden Comb, "I won a comb."
"It’s a comb bristle brush," Pei Yunshu was surprised, "It looks quite decent." She then asked Lu Tong, "We didn’t go inside earlier, so how was the contest conducted at Lanye, what did you all do inside?"
Thinking back to the events inside Qiqiao Tower, Lu Tong pressed her lips together and kept silent, Pei Yunmeng glanced at her and spoke to Pei Yunshu, "Let’s talk about it when we get back home, it’s getting late. I think we should take Doctor Lu back to West Street first."
Pei Yunshu suddenly realized her oversight and smiled apologetically at Lu Tong, "I was negligent. I rarely leave home, and once I do, I forget the time. Miss Lu also needs to see patients at the medical hall on normal days, so resting too late is indeed not good."
"It’s dangerous for a young lady to return late at night, we should escort you to the medical hall first."
Lu Tong nodded and did not refuse.
Pei Yunshu and her companions escorted Lu Tong back to the medical hall first, and then parted ways with Duan Xiaoyan and Xiao Zhufeng.
After returning to Pei Mansion, Pei Yunmeng watched Pei Yunshu enter the house, about to leave himself, when Pei Yunshu called him back: "Ah Ying."
"What is it?"
"Don’t leave just yet, I have something to discuss with you."
Pei Yunshu beckoned him into the house.
Treasure Bead had already been coaxed to sleep by Qiong Ying, Pei Yunshu lit a lamp, asked Pei Yunmeng to sit in the hall, and then she went into the inner room. After a short while, she came out holding a silver box.
She sat beside Pei Yunmeng, opened the silver box, which was wrapped in layers of red cloth. Pei Yunshu unwrapped them one by one, and at the end, when the last layer was lifted, a Green Jade Carved Bracelet lay inside.
Pei Yunmeng was startled, "This is..."
"Our mother’s Jade Bracelet."
Under the lamplight, the bracelet shone with the warmth of a jade-green lake. Pei Yunshu looked on, her tone somewhat wistful.
"When our grandmother gave the Green Jade Carved Bracelet to our mother as part of her dowry, and when I reached the age of jieli, our mother passed this Green Jade Bracelet on to me."
"Originally there was a pair. I kept one to give to Treasure Bead, and now I’m giving this other one to you."
Pei Yunmeng stared at the Green Jade Bracelet, not reaching out to take it, merely asking, "Why give it to me?"
"Ah Ying," Pei Yunshu lowered her head, caressing the bracelet, "do you remember after our mother passed away, I used to cry every day, was sick at heart beyond healing, and fell seriously ill, refusing to eat. It was you who learned to make mother’s dumplings to coax me into eating, and cheered me up every day, until I finally recovered."
She lowered her head, then, after a while, spoke again, "Actually, looking back on it now, you were younger than me at that time. I, as your older sister, should have been taking care of you instead."
Pei Yunmeng just smiled, "Why bring up things from the past."
Pei Yunshu shook her head.
"After that, you left the capital, and when you returned, things were no longer the same as before. You no longer shared everything with me. Ah Ying, over these years, I don’t know what you’ve been doing. You’ve grown up, and sometimes I worry, wondering if I have been neglectful as your sister."
"How could you think that way?"
Pei Yunshu looked at him, "Ah Ying, Miss Lu is a good girl."
Pei Yunmeng paused.
"You are my brother. Although you’ve kept it to yourself, I can see that she treats you differently than she does others," Pei Yunshu said softly, "Matters of the heart are not for outsiders to interfere with, but there’s one thing I must tell you. If you are fond of someone, don’t let yourself have regrets."
She took Pei Yunmeng’s hand, stuffing the Green Jade Bracelet into his palm.
Pei Yunmeng looked down at the bracelet in silence.
"Keep this Jade Bracelet. When you find the one you want to spend your life with, give this bracelet to her. This isn’t a bracelet from the Pei family, this is our mother’s bracelet."