Yu Mingyue naturally noticed Xu Zijun's lingering gaze, silently hoping that the Seventh Prince would open his eyes and see Zi Jun's sister's sincere devotion to him.
Chi Dan also noticed, but since her own young lady hadn't said anything, she couldn't either.
However, she needed to remind her young lady that Madam Xu was being somewhat presumptuous.
As Yu Mingyue said goodbye to Gu Youyou and the others, she kept an eye on Xie Jia'an, who was not far away.
He seemed... unhappy.
A hint of gloom permeated his usual cool demeanor.
"Brother Jia'an," Yu Mingyue finally found an opportunity to speak with him.
"Sixth Young Lady!"
"Yesterday, you took care of me. It was crowded just now, and I never had a chance to thank you. Mingyue thanks Brother Jia'an." Yu Mingyue curtsied slightly.
"Sixth Young Lady is too kind!"
Xie Jia'an cupped his hands and put some distance between them.
Yu Mingyue felt his aloofness.
She thought that after they hunted the wild boar together, their relationship would have become closer.
But now, it seemed not.
Xie Jia'an was even more polite to her.
Yu Mingyue bit her lip, unsure of where the problem lay, and dejectedly got into her own carriage.
...
As soon as Xie Jia'an returned to his manor, Xie Yuanlang had a servant summon him. Xie Jia'an cupped his hands and said, "Father!"
Xie Yuanlang pointed to the chair beside him, gesturing for Xie Jia'an to sit before speaking, "Did you encounter him during this hunt?"
Xie Jia'an grunted in affirmation.
He had known he would eventually meet him when he entered the capital.
"Jia'an..." Xie Yuanlang's expression was complex.
Xie Jia'an offered a faint smile, "Once a decision is made, there is no turning back."
"You have suffered."
Xie Jia'an was silent for a long time.
"...It is not suffering!"
After returning to her manor, Yu Mingyue had Nanny Rong make the fox fur into a scarf. The kitchen used spices from the Western Regions to roast the wild boar meat into jerky, which tasted similar to beef jerky, being very chewy and savory.
Yu Mingyue had some jerky packed, along with the scarf, a hand warmer, and a rare copy of "Zhou Lu Li Ji," sent to Xie Jia'an under her brother's name.
Xie Jia'an was very fond of this book. In the novel, this book eventually fell into Su Wanqing's hands, who used it to try and win him over, but he sternly refused.
Xie Jia'an was about to refuse, but the servant delivering the gift was very clever. "Young Master, please accept it with peace of mind. All the young masters who hunted that day received a share. Our young master said he would likely trouble you often in the future, so please don't find him bothersome."
Xie Jia'an opened the package, his gaze falling on "Zhou Lu Li Ji." This book was actually in the Yu family.
However, how did Yu Mingjing know he was looking for this book?
...
On her way to attend Master Zi'an's lecture, Yu Mingyue heard what seemed like people moving things in the adjacent courtyard.
"This household should be moving in before the twelfth lunar month," Chi Hua remarked as her young lady paused.
In Luoyang, it was customary not to move houses in the twelfth lunar month, and it was only a few days away.
Yu Mingyue looked up. The adjacent courtyard had been empty since that old official retired. The branches of the pear tree, unpruned, had grown into the Duke's manor.
When autumn arrived, the pears that extended over the courtyard wall were crisp and sweet, and she loved them. Every year, she would bring a ladder and pick them herself.
It seemed she wouldn't be able to enjoy them next year.
Yu Mingyue was afraid of appearing too deliberate, so she didn't dare to send things to Xie Jia'an too frequently.
Her brother was as busy as ever. Besides Master Zi'an's lessons, he had archery practice daily and listened to their father and the manor's advisors discuss matters.
Yu Mingyue didn't want to pester her brother constantly. After all, he was the future helmsman of the Yu family, and the family's future rested on him. Others' assistance could only be icing on the cake.
She hoped her brother and Xie Jia'an would become good friends also as a way to provide the Yu family with an additional layer of security, rather than entrusting the Yu family's destiny to Xie Jia'an.