The Song brothers pondered and schemed, while on the other side, young Yi Hao quietly slipped into the small kitchen.
Previously, his mother had found out that he and Bai Li Meng Ran had conspired to matchmake her with Bai Li Jing Xuan, and she was naturally displeased.
Meanwhile, Gu Qian Ying was thinking.
Sometimes, when she thought about her good son, she couldn't help but sigh. Her son was good in every way, except he was a little too mischievous. She herself could hardly handle him at times.
Coincidentally, Ouyang Qing Lin and Duan Xi Feng learned of this. Even the usually stoic Duan Xi Feng couldn't help but mock her a couple of times. She felt quite helpless, but after all, he was her own son, how could she punish him severely?
Thus, the matter was put aside.
...
At dinner, Gu Qian Ying ate only a few bites and didn't touch the rest. Young Yi Hao, feeling he had done wrong, specifically went to the small kitchen, wanting to find some exquisite and delicious pastries to apologize to Gu Qian Ying. However, after searching all around, he couldn't find any palatable ones. After all, he knew his mother had high standards, especially when it came to food.
Young Yi Hao looked at the plates of pastries before him, his small head drooping. He just wanted to find a father for himself, why was it so difficult?
But looking at the pastries before him, his small head turned and turned. He completely forgot the scolding he had received from Gu Qian Ying earlier and directly took two plates of pastries to Bai Li Meng Ran.
However, Bai Li Meng Ran had also been reprimanded by Bai Li Su for her previous foolishness.
Speaking of which, Bai Li Meng Ran was the youngest child in the family. Her parents doted on her, and her elders cherished her even more. They had long spoiled Bai Li Meng Ran to be fearless. Yet, there was Bai Li Su. Although his health had been poor since childhood, he never slacked on her studies.
Thinking of this, Bai Li Meng Ran couldn't help but shiver. After all, her second brother was truly too strict. She wasn't afraid of her eldest brother. Her second brother had a good disposition, but he was also very serious at times. She kept a respectful distance from this second brother.
Therefore, when young Yi Hao came to find her, she was a little scared.
Her small head peeked out from the doorway.
"You, what do you want me for?"
Seeing Bai Li Meng Ran so cautious, young Yi Hao couldn't help but laugh. He promised that this plan would be foolproof and would definitely succeed in matchmaking them.
"I've thought of another good idea. Believe me, I will succeed this time."
Young Yi Hao patted his chest, assuring Bai Li Meng Ran.
Bai Li Meng Ran hesitated but still opened the door, letting him in.
"What good idea do you have?"
"Look at this plate of pastries. My mother is not very happy because of the previous incident, so she didn't eat much tonight. If your elder brother knew about this and sent her some of her favorite pastries, the matter would naturally be settled."
Young Yi Hao was very proud. He pushed the pastries, which had long since cooled, towards Bai Li Meng Ran. But Bai Li Meng Ran looked at the unappetizing pastries before her, a hint of disdain appearing on her small face.
"Will this work?"
Young Yi Hao continued to persuade Bai Li Meng Ran to do this with him.
Bai Li Meng Ran looked again and again, then thought of her elder brother's previous exasperating behavior. Bai Li Meng Ran felt quite helpless. Thinking back to the previous incident, she still felt she had to trust young Yi Hao one more time.
"Alright, I'll help you!"
Bai Li Meng Ran agreed. However, young Yi Hao added, "I also need to borrow your maidservant?"
The maids following Bai Li Meng Ran exchanged glances, unsure of what to do. In the end, they obediently followed young Yi Hao.
...
As night fell, Gu Qian Ying, who was in a bad mood and preparing to rest early, saw young Yi Hao stumble over with a box of things.
Gu Qian Ying watched as the box was almost half his height. He was dragging it with great effort, so she walked over to help him carry it.
"What is this?"
The box just looked large, but it wasn't very heavy. Gu Qian Ying didn't worry and asked.
"These are pastries personally made by young master Bai Li. Bai Li Meng Ran said you didn't eat tonight, so he specially sent them. I took a look, and there's the Furong Cake your mother likes. Does mother want to have some?"
Young Yi Hao pushed the box, his eyes filled with anticipation.
Although Gu Qian Ying didn't know why young Yi Hao was so keen on matchmaking, she opened the box to avoid disappointing her son. She saw that there was indeed the Furong Cake she liked, and her face showed a hint of a smile. She even ate two more pieces, but didn't say anything.
Young Yi Hao felt relieved seeing his mother eat. Finally, Gu Qian Ying really couldn't eat anymore. She looked at young Yi Hao and said,
"Mother isn't very hungry tonight, but this Furong Cake is delicious. Can I save the rest for tomorrow?"
Gu Qian Ying was a very reasonable person and liked to discuss everything with young Yi Hao.
Young Yi Hao didn't pay attention to this and asked again, "Then what do you think of young master Bai Li, Mother?"
"Very good, he is a very thoughtful person."
Gu Qian Ying thought about it again and again before saying this. Although she wanted to forget that the person who splashed water on her face was Bai Li Jing Xuan, she couldn't let her son be sad.
Young Yi Hao was very satisfied with the answer he wanted. He dropped the food box and, without regard for his mother's sadness behind him, turned to find Bai Li Meng Ran.
Meanwhile, in Bai Li Jing Xuan's courtyard,
He had gone to see Bai Li Su tonight. Seeing that he was in good spirits, he returned to his courtyard to rest. Before he could sit for long, his sister rushed in, carrying a box of pastries that looked quite exquisite.
"This is...?"
The two stared at each other for a while before Bai Li Jing Xuan finally couldn't help but ask Bai Li Meng Ran about the item.
"Brother, these are pastries personally made by young master Yi Hao's mother. She was too shy to give them to you, so she asked me to bring them."
To prevent Bai Li Jing Xuan from seeing through the deception, Bai Li Meng Ran had gone to great lengths.
Bai Li Jing Xuan frowned, but the pastries on the plate were indeed exquisite. Coupled with the significant physical exertion of the day, he felt a craving for these pastries and ate a couple of pieces.
"Not bad, Divine Doctor Gu's craftsmanship is indeed excellent."
As soon as Bai Li Jing Xuan tasted the pastries, he felt them melt in his mouth. They weren't overly sweet, and he rather liked them. He ended up eating several more pieces without paying much attention.
Bai Li Meng Ran smiled as she watched him devour all the pastries and then found an excuse to return to her courtyard.
Seeing Jing An Si guarding her courtyard, she smiled knowingly, saying she had succeeded. Just as the two children thought they had achieved their goal, something went wrong.
Not long after Bai Li Meng Ran left, Bai Li Jing Xuan was in severe abdominal pain.