Chapter 38. Liang Zhao frowned, intending to look...

Chapter 38. Liang Zhao frowned, intending to look...

Liang Zhao frowned, intending to ignore it, but the pain and helplessness in the crying strangely resonated with his own state of mind.

The person sounded like she had suffered some great injustice; she seemed very sad. Liang Zhao subconsciously took a few steps forward, his gaze sweeping towards the source of the crying under the tree.

Then, under the old tree, a slender figure was seen huddled there, trembling slightly as she cried. Her once vibrant crimson dress lay limply on the ground, like a petal wilted by wind and rain.

Suddenly, Liang Zhao's eyes narrowed. This skirt...this color and pattern...why does it look so familiar?

The same spot, the same hem of the skirt—this crimson hem was the same one he had seen before! As soon as this realization dawned on him, Liang Zhao's first reaction was to turn around and leave immediately.

But he hesitated again as soon as he took a step: "That person seems really sad. After all, this flower viewing banquet is hosted by our family. Why don't we go and ask her what's wrong? If a young girl is made to cry so sadly at a flower viewing banquet hosted by the Liang family, wouldn't it be a disgrace to their family if word gets out?"

Although Liang Zhao felt uneasy about facing the person who would see him in such a disheveled state, he still convinced himself to go and see why the girl under the tree was crying like that.

"Are you... alright?" Liang Zhao asked hesitantly.

Suddenly, a very familiar voice came to her ears, yet it sounded somewhat unfamiliar because she hadn't heard it for so long. Xiao Quexian froze, not knowing how to react.

"This young lady?" Liang Zhao asked, his tone questioning. He looked at the girl curled up in a ball under the tree and wondered if it was too presumptuous of him to come over now, or if he should just turn around and leave.

Xiao Quexian suddenly raised her head at this moment.

"Second...Second Young Master Liang." Her eyes were red, and her voice was soft with a heavy nasal tone, making her look even more pitiful. "I'm sorry to have troubled you...it's just a trivial matter..."

Whether in her past life or this life, he appeared when she was most heartbroken and helpless. Looking at the person in front of her, Xiao Quexian suddenly felt a great sense of happiness. Erlang was still such a wonderful Erlang.

Overwhelmed by joy, she quickly wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, trying to maintain her composure.

Damn it, she actually cried like this in front of Erlang, what should we do now?

It's all Xiao Yan's fault!

Looking at her flustered yet forced composure, especially her watery eyes that resembled a frightened little rabbit, Liang Zhao couldn't help but feel a pang of pity.

Upon closer inspection, he realized that this person was actually the most outstanding woman among the women who composed poetry; he remembered that she seemed to be a daughter of the Xiao family. Such a talented woman, yet she had been bullied like this.

He sighed and said in a tone that suggested he understood, "Troubled by trivial matters? Were you bullied by your sister? Ha, we're in the same boat, you see? Just now... I also encountered some 'troublesome things'." He subconsciously raised his hand, his fingertips touching his cheek again, and gave a self-deprecating smile.

Erlang indeed discovered that the person hiding behind the tree was himself. Xiao Quexian didn't find it strange at all, having gleaned this information from Liang Zhao's words; Liang Erlang was always clever.

However, she also instantly gleaned another crucial piece of information: Liang Erlang asked her, "Were you bullied by your younger sister?"

"How...did you know?" Xiao Quexian immediately replied that she had been bullied.

“Although I didn’t see her before, she’s so cunning and good at protecting herself, and she was very rude to you, and you’re crying here…” Liang Zhao felt that the above points were enough to deduce what had happened to the two sisters after they left.

"It must be that the usually assertive younger sister said something unpleasant to her gentle older sister," Liang Zhao guessed.

"It's just that she spoke a little harshly. I'm the older sister, I shouldn't hold it against her."

Hearing that Miss Xiao's answer was exactly as he had guessed, Liang Zhao cursed fiercely, "These dogs who only know how to bully people."

Xiao Quexian naturally understood that his words were a dig at both Xiao Yanhui and Wang Heng.

The two of them were in the same boat, which was a perfect opportunity. Upon closer inspection, this chance encounter was ten or even a hundred times better than the first meeting that he had planned for a long time.

Xiao Quexian's disappointment had completely vanished. She was indeed blessed by heaven, and this thought once again took firm root in her heart. Naturally, Xiao Quexian would seize this opportune moment.

Following Liang Zhao's lead, the two began to chat. They talked about the books they read, their future prospects, the daily life in Jiangzuo City, and their respective younger sisters who were bad-tempered and cunning.

Time passed slowly until it was time to say goodbye. Liang Zhao watched Xiao Quexian's departing figure until her crimson skirt disappeared into the bushes. He felt a pang of melancholy and anticipation in his heart.

He never expected that his simple act of comforting the young girl would lead to such a deep connection and so much to talk about with her. He felt like he had found a kindred spirit.

They are kindred spirits, of course.

As Xiao Quexian turned to leave, the vulnerability and sorrow on her face vanished instantly, replaced by a look of triumph and satisfaction.

Perhaps no one in this world understands Liang Langjun better than herself. In this life, they will surely be a perfect couple, deeply in love and understanding each other.

She reached out and gently touched her left sideburn; the hair ornaments, which were originally symmetrical, were now missing a delicate beaded flower.

......

"Where did you two go?" Seeing Xiao Yan Hui and Xiao Que Xian return one after the other, the First Madam finally breathed a sigh of relief.

When she went out today, she had accepted a task from the old lady to help Zhao Danya find a match. But just as she was taking Zhao Danya to meet the person, the two girls disappeared without a word.

The First Madam was on tenterhooks waiting there, especially when she saw that Xiao Quexian hadn't even brought her personal maid. She was extremely worried, fearing that after making such a big splash, something terrible might happen again.

However, given that they were guests at someone else's residence, it wasn't appropriate for them to rashly suggest going to look for the two people. The First Madam had been carrying a heavy weight on her mind for quite some time, and only now, seeing that both of them had returned safely, did the huge weight in her heart finally ease.

"We were just so captivated by the flowers that we walked a little further away. We're all perfectly fine here!" Xiao Yan said coquettishly.

Xiao Quexian smiled and echoed her, and at this moment she seemed to be in a very good mood, completely unlike her sharp demeanor when she argued with Xiao Yanhui earlier.

Xiao Yan's gaze swept over her, but she couldn't find anything amiss. She just muttered to herself, "I wonder what happened to this person afterward, her mood has suddenly improved. But that's a good thing, it's dangerous to be around someone who's like a powder keg."

......

"The Second Miss is in the limelight today. Yan Hui'er, have you made up your mind yet? I think she will definitely bring up the marriage again when she goes back today. It's strange, I never heard that the Second Miss was so good at studying before, how come she can suddenly write poetry today? With her sudden fame, your father will most likely be even more hesitant." The First Madam said this in the carriage of the First House.

"Then let's agree. As long as the benefits offered by the second wife are enough, I'll accept this marriage proposal." Xiao Yan gritted her teeth and made her final decision.

"Didn't you say you'd investigate Qin Ji again? Alas, it's a pity he went out on business and hasn't returned this time." The First Madam suddenly hesitated.

“The people we sent to investigate all said they couldn’t find anything wrong, right? The biggest problem is that he’s just been a bit busy with his daily work. It’s normal to be busy when you’re doing business. My father used to travel for at least ten days, sometimes several months, when he went out to do business. It’s unavoidable to travel back and forth between the north and south.”

What Xiao Yan didn't explicitly say was that the people who went to investigate reported back that Qin Ji was of good character and had a clean social circle. Furthermore, after several interactions with him, she felt that he was a decent person. Adding to this the advantage of being from the same hometown and the terms they had privately agreed upon, it seemed difficult to find someone as suitable again, so she simply made up her mind.

"And, she's quite good-looking too." Xiao Yan's eyes lit up, and she thought to herself, "That's a real plus."

“Alright, what matters most is that our daughter likes it.” The First Madam thought about it and agreed.

"Whether today or tomorrow, your father will surely bring this up again."

......

The first wife guessed correctly.

"Mother, you must help me this time." Xiao Quexian said to the second wife, "Whether I can marry into the Liang family depends on whether I can successfully annul the engagement with the Qin family this time."

"Xian'er, you certainly made a name for yourself this time, but the Liang family? That's the prefect's family. In Jiangzuo, apart from the top-ranking prince, they're the next most powerful family. Are you really confident?"

"I'm ninety percent confident," Xiao Quexian said with a smile. In truth, she only considered the chances of success to be fifty-fifty. Although she was confident she could win Liang Lang's heart, as her mother had said, it was, after all, the Prefect's family. However, she wouldn't reveal any hesitation or uncertainty; what she needed to show her family now was absolute confidence.

"Alright, since my son says so, then let's rethink our plans." The second wife couldn't persuade her daughter otherwise.

Seeing her daughter's behavior, she guessed that her daughter and Liang Erlang must have met at the Liang family home today and gotten along well. Thinking of this, the second wife couldn't help but feel a little resentful of her status. Although they were both legal wives and legitimate daughters-in-law of the Xiao family, the second wife was still subordinate to the first wife. Normally, she didn't feel anything, but at such a crucial moment, it was the first wife who represented the Xiao family.

Perhaps it's right for the daughter to want to marry into a family with a higher social standing. Otherwise, wouldn't she also be overshadowed by the eldest son's family?

That evening, after dinner, in Xiao Fuyan's study.

"Father." Xiao Quexian entered gracefully, carrying a bowl of nourishing soup. She bowed gently to Xiao Fuyan, her voice soft.

"Xian'er, what brings you here! Please sit down!" Xiao Fuyan smiled broadly and gestured for a seat for her to sit down. "I know everything that happened today! Well done! You have brought great honor to the Xiao family!"

Xiao Quexian smiled and lowered her head: "I only had a few good things to show for it. Who knew I would become the top female contestant?"

Xiao Quexian placed the soup she was holding on the table in front of Xiao Fuyan and said obediently, "It's already autumn now, the perfect time for nourishing the body. Father, you've worked so hard all day, so I specially made this soup for you. Please try it. If you like it, I'll make you a bowl often."

"Good, good, good..." Xiao Fuyan laughed heartily: "The soup that my talented daughter made for me is bound to be good."

"Father, please stop teasing me." Xiao Quexian smiled shyly, but then changed the subject, her tone clearly probing: "After composing the poem today, I strolled around the Liang family's garden... and unfortunately, I ran into the second young master of the Liang family."

She directly mentioned Liang Zhao, no longer concealing her intentions, since everyone in the Xiao family knew that she was determined to annul the engagement with the Qin family.

Upon hearing Xiao Quexian's words, Xiao Fuyan's eyes flickered slightly, and he put down the soup he was holding, his expression becoming much more serious.

He naturally guessed that his daughter was coming over tonight to bring up the matter of annulling the engagement again, but he didn't expect that Liang Erlang would be involved.

"Liang Erlang? Liang Zhao?" Xiao Fuyan asked Xiao Quexian for confirmation.

“Indeed.” Xiao Quexian’s cheeks flushed slightly, and her voice became even more shy: “Second Master Liang… greatly admires my daughter’s poetic talent, and we… had a very pleasant conversation today.” She hesitated, leaving much room for imagination.

Xiao Quexian has already revealed her hand; now it's just a matter of whether Xiao Fuyan will accept the offer.

Of course he accepted, almost without hesitation. Even if it was just a chance for his daughter to marry into the Liang family, Xiao Fuyan couldn't refuse.

If there's a chance to become related to the Liang family, that would mean an immense leap in wealth and status!

Xiao Fuyan's heart immediately tipped in his favor: "Good! Good! Xian'er, you are truly my good daughter! I agree to the matter you've always been concerned about."

Xiao Quexian's smile bloomed like a flower.

"Father, your daughter has come to bring you soup. I heard that Second Sister is here too. I wonder if Father would like to have another cup?" Just then, Xiao Yan Hui's voice rang out from outside the door.

The father and daughter exchanged a glance, and for a moment their expressions both froze.