"Su Qing, I missed you so much!" Seeing Su Qing, Cheng Beilin giggled and rushed forward to give her a big hug. If Su Qing hadn’t been so steady on her feet, she suspected she would have been knocked over by Cheng Beilin.
Following behind Cheng Beilin, Cheng Beize covered his face with a weary sigh. If anyone from Xiangcheng who knew Cheng Beilin saw her like this, their jaws would probably hit the floor.
In the socialite circles of Xiangcheng, while Cheng Beilin was known for her straightforward personality, she had never been this boisterous.
"How was your trip?" Su Qing returned Cheng Beilin’s hug with a smile, greeted Cheng Beize, and then ushered them both into the courtyard.
"It went smoothly," Cheng Beize said with a smile.
Once they were inside, Cheng Beilin began to chatter excitedly to Su Qing. "Su Qing, your two jewelry sets are done, and they’re gorgeous! My brother has them; I’ll have him give them to you in a minute. Also, I brought you so pastries from Xiangcheng! They’re delicious. And, and... can I stay here with you? I feel like this place is so different from Xiangcheng."
Cheng Beilin’s barrage of questions couldn’t help but remind Su Qing of Li Huan. ’Co to think of it, their personalities are actually quite similar.’
"Of course you can stay here," Su Qing said with a laugh. "As long as you don’t mind that it’s a bit rustic."
"Mind? I don’t mind at all! Your place is great, I love it." Hearing Su Qing agree to let her stay, Cheng Beilin was absolutely thrilled.
Su Qing then turned to Cheng Beize. "I only have one bedroom here. I can help you find a place to stay with one of the local families."
It couldn’t be helped. Su Qing’s house only had one bedroom; the other room was used for storage and had no bed, making it impossible for Cheng Beize to stay. She had no choice but to find him lodging elsewhere.
Cheng Beize smiled. "That won’t be necessary. I’m just here to drop Beilin off today. I have to head back to Beijing imdiately; I have business to attend to there."
"That’s right," Cheng Beilin chid in. "Don’t worry about my brother, he’s leaving soon. He just didn’t feel comfortable with traveling alone, so he brought here himself."
"If your business isn’t too urgent, tomorrow is the Lantern Festival. Why not stay and celebrate before you leave?" Su Qing suggested.
"Unfortunately, I can’t. I have to hurry back to sign a contract, so I don’t think I’ll have enough ti," Cheng Beize said with a smile. "I’ll leave my little sister in your care for the next few days. I’ll co back to get her once I’ve finished my business in Beijing."
"Take your ti with your work, big brother!" Cheng Beilin quickly added. "I’m in no hurry to leave."
Seeing that Cheng Beize was firm, Su Qing understood his business must be important and didn’t press him further. She smiled. "Alright. In that case, stay for lunch. This afternoon, I’ll ask Grandpa Sun to give you a ride to the county town."
"Okay." Cheng Beize didn’t refuse her kind offer.
Cheng Beize then took out the jewelry he had brought for Su Qing. He produced two flat, square mahogany boxes and opened them. Inside, two exquisite sets of imperial green jadeite jewelry rested quietly on the lining.
"They’re gorgeous." Su Qing’s eyes lit up as she saw the two sets. She had thought they looked beautiful in the pictures she’d chosen from, but she never imagined the actual pieces would be even more stunning, completely exceeding her expectations.
"I think they’re gorgeous, too," Cheng Beilin said with a grin. She pointed to one of the sets. "Yours is the plum blossom design. I had another set made for myself with an orchid design. When we get the chance, we can wear them out together. They’ll be like a matching set for sisters!"
"I’d like that," Su Qing chuckled. She picked up a plum blossom brooch and examined it closely, marveling to herself. ’As expected of a master carver from a renowned Xiangcheng jewelry company. The work is so delicate and expressive. The craftsmanship is truly extraordinary.’
The two jewelry sets Su Qing had originally selected were a plum blossom design and a teardrop design, both of which were very beautiful.
"Thank you so much," Su Qing said to Cheng Beize with a smile.
Cheng Beize laughed. "I should be the one thanking you. That piece of jadeite you provided helped our family a great deal."
Cheng Beilin, standing to the side, laughed. "You two can stop with all the thank-yous."
Then, she turned to Su Qing with a pitiful look. "Su Qing, that journey was so long... I’m starving! What are we having for lunch?"
Cheng Beize looked at his sister with a resigned expression, shaking his head with a small smile.
Su Qing had known Cheng Beize and Cheng Beilin would be arriving, so she had already stocked the kitchen. She smiled and said, "Today I’m making crispy sweet and sour pork, fried prawns, a hearty hotchpotch stew, and chicken with mushroom stew."
Cheng Beilin’s eyes practically sparkled. She’d never had crispy sweet and sour pork before, but it sounded delicious.
While Su Qing was cooking, Cheng Beilin all but took root in the kitchen, hovering around her constantly. "Su Qing, your cooking slls amazing! It’s making even hungrier. I think I could eat two whole bowls of rice."
"Sure, no problem," Su Qing replied with a grin, tossing the prawns into the hot wok. With a loud SIZZLE, the aroma instantly intensified.
The Cheng siblings had dressed very discreetly for their trip to Lihua Village. So, while the villagers knew Su Qing had visitors, they just assud they were ordinary friends she had made during her ti down south. No one would have guessed that this friendly, easygoing brother and sister were actually the young master and lady of a powerful Xiangcheng family. Even the mbers of the Old Su Family next door, who could sll the rich, fragrant aromas wafting from Su Qing’s ho, rely cursed under their breath in annoyance and didn’t dare co over to be nosy.
After lunch, Cheng Beize prepared to leave for Beijing. Su Qing made a point of finding Grandpa Sun, giving him fifty cents to thank him for taking Cheng Beize to the county town.
Once it was just the two of them, Cheng Beilin studied Su Qing, blinking her eyes thoughtfully.
Su Qing laughed. "Why are you looking at like that? If you have sothing to say, just say it."
"Okay, but... if I say it, you can’t get mad, okay?" Cheng Beilin said quickly.
"Go on."
"It’s just... I was looking, and... has the scar on your face gotten better?" Co to think of it, Cheng Beilin hadn’t seen Su Qing in over two months, and people who haven’t seen each other in a long ti are the best at noticing changes. And indeed, with the treatnt she was on, the scar on Su Qing’s face had not only faded in color, but it had also beco much flatter.
Because they had gotten off to a rough start when they first t, with Cheng Beilin having mocked Su Qing over that very scar, she had noticed the improvent earlier but hadn’t dared to ask about it.
Su Qing smiled. "It has gotten a lot better. An old traditional Chinese dicine doctor gave a prescription specifically for treating it."
"That’s wonderful! Can it be healed completely?" Cheng Beilin was instantly delighted. Now that she and Su Qing were good friends, she naturally hoped Su Qing’s scar would heal as quickly as possible.
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