Chapter 149: Chapter 148: Older Brother

The night at Pure Path Temple is quiet, with only the candlelight flickering in the Warm Pavilion.

Lin Youning looked at the person in front of her, not knowing what to say for a moment, yet couldn’t help but lift her head to scrutinize him.

If seeing family should be exciting, then when she last saw her father, she had used up all that excitement.

Facing her true family again, she didn’t expect the initial nervousness, followed by the calm after seeing him.

Upon closer inspection, Zhao Housheng does resemble her quite a bit, but as a man who has gone through the battlefield, he carries an aura of resoluteness, so even if someone noticed their resemblance, they wouldn’t consider this possibility.

Liang Hui had long retreated into the interior room, leaving the warm pavilion to the siblings.

Zhao Housheng was also scrutinizing the person in front of him. At first sight, he was astonished by her seven-eight parts resemblance to their mother. At that moment, he was thrilled thinking he had found her, yet felt he must be crazy; otherwise, how could he mistake the granddaughter of Gao Mansion for Sister Min?

After many twists and turns, he finally had found the right person.

When Zhao Housheng received the letter sent by his wife, he said nothing and immediately rode his horse here. Along the way, he thought of many things to say to his sister, but when he saw her, he remembered none of them, yet felt just looking at her, without saying anything, was good enough.

“Sister Min, it’s elder brother’s fault. If it weren’t for my studies, mother wouldn’t have taken you to work, wouldn’t have lost you, nor would she have left this world heartbroken over losing you.” Indirectly, it also harmed father.

This has been Zhao Housheng’s lingering regret over the years.

It was also the reason he was fixated on finding his sister. Now that he had found her and she was doing well, he hoped their parents could rest easy in their graves.

“Brother, don’t say that. If you keep feeling guilty, father and mother will worry about you.” Lin Youning initially thought it would be hard to call him brother, but it wasn’t as difficult as she imagined.

Zhao Housheng’s eyes reddened, “Alright, alright, brother will listen to you.”

Perhaps due to their blood relation, seeing his red eyes, her nose also tingled.

For a moment, it went quiet again.

The two siblings silently wiped away their tears, and Liang Hui, listening from the inner room, also secretly wiped her tears.

Zhao Housheng, being a man, quickly calmed his emotions, “Would you be willing to return to the mansion and live with us?”

Liang Hui only wrote in the letter that he had found his sister, without any further details.

Hearing her husband’s words from the inner room, Liang Hui got up and walked out, “Housheng, it’s good you’re here, let’s discuss some matters with our sister face to face.”

After all, some things are not suitable to be mentioned in a letter. Liang Hui mentioned the things she had discussed with Lin Youning, and Zhao Housheng listened calmly to his wife, finally looking towards Lin Youning.

Lin Youning nodded, “Don’t laugh at your sister, but over the years, I’ve never wanted to marry Brother Gu Er.”

“Gu Er’s character is not upright; such a person is not suitable for a lifetime commitment. I’m well aware of this, so sister, just rest assured and return to Gu Mansion. I will arrange everything.”

Her brother’s lack of opposition, and even his willingness to potentially offend Gu Mansion by directly stating Gu Er’s character flaws, truly put Lin Youning at ease.

Zhao Housheng took out a piece of white jade hairpin from his bosom, “This was left to you by mother. When she passed, she entrusted it to me, saying if I found you, I should give it to you as part of your dowry.”

Lin Youning accepted the hairpin, gently stroking it in her hand, as if seeing the woman lying on the bed, wasting away over the loss of her daughter, and her reluctant departure.

The white jade hairpin was carved into a flower bud, seemingly a plum blossom bud, connecting to the plum blossom birthmark on her body, showing the genuine love for her daughter.

Otherwise, given the family’s conditions at the time, how could they afford such a hairpin?

“This jade was passed down from grandmother to mother, claimed to be a rare piece of warm jade, and after you were lost, mother asked father to carve it into a plum blossom for you.” Zhao Housheng stood up, looking at his sister fixated on the hairpin, his voice tinged with experience, “It’s late, you and your sister-in-law should rest, I will head straight down the mountain, and avoid causing any stir.”

Gu Er is easy to deal with, but the Marquis is not.

Lin Youning held the hairpin tightly in her hand, rising to see him off when Zhao Housheng stopped her, “The cold outside is heavy, your health is frail, take good care of yourself.”

He spoke while staring intently at his sister with reluctance. After seeing her nod, he turned and strode away.

After he left, hearing the sound of the door lock outside, Lin Youning came to realize she had been preoccupied with seeing off her brother and hadn’t asked her sister-in-law if she had any words for him.

Liang Hui noticed Lin Youning carefully examining her and smiled, “You and your brother see each other every day; there’s nothing more to say. It’s getting late, let’s rest soon.”

But inwardly, Sister Ning’s struggle was evident.

Though pampered in Gu Mansion, she had to be careful not to offend others; if she were in her own home, how could she be like this?

Liang Hui couldn’t help but feel sorry.

Lin Youning, however, was unaware. After the two of them lay down, she couldn’t sleep, thinking about the plum blossom bud hairpin and reviewing her plan from start to finish, finally resting easy after ensuring there were no errors.

The next day, getting up early with Liang Hui to go to the temple to offer incense, the party was ready to descend the mountain when Liang Hui received a message from the servant, turning back to seek Lin Youning’s opinion, “General Xu happens to be going down the mountain as well, and suggested we travel together for safety.”

Back then, the carriage incident at General Xu Mansion near Pure Path Temple caused quite a stir. Since Pure Path Temple is a Royal Temple, the Holy Emperor was angered, sending people to eliminate the bandits, and since then, not even a thief showed up near the temple.

Upon hearing Xu Kuan’s reason, Lin Youning smiled, “Let him be.”

Silently criticizing, do they really take us as sheltered women, unaware of even such matters?

Yet, knowing his stubborn nature, she let him be.

After all, they were in a carriage and would have no chance to be offended along the way.

Xu Kuan was very quiet along the way, only greeting them at the start and parting ways in the Capital, with no inappropriate behavior throughout the journey.

Liang Hui, having escorted Lin Youning back to the Marquis Mansion, did not get off the carriage but returned immediately.

Without changing clothes, Lin Youning first went to Shi’an Garden. Upon entering, she noticed something strange. Although Shi’an Garden was usually quiet, the young maids usually wore smiles, unlike now, each with their head bowed.

Realizing something had happened at the mansion, Lin Youning strode confidently in, letting the young maid lift the curtain to enter the flower hall.

Mrs. Gu Sr. had received the report of her return to the mansion and had waited a while, seeing her come in, she did not let Lin Youning salute but hurriedly waved her over.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep