Chapter Fifty-Nine: Being a Guest

  Ye Qinglan was very curious about what the Dingguo Gongfu looked like, and hurriedly squeezed beside Ye Qingning to look out through the gap in the carriage window.

  As far as the eye can see, it is a wide and long bluestone alley. The Dingguo Gong Mansion is located at the end of the alley. Although it's not clear to see from a distance, the magnificent gate is still visible.

  The closer you look, the more astonishing it becomes.

  Above the gate hung a heavy plaque with four large characters "Dingguo Gongfu". The plaque, which had been weathered for many years, was still sturdy and ancient. On either side of the gate crouched two majestic stone lions, while in front of the gate, the wide road was enough for four horse-drawn carriages to drive abreast.

  In the heart of Beijing, where every inch of land is precious, such a magnificent mansion could only belong to an extraordinary official's family.

  "What a magnificent sight! What an impressive display!"

  "That's natural." Ye Qingning smiled carelessly, with a hint of pride and self-satisfaction.

  Ye Qingru's heart itched, wanting to go over and chat together, but couldn't bring herself to do so. Ye Qinglan smiled at the right moment: "Eighth sister, why don't you come over and take a look too?"

  Ye Qing softly and quietly stepped down from the stage and also came over.

  Ye Qingning glanced at Ye Qingrou, wanted to hum a sound, and finally endured again. Forget it, rarely go out of the house today, don't spoil the mood.

  The horse carriage slowly came to a stop in front of the Dingguo Duke's mansion.

  The gatekeeper ran quickly to report, and after a moment, Mrs. Zheng led a group of maidservants to welcome her personally.

  When everyone met, there was a lively and warm atmosphere. Mrs. Zheng and Miss Zheng greeted each other, and then they also exchanged greetings with the three Ye sisters one by one. For some reason, Ye Qinglan felt that Mrs. Zheng's gaze lingered on her for a slightly longer time.

  Ye Qingning glanced behind Mrs. Zheng, a hint of disappointment flashing across her eyes... There was no sign of Gu Xiannian at all...

  The crowd followed Mrs. Zheng into the mansion.

  Ye Qinglan casually glanced around the scenery, secretly comparing it with the Changyuan Bo Mansion. The Changyuan Bo Mansion was luxurious and exquisite everywhere, with countless rare flowers, strange grasses, artificial hills, and flowing water in the garden. In contrast, the Dingguo Gong Mansion was much more low-key, without many particularly delicate or special decorations, and even the pavilions in the garden showed signs of age.

  However, the profound heritage of a century-old aristocratic family is also fully revealed.

  "It's still not as good as our Changyuan Bo Fu!" This sentence was extremely soft, and only Ye Qingning and Ye Qinglan heard it.

  What a lack of vision! Only those newly rich and shallow families would hastily use exquisite carvings and paintings to show off their elegance. Truly aristocratic families with depth don't need to do so.

  Ye Qingning raised an eyebrow and sneered coldly. Although she didn't say anything, the disdain in her eyes was fully revealed.

  Ye Qingrou was secretly gritting her teeth in anger.

  Ye Qinglan was afraid that the two would quarrel in front of everyone, so she lightly cleared her throat. Ye Qingning and Ye Qingrou understood her hint, glanced at each other, and then turned their heads away.

  What a troublesome pair. It's one thing to make a ruckus at home, but when visiting others, can't you be more restrained? Ye Qinglan thought to herself, quietly walking over to stand between the two of them.

  With one person in between, two people should calm down a bit.

  As expected, the two of them were much more subdued afterwards. They each focused on appreciating the scenery beside the path, ignoring each other. Ye Qinglan's ears finally had some peace.

  They soon arrived at Zheng's wife's courtyard.

  Jing Xinyuan!

  Ye Qinglan silently recited in her heart, this name was indeed elegant and refined. Compared to Rakumonin or Hōfūin, it was much stronger.

  Mrs. Zheng smiled and led the crowd to the main hall of Jingxuan Garden, where guests were waiting, and everyone took their seats as hosts and guests. The maidservants brought up all kinds of pastries and steaming hot tea.

  Mr. Zheng and Mrs. Zheng started chatting about family matters. The three Ye sisters didn't have a chance to interrupt for the time being, so they each held their hot tea and took sips.

  Ye Qingning occasionally glanced at the door. This subtle movement naturally did not escape Ye Qinglan's eyes, and she couldn't help but secretly smile to herself, lowering her voice to say: "Sixth sister, why haven't we seen Xiuyu until now?"

  Mentioning Gu Xi Yu, Ye Qing Ning's expression was somewhat subtle: "She doesn't like meeting strangers. She probably won't come today."

  As soon as he thought of Gu Xiuyu, he couldn't help but think of Zheng Junyan, and then think of Zheng's firm attitude, Ye Qingning's heart began to feel annoyed.

  Ye Qinglan was best at observing expressions and body language. Seeing that she didn't want to mention Gu Xiuyu, he tactfully stopped talking.

  Although they had only met once, the impression Gu Xiuyu left on her was really too deep. To be honest, she followed along to Dingguo Gongfu today, and half of it was because of Gu Xiuyu...

  Just then, Zheng Shi suddenly asked: "By the way, where is Xiuyu?"

  Mrs. Zheng smiled and replied, "I've already sent someone to call her over, she'll probably arrive soon." After a pause, she smiled again, "This time I specifically asked you to bring Lan's sister along, it was so that she could get closer to Lan's sister."

  Ye Qinglan was suddenly called out, and she couldn't help but be stunned for a moment. She quickly came to her senses and realized that it was no wonder Zheng's wife had insisted on bringing her along, as Mrs. Zheng had specifically mentioned her in the invitation.

  It's strange, how did Mrs. Zheng suddenly come up with this idea?

  "Don't mention it, I was just about to ask you!" Zheng also looked curious: "How did you suddenly come up with this idea."

  Ye Qingning and Ye Qingrou also subconsciously perked up their ears.

  Mrs. Zheng smiled and said, "A few days ago after returning from the Changyuan Bo's residence, Xi Nian mentioned to me that Xiyue and Lan Jie got along particularly well. I asked Xiyue about it, and she also expressed her willingness to be friends with Lan Jie."

  At that time, she was both surprised and delighted when she heard these words.

  This is the first time Gu Xiuyu has explicitly shown affection for a girl of the same age! That's why she invited Zheng and others to visit under the pretext of admiring flowers. In fact, the real purpose was to take a look at Ye Qinglan's temperament.

  Today, as expected, she did not disappoint. Ye Qinglan's appearance was elegant and refined, her demeanor was poised and dignified, and the faint smile on her lips made one feel a sense of closeness from the bottom of their heart.

  Although she was only the third daughter of the Changyuan Bo Fu, her status was far inferior to that of Gu Xiuyu. But as long as Gu Xiuyu liked it, what did it matter if her status was a little lower?

  Everyone's gaze suddenly turned over. Ye Qinglan, although her face was thick enough, couldn't help but make a surprised and delighted expression: "Madam, did Sister Xiuyu really say that?"

  Mrs. Zheng smiled and nodded, her attitude extremely warm and kind: "She didn't say anything, but when I asked, she nodded. Later when I said please come visit me, she was very happy. From now on don't be so formal, just call me Aunt like Ning'er does."

  Ye Qinglan deliberately hesitated for a moment, looked at Zheng Shi, and obviously sought her consent. Zheng Shi saw that she was so clever and sensible, and nodded in satisfaction with a smile.

  Yè Qīnglán then smiled and said: "In that case, I'll muster up the courage to call out 'Aunt'."

  "Alright, don't just stand there talking all the time, sit down quickly. There will be plenty of chances to meet again in the future!"

  Zheng said with a smile: "Oh, I think I'm lucky today because of Lan's sister, that's why I have the chance to come and see the flowers."

  It can be seen that the relationship between the two sisters is still good, and Mrs. Zheng smiled and replied: "If you don't want to, next time I'll just invite Lan alone, so as not to disturb you." The two exchanged a smile.

  Watching Ye Qinglan show off, Ye Qingning and Ye Qingrou couldn't help but feel a little sour in their hearts.

  Just then, a girl walked in.

  The girl was dressed in a light green dress, her long black hair tied up in a bun, with half of it hanging down over her shoulders. Her pale and pretty face had a pair of big, dark eyes that shone with a timid light, and she glanced at Mrs. Zheng only once before lowering her head.

  It's Gu Xi Yu who has come!

  Mrs. Zheng gently called Gu Xiuyu over and smiled: "Yu'er, quickly pay respects to your aunt."

  Gu Xi Yu said in a low voice: "Yu'er has seen her aunt." But she did not kneel down to pay respects.

  Zheng knew her temper and naturally wouldn't mind her rudeness, smiling as she responded with a "yes".

  Ye Qingning looked at Gu Xiyu, her eyes flickering uncertainly. Although she knew clearly that Gu Xiyu would never take the initiative to get along with Zheng Junyan, there was still some awkwardness in her heart...

  Zheng looked at Ye Qingning and coughed, saying: "Ning'er, you really are getting more and more impolite. How can you not even greet your cousin?" Probably only Ye Qingning could hear the warning in his words.

  Ye Qingning had no choice but to get up and smiled as she greeted Gu Xizhu.

  Gu Xiuyu didn't say a word, but pulled up the corners of her lips and squeezed out a faint smile, which was equivalent to greeting Ye Qingning.

  Ye Qingrou had heard about the various eccentric habits of this Miss Gu, but when she suddenly saw her, she couldn't help but feel a few parts surprised, and her expression wasn't as natural. Unconsciously, she glanced at Gu Xiyu several more times.

  Gu Xiuyu was obviously very unaccustomed to being stared at all the time and subconsciously shrunk back a little.

  Ye Qinglan quietly observed Gu Xiuyu's every move. From Gu Xiuyu's performance, it was obviously much better than that day. This is also a common manifestation of most autistic patients. They like to stay in familiar places and once they are in an unfamiliar environment, they will show more anxiety and unease than usual.

  Gu Xiuyu's wandering eyes met Ye Qinglan's in mid-air. Ye Qinglan adjusted herself to her most approachable state and gave Gu Xiuyu a faint smile.

  Gu Xiuyu apparently still remembered her and returned a shy smile. Although she still didn't speak, her expression relaxed a lot.

  Madam Zheng's attention was all on Gu Xiuyu, and she naturally sensed this subtle change, her eyes gradually brightening.

  It turns out that Xi Nian was telling the truth all along, and Yu Er really likes this Lan sister.

  Mrs. Zheng's mind was racing with ideas, and she smiled as she said, "There are several pots of orchids in the garden that are blooming perfectly; let's go take a look."

  Zheng smiled and nodded in response.

  Mrs. Zheng smiled and ordered: "It's windy outside, so Yu'er won't go." When she said this, she intentionally or unintentionally glanced at Ye Qinglan.