Chapter 228: Chapter 187: Don’t Leave Chapter 228: Chapter 187: Don’t Leave The gathering went on.
People tacitly avoided discussing Zhao Rong’s matter with Lingfei, as if nothing had happened.
Only occasionally did residence students or scholars exchange knowing glances, with their attentions briefly fixed on Zhao Rong and Lingfei, confirming so sort of change had occurred.
Lingfei, unfazed by these external changes, sat very close to Zhao Rong, her small hand held tenderly in his for a mont before she weakly “struggled” to pull it away.
She rely smiled lightly, her eyes curving like crescent moons, yet she avoided looking at Zhao Rong next to her, nervously fumbling with the teaset. Despite being adept at the tea ceremony, for so reason, she was making small mistakes, correcting them promptly, though her movents beca increasingly chaotic.
Sitting beside her, Zhao Rong’s gaze remained intensely fixed on Lingfei, never straying, observing all her clumsiness and slight panic, which made her ears turn red.
In his presence, Lingfei felt she always beca different, strangely so…
Pouting, Lingfei leaned over to the right, bumping into Zhao Rong.
Unable to suppress a chuckle, Zhao Rong leaned to the left, pushing against her.
The two of them, like children, nudged each other closely.
However, he silently played with Lingfei for a while before smiling and looking away, no longer using his gaze to tease her.
As he looked elsewhere, Zhao Rong casually remarked,
“Qing Jun, when did you learn the art of tea-making?”
“When I first arrived at Taiching Prefecture.”
After Lingfei replied, there was a quiet mont, then she bit her lip and whispered softly, “I learned from a senior sister, on that day… on that day she happened to be serving tea to her husband, and they seed very well-matched.”
Zhao Rong squinted, unsure how to respond, and gently bumped her again with his side.
“Qing Jun.”
“Hmm?”
“I am here.”
Lingfei paused her actions as she looked down.
“Don’t leave.”
Her tone was serious.
Leaning against her, he responded, “Granted, and I won’t leave.”
Soon, Ye Ruoxi had finished pairing up the n and won at the gathering.
Du Yifu, as he wished, was seated next to Liu Kongyi.
Ji Qianyi, after watching Zhao Rong and Lingfei hold hands, did not wait for Ye Ruoxi to choose for him; his complexion pale, he directly walked to Yun Zi’s table. As he passed Zhao Rong and Lingfei’s table, he did not even glance in their direction, adhering to the “look not unless necessary” advice previously given by Zhao Rong.
Of course, Zhao Rong and Lingfei, too, did not notice Ji Qianyi passing by their table, instead behaving sowhat childishly, shoulders pressed together, bumping heads.
Ji Qianyi, not turning his head, grew even paler…
Not far away, Ye Lanzi was allocated to a handso residence student whom Zhao Rong did not recognize.
As for Lanzhi, who was about to aid Zhao Rong earlier, she did not sit with a man but walked to the side to wait, effectively serving as a maid for the gathering, which was also the duty of the Red Carp girls today.
However, this round-faced girl in red, whether intentionally or not, chose to stand near the table of Zhao Rong and Qing Jun, her curious, round eyes glancing at Zhao Rong. Whenever he looked back at her speechlessly, she would quickly look away in other directions.
n successively ca to the stream bank and took their seats.
Whenever an academy elder passed by the table, Zhao Rong would dutifully greet them. Unlike Qing Jun, who moved about Taiching Prefecture on her own terms and would not bother with anyone except the senior sisters she was close to, the academy emphasized respect for its elders.
However, each ti Zhao Rong greeted the elders, Qing Jun would put aside her work, straighten her back, and sit upright, joining her husband in the greeting, earnestly saying, “Greetings, elder brother.”
This caused Zhao Rong’s senior brothers to hurriedly return the greeting.
It was the sa with Li Jinsu and Ye Ruoxi as they passed by.
Zhao Rong and Lingfei greeted together, saying, “Greetings, grand elder brother.”
Li Jinsu reluctantly returned the greeting, “Little junior brother and… junior sister-in-law, you need not be so formal.”
Zhao Rong also patted Lingfei’s hand, but she stubbornly continued anyway.
Ye Ruoxi watched this scene of marital harmony with complex eyes.
————
The Nuanyi Gathering was conducted in the style of “flowing cups along a winding stream.”
This was originally a refined pasti of literati and scholars pairing poetry with wine, but influenced by Linlu Academy’s Confucian atmosphere, it beca very popular among the many gatherings in Du You City.
Its primary functions were celebration and entertainnt.
Along the Nuanyi Stream, there were tables set up on the bank, each backdropped by a pair of a man and a woman. Starting upstream, the maidens placed wine cups that could float on the water’s surface. As the cups drifted downstream, n and won on both sides of the stream could pick them up.
At the gathering, Ye Ruoxi initiated so poetry chanting and drinking activities. With the presence of Du Yifu and other academy scholars skilled in poetry and verse, the gathering was far from dull. Everyone chanted and recited poems, lively enlivening the assembly.
However, compared to Du Yifu and his group, the scholarship students brought by Li Jinsu seed less impressive.
Different teachers from the academy excelled in different areas, which didn’t surprise the others at all, as Du Yifu and his cohort were regular active participants in such cultured etings.
Yet, there was one person who was an exception.
Initially, the residents of Taiching Prefecture were very observant of Zhao Rong next to Lingfei, their gazes filled with curiosity and speculation.
Many won also secretly sized up this husband of Lingfei, with quite so anticipation.
After all, anyone who could be partner to Lingfei should have sothing special about them.
As for Zhao Rong’s cultivation realm, most on site were cultivators of the Heavenly Will Realm, so they recognized his level imdiately.
It was sowhat unexpected, but not by much, as he was a Confucian scholar; they also needed to look at other aspects.
Zhao Rong, Zhao Ziyu?
Previously, no one had heard of such a person in Linlu Academy, but it seed he must be a new ‘reading seed’ to the academy.
Everyone looked on with expectations and scrutinizing gazes, but soon they were sowhat disappointed because Zhao Rong did not take part in the activities at the gathering. Instead, he sat quietly in his spot, intimately conversing with Lingfei and, like everyone else, simply observed as the talented n and won engaged in their literary prowess without being active himself.
If he were not sitting with Lingfei, he might have been just another unremarkable participant at the gathering.
Of course, the residence students also considered that Zhao Rong, like his senior brothers, might simply excel in scripture studies and not have much interest in poetry and literature.
But, Zhao Rong’s lackluster performance, not standing out like his senior brothers, still led many to harbor doubts about their initial speculations, as true academy scholars usually aren’t limited to just one area of expertise.
Many won who were initially curious about Zhao Rong, such as Lingfei’s sisters, felt him becoming increasingly uninteresting. Liu Kongyi, for example, had already withdrawn her attention from him.
People soon lost patience, their attention drifted away from him, focusing elsewhere.
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