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“Young Lady was born in the Year of Mao.” Su Zhu’s voice sounded out weakly.
When no one exposed the matter, no one would think too much into it, but now that Li Jing Cheng had exposed everything with one sentence, and Su Zhu had added her confirmation, the gaze that everyone directed towards the golden pig and white rabbit inside the small wooden loft changed.
With a crinkle-eyed smile, Li Jing Cheng glanced at the pair. His gaze was filled with an ambiguous taste, and he continued to fan the flames with his mouth.
“Hey, how coincidental is that? Zi Run, what do you say?”
Perfectly composed, Wen Ting Zhou stood beside Ruan Xi as a gentle smile lined his lips.
“Certainly, it’s quite coincidental.”
Li Jing Cheng: “

”
This was the first time he had seen Zi Run lie without changing his expression or his heart beating faster.
He was really broadening his horizons.
Seeing that Wen Ting Zhou was a bone that was hard to chew on, Li Jing Cheng immediately dropped it and turned towards Ruan Xi instead. “Ruan si xiaojie, do you have any thoughts?”
Although the blush on Ruan Xi’s face had yet to recede, seeing Li Jing Cheng’s gleeful gaze – which was waiting to see a good show – steadied her mental state immediately. In a serious tone, she stated:
“My impression is that Ting Zhou da ge’s wood carving is exquisite, and the placement of the switches are ingenious.”
Wen Ting Zhou’s gaze landed on the blush on her cheeks, the corners of his mouth rising.
“Ruan Ruan overpraises, I still haven’t done enough, and I haven’t satisfied your expectation.”
“Had I known earlier
”
Wen Ting Zhou did not continue speaking, only fixing Ruan Xi with a stare as he smiled.
His smiling expression was deep with meaning.
Ruan Xi met his deep and obscured eyes, immediately understanding why he said that he had not exerted himself to his limits. Her heart jolted and she could resist glaring at him while being red faced.
This guy Wen Ting Zhou was becoming better at teasing people.
She felt that Li Jing Cheng was utterly wrong; how was Wen Ting Zhou cowardly?
He was clearly a fox with rigorous schemes and deep foresight, digging pits with each step.
Li Jing Cheng: “

”
He had enough of these two people. One of them pretended to be confused by being deadly earnest, the other spoke with double meanings, and now they were casting amorous glances at each other. Who were they trying to deceive? Hence, Li Jing Cheng’s mouth twitched as he opened up a question in a straightforward manner.
“Ruan si xiaojie, I’m asking if you have any thoughts after seeing the golden pig hug the white rabbit.”
Ruan Xi shifted her gaze away, meeting Li Jing Cheng’s smiling face. How could she possibly miss that bit of ill-intention from Li Jing Cheng? With a calm expression, she replied: “It’s rather cute, very nourishing for the eyes, and it’s quite innovative.”
The corners of Li Jing Cheng’s lips jerked as he showed a thwarted expression. He did not expect that Ruan si xiaojie would also be a piece of bone that was hard to swallow. After he glowered at the two unruffled people resentfully for a moment, he finally conceded defeat. “Ruan si xiaojie, I cede, you and Zi Run are truly a pair match made in heaven.”
Ruan Xi smiled slightly.
Want to see her being a spectacle? No way!
However, if she had to be honest, Zhou Wenyan’s pleasant surprise had shot right to the bottom of her heart.
Ruan Xi had always known that Wen Ting Zhou was not a noble and benevolent character like he presented himself to be, but she did not expect that he would be so skilled in flirtatious gestures.
Ruan Xi had no choice but to admit that she had been teased to the point where heart was akin to a young fawn randomly bumping around.
He was truly a black-bellied and scheming man.
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Meanwhile, Mama Lin and Mama Yang were admiring and satisfied after seeing this scene, and they had to inwardly exclaim in admiration where Ruan Xi’s tenacity and reaction were concerned.
Mama Lin surveyed the people in the room, deciding to create a chance for Wen gongzi and the Fourth Young Lady to interact alone.
“Alright, the wooden loft has been seen. Considering how Wen gongzi’s visits are far and few between, we should go out first, and stop disturbing Wen gongzi and the Fourth Young Lady.”
Once Su Yu and Su Zhu heard those words, they immediately nodded their head and bowed to their Young Lady before withdrawing. Mama Yang did the same, and it was only Li Jing Cheng who was not very willing.
Even after Mama Yang and the rest had departed, Li Jing Cheng was still standing in the hall.
“Why are you still standing there?” Wen Ting Zhou glanced at Li Jing Cheng, his tone of voice harbouring a tint of displeasure.
Smiling mischievously, Li Jing Cheng proceeded to sit down on her chair, wearing a roguish expression on his face. “I’m a noble guest. Ruan si xiaojie hasn’t opened her mouth to ask me to leave, wouldn’t I be sweeping si xiaojie’s face if I left like that?”
Ruan Xi: “

”
Wen Ting Zhou smiled faintly, nodding his head in agreement. “That certainly is the case. Ruan Ruan, ask Su Yu and Su Zhu to come in to entertain this noble guest.”
Didn’t Li Jing Cheng want to be a noble guest? They would satisfy him then.
Having said that, Wen Ting Zhou could not be more natural as he held Ruan Xi’s soft and small hand, preparing to leave.
Ruan Xi: “

”
Ruan Xi was momentarily stunned when her hand was held without warning, and she snapped her head towards Wen Ting Zhou, only to discover that he seemed unaware of his actions, as if holding her hand was an exceedingly natural gesture.
Dimly, Ruan Xi reckoned that she was thinking too much.
Wen Ting Zhou’s larger hand was warm and strong as it firmly encased her smaller hand. Ruan X’s heart skipped a beat, her ears growing hotter soundlessly.
Wen Ting Zhou’s eyes glanced past Ruan Ruan’s reddening ears carelessly, his lips hooking up slightly.
He had to thank Li Jing Cheng, because he finally held Ruan Ruan’s hand.
Mn, Ruan Ruan’s hand was small, delicate, and soft, it felt particularly nice to hold.
The hand he was using to hold Ruan Ruan unconsciously tightened.
Presently, Li Jing Cheng’s entire person was slack, stunned with amazement. He did not expect that Wen Ting Zhou would react in such a way.
He stared at Ruan Xi with wide eyes.
“Ruan si xiaojie, look at Zi Run, he’s actually acting like a host despite being a guest, he’s going too far.”
Ruan Xi steadied her mind. As she observed Li Jing Cheng’s undying persistence, she could not stop her lips from raising and a glint of mirth flashed past her eyes.
“Li gongzi, Ting Zhou da ge is my fiancĂ©, he doesn’t count as a guest. I’ll call Su Yu and Su Zhu inside now.”
Not long after, Su Yu and Su Zhu entered. Following Wen gongzi’s instructions, they enthusiastically entertained this tactless guest Li gongzi.
Hence, Li Jing Cheng, who was being hindered by Su Yu and Su Zhu, could only watch the pair walk further inwards with wide eyes.
His lips twitched, sitting down on the chair with disinterest. However, he absolutely made the right choice in being brazen and tagging along. The trip was not made in vain at all.
Tsk tsk, who could have thought that Wen gongzi, the person who would usually stay away from womanly charms and treated women with an estranging and indifferent attitude, would be a scheming man with great measures.
Li Jing Cheng stared at the small wooden loft on the large table, and he could not resist pulling on the last switch to restore everything back to its original state before he started playing with it again in high spirits.
Su Yu and Su Zhu: “

”
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The décor inside was simple and elegant.
Right after Wen Ting Zhou sat down while holding Ruan Xi’s hand, he released her without any hesitation, which made Ruan Xi feel like she had been thinking too much again.
Mama Yang stepped in, placed down the tea and pastries she was carrying, and then she promptly withdrew.
By the time Mama left, Ruan Xi had already regained her composure. She poured Wen Ting Zhou a cup of hot tea as she said smilingly:
“Ting Zhou da ge, your arrival today was truly timely, even that prideful Mu xiaojie’s complexion changed.”
“Which Mu xiaojie, I wasn’t paying attention.” Wen Ting Zhou coughed.
He only remembered the Mu xiaojie that used a steamed bun to hit the Fourth Prince’s face.
Ruan Xi was speechless for a moment. Although Mu Qing Ling was akin to an invisible person in the Main Courtyard just now, she still felt a little happy in her heart. Her lips quirked up as she said, “It’s the concubine-born daughter of the Ministry of War’s Assistant Minister Mu, who was just engaged to your illegitimate younger brother two days ago.”
Wen Ting Zhou’s handsome face sank. “She bullied you?”
The matter of the Mu Family embezzling large sums of money from the funds and provisions for the troops had not been exposed, since the Emperor had suppressed it again in consideration of Mu taifei’s prestige, and he only ordered Assistant Minister Mu and those involved to spit out the funds and provisions that they had privately swallowed in secret.
Hence, the Mu Family still had their glamour, but prominent families with ample information would never marry a lady from the Mu Family.
That concubine-born daughter from the Mu Family getting engaged to Wen Ting Yi was a mere coincidence.
Looking at Wen Ting Zhou’s reaction made Ruan Xi even happier in her heart. She shook her head. “It can’t be considered as bullying, she merely declared that it was hard to say if we could be in the same family in the future.”
Wen Ting Zhou’s lips pursed in a cold smile. “Certainly, it is hard to say. That illegitimate younger brother of mine, Wen Ting Yi, fell in love with a legitimate daughter from a small seventh-ranked governmental family at first sight during the Lantern Festival last year, and he’s adamant about marrying her. Hence, he isn’t satisfied with the marriage that his yiniang (concubine mother) had decided on her own accord.”
Ruan Xi frowned in shock, “The marriage of an illegitimate son, how could a yiniang be allowed to stick her hand in? What did Wen furen say?”
Wen Ting Zhou smiled, but his smile did not reach the bottom of his eyes. “That yiniang directly went past Mother to look for Father’s support. Mother, upon seeing that she didn’t have to stain her hands with Wen Ting Yi’s vexing affairs, allowed her to do as she pleased.”
Ruan Xi: “

”
It seemed like the waters of the Minister Wen’s back courtyard were quite deep, but Wen furen was still sitting stably on the fishing deck.
It was apparent that Wen Ting Zhou was revealing some of the issues in the Wen Family’s back courtyard to her on purpose.
However, Ruan Xi was not afraid.
The inner courtyards of illustrious and affluent families were actually more or less the same; peaceful relations between the wife and concubines had always been a running joke.
“Ruan Ruan, you can set your heart at ease. I will be attending the imperial civil service examination next month. After passing brilliantly, I will stay in Hanlin Academy for a year or two, and when we eventually get married, I’ll seek a post outside of the capital, and I’ll bring you along to travel to take up the post.”
Wen Ting Zhou had already planned everything a long time ago. When Ruan Ruan married into the Wen Family, he would ensure that she would never suffer any grievances.
“Ting Zhou da ge, it seems like you’re extremely confident about the imperial civil service examinations this time around, and you already have the future planned out.”
Ruan Xi said smilingly as she pursed a mouthful of tea.
There was still two more years to their official marriage; Wen Ting Zhou was really thinking far into the future.
Wen Ting Zhou smiled slightly, “Three years ago, I already had the confidence that I could pass brilliantly and become the top three among the successful candidates in the highest imperial civil service examination, to say nothing of three years after.”
“Ting Zhou da ge, since you already had the confidence, why didn’t you participate in the imperial civil examination three years ago?” Ruan Xi asked curiously.
Wen Ting Zhou chuckled softly. “For the descendants of prominent and illustrious families like ours, the imperial examinations are like adding flowers on brocade. Furthermore, without any experience in our young age, we wouldn’t be heavily used even if we become a successful candidate in the imperial examinations. Of course, if you have the backing and support of your clan, that might not necessarily be the case.”
Ruan Xi: “

”
To speak bluntly, Ting Zhou da ge did not want to enter officialdom so early.
With his family background and capability, it was no wonder why Ting Zhou da ge had so much leisure time to make her a mechanical, small wooden loft.
After Ruan Xi’s rumination passed, she did not continue this topic. Instead, she changed it to another matter.
She was extremely intrigued by Wen Ting Zhou’s exquisite wood-working skill.
“Ting Zhou da ge, were you really taught how to wood carve by Wu shifu?”
Wen Ting Zhou picked up his teacup to take a sip, not minding Ruan Ruan’s sudden change topic in the slightest. He smiled and nodded, a hint of longing seeping into his eyes. “Mn, I started learning martial arts when I was five. In order to stimulate my interest in practising martial arts, Wu shifu specifically made a few mechanical puppets.”
Ruan Xi’s eyes widened. “Wu shifu is truly skilled.”
Wen Ting Zhou nodded in agreement.
“Later on, I started having a particular interest towards those mechanical puppets, so I privately learned the trade of mechanical wood working from Wu shifu. Apart from my paternal grandmother, my parents remain unaware.”
Ruan Xi: “

”
It was evident that a teacher who instructed the young could exert great influence; because of a single gesture from Wu shifu, Wen Ting Zhou, a noble son from an illustrious family background, had studied his art of exquisite and delicate wood working.
“Ruan Ruan, once we get married, I’ll bring you to Wu shifu’s home to look at his collection. Perhaps Wu shifu might even give us a set of wooden carvings for practising martial arts.”
“Sure, I
”
Before Ruan Xi could finish her words, she was interrupted by Li Jing Cheng who suddenly barged in.
“Zi Run, it’s getting late, we should be leaving.”
Despite uttering those words with his mouth, Li Jing Cheng’s eyes were moving back and forth as he inspected their faces. A hint of disappointment emerged in his eyes.
And here he was thinking that he could see the pair being intimate, who could have thought that they were only drinking tea and chatting?
He could not resist mumbling a comment.
“So timid!”
Combined with Li Jing Cheng’s expression and actions, the meaning in his words were obvious at a glance.
Wen Ting Zhou: “

”
He felt like he needed to exchange notes on martial arts with Li Jing Cheng.
Ruan Xi could not resist spluttering and giggling either, since this was the second time Ting Zhou da ge was being called timid by Li Jing Cheng.
Li Jing Cheng and Wen Ting Zhou looked towards her in unison.
“Does Ruan Ruan also feel like I’m very timid?” Wen Ting Zhou’s placid-sounding voice rang out.