Quick Wear: Cousin, Come to the Bowl Quickly

After a fresh rain, dots of green appeared in the lotus pond of the Anguo Mansion. Lin Xi leaned sideways on the railing, staring in a daze at the koi carps swimming back and forth among the tender green new lotus leaves.

He Lanting borrowed many rare books from famous masters from Lin Xi, and he studied hard for several days, just like a fish in a dry rut that had just encountered a spring of rain. Heng Zhi saw that he was so absorbed in studying that he forgot to eat and sleep, and worried about his health, so he advised him to take a walk in the garden to avoid damaging his eyes.

After he reminded him, Helan Ting raised his head from the pile of books, only to feel the pain in his shoulders and neck and dry eyes. He followed Heng Zhi's words and walked towards the garden. The greenery all along the way made his drowsy mind clear up a little. He also heard the servant who was sweeping the garden say that the lotus leaves had grown, so he also walked over here with great interest.

When he entered the garden, there was a breeze blowing the soft willow branches, bringing the fragrance of new lotus, and he walked slowly along the pond with his hands behind his back. However, he never expected that when he turned the corner of the corridor, he ran into Lin Xi leaning on the railing in a daze, and he couldn't help but be stunned.

Lin Xi was dressed in plain clothes today. Her dark black hair was tied up in a loose bun. She did not wear any expensive jewelry. She only pinned a hairpin made of rice beads on each side of her temples. She wore no makeup, but her face, which usually looked too gorgeous, now looked a little more beautiful.

She was wearing a sky-blue shirt today, the style was also the loose-fitting style that was popular nowadays. The fabric was soft, and as she leaned on the railing with one hand on her chin, the wide cuffs slipped down to her elbows, revealing a jade-like and smooth forearm. Helan Ting's ears blushed when he saw it, and he hurriedly avoided her sight.

After a while, He Lanting saw that she didn't notice him, and wanted to turn back, but for some reason he couldn't move. Finally, after thinking about it, he slowly walked forward and stopped a foot away from Lin Xi. He said softly, "Cousin Zhuangan."

Lin Xi seemed to be startled by his sudden voice. Her arm, which was supporting her cheek and leaning against the railing, slipped and half of her body leaned backward. She was about to fall into the lotus pond under the corridor. She couldn't help but scream and subconsciously stretched out her hand in the direction of He Lanting.

He Lanting was shocked and didn't care about the rules between men and women. He took a long step and quickly walked to the railing. With a long arm, he pulled Lin Xi, who was suspended in the air, back from the precarious position. Because the action was too quick and the force was a bit strong, Lin Xi followed He Lanting's action and fell directly into his arms. "Ouch!" He Lanting heard Lin Xi's cry of pain and thought she was hurt by hitting the railing, so he quickly asked, "Where are you hurt?"

Lin Xi raised her head from his arms, her eyes were slightly red, with a tear hanging from the corner of her eye. A beautiful woman crying should be a cause for pity, but He Lanting's full attention was on her nose, because that usually delicate and white nose was now very red and looked badly injured.

Sure enough, Lin Xi stretched out her hand to touch her sore nose bridge, but the moment she touched the tip of her nose, she hissed in pain, and the tear that was about to fall just now rolled down her face silently.

"Cousin, I'm fine, I just hit my nose." Lin Xi spoke with pain and gently pushed He Lanting's chest.

He Lanting then withdrew his gaze from the tear, and feeling Lin Xi's strength, he realized that their posture seemed too ambiguous.

He was just focused on saving people, so he moved in whatever way was convenient for him. At this moment, one of his hands was holding Lin Xi's wrist, and the other hand was supporting on the railing. He was tall and almost held Lin Xi in his arms. The two of them were very close, and he could clearly smell the fragrance coming from Lin Xi's hair. The fragrance was not like the usual flower and fruit fragrance, but like pine and cypress after the snow, very cool and clear.

This cool and refreshing fragrance made He Lanting blush instantly. He quickly supported himself and stood up, taking several steps back, while repeatedly apologizing, "I was in a hurry and did not mean to offend you. I hope you can forgive me, cousin."

Lin Xi's blushing was only for a moment. After a moment, she quickly returned to her usual calm and cool appearance. She straightened her clothes that had just been messed up and said softly, "My cousin has done nothing wrong. If he hadn't pulled me just now, I would have fallen into the pool. I should be the one thanking him."

"It's my fault for speaking so suddenly that you got scared. Does your nose hurt so badly? I'll ask Heng Zhi to get the court doctor."

"It's nothing serious. It just hurt a little when I first bumped into it. It's much better now. I'll go back and ask Xueyun to apply some blood-activating and blood-stasis-removing ointment. There's no need to trouble the government doctor." Lin Xi politely declined his kindness and said lightly.

There was silence between the two of them for a while. He Lanting thought for a moment and was the first to speak to break the silence. "Just now, I saw from afar that my cousin's brows were furrowed, as if she was worried. But what difficulties are you facing in the mansion?"

"It's just some little girl's worries. The house has everything we need, and the servants are all friendly. There's nothing wrong, cousin. You don't have to worry." Seeing that he cared about her, Lin Xi's expression softened.

"That's good. If you need anything, just tell mother." After hearing her say this, He Lanting didn't know what was on her mind, so he could only reply dryly.

As if she could see He Lanting's discomfort, Lin Xi smiled faintly, "Cousin, how come you have time to visit the garden today? I heard from the servants that you have been studying hard these days, and you wish you could study day and night without burning the midnight oil."

He Lanting heard the joke in her words and smiled helplessly, "It's not as exaggerated as they say. It's just that your ancient books are really rare, so I want to finish reading them quickly so that I can return them intact as soon as possible."

"Don't worry about returning them. I have read all those books. You can take your time reading them, cousin. If you still want to borrow any, just come to me." Lin Xi didn't care.

He Lanting was a little surprised when he heard that, and couldn't help but ask, "Have you read them all?" It was no wonder that he was so surprised. A few days ago, the weather was fine, and Lin Xi was drying books in the yard. Although he didn't see it with his own eyes, he heard Zhenzhu beside his mother say that the yard was full of books, and more than a dozen half-foot long boxes could not hold them all, so they had to build a row of bookshelves to put some of the books that Lin Xi liked to read every day.

Moreover, when he went to Lin Xi to borrow books a few days ago, he saw that many of the books on the shelf were ancient books from previous dynasties or even earlier periods. Not only were the contents obscure and difficult to understand, but the texts printed on some of the covers were also particularly different, looking like foreign texts. However, Lin Xi said that she had read them all, which surprised He Lanting very much.

Seeing his surprised expression, Lin Xi snorted, "Oh, judging from your cousin's expression, you don't seem to believe it?"