I'm dressed up as the timid eldest daughter, and the whole family has to listen to me!

Left with no other choice, Su Songchuan picked up a pen and paper and forced himself to write a poem. He first looked at the few chrysanthemums in full bloom, then at everyone else who had started writing.

So he closed his eyes and thought for a while, then a flash of inspiration struck him and he wrote it down on the paper.

"Golden stamens bloom on the cold fence in the frosty autumn, their elegant charm pleasing to the eye."

He then calmly looked at Master Li, indicating that his poem was finished.

Master Li was quite amazed that Su Songchuan had composed a poem so quickly. He then hurriedly ordered his servant to bring him the poem Su Songchuan had written so that he could take a look.

The servant walked up to Su Songchuan, took the paper Su Songchuan handed him, and then presented it to Master Li.

Master Li frowned slightly as he looked at the poem on the paper. He had said he wanted everyone to compose a poem, but he hadn't specified just one line. Nevertheless, he read it aloud slowly.

"Golden stamens bloom on the cold fence in the frosty autumn, their elegant charm pleasing to the eye."

"Hmm, not bad. This poem not only depicts the golden brilliance of the chrysanthemum, but also showcases its elegant charm and unique resilience. It shows some skill."

The old gentleman standing to the side shook his head and commented.

Seeing this, Li Yuanwai could only smile awkwardly. Although the poem was well-written, it was incomplete and did not meet his expectations.

Just now, the old man saw that the eldest daughter of the Li family had personally brought Su Songchuan into the mansion, and he thought that the two must have developed feelings for each other. So he wanted to be a good person and leave a good impression on Su Songchuan, which is why he hurriedly praised Su Songchuan's poem.

Soon another young scholar composed a poem, and the servant, seeing this, quickly took the poem and presented it to Master Li.

Master Li took it and read it aloud softly.

"The frost-covered wind caresses the verdant greenery with a lingering charm, while golden blossoms in the cold garden reflect the evening sun."

It does not compete with the blooming flowers for the warmth of the season, but retains its elegant charm to stand proudly in the autumn light.

The swaying branches cast slender shadows, adding to the serene charm; the stamens embrace a delicate fragrance, spreading a cool and refreshing scent.

Let us blend our poetic sentiments with this scene, and inscribe verses on ink-stained paper to praise this solitary beauty.

After reading it aloud, Master Li put down the paper in his hand, looked at the scholar who had composed the poem, and nodded.

"Hmm, not bad, it's a fine poem. I wonder whose young master this is?"

The scholar quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said:

“In reply to Master Li, I am here today to attend the literary gathering with my teacher. My name is Sun Zhen, you may call me Sun Zhen.”

Master Li nodded in satisfaction.

"The younger generation is truly formidable! Hahahaha!"

As he spoke, Master Li began to whisper and discuss among the elderly men sitting beside him.

Seeing this, Su Songchuan was furious. This Sun Zhen was really a fool. Didn't he realize that he and Li Shuer had long been in love with each other? What was he doing showing off like this? It made him look like he was good at writing poetry!

Su Songchuan was already worried that Master Li would look down on him, and now that Sun Zhen was comparing them, Su Songchuan's anxiety worsened. Master Li hadn't praised his own poem much, but Sun Zhen's poem had earned Master Li's high praise.

Su Songchuan had already come to regard Sun Zhen as his imaginary enemy, so he walked up to Sun Zhen and snorted coldly.

"What skills does he have? He's just opportunistic."

Sun Zhen was somewhat confused by these words and turned to look at Su Songchuan.

"My friend, what do you mean by that?"

"Sun Zhen, is that it? Let me tell you, I've already made a private engagement with that Miss Li, and you can forget about interfering!"

Sun Zhen frowned upon hearing this.

"How dare you, a man, tarnish the reputation of Miss Li like this?"

Su Songchuan sneered.

"Didn't you see? It was Miss Li who personally escorted you into the manor. If there wasn't some friendship between us, why would she greet me instead of you?"

As he spoke, Su Songchuan leaned close to Sun Zhen's ear and whispered:

"I advise you to give up on that idea and stop trying to impress my future father-in-law!"

Seeing Su Songchuan's behavior, Sun Zhen really couldn't understand what the eldest daughter of the Li family saw in him. At this moment, he felt that Su Songchuan was extremely vulgar. He only liked to write poetry, so how did it become showing off in Su Songchuan's eyes?

Thinking this way, Sun Zhen was unwilling to talk to Su Songchuan any further.

"You should worry about your own business. I'm not as filthy as you."

After saying that, Sun Zhen flicked his sleeves and turned to admire the chrysanthemums.

Seeing that Sun Zhen was ignoring him, Su Songchuan didn't want to make a fool of himself. He turned to look at Master Li, who was still discussing Sun Zhen's poem with the other elders, and went straight over to pour tea for them.

"Master Li, please have some tea to soothe your throat."

Seeing Su Songchuan's obsequious manner, Master Li couldn't help but feel annoyed. It was truly disrespectful of him to be doing this in front of everyone, so he waved his hand dismissively and said:

"No need to trouble you, the servants can handle these."

Upon hearing this, Su Songchuan froze, put down the teapot, and said with a smile:

"Yes, yes, this should be done by the servants. I overstepped my bounds. I just noticed that your teacups were empty, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to do it for you. You all continue chatting, I'll go take a look over there."

After saying this, Su Songchuan hurriedly left. It seemed that Li Wai really didn't take him seriously. If this continued, and Li Wai introduced Sun Zhen to his eldest daughter, wouldn't his dream of becoming a live-in son-in-law be shattered?

Thinking this, Su Songchuan quickly shook his head, muttering to himself:

"If I can't win over Master Li's favor, then I'll just try to win over Li Shu'er. After all, the person I'll marry in the future is Li Shu'er, not Master Li. As long as Li Shu'er is loyal to me, then the marriage will be settled."

Thinking this, Su Songchuan rubbed his hands together, preparing to go to the garden to find Li Shuer and have a good chat.

Unfortunately, it was Su Songchuan's first time visiting such a large garden, and he didn't know the way. He accidentally wandered into the backyard.

As soon as he arrived in the backyard, he was drawn to the lotus flowers in a pond. So he took a few steps forward to observe them.

"If I could live in this garden every day in the future, I think my mood would be much better. Being surrounded by these flowers and plants every day would be a wonderful life."

Thinking this, Su Songchuan continued walking forward. He came to a secluded grove of trees and got lost. The garden was too large, and the winding paths made it extremely difficult to find his way back.

So Su Songchuan wandered around, hoping to find a servant to ask for directions.

But just as he reached the edge of a bamboo grove, he heard what sounded like a girl's giggles coming from inside.

"Ling'er, Ling'er, stop fooling around! Give me your clothes right now!"

"Hahaha, I won't give it to you! Letting you bathe here in broad daylight, you really have no shame!"

"Oh dear, very few people come to my garden usually. Besides, there are bamboo trees blocking the way over there, so what's there to be afraid of!"

Upon hearing this, Su Songchuan's blood boiled. There was a woman bathing behind the bamboo grove, and just imagining that scene made him blush...