Rebirth and Rewriting Fate

"You..." Yun Chu was interrupted by Gu Ruoxiao before she could finish speaking.

"Let's not argue today, shall we celebrate the festival together?" This was perhaps the first time Gu Ruoxiao had spoken to Yun Chu in such a humble tone, as he handed her the lantern.

Yun Chu was surprised by his tone. She looked at the lantern in her hand and felt it was very familiar. There were still marks she had drawn with red cinnabar on the eyes of the rabbit lantern.

"Is this the rabbit lantern from Murong Manor?" Yun Chu couldn't help but ask.

"Hmm." Gu Ruoxiao nodded. "May I go in?" he asked, his tone pleading.

With so many people watching, Yun Chu suddenly felt she had gone a bit too far. She took the rabbit lantern and said, "Come in." Then she turned and walked towards the courtyard.

Gu Ruoxiao, standing behind, slightly tugged at the corners of her mouth, her eyes filled with a smile.

Chengfeng, following behind, muttered to himself, "I was supposed to be celebrating the festival with my master in the palace. Today, the palace sent mooncakes, and my master sent me to deliver them to the guards at the Prince's residence. After delivering them, I returned and said that all the guards in the residence had run to Qingfeng Courtyard. My master hurriedly ate mooncakes with the Emperor and rushed here. I'm exhausted from running back and forth. I'm determined to eat a lot of mooncakes today."

The guards in the courtyard all stood up and looked at Gu Ruoxiao. "As usual." With that order, the guards sat down again and continued chatting.

Zisu glanced at the people in Qingfeng Courtyard, who seemed unfazed by Gu Ruoxiao's arrival and showed no sign of respectful bowing. She then followed suit. Inwardly, she thought to herself that she had been quite prescient; when Yun Chu returned a few days ago, she hadn't seen Young Master Xiao, and having wondered about it, she had inquired a little with Nan Rao.

"Nanrao, Madam is back. Where is Young Master?" Zisu asked.

"Madam? Young Master?" Nan Rao asked in confusion.

“Or you call him son-in-law? That’s Young Master Xiao. He was the one who accompanied Madam at Murong Manor before,” Zisu explained.

Nan Rao glanced at Yun Chu in the study. "Young Master Xiao? Is that the Prince?" she wondered. After a moment's thought, she spoke, "There's no Madam, no Son-in-law. Don't mention these things in front of Miss anymore. Also, the Young Master Xiao you mentioned should be the Prince of Jin."

“Prince Jin? The… the current prince?” Zisu was startled.

"Well, if the Prince comes to the courtyard in the future, don't make a big fuss," Nan Rao instructed.

Zisu was deeply shocked. These people were really powerful. Luckily, she had asked them beforehand.

Yun Chu returned to her recliner and sat down. Xu Li quickly moved another chair and placed it next to Yun Chu.

"I remember we didn't bring this lantern back with us?" Yun Chu said, fiddling with the rabbit lantern.

"Mm," Gu Ruoxiao replied.

Yun Chu looked at him, and he was looking at her. She looked away and called out, "Mo Han, help me hang this lamp in the study."

“Yes, Miss,” Mo Han replied.

"Young Master Xiao, you're finally back." Bai Zhi suddenly stood up and said, "I was wondering why you hadn't shown up yet, even though Madam has been back for so long."

Zisu was startled and quickly pulled Baizhi down to sit. She looked at Yun Chu with trepidation.

The conversation in the courtyard suddenly fell silent. Yun Chu felt a little awkward; she really needed to explain this to them. Just as she was about to speak, a voice came from beside her.

"I've been too busy with some things, so I'll be back a little later," Gu Ruoxiao said with a smile.

Yun Chu looked at him in surprise, not understanding what he was up to.

Chengfeng quickly tried to smooth things over, "Keep going, Zhuliu, you've only told half of your story!"

Soon the courtyard became lively again.

Gu Ruoxiao placed a food box on the table and took out a plate of longan from it. "These are seasonal fruits from Jiangnan. Please try them."

Each longan was round and plump, with a smooth and delicate skin that gleamed with a faint luster. Yun Chu looked at him, then at the longans, picked one, and gently peeled back the thin, cicada-wing-like outer layer. The crystal-clear, jade-white flesh was revealed. She put it in her mouth, took a bite, and the juice burst forth. First, there was a slight coolness, followed by a sweet and savory flavor that slowly bloomed in her mouth. It was sweet but not cloying, and the flesh was delicate and tender. It almost didn't need to be chewed before it turned into a mouthful of sweetness, leaving a faint aftertaste. The refreshing sweetness permeated her heart and lungs.

"Delicious," Yun Chu commented.

She stood up, grabbed a large portion from the plate, walked between the guards and children, and placed it down, saying, "Share it with everyone."

In an instant, cheers erupted from the crowd; sharing joy is worse than enjoying it alone.

Yun Chu returned to her seat, looked up at the sky, and saw a bright, full moon hanging high in the sky, its warm light shining on the earth, symbolizing a full moon, a reunion of families, and people together.

"I'm hungry," the person next to me suddenly said.

Yun Chu looked at him in confusion. Why was this person acting so strangely today? She turned around and uttered two cold words, "Endure it."

"Okay." Gu Ruoxiao beside her actually spoke in a wronged tone. Yun Chu was even more puzzled.

The aroma of mooncakes began to fill the kitchen, perhaps because they were almost done baking. Everyone's attention was drawn to the fragrance.

"Miss, the mooncakes are ready! Come and see!" Nan Rao called out from inside the kitchen.

"You're here." Getting up too quickly and not noticing Gu Ruoxiao's chair beside her, Yun Chu bumped into it and almost fell, wincing in pain. Gu Ruoxiao quickly steadied her, asking softly, "Are you alright?"

"It's nothing." Yun Chu withdrew her arm sheepishly and walked towards the kitchen, pretending nothing was wrong.

Gu Ruoxiao stood up and followed behind.

The children in the courtyard, seeing that the mooncakes were ready, were about to rush to the kitchen. When the guards saw their master follow Miss Yun Chu into the kitchen, they quickly grabbed one child with each hand and stopped them in their seats. The children all looked at the guards with puzzled expressions, while the guards all turned their gazes to Chengfeng.

"Is it done baking?" Yun Chu asked as she stepped into the kitchen.

At this time, only Nanrao was baking mooncakes in the kitchen, and Chiwu took on the important task of tending the fire as soon as he arrived.

"Hmm. There it is, Miss, be careful, it's hot." Nan Rao pointed to the freshly baked mooncakes and said.

Did I wrap these?

"Yes. The children's bags are over there."

The mooncakes, freshly baked, exude an enticing aroma. Their golden crusts, carefully baked in the oven, take on an alluring amber color, with a subtle sheen, as if enveloped in a thin layer of luster, making them both tempting and exceptionally delicate.

Yun Chu used tongs to take out a mooncake and placed it on a plate. She then picked up a knife and cut it in two. It was a lotus seed paste lava mooncake, the lotus seed paste rich and fragrant, and the filling was slowly flowing.

Yun Chu held a plate in one hand and picked up half a mooncake with the other, but it was too hot, so she quickly put it down again and kept blowing on her fingers.

Seeing this, Gu Ruoxiao stood in front of her and helped her catch the plate.