All Hail Cousin Brother

172 Third Cousin Xie Jingliu

“Second Sister, this thing is called a kaleidoscope. It didn’t exist in the capital in the past. It was also transported into the capital with the southern merchant ships this time, so I found one.” Yu Shanxin shamelessly leaned over again and even took the initiative to open the box.

Upon hearing that it was a novel item from the south, Yu Shuangbai couldn’t help but take a few more glances.

There was a flower pot inside, and there were carvings of flowers and birds on the outside. Although it wasn’t as good as Cousin Zhou’s sandalwood fan, with one side of it having apricot branches and the other having flowers that were unique and exquisite, it was still beautiful.

Yu Shuangbai deliberately turned her face away. “Why are you still talking to me? I don’t have a brother like you, who chased his sister out.”

Yu Shanxin lowered his head and apologized, “Dear sister, you have to forgive me this time.” As he spoke, he saw that her expression had softened and her eyes were fixed on the kaleidoscope. He quickly added fuel to the fire and reached out to pretend to slap his face. “Aren’t you making things difficult for me by asking me to make a fan for you? I’m not someone who can do this. However, I, your second brother, don’t have any other abilities, but my eyes are sharp. No ordinary thing can escape my eyes. Look, I’ve found this for you. Although it’s not as exquisite as Cousin Zhou’s fan, it’s still novel.”

Yu Youyao covered her mouth and laughed as she watched from the side. Seeing how sly he was, Yu Shuangbai couldn’t get angry anymore. She stomped her foot and said, “How can you slap yourself in the face? You’ll be a joke if others see you like this. Forget it. I made things difficult for you that day, so I’ll forgive you this time. Don’t do this again.”

Yu Shanxin immediately smiled and hurriedly handed the kaleidoscope over. “This thing is really interesting. You play with Eldest Sister. I’ll go look for Cousin Zhou to learn some military tactics.”

Without waiting for Yu Shuangbai to speak, she jumped off the fence and ran away.

Yu Shuangbai immediately stomped her feet. “He’s been causing trouble in the past. After learning martial arts from his martial arts master for a few days, he no longer takes the ordinary path. However, he’s so smug. I’ll definitely talk to Mother tomorrow and ask her to discipline him.”

With that, the two of them played with the kaleidoscope together.

After a while, Yu Lianyu and Yu Fangfei also came over one after another. The sisters gathered together to play and chat. It was really a harmonious and lively scene.

It was now ten o’clock.

Xia Tao ran over smartly. “Young Miss, the people from the Xie family are here.”

Yu Youyao was overjoyed. She suddenly stood up from her chair. “Third Cousin is here. I’ve never seen him before. Let’s go and take a look.”

At this moment, Qing Xiu came over. “The third young master of the Xie family is in Old Madam’s house and greeting her. Old Madam wants to invite Eldest Miss over.” Seeing that Yu Shuangbai and the others were also there, she chuckled and said, “Let’s go over to meet him with the other young misses.”

Yu Youyao often wrote letters to the Xie Residence, but she had never been there. She had only heard of her cousins and had never seen them.

This time, when her third cousin entered the capital, she was naturally overjoyed. Her smile never stopped, and her silver-white embroidered dress bloomed like lotuses as she walked.

Qing Xiu had never seen such good etiquette before, so she couldn’t help but take a few more glances.

Eldest Miss had been taught by Nanny Xu to become a noble lady. She looked delicate and exuded a noble and gentle aura. However, she was not like the Fourth Miss of the Hanlu Courtyard. Although she had learned the rules well, she was very rigid.

As soon as Yu Youyao entered the house, she saw her grandmother sitting in the hall with a smile.

Yang Shuwan, Second Aunt, Madam Yao, was sitting on the lower right. Her cousin was dressed in black and looked elegant. Her eldest brother, Yu Shanyan, her second brother, Yu Shanxin, and Yu Jianjia were all present.

She tilted her head and saw a man in red sitting on the lower left.

This was his third cousin, Xie Jingliu. He was about eighteen or nineteen years old, but he was very handsome. His lips were small, and even sitting down, one could tell that he was tall and slender.

In terms of appearance, he was on par with her cousin and Song Mingzhao.

However, her cousin was noble and graceful, exuding a calm and indifferent aura. Song Mingzhao was handsome and noble, while her third cousin looked like a mix between a man and a woman. He was carefree and handsome, but not very feminine. He also had his own style.

She had heard that her Third Cousin was also a capable person.

While Yu Youyao was in a daze, Yu Shuangbai and the others had already greeted Xie Liujing.

Old Madam Yu waved at her. “Yao Yao, this is your third cousin. Come and meet him.”

Only then did Yu Youyao react. She went forward to greet her grandmother first, then greeted Yang Shuwan and Madam Yao one by one. Only then did she turn to her third cousin. She blinked and called out softly, “Third Cousin?”

Xie Jingliu couldn’t help but lose his smile. “Yao Yao has already grown so big and looks just like Aunt. Even if I’ve never seen her before, I’d recognize her at a glance.”

When his aunt married into the Yu Residence, he was already very old.

Yu Youyao shook her head. “I don’t look like Mother.”

Her gentle voice melted Xie Jingliu’s heart. He couldn’t help but stroke her hair. “Yes, your eyes don’t look like her eyes, but they’re just like your grandmother’s. Your grandmother also has a pair of sleeping phoenix eyes. When you have the chance to go to Quanzhou in the future, you’ll know when you see her.”

Zhou Linghuai, who was sitting opposite Xie Jingliu, saw that the little girl was close to her cousin from Quanzhou. He immediately felt that the tea in his mouth was a little bland.

Perhaps this tea was not personally made by the young lady, but even the rare Longjing tea had lost its taste.

At the mention of her mother and grandmother, Yu Youyao asked softly, “Grandfather, Grandmother, Uncle, and Aunt… Are the other cousins doing well?”

Xie Jingliu smiled. “They’re all fine, but they often talk about you.”

After all, they were related by blood. After chatting for a while, the siblings became closer and no longer had any barriers.

Xie Jingliu called a servant and instructed him.

Not long after, the servant brought by the Xie family led a few servants over with many bags. After three trips, they filled the ground in the middle of the living room.

Even Old Madam Yu took a few more glances.

Not to mention the excitement on the faces of the younger ones.

Yu Jianjia tilted her head and glanced at Yu Youyao. She was envious that Yu Youyao had such a rich relative. Even her cousin was outstanding and handsome. Ordinary people could not compare to him.

At this moment, Old Madam Yu said, “When you came back, you brought so many of these things that the house won’t be able to accommodate them. I know you want to find all the good things in the world and give them to Yao Yao. It’s as if the Yu Residence will not take care of my precious granddaughter. The in-laws are too polite.”

This was just a joke, so no one would take it seriously. Xie Jingliu also smiled respectfully and said, “Isn’t that so? It’s precisely because I’m not around to take care of her that I’m always worried that there won’t be enough to eat. When I come back, I can’t wait to move everything over.”

How could Old Madam Yu not understand? She immediately smiled and said, “Grandfather and Grandmother dote on their granddaughter. They can’t be stopped, nor can I stop them.”