I insist

Chapter 299: Peach Blossoms Come to the Door

Yu Huailin has returned to the market from the suburbs.

"Ouch! It hurts so much!" a woman cried out at the top of her lungs.

Yu Huailin walked past the woman without even glancing at her.

Liu Xiaoyue stared intently at Yu Huailin. She had already fallen right in front of him; he should at least have helped her up. Pretending not to have seen her, Liu Xiaoyue shouted even louder.

"Young master, could you lend me a hand?"

Yu Huailin glanced at Liu Xiaoyue, who was lying on the ground looking disheveled, and continued walking forward expressionlessly.

Wearing a light blue dress, with thick blush on both sides, pearls behind her ears, and two large braids, Liu Xiaoyue's face was originally pretty, but her deliberate dressing made her look somewhat rustic.

Liu Xiaoyue looked embarrassed. She got up from the ground, dusted herself off, and quickly ran in front of Yu Huailin, spreading her arms to block him.

"Why didn't you help me up?" Liu Xiaoyue said angrily, but when she saw Yu Huailin's handsome face, she immediately became shy.

"I don't know you well, why should I help you?" Yu Huailin simply walked around him.

Liu Xiaoyue was a little unhappy. She lived next door to them and had heard rumors that this handsome man had some kind of relationship with the old lady next door, Song Miqiu.

"I live right next door to you." Liu Xiaoyue thought that they probably really hadn't seen her before.

"Oh, I understand." Yu Huailin remained expressionless.

Liu Xiaoyue stared at Yu Huailin with a look of infatuation.

Yu Huailin ignored Liu Xiaoyue and headed back towards the intersection leading home.

"He's so handsome, I wish you could marry him." Liu Xiaoyue stared at Yu Huailin's back with a lovesick expression.

When Liu Xiaoyue returned home, she told her mother about the imposing man she had seen that day.

Seeing that Liu Xiaoyue was not doing her chores at home and instead wandering around the market instead of doing her embroidery, Liu's mother couldn't help but get a little angry.

"What are you doing running around all day? Don't you do any work?" Liu's mother asked angrily.

“Mother, that man has an extraordinary appearance. He must be a rich man’s son or a member of the royal family.” Liu Xiaoyue said, her face full of infatuation and admiration for Yu Huailin.

Liu's mother seemed to have met Yu Huailin before. He certainly didn't look like an ordinary person, but he was arrogant and would only nod each time she greeted him.

Liu's mother said with some concern, "That man lives in the old lady Song Miqiu's house, and the neighbors are all spreading rumors about them."

Liu Xiaoyue had heard about it, but she remained unmoved.

“Mother, you’re confused! Yu Huailin is so handsome, how could he possibly fall for an old woman like Song Miqiu?” Liu Xiaoyue said arrogantly. Although she wasn’t a beauty that could topple kingdoms, she was still far superior to Song Miqiu, that old woman.

"That makes sense."

"He must have had some kind of last-minute change of plans and ended up staying at her house."

Liu Xiaoyue speculated on her own.

Liu's mother nodded in agreement.

“But if he’s from a wealthy family, he probably wouldn’t even look at you.” Mother Liu was very self-aware; a wealthy man certainly wouldn’t want Liu Xiaoyue as his wife.

"Being a concubine would be fine too."

"What's so good about being someone's concubine?" Mother Liu stared wide-eyed, hands on her hips, looking utterly disappointed. A daughter from a respectable family would never become someone else's concubine.

“Mother, in a poor family, being a wife means arguing every day about firewood and rice. What kind of affection can there be? But being a concubine in a wealthy family, although you don’t have the status of a wife, you don’t have to worry about food and drink. Isn’t that better?”

Liu's mother was a materialistic person, and when she heard Liu Xiaoyue say that, she was overjoyed, thinking that she could also enjoy a good life.

"If that young master were a member of the royal family, Mother, we would be rolling in it." Liu Xiaoyue fantasized about all of this.

Liu's mother was also delighted.

"Alright, then you should spend the next few days getting along well with that young master."

Liu's mother didn't plan to let Liu Xiaoyue do any work. As long as she could marry into a wealthy family, she wouldn't have to worry about the rest of her life.

Seeing that her mother shared similar interests with her, Liu Xiaoyue began to think about how she could win Yu Huailin's heart.

Thinking about Yu Huailin's face that I saw today, I started to swoon again.

The next day

Liu Xiaoyue carried the osmanthus cake she had carefully made, wearing newly bought clothes and with even more exaggerated makeup than yesterday, including bright red lips.

"Knock knock..." Liu Xiaoyue knocked on the door with one hand, pretending to be elegant.

Who would knock on the door so early in the morning? Song Miqiu had just gotten up and was doing exercises at the gate of the courtyard when she heard someone knocking.

When Song Miqiu opened the door, she saw a woman dressed in bright clothes and wearing bright red lipstick. She looked surprised and her mind raced.

Seeing that Song Miqiu seemed not to recognize her, she quickly said, "I am Aunt Liu's daughter next door. My name is Liu Xiaoyue."

"Is there something you need?" Song Miqiu asked, looking at Liu Xiaoyue dressed like this and carrying something in her hand.

Can I come inside to talk?

Seeing that Song Miqiu didn't seem inclined to let her in, Liu Xiaoyue decided to get straight to the point.

Song Miqiu quickly opened the door wider.

Liu Xiaoyue twisted her body as she went inside.

"I wonder if Young Master Yu is here?"

Song Miqiu suddenly understood; so it was for Yu Huailin.

"He's in his study. What do you need to tell me?" Song Miqiu said politely, without any emotion.

"What's your relationship with Yu Huailin? I've seen him staying at your house." Liu Xiaoyue asked Song Miqiu directly without any tact.

Song Miqiu found it somewhat amusing; Yu Huailin had gone out for a short while yesterday, and yet he had summoned peach blossoms.

“Young Master Yu is a distant relative of mine,” Song Miqiu replied to Liu Xiaoyue.

When Liu Xiaoyue heard that it was a distant relative, her eyes lit up and her face lit up with joy.

"It seems the rumors circulating outside aren't true."

"What's being said outside?" Song Miqiu asked, quite curious.

"You're shameless for being an old cow eating young grass." Liu Xiaoyue realized that her words were somewhat inappropriate and quickly corrected herself.

“Auntie, it’s not what I said, it’s what people outside are saying. Of course I believe it’s not true, you’re not that kind of person.”

Song Miqiu had long been indifferent to such words, and thought he was going to say something even more offensive.

Liu Xiaoyue became somewhat flustered when she saw that Song Miqiu remained silent.

“Auntie, you seem to be a magnanimous person. You certainly won’t be angry with your juniors.”

Song Miqiu now understood Liu Xiaoyue's purpose even better, and said with a kind smile, "It's alright, it's alright, the innocent will clear themselves."

Seeing that Song Miqiu didn't take it to heart, Liu Xiaoyue breathed a long sigh of relief. After all, if she wanted to become Yu Huailin's concubine, she needed to maintain a good relationship with Song Miqiu.

“Yes, yes, Auntie is right, the innocent will clear themselves.” Liu Xiaoyue quickly echoed.

"Auntie, may I see Young Master Yu?"

Liu Xiaoyue looked at Song Miqiu with a slightly shy expression.

Having said that, how could Song Miqiu refuse? Besides, this was Yu Huailin's own affair, and he had to handle it himself.