Chapter 329
They joined the crowd and walked ahead slowly in the crowd.
The shops on the streets tried all sorts of means to attract customers. There were many lanterns with different riddles hanging at the shops’ doors for people to solve. These shops also prepared many low-cost but exquisite gifts, which were exactly the type of gifts ladies liked.
Upon seeing so many beautiful lanterns and exquisite small gifts, the ladies couldn’t help but stop to take a look. At this time, those young masters who accompanied them would try to solve the riddles and win presents for the ladies to please them.
Qu Moying and the others walked from one street to another bigger street. On one side of this street were the shops that had been operating for decades. They were rich and had prepared better things, which attracted more people. On the other side, there was a river by the fence, which was a tributary of the moat and was not narrow.
There were boats sailing on the river. These boats were decorated more beautifully than usual and shined with many lights as if they came from the sky, which was so eye-catching.
Many people leaned against the fence on the shore, admiring the scenery while pointing at the boats.
At the same time, some people came out of the boats and admired the people and scenery on the shore.
There were beautiful scenes everywhere consisting of people, trees, and boats…
Qu Moying and the others were carried to a shore by the flow of people. She stood at the fence on the shore and admired the boats that passed by the river.
The big boats were luxurious, and the small boats were delicate. Some boats stopped from time to time because people on the boats saw their acquaintances on the shore, so they invited their acquaintances to have a chat on their boats. Some boats stopped, and the people on the boats came to the shore to take a walk. It was so lively.
Suddenly, a boat stopped in front of Qu Moying and the others. A handsome young master appeared in front of the boat. When he saw Qu Moying, he smiled and bowed gently.
“Moying, who is he?” Qu Xuexin tugged at Qu Moying’s sleeve and asked in a low voice. Everyone could see that this young master was bowing to Qu Moying.
Yu Dong was pleasantly surprised and hurriedly explained in Qu Moying’s stead, “He is the young master who saved our lady on the road.”
Qu Moying turned to the young master and bowed.
His boat was a big one, and there were many servants coming and going on the boat. It could be seen that his identity was not ordinary. He should be one of the few noble young masters in the capital.
It was unknown where Qu Minghui had been squeezed. There were now only the ladies here, and Qu Moying was the only one who knew the young master, so she could only walk forward to greet him.
Seeing that the ladies were pushed to the side, the young master invited, “Three ladies, please get on my boat. Let me take you for a brief ride. I heard that it is almost impossible to walk through here.”
Qu Moying hesitated, “Well…”
Qu Xuexin whispered into Qu Moying’s ear, “Moying, let’s get on the boat. Let’s get down when we reach the front. We can’t keep walking in the crowd together like this. Eldest Brother has been squeezed out.”
Qu Qiuyan curled her lips and did not speak. Apparently, she was waiting.
Qu Moying looked around. There were indeed a lot of people here. Many of them were squeezed out of the fence like her. If people kept swarming in, there might be an accident. Qu Moying and the others might not be able to get through for a while.
Seeing that Qu Moying was still hesitating, Qu Xuexin changed her words and said softly, “Moying, since he is your savior, he should not be a bad person. Moreover, I heard that you didn’t ask who he was last time. You have to know who he is so that you can ask Second Uncle to thank him.”
Qu Xuexin’s words made sense. The Old Lady had also reminded Qu Moying to ask the young master who he was when she met him.
After thinking for a while, Qu Moying took a glance at Qu Xuexin, who looked concerned, and nodded.
Since they agreed, the boat put down the gangplank. Only Qu Moying knew this young master, so she was the first to walk on the gangplank.
The gangplank was not wide, and under the plank was the deep river, which looked a little scary.
Yu Dong glanced at the gangplank and jumped up on it. The gangplank shook a little.
Qu Moying stepped forward. Just as she stepped on the gangplank, it shook. The young master quickly reached out his hand, but Yu Dong was faster. He jumped up on the gangplank, held Qu Moying’s hand, and led her forward carefully.
Although the gangplank was unstable, Qu Moying stood quite steadily on it. In her previous life, she was more vigorous than ordinary noble ladies. In this life, her body was weak, but she had a good psychological quality. She held Yu Dong’s hand and walked forward step by step. Finally, she got on the boat.
She turned around and looked at the shore. Both Qu Qiuyan and Qu Xuexin had a gloomy look on their faces.
Since Qu Moying had walked over steadily, the two of them also had to go over. But judging from the way Qu Moying got on the boat, they knew that it was not an easy task for them.
Qu Xuexin’s maid and Qu Qiuyan’s maid walked over first. But even the two of them were so frightened that they screamed repeatedly. In the end, the young master ordered someone to put down one more gangplank. Only after that did Qu Qiuyan and Qu Xuexin get on the boat with others’ help. When they got on the boat, their legs were so soft that they almost fell down. The two maids supporting them also felt their legs weak, and their faces were ashen.
Although they had maids to help them, the young master still reached out to support them.
Originally, the young master was only watching them from the side. It was not until Qu Moying asked the young master for help that the latter stepped forward and lent a helping hand to Qu Xuexin and Qu Qiuyan.
Fortunately, it was Qixi Festival today. The rules were not so strict. Otherwise, people would definitely gossip about such a scene.
They had made quite many noises, and many people had already looked over. Seeing that a young master invited three ladies to his board, they could not help but smile.
Today was Qixi Festival, which was a festival for ladies. Most ladies were accompanied by their families, and some ladies were accompanied by the people they liked. Everyone was more open-minded today because it was a festival. Seeing the scene in front of them, the passers-by thought that this young master must have taken a fancy to one of the three young ladies.
Most people guessed that the young master liked the second lady who got on the boat, or the third lady. Very few of them thought he liked the first lady.
After all, the first lady boarded the boat by herself. But the young master reached out to help the next two ladies to get on the boat although he just slightly helped them.
Hearing the discussions of the people on the shore, Qu Xuexin frowned. This was not what she wanted to hear. She originally thought that Qu Moying would not be able to get on the boat and would definitely need the help of the young master.
If Qu Moying received the young master’s help, others could tell at a glance that her relationship with the young master was not ordinary since she was also the first one to get on the boat.
However, Qu Xuexin and Qu Qiuyan were also suspected to be the person the young master liked, and they seemed more likely to be the one than Qu Moying.
After getting on the boat, they entered the cabin. The cabin was decorated very elegantly. The curtain near the window was lifted, and there were tea tables and chairs. They sat down as host and guests.
The boat slowly sailed away from the shore and moved forward. They enjoyed the scenery while drinking tea. Compared with franticly squeezing in the crowd on the shore, it was naturally much more comfortable.
Qu Qiuyan put down the tea in her hand and asked with a smile, “Young Master, I heard that you saved Moying, did you?”
The young master nodded with a smile and said indifferently, “It was just a trifle.”
Qu Qiuyan smiled and looked at the young master with her beautiful eyes. “How could it be a trifle? Since you have saved Moying, my father will definitely pay a visit to thank you. Moying was frightened and did not ask who you were back then. But we coincidentally met you today. Young Master, please tell us your name.”
Her words were very appropriate.
The young master shook his hand again. “It really wasn’t a big deal. My surname is Wang, and I have just entered the capital for the imperial examination. Since I saw such a thing, I should definitely help. I don’t deserve your praise.”
“You entered the capital for the imperial examination?” Qu Xuexin was also interested. “My cousin brother has also entered the capital to take the imperial examination next spring. Are you going to take the same examination as him?”
Young Master Wang smiled and said, “Yes!”
The lad servant beside him said proudly, “Our young master got first place in the provincial examination in our hometown. He will definitely get an excellent result in the imperial examination.”
Even the lad servant dressed well, which could show that Young Master Wang’s family was quite rich.
He was young and promising, and his family background was very good. In addition, he saved Qu Moying’s life. Even Qu Moying felt like she was expected to “like” him.
She picked up the teacup at hand, placed it to her lips, and took a sip. Then, she raised her watery eyes and looked at the people who were talking happily. Because Qu Xuexin joined the conversation, their talk became more pleasant.
Qu Moying’s eyes fell on Young Master Wang.
He did have a good manner. It could be seen that he had been well-educated ever since his childhood. He looked every inch a perfect example of etiquette.
He looked really handsome in his clothes. He talked and behaved well. He was neither too close nor too indifferent to the guests, which was the most suitable attitude to have when talking to a woman.
Qu Moying curled her lips silently. “What a flawless young master! However, his accent is weird. Although it sounded like the accent of the capital, it was not the same. He must have been away from the capital for a while and was affected by the dialect elsewhere. He shouldn’t have spoken in such an accent. After all, he came to the capital for the imperial examination. He should not have such a weird accent.”
“He seemed to speak with an accent deliberately.”
After thinking for a while, Qu Moying was certain that Young Master Wang had grown up in the capital and had been away for a period of time. His accent was different from people in the capital. It was not obvious, but he made it obvious. Needless to say, it proved what the lad servant said was true.
At this time, Young Master Wang already knew Qu Moying’s identity. Seeing that Qu Moying kept smiling without saying anything, he looked at her and smiled slightly. He asked softly with a hint of intimacy which was not annoying at all, “Fourth Lady, why don’t you eat some pastries? Don’t you like eating them?”
Qu Moying said indifferently, “Thank you, Young Master Wang.”
Of the three ladies in the cabin, Qu Xuexin and Qu Qiuyan seemed to be very compatible with Young Master Wang. They seemed more like the ones that Young Master Wang had saved.
“Fourth Lady, what do you like to eat? I’ll get someone to make it.” Young Master Wang continued to ask with concern as if he could do whatever Qu Moying said.
If he could get servants to cook anything easily in the cabin, it meant that he was not only rich but also had an extraordinary identity.
Qu Moying shook her head again.
Yu Dong stepped forward and answered in Qu Moying’s stead, “Thank you, Young Master Wang. Our lady does not like to eat this kind of snack.”
As they spoke, the boat had sailed a distance and arrived at another part of the river. There was a flower terrace in front of the boat. A lad servant came in to report, “Young Master, it’s very lively outside. There’s a flower terrace. Do you want to go down and take a look?”