All Hail Cousin Brother

217 Cousin Dotes On Me

“Linghuai is here.” Old Madam Yu looked at Zhou Linghuai with a smile on her face.

Zhou Linghuai was used to being indifferent, and most of his clothes were green. It was rare for them to be so expensive. Today, he was wearing this because of Yao Yao’s birthday.

It was obvious that just like her, he really had Yao Yao in his heart.

Zhou Linghuai responded and went forward to greet Old Madam Yu.

The few of them were already almost grown up, so there was no need to avoid him. They also looked at Zhou Linghuai openly. They saw him sitting in a wheelchair, dressed in Song wishing silk and golden leaves. His temples look like they had been cut by a knife, and his eyes were like a painting.

In particular, his eyes were like a deep abyss, as if they contained all the stars in the sky. They were deep and boundless, and hidden in their beauty was a bottomless darkness.

Qi Sinian turned to look at Yu Youyao and whispered into her ear, “This is your cousin from Youzhou?”

Yu Youyao nodded.

“He’s really good-looking.” Qi Sinian praised. Seeing that Song Wanhui was talking to Yu Shuangbai, he leaned close to Yu Youyao’s ear and whispered, “He’s as good-looking as Heir Song.”

As she spoke, she couldn’t help but look at his legs, and a trace of pity flashed across her eyes.

How could Song Mingzhao compare to her cousin?! Yu Youyao pouted but did not show it. She only smiled and said, “Not only is my cousin good-looking, but he’s also good at studying.”

Seeing her show off, Qi Sinian was speechless. She turned to look at Young Master Zhou, then turned back to look at Yu Youyao. “Your outfit today is very similar to your cousin’s.”

Yu Youyao did not notice this and quickly looked at her cousin.

Her cousin’s green and gold-embroidered outfit had the same pattern as her yellow and green dress.

Old Madam Yu turned to wave at Yu Youyao and the others. “It’s rare that you’re all of the same age. Go play on your own. As elders, we won’t find it annoying either.”

The Song, Tang, and Qi families weren’t the only families in the Yu Residence that were familiar with each other. It was true that these three families were closer, but Yao Yao’s first small banquet was to befriend them. If she forged deeper relationships and got to know familiar faces in each family, she wouldn’t be alone when she went out in the future, and could share information with them.

In that case, the people they invited had to be of high quality and they couldn’t invite too many of them.

Family background and character were the key.

Upon hearing her grandmother’s words, Yu Youyao quickly ran up to her cousin. “Cousin, you look really good today.”

Zhou Linghuai smiled. “Cousin too.”

Yu Youyao smiled and left An Shou Hall with her sisters.

The young mistresses were usually raised in their own homes. Other than their fathers and brothers, they rarely saw other men. Now that there were no elders watching them, how could they hold back?

“This cousin of yours is really good-looking…” Song Wanhui was also amazed. In the past, she had always felt that her brother, Song Mingzhao, was first-rate in terms of talent and looks. No one else could compare to him.

However, after seeing Zhou Linghuai today, he realized that there was always someone better.

Unfortunately, Zhou Linghuai had damaged his leg. Otherwise, his reputation would probably have spread throughout the capital.

When someone praised her cousin, Yu Youyao’s eyes lit up and she looked proud.

Yu Shuangbai felt stifled when she saw this. “Come on, he’s not our cousin. He’s clearly my big sister’s cousin. Our cousin has a very indifferent personality, and he’s the closest to my big sister.” The group happened to walk onto the white stone bridge, and the green trees in the jade courtyard gave it shade. She stretched out her finger and pointed over. “Do you see that green tree? The top branch was cut down by Cousin Zhou. He said that he wanted to personally make a zither for my big sister. We were so envious.”

Song Wanhui and the others quickly looked up and saw that there was indeed a broken section on the head of the towering tree.

There was another long burst of exclamations—

“Cousin Zhou even knows how to play the zither. He’s so amazing. Can’t my brother…”

“Cousin learned the zither at the age of nine.” Yu Youyao’s lips curved into a smile. She took the fan from Chun Xiao’s hand and unfolded it bit by bit. On one side, there were apricot flowers, and on the other side, there were tung flowers. They looked extraordinary.

However, Yu Shuangbai was speechless. “That’s not all. My cousin is a capable person. Look at the incense fan in my big sister’s hand.”

Who would show off their cousin like this? She was afraid that others would look down on him because of his broken leg.

Which half-grown girl didn’t like these exquisite things? When Qi Sinian saw the incense fan in Yu Youyao’s hand, he was both surprised and envious.

“Quick, let me take a look.” Song Wanhui quickly played with it in her hand.

The fan was exquisitely made, and it was light in her hand. With a light sniff, she could smell the faint fragrance of the resin. It was very fresh, especially the carving on it. It was simply exquisite.

Qi Sinian’s hands were also itching. He took it from Song Wanhui and looked at it carefully. “Where did this fan come from? I’ve never seen such an exquisite one before…”

Yu Youyao smiled happily. Yu Shuangbai waved her hand. “Don’t even think about it. This incense fan is her cousin’s.” She pointed at Yu Youyao and shook her head. “It was personally made using the remaining wood that was used to make the zither. The carving on it was also done by Cousin Zhou himself. Only my eldest sister has it in the residence. Others can’t afford to be envious.”

Yu Lianyu covered her mouth and chuckled. “That’s not all. Cousin Zhou’s calligraphy is also good, and his paintings are also excellent. He gave a lot of calligraphy treasures to my eldest sister. She’s hanging them in the house like treasures. You’ll see them when you go to the Jade Courtyard later.”

Yu Fangfei also smiled. “My father said that Cousin Zhou is talented.”

With this display, everyone knew that the young master of the Yu Residence who had come to seek refuge, could not be underestimated.

Song Wanhui returned the fan to Yu Youyao and said angrily, “We both have brothers, so why is there such a big difference? My brother has never given me anything. The first time he wanted to give me something, it wasn’t for me. It was only…” At this point, she realized that she had misspoken and quickly said, “Cousin Zhou is really amazing!”

After all, the fish jade pendant had come from her brother. It was fine to give it to someone else, but it was not appropriate for others to know.

Yu Youyao did not notice anything amiss, so she did not take it seriously. She pursed her lips and smiled. “Cousin has always doted on me.”

These words were really suffocating.

Among the few sisters, which one of them did not have an older brother? However, these older brothers were busy studying and taking the scholarly examination, so they did not interact much with each other. None of them were like Zhou Linghuai, who was willing to spend time on his younger cousin.

How enviable.

The few of them chatted and laughed. Tang Yunxi pursed her lips and glanced behind her.

Tang Yunmeng was following behind them in frustration. She wanted to interrupt a few times, but Eldest Miss Yu always avoided her. No matter how generous she usually pretended to be, she was still so angry that she tugged at her handkerchief and stomped her feet heavily on the ground, wishing she could crush it.

She had gone to other houses a few times in the past, but every time…