Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 498 - 496

Chapter 498: 496

Yun’er is frustrated!

It seemed straightforward, but why can’t they get it to fly?

"One more time!" Xi’er said to the Seventh Prince.

"Let me do it!" the Seventh Prince quickly offered when he saw Xi’er gasping for breath.

"No way, you can go fly your golden dragon, I’ll ask my second brother to help me." Yun’er is not willing to admit defeat.

"How about I hold up the kite, and you let it go!" The Seventh Prince immediately suggested after hearing her words.

Wei in the spirit of never giving up, refused to ask for help and ended up tripping while walking backwards.

Seeing this, the Seventh Prince immediately rushed over.

Gong Zixuan, who was close by, offered his hand to Xi’er: "Miss, are you alright, here, let me help you up."

Xi’er looked down to see a distinguished, slender hand in front of her. The boy it belonged to was handsome with an extraordinary aura, he held out his hand and gave her a warm smile.

"Miss," Gong Zixuan called to her again when she didn’t respond.

It was only then that Xi’er snapped out of her thoughts and placed her hand in his.

Gong Zixuan held her hand, with the other on her elbow, and helped her up.

Once standing, Xi’er gave Gong Zixuan a sweet smile: "Thank you big brother, you’re really handsome."

Gong Zixuan chuckled at her words, then replied, "You’re very pretty too."

"Big brother, which family do you belong to? Why haven’t I seen you before?" Xi’er wondered. If she had ever met such an elegant and ethereal man, she certainly wouldn’t have forgotten him.

"My name is Gong Zixuan."

"My name is Shen..."

"Xi’er! Are you alright?" the Seventh Prince arrived, panting from the short run.

"I’m fine, Brother Zixuan helped me up." Xi’er comfortably settled into calling him ’Brother Zixuan’.

Feeling slightly protective, the Seventh Prince positioned himself in front of Xi’er, and formally thanked Gong Zixuan: "Thank you for your aid."

Gong Zixuan responded in kind: "You’re overstating it, it was nothing."

"Xi’er, your clothes are dirty, let’s go change." Unconsciously, the Seventh Prince did not want Xi’er and Gong Zixuan to stay together for too long. He didn’t know why.

Looking over her shoulder at her clothes, Xi’er found them caked with grass and dirt. They were indeed dirty.

"Goodbye, Brother Zixuan!" Xi’er said to Gong Zixuan with a smile.

"Farewell, Miss Shen." Gong Zixuan responded, remaining polite and warm.

The Seventh Prince led Xi’er back. As they passed Xiao’er, who was pulling on her kite string, she asked without looking away, "Did you get hurt?"

"No, the grass was soft. Big sister, I’m going to change clothes in the carriage."

Xiao’er nodded; with Yang Liu in the carriage, she trusted that Xi’er would be safe, "Be careful, come back right away after you change, don’t run around!"

"I know!"

After Xi’er had left, Xiao’er focused again on her kite, only to find that it had entangled with someone else’s kite.

Looking along the kite line, Xiao’er saw Li Mingfang as the owner of the other kite, the golden eagle.

"Damn!" Xiao’er thought to herself.

If she took her eyes off the kite even for a moment, there would inevitably be trouble.

Xiao’er tried to separate the entangled kites by pulling on her kite string.

Li Mingfang also tugged on her kite string from the other side. With the wind from the same direction, their efforts only led to the kites becoming even more entangled.

Zhao Minhua, who was standing next to Xiao’er, saw this and called out to Zhao Youwei, who was not far away: "Big Brother, come help the Mistress of Rui’an County untangle her kite."

Zhao Youwei, who had been watching Xiao’er, was about to offer his help anyway. Hearing this, he nodded and said, "Alright."

Zhao Youwei came over to Xiao’er: "Lady Rui’an, please hand me the kite reel."

"Okay." Xiao’er, feeling a bit tired in her neck and arms, handed the reel to Zhao Youwei.

Zhao Youwei took the kite reel from Xiao’er, pulling the string little by little, trying to figure out from which direction the two kites had become entangled.

Xiao’er stood by him, occasionally exchanging a few words.

Sometimes, she would reach out to help. Standing pretty close to each other, they looked like childhood sweethearts from afar.

At first, Li Mingfang thought Zhao Youwei would come to help her. Seeing him with Xiao’er now, she was filled with an unnameable anger.

Her eyes followed Zhao Youwei all the way, and she noticed that he was always glancing at Xiao’er.

She knew what the tenderness in his eyes under his stoic meanness meant.

He promised to propose to her, but there had been no sincerity. Even after her mother had refused him once, instead of sending another proposal the next day as she asked, she received an imperial edict, but no marriage proposal.

Is it because he was in love with the Mistress of Rui’an County that he had no intention of marrying her? Was the proposal just an attempt to make up for wronging her?

Even after growing up together, didn’t he have any feelings for her?

Seeing Zhao Youhe struggling to chase after the misshapen goose-shaped kite, in an apparent attempt to separate it from hers, Li Mingfang felt even more upset. It’s as if he didn’t want to be entangled with her.

With that, she did something she wouldn’t have dared believe. She intentionally ran away, pulling both kites apart.

Xi’er’s kite was jerked aside by Li Mingfang’s. Zhao Youhe saw this and called out, "Miss Li, stop running, you’re going to cut the line. Give me your kite reel, I’ll try to untangle it."

Ignoring him, Li Mingfang simply ran faster.

Xiao’er frowned in confusion; what was wrong with Li Mingfang? If Li Mingfang kept running, she would surely cut Xiao’er’s kite line.

Seeing this situation, Zhao Youwei could only let out more line to prevent Xiao’er’s kite from being cut off.

Xiao’er quickly intervened, "Young Master Zhao, stop letting the line out."

"But if we do that, your kite will be cut off."

"It’s okay, as long as the kites get untangled." If this keeps up, her kite line won’t break, but Li Mingfang’s will.

Her kite line was specially processed, and it wouldn’t snap unless it was cut with a sharp tool.

Just as Xiao’er predicted, Li Mingfang hadn’t run long before she found her line was cut.

Zhao Youwei reeled in Xiao’er’s kite, separated the two kites, and then gave Xiao’er’s kite back to her. "Do you need me to help you fly it again?"

"No need, I’m a bit tired." Xiao’er took the kite’s handle back.

Zhao Youwei gave a little nod at her refusal, before going over to Li Mingfang.

Zhao Youwei handed Li Mingfang her kite, "Thank you, Miss Li. You deliberately snapped your kite line to prevent our kites from being tangled."