147: Chapter 147 When the Plums Ripen: Childhood Sweetheart Male Lead 25

After the commotion in the main hall that day, life in Qinghe Garden seemed to return to its usual calm.

Nan Li didn't feel any significant changes in her life, except that Meng Zhu had become increasingly busy.

He always left early and returned late every day, sometimes not even coming back until late at night, and his brow was often etched with a lingering exhaustion.

Nan Li saw this and felt a heartache, but not knowing how she could help, she could only instruct Auntie Hua to brew more nourishing soups for him every day.

One afternoon, with nothing to do in the garden, Nan Li felt a bit bored and ran over to Grandmother's courtyard, wanting to keep the old lady company and chat to pass the time.

To her surprise, just as she entered, she saw Old Madam wearing reading glasses, intently flipping through a thick stack of documents.

Each page contained detailed information about a young woman, complete with a clear photograph.

Nan Li curiously leaned in and asked softly.

"Old Madam, what are you looking at?"

Old Madam looked up, and seeing it was her, her face immediately brimmed with smiles as she beckoned her over.

"Zhaoyu is here, come and sit."

Once Nan Li sat down beside her, Old Madam pointed to the documents in her hand.

"That scene Lu Yu caused at the ancestral rites last time really served as a reminder to me. Courtesy Name is good in every way, but he just doesn't put his heart into his own lifelong affairs. As his grandmother, I can't just let him go on like this."

Old Madam flipped open a page of the documents to show Nan Li, saying with a smile.

"Look, I've asked people to collect information on some nice young ladies with suitable family backgrounds and good character. I plan to arrange some meetings for Courtesy Name so he can get to know them. You should help me weigh in on this, too."

Blind dates?

When Nan Li heard these two words, her heart skipped a beat.

She bit her lip, feeling a bit sour, but could only force a smile.

"Oh, right."

Old Madam seemed to recall something and said with great enthusiasm.

"That fortune slip from last time, didn't it say that Courtesy Name's destined marriage was very far away? So I didn't look for anyone in this city; I specifically had people find girls from other cities."

She pointed to a photo of a girl dressed in trendy clothing with exquisite makeup.

"Look at this one. She's the daughter of the Shen family in the Magic City. Her family is in the fashion industry, and she's beautiful. How well-matched they would look standing next to Courtesy Name."

Nan Li took only one look before shaking her head immediately, her tone critical.

"Old Madam, the Meng Family is a scholarly family, and Brother Courtesy Name himself has a calm and reserved temperament. This young lady looks too... too avant-garde; they don't match at all."

"Hmm... that makes sense."

Old Madam felt it was reasonable, so she flipped that page over and replaced it with a new one.

"Then look at this one. She's from Hong Kong, has studied art since she was young, and has held several art exhibitions. She's also quite talented. This one must be a good match, right?"

Nan Li's little mouth pursed again involuntarily, and she muttered softly.

"I can paint too, but I've never seen Brother Courtesy Name show much interest."

Although her voice was very small, Old Madam still heard it and couldn't help but chuckle.

"You child."

Nan Li's face flushed red, realizing she had spoken out of turn. Not waiting for Old Madam to flip to the next page, she thought quickly and interrupted.

"Old Madam, do you remember? The fortune slip didn't just say 'far away'; it said 'separated by rivers and seas'!"

Old Madam was stunned.

"Did it? You remember that quite clearly, don't you?"

Nan Li's heart panicked, and she quickly waved her hands, explaining flusteredly.

"It's just... I just thought the fortune slip was quite interesting, I was curious, so I remembered it."

Afraid that Old Madam would press further, she quickly tugged on Old Madam's sleeve and began to analyze it with a serious demeanor.

"Old Madam, look, 'separated by rivers and seas'—doesn't that mean overseas? In my opinion, Brother Courtesy Name's destined romance might be a foreigner! You searching everywhere domestically is surely a waste of effort, so don't worry about it blindly."

Her intention was to expand the scope to such an ethereal degree that Old Madam would give up on this idea.

Who would have thought that after hearing this, Old Madam actually frowned and began to ponder. After a while, she clapped her hands, suddenly realizing.

"You girl make a good point! Why didn't I think of that!"

The more Old Madam thought about it, the more plausible it seemed, and she immediately made a decision.

"Then I will check with the Meng Family's overseas companies later to see how the business is going over there, and find a way for Courtesy Name to spend some time abroad. Maybe he will find his destiny there."

When Nan Li heard this, she was dumbfounded.

She sat there blankly, watching Old Madam in high spirits, and felt her mind buzzing.

Wasn't this picking up a rock only to drop it on her own feet?

For a moment, Nan Li was both angry and anxious. The worst part was that this idea had come from her own mouth, so she couldn't even find a reason to take it back and could only sulk by herself.

The entire afternoon, she was somewhat absent-minded.

In her mind, one moment it was Old Madam's enthusiastic face, and the next it was those pretty girls on the blind date documents, leaving her feeling restless and agitated.

She hesitated for a long time, but finally couldn't help it; she took out her phone and sent a message to Meng Zhu.

"Brother Courtesy Name, what time are you getting off work today?"

After sending the message, she started staring at the screen.

"Probably after ten o'clock. What's the matter?"

Seeing the reply, Nan Li quickly sent the excuse she had already thought up.

"Nothing... it's just that I learned how to brew new tea from Auntie Hua today, and I wanted to invite you to taste it."

Meng Zhu seemed surprised, but replied quickly.

"Alright."

Having received an affirmative reply, Nan Li finally breathed a sigh of relief.

That night, Nan Li calculated the time, carried a set of exquisite tea ware, and knocked on the door of Lanyue Pavilion.

After entering, she really set up the tea table properly, boiling water, warming the cups, placing the tea, brewing... every step was done meticulously.

It seemed she hadn't been lying; during this boring time, Nan Li had indeed learned quite a few things.

Meng Zhu leaned back in his chair, watching her figure with a smile, and the fatigue in his eyes dissipated a little.

When a cup of steaming tea was presented before him, Meng Zhu took a light sip and nodded.

Nan Li watched him drink it, and only then did she speak hesitantly.

"Brother Courtesy Name, you like drinking tea so much, what will you do if you go abroad? Won't you be unable to drink it?"

Meng Zhu heard this and raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"What's the problem with that? Just bring the tea leaves and brew it yourself."

"That's not the same."

Nan Li was anxious.

"I mean, you are so busy every day, when would you have time to brew tea yourself? Just like how writing requires someone to grind the ink, drinking tea... drinking tea also needs someone to brew it to taste good."

Meng Zhu put down the teacup, watching her with composure, the amusement in his eyes becoming increasingly obvious.

"I see; it seems you aren't very concerned about my evaluation of this tea."

He asked, hitting the nail on the head.

"Tell me, what do you really want to say?"

Her little hidden thoughts were seen through, and Nan Li's face flushed red instantly.

She twisted her hands together, feeling at a loss, but she really wasn't willing to give up.

So she asked softly, stammering.

"That... did Old Madam tell you today to go and take charge of the overseas company?"

Meng Zhu's brow furrowed slightly, a hint of confusion in his expression.

"Everything is fine here; why would I go overseas?"

"She didn't say?"

Nan Li raised her head in astonishment. Seeing his calm expression, she realized that this might indeed be quite absurd.

How could Old Madam possibly let Meng Zhu stay in such a distant place?

But why did she only realize this now?

She didn't understand why she had become so silly, not even realizing that Old Madam was joking, but at this moment, her heart was indeed much more settled.

But since she had already started, she could only bite the bullet and continue.

"It's just that Old Madam said she wanted you to go overseas and go on blind dates with foreign girls. I... I don't think it's appropriate, so I wanted to come and persuade you. Foreign girls aren't suitable for you."

After hearing this, Meng Zhu was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"How could Old Madam have such an idea? That's impossible."

He shook his head, then asked with great interest.

"However, why do you say foreign girls aren't suitable for me?"

"It's... it's just not suitable!"

Nan Li couldn't explain why, and could only insist vaguely.

Meng Zhu curled his lips, saying teasingly.

"Then what about domestically? Who is suitable for me?"

Hearing this, Nan Li stiffened all over.

She couldn't say a word for a long time, but the temperature on her cheeks was rising rapidly.

In her embarrassment, she stood up abruptly from the chair, feeling somewhat flustered.

"That, Brother Courtesy Name, is the tea I brewed... alright?"

Meng Zhu leaned back in his chair, watching her with amusement, and nodded slowly.

"Hmm, it's alright."

Nan Li felt like she had been granted a reprieve.

"That's good!"

She turned and walked out.

"Then I won't disturb your rest; I'm leaving!"

She almost fled in panic, but just as she reached the door, she seemed to remember something and stopped abruptly.

With her back to him, she quickly added in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzzing.

"At least... at least you should find a girl who knows how to brew tea!"

After saying this, she dared not linger any longer, opened the door, and ran out.

Meng Zhu watched her disappearing back, smiling as he picked up the teacup, brought it to his lips again, and took a gentle sip.