Chapter 163: Chapter 163: "Elder Brother!
Ming Lingyi returned to the restaurant, gave some more thought to the packaging for the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival, and then had a good night’s sleep.
On the afternoon of the third day, Ming Lingyi took Shi Mingyue with her to go to Liufang Bookstore.
But she never expected what would happen. She had just stepped through the small door from the back courtyard to the front, lifted the curtain to pass through the main hall, and casually glanced around. The moment she saw a tall, slender figure in blue standing there, she froze.
In that instant, a flood of memories from her past life rushed back, nearly bringing tears to her eyes.
When she was a child, her health had been poor, forcing her to spend her years confined to her boudoir.
Although her parents doted on her and had even built a two-story pavilion in the courtyard so she could stand higher and see farther, the bustling world outside was still beyond her reach.
Her brother, blessed with a strong constitution, would always learn a new trick whenever he saw something entertaining outside. Then he would gleefully come to her room and perform for her like a street artist, just to give her a little excitement.
Though her brother was hardly a master of such amusements, she couldn’t help but be deeply touched by his devotion.
More often than not, she didn’t know what was more entertaining: the act itself, or the sight of her brother fumbling clumsily when he failed.
Later, when their father was demoted and exiled to the bitter cold of the frontier, her brother had been reluctant to let her endure the arduous journey with the rest of the family, fearing her fragile health couldn’t withstand it.
During that time, even though her family never spoke of it in her presence, Ming Lingyi knew. She knew that her brother, a man of such noble bearing, had swallowed his pride to visit countless households with even the slightest connection to their family, all in an attempt to find a way for her to remain in the Capital City.
Had Ming Lingyi not insisted that the family must stay together—that wherever they went, she would go too—her brother would likely have continued begging, door to door, until someone agreed to take her in.
Then came the day of her wedding.
The year Li Yun came to take her as his bride, it was her brother who carried her on his back from her chambers to the wedding carriage.
He was clearly a scholar, but to Ming Lingyi back then, no back seemed broader, and none could make her feel more secure.
"If anyone bullies you, you call my name. You tell your brother. No matter where you are, no one is allowed to bully my sister, Ming Chengyu’s sister. Brother will get revenge for you!"
The words he’d spoken as he saw her off to her wedding still echoed in her ears.
Now, upon seeing that familiar back, her feet moved uncontrollably, taking a single step toward the wall.
But in the next instant, she forced herself to stop.
’There are too many people in the restaurant right now.’
Ming Lingyi quickly reined in her turbulent emotions, but in doing so, she inadvertently made a small sound.
Ming Chengyu stood by the wall, his hands clasped behind his back. He appeared to be examining the books on the shelves of Ming’s Restaurant, but in truth, his gaze was fixed on the wooden menu plaques hanging on the wall.
Just as Ming Lingyi knew him, Ming Chengyu, of course, knew everything about his sister.
Their father had personally taught his sister calligraphy. The two of them had practiced their writing in the same room as children, so he was intimately familiar with Ming Lingyi’s handwriting.
If he had been apprehensive before coming to Ming’s Restaurant, now, seeing the wooden menu plaques on the wall, Ming Chengyu felt nothing but tension.
’Five years. He thought they had been separated forever by death. To think he might see his sister again... how could he not be tense?’
’He was terrified it would all turn out to be an illusion, as fleeting as a flower in a mirror or the moon on the water.’
Hearing a faint sound behind him, Ming Chengyu instinctively turned his head toward the source. His gaze met that of a graceful young woman standing in the main hall.
Ming Chengyu’s mouth opened, but the name "Yuan Niang" died in his throat.
Yet he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Ming Lingyi.
’She looks so much like her.’
’No, she’s the very same.’
Ming Chengyu noticed someone standing beside Ming Lingyi and frowned.
He had waited for so long. Now that he could finally see Ming Lingyi right before his eyes, he couldn’t even speak freely. For once, the man once known throughout Shangjing as Prince Yu felt a rush of impatience.
Just as Ming Chengyu was frowning, wondering how to approach her, a voice reached his ears.
"Is this your first time at our restaurant, sir?" Ming Lingyi asked, her tone poised and open.
Though Ming Chengyu didn’t know what she was planning, he played along and nodded.
"Are you looking at our bookshelves, sir? You look like a man of letters yourself. I wonder, what sort of books do you think we could add? As it happens, I’m about to head to Liufang Bookstore with my staff, so I could certainly use your suggestions," Ming Lingyi said with a smile.
Standing beside Ming Lingyi, Shi Mingyue tilted her head, a look of confusion in her eyes.
’Weren’t we supposed to be discussing business this afternoon? Why is the young miss suddenly buying books at Liufang Bookstore?’
’Is she trying to support Boss Feng’s business?’
Ming Chengyu smiled and shook his head. "So you’re the owner. I find the selection on these shelves quite eclectic and interesting. One can browse a casual read to pass the time, yet also find more serious works. What a coincidence, I was also planning on going to Liufang Bookstore today. Might I walk with you, Boss Ming?"
"Of course," Ming Lingyi agreed readily.
Ming Chengyu made an inviting gesture, and Ming Lingyi led the way out of the restaurant.
Shi Mingyue was surprised but said nothing. Ming Lingyi had hired her as a guard, so she simply performed her duty and followed her lady without asking questions.
Ming Lingyi, however, thought about how Shi Mingyue rarely went out and wasn’t as lively as Xiao Chun. Once they were outside, she pressed some loose silver into Shi Mingyue’s hand and said with a smile, "It’s quite bustling out here. Ming Yue, why don’t you go look around? You don’t have to stick with me."
Without giving Shi Mingyue a chance to refuse, Ming Lingyi turned and headed toward Vermilion Bird Street.
Shi Mingyue: "..."
Since her young miss had given the order, she simply followed Ming Lingyi from a safe distance, making sure not to get too close.
"Brother!"
The moment they were alone, Ming Lingyi could no longer hold back and called out to Ming Chengyu by the familiar title.
Her eyes began to burn, threatening to well up with tears again.
Ming Chengyu was in no better state. He said nothing, but the emotions in his eyes—so strikingly similar to Lingyi’s—were laid bare for her to see, impossible to conceal.
"Yuan Niang."
Ming Chengyu realized his own voice was choked with emotion as he spoke her name.
