Chapter 22 Old Friend
Although Jiang Jingrui looked very similar to Lu, he was not as smart as Lu. Before Jiang Li could say anything, he had already started talking.

"Why are you a completely different person now? You speak so softly, it's so awkward!"

"You're still wearing green. Do you think you're an onion?"

"You've grown too thin! Even your taste has deteriorated? You dress like a bird."

"Tsk tsk tsk, this isn't some rich lady. If you don't know, you might think she's a nun. Do you want to become an immortal?"

Finally, he ended his observation of Jiang Li with a sentence "The nunnery is really not a good place. Good people can change in an instant."

Jiang Li: “…”

She felt a bit amused and thought about Jiang Jingrui's actions just now. She asked tentatively: "Jiang...Jingrui?"

As soon as these words came out, Jiang Jingrui's expression suddenly eased and he said, "That's more like it! Calling me cousin is giving me goosebumps!"

Jiang Li thought that it seemed that Miss Jiang II had a good relationship with this cousin. They called each other by their names in private. And seeing that Jiang Jingrui was noisy and didn't seem to have any ulterior motives, he must have been in the same group with Miss Jiang II in the past.

Jiang Jingrui crossed his arms and said, "I thought I would never see you again in this life, but I didn't expect that my uncle still had a conscience and took you back."

"Thank you for your concern." Jiang Li tried her best to make her attitude appear more natural.

However, this "naturalness" still made Jiang Jingrui feel very uncomfortable. He endured it again and again, and said: "But don't take it lightly, try to please your uncle more when you have time. My brothers all know that you are back in Beijing... I think the whole Yanjing knows it now. They said you are vicious behind your back, I heard it all. If you don't want to be kicked out again, be smart."

Jiang Li was speechless. Jiang Jingrui seemed to have a good relationship with Miss Jiang Er. At this moment, he was standing by and watching, and seemed to be gloating. His self-righteous suggestion was unclear whether it was well-intentioned or not, which made Jiang Li laugh and cry.

Jiang Jingrui glanced at the distance, and in the pavilion, the shadows of Jiang Youyao and the other two were still there. Jiang Jingrui asked, "Hey, did they embarrass you when you came here just now?"

"No." Jiang Li said, "I just said a few words."

Jiang Jingrui looked at her curiously when he heard it: "What did you say?"

"My third sister will be coming of age in a few days, and she asked me not to forget the gift."

Jiang Jingrui sneered when he heard this, and said, "You're just having a coming-of-age ceremony, and you really think you're a princess." He then looked at Jiang Li and pointed at her with a look of disappointment, "Are you stupid? Didn't you understand what she meant?"

"What do you mean?" Jiang Li was puzzled.

"Ah." Jiang Jingrui sighed in a dignified manner and said, "After Jiang Youyao's coming-of-age ceremony, the Ningyuan Marquis' family should come to discuss the marriage. Don't you know that Zhou Yanbang will definitely come to Jiang Youyao's coming-of-age ceremony?" Zhou Yanbang, Jiang Li suddenly realized that Tong'er had mentioned that the Ningyuan Marquis's son was called Zhou Yanbang. That was the husband that was originally arranged to marry Miss Jiang Er, but was later usurped by Jiang Youyao.

No wonder Jiang Youyao just said that many people were invited to the coming-of-age ceremony, and she might meet someone she knew. This "acquaintance" should refer to Zhou Yanbang! If it was really Jiang Li, seeing Zhou Yanbang at the coming-of-age ceremony, she would either be too sad to speak or too excited to control herself in front of others. In short, it would be unpleasant, no less than being stabbed in the heart.

Tong'er supported Jiang Li worriedly, while Jiang Jingrui was still chattering, "I think you should not go to the coming-of-age ceremony. You don't know that Zhou Yanbang is much more handsome than when he was a child. Now many girls in Yanjing City are fond of him. You liked him so much when you were a child. Now that you have met him, I am afraid you can't let him go. But now that the matter is done, Jiang Youyao and Zhou Yanbang have already been engaged. It will be useless for you to be unwilling. It will only make you sad. It's better not to meet him."

Jiang Li listened to what he said and had only one thought in her mind: Jiang Jingrui really doesn't know how to talk. If Miss Jiang really listened to him trying to persuade her like this, it would be like adding fuel to the fire and making things worse. It would be lucky that she didn't get angry to death.

Seeing that Jiang Li didn't speak, Tong'er was afraid that she would think of sad things, so she asked carefully: "Girl?"

Jiang Li smiled and said, "I'm fine. It turns out Zhou Yanbang is coming too."

The tone of her voice was so calm that both Tong'er and Jiang Jingrui were stunned for a moment.

They didn't know that Jiang Li was not Miss Jiang Er. Miss Jiang Er would jump into the water to think about Zhou Yanbang, but Jiang Li would not. To her, Zhou Yanbang was just a stranger she had never met. It was too difficult to feel happy, angry, sad, or joyful for a stranger.

Zhou Yanbang couldn't irritate her. No matter what Jiang Youyao was planning, it was wrong from the beginning. Zhou Yanbang was useful in the coming-of-age ceremony, but the premise was that Jiang Li cared about her. If Jiang Li didn't care at all, it didn't matter whether Zhou Yanbang showed up or not.

Jiang Jingrui asked: "Even if Zhou Yanbang comes, will you still go?" He looked at Jiang Li's face, trying to find a trace of sadness or sorrow on Jiang Li's face.

But he failed.

"If I don't go, my mother and third sister will be sad, and my father will blame me. How can I not go? Besides, there is someone I want to see." Jiang Li said.

Jiang Jingrui and Tong'er felt sympathy when they heard Jiang Li's previous words. Indeed, Jiang Li had to go. If she didn't go, who knows what Ji Shuran would plot against her behind her back and bring the raft to the people.

But when they heard the second half of the sentence, they were both stunned. Jiang Li still couldn't let go of Zhou Yanbang, right? But why didn't she look like she still had feelings for him?
They both thought that the "person she wanted to see" Jiang Li was referring to was Zhou Yanbang, but they didn't know that the person she really wanted to see was not this person.

Jiang Yuanbai is the prime minister of the dynasty, the leader of the literati, and the daughter of a legitimate wife will definitely come to watch the ceremony. Shen Yurong is the new champion, and now she is a new and noble official in the court. She will try to build a good relationship with Jiang Yuanbai. Shen Yurong's sister will definitely come to watch the ceremony.

Moreover, when Shen Yurong's sister Shen Ruyun and Xue Fangfei were sisters-in-law, she knew that Shen Ruyun was in love with Ningyuan Hou's son. Shen Ruyun was narrow-minded and competitive, so she would definitely come to see what Zhou Yanbang's future wife looked like.

The people Jiang Li wanted to see were Xue Fangfei's old friends, the Shen family.

She waited for those people to come.

(End of this chapter)