Chapter 505: Snow-covered Plum Blossoms
After a moment's thought, Grandmother Jia smiled and waved to Baoqin, saying, "Qin girl, come here!"
"Amber, go get the duck-cheek fur coat from my box. It's snowing outside now, so it's perfect for wearing!"
Amber hurried over and soon returned with a light green fur coat.
The old lady had Baoqin dressed and immediately said with a smile, "It is really very good!"
"Grandma, the East Palace's chief steward Jia Zhong has harnessed the carriage and has been ordered to come and welcome you and all the masters!" Boli said to the old lady as he entered the room.
Immediately, the women surrounded the old lady and went out, and Jia Zhong took the old women and maids from the East Palace to take everyone to the East Palace.
The carriage went straight to Huifang Garden. Although it had snowed for two or three days, the courtyard in the mansion was always cleaned by maids and old women, so it was not a big deal. However, the entire Huifang Garden was covered in white snow.
"The old lady is finally here!"
The three Yuanyangs from the East Palace, as well as Youshi and Keqing, came to greet them in front of Tianxiang Tower.
After the old lady got off the carriage, Yuanyang stepped forward to support her and asked, "Old lady, should we sit inside or look at the scenery outside?"
"We're just outside!" the old lady laughed. "If we were inside, it would be no different from being in the yard."
Then he turned to the girls and said, "You all should go to Gaole. There's no need to stay here with me!"
The girls couldn't wait to see the crystal white snow. After hearing what the old lady said, they immediately rushed into the garden happily.
Youshi, Keqing, Li Wan, Wang Xifeng and Yuanyang gathered around Lady Jia to chat and laugh, while Murong and Xing Xiuyan, along with their maids and Qingwen, followed the other girls to take care of them.
"Miss Lin, I got a few lines of poetry in my dream last night, but I didn't know what was good for me. I want you to help me take a look!" Xiangling smiled innocently and followed Daiyu.
"I'd say you're possessed by a demon!" Qingwen said helplessly. "Ever since I borrowed the poetry collection from you and started reading it, I've lost my appetite. The other day, I wrote a piece and even asked you to read it. When I came back, I heard you said it wasn't very good. These past two nights, I've been grumbling all night long."
"In that case, this girl should be called a poetry demon!" Baochai said with a smile.
Daiyu pulled Xiangling and said, "Bring it to me quickly and ignore them."
Xiangling took out a slip of paper from her bosom and handed it to Daiyu. On it was written, "It is difficult to conceal the essence of the material, the shadow is so bright and the soul is so cold. A single anvil beats the white for a thousand miles, half a rooster crows at the end of the fifth watch. I hear the flute on the green river in autumn, and the red sleeves lean on the railing on the roof at night. If I could win the favor of Chang'e, I would ask her why she doesn't allow us to be together forever."
After reading it, Daiyu immediately said, "This poem is not only good, but also novel, clever and interesting."
"They say nothing is difficult for one who sets his mind to it! It's really true!" Baochai also praised with a smile.
Tanchun came over to take a look and said, "The other day, the sisters were discussing about forming a poetry club together. If they were to invite people, you would definitely be one of them."
"Why are you teasing me, girl? I'm just envious and I'm just learning this for fun."
The girls laughed and said, "Who isn't having fun? Are we really serious about writing poetry? It's fine if we're at home, but if we were out there, it would make everyone laugh until their teeth fall out."
"Sister Lin, Sister Bao, look!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw little Xichun running over, holding a blossoming plum blossom. "When we came here, our ancestors said we were going to walk in the snow to look for plum blossoms. I'm here to find them."
Everyone was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. Little Xichun showed off for a moment before once again carrying the plum blossom branch towards the old lady.
They made a fuss in the garden for half a day until the old lady sent Wang Xifeng to call everyone to eat and drink. Only then did everyone reluctantly go to Tianxiang Tower.
A banquet had already been set up in the hall. The old lady and others sat at one table, and the girls sat at a separate table.
After taking two bites, Xiangyun said, "I just heard from Sister Muring that fresh venison was delivered from the farm outside the city the other day. Why don't we ask the sisters-in-law to get it for us later and roast it directly in the garden?"
"Last time, Third Brother took us to Doufengxuan to barbecue, drink, and write poetry. Although Third Brother is not here today, we can still follow suit."
As soon as these words were spoken, all the girls were moved.
"That meat is difficult to digest. The old lady may not agree to it with her around!" Yingchun said hesitantly.
Xiangyun chuckled, "Second sister-in-law just said that the old lady has been walking around for quite a while and is a little tired. After she finishes eating, she will go to the courtyard with the sisters-in-law to rest and chat. Sister Yuanyang and the eldest sister-in-law from the East Palace will be there to accompany her, so there's no need for us to go over. I'll go directly with her to the courtyard and ask Sisters Muring and Xiuyan to bring us some meat. You just wait."
With Xiangyun's words, the table full of wine and food actually made everyone lose their appetite. Sure enough, after eating, Yuanyang and others, as well as Youshi and Keqing, surrounded the old lady and went to the yard to rest. Xiangyun winked at everyone and followed them.
Daiyu and others were waiting in the garden. Not long after, Li Wan and Wang Xifeng arrived first.
"The old lady is worried about you little ones, so she asked my eldest sister-in-law and me to come and serve the other ladies." Wang Xifeng smiled. After sitting down, she looked around. "Didn't Yun come out a long time ago? Why hasn't she come yet?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard Xiangyun's voice coming from behind.
Wang Xifeng turned her head and saw Xiangyun holding Muring and Xiuyan on both sides, followed by several maids and old women, holding iron stoves, iron forks and other things in their hands, and two of them directly carried a large piece of fresh venison.
"I was just saying that you had no appetite when you were eating just now. It turns out you were waiting here!" Wang Xifeng said with a laugh.
Li Wan reluctantly stepped forward and pulled Xiangyun and the others over, saying to the maids behind them, "We're just joining in the fun. We might not eat much, so let's pick out three or five pieces of the best ones and share them."
Xiangyun and the other girls wanted to do it themselves, but Li Wan was afraid of getting cut or burned, so she quickly stopped them and asked the maid to take care of it.
They didn't really care, sitting around in the Doufeng Pavilion, waiting for the maid to bring over the roasted venison, and then they started eating and drinking! Baochai wasn't very interested in this way of eating, so she just tasted it briefly, and Daiyu also only took a bite or two. But Baoqin thought it was delicious and shared it with Xiangyun and Xiao Xichun.
After eating for a while and drinking a few glasses of wine, Tanchun said with a smile, "Of course we can't eat this meat for nothing. If we can't write a good poem, wouldn't it be a waste of Third Brother's venison?"
"What kind of poetry should we write today? The old lady also said that the New Year is approaching, and we should make some riddles in the first month of the year to make everyone happy." Yingchun said.
"Isn't this perfect? Let's make some good ones now and prepare for playing in the first month of the year." Xiu Yan said.
