Chapter 56: The hot spring for three people was incredibly crowded.

When they set off, the leaden sky was overcast, and it felt like it could snow at any moment.

Sure enough, not long after leaving the city, snowflakes began to fall from the sky, swirling and fluttering down in the air with the wind.

Meng Xiaoxiao lifted the curtain and looked outside. After catching a snowflake in her palm, she excitedly turned around and showed it to Li Yue'er.

Li Yue'er praised her, "This one is the best; you can see all six corners."

Meng Xiaoxiao followed suit, bowing her head to count.

The two chatted back and forth, finding endless conversation even about a simple snowfall or a single snowflake.

Su Rou leaned against the wall of the room, a blanket draped over her legs, a hand warmer in her hands, her eyes looking at the two little girls sitting in front of her, her gaze unconsciously softening and becoming gentle.

It seems that doing nothing, just listening to their chatter makes her happy, like two lively sparrows on a quiet branch in the snow, bringing some liveliness and vitality to her dull and lifeless life.

Looking at them, Su Rou vaguely recalled what she looked like when she was sixteen or seventeen. At that time, she was extremely proud and looked down on everyone. Not to mention going out to soak in hot springs, she looked down on everyone, and she even thought that royal banquets were ordinary.

Now, ten years have passed in the blink of an eye. She has not only grown older, but her situation and status are also no longer what they used to be.

The only thing that remains unchanged is that aloofness.

She, despite all this, lived in such a distorted environment.

It's like falling into a swamp, watching yourself slowly sink, covered in mud, yet powerless to stop it.

Su Rou pursed her lips, frowned, and slowly closed her eyes.

When Li Yue'er saw that Sister Su had closed her eyes, she assumed that Sister Su couldn't stand the swaying of the carriage and was feeling nauseous, so she closed her eyes to rest. She then pulled Meng Xiaoxiao aside and whispered a "shh."

Meng Xiaoxiao tilted her head to look at Sister Su and also shushed her.

The two began to play cat's cradle silently.

Qu Rong was looking at the past years' expense accounts of the estate. The sudden quiet around her was not quite used to, so she couldn't help but look up at Li Yue'er.

Why aren't you saying anything?

She glanced at Li Yue'er, then followed Li Yue'er's gaze to Su Rou, who was sitting on her other side, and sneered with lowered eyes.

All of Su Rou's current troubles have nothing to do with her age or circumstances; they are all self-inflicted and incompatible. She wants everything, which is why she lives such a conflicted life.

Qu Rong turned the page of the ledger, her peripheral vision falling on Li Yue'er's face. She saw her long eyelashes drooping and a smile playing on her lips. Her brows and eyes were serious as she deftly flipped through the paper with her fingers. For a moment, Qu Rong forgot to turn the page.

She thought that if it were Li Yue'er, even if she reached Su Rou's age, Li Yue'er would still live a well-rounded and insightful life.

Li Yue'er noticed the gazes around her, turned around and looked at the mistress with questioning eyes.

Qu Rong pretended nothing had happened and turned her gaze away to continue flipping through the ledger.

strangeness.

Li Yue'er found her mistress's behavior strange. Was she upset that there were too many people in the carriage and she couldn't be alone with her? Or did she think that she was only talking to Meng Xiaoxiao?

But when she asked the mistress if she wanted to play cat's cradle, the mistress practically rolled her eyes at her.

Besides, Meng Xiaoxiao is just a child. Although the mistress doesn't say it, she treats Xiaoxiao quite well.

No one can dislike someone as pure and innocent as Meng Xiaoxiao; playing with her is no less enjoyable than playing with a purring kitten.

Although Li Yue'er also found cat's cradle boring, it would take almost an hour and a half to get from the city to the manor, so she needed something to pass the time.

Li Yue'er ignored the mistress and focused on playing cat's cradle with Xiao Xiao.

When the carriage stopped again, Teng Huang lightly jumped down from the carriage shaft, turned around and gently knocked on the carriage, "Mistress, we have arrived."

Su Rou slowly opened her eyes, and leisurely folded the blanket off her lap and placed it aside.

Dansha placed the footstool down, and Meng Xiaoxiao, who was sitting near the door, bent down and crawled out first.

She stepped off the carriage first, using Dan Sha's palm as a footstool, and excitedly and curiously ran around the carriage, looking at the surroundings.

Zhuangzi's steward, along with his entire family, went out to greet him. When he suddenly saw Meng Xiaoxiao coming down, he was momentarily stunned. He remembered that his mistress didn't look like this. Not only did her appearance not match, but her personality was also completely different.

Next came Su Rou, followed by Li Yue'er.

Teng Huang came over and helped Li Yue'er out of the car. He whispered to her, "The snow is so heavy. After we finish eating, we can go out and play in the snow. Don't forget to bring Xiaoxiao along. It'll be more fun with more people."

Li Yue'er winked at her and squeezed her hand as a gesture of agreement.

Fujiwara cheered up, turned her head to meet Tansa's calm eyes, tilted her head and pretended to be stupid, never mentioning the invitation to Tansa to play in the snow, only pursing her lips and smiling back at her.

What's the difference between taking Dansha out to play and taking the mistress out to play?

cinnabar,"……"

Not hearing what she wanted to hear, Dansha silently looked away.

The last one to appear was the matriarch.

Li Yue'er cleared her throat twice, lifted her dress, walked to the footstool, and offered her palm up.

When Qu Rong bent down to come out with the account book in her hand, she looked up and saw Li Yue'er's palm. It was white with a hint of pink. Even though she had been living a life of luxury for a while, the thin calluses on her palms from years of hard work were still there.

Qu Rong raised her hand and covered it with her own palm.

The warmth emanating from the mistress's palm was constant, and when she got out of the car to get some leverage, she squeezed her hand slightly tighter.

With just a simple gesture of helping her up, Li Yue'er pursed her lips and her ears turned red. She had thought that her mistress would avoid suspicion in public and only hold her wrist.

The mistress didn't mind, but she started to worry about her, afraid that others would gossip about her behind her back. So, after the mistress had stood firm, she took the initiative to let go of her fingers and stood behind her like Gamboge and Cinnabar.

The mistress frowned and turned to look at her.

Li Yue'er's eyes shone brightly as she slowly moved her feet to stand next to her, almost shoulder to shoulder.

The steward of the manor didn't think too much about it. The manor was usually quiet and deserted, and it was only in winter and summer that the masters would come and the place would become a little more lively.

The whole family, husband, wife, and children, watched with smiles as the girls came down one after another, feeling that they were like colorful flowers blooming in the snow, pleasing to the eye.

Upon seeing the mistress emerge, the steward of the estate quickly led his family forward to greet her.

"Greetings, Madam. The courtyard has been cleared and cleaned, and everything is ready. It's just that it's a bit far from the city, so the food options might not be as plentiful as in the city. But please rest assured, Madam and the young ladies, although the variety of food on our estate may not be extensive, we guarantee that everything is fresh and includes wild game that is not commonly found in the city."

“My wife’s skills may not be as good as the chefs at Yingkelai, but she’s quite skilled at cooking and making pancakes,” said Manager Zhuangzi, his voice filled with undisguised pride. “You can rest assured.”

The steward's wife stepped forward to greet her.

Qu Rong wasn't picky about food, so she just nodded when she heard this, and then asked about something else, "Has the hot spring pool been cleaned?"

Madam, "It's all cleaned up. Knowing you were coming, we even had someone fence off the area to prevent cats and dogs from wandering in and disturbing you."

Qu Rong stepped inside, with Li Yue'er leading Meng Xiaoxiao behind her. Su Rou was a little tired, so she told the steward that lunch could be delivered to her room.

Gamboge, cinnabar, and the maids carried the luggage down.

Accompanying them were a dozen or so strong and healthy servants, including Lin Mu.

Their lodgings and meals were also arranged by a manager.

Li Yue'er turned her head to look behind her and asked softly, "Is the mistress worried that this trip is not safe?"

Although the south is in chaos, and it is even said that many prefectures have been occupied by the new army, the flames of war have not yet spread to the north.

Upon entering the room, Qu Rong stood in the center of the main hall, looked around the room, and found it reasonably clean. Only then did she loosen the collar of her cloak, take it off, and hand it to Li Yue'er, saying, "Just in case."

She will not follow in the footsteps of Qu Ming's parents.

Knowing that she was a clean person, Li Yue'er held onto her cloak without putting it down. She waited for the maids to come in and make the bed and sweep the room before hanging up the cloak for her mistress. She carefully brushed the snowflakes off the silver-white fur collar so that when her mistress put it on again in the afternoon, the snowflakes wouldn't fall on her neck and make her feel cold.

After the meal, the mistress wanted to take a nap. Li Yue'er, remembering her promise to Teng Huang, stayed with the mistress for half an incense stick's time before getting up, dressing herself, and calling Meng Xiaoxiao. The three of them went to the backyard hand in hand.

The backyard of the village is a flat area where things are planted during the busy farming season, but now it is empty in the dead of winter and covered in snow.

Looking into the distance, the sky and earth appear pure white.

Meng Xiaoxiao and Teng Huang, having finally gained their freedom, immediately started playing wildly. One was pink and the other was yellow, like two butterflies fluttering in the snow, chasing each other.

Seeing Li Yue'er standing beside them with a hand warmer, the two exchanged a glance, then playfully threw snowballs at her. Meng Xiaoxiao's snowballs were not very solid, and they broke apart halfway through the throw, turning into a shower of snow.

Rambo was quite direct; the snowball landed on Li Yue'er's skirt, adding a splash of white to her red dress.

Li Yue'er put down the hand warmer. "Alright, watch me take on both of you by myself!"

She joined in, and the backyard was filled with the sounds of little girls laughing and playing, which were especially loud in the quiet winter.

When Qu Rong and Su Rou arrived, the three of them were playing wildly, grabbing each other's legs and fighting and rolling around in the snow. They would get up and be tackled again, leaving their cloaks and slightly disheveled hair covered in snow.

Qu Rong looked over and followed the pomegranate red in the snow with her eyes, and chuckled, "How is he older than me? He's just a child."

Even with Li Yue'er behaving like this, she still dares to point her finger at her and say she's a year older than her, making her call her "sister."

Seeing Su Rou raise her hand to loosen her collar and lower her eyes, Dan Sha, out of professional duty, asked softly with concern, "Sister Su, are you feeling unwell?"

Su Rou's voice was calm, "It's alright."

Qu Rong glanced at her sideways and said, "If you don't like it, you can go back and rest. You just arrived today, so you're allowed to rest for a while."

Should we allow her to rest, or should we allow Li Yue'er to have fun?

Su Rou didn't stand on ceremony. "Please forgive me, Madam. I'm too old to be exposed to the cold wind. I'll head back now."

Qu Rong frowned slightly as she looked at her white figure, which was almost blurred by the flying snow. "She's old before she's old."

If it weren't for Shi Yi's support, Su Rou would probably want to sit in a wheelchair and be an old lady right now.

Qu Rong went to see Li Yue'er again.

In Chenhe County, Li Yue'er had just lost her father and couldn't wear bright colors. Since no one cared about her outside the city, she put on her most beautiful pomegranate red dress after waking up, along with a silver-red cloak.

She ran back and forth in the snow, the wind billowing the edges of her cloak, which fluttered behind her. The wide sleeves and hem of her skirt left delicate arcs in the air as she ran, so beautiful that it was impossible to look away.

Even though there were other colors around her, Qu Rong could only see that splash of red.

Dansha asked softly, "Mistress, would you like to join us?"

Qu Rong held the hand warmer, her eyes fixed on the front, but said, "Do I look that childish?"

cinnabar,"……"

She turned back, letting Li Yue'er and Teng Huang Meng Xiaoxiao roll around in the snow to their hearts' content, and said gently, "After she's done being crazy, we'll go soak in the hot springs."

Dansha glanced back once, then once more, reluctantly turning his gaze away with a silent sigh.

Su Rou is prematurely aged, while the mistress is young but pretends to be mature.

By the time Li Yue'er, Teng Huang, and Meng Xiaoxiao got up from the snow, it was already dark.

Qu Rong was originally waiting for Li Yue'er to go to the hot spring, until she saw her coming over with Meng Xiaoxiao in the distance.

Little Meng Xiaoxiao, in the dim and ambiguous sky, had two big, innocent and clear eyes that shone brighter than two suns.

Qu Rong, "..."

A carriage for four people might not be considered crowded, but a hot spring for three people was incredibly cramped.

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Mistress: Don't you think there's something extra?

Xiaoxiao: It's gotten a bit more lively~

Mistress: ...[melted]

So it was a win for Garcinia Cambo, who took Cinnabar with her [doge emoji]