Chapter 107 Snow Falling at Midnight

Back in the east wing of Liaoyuan, a charcoal fire burned inside, filling the room with a warm and cozy atmosphere. Hanxing helped Ruanbi take off her cloak, Xiaoju brought her shoes to change into, and Chamei brought out the food that had been kept warm. In no time, the three of them moved about, and the room was bustling with activity.

Even the parrots joined in the fun, squawking loudly, "Fifth Sister is back! Fifth Sister is back!"

Hanxing slapped the birdcage angrily and said, "You stupid bird, why are you trying to mimic my speech!"

The parrot then joined in, yelling, "You silly bird, silly bird!"

Everyone burst into laughter.

Hanxing laughed as she patted the birdcage, the parrot flapping its wings wildly. Xiuzhi was serving soup to Ruanbi, her hands trembling with laughter, spilling soup all over the table. Chamei leaned on the table, laughing so hard she couldn't straighten up. Juzi squatted on the ground, clutching her stomach, panting, "Oh my god, that's hilarious!"

Looking at the fluttering birds and the four carefree maids, Ruan Bi smiled, but tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

The laughter reached the ears of the maids in the main house of Liaoyuan. They all opened the windows and looked into the east wing. Seeing the bright lights and cheerful laughter, which lessened the chill of the winter night, they were filled with envy. Qiuyan blurted out, "Ever since Fifth Miss recovered from her illness, this east wing has become more and more lively every day."

Qiulan glanced at her sideways and said unhappily, "If you're envious, then you can transfer to Fifth Miss's room."

Qiu Yan stuck out her tongue and said, "Sister Qiu Lan, I was just saying that, why are you putting such a big label on me?"

Qiulan gave a soft hum and remained silent.

A young maid with no hair left asked in a low voice, "I heard that Fifth Miss is betrothed to Young Master Gu of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, and the engagement is to take place on the sixth day of the twelfth lunar month. Is that true?"

Qiu Yan nodded and said, "Of course it's true. Didn't you see how polite the First Madam was to her?"

The maid sighed and said, "The Madam only knows how to bully our young lady. Our young lady is the most pitiful one, she has no one to rely on..."

Qiulan glared at her and said, "You're blind! Which eye saw that our young lady is the most pitiful? Let me tell you, what is the Duke of Dingguo's mansion? Compared to our young lady's support, it's nothing..." As she spoke, she disdainfully stretched out her little finger, then pointed to the sky and said, "From now on, our young lady's support is this. No other young lady can compare to our young lady."

She launched into a tirade, her tone arrogant and overbearing, leaving the maids, both young and old, bewildered and disapproving. They knew Qiu Lan's words were like razor blades; once she set her sights on someone, she wouldn't rest until she'd ripped them dry. Though they disagreed, they dared not contradict her. Knowing they didn't believe her, Qiu Lan couldn't resist adding smugly, "Just you wait and see! In less than a month, my young lady's good fortune will arrive, and the background will be so impressive it'll scare you to death!"

The maids, both young and old, looked at each other in bewilderment.

Qiulan didn't bother to say anything more to them. She brewed a pot of tea and tiptoed into the Fourth Sister's bedroom.

Only one lamp was lit in the room, casting a dim and cold light. The Fourth Sister lay on the bed, her gaze fixed blankly on the top of the bed curtains, her cheeks slightly flushed, a faint smile playing on her lips, and a tenderness hidden in her brows. Qiu Lan glanced at the water clock, counting the time on her fingers; almost an hour and a half had passed, and she was still lying there, without changing her position. She chuckled, pursed her lips, placed the tea on the table, and tiptoed out.

Just as she moved, she suddenly heard the Fourth Sister cry out "Ouch!" in a dazed voice, as if she had been startled awake from a dream.

"Girl, what's wrong?"

The fourth sister sat up abruptly, glanced at the water clock, and exclaimed, "Oh dear, it's so late already? Qiulan, has Fifth Sister returned yet?"

"They're back," Qiulan said, pointing out the window. "Look, they're making a ruckus in their room." The laughter wasn't as loud as before, but a lingering echo remained.

The fourth sister listened intently, then smiled and said, "Fifth sister's room is much more lively than ours, even though there are fewer people here." With that, she got out of bed, slipped on her shoes, went to the dressing table, and picked up a comb to brush her hair.

She was about to go to bed after taking off her hair, but she was still combing it. Qiulan was taken aback and asked, "Is Miss going out?"

"Yes, I'll go check on Fifth Sister."

Qiulan understood, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Does Miss intend to tell Fifth Miss?"

The fourth sister hummed in agreement.

Qiulan said unhappily, "It was arranged by the Third Master, what does it have to do with the Fifth Miss?"

The fourth sister stopped combing her hair, examined her beautiful face in the mirror, and said, "If it weren't for the scheme set up by the fifth sister, there wouldn't have been this move by the third uncle. We can't put the cart before the horse." She quickly tied her hair up, only wearing a silver hairpin, and looked at herself in the mirror again.

Qiulan took the silver-red cloak hanging on the coat rack and draped it over her, saying, "It's getting windy outside, and the sky is gloomy. It might snow."

"The winter solstice is just around the corner. We haven't even had a light snowfall this year. It's about time for a snowfall." Fourth Sister said, fastening her hood. "I'll be right back. Qiulan, you don't need to come with me."

Qiulan nodded and opened the door for her. A gust of wind blew in, making the Fourth Miss's cheeks feel cold. She quickly squinted and went out. Seeing that the light in Ruan Bi's bedroom was on, she knew that Ruan Bi was in her bedroom. Seeing that the hall was brightly lit, filled with laughter, and faintly mixed with the chirping of parrots, she knew that the maids were playing with the birds.

Because of the strong wind, the laughter was quickly blown away.

As he approached the window of Ruan Bi's bedroom, about to gently knock, Xiu Zhi's voice suddenly rang out, sounding quite surprised: "Miss, why are you giving me money all of a sudden?"

"Do I need to distinguish between good and bad reasons for giving you money? Didn't you say last time that your family hadn't raised enough money to redeem you? Just take it back to your mother and keep it for now. You can redeem yourself whenever you want."

Xiuzhi asked anxiously, "Miss, has something happened?"

"Don't overthink it. What could possibly be wrong? I'll give you some silver; just take it." After a pause, Ruan Bi added, "By the way, go home tomorrow and tell Granny Liu that the matter I asked her to handle should be done."

"Girl, I feel... very uneasy."

"Alright, go get a basin of hot water, I'm going to soak my feet."

The fourth sister listened to the footsteps fading away inside the house before gently knocking on the window.

The window opened quickly, and Ruan Bi's face peeked out, smiling brightly as she said, "Fourth Sister, it's so cold tonight, why did you come out?"

The fourth sister said shyly, "There's something I want to ask you."

"Oh? What is it?" Ruan Bi asked, blinking her eyes.

"The Encounter with the Immortal in the Maple Forest".

Ruan Bi was taken aback at first, but then suddenly realized what she meant. She curtsied and said, "Congratulations, sister."

The fourth sister's cheeks flushed red, and she pulled her along, saying, "What's the joy? Sister, you know perfectly well that it's just like jumping from one small swamp into another big one."

It seemed she hadn't lost her mind, which reassured Ruan Bi slightly. Just as she was about to say something, she suddenly felt something float to her lips, slightly cool, and then wet. Looking up, she saw snowflakes swirling in the dark night sky, like willow catkins in March.

The fourth sister also sensed it and exclaimed happily, "It's snowing!"

The two leaned against the window, quietly watching the swirling snow and the fierce wind.

However, the snow that fell late at night was short-lived, stopping after only half an hour. The ground was slightly damp, but not a single snowflake remained. The wind died down for the next two days, and the weather cleared up.

Ruan Lan returned to the Ruan residence on a sunny winter afternoon, still bearing her injuries.