Chapter 16
It was not until Feng Huanhuan stood still in front of her that she realized she had lost her composure. She lowered her eyelashes in embarrassment and said with a smile, "Huan'er, why are you so free today?"
Bai Tiao was still wearing the white goose down shawl, with dust on the corners. Her hair was neatly combed, but it looked like she had just combed it. She smiled, but it couldn't hide her paleness. The daughter of the prime minister's mansion had to endure such torture. Feng Huanhuan felt bitter. Sister Bai was a very neat and tidy person... She tried hard to suppress her anger, because she noticed that Le Yingniang behind Sister Bai was walking towards them hurriedly.
As they got closer and closer, seeing that Le Yingniang was about to speak, Feng Huanhuan forced a stiff smile and said to Bai Tiao first, "Sister Bai, Huan'er has been worried a lot these days, probably because she is about to reach the age of marriage, and she is too embarrassed to talk about many girl's matters. You also know that Huan'er lost her mother when she was young, and Sister Bai taught her a lot. Huan'er came here this time with my father's permission, and I would like to invite Sister Bai to stay at the mansion for a while to help Huan'er solve his problems, is that okay?"
Bai Tiao smiled as he took her hand and looked her up and down, looking at her tenderly. Finally, his eyes fell on her face and he said with a smile, "Huan'er has really grown up and has grown taller."
Bai Tiao turned around, glanced at Le Yingniang, then looked away, lowered his eyes, paused for a moment, and called out softly, "Huan'er... I..."
Feng Huanhuan felt something was wrong when she heard this. Without waiting for Bai Tiao to finish her words, she pulled Bai Tiao in front of Le Yingniang and said, "Second Madam."
Le Yingniang smiled and waited for Feng Huanhuan to continue.
"Bai Tiao is going to stay at my house for a few days. Since my daughter is not at home, I'd like to trouble the Second Madam to take care of her."
When Le Yingniang heard this, her smile froze on her face: this guy is determined to take her away. She glanced at Bai Tiao, then smiled and said to Feng Huanhuan: "Auntie Ying heard what Huan'er said just now. Auntie Ying is really distressed. Bai Tiao is a little girl who is not much older than you. Besides, this girl's female enlightenment was all taught by Auntie Ying. So, Huan'er, come to the Prime Minister's Mansion every day, and Auntie Ying will teach you personally, okay? In this way, won't you see each other more often?"
After saying that, Le Yingniang glanced at Bai Tiao again, her tone full of warning: "Is that so?"
It seems that they are not going to release him today. Bai Tiao lowered her eyes, looking sad, but seemed to agree. How many humiliations did she suffer in the Prime Minister's Mansion to bend her hard spine, Feng Huanhuan thought.
Seeing Bai Tiao silent, and then seeing Le Yingniang nodding and looking at people, her uncontrollable anger suddenly turned into a laugh. Then, she changed to a puzzled look, and said to Feicui behind her: "I haven't stepped into the Prime Minister's Mansion in the past few years, which makes me confused. Although the second wife is a concubine, she is also a concubine. It's okay that she can't nod when she sees the legitimate daughter of the mansion. Maybe it's because the relationship between the legitimate and the concubine is good, so I have seen it. But I'm really the first time to call the legitimate daughter by her full name in a dignified manner."
Feicui saw the young lady raising her eyebrows at her, and immediately understood. So, she echoed, and even raised her voice deliberately: "Yes, young lady. I have followed you in and out of the officials' banquets since I was a child, and I have some knowledge. Those good families who favor the legitimate daughters over the illegitimate daughters would never be so disrespectful. Only the legitimate daughters of the noble families who favor the concubines over the wives would be yelled at by the concubines."
"Oh, it's a good thing that my father only had my mother as his principal wife in his life. Otherwise, people like me who lost their mother when I was born would have been skinned alive by the second wife." She covered her chest and pretended to be very sad.
Feicui was very understanding. She immediately supported her, stroked her back, and comforted her, "Miss, the master loves his wife so deeply that he will never remarry in this life. Moreover, I heard from the old people in the mansion that the master usually drinks too much at banquets, and many women of unknown origin come to him. Every time this happens, the master will get furious and drive them out, making it very ugly. Over time, those vulgar women no longer dare to approach the master."
When talking about the woman of unknown origin, Feicui deliberately spoke loudly, fearing that the second wife could not hear. Le Yingniang's face turned pale, and then red and white, but she did not dare to get angry, which pleased Feng Huanhuan. So, she continued to sigh and said to Feicui: "Forget it, let's go back to the mansion. After all, this is a matter of the Prime Minister's Mansion, and outsiders can't influence it. Let's go back and tell Daddy, and let Daddy ask for the imperial decree to invite the Qimeng aunt in the palace."
After saying this, the two were about to turn around and leave. Le Yingniang suddenly felt something was wrong and stepped forward and called out, "Huan'er, stay."
She trotted to Feng Huanhuan, blocking the way, and tried to pull up her hand, but Feng Huanhuan cleverly dodged her.
Although Le Yingniang was angry, she tried her best to maintain a stiff smile and be polite. Feng Huanhuan thought that she really wanted to put a bronze mirror in front of her so that she could see how fake she was.
"Huan'er, what are you doing? You finally came to the Prime Minister's Residence, but you left before you even stayed for an hour. If someone sees you, they will definitely say that the Prime Minister's Residence has no way of entertaining guests."
"Bai Tiao...ah...Miss Bai was so anxious when she heard that Huan'er was coming to visit her mansion that she just put on a servant's clothes and ran out. It was really embarrassing. It would be fine if she was in her own mansion, but if she walked out like this, the Prime Minister's Mansion would lose face. How about this, let Bai Tiao go back and change clothes first, and Huan'er stay for a while, okay?"
Feng Huanhuan didn't nod when she heard that, but turned to look at Bai Tiao, asking her with her eyes. Bai Tiao obviously understood, and she walked forward, took her hand, and said with a smile: "I'll be back soon, Huan'er, can you wait for a while here?"
"Okay, Sister Bai, I'll wait for you here."
Bai Tiao walked away, and Le Yingniang followed closely. Feicui puffed up her cheeks, very dissatisfied: "Miss, will Miss Bai be detained by the Second Madam and cannot come out after she leaves?"
Feng Huanhuan looked into the distance and said firmly, "No."
It turned out that Bai Tiao had just held her hand and squeezed it three times, indicating that she wanted to go back to her boudoir, perhaps for something important. She wanted to follow him, but Le Yingniang went back to her boudoir with Bai Tiao first, under the pretext of packing Bai Tiao's luggage.
Along the way, Le Yingniang felt more and more suffocated, as if her heart was on fire. She pressed her chest tightly and tried her best to suppress it. Bai Tiao's Wisteria Garden was very close to the front hall. If she couldn't help it at this time, she might attract Feng Huanhuan. When she stepped into the Wisteria Garden, Le Yingniang seemed to have entered her own room. Before Bai Tiao entered, she took the lead and pushed Bai Tiao away, who had just stepped in. She took a few steps, sat on the stool with her back tilted, and looked at Bai Tiao.
Bai Tiao ignored him, as she was used to this kind of life. Soon, she took the nanmu box and left without even glancing at it.
"Vegetable."
Le Yingniang raised her eyes and called out, Bai Tiao stopped and waited for her to continue. So, Le Yingniang stood up and walked to Bai Tiao, raised her head, "Bai Tiao, don't think that you can hide away from everything by hiding in the Shangshu Mansion. I will let you be free for a while, and when the time is enough, your mother will personally welcome you back to the mansion."
Bai Tiao did not answer, her eyes half closed, half open, which made Le Yingniang's anger rise from her feet to her head. She pinched her chin and forced her to look at him: "Don't think I don't know what you are thinking? Even if Feng Wubai likes you and wants to marry you, so what? If Feng Wubai knew that you had lost your reputation a few years ago, would he still marry you? An unfaithful and unclean person should seize benefits for the mansion, and you still think about living together!"
At this time, Le Yingniang spoke vulgar words to her, but Bai Tiao was not annoyed at all. She waited until she had finished venting her anger, then she turned away and walked away, leaving Le Yingniang jumping on the spot.
That day, Bai Tiao and Feng Huanhuan went to the Prime Minister's Mansion. Before that, this was a scene she had recalled countless times. She waited for the sky to darken, and it was already noon when she arrived at the mansion.
The winter wind blows and it’s a little cold.
The light clouds shine through the sun, casting an oblique light on it.
Feng happily sat at the eight-immortal table, picking up the food that Bai Tiao loved to eat and feeding her non-stop: "Sister Bai, this peony shrimp is delicious. You've lost weight, so you should eat more."
Seeing her busy, Feicui also followed her. Seeing the food piled up in the young lady's bowl, she hurriedly stopped her and said, "Young lady, let me serve Miss Bai some food."
Bai Tiao put down his chopsticks and smiled: "Yes, Huan'er, eat quickly. You are so greedy. I am afraid it will not taste good if it gets cold."
During this lunch, the two seemed to be back to the old days. Bai Tiao still took the initiative to take care of Feng Huanhuan, like an older sister, sometimes worried that she would choke, sometimes worried that she would be thirsty. She looked at Feng Huanhuan with a doting look, now that the little girl was about to reach marriage, it was indeed time for her to know some girl's affairs.
So, she put down her bowl and chopsticks, assumed her role as the eldest sister, and called softly, "Huan'er."
Feng Huanhuan paused, staring at the two round beads without blinking, which was very cute. She smiled and continued, "Women will have their periods around the time of their marriage, sooner or later. Now you should ask Feicui to prepare a menstrual belt to avoid being in a hurry when the time comes."
"I know, I know." Feng Huanhuan continued to drink the bird's nest soup. Feicui didn't seem to care and just nodded. She shook her head and smiled and continued: "Forget it, look at how confused I am. Feicui is also a little girl, so I'll prepare the things and send them over when the time comes."
Before she knew it, lunch had already been eaten. Feng Huanhuan wanted to ask the maid Handan where she was many times, but she was afraid that Bai Tiao would lie and panic, so she made up her mind and secretly hid her face in delight.
That night, Feng Huanhuan sent Bai Tiao back to the guest garden. Seeing that the door was closed, she turned around and jogged through the corridor, dragging her steps forward, looking for an empty dark corner, and silently repeated three times in her heart: Farewell to the cold wind.
Last night, Han Fengci shot a beam of red light into the space between her eyebrows. It is inconvenient to walk in winter. If you want to find him, you don't have to go through so much trouble. Just recite his name three times silently, and he will be able to sense it no matter where he is. She closed her eyes tightly and counted to three times. She slowly opened her eyes, and the gaps in her eyes gradually widened. She saw the corners of his black clothes, the wolf-patterned cuffs, and his cold star-like eyes were filled with gentle light. He crossed his arms over his chest, leaned over and looked at her with a faint smile, as if he had maintained this action for a long time. She was stunned for a moment, but soon reacted. So, she pretended to be angry and asked, "How long have you been peeking at me?"
"Not long." Even from the rooftop, he saw the little girl sneaking around, running behind a tree, and saying his name with her eyes closed. It was so cute. He couldn't help it, so he teleported in front of her and wanted to tease her.
Feng Huanhuan saw Han Fengci's cold eyes with a smile, which seemed like the boundless stars.
The moonlight shines long, and the reflection in my eyes is all you. At this moment, her heart softened, and she suddenly felt her cheeks getting hot. She lowered her head, looked at her toes, and chanted to herself: "Gods can also lie."
"Well, he specializes in deceiving restless young girls at night."
She raised her eyes and said, "No, I came to you for something important. I can't figure it out."
Han Fengci saw the serious look in the little girl's eyes, so he stopped joking and just listened to her, "I went to the Prime Minister's Mansion to pick up Sister Bai. During the day, I also tried to ask her indirectly, but Sister Bai always interrupted me. She obviously didn't want to talk to me too much, and she never mentioned what happened in the Prime Minister's Mansion. She just lied that she had offended her father recently and was punished a little, so she came out to meet me in such a mess at noon. She told me not to worry."
She added, "But you know, what we saw that night was clearly not what he said. Why did she hide it? My brother will be in the capital soon, she can't possibly not know."
"She is always like this. She never explains or complains about anything, but just bears everything by herself. The more Sister Bai is like this, the weirder it seems to me. What's even weirder is that she gave me a nanmu box and told me to open it on the day of my coming-of-age ceremony, as if I would never see her again. And Handan has disappeared since the last time. She was Sister Bai's personal maid, so how could she disappear?"
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