Princess Ruining and Yaoniang were both startled and reached out to grab her.
Wang Zhilan was startled and cried out in surprise, but her head and face were already submerged in water. She choked on the water as soon as she opened her mouth, which made her even more panicked.
Yao Niang waded through the water, trying to grab Wang Zhilan's hand, but Wang Zhilan was so frightened that she kept waving her arms and legs, and couldn't reach her for a while.
Princess Ruining was also anxious and tried to reach out, but found she couldn't muster any strength. Turning to the maids on the shore, she shouted, "Are they all dead? Come here now!"
One of the three women's personal maids left to fetch changes of clothes and shoes. With Bitao gone, Yaoniang was left alone. The remaining servants were those brought by the princess and Wang Zhilan.
Wang Zhilan's other maid, Chunying, was so frightened by the sudden turn of events that she stood frozen in place. Only when she heard Princess Ruining's scolding did she snap out of her daze and rush over.
The surrounding maids also gathered around.
At this moment, Yao Niang had already grabbed Wang Zhilan's hand and shouted loudly, "Ahan, don't move! Stand up! The water is shallow, don't be afraid! Stand up with me!"
But Wang Zhilan seemed completely deaf to the sounds around her. She gripped Gu Yaoniang's hand tightly, her nails digging into Yaoniang's flesh.
At this moment, Yao Niang had no time to think about anything else; she was only focused on pulling Wang Zhilan out of the water and dragging her toward the shore.
The maids arrived and together they pulled Wang Zhilan out of the water.
The three of them had been playing in the river, their clothes already soaked. After all this commotion, they looked disheveled and extremely embarrassed.
Wang Zhilan was coughing violently at this moment. Yao Niang patted her back with one hand and smoothed her hair with the other, trying to tidy up the messy hairpins.
Princess Ruining was not idle either. She instructed the servants to prepare ginger soup, urged someone to find the maid who had taken the clothes and shoes earlier, and ordered someone to bring the doctor from the estate to the guest room to treat Wang Zhilan.
Wang Zhilan coughed until tears streamed down her face, feeling flustered, ashamed, and grateful to Gu Yaoniang. After finally calming down, she buried her face in Yaoniang's shoulder and sobbed uncontrollably.
Yao Niang had never seen anything like this before!
She had no sisters growing up, only a younger brother, and wasn't close to her mother. This was the first time a little girl had leaned on her shoulder and sobbed, leaving her at a loss for what to do.
His hands, unsure whether to pat her back or pull her into his arms, suddenly felt awkward.
Princess Ruining finished arranging things and turned around to see this scene.
She rushed over and hugged Wang Zhilan, pulling Yao Niang into her arms as well. Wang Zhilan, surrounded by Yao Niang and Princess Ruining, felt like a child who had found her parents to complain to, and cried even louder.
Princess Ruining, like a woman soothing a child, didn't speak, but simply rocked Wang Zhilan gently from side to side. Wang Zhilan's crying gradually subsided, and she stirred in her arms.
Princess Ruining then released her grip. Wang Zhilan covered her face with her hands, raised her head, revealing only her two large eyes, and said her first words: "You, don't look at me."
Her voice was soft and sweet, with a strong nasal tone.
Princess Ruining stared at her without blinking, replying, "I won't look, I won't look."
Wang Zhilan seemed used to her way of speaking, so she turned her face away and turned to Yao Niang, saying in a hoarse voice, "Yao Niang, thank you for today."
After all that movement, her wet clothes were sticking to her body and making her uncomfortable. Since there were no men around, Yao Niang simply pushed her sleeves up to try and reduce the stickiness and discomfort.
Wang Zhilan turned her head and saw Yao Niang's snow-white arm peeking out from her sleeve.
Yao Niang's skin was fair and flawless, but there were several red marks that looked like they were scratched by fingernails, which were particularly noticeable on her fair skin.
When Yao Niang noticed that Wang Zhilan's eyes were not right, she looked down and saw the condition on her arm. She guessed that it was left when Wang Zhilan scratched her randomly when she reached out to grab her earlier.
Wang Zhilan had obviously thought of that as well.
Yao Niang calmly lowered her sleeve and said nonchalantly, "It's nothing, it's nothing!"
By this time, the maids who had gone to fetch clothes and shoes had returned, and a servant woman had set up a simple small screen on the riverbank.
The three girls quickly changed their clothes in the space separated by the screen and the human wall, and with the help of a maid, they tidied their hair. They then left without lingering and headed straight for the guest rooms in the manor.
It's currently the hottest time of the year, so even though I'm in the water, I'm not worried about catching a cold.
They quickly wrung out the water from their hair with a cloth, and by the time they returned to their guest room, their hair was almost completely dry.
If it weren't for the fact that Wang Zhilan's face was still somewhat pale, one would never have guessed that she had almost drowned.
Wang Zhilan knew she had choked on water that was barely waist-deep, had scratched Yao Niang's arm, and was crying her eyes out. She was very reluctant to admit to this rather unladylike behavior.
Therefore, they were somewhat resistant to Princess Ruining's idea of having the village doctor treat her.
Although Princess Ruining usually doesn't act like a princess, she can be quite formidable when she puts on a stern face.
She only glared at her once, and Wang Zhilan obediently placed her hand on the pulse pillow.
The old doctor first stroked his meticulously groomed goatee before slowly speaking: "The lady is fine, she just choked on some water and was a little frightened. I'll prescribe a remedy, and after drinking it for a couple of days, she'll be alright."
Princess Ruining nodded, signaling Linlang to take the doctor away to write a prescription and get the medicine. Yaoniang was relieved to hear this.
Wang Zhilan looked at the two of them pitifully, which softened their hearts.
The guards who had gone out hunting returned to report, bringing with them some of the game the three had caught. They said that the eldest prince had chased after a beautiful pheasant and gone far away, with the two Lu brothers following behind.
They had a good harvest today, and told them to wait for them, as they would have a barbecue over a bonfire tonight.
Yao Niang couldn't help but recall the bamboo-skewered roasted meat she had eaten in Jinzhou on her way to Shuojing.
She subtly asked Princess Ruining, "How will the barbecue be cooked tonight?"
Princess Ruining was somewhat puzzled.
How else can you grill it? Of course, you can skewer the meat with metal skewers and grill it over a fire in circles.
Is there another way to bake it?
Princess Ruining answered in this way.
Yao Niang was somewhat disappointed, as expected. Before going to Jinzhou, she had never seen such a method of grilling, where the meat is cut into small pieces, marinated, and then skewered on bamboo sticks.
She then asked tactfully, "Did you marinate the meat before grilling it?"
Princess Ruining thought about it carefully for a moment, then shook her head and said, "It seems that in the past, it was always prepared first, roasted, then sliced and dipped in sauce before eating. I've never seen it marinated first."
Princess Ruining vaguely understood what Yaoniang meant and tentatively asked, "Does it need to be marinated?"
Gu Yaoniang nodded vigorously.
Princess Ruining hesitated, "But the cooks on the estate have never made marinated roast meat before..."
Gu Yaoniang was really tempted and decided to stop being so reserved: "Princess, may I try?"
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