Chapter 616 A Family Outing on the Lake
The next day, Hai Qingyang's injury had healed well. After Xiao Mianmian finished giving him acupuncture, she happily went boating on the lake with her father and mother.
Zhou Ruiyuan had already arranged for a boat to be booked for this lake trip.
Unlike the boats they used to travel on, this was a decorated boat prepared by the emperor for his imperial tours. The boat had three decks, with curtains and colorful lanterns inside and sandalwood carvings outside. Whether viewed from afar or inside the boat, one could feel its overwhelming splendor.
With the help of the palace maid Dong'er, Du Wanchun slowly boarded the boat. Seeing the scene before her, she couldn't help but sigh, "The old emperor really knows how to enjoy life. Such a boat must have cost a lot of money."
The Zhou family is not short of money now, but Du Wanchun often suggests that they should be frugal. For such luxurious things, Zhou Ruiyuan can only use his deceased father's belongings to comfort his wife.
He knew that Du Wanchun had been somewhat uneasy and often worried about the matter ever since they were assassinated by the Southern Barbarians.
I brought them out for a trip today in the hope that she could temporarily put aside her worries.
"Wanchun, come here. I specially had some pastries that you and Mianmian like to eat prepared." Zhou Ruiyuan welcomed Du Wanchun into the cabin and they went up to the third floor together.
The third floor is furnished with tables and chairs, as well as a chaise lounge.
The table was laden with food, including delicate pastries, various kinds of candied fruit, and some rare fruits.
These items are different from those in the palace; they were specially transported from Cheng'an County.
Although they are all ordinary people's food, they are full of memories.
Little Mianmian peeked out from behind Du Wanchun and said with a smile, "Daddy! There's my favorite peanut candy!"
Zhou Ruiyuan came over, picked her up in his arms, and then handed her a piece of peanut candy, saying, "Not just peanut candy, but also osmanthus cake and cloud cake..."
There were too many to list, so Zhou Ruiyuan just mentioned a few.
Little Mianmian took the peanut candy and started eating it.
The peanut candy from Cheng'an County is different from that from other places. It is coated with a layer of five-spice powder to give it a fresh and sweet taste.
In the past, Xiao Mianmian would buy some whenever she went out, but Du Wanchun was afraid that eating too much would be bad for her teeth, so she could only eat two pieces each time.
There's a whole plate of peanut brittle on the table today.
Zhou Ruiyuan took a handkerchief and wiped her mouth. "How was it? Was it delicious?"
"Delicious! Daddy is so good~" Little Mianmian's cheeks were bulging from eating, and her eyes were curved in a smile that was gentler than the spring breeze.
Du Wanchun and her father couldn't help but laugh.
Feifei, who was behind her, also secretly came to the table and grabbed a handful of candy.
He can walk steadily now and doesn't need to be carried.
Du Wanchun squatted down, about to wipe his hands, when unexpectedly, he handed the candy in his hand to Xiao Mianmian.
She laughed and took the bait for Xiao Mianmian, saying, "You, your eldest and second eldest brothers both dote on your third sister, and you dote on your third sister too."
Despite being the youngest, Fei Fei is not pretentious at all. He treats his older sister like a younger sister and always gives her his first thing.
Mianmian also took good care of her youngest brother. In the palace, if any eunuch dared to mistreat Feifei, she would immediately expel that person from the palace.
As a princess, she was ruthless towards her servants as well.
Feifei then took another piece of pastry and held it to Du Wanchun's lips, saying, "Mother, you should eat too."
"Yes, Mother, have some." Du Wanchun took the pastries and slowly got up to go out of the cabin.
Walking further out from the third-floor cabin, just like on the first floor, there is an open deck. Standing on the edge of the deck and looking down, you can see the outside of the first floor.
Yi'er and Yu'er sat down with Mr. Yuan on the side, admiring the beautiful scenery of the lake and reciting poems together.
When they saw Du Wanchun arrive, they quickly stood up, "Mother~"
"Your Majesty!"
Du Wanchun was really not used to being called "Your Highness," so she smiled at Mr. Yuan and said, "When we're alone in the future, you can still call me Manager Du."
Mr. Yuan was really not used to the palace ways, and scratched the back of his head with a smile, saying, "Manager Du."
After he finished speaking, he raised his eyes as if he wanted to say something, but hesitated and remained silent.
Du Wanchun guessed what he wanted to say and said slowly, "Don't worry, Mr. Qingyang's injury is not serious. He should be fully recovered in about ten days to half a month."
The anxiety in Mr. Yuan's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a relieved smile. "That's good. I've been worried about him these past few days."
Du Wanchun slowly walked towards the side of the boat. "Mr. Yuan, he is being taken care of by the imperial physicians and will be fine."
As she finished speaking, she slowly looked up at the rolling lake water. "Mr. Yuan, what do you think of the new residence?"
Mr. Yuan and Hai Qingyang are both teachers of Yi'er, Yu'er and Mianmian. Zhou Ruiyuan and Du Wanchun bestowed two houses upon them outside the palace.
Mr. Yuan hurriedly bowed and said, "The house is very nice. Thank you for your kindness, Manager Du and His Majesty."
Du Wanchun looked up at him and said, "Over the years, it's all thanks to you and Qingyang for taking care of Yi'er and Yu'er. You deserve all of this. But you're both getting on in years and haven't started a family yet. The mansion needs a mistress."
Mr. Yuan smiled and said, "Qingyang has always had someone he likes, but I..."
As he spoke, he lowered his head slightly, and his gaze inadvertently fell on Dong'er, who was not far behind Du Wanchun.
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