Meng Qi sat in the rocking chair. The silver frost charcoal in the incense burner made a crackling sound, accompanied by a faint scent of jasmine. It was not the smell she liked, or rather, it was not the smell she liked in her previous life.
She has always liked strong, bold flavors and bright colors that are full of vitality and energy.
But now the smell made her feel very calm. She heard that it was Meng Wan who asked Su Xin to put it there, saying that such an elegant scent would make people more peaceful, just like Meng Wan. Talking to her would make people surprisingly peaceful.
Looking out the window, it was snowing, flakes hitting the glass, and since it was almost dusk, the view wasn't very clear. She could only hear the servants' warm greetings, and then Su Xin came in through the cotton curtains, telling her that Yuan Dong and Yuan Yue had returned.
Seeing the two girls kneeling there, dressed like peasant girls, she felt a sense of familiarity. This was because in her last days in her previous life, the two girls had been dressed like this, staying by her side. The only difference was that they had their hair styled like a woman's.
Yuan Dong's eldest daughter was very well-behaved. She often picked large bunches of wild flowers and placed them in the house. When the breeze blew, the whole house was filled with the fragrance of flowers. Meng Qi suddenly had an idea. If possible, she would build a small courtyard and plant it with flowers. It would be beautiful if they could bloom all year round.
When the time comes, I will move the rocking chair to the yard, set up a wisteria trellis, sit under it and smell the fragrance of the flowers. Just thinking about such days will make me laugh out loud.
Meng Qi wiped her eyes, stood up, and personally helped the two maids up. Yuan Dong and Yuan Yue looked up at her. The two girls hadn't changed much, only a few months apart, but Meng Qi felt like she had seen a thousand years.
"I'm sorry to have wronged you."
Yuan Dong reacted first and hurriedly tried to kneel down again, but was pulled away by Meng Qi.
Yuan Yue said hurriedly, "Fourth Miss, you are putting me down. It was originally my fault for not fulfilling my duties that caused such a serious incident for Fourth Miss. The Crown Prince's wife has done me a great favor by not punishing me. How dare I let Fourth Miss complain about this?"
Yuan Dong nodded and said, "I don't feel wronged. Although I was sent to the manor, I didn't suffer any hardship. The Crown Prince's wife even promised my family to go and see him."
Yuandong and Yuanyue have completely different personalities. They have been with Meng Qi since they were five or six years old. Yuandong is one year younger than Meng Qi, and Yuanyue is the same age as her.
Yuandong is a quiet person, reliable and steady in his work. Yuanyue is a sharp talker and eloquent. She was trained by Wang Shi as a maidservant for Meng Qi's dowry.
Meng Qi smiled and patted their hands, saying, "Let's not talk about it anymore. It doesn't matter whose fault it is. What matters is that you are back. From now on, everything around me will be decided by you. Su Xin and Li Xia will return to their original positions after handing over to you."
Yuan Dong looked at Su Xin beside her. She really didn't expect that after being brought back, she would be able to take on the responsibilities of the eldest maid again.
"You should have heard that I'm engaged to Prince Rui, and the wedding is scheduled for early next year, which means we'll be married after the first month of the lunar year. It's almost the end of the year, so maybe we won't have to wait until the first month of the lunar year. The palace's tutoring nanny should be here soon. Yuandong will stay with me, while Yuanyue and Mama Liu will take care of everything else. Mother will ask Xiaoman and Guyu to come to our courtyard later, so you should take good care of them."
Everyone looked at Meng Qi in surprise, not even remembering what she had said. Yuan Dong and Yuan Yue were especially surprised. They had been with the Fourth Young Lady for almost ten years, and when had they ever heard her arrange things so systematically?
Thinking back to the time they'd just come back, Shitou had mentioned the recent events at the mansion, how the Fourth Young Lady had fallen ill, and how Madam Liu had said her personality had changed drastically. They wondered what would happen next. They even worried that the Fourth Young Lady's personality might have changed, and she might bring up the past to punish them more severely.
Mother Liu has become much more accustomed to Meng Qi's recent abnormal behavior. She is both relieved and distressed. After such a big incident, the fourth young lady has finally grown up and become sensible.
――――――
Meng Qi looked at Yuan Dong, who had dressed neatly, and asked, "Did Mama Liu tell you?"
Yuan Dong nodded, then asked worriedly, "Fourth Miss, are you really okay?"
Meng Qi waved her hand. "I'm fine. I just can't remember some things. So, starting today, you have to stay with me all the time, even if the palace nanny comes. If I can't remember something, just tell me. Also, tell Yuanyue to find out more about the affairs of the mansion, no matter what, especially about the third house. The more details the better."
Seeing Meng Qi's clear and coherent speech, Yuan Dong breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Madam Liu said that you also asked her to tell me what happened during the time I was away from Qinyuan."
"Yes, I don't have time to ask her everything. You know everything. If I remember anything, just tell me."
Yuan Dong nodded, "Then let me first tell you about what happened last time?"
Meng Qi nodded. She wanted to know what happened in this life after she got on Hong Zhe's carriage, and how it was different from her previous life.
The sky was getting darker and darker. Although there were no lit candles, the big red lanterns outside were already lit, reflecting the white snow, so the room did not seem dark either.
Yuan Dong speaks slowly and without mixing in personal thoughts. She is very good at describing a thing in its entirety.
After listening to this, Meng Wan stood up and walked to the window. It turned out that Hong Zhe had sent her to her grandfather in front of Zhou Yu.
She reached out and gently tapped the windowsill, squinting her eyes as she watched the snowflakes drift down again. If what Liu's mother said was true, and many of her affairs were closely related to the Third House, then Meng Juan and Hong Zhe's engagement was definitely not a surprise.
In her previous life, after Meng Juan married Zhou Yu, they had little contact. She only knew that after marrying Meng Juan, Zhou Yu still didn't like to go home. However, Meng Juan got along very well with Princess Hu of Shen County, treating her like her own daughter-in-law, which made Zhou Yu even more unhappy.
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