Chapter 40 Helping Hands
After waiting outside the mountain gate for over an hour, Du Heng saw figures gathering around the gate. Soon, he spotted his mother and sister, but they were accompanied by someone else.
My mother was talking to a lady, and then she called Wanyi to greet the young woman next to the lady.
Du Heng frowned slightly. Although his mother had not interacted with the women of the official family during the mourning period, it was inevitable that she would meet one or two old acquaintances today. However, his grandmother was still alive. How could his mother take her younger sister with her?
He raised his head slightly, narrowed his eyes, walked past his mother, and continued to stand quietly waiting.
After a while, a smoky blue skirt peeked out from the mountain gate, and his brows finally relaxed. Grandmother, supported by Second Aunt and Su Ying on either side, slowly approached the gate. Grandmother seemed to recognize the lady she had been talking to Mother, and only after the woman beside her bowed to Grandmother did she take her leave.
At the moment, there were so many women gathered at the mountain gate that Du Heng couldn't approach them, so he could only wait quietly. After his grandmother and the others had exited the mountain gate and stepped onto the open space outside, he strode forward to greet them.
After Su Ying left the dining hall, she and her aunt supported the old lady as they walked. The stone steps were high and long, so the three of them walked very slowly. When they reached the mountain gate, the old lady was a little out of breath, so they stopped to rest.
The eldest lady and Wanyi were standing a few steps away, saying goodbye to a mother and daughter, and pointing towards the outside of the mountain gate.
Su Ying looked over and saw that the Du family's carriage was parked in front of some pine and cypress trees, with a few servants standing there scattered around. However, a tall figure was particularly eye-catching, and seemed to be looking in their direction.
It snowed last night, and even though the sun is shining brightly now, it is still very cold. I wonder if he has been waiting there for more than an hour, or is he taking shelter from the cold somewhere else?
Before I could think about it, I heard someone talking next to me.
"Wenqing, come and pay your respects to Madam Du."
The young lady named Wenqing came in gracefully and politely to the old lady. "Hello, Madam Du. Wenqing greets you."
As soon as she finished speaking, Wen Qing slowly raised her head. Her delicate and elegant face was just like her decent behavior, except that there was a blush on her cheeks that had not yet faded.
Su Ying didn't want to look any longer, so she lowered her eyes and focused on supporting the old lady.
As the women of each family descended to the mountain gate, no one stayed long. After the old lady praised Wenqing for a few words, she said goodbye to the mother and daughter and headed towards the Du Mansion where the carriages and horses were parked.
Du Heng saw his grandmother and the others walk out of the mountain gate, and then he hurried to meet them. His expression was calm, and his steps were brisk, but for some reason, when he reached the front of the group, he stopped directly beside Su Ying.
Su Ying was stunned, not knowing what was going on, when she heard him whisper, "Thank you."
Only then did she come to her senses. Du Heng was about to take her grandmother's arm from her side. She saw Du Heng's hand reach out from beside her, and when his sleeve touched hers, Su Ying quickly let go and took a step back, feeling a slight heat in her ears.
She didn't know what happened today, but it seemed that since she woke up in the morning and saw the old woman sweeping outside the side yard, she had some ambiguous thoughts.
At this time, Du Heng had already taken the old lady's arm and held her steadily.
Su Ying felt embarrassed. She didn't want to look up, but just stood there with her hands hanging down, until she caught a glimpse of the old lady being helped into the carriage out of the corner of her eye.
The carriages of the Du Mansion were all facing the mountain gate and parked side by side in order. The nearest one was for the old lady. After Du Heng helped his grandmother get on the carriage, Zhaoxia, the old lady's personal maid, followed her in.
The second carriage belonged to Cheng and Wanyi, and next to it was the carriage that Su Ying and Rong were riding in, and a little further away was Du Heng's mount.
After the old lady's carriage was ready, everyone walked to their respective carriages.
Su Ying helped her aunt into the carriage, then lifted her skirt and was about to get on. Their carriage was quite close to the pine and cypress trees, and the snow on the ground had not been cleared away. When the sun came out, the snow turned into a few puddles of mud. Su Ying slipped and fell forward.
In panic, a strong hand grabbed her arm and held her steady.
Su Ying thought it was Xiu Yu, but when she turned around, it was Du Heng.
She was already a little nervous because she almost slipped, and now she met a pair of eyes that seemed to be filled with warmth, and she was even more panicked for a moment.
Unexpectedly, Du Heng did not say anything. He tightened his hand around her arm slightly, and then he helped her into the car.
As a servant, Xiuyu would wait until her masters were in the carriage before stepping forward. When her cousin stumbled, she was standing a few steps behind Su Ying. If she wanted to reach out for her, she would have had to go around to her side to reach her arm.
Fortunately, at the critical moment, the young master was one step ahead of her and supported the cousin steadily from the side.
After experiencing this scene, Xiu Yu gasped several times. The Second Madam seldom punished servants, but if the cousin was injured, she would be held responsible even if the Madam had a kind temper.
Thinking of this, Xiu Yu couldn't help but feel a sense of fear. She patted her chest and secretly thanked the young master for showing up in time. After she calmed down a little, she got on the carriage.
However, the scene of the young master helping his cousin was also seen by Xue Yuan, who was waiting for the lady and the young lady to get on the car.
Ever since the young master stepped forward to support the old lady, her eyes have never moved away.
She followed silently behind the mistress and the young lady, watching the young master help the old lady into the car, and then walked to the front of the mistress's car and helped the mistress and the young lady in one by one.
As the young master turned around, he happened to meet her gaze. Xue Yuan's heart skipped a beat and she hurriedly lowered her head, but then she felt she shouldn't be so shy. She bravely raised her head, but saw that the young master had already passed her and continued on his way.
However, when the young master passed the second wife's carriage, he did not continue to walk towards the horse led by Qingquan, but stopped.
In an instant, the cousin suddenly slipped and was about to fall forward, but the young master intervened in time and held her up. However, after the cousin stood firm, the young master did not let go of her hand immediately, but instead took advantage of the situation and helped the cousin to the carriage.
The silent interaction between the two, in Xue Yuan's eyes, was like a surge of emotions that were more powerful than words. Xue Yuan felt suffocated, and she subconsciously tightened her clothes, as if this could suppress the waves of sadness that surged in her heart.
Ever since Su Ying was helped into the car by that big hand, her mind went blank. She wanted to think of something, but she was at a loss.
In a daze, she heard someone calling her: "Are you tired? Lean on your aunt's shoulder and rest for a while."
She nodded blankly and closed her eyes, but the pair of eyes that seemed to hide some emotions appeared in her mind.
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