Chapter 300 Waiting for a Rabbit to Fall into a Trap
That day, in the afternoon.
Meng Jinyao glanced outside. It was quite cold, but it wasn't snowing. She said, "The weather is nice today. Let's go for a walk."
Qingqiu glanced at her in surprise and reminded her, "Madam, it's a north wind blowing outside."
Meng Jinyao said seriously, "Then dress more warmly. Staying indoors all the time isn't good for your health. Take a walk every afternoon."
Hearing this, Qingqiu felt that what she said made some sense, so she asked, "Madam, where would you like to go for a walk?"
Meng Jinyao replied, "Let's go to the back garden. The flowers there are blooming beautifully and are pleasing to the eye. It would be nice to take a walk while admiring the flowers."
Qingqiu: "..."
The back garden is quite desolate now, with hardly any flowers blooming, except for that plum tree, which is blooming quite well.
However, since the master is interested in going out for a walk, that is a good thing. Walking more is good for the body. It is not good to sit or lie down all day. So, we dressed her in a warm fox fur cloak and accompanied her for a walk.
The master and servant stepped out of the house, and a biting cold wind blew past, stinging their cheeks.
Meng Jinyao was dressed warmly, with the hood of her cloak pulled up, and she was holding a hand warmer in her hand, so she didn't feel too cold.
Right now, there aren't many flowers blooming in the back garden, and with the weather being so cold, hardly anyone comes to admire the flowers there. Only the maids and servants who sweep the snow come.
Qingqiu pointed to a master and servant not far ahead and asked in puzzlement, "Madam, isn't that Concubine Li? She was clearly coming this way just now, so why did she turn around and leave quietly when she saw you?"
Meng Jinyao glanced at her and said nonchalantly, "She probably doesn't want to see me. Let's ignore her and go shopping."
Qingqiu agreed and accompanied her for a stroll around the back garden a few times before returning home.
Qingqiu originally thought that her master had just suddenly decided to take a walk. She never expected that her master would insist on taking a walk in the garden every afternoon, as long as it didn't snow. She was really determined to exercise.
Therefore, on this day off, Gu Jingxi came out of the small study in Wei Rui Xuan and found that his wife was no longer in the room, so he asked Chunliu, "Where is Madam?"
Chunliu replied truthfully, "Madam went for a walk in the back garden."
Gu Jingxi asked in surprise, "She went for a walk?"
Chunliu didn't understand why he was so surprised, so she explained, "Madam said that she is not in good health and needs to exercise. She has been going for a walk every day for the past few days, but she was lazy for one more day because of the snow the day before yesterday."
Gu Jingxi was quite surprised. His wife was afraid of the cold and wished she could stay in the house all day. When it was particularly cold, she would simply lie in bed and not want to get up. Now she was actually going for a walk despite the cold.
Chunliu hesitated before asking, "My lord, shall I go and bring the madam back?"
Gu Jingxi waved his hand: "No need. When she comes back later, tell her that I'm going to the residence of Qi, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. If she's not back by dinner time, she doesn't need to wait for me for dinner."
Chunliu replied, "Yes, Your Excellency."
-
The back garden.
Meng Jinyao and her servant Qingqiu strolled leisurely in the courtyard.
It's sunny today, and the warm sunlight is spreading out, making it very comfortable to stand in the sun.
Meng Jinyao wasn't wearing a cloak today. A gust of north wind blew by, and she shivered. She said to Qingqiu beside her, "Although it's sunny today, I still feel a bit cold. Qingqiu, could you go back and get me a cloak?"
Upon hearing this, Qingqiu said anxiously, "Madam, if it's cold, then we should stop our walk for now, lest we catch a chill."
Meng Jinyao replied gently, "It's nothing, it's just a bit cold when the wind blows. Could you go back and get me a cloak? I'll wait for you here. I still need to go to Shou'an Hall after our walk."
Qingqiu responded and quickly turned back along the road to fetch her cloak.
The red plum blossoms on the left are in full bloom, beautiful yet not gaudy, with a delicate and elegant fragrance that is refreshing and delightful.
Meng Jinyao stopped in her tracks, quietly admiring the plum blossoms, when she suddenly heard footsteps. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw Li Wan'er walking towards her. She then temporarily abandoned her plum blossom viewing and looked at the approaching person with a faint gaze.
Li Wan'er curtsied and said, "This humble servant greets Madam."
Meng Jinyao nodded, glanced at Li Wan'er who was all alone, and asked, "Aunt Li, there's no need for such formalities. You're pregnant, why didn't you have a maid with you?"
"I lost something just now, and I sent the maid to look for it," Li Wan'er said, glancing at the blooming plum trees beside her. "Is Madam here to admire the plum blossoms?"
Meng Jinyao said calmly, "Yes, is Aunt Li also one?"
Li Wan'er replied, "No, it's just that I felt stuffy in the room, so I came out for a walk. Ever since I got pregnant, Brother Xiuming has told me to stay in the courtyard and rest. I was only able to sneak out for some fresh air while he was discussing studies with the eldest young master." As she spoke, she gently stroked her belly, a smile playing on her lips, though it was unclear whether she was showing off or something else.
Meng Jinyao said indifferently, "I've heard that pregnant women need to be especially careful during the first three months, otherwise they might miscarry. Xiuming is doing this for your and the baby's sake. Aunt Li, please don't be willful next time, lest something happen to the child."
Li Wan'er looked at her with a smile, her eyes filled with provocation, and asked in a coquettish voice, "I am pregnant, and Madam is about to become a grandmother. Aren't you especially happy? This is Brother Xiuming's first child. If Madam marries Brother Xiuming, his first child should come from Madam's belly. Madam shouldn't be angry with me, right?"
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao glanced at her with a strange expression, then smiled and said, "Aunt Li, you're overthinking it. I was already very happy to have a son without having to carry him for ten months. Now that I'm seventeen and about to become a grandmother, I'm even happier. I have to thank Aunt Li for letting me become a grandmother so early."
Li Wan'er's expression froze for a moment, then she stepped forward, looked into her eyes, and said meaningfully, "Since Madam is not angry, then I am relieved. It's just that Madam is not blessed enough to become a grandmother this year."
After she finished speaking, she gave Meng Jinyao a malicious smile. Seeing that Meng Jinyao was confused, she threw herself against the main trunk of the plum tree with all her might, and then let out a scream of "Ah!"
The fall was quite hard, shaking some of the plum blossoms off the plum tree.
Meng Jinyao stared at the plum blossoms that Li Wan'er had shaken off, slightly taken aback, and then subtly curled the corners of her lips.
Waiting passively for a rabbit to run into a tree stump is all about waiting for an unexpected event.
She glanced down at Li Wan'er and saw her clutching her stomach, her face contorted in pain. She thought to herself how cruel this person was to her, but she played along with her act and asked anxiously, "Aunt Li, are you... are you alright?"
At this moment, Hongling, Li Wan'er's personal maid, appeared not far away at some point. She was so frightened that she seemed to have lost her soul. She ran over as fast as she could and asked in a trembling voice, "Auntie, what's wrong?"
At that moment, the maids who were nearby heard the scream and rushed over as fast as they could.
Before she even reached them, she saw Aunt Li lying under the plum tree not far away, clutching her stomach and groaning in pain. Hongling was so nervous that she was completely flustered, while the Madam stood to the side, her face tense and her eyes fixed on Aunt Li, her expression somewhat strange.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com