Lan Zhu's concerns: Dawei and Zhou An, who do you like more...
"Zhou An? Why are you here?" Lan Zhu walked forward and asked.
Zhou An picked up the sweet-smelling oil-paper bag in his hand and shook it, his lips curled up. "My mother had something urgent to do, so she won't be able to go to the warehouse for 25 minutes later. Knowing I was coming to see you, she asked me to let you know."
"Here, these are Xiangrunzhai's new jujube cakes." He held the oil-paper package out again, the sweet aroma becoming even stronger. "I can smell it from so far away. I thought you'd like it."
Lan Zhu didn't answer. Instead, she frowned slightly and looked at him. Her tone was soft but helpless: "...Didn't I tell you last time not to spend money anymore? Wouldn't it be better to save some of your spare money?"
Zhou An is Yu Mama's son, one year younger than her. He currently works under Manager Ma and is responsible for purchasing sundry items for the mansion.
He was clever and quick-witted, but he also spent money like water. Including this bag of date cakes, this was his third gift this month. He relied on his familiarity with Mother Yu, so once or twice was fine, but after too many, she felt embarrassed to accept it.
Zhou An, however, was still smiling, looking at her with bright eyes: "I really just brought it along, and it's not something valuable. Please accept it, sister. Maybe... you won't be able to accept it again in the future if you want to."
He said it easily, but he held it forward stubbornly, as if he would not leave unless you took it.
Lan Zhu had no choice but to take it: "Thank you very much."
She carried the oil-paper bag and walked towards the warehouse yard. Zhou An followed her half a step behind her. Her footsteps were light and the hem of her clothes rustled the grass beside the road.
"You just said that you can't keep it anymore. What do you mean?" she asked, turning her head sideways.
Zhou An reached out and pushed aside a drooping willow branch, smiling brightly: "It means you are planning to leave the house."
The spring breeze blows by with the fragrance of flowers, the green willows sway gently, and there is silence all around.
Lan Zhu stopped suddenly, her eyes widening slightly: "Are you going to leave Pei Mansion?"
"Yes," he casually plucked a willow leaf and held it between his teeth. "I told you, didn't I? My second uncle works for a caravan, and I want to go out with him to trade, to venture out and see the world."
"...Staying in the mansion is fine, isn't it? This is the capital after all."
Zhou An is now working as a clerk under Ma, a young man who has been given important positions. With his intelligence, he must have a bright future. Why would he bother going out to travel? It's easy to leave the house, but it's hard to come back.
Zhou An turned to look at her, his eyes brightening surprisingly, and his fangs flashed in his smile: "The capital is good, the Pei Mansion is good, and the general and madam treat us well. But if I were trapped in the mansion like this for the rest of my life, it would feel too dull and too regrettable. I want to see a different scenery!"
"Actually, I've wanted to leave for a long time, but I can't bear to leave my parents, and..." His voice gradually lowered, his eyes fell on Lanzhu's face, and he seemed to be hesitant to speak.
A gust of wind blew by, ruffling the strands of hair on Lanzhu's temples. She raised her hand to tidy it up, but when she lowered her eyes, she missed the flash of passion in the boy's eyes.
"And what?" She asked, looking up as she tucked her hair behind her ear.
"Nothing." Zhou An smiled, spit out the willow leaf in his mouth, waved at her, turned around and walked in the opposite direction, "The date cake won't taste good when it's cold, sister, try it while it's hot. I'm leaving first!"
"Okay." Lan Zhu also waved at him and watched him walk through the moon-shaped door, his figure disappearing in the mottled shadows of the trees.
Everyone has their own aspirations.
Zhou An wants to venture out into the world, while Yunsui and Zhiyao, unwilling to be confined to the inner chambers, would rather help his wife run her business. Yinsuo, fascinated by medicine, has recently been learning to identify herbs and read alongside his wife.
Everyone has something they want to do, but she seems to be the only one who stays where she is, still an ordinary maid...
She exhaled lightly, shook her head to clear her thoughts, and continued walking towards the warehouse yard.
About a quarter of an hour after arriving at the warehouse, Mother Yu finally finished her work and came over, followed by two maids holding a wooden box. Inside the box was a Spring Festival gift from the Yuan Mansion next door: a picture of a spring ox and a small clay ox.
Mother Yu ordered someone to put the gift boxes on the shelf, and personally wrote down what the gift was from a certain house on a certain day of a certain month of a certain year, and placed them on a certain shelf and layer. She also checked and counted the items in the warehouse as usual.
Lanzhu followed along, watching and learning, and asked quietly when she had no idea.
After she finished her work, she reported in detail the dispute between Baoling and Qiuyan in the kitchen.
Mother Yu closed the account book and smiled approvingly, "As expected of someone who has been by Madam's side since childhood, you are always prudent in your actions. Even I couldn't do better."
Lan Zhu's ears warmed slightly at the praise.
The timing was perfect. Just as she had finished sorting things out, someone from Zhijin Pavilion arrived. After checking the stitching of the spring clothes, she took them to the main room for the mistress to try them on. Once they were all right, she handed them off to a maid to wash. She worked until the sun was setting, and finally she was able to relax in the tea room, slowly warming the long-cooled date cakes by the charcoal stove.
She gently flipped the date cake with her chopsticks, and the sweet aroma wafted out the window, attracting Yinsuo, who had just emerged from the main room. She pushed the door open and peeked in, smiling brightly, "Sister Lanzhu, why are you hiding out here eating alone?"
Lan Zhu glanced at her and said, "You heartless little thing, when have I ever missed a bite of yours? Isn't this hot pot waiting for you?"
Yinsuo pursed his lips and smiled, closed the door, sat by the stove, and waited for food with his hands in his pockets.
Unexpectedly, just as I sat down, the door was pushed open again, and this time it was Caiping.
She saw Lan Zhu and said loudly, "Sister Lan Zhu, General Chen Qian is in front of the courtyard gate. He said he was looking for you."
Lan Zhu was startled, her chopsticks that were flipping the jujube cake stopped mid-flight: "Mr. Chen Qian?"
Yinsuo reminded him, "It's Brother Dawei. Did you forget? He was promoted to captain just last month."
Lan Zhu quickly responded: "Oh, OK, I'll go right away."
She stood up, smoothed the wrinkles on her skirt, and walked out. When she reached the door, she stopped, turned around, picked up a piece of date cake, tore off half a piece of oil paper to hold it, and then walked out quickly.
There was a small pavilion diagonally opposite the gate of Anle Garden, and Dawei was waiting there.
Unlike before, he was now dressed in light armor and a token on his waist, resembling a military commander. Hearing footsteps, he turned, the setting sun casting a shadow on his brow.
Lan Zhu lifted her skirt and stepped onto the stone steps. Her voice was filled with laughter as she handed over the date cake in her hand. "Why are you back so early today? Where's the general?"
"The general has gone to the study. I don't need to follow him." Dawei's eyes stayed on her smiling face for a moment, then he lowered his eyes and took the date cake.
"What do you want from me?" She bent down to sweep the stone bench clean, then sat down and looked up at him.
"It's nothing... I passed by a jewelry store today and saw this hairpin that suits you very well." Dawei held the cake in one hand and reached into his arms with the other hand to take out a jade hairpin, lowered his eyes, coughed lightly, and handed it over.
This is a jade hairpin that is all aquamarine in color. The end is carved into the shape of a peach blossom, and an aqua blue bead is embedded in the pistil. Although it is unknown what material it is made of, it does not look like a cheap item.
Lan Zhu didn't take it immediately. She lifted her chin and smiled, "That's a good deal. Half a piece of date cake for a jade hairpin... I don't dare to accept it."
Dawei frowned, took a deep breath, and said stiffly, "...There's a tear on my sleeve, and I'd like you to sew it up. I'm clumsy and can't do delicate work."
"Just take it. It's a convenient thing. Why bother giving me a gift?" Lan Zhu tilted her head and looked at him.
Dawei's face was expressionless: "How can I feel good about bothering you all the time? I bought it for you. If you don't want it, I'll just throw it away."
Okay, this is the second person who forced someone to give a gift today.
Lan Zhu had no choice but to reach out and take it. She raised the jade hairpin above her head and looked closely at it in the sunset. The aquamarine beads were not transparent enough, with some white fluff in them, which was not ugly, and looked like rippling water waves.
"How many clothes should I sew for you to repay such a generous gift?"
Dawei's lips moved, his face inexplicably flushed, his eyes fell on the date cake in his hand, he raised his hand and stuffed it into his mouth, then changed the subject: "This date cake tastes good, where did you buy it?"
Lan Zhu was still sizing up the jade hairpin without turning her head. “Zhou An brought it from Xiang Run Zhai. It smells pretty good to me too.”
Zhou An?
Dawei's face darkened instantly. He said nothing and just held the remaining half of the cake in his hand.
After chatting for a while and agreeing to send the clothes for mending later, Dawei said goodbye and left.
After walking along the path and turning into the garden, he stopped for a moment, pursed his lips into a line, and suddenly raised his hand and threw the remaining half of the date cake into the lotus pond with a whoosh.
-
As the night deepened, the lights in the main house were turned off, but the warm light in the small room was still on.
Yinsuo was at the table, comparing herbs with medical books, while Lanzhu was threading a needle by the light of the lamp. Yunsui sat between them, nibbling on a leftover date cake from the day before.
Yinsuo glanced at the clothes in Lanzhu's hand and saw at a glance that they were men's clothes. He asked with a smile, "Sister Lanzhu, which one do you like better, Dawei or Zhou An?"
Lan Zhu didn't even raise her head, and said in her usual voice: "What nonsense are you talking about? What do you mean by liking or not liking?"
Yinsuo put down the herbs and held his chin with his hands. "Don't play dumb! Who can't see how they feel about you? They're always giving you this or that."
Lan Zhu's movements slowed slightly, and a faint blush spread across her cheeks.
Yunsui came over and interrupted, "If I had to choose, I'd choose Dawei. He's now a general's personal guard, a legitimate sixth-rank military officer! If you marry him, you'll be the wife of an official. Not only will you be wearing gold and silver, but you'll also be able to go out and about in a respectable manner. That's what we call glory!"
Yinsuo retorted, "Zhou An is quite good too. He has a good temper and is very kind. He smiles at everyone he sees and speaks in a humorous and pleasing way."
Lan Zhu bit off the thread and interrupted them with a bit of embarrassment: "You guys are really good at making up stories, even more anxious than me... As for me, I don't like anyone."
"Zhou An has big ambitions. He wants to follow his uncle into business. I'm afraid he won't be in the capital soon."
"As for Dawei," she pursed her lips, her expression faded, and her eyes revealed a bit of confusion, "You also said that he is now a serious military general. He has a bright future by the side of the general. If I follow him, can I still stay with the lady?"
She lowered her eyes, looking gloomy: "For so many years, Madam has treated me like family, and this mansion is like my home... I don't want to leave the Pei Mansion."
Call her a loser or laugh at her for being nostalgic, everyone has their own aspirations. Yunsui and the others yearn for the outside world, but she clings to the stability of her small courtyard, only wanting to see familiar people every day and live a stable and familiar life.
After experiencing hard times in the past, I have finally settled down and am going to have a few days of peace and prosperity. Why should I destroy it with my own hands?
Yunsui uttered a sigh, took out an embroidered handkerchief, and wiped the oil off her fingertips. She smiled and said, "That may not be the case. If it were someone else, I wouldn't dare say it, but Dawei has worked his way up from a soldier. He's just an ordinary person, so he should understand your thoughts. Instead of wasting time on random thoughts, it's better to speak out clearly. I can see that he really cares about you."
Lan Zhu was stunned when she heard this, and her eyes involuntarily glanced at the jewelry box on the dressing table, her heart moving slightly.
Really... is it possible?
The wind blew in the spring night, brushing past the flower buds under the windowsill, and raised its head slightly in the chirping of lacewings.
-Blue Pearl Extra Chapter Ends-
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