Chapter 16: I thought you weren't going to let me come over today.
Upon hearing Dansha's voice, Xu Xinmei didn't hesitate and quickly burrowed into bed to cover herself with the blankets.
The other party wasn't looking for her, so she wasn't going to open the door. Besides, although Dansha was someone close to the mistress, she was still just a maid. Xu Xinmei felt that she was of higher status than her and couldn't do the kind of servile and obsequious work that Li Yue'er did.
She peeked out, raised an eyebrow, and looked at Li Yue'er provocatively.
Li Yue'er, "..."
Li Yue'er lifted the blankets she had just warmed, slid off the bed, put on her clothes, and opened the wooden door.
Dansha gave a slight curtsy and said, "The mistress said she needs to speak with you."
Li Yue'er smiled and replied softly, "Okay, I'll go with you after I get dressed."
As she turned around and bent down to pick up her clothes, she couldn't help but complain inwardly. The mistress only ever called her for that kind of thing, and now that she was on her period, why was she still not quiet?
Li Yue'er was dressed neatly, but it was too troublesome to put her hair up in a bun, so she lazily picked up a wooden hairpin and casually tied her long hair up.
Even if the mistress saw it and was slightly dissatisfied, she would have something to say. After all, she had already let her hair down and lay down, and she was afraid that the mistress would wait too long, so she didn't take her time to tidy up.
Since figuring out the mistress's bottom line and temperament that day, Li Yue'er's respect for the mistress has changed from initially not daring to look up and carefully trying to please her, to now feeling her way across the river by feeling for stones, daring to try her best to gain convenience for herself within the mistress's bottom line.
Li Yue'er opened the door again and went out. Only when she turned around and closed the door did she realize the chill of the late night.
After the start of winter, it gets colder day by day. During the day, when the sun is high in the sky, you don't feel much of a chill, but only after nightfall can you feel the bone-chilling cold. The autumn wind only scratches your face, but the wind at this time penetrates your clothes and seeps into your lungs.
The wind dispelled Li Yue'er's drowsiness, and she gasped in the cold, feeling refreshed.
Dansha came over carrying a lantern. Seeing Li Yue'er's clear eyes and blank stare due to the cold, he felt a pang of sympathy.
Although she was a maid, she had already put on her cotton-padded clothes for the new season. Only the three masters' nominal concubines lived in the communal sleeping quarters in the small courtyard and did not receive any of the treatment they were entitled to.
Winter clothes weren't made, the jewelry we needed wasn't provided, and even the maids to clean and serve us weren't assigned.
The old lady is the one who truly makes the decisions in the household. Now, she is focused on finding her grandson and has no time to care about these other children.
Even if the other stewards remembered the three concubines, they dared not mention them in front of the old lady, lest they evoke painful memories for her and be punished themselves. So they turned a blind eye and pretended not to see them, letting the three of them live a carefree life in the mansion.
Xu Xinmei was alright. She was originally the daughter of a favored concubine in the Zheng family. When she came, she brought five large trunks with her, which must have contained clothes and jewelry.
Li Yue'er and Meng Xiaoxiao bought them; apart from two changes of clothes in the small bundle they were carrying, they had nothing else.
If no one takes care of them, Li Yue'er and Meng Xiaoxiao will probably have a hard time getting through this winter.
Even an outsider like Li Yue'er could think of something as simple as cinnabar, so it was even more obvious to her, as the person suffering from the cold.
So after entering Songlan Hall, Li Yue'er deliberately took her hands out of her sleeves, and even secretly rolled up her sleeves, leaving her wrists exposed as well.
The wind stung her skin, and by the time she reached the main house door, her fingers were cold and stiff.
Teng Huang opened the door from the inside and saw that Li Yue'er's face was stiff from the cold but her lips still held a smile. He quickly stepped aside and whispered to her, "The floor is heated inside, Miss, please go in and warm up."
The floor heating wasn't lit a couple of days ago. Although it's cold now, it hasn't snowed yet. I'm probably lighting the floor heating early because the mistress had her period this morning.
When Li Yue'er arrived, Teng Huang went out and thoughtfully closed the door after Li Yue'er entered the room.
The room was warm and cozy, just like early spring.
Li Yue'er was afraid that if she lingered too long, she would warm up, so she quickly took small, quick steps into the inner room.
When the thick curtain separating the inner and outer rooms was lifted, Li Yue'er saw the mistress leaning against the headboard reading a book, not even lifting her eyelids when she heard Li Yue'er coming over.
Qu Rong's gaze fell on the book, but her attention was entirely focused on her ears.
She had finished washing up and gone to bed early, but she couldn't fall asleep for half an hour after closing her eyes.
Perhaps it's too quiet, or perhaps it's too warm?
She sat up, tucking a thick cushion behind her back, and rested her hands on the book.
The bed must have suddenly become much more spacious.
The bright red bed sheets and blankets have all been changed today, replaced with light pink satin with orange-yellow trim, and the pink surface is embroidered with a pattern of butterflies fluttering around peonies.
Normally, Li Yue'er would already be lying on her back with her legs bent on the pattern, blooming even more enchantingly than the peony flower beneath her buttocks.
Just like a few days ago, her snow-white, smooth body was against a bright red backdrop of mandarin duck patterns, the vibrant red making her appear even more alluring.
Qu Rong closed her eyes, deciding not to wrong herself, and called Dan Sha to fetch Li Yue'er.
She wanted to find out why she couldn't sleep tonight.
Now that Li Yue'er has arrived, Qu Rong doesn't want to look up at her.
"Mistress," Li Yue'er called softly.
Seeing that the other person was ignoring her and focused on reading, Li Yue'er blinked blankly, a few doubts arising in her mind.
Could it be that Dansha took it upon herself to call her over, and the mistress actually didn't want to talk to her?
Li Yue'er walked forward cautiously, carefully observing the mistress's expression, until she noticed that as she approached, the mistress's eyelashes trembled slightly.
Li Yue'er bit her lip and smiled, feigning enthusiasm as she rushed over, wrapping her arms around her mistress's shoulders and rubbing her cool face against her neck. "I've missed you so much! I thought you wouldn't let me come today."
Qu Rong, "..."
She was so cold that Qu Rong's eyelids twitched.
She tried to push Li Yue'er away, but the other woman was already kneeling by the bed, her hands sliding to her waist, her fingers more nimble than snakes, slipping inside her undergarment before she could even see them.
Qu Rong, “…………”
Li Yue'er didn't dare to go too far, especially since her mistress was menstruating. She touched her mistress's waist twice and then pulled her hand away, obediently kneeling by the bed with her hands on her knees and staring at her mistress.
Her knowing when to advance and retreat prevented Qu Rong from getting angry, so she could only say irritably, "Take off your clothes and get up here."
Li Yue'er got out of bed and took off her clothes. Qu Rong let out a soft breath and silently tucked the corner of the quilt around her waist.
Li Yue'er was so cold that even if it wasn't intentional, when she snuggled into the blankets and pressed herself against Qu Rong, it felt like an ice cube was pressed against her.
Qu Rong looked down at her.
Li Yue'er raised her hands and rubbed them together a couple of times. Then, while watching her expression, she tentatively wrapped her arms around her waist and abdomen. Seeing that she didn't speak, she slowly tightened her embrace and pressed her whole body against her, like a leech, wanting to be completely inseparable from her.
Qu Rong, "..."
Why did she call her over?
Qu Rong frowned, noticing that Li Yue'er was curling up her legs and trying to shove her cold feet between her calves, and immediately glanced at her sideways.
Li Yue'er dared not push her luck any further, so she kissed her mistress's arm in a flattering manner and pulled her foot back.
Seeing that she was really cold, Qu Rong disdainfully threw the hot water bottle in her arms to her, frowned and said in a deep voice, "Be quiet, don't disturb my reading."
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Moon: Then I'll leave?
Mistress: ...
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