Chapter 57: Keep your voice down, don't shout.
Li Yue'er had already seen the mistress, who had been standing on the steps of the corridor holding a hand warmer, clearly waiting for her.
Upon seeing Meng Xiaoxiao, the mistress's expression instantly turned pale, and she shifted her gaze from Meng Xiaoxiao to looking into the distance.
Meng Xiaoxiao, oblivious to her mistress's bad mood, followed the direction her mistress was looking and tilted her head in confusion, asking, "Huh, what is the mistress looking at?"
Snowflakes are still falling from the sky, and there's no moon overhead.
I'm watching you.
Li Yue'er looked at Meng Xiaoxiao, her mouth opening and closing, then closing.
Li Yue'er walked up to the mistress, stood at the bottom of the steps, and looked up at her, saying, "I brought you a gift."
A single sentence drew the mistress's attention back.
The mistress slowly withdrew her gaze, instead looking down at her with a detached expression, seemingly uninterested.
Li Yue'er was holding something in her arms, and she covered it with a light-colored red gauze cloth that she had somehow obtained.
If the weather were good and the light were bright, one could probably see what was under the gauze. But today, with the snow and the already blurry vision, the red gauze covering the object made it impossible to see its size.
Potted plants?
It looks like a round-bottomed basin, with something placed on it.
Seeing the mistress staring at it, Li Yue'er coaxed her softly, "Why don't you lift it up and take a look?"
Qu Rong pursed her lips slightly, her fingertips twitching as she held the hand warmer, but she didn't reach out. She simply looked up at Li Yue'er and said softly, "You're just being mysterious."
Li Yue'er smiled; she was in a good mood today, so she pretended not to hear what he said.
Li Yue'er turned around and handed the things to Meng Xiaoxiao to hold. She stood next to Meng Xiaoxiao, holding the two corners of the red gauze in her hands, biting her lower lip lightly, and looking at the mistress with bright eyes, as if unveiling a treasure.
Meng Xiaoxiao cooperated perfectly, "Ta-da!"
Qu Rong, "..."
Qu Rong looked at Li Yue'er with a helpless yet gentle gaze, and when she heard the noise and turned to look at Meng Xiaoxiao, she could only purse her lips in silence.
She followed their gaze to the thing in Meng Xiaoxiao's hand.
It was a snowman that was brought over in a flowerpot.
Snowmen are nothing new; whenever it snows heavily, someone will always build one.
but……
Li Yue'er made the snowman very exquisitely, so lifelike that... it looked somewhat like her.
From her updo to her clothing style, and even her indifferent eyebrows and the beauty mark at the corner of her eye, she could recognize her at a glance, even without looking in a mirror.
Qu Rong paused, then looked up at Li Yue'er.
Li Yue'er's eyebrows and eyes revealed smugness as she looked up at her with her hands behind her back.
Qu Rong pursed her lips and went to look at the snowman again.
It looks so much like her; it's practically made to resemble her now.
Li Yue'er, "How is it?"
Qu Rong: "...It's alright."
It's about 70-80% similar.
Li Yue'er bent down to look at the snowman, then frowned and looked at the mistress's face. "What do you mean 'not bad'? I think I sculpted it quite well."
Meng Xiaoxiao nodded emphatically, showing her support, "They're exactly the same!"
As expected of her five-tael-worth Sister Yue'er!
Seeing that Li Yue'er's hands were pale and bloodless from the cold, Qu Rong casually handed her a hand warmer, "Are you done being crazy?"
Li Yue'er held the hand warmer to her face, the fragrance of cold plum blossoms mixed with the heat wafting towards her, and deliberately said, "Not yet, I made an appointment with Teng Huang and Xiao Xiao to go to the steward's kitchen tonight to roast sweet potatoes."
Qu Rong glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, "Then go ahead."
After saying that, he turned around and went inside.
Meng Xiaoxiao almost jumped for joy, "That's wonderful, Sister Yue'er! The mistress has agreed!"
Li Yue'er, "..."
The two were answered by the sound of the mistress instructing Dansha to close the door.
Meng Xiaoxiao said, "The mistress is asleep. Let's sleep together tonight, the three of us—Mistress, Teng Huang, and I."
Li Yue'er reached out and covered Meng Xiaoxiao's mouth, "Don't say anything that will upset her."
It'll be hard to coax him later.
Meng Xiaoxiao's big eyes were filled with confusion and bewilderment, so clear that she couldn't understand what was being said.
Li Yue'er raised her hand and patted her head. "It's not your fault. Sometimes you have to listen to the mistress in reverse."
She placed the hand warmer in Meng Xiaoxiao's arms, then took the snowman flowerpot herself. "You go find Gamboge first, I should be able to get there in a bit."
Meng Xiaoxiao left, turning back every few steps, saying, "Then you must come."
Li Yue'er didn't dare to make a definitive statement, only saying, "I'll try my best."
She went up the steps and gently knocked on the door.
Dansha stood inside the door, glancing up at the mistress's expression as if to ask a question.
The mistress sat at the round table and began flipping through her copy of "The Art of War" again, without even turning her head.
Cinnabar understood.
To lure someone in at the first sign of trouble, one must feign indifference.
Seeing that the mistress did not speak, she opened the door, and Miss Moon stood at the door, peeking inside.
Dansha gestured with her eyes to indicate the location of her mistress, then stepped out herself, waiting for Yue'er to go inside before closing the door from the outside.
Li Yue'er sat down and placed the flowerpot snowman on the table, gently pushing it toward the mistress's hand. "I've been carving it for almost an hour."
No wonder you came back so late.
Qu Rong's gaze followed the flowerpot snowman to Li Yue'er's hand, then to Li Yue'er's face, and she softened her tone, "You can make this too."
Li Yue'er lay on the table, gently poking the snowman's cheek with her finger. "I learned wood carving from my grandfather when I was a child, but I've neglected it for many years. Today, I couldn't control the pressure well and ruined several of them. Luckily, Teng Huang and Xiao Xiao kept helping me make snowballs."
Wood and snowballs are not the same thing, and if too much force is applied, the snowball will crack.
Qu Rong listened quietly until she caught a glimpse of Li Yue'er's hand about to poke the snowman crookedly. Then, she pursed her lips, frowned, and slapped Li Yue'er's hand away from the edge of the flowerpot.
Don't let her break it.
Li Yue'er laughed, turned around while sitting down, placed her hands on the mistress's lap, leaned forward, looked up at her, and said softly, "It's not very refined, only the outline and eyebrows are similar, I hope the mistress won't find it distasteful."
Qu Rong looked down at her, "When did I say I disliked it?"
Li Yue'er couldn't resist leaning over to kiss her on the corner of her mouth, and whispered, "If you don't mind, this is my gift to you. Happy birthday, Mistress."
Qu Rong suddenly looked up at her, "How did you know?"
Li Yue'er: "Teng Huang told me this this afternoon when we were playing in the snow."
Teng Huang said that today is the mistress's birthday, but it has never been celebrated before. If they happen to stay in the neighborhood, the mistress will eat a bowl of longevity noodles made by Aunt Tan on her birthday.
Dansha probably didn't even know that today was the mistress's birthday. It was only because she was observant and had noticed it over the years that she discovered it, since the mistress had never mentioned it and the household had never celebrated it for her.
Especially since they left the city this year and Aunt Tan didn't come, the mistress probably won't even get to eat a bowl of longevity noodles that are hers alone.
Meng Xiaoxiao said, "Shall we ask Madam to make a bowl?"
Teng Huang frowned. "Then the mistress probably won't eat it. If people find out it's her birthday today, she'll be unhappy."
Meng Xiaoxiao became troubled, "Then how should we celebrate her birthday?"
Fujiwara immediately turned to look at her, his eyes filled with anticipation, "Do you know how to make noodles?"
Li Yue'er knew how to cook, but her cooking skills were really just average. She stood in the midst of the falling snow and thought for a while before deciding to carve a snowman for her mistress.
Qu Rong paused after listening, then frowned and said, "Teng Huang is too talkative. I don't like celebrating birthdays."
How can someone who has never had a father and can't even tell who their mother is have the mind to celebrate their birthday?
Besides, today is the Little New Year. Even if she becomes the adopted daughter of the Qu family later, no one will celebrate her birthday today.
Li Yue'er stared at the mistress curiously. She wanted to ask why the mistress didn't want to celebrate her birthday, but even Teng Huang had brushed it off with a laugh, let alone the mistress who didn't like to reveal her inner thoughts to others.
In the past, Gambo wouldn't have told her it was the mistress's birthday, and she wouldn't have bothered to pick up the carving again for her.
“Well,” Li Yue’er turned to look at the table, her eyes crinkling, “Happy Lunar New Year, Mistress!”
Her smile is so beautiful.
Qu Rong couldn't resist and reached out to pinch Li Yue'er's cold cheek.
Although a charcoal brazier was burning inside, Li Yue'er had lingered outside for far too long, and the warmth was no match for the chill on her body.
Qu Rong changed from pinching to stroking, her palm sliding down Li Yue'er's cheek to her neck, her thumb gently caressing the lines of her jaw.
Originally, she just wanted to warm Li Yue'er's face, but as she touched it, it inexplicably took on a different meaning.
Qu Rong was no longer willing to let Li Yue'er stay far away from her, so she raised her hand and gently pulled Li Yue'er's forearm, pulling her to sit on her lap. She held the back of Li Yue'er's neck with one hand, tilted her head back to kiss her lips, and rubbed her lower back with the other hand.
Li Yue'er's eyelashes trembled slightly, like black butterflies fluttering their wings. Her lips, which were originally pink, were caressed and kissed until they became hot. She knew what color they were now without looking in a mirror.
The heat traveled down my cheeks, while a tingling, itchy sensation climbed up my spine.
Li Yue'er wrapped her arms around the mistress's shoulders, raised her chin and rested it on the mistress's forehead, and said in a trembling voice, "I still have an appointment with Xiaoxiao and Teng Huang."
They had arranged to make noodles for the mistress.
If she hadn't mentioned it, the mistress probably wouldn't have undressed her. But as soon as she did, the mistress immediately loosened her belt and, once the garment was wide open, slipped her hand under the hem of her undergarment and pressed it against her side, caressing her intimately.
Li Yue'er's body went limp, and she said reproachfully, "...You did this on purpose."
She looked down at her.
Her eyes were moist and her red lips were even more vibrant and luscious. Because of her emotions, even the corners of her eyes and cheekbones had a seductive light pink hue, like a gradient pink peony that was trembling with water droplets and about to bloom.
Qu Rong looked up at her, her tone slow and leisurely, "Then go ahead, I didn't tie you up."
Li Yue'er, "..."
Her hand was practically shoving in; how could she possibly go?
Li Yue'er twisted and turned, whether she was resisting and avoiding her or hoping that she would come in quickly to relieve the itch, it was hard to tell.
The mistress's palms were warm, but her skin was cold.
So much so that when the mistress simply placed her hand on her, she felt so comfortable that her breath trembled slightly, and she leaned against the mistress's shoulder.
“Teng Huangmingri will probably laugh at me.” After the mistress pointed one finger to explore and the other two fingers reached her shoulder, Li Yue’er melted into water in the room with the charcoal brazier, just like the snowflakes on the fox fur collar of the cloak on her shoulder.
She clearly told Teng Huang Xiaoxiao that she would meet her that evening, but she never came back.
Xiaoxiao is simple-minded and won't think outside the box. Tenghuang has read countless stories and must know what she and the mistress are up to in the house.
Even without tomorrow, Li Yue'er could already picture Teng Huang's teasing smile, and her ears were already burning red.
After one attempt, Li Yue'er breathed a sigh of relief, "There's still time to get there."
She got off the mistress's lap, but before she could even tidy herself up, the mistress reached out and pulled her back, so that she sat in her lap with her back to her.
The mistress made no mention of letting her go, and even maliciously asked, "Why aren't you going?"
Li Yue'er, "..."
Li Yue'er's face flushed; now she was completely trapped.
The more she tried to run away, the tighter the mistress's arms tightened, causing her back to press more and more against the mistress's chest.
.
The cloak, which was in the way, had already been taken off, and the expensive material was casually thrown on the ground by the mistress.
Without her cloak, Li Yue'er didn't feel cold at all. In fact, when she held the layers of her skirt tightly in her hands above her knees, she felt unbearably hot.
Her voice was nasal and trembling, and the change in tone further fueled the affair.
It was barely dark, far from bedtime, and the two of them hadn't even eaten yet.
Qu Rong raised her other hand and covered Li Yue'er's mouth with her palm. She rested her chin on Li Yue'er's shoulder, lowered her eyes, and said in a hoarse voice, "Keep your voice down, don't shout."
Li Yue'er, "..."
They weren't out stealing!
Besides, if it weren't for the mistress stirring things up, how could she have uncontrollably uttered such shameful sounds?
Li Yue'er's eyes turned red from holding back her tears, which fell into the palm of her mistress's hand.
The mistress gently lifted her chin with her fingers, making her turn her head back, and kissed her earlobe and cheek. As she tilted her head back, the mistress kissed the corner of her mouth.
Li Yue'er couldn't help but snuggle against her, like two mandarin ducks with their necks intertwined.
Her long, wet eyelashes fell, her eyes were unfocused and her vision was blurred. In her moment of mental blankness, Li Yue'er's thoughts were—
The intimate and tender moments described in the book must have been just like this.
After her skirt and the skirt on the mistress's legs were damp twice, Li Yue'er's fingers, which were gripping the hem of the skirt, became so weak that they could not curl up.
The skirt slipped from her palm, falling from her knees to her ankles, its arc like falling petals, barely concealing the alluring spring scenery that had just been revealed.
Li Yue'er leaned against her mistress's chest, letting her hug her from behind, and the two quietly enjoyed this moment of peace.
Before long, the mistress grasped her ten fingers with both hands, as if discovering for the first time that she still had fingers, and excitedly pinched and examined her fingertips.
Li Yue'er, "..."
Li Yue'er looked down and couldn't help but break the warmth of the moment by asking, "Is it strange that I have fingers?"
She used this finger when she was with the mistress.
Qu Rong was very languid, resting her chin on Li Yue'er's shoulder and pinching the tip of Li Yue'er's index finger with her fingers. "It's not surprising, but it's really rare for such clumsy fingers to be able to do such skillful work."
Li Yue'er, "..."
Li Yue'er turned her head and glared at her fiercely, she had better talk about sex!
Qu Rong looked at her with a smile, "Shameless."
How can you interpret everything in that way?
Li Yue'er opened her mouth and bit her ear.
She was shameless; she shamelessly lifted her skirt and shamelessly took the mistress's fingers and inserted them two or three times, crying but refusing to run away.
Qu Rong leaned back to stop her from biting, then changed the subject, asking, "Besides wood carving, what else can you do?"
Li Yue'er let her off the hook for now, "She can also play chess, paint, and play the zither a little. She's not very good at writing poetry, but she can at least appreciate it."
Compared to these, literacy is merely the entry-level requirement among her many talents.
If it weren't for Li Juren ruining her and her daughter's lives, Li Yue'er would at least be one of the most talented women in Chenhe County now.
Then the snowman she sculpted for the mistress would be more lifelike, rather than merely capturing the spirit of the snowman.
Qu Rong slowly hummed in agreement, "Little Yue'er is really amazing."
Li Yue'er, "..."
What she's most praiseworthy about isn't her prowess in bed.
Qu Rong gently patted her palm, "You can pick it up slowly in the future. Learn whatever you like. If Su Rou knows something, Su Rou will teach you. If Su Rou doesn't know something, I will find another famous teacher for you."
Li Yue'er smiled, raised an eyebrow, glanced sideways, and hummed softly, "Will learning these things help the accounting manager?"
Qu Rong said, "Learning these things will naturally not help the accounting manager."
Li Yue'er: "Then why should I learn it?"
It's a waste of money.
The mistress, however, said, "Why did you learn it when you were a child? You can still do it now."
Whether it's to pass the time, to try something new and interesting, or to aspire to be a talented woman, it's all fine.
She would agree to all of them and be willing to pay for her to continue learning.
Li Yue'er's heart softened again, her eyes sparkled, and she gently bit her lower lip. Her conscience was torn between Teng Huang Xiaoxiao and the mistress, and then she unhesitatingly tilted it all toward the mistress.
Feeling guilty, she turned her head and whispered, "How about I go wash up first? I'm not hungry yet..."
So now we don't need to eat.
Her bright eyes and flushed cheeks made the implication as obvious as it could be.
Qu Rong had originally planned to take her to a hot spring tonight, but with her clinging on like this, the two of them probably wouldn't be able to leave this room tonight.
Well, there's more than half a month to go, so we can go to the hot springs anytime.
Inside the clean room, there is a bamboo tube. If you pull out the stopper, the hot spring water from the backyard flows out gently, so there is no need for maids to come in and serve you.
Their clothes were scattered all the way from the table, from outer garments and shoes to skirts, cotton-padded jackets, inner garments, and then to the small undergarments and bibs inside the clean room.
The sound of water mingled with the sound of water in the clean room.
More than an hour later, Li Yue'er came out after getting dressed and drying her hair.
Sensing a gust of wind, Li Yue'er reached out and pulled her cloak over her shoulders, then suspiciously followed the gust of wind.
It was the mistress who came out first and opened the window.
Li Yue'er walked over in confusion and found the snowman in a basin on the wide-open windowsill.
She bent down to look, then turned her head with a smile and asked, "Why did you put her here?"
The mistress said, "It's hot inside."
If you leave a snowman indoors, that little bit of snow will melt away overnight.
This was her birthday gift, and she couldn't bear to part with it.
Li Yue'er looked at her quietly and said softly, "It's alright, if it melts, I'll carve you a new one."
“No matter how new it is, it’s not this one anymore,” the mistress said, showing no emotion whatsoever, and instead gave a cold sneer for no apparent reason. “...I knew you were fickle.”
Li Yue'er, "?"
"Are Xiaoxiao and Garcinia both new?"
Li Yue'er, "??"
Li Yue'er pounced on him, "Then I like you, the old one."
The mistress said, "Oh? You think I'm old-fashioned?"
Li Yue'er, "..."
She must have lost her mind while taking a shower to go along with what the mistress was saying.
Before the two went to sleep, Li Yue'er placed the snowman on the outside porch. In bed, she snuggled close to her mistress, gently rubbing her leg against hers, and coaxed softly, "Tomorrow, I'll build you a big one."
The voices inside gradually faded away, replaced by whimpers that sounded like both crying and laughing, a rather unpleasant mix.
In the kitchen—
Meng Xiaoxiao was so full she was hiccuping, but she still hadn't seen her Sister Yue'er.
Teng Huang chuckled, gently poking the softened sweet potato with a fire poker, pulling it out of the dark red ashes, his tone unsurprised, "It's normal for the mistress to hug her birthday present a couple more times today, it's her birthday."
What's a snowman compared to Li Yue'er, who gave the snowman? That's the lady of the house's favorite gift this year.
Fujiwara became smug. "Those two definitely won't come out. Come with me to take a bath!"
Since the mistress was enjoying the gifts, she had no choice but to enjoy the hot springs before the mistress.
Meng Xiaoxiao also wanted to go, but she was sleepy after eating and was afraid that she would fall asleep and drown in the hot spring and miss out on stewed goose the next day, so she had to shake her head and refuse, "I have to go back to sleep."
She was unwilling to go, so Teng Huang bribed Dan Sha with a roasted sweet potato and coaxed her to go with him to soak in the hot spring.
There's no need for two people to keep watch tonight.
Teng Huang said confidently, "Let's first test the pool for the mistress and Miss Yue'er to see if the water is clean."
While Dansha was bending down to undo his belt, Gambo was already in the water wearing a bib and shorts.
cinnabar,"……"
Snowflakes were still falling from the sky, but the hot spring pool was so warm that the snowflakes melted in the air before they even hit the water.
The pool wasn't deep; when a young girl like Fujiwara stood up, the water only reached her lower abdomen.
The bottom of the pool is polished smooth, and there are smooth stones of various sizes around it, so you can lie down or sit on them when you get tired of soaking.
There is a circle of stone benches around the edge of the pool. If you sit on them, the water will only reach about chest level.
If you can't stand the stuffiness, you can choose a higher stone bench and sit higher.
Fujiwara was a good swimmer, so she swam around the hot spring pool twice. When she returned, Tansa slowly entered the pool, sat on a low stone bench, and let the water submerge her collarbone and shoulders, leaving only her head above the water.
Teng Huang stood up, stepping off the bottom of the pool, and stared at the cinnabar with suspicion.
Neither of them had fathers or mothers, and they grew up together since childhood. Apart from the mistress, the two of them were the closest people in the world, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they were half-sisters.
Teng Huang had even decided that she would never marry and would stay with Dan Sha to serve the mistress and Yue'er as old maids.
But she noticed that in the past two years, especially in the second half of this year, Dansha had become inexplicably much more polite and distant towards her.
Just like now, Dansha is sitting so low, how can she take a closer look at the beautiful lines on Dansha's lower abdomen!
Why is it that, despite both being the mistress's head maids, Dansha has a firm belly while she has a soft one?
Meeting Gambo's angry eyes, Dansha lowered her long eyelashes, stirred the water with her arm, and said softly, "It's a bit cold, let's soak for a while."
The hot spring was warm, but it was still cold when I took off my clothes on the shore.
Fujiwara said "Oh" and then happily swam again.
Dansha was a little distracted, rubbing his wrists with his head down. When he heard the sudden silence around him, he panicked and quickly looked up and stood up to look for Gamboge.
Like a small fish, Gamboge emerged from beneath the surface of the water in front of her, its long hair whipping behind it, and spat water all over her face. "You forgot I can swim?"
She hadn't forgotten; she was panicking.
Dansha looked at her helplessly, "The water isn't clean."
Garcinia knew this, so she didn't swallow it. "Don't imitate the mistress."
She has the most faults and is extremely picky about others. "Otherwise, I won't call you next time."
cinnabar,"……"
Just when Dansha thought she was finally going to behave, Teng Huang stood up, untied the strap of her bodice at the back of her waist, and even took off the thin strap around her neck. Then she grabbed the bodice and threw it onto the shore.
Before Dan Sha could react, his gaze instinctively drifted down and he saw two trembling, white, round objects.
Her ears and cheeks instantly turned bright red! Without hesitation, she turned around, her back to Fujiwara, and closed her eyes, refusing to look at her again.
Gambo bent down, raised his face, and took off his shorts, saying, "It's uncomfortable to swim in these."
Dansha: "...But you can't just take everything off."
Fujiwara insisted on swimming naked. Not only did she swim naked, but she also swam naked up to Tansa, looked up at her, and asked, "Tansa, don't you want to soak in the hot spring with me?"
Fujiki retorted confidently, "Who goes to a hot spring dressed like you, wearing long sleeves and trousers?"
cinnabar,"……"
No matter how much Gung Huang made a fuss, Cinnabar walked to the shore, lay down on the rocks, and refused to look back.
It wasn't until Su Rou also came to soak in the pool that Teng Huang put his bib and shorts back on. Dan Sha finally breathed a sigh of relief, turned around, sat down, and quietly watched Teng Huang swim.
Teng Huang was somewhat angry and only spoke to Su Rou, refusing to pay any attention to her.
Dansha warmed the oranges in the hot spring water before handing them to Fujiki.
Gamboge doesn't go against food.
She broke the orange in half; she ate the big piece, Su Rou didn't eat any, and gave the smaller piece to Dan Sha.
While chewing on an orange, she asked Su Rou, her cheek puffed out and her words muffled, "Sister Su, why is my stomach so soft and shapeless? Is it natural?"
Su Rou silently looked at the large portion of oranges in Teng Huang's hand, "Maybe."
One part is innate, and nine parts are determined by what we eat and drink later in life.
Teng Huang then complained to Su Rou about Dan Sha, "She doesn't even want to soak in the hot spring with me anymore. She's not close to me at all. If it weren't for Yue'er not coming, I wouldn't want to soak in the hot spring with her either."
Su Rou looked at Dan Sha, and Dan Sha looked up at the sky.
She wanted more than just to soak in the hot springs with Fujiki; she wanted to do other, more intimate things with him.
Just like how the mistress treated the Moon Maiden.
But Teng Huang was oblivious, and she was unwilling to seduce her.
————————
Garcinia: Don't you like me?!
cinnabar:……
Oh no, it's late today, I'll punish myself with 6,000.
Also, Happy Winter Solstice everyone! Leave a comment and I'll send you a red envelope—consider it a meal of dumplings together! [Laughing]
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