Chapter 10010: The pink peony is so vibrant and beautiful.
Li Yue'er didn't know when the mistress had started, but everything in the room except the bed curtains had been quietly tidied up by the maids.
The oil lamp was extinguished, and the wax that had overflowed from the lamp stand was wiped clean.
Her clothes had been put away somewhere, and the floor was spotless. On the table sat a kettle with a different pattern than the one from last night, and a beautiful, translucent agate-colored plate was even brought out, filled with round, orange-yellow tangerines.
The windows were open, letting in sunlight that shone on the floor and onto the citrus fruits on the table, creating a bright and warm atmosphere in early winter.
Li Yue'er, dressed in new clothes, sat on the edge of the bed with her legs dangling over the edge, lost in thought for a moment. She had experienced such days for several years before.
Teng Huang heard her get up and then pushed open the door to come in, asking with a smile, "Miss Yue'er, would you like to eat here, or go back to eat later?"
Although it was only 9 AM, it was already past breakfast time. Li Yue'er dared not stay in the mistress's room to eat, knowing that there would probably be no food left if she went back. But she still smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Miss Teng Huang. I'll eat when I get back."
Gambo: "Then I'll wait for you at the back gate this afternoon."
Garcinia Khan curtsied as he saw her off at the door.
After leaving Songlan Hall, Li Yue'er slowly exhaled and rubbed her slightly sore lower back. It was probably because she had moved too much last night and her lower back was tired when the mistress was holding her like a carp wagging its tail.
However, this slight soreness is nothing compared to bending over to wash clothes all day.
When she arrived at the courtyard, she was stopped mysteriously by Meng Xiaoxiao before she even entered the house.
Meng Xiaoxiao grabbed her wrist with one hand and put the other to her mouth, shushing her repeatedly.
Li Yue'er followed her lead and walked to the side, looking into the house with a mixture of confusion and curiosity, and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
Meng Xiaoxiao said, "Hmph, Xu Xinmei didn't sleep all night waiting for you, and she fell asleep without eating breakfast this morning. If you go in and she sees you, she'll definitely get angry at you because she didn't get enough sleep."
I'd not only get angry at her for not getting enough sleep, but I'd probably make sure everyone knows she didn't come home last night.
Li Yue'er curled her lips into a slight sneer, "She does seem to 'care' about me quite a bit."
Meng Xiaoxiao quickly moved closer to her, frowning and pouting, trying to win her favor, "Sister Yue'er, I care about you too."
Li Yue'er smiled, "I know."
Meng Xiaoxiao then relaxed her brows, bent down and took out a warm egg from her purse, presenting it to Li Yue'er like a treasure, "I specially saved this for you, in case you haven't eaten."
"Xiaoxiao! You're so thoughtful!" Li Yue'er was indeed hungry and hadn't eaten.
She sat with Meng Xiaoxiao at the stone table in the courtyard. She ate her egg in small bites, while Meng Xiaoxiao looked at her curiously from head to toe with her big eyes.
Li Yue'er felt uneasy under her gaze and couldn't help but look around herself, following her eyes. "What's wrong?"
The mistress disdained to touch her with her lips, so naturally she could not leave any marks on her body.
Meng Xiaoxiao's eyes crinkled as she sincerely praised, "Sister Yue'er looks so beautiful today."
She racked her brains but couldn't think of anything better, so she could only use a scene she had seen as a metaphor, "like, like that pink peony in the garden after it has been rained on."
She was wearing a pink ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) today, with a light green belt that looked somewhat like a flower.
As for why it was so vibrant and fresh after being soaked in the rain, Li Yue'er's eyes darted around, and she didn't think about it in detail.
Fortunately, Xu Xinmei didn't sleep last night, so Li Yue'er didn't have to waste her breath on her today. Otherwise, Xu Xinmei would definitely have pressed her to tell her what she did last night.
After lunch, Li Yue'er told Meng Xiaoxiao and then hurried to the backyard to wait for Teng Huang.
She wanted to arrive earlier, even if it meant waiting for Fujiwara a little longer.
When she arrived, Teng Huang was already waiting there, with Mu Ge standing next to her.
Teng Huang curtsied to her, and, meeting Li Yue'er's stunned gaze, explained with a smile, "The mistress said that it would take us a long time to get there on foot, which would be both time-consuming and tiring, so she had the coachman hitch up a carriage and Lin Mu take us there."
Lin Mu was one of the two gatekeepers in the Qu family. When he had nothing to do, he would be called upon to do other odd jobs in the mansion. Naturally, he wouldn't be asked to work for nothing; he would receive an extra reward upon his return. This was the main source of extra income for the servants in the mansion.
Li Yue'er thought a bit too much. After all, the mistress already knew about her relationship with Aunt Qiu and her son. Was it a thoughtful gesture or a deliberate test to suddenly ask Brother Mu to send her back?
To test whether she was truly honest, or whether Aunt Qiu and her son were loyal to the Qu family and had any other connections with her behind the scenes.
Li Yue'er didn't dare to talk much to Brother Mu, and only casually glanced at him.
Brother Mu was just over twenty years old. He was strong and handsome, resembling Aunt Qiu in appearance. He had a friendly and smiling face.
She and Mu Ge were practically childhood sweethearts. If it weren't for that beast's unwillingness to divorce her mother, and her fear of implicating Aunt Qiu and her son if she married him, she might have actually married someone before being sold.
If I married Brother Mu, my life might not be very wealthy, but I would definitely live a peaceful and smooth life. I would never be as anxious and worried about the future as I am today, having to lower myself and fawn over him.
When she looked over, she met Mu Ge's eyes.
Mu Ge was still the same reliable older brother she knew, his eyes filled with worry and concern for her. Seeing that she didn't want to greet him or talk, he considerately looked away and went to move a footstool.
Teng Huang helped Li Yue'er into the carriage first, and then followed her in.
Unlike the taciturn and composed Dansha, Tenghuang looked at Li Yue'er and then at Lin Mu. After getting into the carriage, he said to Li Yue'er, "Don't worry, he won't have worked in vain."
This trip will earn a lot more money. If Lin Mu is a good person, he will only feel grateful to Li Yue'er.
Lin Mu is getting on in years and should be getting married. It's always good to earn more money.
Most men Lin Mu's age already have children, but Lin Mu's family's difficult circumstances have delayed his marriage until now. Lin's father was bedridden for many years before finally passing away, during which time the family's money was almost depleted. Lin Mu was also unable to marry for three years to observe mourning for his father, which is why it has been delayed until today.
No sooner had he finished his mourning period than Li Yue'er was sold into the Qu family.
Teng Huang was inwardly astonished, imagining a dramatic scene of childhood sweethearts parting with tears, then reuniting in the mansion despite lingering ties. On the surface, however, he smiled and said, "The mistress was worried that you might be shy and reserved, so she asked an acquaintance to see you off. Don't overthink it."
Li Yue'er, "..."
Now that Teng Huang has said that, she really has to think about it more.
Li Yue'er had no one else on her mind but her mother and younger sister. Putting aside the topic of Lin Mu, she tentatively inquired about her younger sister's condition.
Fujiwara went to the clinic yesterday; she should know something.
"The doctor said that if her fever breaks today, she can live." (Gamboge)
She didn't go to the Li family, so naturally she didn't see her younger sister in person. She could only repeat what the doctor told her.
Li Yue'er's heart jumped again. She clenched her hands in front of her and kept looking out through the gaps in the carriage curtain, wishing she could fly back.
We've arrived at Chang Le Lane.
The carriage slowly came to a stop, and Lin Mu jumped off the carriage shaft to fetch a footstool.
Li Yue'er bent down to get up, but Teng Huang pulled her back.
Li Yue'er, "?"
Teng Huang pulled Li Yue'er back, untied the heavy plain blue purse from his waist and handed it to her, "Here, this is what the mistress wants."
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Yue'er: From now on, I belong to the mistress. [bursting into tears]
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