"No, no, Ushiha is afraid of snakes!" Ushiha said, plugging his ears.
Bechuk was playing with the doll that Cui Niang had made for her, which was naturally made by Lan Qinsu. It was made according to the drawings she had drawn, but since the hair didn't have the kind of artificial blonde hair, she had to use real human hair to make a beautiful doll with long, black hair.
Women in ancient times had long and thick hair, so cutting off a tuft was no big deal! Bechuk loved this doll so much that he held it in his arms every day and wouldn't let go.
“Alright then, tell me the story of the Three Little Pigs!” Lanqin said.
This time, Ushiha had no objections. She earnestly placed her hands under her cheeks, making a cute face, and stared at Lanqin with her big eyes.
Lanqin, cradling her large belly, said, "Once upon a time, in a great forest, lived a mother pig and three little pigs. One day..."
Ushiha: "Mother, what is a mother?"
Lanqin said, "It's the mother of a pig. They call her 'Mama'!"
Ushiha: "What about Pig Ama?"
A bead of sweat slid down Lanqin's forehead, and she said with a little more patience, "Ushiha, this story only mentions the mother pig, not the father pig! Can you let your mother finish telling the story?"
Ushiha resumed his cutesy act. Bechuk, standing nearby, seemed to be captivated by the story and began to listen attentively.
Lanqin continued, "One day, Mother Pig said to her three little pigs, 'It's time for you to go out and live independently. Build your own houses and find your own food!'"
Ushiha said, "Mother, will Bechuk and I one day have to go out and build our own houses and find our own food?"
Lanqin raised her hand and touched Wuxiha's forehead, saying, "You will never have such a day. Because your father is the Fourth Prince of the Qing Dynasty, how could he let you do such things?"
Ushiha: "But Mother, why did you tell us that the three little pigs had to build their own houses and find their own food? Didn't you say yesterday that the animals in the story were educational for us?"
Lanqin mimed squeezing walnuts with her hands, suppressing her anger, and tried her best to speak gently: "Wuxiha, the three little pigs can't compare to you. Animals have to go out and live on their own when they reach a certain age; it's their nature."
Ushiha nodded as if he understood, then continued to blink at Lanqin.
Lanqin looked at her and said, "Alright, can you let your mother finish the story before you speak?"
Looking at Lanqin's serious eyes, Ushiha nodded blankly, indicating that he understood instantly.
Lanqin took a deep breath and then began to tell her two daughters a story with great emotion.
Outside, the bright moon hung high in the sky, but there wasn't a breath of wind. The maids off duty were all enjoying the cool air in the courtyard. Only Jinju and Xicha were waiting inside, ready to be summoned by Lanqin at any moment.
Cui Niang had several people move the bamboo couch into the courtyard, hoping to take advantage of the cool evening air to get a good night's sleep. It was far too hot inside; Lanqin even had an ice basin in her room, but the maids didn't have one.
“Cui Niang, look, isn’t there a sweet osmanthus tree on the moon?” Nianxue said to Cui Niang, who was sitting in the same row as her.
“My mother said that’s an osmanthus tree. Chang’e’s rabbit often runs under the osmanthus tree. Wu Gang even took an axe and chopped down the tree, but the Jade Rabbit stopped him,” Cui Niang said.
"I hope it rains. This drought is terrible," Nianxue said sadly, seemingly thinking of her family. She had been with Lanqin since she was eight years old. Actually, her parents couldn't afford to raise her anymore, so they sold her to Lingzhu Mansion as a servant. Although she hadn't seen her parents for many years, who wouldn't miss their family, especially with the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching?
“Nianxue, you’ve been with your master since you were little. Are your family members still living outside? Do you still keep in touch?” Cui Niang asked.
“We haven’t been in contact for a long time. My parents sold me into the Ling family. Although it was cruel of them, at least they were a good family. I’ve served my masters since I was little. I’ve always lived a life of luxury and haven’t suffered much. It was a way out for me.” Nianxue sighed. “However, people are not made of stone. Although they sold me cruelly, I still don’t resent them. Now there’s a severe drought outside, and I hope they can get through it.”
Cui Niang nodded and said, "Master is kind-hearted. The life you live with Master is definitely much better than the life you live at home."
Ah~
Before Nianxue could say anything, a mournful scream suddenly shattered the tranquility of the night. It was as if a thunderclap had suddenly struck from the darkness.
It's Grape's voice! She's sitting at the courtyard gate with Granny Wang, trying to cool off!
The moment everyone was startled by the sudden sound, Grape came running in, shouting, "Snake! There's a snake!"
"Grape! Keep your voice down, the master and the princesses are still awake!" Cui Niang stood up first and calmly said to her.
"Cui Niang, snakes! There are several snakes outside!" Grape ran in fright and said to Cui Niang.
"What snake? How could there be a snake out of nowhere?" Cui Niang asked in disbelief.
"Cui Niang, there really are snakes! There are so many snakes outside!" Granny Wang, who was at the door, also ran over in fright.
At this moment, Master Niu, who was resting in the house, and Chen Shou, among others, also came out. They were the only two men in the courtyard.
"What's going on? Explain yourselves! Si Hua and Shui Ling, go and fetch some lamps. It's pitch black, you might make a mistake." Cui Niang felt a surge of tension, but she didn't dare to panic and forced herself to remain calm.
"I'm not mistaken, they really are snakes! Look, they're coming!" Grape was clearly terrified; she turned around and screamed wildly into the darkness.
"Grape, Grape!" Cui Niang grabbed Grape's hand and suddenly slapped her, startling the panicked Grape.
At this moment, Shui Ling, Si Hua, and Lan Qi came over carrying lanterns, and then distributed them to each person.
"Good heavens, it really is a snake!" Chen Shou exclaimed as he first spotted the long, black, wriggling creature that had crawled into the orchid garden.
“There are some here too!” Chen Shou, standing on the other side, pointed to Lanqin’s small vegetable garden.
"What's going on? Where did these snakes come from?" Cui Niang asked in surprise.
"There are some over there too!" Grape exclaimed in horror, pointing to the dark, black snake that was flicking its tongue as it crawled down the steps.
"Go get the torches!" Suddenly, the door to the main room was flung open from the inside, and Lanqin shouted.
"Master, why did you come out? Please go inside and take shelter. We servants will deal with these snakes," Cui Niang said as she turned around when she saw Lan Qin come out.
"Quickly, get a torch! Animals are afraid of fire. Don't delay. These snakes look very strange," Lanqin said hastily.
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