One autumn rain brings a chill, and it's not until the arrival of the Cold Dew solar term that we realize early winter has quietly arrived.
When Li Shiyue entered Shousong Hall, a charcoal fire had already been lit inside, making the room warm and cozy. Today, she was wearing a newly tailored winter coat, the fine down at the collar as white as snow, and even the cuffs swayed slightly as she blew on something in her hand.
"You're late today. I didn't wait for you for breakfast."
Madam Xu sat on the warm couch and smiled as she reached out her hand to Li Shiyue as she entered. Touching her small hand, she noticed the slight redness on the tip of her nose as she drew closer.
"The weather changes so quickly. It was sunny just a few days ago, but now it's cold."
Li Shiyue let Old Madam Xu hold her cold hands, and pretended to be pitiful, bringing her face closer: "That's right, Grandmother, look, I feel like my nose has been blown off by the wind."
Sure enough, Madam Xu held her tightly with heartache and called out "My darling, my sweetheart" several times.
"Winter in the capital is not as warm as in Yunzhong County. It was even colder when you came last year, but you weren't used to it."
Li Shiyue grasped Old Madam Xu's hand in return and smiled sweetly: "Don't worry about me. My aunt thought of this a long time ago and had someone bring in new charcoal last night. It was lit early this morning."
After saying that, she stood up, opened her arms, and turned around in front of Madam Xu: "Look, this outfit was also sent over by my aunt. It's light and not heavy at all, but it's very warm and not cold at all."
The fabric was the most fashionable floral satin in the capital at the time. It was plain satin, but the embroiderer had embroidered it with exquisite patterns, making it elegant yet understated. The red jacket was stuffed with soft cotton wadding, which made her fair skin appear even whiter.
Moreover, the down felt smooth to the touch and didn't feel prickly, so it was obviously a very good product.
“This year I’m wearing red, and my cousin is going to wear blue. My aunt is so kind. She’s never shortchanged me from anything my cousin has, and she’s never asked me to ask for anything. She’s prepared and had everything sent over, no matter what I could think of. I’ve seen that her other outfits are much more gorgeous than the one I’m wearing.”
Her eyes were smiling, just like a child receiving a beloved item.
"You're so naive, getting overly excited about these things." Old Madam Xu smiled broadly as she looked at Li Shiyue's clothes.
"This is not just some material thing; it's all from my aunt's heart." It's a feeling of being cared for, a feeling of home.
"I'm going to my aunt's place later. I've already learned how to read the account books, and my aunt has let me try to do the accounting and reconciliation myself. But I'm learning slowly; my cousin already knows them by heart."
Li Shiyue emerged from Shousong Hall with a beaming smile and headed straight for the small flower hall in the main courtyard. Passing the niche directly opposite the entrance, one arrives at the inner flower hall, typically the reception area for the women of the household.
In the outer flower hall, there was a table. Madam Yang sat at the table, holding an ink brush, making marks and corrections in the account book. She put down the ink brush and reached out to fiddle with the abacus.
"Miss Cousin has arrived."
The old woman beside her gently reminded her, and Yang looked up to see Li Shiyue standing there in the corridor, smiling but not coming in.
"Since you're already here, why don't you come over? Are you afraid I'll make you do some calculations?"
Li Shiyue looked down at her throbbing fingertips. She watched Yang's nimble fingers deftly manipulate the abacus, but when she tried to use it, the abacus seemed to defy her and act against her.
My aunt is laughing at me again.
Walking to the table, she looked at the stack of account books beside Yang's hand, then walked to the other side of the table, letting Chunling tie her armbands. She started by flipping through one of the books, looked at the abacus beside her hand, and sighed resignedly.
Madam Yang exchanged a glance with the old woman beside her, unable to hide the smile in her eyes. She stood up, her crimson robes obscuring half of Li Shiyue's vision, and stood behind her with her hands tucked in her sleeves, watching for a short while.
She pointed to the second-to-last line of the ledger with her index finger. Li Shiyue looked up in confusion. Although Madam Yang didn't say anything, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.
Before Li Shiyue could speak, she took the old woman to change her clothes.
She was the only one in the entire flower hall with Chunling. She ground the ink with Chunling, and while she could recognize some of the characters, she didn't recognize most of them.
Li Shiyue pursed her lips, looked at the place Yang had pointed to when she left, and simply turned the abacus to the beginning and started calculating from the start.
A charcoal brazier burned in the flower hall, and even with her sleeves rolled up, her exposed wrists didn't feel the chill. She was so focused that she didn't notice Xu Yunci had been there for quite some time, watching her from the corridor.
Finally, after finishing this page, Li Shiyue breathed a long sigh of relief. Sure enough, there was a mistake in her calculation. She calculated it three times this time, and it was the same every time. There should be no problem.
Just as she was about to turn the page, she suddenly heard Chunling cough beside her. Li Shiyue was about to speak when she saw Xu Yunci standing under the corridor.
She stood up, somewhat surprised. She had been coming to the main courtyard at this hour and had never run into Xu Yunci before. How could she have encountered him today?
Since the jade pendant was delivered a few days ago, life had returned to its usual tranquility. But when she suddenly saw him today, Li Shiyue lowered her eyes, and her heart seemed to be stirred.
"Cousin."
She put down what she was holding, got up, and walked away from the desk.
Seeing this, Xu Yunci walked out confidently, as if he wasn't the one who had been spying all along. His gaze fell on a stack of account books on the table, noticing that Li Shiyue had only opened the first few pages of the top book, each line filled with densely packed numbers.
"It seems your mother has taught you a lot."
"Yes, I can read account books and I'm learning to do accounting now. I've never done this before, but my aunt is very patient and is teaching me little by little." Li Shiyue smiled sweetly, her eyes full of undisguised joy.
"How much longer? I'd like to go to Guanqing Garden today to ask you how you plan to arrange things. If you haven't decided yet, come with me so we can see for ourselves and then make a plan." Xu Yunci was unusually dressed today in a dark-colored, narrow-sleeved robe. His hands were broad and he occasionally rubbed the jade thumb ring on his thumb.
Li Shiyue glanced at the ledger and looked troubled: "There are still quite a few left, I'm afraid my cousin will have to wait a while."
Xu Yunci didn't speak, but picked up a book and looked at it before putting it back: "You come with me first. Changshun, go and tell your mother that your cousin will make it up to you when we get back later."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Yunci led Li Shiyue out of the Duke's mansion. This time, they did not use the low-key carriage they had used before. The carriage was decorated with the character "Rong," indicating that it belonged to the Duke of Rong's mansion.
Previously, they were simply called "Xu," but after the family split up, they changed to "Rong," representing the Xu family of the Rongguo Duke's Mansion.
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