The Yang family didn't stay long and returned to the Cheng'en Duke's Mansion early. The daytime didn't seem to pass by very quickly; in fact, it felt like only a short while had passed before night quietly fell.
Today is Lunar New Year's Eve, and according to tradition, we should stay up all night to welcome the new year, gathering together at Shousong Hall.
It was rare for Madam Xu to be in such a good mood today, and even Li Shiyue joined in, playing several rounds of leaf cards. It was almost midnight.
While they were making a racket on one side, Xu Lingqing and Xu Yunxu, sitting on a wooden couch, were having a competition of pecking rice like chicks.
"Go back to sleep, it's getting late."
Li Shiyue came out from the inner room, covered her mouth and couldn't help but yawn. She hadn't felt sleepy while playing, but now she was yawning.
As soon as she came out, she saw Xu Yunci wake up the group. She took two steps over and said, "Are you going back to Chengyu Pavilion, or are you staying at Bisha Pavilion tonight? It's getting late. If you're going back, I'll take you there."
Li Shiyue glanced inside and said, "I'd better go back and come back tomorrow morning. My grandmother is already asleep, and if I make a fuss here, I'll disturb her rest."
As they walked out together, Guo Shaoqing looked up at the dark night sky and said, "Tomorrow is the first day of the Lunar New Year. The Guo family sent someone over today, saying that Guo Shaoqing is going back to the mansion with my cousin."
"His Highness also said he would take my elder sister back to the manor to visit tomorrow. She can't stay long, she just wants to come back and see her grandmother and family." Xu Yunci's lips curled up slightly. He hadn't been trying to control himself today and had been drinking quite a bit with Xu Yunbo and the others.
But his steps were steady and powerful, and apart from his slightly dazed eyes, there was really no way he was the same as Xu Yunbo and the other few swaying "drunkards".
The liquor was made purely from rice; it was truly fine wine, and genuinely potent. However, the drinkers had a faint, sweet, cloying aroma of alcohol on them, which Li Shiyue also noticed.
"We've arrived. It's too late, so I won't go in. I'll watch you go in before I leave."
Xu Yunci stared at the gate of Chengyu Pavilion, his feet refusing to move an inch.
"Alright, we'll see each other again tomorrow. But let Changshun make you a bowl of hangover soup, so you don't wake up with a headache tomorrow."
Li Shiyue couldn't help but look at Chang Shun, who was guarding not far away. When she looked away, she saw the smile in Xu Yunci's eyes.
Perhaps because he had been drinking, two faint, almost imperceptible blushes clung to his cheeks under the beams of the large red lanterns in the pitch-black night.
He listened to Li Shiyue without getting angry, nodding in agreement, looking as if he had taken it all to heart.
"Alright, you should go back too, it's getting late."
Li Shiyue took a half step back, glanced at him, but met his smile. She then ran away as if fleeing, entering the courtyard of Chengyu Pavilion without looking back and rushing into the house.
Xu Yunci paused for a moment, looking at the sliver of her skirt left on the edge of the door frame, before turning and walking towards the front yard.
After everyone left, Li Shiyue peeked half her face out from behind the door frame. Seeing that everyone was really gone, she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and sprawled out on the wooden couch inside the room.
"Miss, are you avoiding the young master?"
Chunling ran in after her, smiling as she looked at Li Shiyue, who was sitting on the bed drinking water. The teasing look in her eyes left Lian Dong, who was inside the room, somewhat confused.
Li Shiyue didn't speak. She saw the wedding dress placed beside her. It was the dress with some patterns that she still hadn't finished refining, but the overall design was complete.
"Help me undress, I'll try it on."
Today is New Year's Eve, and she also had a couple of drinks. The candles inside the house were much brighter than the beams of light from the big red lanterns under the eaves.
The candlelight flickered, casting bright beams of light onto her bright red brocade, which was half-embroidered with mandarin ducks, auspicious symbols, and pomegranates in gold thread. Underneath, she wore a bright red feather satin undergarment, and over it, a long, flowing skirt with gold and silver thread wrapped around her chest.
She wore a bright red, flowing wedding gown with gold thread and wide sleeves, and a crimson brocade shawl adorned with phoenix feathers and gold beads, which was tied at the waist with a sash that perfectly outlined her waist.
Still with her hair in the usual bun, Li Shiyue stood in front of the bronze mirror and turned to look at herself.
The bronze mirror wasn't particularly large, only about half a person's height, so Qiu Fan and Cui Xia had to lift it together to get a clear view.
Li Shiyue didn't wear it for long before changing. Lying in bed, she couldn't fall asleep for a long time; every time she closed her eyes, she saw herself wearing her wedding dress.
She didn't know when she fell asleep, and when Chunling woke her up early the next morning, her eyes felt swollen and dry.
Last night, I was thinking about what I would look like in my wedding dress, and I even dreamed about Xu Yunci. I wonder how he would look in it, and whether it would suit him or not.
"Today I'll wear that floral pink jade and gold hairpin set, to match my begonia red cloak. It's time to wear new clothes and new jewelry in the new year."
After getting dressed, she quickly headed towards Shousong Hall. Sure enough, when she entered, Old Madam Xu had just come out from the inner room.
"Grandmother".
She smiled and reached out to support Madam Xu on the other side.
"You're not late. You were up late yesterday, why are you up so early? If you're not fully awake, go inside and take a nap."
Today, Madam Xu also changed to a new headband, with a large, full, emerald-green jade in the center, rare gemstones on both sides, and auspicious patterns around it.
She wore a dark red velvet cloak with a crane pattern, over which was a plain red cross-collar undershirt.
Her hair was styled in a full and neat bun today, and she wore a set of fine jadeite headdresses, with kingfisher feathers and gemstones adorning the jadeite.
"I was sleepy, but the strong wind outside woke me up. I was afraid of getting cold, so I walked quickly. If I had slowed down, you probably would have sent Granny Chang outside to look for me, lest I have frozen into an icicle under the eaves."
"What my cousin said isn't a lie. It was unusually cold this morning. This winter is going to be tough."
Granny Chang held a bowl of hot tea and handed it to Li Shiyue. When she met Li Shiyue's smiling and nodding gaze, Granny Chang nodded slightly in response.
The young lady was always like this; out of respect for her decades of service to the old lady, she was always treated with great deference.
Even with Lianchun and the others, all she saw was that the young lady showed great respect to the servants of the manor, and never deliberately spoke coldly to them because of their background.
On the contrary, whenever the cousin was around, there was rarely any awkward situation for anyone. Not to mention that the old lady favored her, and the cousin had never gone out to cause trouble. Based on this alone, the old lady held the cousin in extremely high regard.
"Thank you, Granny. This tea is really fragrant. It goes down smoothly and makes my stomach feel warm."
Li Shiyue smiled and took another sip before putting down her teacup. She lowered her head slightly and asked, "Grandmother, do you think my hairpin looks pretty today?"
Madam Xu raised her head slightly: "This hairpin is not a common style, and I've never seen you wear it before. Is it new?"
"Yes, my aunt sent it before the New Year. She said it was the most fashionable style in the capital, and I really like it."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com