Chapter 135: Hometown Love, Walking Together on the Road Ahead
The afternoon sun filtered through the carved window lattices, casting tiny specks of light on the floor of the east wing. Xiaoyanzi sat at her dressing table, looking at herself in the bronze mirror, dressed in a lilac Manchu dress. Her fingers unconsciously stroked the lotus embroidery on her collar. Chuntao was combing her long hair, the wooden comb teeth making a soft rustling sound as they scraped through her hair.
"Chun Tao," Xiao Yanzi suddenly spoke, her voice a little softer than usual, "Come here, I have something to tell you."
Chun Tao put down the comb and walked up to her. Seeing her turn around with a serious look in her eyes, her heart tightened: "Miss, what's wrong?"
Xiaoyanzi took her hand and sat on the edge of the bed, the hem of her Mandarin dress spreading out, obscuring their clasped hands. "I'll be entering the palace in a few days," she said earnestly, looking Chuntao in the eye. "You've served me for so many years, and it's time for you to marry. I'll have my father give you some money and let you leave the palace. Find an honest and respectable family and live a stable life, okay?"
Upon hearing this, Chuntao suddenly looked up, her eyes instantly red, and tears fell like beads from a broken string: "Miss! Are you...are you going to kick me out?" She knelt down with a "thump", her knees hitting the blue brick floor with a dull sound. "When I was a child, my parents passed away, and it was the master and the mistress who took me in and brought me back to the mansion. You taught me how to read and dress yourself. I have long regarded the Fang Mansion as my home! You are my family!"
"I'm not chasing you away!" Xiaoyanzi quickly reached out to help her, but Chuntao stubbornly dodged. She squatted down, looked into Chuntao's tearful eyes, and felt a pang of sadness in her heart. "I'm just worried that you'll be wronged if you follow me in the palace. There are too many rules in the palace, and it's not as comfortable as home. I don't want you to be trapped there for the rest of your life."
"I'm not afraid!" Chuntao wiped her tears, her voice sobbing but remarkably firm. "I'm an orphan, and I have nowhere to go outside the Fang Mansion. The master treats me like his own daughter, the mistress always looks out for me, the young master protects me when he sees me being bullied, and you treat me like a sister... This mansion is my home, I'm not going anywhere!" She clutched Xiaoyanzi's sleeve, her tears wetting the embroidery on it. "I don't want money, I just want to stay in the Fang Mansion. Even if I just have to sweep the yard for the mistress or grind ink for the master, I'm willing to do that!"
Xiaoyanzi looked at her red eyes and trembling shoulders, her heart softening. She reached out to wipe the tears from her cheeks, "Silly girl, who said I'm going to kick you out?" She thought for a moment, her eyes brightening. "How about this? Either you come with me to the palace and be my personal maid, and we'll be inseparable like before; or you stay in the mansion, chat with my mother and be filial to her for me. Which one do you choose?"
Chun Tao was stunned, tears still hanging on her eyelashes, but she blinked: "Really? I can choose for myself?" Seeing Xiao Yanzi nod, she bit her lip and thought seriously, "I... I'll stay in the mansion to accompany the lady."
"Why?" Xiaoyanzi was a little surprised.
"Madam is old, and she will definitely miss you after you enter the palace," Chuntao sniffed, her voice gradually steadying. "I'll accompany Madam, tell her stories about your childhood, and help her tend to the orchids, so she won't be so lonely. Xiao Zhuozi and the others are here to take care of you in the palace, so I'm relieved." She looked up at Xiaoyanzi, her eyes sparkling. "When you leave the palace to visit your family, I'll make you your favorite osmanthus cake, okay?"
Xiaoyanzi's heart warmed. She pulled Chuntao up and hugged her in her arms, the wide sleeves of her Manchu dress wrapped around their shoulders. "Okay, I'll do as you say." She patted Chuntao on the back. "But we have to agree. You're not allowed to do any hard labor in the mansion. Just chat with my mother to relieve her boredom. I've already agreed with my mother that I'll give you two taels of silver every month, enough for you to buy rouge and powder."
"Miss!" Chun Tao shook her head in her arms, "I don't want money. The master and the mistress treat me well enough..."
"Just take it if I tell you to!" Xiaoyanzi let go of her and scratched her nose. "This is a token of my love. Otherwise, I wouldn't feel at ease in the palace." She stood up and pulled Chuntao out. "Come on, let's talk to my mother and ask her to love you, her 'goddaughter', more."
Fang's mother was watering orchids in the yard. Seeing them coming, she put down the kettle and smiled: "What are you talking about? Why are Chuntao's eyes red?"
"Mother!" Xiaoyanzi pushed Chuntao in front of Fang's mother. "I've made an agreement with Chuntao. From now on, she will stay by your side and won't have to do any hard labor. I'll give her two taels of silver every month! You must love her very much."
Chun Tao quickly bowed: "Madam, this servant... this servant is willing to serve you."
Mother Fang looked at Chuntao's red eyes and understood everything. She took Chuntao's hand and patted it gently, "Silly child, why are you being so polite to me? After Ci'er came to the palace, I was worried that no one would talk to me. I'm so happy that you agreed to stay." She turned to Xiaoyanzi with a smile in her eyes, "You are so thoughtful."
At this time, Xiao Jian walked in, holding two brocade bags. The blue cloth was embroidered with simple peace knots. "These are self-defense bags that I asked my friends in the martial arts world to make. They contain a sleeping pill and an antidote. Take them with you and be careful when you enter the palace." He stuffed one into Xiaoyanzi's pocket and handed the other to Ziwei, who was standing in the corridor. "Miss Ziwei, take this too. It's a good idea to be prepared."
Ziwei took the brocade bag, her fingertips touched the hard edges inside, and she said softly, "Thank you, Master Fang."
Xiaoyanzi opened her brocade pouch and looked inside. Sure enough, there was a small oil-paper bag inside. She smiled and put it into her sleeve pocket. "My brother is so thoughtful! It's much more useful than those flashy jade pendants in the palace."
Xiao Zhuozi ran in from outside, holding a folded casual dress in his hand: "Princess, here are the casual clothes you asked for. You said you wanted to wear something comfortable before entering the palace." Xiao Dengzi, Xiao Chongzi, and Xiao Wenzi also followed behind, holding a bag and a food box in their hands respectively, obviously packing things.
"Put it there," Xiaoyanzi pointed to the box in the corner, "I'll change it myself later." She turned to Fang's mother and said, "Mother, there are many rules in the palace. If I don't do it well, I'll make you worry..."
"Silly child," Fang's mother interrupted her and helped her straighten her slightly messy hair. "As long as you are doing well in the palace, I will be relieved. If you are wronged, let Xiao Jian take you home. Our Fang family will always support you."
Chuntao walked forward with a small box in her hand: "Miss, this is the amulet I embroidered for you. It is embroidered with red velvet thread. You can carry it with you." In the box lay a small cloth tiger with fine stitching and round tiger eyes embroidered, which showed a bit of naivety.
Xiaoyanzi picked up the cloth tiger and felt its warmth. Her eyes couldn't help but warm up: "I will definitely take it with me!"
The sun gradually set, stretching the shadows across the courtyard. Ziwei helped Xiaoyanzi pack her belongings, folding her favorite clothes into a camphorwood box. Xiaojian, on the side, urged Xiaozhuozi and the others to take good care of Xiaoyanzi after they arrived at the palace. Mother Fang held Chuntao's hand and meticulously explained the trivial matters of the mansion.
Xiaoyanzi looked at this heartwarming scene, feeling both a longing to leave home and a yearning for the future. Her eyes suddenly lit up, and she clapped her hands, saying, "Oh, right! The Emperor said he wouldn't send anyone to pick us up until three days later, so that's still four days!" Turning to Ziwei, her eyes sparkling, she said, "Sister Ziwei, how about we go out and play tomorrow? Let's go to the slums to find Liu Qing and Liu Hong, and then go to the south of the city to eat some sugar paintings. My brother said the sugar painter there just made something in the shape of a phoenix, and it's so beautiful!"
Fang's mother smiled helplessly: "You, you are about to enter the palace and still want to play." Although she said this, her eyes were full of indulgence.
Xiao Jian raised his eyebrows: "You can go if you want. I'll go with you to prevent you from getting into trouble again."
Ziwei smiled gently and nodded: "Okay, I also want to see the streets of the capital again. I'm afraid it will be difficult to have such an opportunity when I enter the palace in the future."
The little mosquito immediately responded, "Good boy, long time! How can we go out to play without the four of us? Little Zhuozi knows the way, Little Dengzi knows how to pick delicious food, Little Bug can imitate bird calls to amuse you, and I'll tell you some rhymes to cheer you up!"
Little Swallow laughed even more happily, stuffed the cloth tiger into her purse, and clapped her hands: "It's settled! Let's have a great day tomorrow and forget about the palace rules for now!"
The golden light of the setting sun sprinkled on her lilac-colored cheongsam, making the lotus embroidery pattern even more vivid. The fragrance of osmanthus in the yard mixed with laughter, gently turning the slight nervousness before entering the palace into warm anticipation.
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