Chapter 172: Meeting a Soulmate on the Flowery Path, Laughter and Love
The path from the Imperial Garden back to Shufangzhai was paved with crabapple petals like a pink brocade. The wind blew, and the petals swirled and fell, clinging to the hem of Xiaoyanzi's skirt, like a shimmering speck of light. She skipped ahead, toying with the jade pendant Yongqi had given her. The tassels tinkled and swayed gently with each step.
"Walk slowly, don't fall." Ziwei, protected by Erkang, followed closely behind. Seeing Xiaoyanzi almost stepping on her skirt, she quickly warned her. The crabapple blossoms in her hair trembled slightly in the wind. Erkang reached out to help her hold them back, his fingertips accidentally brushing her earlobe. Both of them had a faint blush on their cheeks, as if basking in the warm sun.
"What are you afraid of?" Little Swallow turned around and made a face. Suddenly, she stepped on the ground and her body floated up like catkins. She lightly touched the head of the stone lion on the side of the road with her toes and jumped onto the low wall. "Look! From here, we can see the sign of the guesthouse!" She pointed at the apricot-yellow flag embroidered with the word "Bin" at the distant street corner, her eyes sparkling. "Brother Liu Qing must be busy. Why don't we sneak out this afternoon to take a look?"
Yongqi looked up at her. The sunlight shone through the branches of the crabapple flowers onto her face, and even the hairs on her face were clearly visible. His heart softened: "Want to skip class again? Yesterday the teacher said that your calligraphy progress was slow and asked you to practice more." Although he said this, he stretched out his hands to protect her under the wall, fearing that she would fall.
"Practicing calligraphy is no match for the delicious braised pork elbow at the guesthouse!" Xiaoyanzi pouted and lightly leaped down from the wall, landing right in Yongqi's arms. They exchanged a glance, both blushing. She quickly struggled to her feet, coughed lightly, and changed the subject, "Little Stool, let's continue with the story of Sun Wukong's Three Struggles with the White Bone Demon! Where were we just now?"
Xiaodeng immediately cleared his throat, picked up the wake-up stick and clapped it on his palms, saying in a loud voice: "It is said that the White Bone Demon transformed into a village girl to deliver vegetarian food, and Sun Wukong took a look with his fiery eyes -" He paused deliberately, his eyes widening, "Wow, boom! This evil aura is soaring to the sky, it must be a demon at work!"
"Wrong, wrong!" Little Mosquito jumped up and down, almost dropping the sugar painting in his hand. "'Guaiguailongdidong' is my catchphrase! You should say 'What a bold fairy'!" He imitated the little stool and held his head high and chest high, but he choked because he was in too much of a hurry. He coughed so hard that his face turned red, which made everyone laugh.
The little bug took the opportunity to come over, scratching its ears and cheeks like Sun Wukong, squeaking, and made a face at Ziwei, which made Ziwei cover her mouth and chuckle: "The little bug imitated it really well, even more vividly than in the picture book." Erkang watched her smiling eyes, the tenderness in his eyes almost overflowing, and he quietly took out a clean handkerchief from his sleeve, and his fingertips trembled slightly when he handed it to her.
As he walked, he suddenly heard the sound of voices up ahead. Turning through the moon-shaped gate, he saw Xiao Jian, wearing a slate-gray gown, standing beneath a crabapple tree, a collection of poetry in his hands. Qing'er, wearing a pale blue palace dress, stood opposite him, clutching a handkerchief, her head slightly lowered, the tips of her ears as red as ripe cherries.
"The two lines 'The crabapple blossoms before the rain, the pear blossoms before the snow' have such a beautiful artistic conception." Qing'er's voice was as soft as a feather, "but I always feel a little melancholy when I read them. It's not as refreshing as 'When the flowers are in bloom, you have to pick them right away.'" As she spoke, she looked up at Xiao Jian, and the moment their eyes met, she hurriedly lowered her head, her handkerchief twisted into a ball between her fingers.
Xiao Jian closed the book, his voice as gentle as a spring breeze: "Young lady, what you said is true, but everything in the world has its own flavor. Just like this crabapple tree, although it is sad when it falls, it is passionate when it blooms, just like-" He paused, looking at Qing'er with a startlingly bright look in his eyes, "Just like meeting each other, even if there is shyness, it is also joy."
Qing'er's face flushed red, and she turned to leave, but she accidentally bumped into the pomegranate tree behind her, causing her handkerchief to flutter down. Xiao Jian quickly caught it, his fingertips touching the lotus embroidery on the handkerchief. His heart skipped a beat, and as he handed it back, he whispered, "Miss, this handkerchief is so beautifully embroidered."
"Ahem!" Xiaoyanzi deliberately coughed twice, hugged her arms and grinned, "Brother Xiaojian, Princess Qing, what are you whispering about? Are you talking about Sun Wukong meeting the Begonia Fairy?" Ziwei hurriedly pulled her sleeve, signaling her to stop messing around, but she couldn't help laughing secretly.
Xiao Jian's ears also turned red, and he coughed lightly to hide his embarrassment. "We were just chatting about poetry. Did you guys come back from the Imperial Garden?" He looked at Xiao Yanzi with a brotherly concern in his eyes. "I heard there was some commotion in the training grounds this morning? Are you guys hurt?"
"How could that be possible!" Xiaoyanzi patted her chest, "This princess is the best in the world in light Kung Fu. I have seen through Xiaozhuzi's little tricks long ago!" She moved closer to Xiao Jian and lowered her voice, "The butterfly and pollen have been shown to the emperor. I guess we can catch the 'monster' soon." Xiao Jian understood and nodded slightly, with a fierce look in his eyes.
Qing'er took the opportunity to change the subject and looked at the crabapple flowers in Ziwei's hair: "Sister Ziwei, this flower is so beautiful. The crabapples in the imperial garden are in full bloom. Do you want to pick some to put in a vase?" Ziwei smiled and nodded. Erkang immediately stepped forward and carefully broke off the most prosperous branch for her. His movements were as gentle as if he was treating a rare treasure.
"By the way, where is Ertai?" Little Swallow looked around. "He was following behind just now, how come he disappeared?" As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Ertai running towards her, panting, with a windmill in his hand. The wind blew and the wind spun, and the colors were very bright.
"I just saw a man selling windmills, and thinking Miss Liu Hong might like them, I bought one." Ertai was sweating profusely from running, his cheeks flushed, but he smiled brightly. "I'll give it to her when I leave the palace." Xiaoyanzi was stunned by what she saw, tugging at Yongqi's sleeve and whispering, "Is your brother really into it? Look at him, such a fool!"
Yongqi smiled and patted her hands: "When fate comes, it cannot be stopped. Didn't you..." Halfway through his words, he saw Xiaoyanzi glaring at him and quickly changed his words, "Don't you also think that Brother Liu Qing is very good to Jinsuo?" Xiaoyanzi snorted, but couldn't help laughing secretly, and the smile in her eyes could not be hidden.
"Wow, boom, dong! This windmill is spinning faster than the little table's shadowless kick!" Little Mosquito leaned over to look at the windmill. "If Miss Liu Hong saw this, she'd definitely smile sweeter than the hydrangeas in the guesthouse!" Little Stool took out a wake-up stick and started a new joke: "Speaking of this windmill, it was originally transformed from Nezha's Wind Fire Wheels when he was wreaking havoc in the East China Sea—"
We chatted and laughed all the way and soon arrived at Shufangzhai. The crabapple trees in the courtyard were even more lush than those in the Imperial Garden. On the stone table beneath the trees, Mingyue Caixia had already laid out snacks and tea. The sweet aroma of osmanthus cake, mixed with the fragrance of flowers, filled the air.
"Princess, someone from the guest house just delivered a message saying that Brother Liu Qing has cleaned up the second floor and reserved a private room for you and Princess Mingzhu. He also said he will make your favorite beggar's chicken tonight!" Xiao Zhuozi ran out of the room with a note in his hand and a flattering smile on his face.
Xiaoyanzi's eyes lit up, and she grabbed Ziwei's hand and ran out: "What are we waiting for? Let's go to the guest house now! It's a good time to see Liuhong's expression when she receives the windmill!" Yongqi quickly grabbed her: "Don't run away so quickly, the teacher's class hasn't finished yet!"
"What class are you taking?" Xiaoyanzi pouted and pointed at the sun in the sky. "It's such nice weather, we should go to the guesthouse to eat beggar's chicken and listen to folk songs! I'll go talk to the teacher and tell him that the emperor asked us to understand the people's sentiments!" As she spoke, she winked at Yongqi, made a face, and rushed out with Ziwei. Her skirt fluttered, bringing with it the fragrance of crabapple flowers all over the yard.
Yongqi shook his head helplessly, but his eyes were full of doting, and he hurriedly chased after her: "Run slower, I'll go with you!" Erkang looked at Ziwei's back as she was being dragged away, and followed her with a smile. The sunlight filtered through the branches of the crabapple trees, casting mottled light and shadow on them, like a flowing painting.
Xiao Jian stood at the door, watching his sister's cheerful back. He then glanced at Qing'er beside him, who was smiling in Xiaoyanzi's direction, her dimples light. His heart felt as if it had been soaked in warm water, softening immensely. He whispered, "Would you like to go to the guesthouse together? I heard Liu Qing's beggar's chicken is a specialty in Beijing."
Qing'er hesitated for a moment, then nodded gently, the silver hairpin in her hair jingling as she moved. Little Stool carried the storybook, Little Mosquito held the windmill, and the four talented scholars followed behind, chatting and laughing all the way, their shadows of the crabapple blossoms swaying gently under their feet.
At the corner of the palace wall in the distance, Guard Zhou was frowning at a note which read, "The young eunuch in Jingren Palace has confessed that Nanny Li ordered the work, and that the pollen was indeed made by Haitang of Xifu." He put the note away and walked quickly towards the imperial study. The sunlight shone on his scabbard, flashing a cold light, but it could not block the bursts of laughter wafting from Shufangzhai. The laughter was like a warm breeze, making the entire Forbidden City a little gentler.
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