Chapter 234: Looking forward to the neighbors and looking forward to the new courtyard
In the warm room of Shufangzhai, the floor heater burned brightly, making the air cozy and warm. But Xiaoyanzi had no desire to sit still. She would run to the window, peeking out through the lattice, then turn back, hands behind her back, and circle around the rosewood table, the hem of her silver fox cloak sweeping across the floor, stirring up a light cloud of dust.
"You've already turned eighteen times." Ziwei was sitting in front of the embroidery frame, holding the needle in her hand, reeling in the thread of the mandarin duck handkerchief that was almost finished. Seeing her passing by again, she couldn't help but laugh and said, "If you keep turning, you'll wear holes in the floor tiles."
Xiaoyanzi stopped and stared at her with sparkling eyes: "Ziwei, what do you think the yard looks like now? Did the craftsmen make the swing frame crooked? And are the stone slabs in the martial arts training ground paved flatly?" As she spoke, she could not help but glance out the window, as if her eyes could penetrate the palace wall and reach the house next to the Fang Mansion that was being renovated.
Yongqi walked in carrying two bowls of freshly brewed Rain-Predawn Longjing tea. He placed the bowls on the table, smiled, and took her wrist. "What's the rush? I asked Guard Zhou to check yesterday. He said the crabapple trees in the backyard have been planted and are just waiting for spring to sprout." He gently squeezed her palm with his fingertips. "The craftsman said the doorframe for the corner door is ready. All that's left is the painting. It will definitely be open before the wedding."
"Really?" Xiaoyanzi's eyes widened instantly. She jerked her hand back, jumping twice on the spot. "Does that mean that after I get married, I can open the corner door in the morning and hear my mother calling me to eat?" She imagined the scene, her mouth widening. "I can also eat my father's sweet and sour fish every day and practice sword fighting with my eldest brother in the martial arts training ground—he always says my sword skills have declined!"
Ziwei put down her embroidery, picked up the tea bowl and took a sip, with a gentle smile in her eyes: "Look how happy you are, as if you are going to move in tomorrow." She looked at Xiaoyanzi's excited face and was happy for her in her heart - in this world, what could be happier than being able to be with your family all the time?
"I'm just happy!" Xiaoyanzi came close to Ziwei, gesticulating excitedly. "Just think about it, that courtyard is right next to my house, just across the wall! From now on, if I miss my parents, I don't need to ask for permission or prepare a sedan chair. I can just go through the corner gate and get there. It's more convenient than running to the Imperial Garden in the palace!" She suddenly lowered her voice and leaned close to Ziwei's ear. "Who knows, maybe I can even hear my mother complaining to my father that I haven't been home for dinner for several days."
Yongqi sat beside her, watching her beaming with joy, his eyes filled with doting. He thought of her past life, trapped in the palace, how many times she'd cried out "Daddy and Mommy" in her dreams, only to wake up to find only the cold palace walls. Now, this near reunion was the fulfillment she'd longed for in both lives, and the warmth he wanted to protect with all his might.
"Small stool! Small table!" Little Swallow suddenly shouted.
Two young eunuchs rushed in from outside and bowed, "Your servants are here! What are your instructions, Princess?"
"Go," Little Swallow pointed outside the door, "bring me my peach wood sword!"
Xiaodeng was stunned for a moment and scratched his head: "Gege, what are you doing with a sword? Now is not the time to practice sword."
"Just go if I tell you to!" Xiaoyanzi glared at him, then smiled again. "I'm going to practice some new moves. When we move to a new house, I'll show them off in the martial arts arena so that my big brother won't look down on me!"
The little table quickly responded: "Hey! I'll get it right away!"
After the young eunuch ran away, Ziwei shook her head helplessly: "I just told you to spin in circles, and now you want to practice swordsmanship, can't you just be quiet for a while?"
"I can't settle down!" Little Swallow spun on the spot, her cloak spread out like a cardinal's wings. "When I think about being neighbors with my parents and big brother in the future, my heart is beating like a little rabbit!" She ran to Yongqi, hands on her hips, "Yongqi, how about we ask for permission to go out of the palace this afternoon to take a look? Just one look!"
Yongqi looked into her sparkling eyes, which reflected a light brighter than the charcoal fire in the warm room. How could he bear to refuse? He reached out and brushed a strand of hair off her shoulder, saying softly, "Okay, I'll go to the Yangxin Palace to ask for permission." He paused, his face deliberately stern, "But we've agreed that you can only take a look, and you are not allowed to pester the craftsmen with questions."
"I know, I know!" Xiaoyanzi agreed readily. As soon as Yongqi turned around, she winked at Ziwei and stuck out her tongue - now that they were there, one look would not be enough?
The sunlight streamed through the window lattice, casting dappled shadows on the ground. Xiaoyanzi watched Yongqi's departing figure, then turned her head to gaze toward the palace wall. Her heart felt like it was filled with honey, swelling with sweetness. She recalled her arrival in the capital, standing in the backyard of the Fang Mansion, gazing at the closed-off house next door. She could never have imagined that one day, that place would become her home, a home close to her family.
"Princess, the sword is here!" Xiaozhuo ran in holding a peach wood sword.
Xiaoyanzi took the sword, and with a flick of her wrist, the blade drew a clear arc in the sunlight. She looked out the window, as if she could already see the sun-drenched courtyard, and the smiling faces of her parents and eldest brother as the corner door opened.
"Come on, Ziwei, practice a few moves with me!" She took Ziwei's hand, her steps light and quick as if she were about to fly. "Once you've practiced well, show them off on the day we move into our new home!"
In the warm room, the silver bell-like laughter mixed with the soft ringing of sword tassels and the occasional hammering sounds of craftsmen coming from outside the window were intertwined, like a light song, singing the upcoming reunion and joy.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
