Chapter 317 Returning to Ningfang Mansion, Chatting about Changing Names
The sweet aroma of sweet osmanthus and candied lotus roots wafted through the Fang Mansion's kitchen. Little Swallow, her sleeves rolled up, squatted by the stove, watching her mother, Du Xueyin, sprinkle rock sugar into the casserole. Mianrui and Mianxin, held by their nurse, were playing in the porch. Mianxin was clinging to a lotus carving on a pillar, babbling, "Mother."
"Sprinkle it slowly, it's too sweet and greasy." Xiaoyanzi stretched out her hand to stop it, dipped some syrup on her fingertips, and sucked it into her mouth. Du Xueying slapped the back of her hand.
"You're already a princess, yet you're still so greedy." Du Xueyin scolded with a smile, warmth filling the fine lines at the corners of her eyes. "The other day I asked Qiang'er—oh no, Chuntao—to dry some dried osmanthus flowers. They're just right. I'll pack a box for you to take back to the palace."
As she was speaking, Chuntao returned from the well, carrying washed grapes. The corner of her blue cloth skirt was stained with mud. Seeing Xiaoyanzi looking back, she hurriedly smiled and said, "Miss, the grapes are washed and chilled!"
As soon as she said this, she was stunned for a moment, and stopped at the kitchen door. The wooden basin in her hand shook, and a few grapes rolled out.
Du Xueyin was adding water to the casserole. Hearing this, she looked up at her and said in a gentle but serious tone, "Chun Tao, have you forgotten the rules?"
Chuntao's face flushed red, she put down the wooden basin in a hurry, knelt down and bowed: "Yes...I spoke out of turn." She followed Xiaoyanzi from Jiangnan to the capital, and had called her "Miss" since she was a child. This title was engraved in her bones, and she had just forgotten it in her joy - the person in front of her was no longer the Miss of the Fang family in Jiangnan, but the Princess of Prince Rong's Mansion.
Little Swallow, who was peeling grapes and stuffing them into her mouth, waved her hand when she saw this: "Hey, what's the difference between shouting in our own yard?" She handed the peeled grapes to her mother's mouth and said, "Mom, please don't scare her. Chuntao has been with me for so many years, there's no way she can change."
"The rules cannot be broken." Du Xueyin didn't take the grapes, but patted her hand gently. "You are now the principal wife of Prince Rong, and everyone in the mansion is watching you. Although you can be more casual at home, you must remember the proper etiquette. Chuntao will serve in the mansion in the future, so she must know her limits."
Chun Tao lowered her head, twisting her apron strings with her fingers, and said in a voice as soft as a mosquito: "Yes, madam. From now on... from now on, I should call you princess."
Little Swallow felt a little uncomfortable watching her awkward expression. She recalled back in Jiangnan, when Chuntao had followed her up trees to rob bird nests, and they'd secretly roasted sweet potatoes in the kitchen, stamping their feet from the heat. Back then, there were no rules about "young lady" and "maid," just random calls of "Swallow" and "Chuntao." But now, the title of "Princess" had somewhat distanced their former intimacy.
"Mother is right." She sighed and stuffed the grapes into Chuntao's hand. "Try it quickly. It's very sweet when it's chilled." She turned to Du Xueyin and smiled. "But at home, it's okay to call me 'Miss' in private. Just be clear about it outside. What do you think?"
Du Xueyin looked at the earnestness in her daughter's eyes and finally softened her heart. She added a piece of charcoal to the stove and said, "You are the only one who spoils her." She turned to Chuntao and said in a softer tone, "Never mind, you can be more casual at home, but you must never call her the wrong name again in front of outsiders."
"Thank you, Madam! Thank you, Princess!" Chun Tao finally breathed a sigh of relief, picked up a grape and put it in her mouth. The cool sweetness spread, but the corners of her eyes felt a little hot.
Little Swallow was peeling grapes when she suddenly remembered something and added a piece of wood to the stove. Sparks crackled twice and she said, "Come to think of it, we should change the name Chuntao."
Chun Tao almost choked on the grapes she had just swallowed: "Princess, you want to... change my name?"
"It's not that I dislike you," Xiaoyanzi explained quickly, tapping grape seeds on the stove. "It's that in Prince Rong's mansion, Zhihua's personal maid is also called Chuntao. She's quite cunning. A few days ago, she even helped her master with some mischief. I just feel sick at the sound of her name, so I changed her to a new one to clear things up."
Du Xueyin stirred the candied lotus root in the casserole and said, "That's true. Xiao Jian came yesterday and said that Zhihua's maid was very gossipy and always liked to spread rumors. Chuntao is an honest child. Don't let her name bring bad luck."
Chun Tao blinked, and seeing that neither of them disliked her, she breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "What name do you want to give me, Princess?"
Little Swallow looked out the window. The pomegranate tree in the corner of the yard was laden with fruits that looked like red lanterns, swaying in the wind. "The pomegranates in the yard are ripe, so let's call them pomegranates," she clapped her hands. "It's red and auspicious, better than spring peach."
"Pomegranate?" Chun Tao repeated it, and couldn't help but curl up the corners of her mouth. "It sounds nice! Thank you, Princess, for the name!"
"Don't thank me now," the little swallow put a handful of peeled grapes into her hands, "give some to the nurse and the children, and save the rest for dinner."
Shi Liu smiled and agreed, carrying the grapes as she walked out, her steps much lighter. When she reached the corridor, Mian Xin was reaching out her little hand to grab the grapes in her hand. She smiled and pinched a grape and handed it to her. Looking at her rosy little face, her heart warmed. No matter if she was called Chun Tao or Shi Liu, as long as she could follow the young lady (oh no, the princess), she would feel at ease wherever she went.
Steam rose from the kitchen, carrying the sweet aroma of candied lotus root with osmanthus. Du Xueyin lifted the lid of the casserole, poked a piece of lotus root with her chopsticks, and turned to Xiaoyanzi, saying, "You, in the palace, should learn the temperament of this candied lotus root. Be gentle on the outside but strong on the inside. Don't be so impulsive all the time."
Xiaoyanzi leaned against the doorframe, looking at the silver hair on her mother's temples. Suddenly, she felt a pang of sadness in her throat. "I understand, mother." Her voice softened. "When Yongqi is done with his work, I'll bring him to pay his respects to you and father."
The firelight from the stove reflected on the faces of mother and daughter, warm as a spring day in the south of the Yangtze River. Mianrui's laughter came from the corridor, and Shiliu was holding up a grape to tease him. The sun shone through the sycamore leaves, weaving this small courtyard into a gentle net.
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