Chapter 167: Warmth in the Guest House, Feelings Grow
The carriage outside the palace gates had already been prepared. Its carved carriage was pulled by a burgundy horse, and the crabapple blossoms embroidered on the curtains shone brightly in the sunlight. Little Swallow, stepping onto the back of a small stool, jumped aboard. The hem of her moon-white dress swept across the shaft, stirring up a gust of wind. "Hurry up! If you're any later, Liu Qing will have eaten all the braised pork at the guesthouse!"
Yongqi shook his head helplessly, helped Ziwei into the carriage, and turned to take the box of books from Xiaodengzi's arms: "Be careful, don't drop Princess Qing's only book." Xiaodengzi nodded repeatedly, but Xiaowenzi poked his head out from behind the carriage, still clutching a bag of osmanthus cakes: "Fifth Prince, don't worry! With Xiaowenzi here, I can find even a dropped needle, not to mention books—boom! This carriage is so spacious!"
The carriage was covered with soft cushions. Ziwei had just settled herself when Xiaoyanzi pulled a rose cake out of her food box and pressed it into her hand. "Try it. It's freshly made from the imperial kitchen. It's sweet but not greasy." She herself picked up an almond cake and ate it while swinging her legs. "When we get to the guesthouse, let Jinsuo try some too. She loves sweet things the most."
Ziwei took a bite of the rose pastry, her eyes warm. "The last time I saw Jinsuo, she said she wanted to learn how to make pastries. She said she'd sell them in a hotel and that she'd definitely make money." Her fingertips gently stroked the mandarin duck pattern on the handkerchief. "Erkang said he gave her some writing brushes and ink. I wonder how her practice is going."
Yongqi sat across from her, seeing the crumbs on the corner of Xiaoyanzi's mouth. He couldn't help but reach out and wipe them off for her: "Eat slowly, no one's going to snatch them from you." His fingertips touched her cheek, and they both froze for a moment. Xiaoyanzi's ears instantly turned red. She lowered her head, pretending to adjust the hem of her skirt, but she broke off half of the almond biscuit in her hand and handed it to him: "Here, shut your mouth."
The carriage wheels chug along the bluestone pavement, making a clattering sound. Outside, a mosquito bickers with a bug, which mimics the cooing of a pigeon, making the driver laugh. Little Swallow lifts the carriage curtain and gazes at the shops lining the street, her eyes twinkling. "Look at that candy-painting stand! Liu Hong said she wanted a dragon-shaped one last time. Come back and buy some!"
Yongqi followed her gaze and nodded with a smile, "Okay, let's buy the biggest one." He turned to look at Ziwei, "The yard behind the guesthouse, Liu Qing specially cleaned it up and planted some flowers and plants. He said you should go there and see if it looks like the yards in Jinan."
Ziwei's eyes lit up. "Really? He still remembered me saying the crabapple trees in Jinan are the best." She sighed softly. "I've been away for so long, I really miss home."
"What home are you missing?" Xiaoyanzi clapped her hands. "Here are me, Erkang, and Jinsuo. This will be your home from now on. After some time, ask the Emperor to allow us to go back to Jinan and burn some incense for Aunt Xia."
Ziwei nodded vigorously, her eyes slightly red: "Well, with you guys here, I'm not afraid of anything."
The plaque reading "Binlou" gleamed brightly in the sunlight. The gold characters on the black lacquered wooden plaque were written by Xiaoyanzi herself, her brushwork flowing and imbued with a sense of chivalry. Two strings of red lanterns hung at the door. Liu Qing was directing the waiters to move tables when he saw the carriage pull up and immediately came forward with a smile. "Yanzi! Ziwei! You're finally here!" He wore a royal blue gown and looked much more energetic than he had in the slums. However, when he saw Yongqi, he still gave a somewhat reserved bow, "Fifth Prince."
"Brother Liu!" Xiaoyanzi jumped out of the car, ran over, and patted his arm. "How's business? Looking at how busy it is, I'm afraid you're making a killing!"
"Thanks to you!" Liu Qing smiled from ear to ear, but his eyes unconsciously glanced towards the house, "Jinsuo is settling accounts in there, and has been nagging you guys for a long time."
As soon as she finished speaking, Jinsuo came out with a teapot. Her turquoise cloth skirt made her skin look white. When she saw Ziwei, her eyes lit up and she quickly put down the teapot and ran over: "Miss! You are here!" She was holding an account book in her hand, with "Five taels of cash" written crookedly on it, and a small smiley face at the end.
Ziwei held her hand and whispered, "Are you exhausted? Let me see the account book." Jinsuo blushed and handed the account book to her, twisting the corner of her clothes with her fingers, "Miss, don't laugh at me. I can't write the word 'silver' well. Brother Liu taught me for a long time."
"Who's teaching whom?" Xiaoyanzi leaned over to look at the account book and deliberately joked, "I think it's Brother Liu who's using the excuse of teaching calligraphy to peek at our Jinsuo?" Liu Qing chuckled, scratched his head, turned around and shouted to the waiter, "Hurry up and bring up the freshly stewed chicken soup! It's for Gege and the Fifth Prince!"
As she was speaking, Liu Hong emerged from the kitchen, clutching a kitchen knife, her apron stained with flour. "What are you fussing about? The customers are waiting for their buns!" She spotted Xiaoyanzi and glared, "Finally you're here! That Ertai has been hanging around here since early morning, saying he wanted to help with my bills, but he ended up clacking his abacus louder than a drum. It's so annoying!"
Before he finished speaking, Ertai popped his head out from behind the counter, holding a string of candied haws in his hand. "Miss Liuhong, look what I bought you? Freshly roasted chestnuts, still warm!" He was wearing a lake blue brocade robe, but he looked frivolous. He stuffed the chestnuts into Liuhong's hands. "Don't be angry, I'll help you chop wood to make amends."
Liu Hong was stuffed with chestnuts in her hands by him. She was both angry and amused. She raised her hand to hit him, but when she saw the flattery in his eyes, she quietly retracted her strength and said, "Who asked you to chop wood? You are so clumsy, don't break my axe!" Although she said this, she peeled a chestnut and stuffed it into her mouth, her cheeks puffed up like a squirrel.
Xiaoyanzi was so amused by what she saw that she pulled Yongqi aside and said, "Look at your brother. His way of pursuing girls is just as foolish as yours." Yongqi smiled helplessly, "He's just being sincere." He pulled a small wooden box from his pocket and handed it to Xiaoyanzi. "Last time you said you liked the sandalwood fan from the capital, so I had one made for you. It has a picture of a swallow on it. Do you like it?"
The swallows on the fan were lifelike, their wings dotted with gold, gleaming in the sunlight. Little Swallow opened the fan and fanned herself, deliberately saying, "Wow, Fifth Prince has good taste! Much better than some people giving chestnuts!" Ertai was so angry that he made a face at her, but Liu Hong burst out laughing.
Xiaodengzi came in with a box of storybooks, and just as he put it down, Liu Qing pulled him to the table: "Eunuch Xiaodengzi, tell us a story from Journey to the West! Last time we talked about Sun Wukong borrowing the palm-leaf fan for the third time, what happened afterwards?" Xiaodengzi cleared his throat, picked up a teacup as a gavel, and slammed it: "It is said that Princess Iron Fan saw Sun Wukong turned into a small insect and crawled into her stomach. She rolled on the ground in pain, and had to hand over the real fan--" He described it vividly, and the little insect imitated Princess Iron Fan's cries, which made all the guests clap their hands.
"Guaiguai long di dong!" Little Mosquito ran over with a plate of buns. "Storying isn't as important as eating buns! These are freshly baked meat buns with shrimp filling, so delicious!" He stuffed one into Little Swallow and took one himself and bit into it. "Brother Liu Qing said that this guesthouse will be our base from now on. If we get tired of staying in the palace, we can come here and be the shopkeeper!"
Little Swallow bit into a bun and watched the bustling atmosphere of the room: Liu Qing was calculating bills behind the counter, while Jinsuo was grinding ink for him; Liu Hong and Ertai were bickering at the stove, offering each other water; Xiaodiaozi was telling stories, with Xiao Chongzi dubbing the narration, and the guests were listening with rapt attention. Sunlight streamed in through the window lattice, falling on everyone's face with a warm glow.
She suddenly leaned close to Yongqi's ear and whispered, "Look, this is really good. There's food and drink, and friends around. It's much more comfortable than the rules in the palace." Yongqi looked into her sparkling eyes, his heart softening, and he tightened his grip on her hand. "Let's come often. When I'm done with this, I'll take you horseback riding in the suburbs. The wind there is freer than in the palace."
Ziwei sat by the window, looking at the rare copy of The Peony Pavilion in her hand, her fingertips tracing the lines "Love comes from nowhere, but it's deep and lasting," her eyes filled with tenderness. She remembered Erkang's look when he gave her the brush and ink, and he said, "When you finish reading this one, I'll take you to Liulichang to buy a new one," and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but smile slightly.
The street outside the guesthouse was bustling with people, the sounds of hawking and laughter blending like a lively song. No one noticed that under the shade of a tree on the corner, a young eunuch quietly examined the guesthouse's sign for a moment, then turned and hurried towards the palace. The sign on his waist flashed in the sunlight—it was the young eunuch bribed by Nanny Li.
But at this moment, the guesthouse was filled with only warmth and laughter. Xiaoyanzi snatched Liu Qing's braised pork, and Yongqi reluctantly handed her a tissue. Ziwei taught Jinsuo how to write the character "银" (silver), their pens occasionally bumping against each other. Ertai helped Liu Hong chop wood, but the axe got stuck in the wood, drawing laughter from the crowd. The wind blew in through the open window, carrying the sweet fragrance of osmanthus, and these subtle warmths quietly drifted into everyone's heart.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com