After several years apart, Lin Xiuxue had grown into the very person he used to hate the most. With beautiful eyebrows and eyes, delicate features, and a slender figure, she looked as pure and holy as a water lily floating in a pond.
She seemed to be very close to Sun Si. The two walked hand in hand along the path. When they saw Zhao Shu, she smiled slightly and curtsied from a distance.
"Greetings to the Princess." She was neither humble nor arrogant, but there was a hint of grievance on her face.
Zhao Shu raised the corners of her mouth slightly, revealing a mocking smile, and stood up to say to Sun Yun, "Let's go. Since it's the Hundred Flowers Banquet, the scene must be quite spectacular."
Guan Yurong, who was already furious, saw Zhao Shu treating Lin Xiuxue this way, and the resentment in her heart, which she thought was righteous, suddenly surged. She stopped Zhao Shu and said, "There are rumors that Princess Jun is beautiful and intelligent, virtuous and kind. I think that's false. Didn't you see that Xue was bowing to you?"
Zhao Shu glanced back at Lin Xiuxue and saw that her knees were still bent, maintaining the bowing posture. Her face was clearly extremely aggrieved, but she was trying to put on a tolerant and nonchalant look. Her acting skills had improved again.
“Miss Guan is truly chivalrous and kind-hearted, but has she appreciated it? You offended me for her sake. What good does it do you? Don’t tell me about helping those in need. I don’t believe it. If you are so kind, there are plenty of beggars on the streets who have nothing to live on. Helping one or two of them would be more meaningful than arguing with me here over someone else.” Zhao Shu whispered in Guan Yurong’s ear.
After speaking, he turned around and glanced at Lin Xiuxue, who seemed to be clearly wronged but pretending to be extremely tolerant. He and Sun Yun followed behind Xie Jinhuan and went up the nearby mountain valley.
Xie Jinhuan was an intelligent woman. Knowing that the Xie family was now part of the New Party and aligned with the Prince Yong's Mansion, she acted as if she were very familiar with Zhao Shu, and affectionately took her hand, saying, "These past years, I haven't had time to write to you. How are you doing in Guanzhou?"
"I'm fine. How about you? Are you alright?" Zhao Shu's gaze swept over the snow-white pearl flower adorning her head. Although there was only one, it made her heart sink, and a certain guess began to linger in her mind.
Xie Jinhuan glanced at Sun Yun, gave a bitter smile, but the bitterness lasted only a moment before a bright smile appeared on her face. "I'm doing fine too, but I'm extremely envious of you. You can live such a good life in a small place like Guanzhou. When I saw you that year, you were just a little kid, but you were very bold and said you would smash my grandfather's precious darling."
After a long separation, they inevitably reminisced about the past and caught up on each other's lives. When talking about her time at the Xie family, Zhao Shu laughed, "I was young and naive back then, and quite bold. I wouldn't dare to do that now."
Xie Jinhuan shook her head, not saying what was on her mind. "You're not young and ignorant, you're too sensible. Back then, you were barefoot and unafraid of those wearing shoes, but now that everyone's wearing shoes, you're starting to worry."
As they spoke, they had already crossed the small mountain pass. When Zhao Shu saw the vast sea of flowers in front of her, she was shocked. Jingxin Garden was definitely more than 7,000 square meters. This sea of flowers alone was 7,000 square meters, and there were other gardens and rockeries. She had also heard that there was a place to see rare animals.
The family has been passed down through generations and is indeed extraordinary. Even if she sold shampoo for twenty years, she could not possibly have built such a large business and accumulated such a strong foundation.
There were large patches of lilies, clustered together, which, from a distance, looked like a swan about to take flight.
Between the flowerbeds are paths lined with pansies or evening glories, stretching out like a long, dreamlike flower path.
There were also hibiscus, canna lilies, peonies, salvia splendens, mimosa, trumpet vine, weigela, larkspur, and other flowers—some Zhao Shu could name, some she couldn't, some from the south, some from the north—blooming all over the flat land below the mountain valley. In the distance, there were small hills, also planted with flowering trees she couldn't name. It was the season for flowers, a riot of colors and a garden full of fragrance.
In the middle of the sea of flowers, a babbling stream flows gently by. The man is on one side of the stream and the woman is on the other. There is no bridge to cross the stream, but there are small wooden rafts tied to the bank.
For some reason, in this moment, she thought of the poem, "Spring's beauty cannot be confined within the garden walls; a branch of red apricot blossoms peeks over the wall."
Xie Jinhuan sighed, "It's a pity that this garden is full of vibrant colors; it's going to be ruined."
As soon as she finished speaking, she gave a mocking smile, "I wonder what Sun Si is up to today, Ah Jun, be careful." She seemed to know something, and after giving a reminder, she helped Ling Xiao beside her, "The flowers are in full bloom, let's go down."
Perhaps it was the changing times that prompted her to remind Zhao Shu.
Zhao Shu nodded with a smile, took Sun Yun's hand as he stood there in a daze, and the three of them slowly walked down the slope, each lost in their own thoughts.
The slope is made of cobblestone steps, each cobblestone of similar size and polished smooth, all of which demonstrate the exquisite craftsmanship of this courtyard, making every detail impeccable.
In early spring, in midsummer, Xiao Guozi, Xiao Zhuzi and the other two were stunned to see such a beautiful courtyard for the first time. Even the Imperial Garden was not as beautiful as the Sun family's mere courtyard. It's true what they say, comparisons are odious.
There weren't many servants around. After Zhao Shu and her two companions led their maids and attendants down the slope, they were greeted by a woman who looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old. She was also a servant of the Sun family, but she seemed to be in charge. She bowed gracefully and said, "This servant greets Princess Jun, Miss Xie, and Miss Sun. May the princess and the young lady be blessed."
Presumably having something to say, Zhao Shu didn't respond. Xie Jinhuan smiled and said to Zhao Shu, "We can't bring maids or servants here. Don't worry, everyone is the same."
Sun Yun seemed to know that the Sun family had this rule, and said to Ban Shu, who was serving beside her, "Take good care of the two elder sisters and the fathers-in-law."
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