Chapter Sixteen: Parrots Learning to Speak
The second young lady emerged from the Donghua Gate after noon. Having spent the entire morning in fear, kneeling for most of the day, and starving all afternoon, she was utterly exhausted. She boarded the carriage and collapsed onto the couch. Chunliu helped her sit up, asking anxiously, "Miss, what's wrong?"
The second girl shook her head and knocked on the carriage wall. The coachman, understanding the situation, cracked his whip, and the carriage started moving.
"Miss, just now..." Chunliu hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped herself.
The second girl said weakly, "I don't have the strength. Just say what's on your mind."
"I saw Sister Chunyun just now outside Donghua Gate. She was sitting in the carriage of the Marquis of Yanping's residence. Later, two guards came and took her away."
This was something she had expected long ago. The second daughter closed her eyes wearily, and after a long while, she said, "I'm starving."
After the car left Donghua Street and turned into Maxing Street, Chunliu got out and bought two sesame seed cakes, which she wolfed down. Halfway through, her mouth felt dry and parched, and she struggled to swallow. Suddenly, she heard clapping. She heard the crisp sound of horses' hooves, mixed with cheers and clapping. Curious, she turned her head to look out the window and saw many children jumping and hopping along the street, clapping their hands and occasionally pointing to the sky. Looking up, she saw six or seven kites flying in the air, and following the kite strings, she saw several young men in spring robes riding horses, holding the strings.
Among them was a man dressed in a beige round-necked robe. His back view looked very familiar. When he turned around and tugged at the kite string, the second young lady finally recognized him. Who was this Xiaobai? The sunlight shone on his jade-like face and the faint smile on his lips. His radiant charm was beyond words, and for a moment, it stung her eyes.
She looked down at herself, clutching half a sesame seed cake in her hand, her skirt covered in crumbs, her fingernails smeared with grease—where was the semblance of a refined young lady? A wave of shame washed over her. Her family background had never been much inferior to his, but now the difference was like heaven and earth, and from now on, the gap would only widen… She sat there blankly for a while, her heart breaking at the thought of her youthful dreams shattered. She threw down the cake, covered her face, and wept.
Chunliu heard her crying loudly and hurriedly pushed her, saying, "Girl, don't cry. We're on the street. Be careful that others hear us and start gossiping."
At this moment, Second Aunt felt extremely wronged and couldn't listen to what she was saying. She just sobbed softly.
The carriage carried her sobs forward. As it passed Gu Xiaobai, he heard it, turned his head in surprise, recognized the Ruan family's carriage, and paused in surprise. The kite string, pulled taut, snapped suddenly because the passenger hadn't released it in time. He felt a lightness in his hand, looked up, and saw the kite soaring higher and higher, swaying gently.
Pan Shunmei, who was right behind him, laughed and said, "Xiao Bai, you lost. See you at the Lotus Pavilion tonight."
They had a kite-flying contest on horseback; whoever's kite string snapped first lost. The loser had to treat everyone to a meal at the Lotus Pavilion, a famous brothel in the capital, known for its numerous famous courtesans.
Anping frowned and said with a bitter face, "Young Master Pan, if you take the young master to brothels and theaters, the Princess will skin you alive if she finds out."
Pan Shunmei shook her head and said dismissively, "The Princess is just too strict with Xiaobai. He's seventeen now and she won't even give him a maidservant. I'm just taking him out to broaden his horizons. Once he's had his fill of sex, he won't be so obsessed with that immature Fifth Miss Ruan anymore."
Upon hearing the words "Fifth Miss Ruan," Gu Xiaobai's expression shifted again, and her gaze involuntarily followed the carriage of the Ruan family.
Pan Shunmei followed his gaze, understanding dawning on her. She patted his shoulder heavily and said, "Stop looking. That's not her. I heard she's in Haozhou City. Besides, so what? Your cousin is deeply in love with her, even going against the Empress Dowager. Are you going to interfere? It's really hard to understand how such a young girl could bewitch our staunch Prince Jin..."
So Xiaobai frowned upon hearing this, then suddenly spurred his horse forward.
Pan Shunmei was taken aback and said, "Hey, where are you going? Didn't we agree to go to the lotus shed for drinks after flying kites?"
"Back to the manor," Gu Xiaobai replied casually, cracking the whip on his horse's rump. With a soft hiss, Sa Lu Zi galloped off. Anping, Anshun, and the other servants quickly turned their horses around and followed. The sound of hooves filled the air as they sped across the streets like arrows, only slowing down at the gates of the Duke of Dingguo's manor in the east of the city.
The servants sitting at the door quickly surrounded him, vying to help Gu Xiaobai pull the horse.
Seeing the carriage of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion parked at the gate again, the pretty boy's expression darkened, and he asked rudely, "Is it the old or the young who came today?"
The servants, suppressing their laughter, said one after another, "They're all here."
"Damn it." Gu Xiaobai cursed under his breath, dismounted, tossed the reins to his servant, and sullenly returned to his courtyard. Upon entering, he saw Gu Jingyi standing under the eaves, playing with a parrot. He said curtly, "Why aren't you entertaining the guests? What are you doing here?"
"You mean Sister Han?" Gu Jingyi blinked and asked, "She asked me to bring you something."
"What gift?" Gu Xiaobai asked warily, her eyes widening.
"It's the one you like. It's on the table inside. Go and take a look yourself." Gu Jingyi said, then started teasing the parrot again. "Brother Xiaobai, what's wrong with Xiaocui? I've been going in and out and teasing it several times, but it hasn't made a sound. It looks listless too. Is it sick?"
Before she could finish speaking, Gu Xiaobai said angrily, "Gu Jingyi, get in here and take these things back to her."
Gu Jingyi was startled and rushed into the room. She saw that the three lampshades, which had been neatly arranged on the table, were now on the floor. Her face flushed red with embarrassment. "Brother Xiaobai, what's wrong with you? Aren't these the Eighteen Heroes of the Sui and Tang Dynasties you've always wanted? Look, this is your favorite Yuchi Gong, and Qin Qiong... Sister Han embroidered them for almost a month; all ten of her fingers are covered in needle holes..."
So Xiaobai blushed and interrupted her, "Who wants her to embroider?"
Gu Jingyi opened her eyes wide in confusion and said, "Isn't this what you've always wanted? During the Spring Festival, she came to visit, and I mentioned it to her. She said it was perfect, since she was practicing the Huangmei embroidery needlework technique, and she could use this to practice. You don't appreciate it, fine, but why are you getting so angry?"
Seeing that she was being unreasonable, Xiaobai ignored her and shouted again, "Anping, take these back to Miss Han."
Gu Jingyi's eyes reddened with anger, and she stomped her feet, saying, "Brother Xiaobai, aren't you trying to embarrass Sister Han?"
So Xiaobai snorted coldly and said, "Gu Jingyi, you should mind your own business from now on, and don't tell her anything you're sure about."
"It has to be embroidered by the Fifth Sister..."
Before the words were finished, a parrot hanging under the eaves suddenly flapped its wings and then said loudly, "May the Fifth Sister live as long as the moon, as long as the sun, and as long as the Southern Mountain, never waning or collapsing."
Gu Jingyi paused, then sneered, "So that's how it is. I teased you for so long and you didn't say a word. Turns out I didn't give the correct signal." She raised her voice slightly, calling out, "Fifth Miss, Miss Wu..."
The parrot suddenly sighed and said, "I do hope that the young lady will marry Young Master Gu and live a happy and fulfilling life together."
Gu Jingyi was stunned.
The parrot added, "Even if he likes me, it's just a passing fancy of a young boy, and he'll forget me soon enough."
Although the parrot's voice wasn't as clear and melodious as Ruan Bi's, its tone of voice was remarkably lifelike. Gu Jingyi was momentarily dazed, but quickly regained her senses and looked at Gu Xiaobai, saying, "No wonder you wouldn't give it back to me no matter how many times I asked you after Xiao Cui brought it back." Her anger subsided, and she walked outside to the eaves, saying to the parrot, "Fifth Sister, you're wrong. My brother Xiaobai is incredibly stubborn."
The parrot then said, "Xiuzhi, you should take this parrot out of the mansion as well. Remember to return it to Gu Xiaobai after I leave."
She perfectly imitated Ruan Bi's tone, so melancholic and evocative that one could almost imagine her expression and feelings as she uttered those words. Xiao Bai had heard it several times before, but she was still captivated.
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