247. Blizzard
The second brother held the little dumpling's hand, while the little prince and the little princess protected the little dumpling as they ran back into the palace through the snow.
The maidservant quickly handed them a hand warmer, and they hugged the hand warmer to warm themselves by the fire, but their eyes were still fixed on the outside.
"How about we have a barbecue?" Qu Zijin suggested after thinking for a moment, to prevent them from always wanting to run outside and play in the snow.
Soon, the palace servants brought in the tools.
The sizzling sound of oil on the small charcoal stove, mixed with the aroma of meat, instantly dispelled the chill and also the urge to play.
"Try this, it's freshly sent from the Imperial Kitchen, marinated in honey, not greasy at all," Qu Zijin handed the small plate to Xiao Tuanzi. "The snow outside doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. I just saw that the road outside the courtyard was almost completely covered by snow."
The little dumpling munched on roasted meat, gazing at the snow outside the window.
The snowflakes were still falling heavily, obscuring even the distant trees; all that could be seen was a vast expanse of white.
She tilted her head and asked, "Grand Tutor, with the snow falling so heavily, won't it affect Brother Xie's situation?"
Qu Zijin patted her head and sighed, "I hope not, after all, the South is quite far from the capital."
But he was also worried.
If the snow continues to fall and the roads for transporting medicinal herbs are blocked, then things will be in trouble for Qiuhe City.
He didn't want to pass on his anxiety to the children, so he could only silently pray that the heavy snow wouldn't ruin the important task of fighting the epidemic.
Fortunately, everyone was still happy in the Wenhua Hall.
The little princess was still discussing with the little dumpling: "When the snow stops, we must build a snowman taller than a person, and we must put my red shawl on it!"
The second brother and the little prince listened and laughed along.
-
Before I knew it, the sizzling sound of grilling meat was drowned out by the increasingly loud wind and snow outside the window.
The little dumpling went to the window and carefully pried open a crack to look outside.
The plum trees in the courtyard, which were once clearly visible, are now just a vast expanse of white. Snowflakes are falling like crazy, pattering against the window paper. Even the distant courtyard wall is almost invisible.
"Why is the snow so heavy?" The little princess came over, her voice no longer excited but timid. "I've never seen such heavy snow in my life."
...Although the little princess is only five years old.
"The road was fine when I came to school this morning, but now, will we be unable to get back? I don't want to be trapped in the school..." the second brother said, looking at Qu Zijin, "Grand Tutor, are we going to be trapped here?"
The young prince quickly reassured them, "Don't worry, Father will definitely send someone to pick us up."
The children's hushed chatter made the atmosphere in the Wenhua Hall quiet. Seeing this, Qu Zijin quickly walked over, clapped his hands with a smile, and said, "Don't panic, everyone. It's just a heavy snowfall. It will be fine once the snow subsides."
Four pairs of round eyes looked at him like little animals.
The children were no longer able to eat, so Qu Zijin started thinking of other ideas to distract them, such as—
"If we're feeling bored, why don't we come and learn something?"
"Look at this vast expanse of white snow, isn't it beautiful? What are your thoughts upon seeing this scene? Do you feel like composing a poem?"
"It doesn't matter if we can't compose one, we can recite a poem."
"Come on, who wants to go first?"
Qu Zijin's face held a smile that was four parts expectation and three parts encouragement.
The four little ones stared at him blankly, then turned their heads away in unison.
"I don't want to study!" The second brother immediately shook his head, took the little dumpling's hand, and said, "I want to go home. I miss my mother."
The little dumpling whispered, "Yue'er misses Daddy and Mommy too."
The young prince added, "Grand Tutor, let's think of a way out. If the snow keeps falling, we might not even have enough firewood."
Little Princess: "My mother must be very worried about me..."
...It seems to have the opposite effect.
The children chattered amongst themselves, all thinking about going home.
Qu Zijin looked at their anxious appearance and racked his brains to think of a few more words to comfort them, when he heard a shout coming from outside the courtyard.
Everyone was stunned for a moment, then quickly ran to the door.
Lifting the cotton curtain, one could see a group of palace servants carrying palace lanterns, escorting the Marquis of Beiding through the wind and snow. Each of them was covered in thick snow, and even their hair was white.
"Father!" The little dumpling recognized the Marquis of Beiding at a glance and called out excitedly.
Marquis Beiding strode in and scooped the little girl into his arms: "Don't be afraid, Yue'er, Daddy's here to take you. Let's go home now."
While he was at the mansion, he saw that the snow was falling heavier and heavier, and immediately realized that something was wrong. He set off immediately to bring the children back.
Unfortunately, just as they entered the palace, the heavy snow turned into a blizzard.
If he hadn't encountered the palace servants, he would have had a very difficult time on his own.
The rest of the palace servants were there to fetch the young prince, the young princess, and Qu Zijin.
The little princess breathed a sigh of relief and immediately smiled: "Great! I can go home!"
Qu Zijin breathed a sigh of relief and bowed to the palace servants, saying, "Thank you all for your hard work in this snowy weather."
-
The wind and snow, carrying a chill, seeped into the gaps in the carriage. The little dumpling shrank closer to Bei Dinghou, hugging the hand warmer even tighter.
"Father, the wind is so strong." She leaned against the arm of the Marquis of Beiding, her voice muffled by the sound of the wind and snow outside.
Marquis Beiding opened the thick cloak he was wearing and wrapped her and her second brother inside. He patted her back with a smile through the cloak: "Benren, we'll be home soon. The coachman is the most experienced in the family, he'll walk steadily."
Although the wind and snow were howling outside, the little girl felt surprisingly safe hiding next to her father and holding her second brother's hand.
Actually, it was the same when we were in the Wenhua Hall. I was with my friends and the Grand Tutor. Although I was a little worried about not being able to go home, I wasn't afraid.
The second brother, now bolder, peeked out from behind the carriage curtain, only to have his face covered in snow after just one glance. He quickly put it back down, exclaiming, "The snow outside is almost up to the horses' calves! The tracks left by the wheels are instantly buried by the snow."
"Don't lift the curtain, the cold wind is coming in," Marquis Beiding pulled the carriage curtain closed, took out an oil paper package from his bosom, opened it to reveal several pieces of sweet cakes, "Here, have a piece of cake to tide you over, then you can have hot soup when you get home."
The little dumpling took a piece, took a bite, and felt the sweet aroma mixed with warmth, making her feel less cold.
The carriage moved slowly, and the crunching sound of its wheels over the snow was particularly clear in the wind and snow.
After an unknown amount of time, the carriage finally came to a stop, and a servant's voice came from outside: "Master, Miss, Second Young Master, we're home!"
Marquis Beiding carried one child in each arm, still wrapped in his cloak, as he got off the carriage.
The little dumpling peeked outside and saw that the snow in front of the gate of the Marquis of Beiding's mansion had piled up to knee height.
Upon entering the main room, Jiang Xiyue was already waiting. She quickly took the little girl and touched her hand: "Are you cold? Come and warm yourself by the fire."
The maid brought over freshly cooked ginger soup, and the little dumpling felt warm all over after taking a sip.
The family sat around the stove. Marquis Beiding drank ginger soup and sighed, "I've lived this long, and this is the first time I've ever seen such heavy snow."
The little dumpling pricked up its ears; its father had said something similar to what the little cloud had said.
Jiang Xiyue nodded: "The servants just said that the streets are blocked by snow and the shops are closed. It seems that you won't need to go to court for the next few days, and Yue'er, Qizhi, and Lizhi won't need to go to school either."
"Great!" The second brother's eyes lit up.
The little dumpling nodded in agreement, then asked with a hint of worry, "Daddy, Mommy, will Brother Xie get cold?"
Marquis Beiding put down the ginger soup, his face darkening. "I was worried about this too. I wonder if the south will also experience cold and snow... But we're far away in the capital, so worrying won't help. We can only trust that he's capable and will take care of himself and the people. Let's wait for news."
Just then, a maid's voice came from outside: "Madam, the hot water in the kitchen is ready. Would you like to prepare a hot bath for Miss and Second Young Master?"
Jiang Xiyue nodded: "Go and prepare quickly, let the children take a hot bath to warm themselves up."
The little dumpling still misses Brother Xie.
Hopefully this heavy snow will stop soon.
I hope that Brother Xie and the people of Qiuhe City will all be safe and sound.
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