"It's alright, he's always making a fuss, just ignore him." I'd rather not go than let him come looking for me in a huff.
The maid went to the room next door to get an umbrella. I held the umbrella and walked towards the garden. The plum blossoms were beautiful and complemented the colors. I was just waiting for Xie Yuancheng to come over. I had barely stood under the plum blossoms when he snatched the umbrella away. I casually lifted my cloak and looked at him with tender affection from the same angle as before.
"Ying'er~" His anger turned into infatuation. I really admire his eyes; they changed so quickly.
"Are you planning to come and settle scores with me?" I brushed the hair in front of my face behind my ear, and Xie Yuancheng quickly smiled ingratiatingly and held an umbrella for me.
"Madam, I'd like to accompany you shopping!"
"No way! You're full of hostility. All you do when you come back is get angry. I bet you had a really bad temper before. I was barely a year old when I learned to judge people!"
"Not at all, I'm very polite to everyone in the manor, you have no idea~"
I got goosebumps all over. With his temper, I would never believe he would be polite to anyone! Xie Yuancheng went to get me some plum blossom branches, and I bounced them away in front of him, glancing at him with half-closed eyes from time to time.
"Let's go inside~ It's so cold outside~ Ying'er will get cold~"
"No, no! I'll just look at the flowers from outside!"
"Alright, I'll watch with you~" Xie Yuancheng grinned foolishly at me. I'll show him as much as I want today, so I can brag about it to him when we're old.
There weren't many plum trees planted here, and the fragrance of the plum blossoms wasn't very strong. The capital was much colder than Linyang. After standing for a while, my feet felt frozen, so I climbed onto his back to ask him to carry me.
"You're always bullying me. I'll carry you out." Xie Yuancheng didn't even want the umbrella anymore. He made me put on the cloak, but it had fallen to the ground. I didn't want to wear it.
"If you get cold later, I'll take off my coat and cover your head with it." How nagging! Do you think I don't know if I'm cold or not? It's such a short walk, and you still have to say all that.
"I'm not cold! I want you to carry me~" I rested on his shoulder. He was the one who was cold. His hands and feet get icy cold as soon as it gets cold. I'll have to warm him up properly in a bit.
"Want to see the snow again? It was so beautiful in the snow last time, I was completely mesmerized!"
“Come over tonight. We’ll set up a low table and some cushions on the side, and I’ll pour you some wine.”
"That's good." They're finally gone. There are trees planted where we stayed, and we can enjoy the warm wine outside while looking at them. It's actually the same as being here.
But he took it seriously, and I didn't object. As soon as I entered the house, he had people tidy up the empty room in the garden, put in a vase with plum blossoms, hang some sachets, and set up a screen.
It's a good thing he's not afraid of the cold. I had two more rotating heaters put in. I'm a bit more resistant to the cold than Xie Yuancheng. He can't stand the cold at all in winter.
"Ying'er~ I want to go see the snow with you~" Xie Yuancheng leaned on my shoulder as he lay down. He had even arranged dinner for me. I patted his back; he's so easily satisfied.
"I'll go pick out two warmer clothes for you. You're already feeling cold, but you still want to go out and play with me."
"You have to pick the pretty ones~" I turned my head and saw him grinning like an idiot. He must have hurt his brain last time. He hadn't even had a drink, but he could get drunk just thinking about nice things.
I dressed him in a purple outfit, making him look garish and flamboyant, both tacky and handsome. Xie Yuancheng looks good in any color. I personally changed his clothes and even used a fumigation lamp to make him look so beautiful that I could paint a big clown face on him.
I had just sat down by the garden when I realized how well he had arranged everything. There were hanging lights that swayed occasionally, and the snow outside was already falling, covering the plum blossoms with a thin layer of snow.
"Alright, you've had your fill of watching today, so you need to eat more." I went over to put some food on his plate. This rascal always likes to diet, so I have to make sure he eats more.
"Ying'er, I'm not hungry. I had a banquet in the palace today."
"You talk like you'd eat a lot at a banquet. You're so skinny, you need to be fed more." I put food on his plate, mostly things I liked, and some I didn't. He's not a picky eater, he just doesn't eat much.
"Could it be a stomach problem? You never seem to like eating." I fed him a bite of food, I was really worried.
"Where would there be a problem? Ying'er underestimates me~" Xie Yuancheng even glared at me. I saw the zither on the side. It really knows how to arrange things. When I was a child, I learned some dance from the old ladies. I can make even simple movements look beautiful. I can watch people dance.
"How about this, if you eat more in the future, I'll give you a surprise; if you don't eat, I won't show it to you~"
"What kind of surprise could there be?" Xie Yuancheng was already leaning against the soft cushion next to me. I winked at him and whispered something, and he laughed, "Ying'er~"
"You decide what to do. I'm going to change. But you need to eat more."
"Let's eat now~" He really eats like crazy when there's something good about it. I'm about to pat him on the back. He's been dancing much less since he made that silly mistake. Don't laugh at me if I make a mistake.
"No, no~ If you want to see, hurry up and change your clothes, I'll go pick out some clothes for you."
"No! Aren't you a master of music? You have to play the Drunken Flower Shade for me, otherwise I won't be able to dance."
Seeing him nod, I went back. There was a red gauze dress here that would suit him perfectly, and I had to show it to him. Last time I saw that red Western Region dress on the border, I remembered what the old nanny taught me: if you don't have a veil, you can use floral decorations and peach blossom makeup instead.
"Madam, is this hairstyle alright?" the maid who was doing my hair asked. I memorized the movements, and thankfully it was similar to what I remembered.
The old nanny was going home. She said she had waited her whole life in the mansion, but the person she was supposed to meet in the capital had never returned. Her face was full of wrinkles, but she danced beautifully in the snow, so I tried to imitate her a bit.
After everything was set up, I specially cut out some of the skirt, which was just enough to get rid of everyone. As soon as I went in, I saw the lights on the ground. I'm so glad he thought of that.
"Ying'er~ let me see." Xie Yuancheng had drunk a few too many drinks, his face was all red. I held out my hand for him to see, and after he happily went to hug his zither and sit on the steps, I went to stand under the plum blossoms surrounded by lanterns.
I had some water sleeves hidden in my sleeves. I wondered if my mother-in-law, whom I hadn't met yet, could dance. Anyway, I had some in the house, so I brought them over. Xie Yuancheng is such a good pianist; he deliberately played a few wrong notes for me, thinking I wouldn't notice!
She flicked her sleeve to half-cover her face as she looked at him. The old nanny said that this was for someone she liked to see, and that her eyes should be filled with joy and adoration so that her dance would be beautiful.
It must be because I've had three children; I feel like the light in my eyes is about to fly away. When I spin and flick my sleeves, all I can see is his face, but it's just too cold outside. But if I don't dance in the snow in winter, there won't be a single snowflake to adorn my clothes, and the dance won't be as ethereal.
She held up her water sleeves and circled the lantern once, then turned back to him with a smile, deliberately tossing the water sleeves over, wishing they could wrap around the zither.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
