They said the household was busy with New Year preparations and no one had time to vacate the courtyard.
But she noticed that there wasn't much to do at the manor during the New Year; there were no social interactions or distinguished guests to receive.
Why is there no one to help her tidy up the yard?
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Xiao Taohong's eyes were vacant, her heart filled with grievances and resentment.
"Miss, dinner has been brought from the kitchen."
Just then, the kitchen maid brought in dinner.
When the tray was placed on the table, Xiao Taohong's face turned even uglier.
This meal consisted of three meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and a soup: braised pork belly with skin, roast duck, braised pork ribs, stir-fried bean sprouts, cold tofu skin salad, and a serving of chicken soup.
The dishes were all excellent, but they were frozen together when they arrived.
Looking at the cold food on the table, Xiao Taohong's face grew increasingly gloomy.
Her maidservant was even more furious upon seeing this.
"What kind of food is this? It's all cold. How is my aunt supposed to eat this?" The maid glared at the maid who brought the food.
The maid who delivered the vegetables wasn't to be outdone. She raised her delicately painted eyebrows and said in a sarcastic tone, "Sister, what are you saying? The east courtyard is far away, and the food will be cold by the time it's delivered from the kitchen. What can a servant like me do?"
"What kind of attitude is this? Does the East Courtyard deserve to be served cold food? Our aunt is, after all, a mistress of the manor." Little Peach Blossom's maid was so angry that her face turned red.
"Hmph, there are so many courtyards in the manor to deliver meals to, how can we possibly keep everyone's food warm?" The maid delivering the vegetables said, glancing contemptuously at Xiao Taohong. "If you want a hot meal, you'll have to see if you have the ability to do so."
"You, you, you..." Little Peach Blossom's maid was furious. She never expected that the dignified Earl's mansion would be such an unruly place. As she spoke, she wanted to rush up and tear the vegetable-delivering maid's mouth apart.
"Alright, is it really worth arguing over a meal?"
Right there, Xiao Taohong, who hadn't spoken until now, finally spoke.
While scolding her own maid, she also gave the vegetable-delivering maid a few copper coins as a reward.
"Thanks a lot."
"..."
The vegetable delivery girl was taken aback, not expecting her to react this way. She happily took the tip and left.
"Girl, why are you still rewarding her? We're already looked down upon. If we keep smiling when we're being bullied, we'll be at the mercy of those vile women in the future!"
The girl was so angry that tears were already falling, but Xiao Taohong just chuckled softly.
"What's the point of arguing about the short term? We need to solve the problem at its root."
...
Pei Lingyu's study was undoubtedly the most luxurious place in the entire Earl's mansion.
The carved sandalwood desk is neatly arranged with the Four Treasures of the Study. The bookshelves are filled with precious ancient books, exuding a faint fragrance of ink.
The walls are adorned with calligraphy and paintings by famous figures, each piece priceless. In a corner of the study, there is a comfortable recliner for the owner to rest and read.
However, since Pei Lingyu returned, he has never slept in this recliner again. Instead, Jiang Yao sits in this recliner every day to supervise him.
"Going to jail isn't much worse than this!"
Having not rested for half a month, Pei Lingyu lay exhausted on her desk, a book in her hand, unable to concentrate on reading a single word.
Suddenly, the servant outside the door started croaking like a frog.
"Melon...melon melon...melon melon melon..."
"Is the young mistress resting?" Pei Lingyu hurriedly ran to the door and asked softly.
"Master, the young mistress went back to her parents' home today to deliver New Year's gifts. She got tired on the way and said she would rest first."
"That's wonderful!" Pei Lingyu was so excited she almost jumped up.
Normally, Jiang Yao would supervise him until midnight before he could rest, but now that it was 9 PM, he could finally rest for an hour.
Pei Lingyu casually tossed aside the book of sages in her hand and ran to the window. As soon as she opened the window, she was greeted by a field of yellow winter plum blossoms.
"The wintersweet is blooming so beautifully this year..."
The yellow wintersweet blossoms exuded a delicate fragrance on the branches. Pei Lingyu admired them while telling the servant, "You stay outside and report back immediately if you see the young mistress."
He was quite afraid that Jiang Yao would wake up in the middle of the night to investigate, after all, it wasn't like Jiang Yao hadn't done this kind of thing before.
"knew."
The servant quickly retreated.
Pei Lingyu found a seat by the window and sat down to admire the plum blossoms. He even recited two poems in a good mood, but as he wrote, his mood became depressed.
All was quiet except for the sound of the wind outside.
He thought of his backyard, where, including Jiang Yao, there were six beauties. Apart from two concubines whose looks were not quite right, Lianxiang, Lianyu, and Xiaotaohong were all extremely beautiful.
With so many beautiful women and such a wonderful time, he is all alone. What kind of situation is this?
Just then, a melodious zither tune drifted over.
The sound of the zither seemed to drift from a distant place, like silk threads, lingering in the silent snowy night.
Who is playing the piano?
Pei Lingyu was surprised. He slowly got up and looked in the direction from which the music was coming.
The music wasn't particularly stunning at first listen, but its melody possessed a certain gentle and sentimental quality.
On this cold and lonely night, the music seemed to possess a magical power, instantly attracting all his attention and drawing him in without him even realizing it.
Soon, the music ended, and Pei Lingyu came to her senses.
He quickly called the servant in.
"Go and find out who's playing the piano."
"Master, it's Concubine Tao Hong from the East Courtyard."
"It's Little Peach Blossom."
As she murmured that familiar name, Pei Lingyu couldn't quite describe the feeling in her heart.
"So she can play the piano..."
Xiao Taohong was a skilled dancer, her dancing skills were top-notch in the neighborhood. It was Xiao Taohong's dance that captivated the city and caught his attention.
His piano skills are just so-so.
Unlike him, who was both a poet and a skilled musician.
They used to live in Red Lane, where he would always play the piano and Little Peach would dance.
Now he is confined to this small courtyard in his study, where he can eat and sleep, and is not allowed to leave or come out. He can't see Xiao Taohong, but he can hear her playing the zither...
"Xiao Taohong's playing of the zither is really not good enough, not as good as mine."
Upon hearing Pei Lingyu's boastful words, the servant almost lost his composure.
I thought to myself, "My goodness, you were completely captivated by Jiang Liang's mournful zither music, and you still have the nerve to say it's just so-so?"
While inwardly complaining, the servant outwardly asked respectfully, "Master, shall we call Aunt Taohong over?"
"No, I have already promised your young mistress that I would not be near women and would study hard before the imperial examination. How can a man break his promise?"
With that, Pei Lingyu slammed the window shut.
In the following days, whenever Jiang Yao went back to her room to sleep, the sound of a zither would always be heard. Pei Lingyu always refused resolutely, which made the servant look at him with new respect.
“Master, you’re tired of hearing this music every day, aren’t you? Perhaps I should go and ask your aunt to stop playing so as not to disturb your studies.”
"Okay, go ahead. Also, tell her to come over here secretly, without letting your young mistress know."
"..."
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