Chapter 40: First Release: Upset.
While the two of them were talking, someone came out from the courtyard. Wen Yu turned around and saw that it was Ah Zhu. She was carrying a dark brown food box with intricate carvings on it. It was so exquisite that it didn't look like a food box, but more like a dressing box.
"Madam! Master!" Ah Zhu's voice rang out, her words filled with surprise. "You're back!"
"Uncle Song said it was getting late, and asked me to go get some spring rolls back to the courtyard for my wife. It's a good opportunity for you to stay and eat with us!"
Ah Zhu kept talking, but he didn't stop walking. He walked past Wen Yu and Song Linsheng, and turned back as he walked, saying, "I'll be back soon!"
Wen Yu's gaze crossed the gap between Song Linsheng and Xi Yan, watching Ah Zhu's hurried away figure. Thinking of the spring rolls she mentioned, she unconsciously raised her hand to stroke her flat belly.
I indeed did not eat at night. Before, I was busy writing inscriptions and lighting lanterns, so I didn't think it was a big deal. But now that I have some free time, I am really hungry.
"Spring rolls." Wen Yu read it out, thinking it must be a special snack eaten during the Shangsi Festival. Wen Yu greeted Song Linsheng:
"Why don't you come in first? Let's eat together before going back to rest?"
Song Linsheng stopped walking. He smiled faintly and explained softly to Wen Yu, "Madam Wen Yu, please use it together with A Zhu and A Bo!"
"Linsheng has some matters to attend to and needs to return to the courtyard first." Song Linsheng declined politely, adding, "Spring rolls are also a special snack of Chongsan, but they are served cold, so they are a bit chilly."
Spring rolls are a true Shangsi Festival delicacy. Three different fillings, mixed early in the morning, are wrapped in a thin, thin pancake. They can be eaten cold without the need for a steamer, and the sizzling, fragrant aroma is enough to leave your cheeks tingling with delight.
Wen Yu hadn't tasted it yet, but just thinking about it made her look forward to it, with a joyful smile on her face.
Seeing her cute little appearance, Song Linsheng smiled slightly and said to A Bo who came up from behind, "After Madam Wenyu eats the spring rolls, remember to make some hot tea to warm yourself up."
A Bo knelt down and quickly agreed.
Wen Yu was puzzled by his words. Could Song Linsheng be made of iron? He never ate much, and if he didn't like to eat, how could he be healthy?
She murmured quietly in her heart, feeling a little worried, but she didn't say anything on her face and nodded to Song Linsheng.
Song Linsheng smiled and nodded, then reminded them, "Go in quickly! Don't stand in the wind."
Upon hearing this, A'bai hurried over to support Wen Yu and took her into Guanwu Garden.
Song Linsheng watched Wen Yu's figure disappear at the gate of the courtyard, and the flying corners of her clothes disappeared. Then he turned around and went to the next courtyard with the inkstone.
His footsteps fell on the smooth gravel road, sometimes light, sometimes heavy, making people hear them deep and shallow, until they could no longer be heard.
Guanwu Garden is different from its usual quiet and elegant appearance. Today, it is decorated with a lively and festive atmosphere by Azhu and Abai, almost the same as during Chinese New Year.
Wen Yu looked at the small fish lantern hanging under the corridor, which was spinning in the wind. The fish scales on the lantern looked even more colorful and lifelike under the reflection of the fire. Several pairs of tassels hung from the lower belly of the lantern, creating ripple-like patterns in the air.
Seeing this, A'bo, who was standing by, hurriedly called the servant outside the yard to take down the small fish lantern for his wife to enjoy.
Before Wen Yu could tell them not to bother, as it was too much trouble, Ah Boyi had tied the small fish lantern to a slender cane and handed it to Wen Yu.
"Look, my lady—"
The festive atmosphere was cheerful, and A-Bo was more talkative than usual. "This little fish lantern has been waiting for my wife at home all day!"
Wen Yu and A'bai smiled at each other, raised her hand to take the small fish lantern, and ran in the yard. With her footsteps, the candlelight inside the small fish lantern flickered.
Soon, Azhu also returned to Guanwuyuan with a lunch box.
When A-Bo came to invite Wen Yu into the house to eat spring rolls, A-Zhu was pulling Wen Yu to sit on the stone steps at the door, gazing at the starry sky.
Ah Zhu pointed to one of the countless stars in the sky and asked Wen Yu, "Is that the palace of the Goddess of Spring?"
Wen Yu paused, as if she was still in shock. After a moment, she responded to Ah Zhu: "Yes, yes, why don't you pray to the God of Spring facing Xingzi."
"What wish did you make at the Wutong Ancestral Temple today?" Ah Zhu beamed, her arm around Wen Yu. They cuddled on the stone steps, like sisters. Wen Yu, unlike ordinary people who cared little for master-servant distinctions, became even more affectionate with Ah Zhu and Ah Bo.
Hearing that A-Bo was here to invite him, Wen Yu invited A-Bo to sit down with her.
Abai had no choice but to go back to the house and pull out a cloak to surround Wenyu, and then sit on the stone steps with her and Azhu.
The three of them admired the bright moon together. Ah Zhu and Ah Bo, who were surrounded by joy, did not notice Wen Yu's abnormality.
Only after watching the bright moon disappear into the clouds did Abai send the sleepy Azhu away, and he helped Wenyu back to the house to settle down.
A-Bo, who originally thought it was late and should help his wife to rest, was busy making the bed for Wen Yu, but heard Wen Yu calling her:
"Abai, could you please get me some writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone?"
Abai paused and asked in confusion, "Madam, why do you need a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone so late at night?"
Having said that, A-Bo quickly spread out paper and pen on the table for Wen Yu, and ground the ink before leaving. Before leaving, he did not forget to persuade Wen Yu to settle down as soon as possible.
Wen Yu waved his hand nonchalantly, his mind focused solely on the rice paper in front of him.
She was not good at writing, so she made a fool of herself in front of Song Linsheng when she wrote on the bright lamp today.
Although Song Linsheng didn't say anything and never teased her, he was more protective of her thoughts and never even glanced at her "calligraphy treasure".
But Wen Yu is a thousand-year-old tree and a hundred-year-old spirit, so she still has to be polite. Otherwise, if it gets out in the future that she can only read a few words but has no knowledge of literature and art, how can she live in the East Heaven Court?
Wen Yu fumbled around the edge of the table for a long time before pulling out a copy of Song Linsheng's calligraphy. Then, she picked up her pen and began to imitate Song Linsheng's handwriting.
But on second thought, Wen Yu was probably worrying too much. Song Linsheng was just a mortal, so how could he report her embarrassing stories back to the East Heaven?
The flame on the candlestick beside him flickered, and the reflected shadow also jumped onto the paper, moving along with Wen Yu's brushstrokes.
Wen Yu straightened up and looked at the words he had written unconsciously. It was just the same two words over and over again, but none of them had anything to do with Song Linsheng's calligraphy.
She suddenly felt upset for no apparent reason.
Wen Yu's eyebrows were furrowed, and her almond-shaped eyes were filled with ripples, no longer calm.
Although she grew up in the Wutong Ancestral Temple for a thousand years, in fact, from the time she developed her spiritual intelligence, transformed into a human form, practiced martial arts, and entered the immortal path, she was always protected by her master, Lord Ju Mang.
Although she has magical powers, to Wen Yu at this moment, she is just a young lady who has just entered the world.
Wen Yu initially thought that mortals could have no troubles. For gods and monsters, fame, good health were just trivial matters that could be easily accomplished.
She never expected that things would become more and more complicated.
Are these things originally like this, or did she involve Song Linsheng in this? Wen Yu asked herself in her heart, and she became more and more uncertain.
At first, she thought that causing Song Linsheng to be demoted for no reason and return to Jiangyang was retribution for her breaking the longevity branch.
But now, Wen Yu really doesn't dare to say for sure...
Wen Yu brushed away the ink-stained manuscript and spread out a new piece of snow-white rice paper. She closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment before picking up her pen to write again.
The room was utterly silent, not even the sound of a breeze. The tip of the pen scraped across the paper, making a distinct, audible rustling sound. The strokes, sometimes light, sometimes heavy, resembled the fluctuating rhythm of Wen Yu's heart.
The rustling sound grew more and more rapid, then suddenly stopped as Wen Yu lifted his pen. He casually dropped the pen, crumpled the paper into a ball, and tossed it aside.
“Shhh——”
The half-dried paper mixed with ink rolled aside and spun several times on the brocade carpet.
"Sir! How long will we finish writing——"
Xiyan picked up the paper ball, unfolded it one by one, and raised his hand to smooth out the wrinkles. He blew away the ink stain with his lips and let out a long sigh of relief.
Folding the unfolded paper aside, there was already a pile of rice paper, which must be Song Linsheng's "masterpieces".
Song Linsheng didn't even raise his eyelids, his hands kept moving, the Yang Haohu brush flew and flew in his hand, and he wrote very quickly, unlike the slow and sluggish writing speed in the Wutong Ancestral Temple before.
Hearing Xiyan's question, Song Linsheng replied softly, "Go back to your room and settle down first! I can handle this here by myself."
Xiyan sighed, and replied with a tired yet humorous tone: "Sir, why don't you tell me to pack my bedding and go back to Shangdu!"
"As long as I, Xiyan, am here, I will never ask you to be alone." Xiyan said this and stood up, walked around the desk to get the inkstone to grind ink.
Then there was silence all night, with only the candlelight as company.
The next day, we visited Wuyuan.
Wen Yu did not sleep well that night, and she got up before the sycamore tree in the yard woke up.
It's March again and the sky is full of blue sun, casting a sunny and beautiful light on Guanwu Garden.
Wen Yu got dressed and walked over to the desk. She frowned and looked at the discarded pens, ink, and paper, remaining silent.
A breeze blew in from the half-open window frame, flipping through the stacks of books, and Wen Yu's uncollected papers also made a rustling sound.
The spring light climbed up the table, covering half of the corner of the table in the golden sunlight, making people in this room seem to be able to see the sparkling scene of the Yuanshui River.
Wen Yu looked out the window. The half-closed window couldn't block her view. She passed through the stained glass windows and through the courtyard wall, and it seemed as if she could see all the way to the Yuanshui River outside the city...
“Squeak—”
There was the sound of a door opening and closing behind her, but Wen Yu did not turn around. She thought that the only person who could enter her room was either Azhu or Abai.
It couldn't be that Song Linsheng, the well-behaved and polite man who had to pack up and live in the government office just because she was in the mansion.
Sure enough, Ah Zhu's voice rang out: "Madam! Sister Abai has gone to the kitchen to check the dishes. I will come to help Madam wash up first——"
"Huh?" Ah Zhu looked at Wen Yu's neat bun and couldn't help but exclaimed, "Did you comb your hair yourself today?"
Wenyu had barely slept last night and was up early this morning. There was no need to ask Abo to go to the trouble of dressing her; when no one was around, she could just use a simple tip to do it.
She turned around and told Ah Zhu, "I have something to do today. When Ah Bo comes back later, you two can go and have dinner. Don't worry about me."
"Ah?" Ah Zhu didn't understand what was going on. She stood there and let Wen Yu pass over her. She just felt that her wife's words today were different from before. Although her words were nothing special, they seemed to add a bit of inexplicable sadness.
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The author has something to say: Xiyan picked up the paper ball, unfolded it one by one, and raised his hand to smooth out the wrinkles on it.
He blew away the ink with his lips and let out a long sigh.
I saw two words written all over the paper. I washed the inkstone and looked at it again and again before I could see the two words clearly: Leave a comment!
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