The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the Lantern Festival, a day for family reunion.
At that time, winter was not yet over, and the darkness of the early spring morning had not faded yet, mixed with bursts of bone-chilling chill.
A carriage was driving slowly in the deserted suburbs. The driver shouted softly and drove him away. He seemed to be a little impatient and a little afraid, and he waved the riding crop in his hand hesitantly.
At that time, there were several coughs coming from the carriage. Those faint coughs seemed to hit the coachman's heart. He was so frightened that he quickly tightened his grip on the riding whip and watched as the carriage slowed down a bit.
Now, the coughing sound in the car subsided.
Suddenly, a pair of rough hands lifted the curtain, patted the coachman twice on the back, then lowered his head and whispered in his ear. The coachman seemed to be greatly inspired, raised his hand and whip, and pointed at the horse sharply and sharply.
Throw it away.
"Boom"
Only a muffled sound was heard inside the carriage, as if someone had knocked down.
"ah!"
A woman's scream broke through the quiet morning. Then a pair of white hands quickly lifted the curtain of the car, stretched out its hand and yanked the driver's back collar fiercely.
"The driver doesn't want to live anymore, right? Do you know whose lady is sitting in this car?"
The coachman was almost suffocated by the pain. He quickly pulled back his whip and the carriage was stabilized.
"I said Miss Cai Xing, you really don't know what time it is? The old lady and master at home are waiting for the young lady to come home for breakfast!"
An old woman's voice came from inside the carriage, obviously mixed with some dissatisfaction.
"you……"
The girl named Cai Xing was choked and speechless. She was just a maid, how could she be dissatisfied with the master's old lady and master?
"Ahem, if they really want to have this reunion meal with me, why did they wait until today to send you to pick me up?"
The girl who had been silent for a long time in the carriage coughed twice and spoke out a sentence slowly. The old woman who was choking, her face turned red and she couldn't hold back even a single word.
How could the old woman not know what the girl meant?
The girl's surname was Bai and her given name was Yan Qing. She was the eldest daughter of Bai Jingxuan, the prime minister of the dynasty. Because she lost her mother in her early years and was frail since childhood, and was not liked by the Bai family's old lady Ren, she died when she was eight years old.
He was sent to be raised in a village outside the city. On weekdays, he was only allowed to be taken back to the house for small gatherings during the New Year and holidays.
But this year is different from previous years. During the Spring Festival this year, the Bai family did not send anyone to take Bai Yanqing back to the Bai Mansion to spend the New Year. They left her alone in Zhuangzi to spend the Spring Festival. However, the Spring Festival had already passed for fifteen days, so it was the Lantern Festival.
Early that morning, I sent Mrs. Ren’s personal maid
Grandma came to pick up Bai Yanqing. Logically speaking, the Bai family should have sent someone to pick her up the day before, so as to save Bai Yanqing from the hardship of traveling and traveling early in the morning. But anyone with a discerning eye could see this behavior at this time.
The old lady of the Bai family deliberately made things difficult for Bai Yanqing.
But, does this old lady of the Bai family really think that Bai Yanqing can be manipulated so easily?
"Ahem, I'm not feeling well. Let's rest first before we continue our journey."
"Miss, I'm afraid this is...not good, right?"
The old woman didn't seem to notice that Bai Yanqing's face was full of fatigue, but she still said reluctantly.
Bai Yanqing was too lazy to deal with her. She leaned against the wall of the carriage, closed her eyes and meditated alone, then waved her hand and let the little girl beside her go.
Cai Xing has followed Bai Yanqing since she was a child, and her temperament is a bit as stubborn as Bai Yanqing. Seeing her young lady being wronged, how could she let the old woman continue to bully Bai Yanqing? Ever since
, while she drove the coachman out of the car, she stopped the carriage abruptly, and then scolded the woman with such ferocity that even the old woman who had lived in the inner house for many years couldn't resist it!
The journey was originally only less than two hours, but due to Cai Xing's "unruly insistence", it was delayed until noon to reach Baifu.
"Miss, we're here."
Caixing jumped out of the carriage first, and then carefully helped Bai Yanqing down.
Bai Yanqing stood straight with her feet on the ground and stood in front of the gate of Baifu. Under the dazzling midday sun, she stared at the word "Baifu" in a daze. It must have been half a year since she last returned to the mansion.
? I vaguely remember that it was the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15th last year. That Mid-Autumn Festival family dinner seemed to have ended on a bad note!
Bai Yanqing raised the corners of her lips coldly: I wonder what... special thing is waiting for her when she returns home this time?
As expected, no one greeted them in front of the White House.
Cai Xing looked at Bai Yanqing awkwardly, as if waiting for her to speak. Bai Yanqing smiled at her, then without saying a word, pulled Cai Xing and turned away.
As soon as the old woman got off the carriage, she saw Bai Yanqing and the two people leaving. She was stunned for a moment: The eldest lady has already arrived at the door of the house, why can't she come in? How can she explain this to the old lady? She was supposed to pick up the eldest lady.
The young lady went back to the house for breakfast. Now I am afraid that the old lady and the others have all used up their lunch. The eldest lady has not yet entered the house. What should I do?
The mother-in-law did not dare to make the decision without permission and pursue her. After all, the entire White House knew where this eldest lady was in the old lady's heart. She then hurried into the house and went to talk to the old lady.
On the other side, Bai Yanqing pulled Cai Xing and had a great time. Wandering from the street to the end of the alley, from rouge and gouache to snacks, from the peak of the sun to the sunset...
"Miss...it's already this hour...we..."
Cai Xing hesitated for a long time before finally speaking out the words he had been holding in his heart. It was almost getting dark. It was supposed to be a day to return home for reunion, but now it was better. The two of them were in this market.
After playing on the streets for most of the day, if I don't go back home, I'm afraid something will happen again.
Bai Yanqing rolled her eyes at Cai Xing, then she just found a tea shop by the roadside and sat down, letting the waiter serve a pot of tea. Then she drank the tea and ate snacks leisurely, but she was not in a hurry.
The reason why she was so calm was that she was sure that the Bai family would send someone to take her back to their home today!
After all, how could the old lady of the Bai family, who didn't want to take Bai Yanqing back home even during the Spring Festival, just want to take her back home for a reunion during a mere Lantern Festival? Oh, don't think that Bai Yanqing is a ignorant child.
Sure enough, not long after, there was movement outside the tea shop, and then there was a dizzying smell of rouge and gouache, hitting the nostrils.
"It's getting more and more difficult to invite my sister now. My grandmother sent so many people to pick her up, but they couldn't bring her back to the house. Now I have to invite my sister in person. My sister is so arrogant!"
Before the person arrives, the voice comes first. The sentence on the left is "Grandma sent someone to pick her up" and the sentence on the right is "It's hard to invite my sister". Both the words and the words reveal that the girl in the teahouse has no respect for her elders.
Bai Yanqing raised her eyebrows, stretched out her hand to hold down Cai Xing, who was about to get up, with a smile on her lips, but still didn't say a word. Seeing Bai Yanqing treat her so lightly, the visitors felt a little annoyed in their hearts, but they didn't want to show it to their faces.
After putting it out, he had no choice but to move to Bai Yanqing's side.
"I haven't seen you for many days. Could it be that my sister is so sick that she can't even recognize her?"
It is not difficult to hear the sarcasm in the words.