Delicate Flower – Chapter 161

Chapter 161 – Snowman

Shuang Tao didn’t think much of it.

After all, being a guest in someone else’s house was not as comfortable as being in one’s own home.

After Yu Tang had finished freshening up, the Pei family’s serving auntie brought the breakfast over and asked Yu Tang, “Should we clear the snow in the courtyard?”

The Pei family compound’s architecture was not of the typical Jiangnan style. Instead, it followed the northern style, with several connecting corridors. As such, the uncleared snow didn’t impede people from getting around.

“Do you normally clear the snow in the courtyard?” Yu Tang consulted the Pei family’s auntie instead.

The auntie was in her forties, very quick and agile. She smiled broadly, saying “The snow is certainly cleared when no one is living there.”

“Let’s clear it then!” Yu Tang didn’t want to be the exception.

Shuang Tao couldn’t help but feel regretful, “Such pretty snow!”

Yu Tang glanced at Shuang Tao.

Shuang Tao immediately kept silent.

The auntie’s face flashed with a flicker of surprise. She looked squarely at Yu Tang, before respectfully answering and retreating.

After Shuang Tao and herself had taken their breakfast and were about to put their cloaks on to greet Grand Madam, Fourth and Fifth Miss ran in, holding hands. “Sister Yu!” The two little girls laughed and called out to Yu Tang, but when they raised their heads, they saw a few servants sweeping away the snow in the yard, and immediately showed their dismay, and asked, “Sister Yu, we came to call you to go and greet Grand Madam together, and we were also going to come back afterwards to build snowmen in your yard. Why did you let them sweep away the snow?”

Yu Tang quickly welcomed the two girls in with a smile.

However both girls stood at the doorway unwilling to come in. Fourth Miss laughed and hurried her, saying “We won’t talk about these things anymore. Sister, hurry up and get ready. Grand Madam should already have had her breakfast.”

Yu Tang didn’t stay polite either as she quickly put on her cloak and brought Shuang Tao along as they headed out the door.

Fifth Miss was still feeling down about the snow in the courtyard.

Shuang Tao could not help but whisper to Fifth Miss’s maid, Ah Shan, “Isn’t there snow in your yard?”

Ah Shan glanced at Fifth Miss who was distracted by Yu Tang and stopped talking about the snow, and whispered to Shuang Tao, “Fifth Miss’s body is weak, so she can’t play with snow, but she especially fond of it. Second Madam admonished her several times before. It’s good that the snow in your yard is cleared as well.”

Shuang Tao’s heart lurched in her chest.

Looking at the cheerful fourth miss, she endured for a while, but still couldn’t hold back and asked Ah Shan in a low voice: “Then on fourth miss’s side ……”

“Fourth Miss’s serving auntie intercepted and didn’t dare to let Fifth Miss play in the snow at their place.” Ah Shan replied as she watched fourth miss’s personal maid Bai Lan who was walking in front of them.

Shuang Tao, who was originally feeling warm, couldn’t help but shiver in response.

No wonder Miss didn’t let her accompany and serve her personally. With her poor perceptiveness, she might have gotten Miss into trouble at some point.

However, when did Miss become so smart ……?

Shuang Tao dazedly followed Yu Tang and the rest to Grand Madam’s main room.

Second and third young Misses had already arrived, and both were standing at the veranda in their aquamarine-blue cloaks with gray squirrel fur, watching as several maids made snowmen.

Fifth and fourth Misses cried out with joy and they left Yu Tang behind and quickly ran over.

Ji Da Niang, who was standing beside the snowmen, quickly shouted, “Young ladies please be careful! Grand Madam has spoken, if you quietly watch on the sidelines, you will be allowed to play on the ice with the serving aunties accompanying. If you move your hands and touch the snow, you’ll be grounded in your room every day for the next few days practicing calligraphy.”

Fifth young miss smiled brightly like a sunflower, nodding her head repeatedly, assuring her, “I’ll only look!”

She then pulled fourth young miss along and circled around the snowmen that were not yet completed.

Both Second Miss and Third Miss hid their mouths as they laughed.

When Ji Daniang and the others saw that they had stopped fifth young miss, they looked relieved.

Only Yu Tang sighed internally thinking that Grand Madam really loved her juniors!

Everyone accompanied fifth young miss in the courtyard for a while, before going inside to greet Grand Madam.

Not long after, Gu Xi, Mrs. Shen and Second Madam came as well.

Everyone then decided to go out to the courtyard and watch the maids and aunties build snowmen.

Grand Madam and Second Madam stood outside for a while, but as they were feeling a little chilly, they returned to the house.

Mrs. Shen took this opportunity to say her goodbyes and went back to her courtyard.

Gu Xi, however, stayed behind and played in the snow with a few of the Pei family’s young ladies.

The courtyard was filled with laughter.

Grand Madam, supported by Second Madam, stood behind the half-opened window and watched on. Gu Xi was actively leading a few of the Pei family’s young ladies to use carrots as noses and twigs as arms for the snowmen, whereas Yu Tang was only quietly watching over fifth young miss who was running about, and she occasionally laughed and whispered a few words to third young miss who stood by her side. The corners of Grand Madam’s mouth curled up and she asked second madam. “Did Lady Yu inquire about the Gu family’s troubles after she returned to her room? “

“No!” Second Madam smiled, “This girl is very perceptive. She didn’t ask about anything that she shouldn’t have.”

Grand Madam nodded and remarked leisurely, “In life, it is hardest for people to understand exactly what to do at any given time.”

Second Madam smiled in genuine agreement and concurred, “You are right.”

Grand Madam’s gaze once again fell on Yu Tang, commenting, “This is the way an elder sister should behave.”

Second Madam smiled and answered “Yes”. She hesitated for a while before asking quietly, “Mother, what exactly happened to the Gu family?”

Grand Madam let out a “hmph” and said rather disdainfully, “What could possibly happen in those inner courtyards? It’s nothing more than those few incidents that happen time and again.”

Second Madam was taken aback, and as her gaze settled on Gu Xi, she continued, “Then Lady Gu ……”

“It’s obvious what her intentions are even without me having to say it aloud.” Grand Madam chuckled, “It’s just an excuse. Since she wants to be a guest in our house, then we’ll just treat her properly as one. There’s no reason to give people a reason to say that we’re making things difficult for a junior.”

Second Mistress pursed her lips in a soft smile.

Grand Madam no longer concerned herself with the things happening in the outer courtyard. She was supported by second madam as they turned to walk inside the house, saying “What about the Eldest house? Mrs. Shen didn’t stir up anything last night?”

Second Madam’s face revealed some awkwardness.

Grand Madam let out a cold snort of displeasure and remarked, ”You’re not quite as capable as that Lady Yu! She is able to speak her mind freely, instead you, on the contrary, are hesitant and afraid to speak up even when told to do so. The Imperial Court also emphasizes on “Judging one’s virtuousness and capability should be independent of family ties”, could it be that you think I am unable to even distinguish between right and wrong on this point?”

Second Madam blushed and relented, saying, “Mrs. Shen had her personal serving old auntie bring some food over to sister-in-law last night. Sister-in-law received it, and also asked the kitchen to prepare some vegetarian snacks as a return gift, and gave it to Mrs. Shen early this morning.”

Grand Madam sneered, saying, “As predicted, Mrs. Shen loves to stir up trouble. Instead of teaching the young girls playing happily in the snow today, she hurriedly returned to her courtyard. This matter isn’t finished. Let someone keep an eye on Mrs. Shen and Eldest daughter-in-law. Eldest daughter-in-law thinks that her plight today was our family’s fault, and wants to find an unrelated person to send a letter to her maiden family’s brother. Hmph, then let her send it. I’d like to see how far her brother would go for her. Meanwhile, have someone monitor the movements of the Eldest house’s two young masters. Xia Guang is far too busy handling external affairs, so for these matters at home, let’s lend a helping hand if we can, and let him have lesser things to worry about.” After saying that, she sighed deeply and added, “I don’t know when I’ll be able to find a capable daughter-in-law for him, so the burden on my shoulders can be lifted.”

Second Madam glanced out the window, inwardly thinking ‘Wasn’t there already an existing Lady Gu right in front of them?’ However, she understood her mother-in-law. She was not the typical madam of the household who only knew about internal domestic affairs. Even when Grand Elder was alive, he too didn’t dare to forcefully override her decisions or raise his voice at her. She can’t even guess her mother-in-law’s intentions, so she could only do what she was told, without seeking credit and avoiding making mistakes at all costs.

She comforted Grand Madam. “Good things come to those who wait.  Perhaps Third Uncle’s marriage might come earlier than expected.”

Grand Madam sighed helplessly before asking Second Madam as if she had just remembered something, “What was Lady Yu’s maiden name again?”

“Yu Tang!” Second Madam answered, “It’s the ‘Tang’ character of Bi Fei Gan Tang (TL: It’s an excerpt from the book of songs: ZhaonanGantang. The general meaning is just lush foliage, branches and blossoms etc).”

“It’s a good name.” After praising her, she talked about their family’s arrangements for the New Year’s. “These older relatives who we often interact with are easy to settle. We’ll just send them the same New Year’s gifts as per previous years. External affairs will be handled by the stewards, so we don’t need to worry about them. It’s only that the Song family is back in contact with us again, and they even sent gifts to us for the double ninth Festival, so I’m certain that they’ll want some kind of support from us. Remind me to ask Xia guang how we should arrange the gifts for them. There is also the Yu family, since we have become friends, do remember to invite Madam Yu and Lady Yu to come over to have wine at the spring banquet. ……”

Her instructions were delivered in an unstructured manner, and after listening to around 10 sentences of it, Second Madam couldn’t keep up.

As a child, she learned from her father and brothers the Four Books and Five Classics, and even then, writing those essays weren’t as tiring as this.

In the courtyard, Gu Xi helped several of the Pei family’s young ladies to build five or six snowmen and was a little tired. Both her and Second young Miss leaned against the red railings next to the courtyard and rested, while Yu Tang continued to enjoy playing in the snow with Third, Fourth, and Fifth young Miss.

Gu Xi then asked Second Young Miss, “When will the guests be arriving from the other courtyard?”

As Second Young Miss listened, her face turned so red that it could almost drip blood. She replied shyly, “How would I know?”

After laughing, Gu Xi’s mood abruptly dampened and she remarked, “Don’t be offended. I used to think the same as you. But you see me now ……” as she spoke she looked up at the clear blue sky, smiling bitterly, “There are times when shyness is a hindrance. It’s better to be assertive and take control of the situation when you are able to, lest you regret it in the future.”

Second Young Miss froze for a moment. She looked at Fifth Young Miss who was playing around with her older sisters, and lowered her voice, “I, I don’t know about these things. Who can disobey the family’s instructions?”

Gu Xi laughed, suddenly seeming regain her spirits again. She pointed to the main room where Grand Madam was, saying “Isn’t there still someone who can make the decision for you?”

The marriage arrangements of children were all managed by the parents. Moreover, Grand Madam was her paternal grandmother who lived across the hall from her.

Second Young Miss never thought about it like that.

Gu Xi lamented, “Look at how much Grand Madam loves all her juniors, if you were to ask her, Grand Madam would definitely make the best decision for you.”

Second Young Miss did not reply. After a while, Gu Xi thought that she wouldn’t reply, but then she gently nodded her head.

Gu Xi laughed cheerily and invited Second Young Miss to play, “Let’s go play in the snow as well. Look at Lady Yu and the others, how much fun they’re having!”

Second young lady glanced at Gu Xi, her attitude became much closer and friendlier, and she smiled as she answered, “Yes.”

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