Delicate Flower – Chapter 162

Chapter 162 – Attention

Now that Yu Tang knew Fifth Miss wasn’t allowed to play in the snow, she had to keep a close eye on her. However, because of that, she wouldn’t have much time left for her own enjoyment. After spending the morning playing with the girls, she was already drenched in sweat by the time she took a break.

In this kind of weather, it was very easy to catch a cold if she stayed like this.

Yu Tang decided to go back to her room and change clothes.

Second Madam insisted, “It’s alright, there’s no need to hurry. Head back and take a bath and have your hair dried before coming over. We’ll wait for you to have lunch together.”

Her body was sticky, so it would be nice if she could take a bath.

Yu Tang said her goodbyes to Second Madam, and walked about halfway before meeting Ji Daniang.

“Lady Yu!” Ji Daniang smiled as she went up and bowed, saying, “The doorman said that a letter was sent over from your house. I have just gone to the doorman to retrieve the letter, and was just about to bring it over you!”

Yu Tang was startled.

It couldn’t be that something happened at home, could it?

She thanked Ji Daniang, but internally, she was unable to settle her thoughts.

Her mother took her medicine regularly without stopping, and her health was improving and she didn’t fall sick at all last year. This year they showed the same level of care as before, so there shouldn’t be any changes. As for her sister-in-law, her eldest aunt and cousin viewed her as precious as a pearl and doted heavily on her. Eldest Aunt’s health was also good, and there shouldn’t be anything bad… so why did her family write to her?

She hurriedly left Ji Daniang, and quickly returned to her living quarters, and couldn’t wait to open the letter.

With one look, she understood.

It turns out that Gentleman Zhang had sent over the ten paintings and her eldest cousin couldn’t decide on what to do, so he brought the paintings to her so that she could look over them and reach a decision.

Yu Tong examined Gentleman Zhang’s paintings carefully. As expected, it has the artistic appeal of the literati, although it only had a few brushstrokes, yet it was elegant and interesting in both form and expression.

She immediately wrote a letter back to her eldest cousin, telling him to pay according to the previously agreed price, and added, “Even if the clients don’t like it, we can still keep them for some other purpose.”

Shuang Tao asked the porter to help deliver the letter under her orders, while Yu Tang was attended to by Liu Shu as she took a bath.

Not long afterward, Shuang Tao returned.

There was a pile of snow on her wooden clogs.

Looked like the snow was getting heavier.

Yu Tang asked, “The letter was sent out safely?”

Shuang Tao took off her wooden clogs and responded, “It’s been arranged. I also tipped the delivery boy twenty coins.”

Yu Tang nodded with a smile and opened her jewellery box to pick out the right ones to wear.

Shuang Tao came over to help, whilst chatting with her, saying “When I was returning, I met Mrs. Shen’s attendant. She was also there to deliver a letter, but she only tipped the boy ten coins. I originally thought of waiting for her so that we could return together, but seeing her expression, it didn’t seem convenient for me to stay.”

As Yu Tang picked out the jewellery, she asked, “Mrs. Shen had someone deliver a letter? Do you know who it’s for?”

Shuang Tao helped her pin the silk flowers she picked out into her hair while saying, “It seems like it was going to Hangzhou City. I heard that boy ask Mrs. Shen’s serving attendant that if the Pei family were to deliver the letter, it would be given to Supervisor Tong, who would then take it to Hangzhou City when he visits. If the letter were to be delivered by official postal service, they would help her send the letter to the post office and bring the receipt to her. Mrs. Shen seemed to be in a hurry as she requested for it to be delivered by official post.” After saying that, she grumbled a little, commenting, “It was snowing so heavily and the post office was far away, but Mrs. Shen’s attendant only tipped that boy ten coins……”

Yu Tang heard this and said in disapproval, “The situation of each family is different, perhaps the twenty coins we gave was also very little in the eyes of those delivery boys. Furthermore, we are now staying in the Pei family’s compound, so be careful what you say!”

Shuang Tao answered with a remorseful look, and when she finished tidying up she went to Grand Madam’s residence.

Fourth, Third and Fifth Miss had all arrived. They had also taken a bath and changed their clothes, and were chatting as they sat around Grand Madam .

Seeing Yu Tang come over, they all got up and greeted her.

Gu Xi and Second Miss also came over together.

Both of them had also freshened up.

The crowd inevitably had another round of light-hearted bantering.

Grand Madam smilingly instructed Chen Daniang: “Since everyone has arrived, let’s serve the meal!”

Chen Daniang acquiesced.

Gu Xi then went forward to assist Grand Madam.

Grand Madam smiled and patted Gu Xi’s hand, and with her helping her, all of them went to the main hall.

Perhaps it was the cold weather, but today there was an extra dish of clear mutton soup broth on the table.

The soup didn’t have the slightest smell of mutton, yet was surprisingly rich.

Yu Tang drank two bowls of it in a row. Her body quickly warmed up, and only then did she put down her chopsticks.

Fourth Miss then proposed that everyone go to the Warm Pavilion in the afternoon.

Grand Madam then instructed Ji Daniang, saying “Go tell Second Madam that she should free up some of her time this afternoon and accompany them to the Pavilion.”

Ji Daniang smiled and complied.

Everyone was delighted as they invited Grand Madam to go along with them in the afternoon.

Grand Madam smiled dotingly at them as she refused “I’m old, so I don’t have the energy to follow along. Let me have a break and rest well at home.”

Several juniors could not help but get a little disappointed.

Grand Madam couldn’t bear to see their looks of disappointment, so she added, “Alright. Everyone go back and take a nap. In the afternoon, I’ll go over for a short while.”

Everyone instantly perked up, and as they were afraid of disturbing Grand Madam’s rest, they quickly got up to leave.

Grand Madam then had Chen Daniang escort them out the door.

Yu Tang and Gu Xi both stayed at the back of Grand Madam’s residence and had to cross over a lane, while the Pei family’s young ladies stayed at the east side of Grand Madam’s residence. Both groups went out of Grand Madam’s residence, with Yu Tang and Gu Xi travelling one way, and  the Pei family’s young ladies travelling another. However, when they were out of Grand Madam’s main courtyard, second young miss asked Gu Xi, “Sister would you like to come over to my place?”

Gu Xi revealed a regretful look as she replied, “I still have to return to check on Mrs. Shen. Why don’t second young miss come over to my courtyard instead? I heard from your serving maid earlier that there is a large plum tree grove at the back of the mountain. I was wondering if I should wait until it snowed to pick some plum blossoms for making incense. Unexpectedly, it snowed last night. I was also going to invite several younger sisters and Lady Yu to join me in viewing the plums blossoms as well!”

Several of the Pei family’s young ladies was overjoyed, and fourth young miss was especially excited, as she exclaimed, “Sister Gu, I want to go. Don’t forget to invite me when you go picking plum-blossoms.”

Fifth Miss also followed along and replied, “I want to go too, I want to go too!”

Gu Xi pursed her lips into a smile, saying, “I still don’t know if the plum-blossoms in the residence can be picked. If they can, I’ll definitely bring you all along then.”

Third Young Miss was also intrigued and remarked, “We should be able to pick them. Let’s ask Auntie later.”

Fourth Miss nodded repeatedly, and Fifth Miss took the initiative to volunteer to ask her mother.

Everyone smiled and settled on this arrangement before dispersing.

Yu Tang saw second young miss and Gu Xi walking side by side and whispering, and realized that Gu Xi was attempting to draw closer to the Pei family members one by one, so that they would be favourably disposed towards her. She had no intention of getting involved, so she slowed her pace and gradually fell behind.

Who knew that when she exited the passageway, she ran into a young male attendant, and when she met him, he greeted Yu Tang with a bow and asked her, “Are you Lady Yu?”

Yutang was very surprised as she answered “yes”.

The boy smiled, saying “Third master came up to the mountain, and after knowing that Lady Yu needed to send a letter, he let the porter deliver the letter to Chief Steward Hu, so that Chief Steward Hu could personally send the letter to your house. Chief Steward Hu was afraid that you would worry and specially asked me to come over and inform you.”

Yu Tang inexplicably felt stunned and delighted, saying, “Third Master has arrived?”

“Yes.” The boy replied, “He just came and is now staying at Xiluxi Garden. Later on, he should be heading over to greet Grand Madam.”

According to the Pei family’s rules, he was not supposed to divulge third master’s whereabouts, but as soon as third master went up the mountain, he had Chief Steward Hu help Yu Tang to send a letter. Furthermore, Chief Steward Hu specially had him come and inform Lady Yu. No matter how he looked at it, it made him feel that Yu Tang was treated like an honoured guest of the Pei family, and he felt that he should also be like Chief Steward Hu, and curry favor with Lady Yu.

Yu Tang smiled and rewarded him with a copper coin before leaving with Shuangtao. However, as soon as she turned to look ahead, she saw Gu Xi and second young miss both standing in front of her, staring at her fixedly.

Unsure, she touched her face and asked strangely, “What’s the matter? Is there something wrong?”

Second Miss frowned and was about to say something, but Gu Xi stopped her.

“Nothing!” Gu Xi laughed, “It’s just that I was walking along and suddenly realized that you were missing, so we waited for you here.”

Second Miss cried out “Sister Gu” in surprise at her words.

Gu Xi, however, pulled second young miss and said to Yu Tang with a smile, “When are you leaving the house later? Why don’t we call for you then? We’ll go to the warm pavilion together.” She quickly diverted the topic away.

Yu Tang understood Gu Xi only too well.

Gu Xi was a person who had many concerns and often over-thought. Every sentence she spoke had to be twisted and carefully layered, and the person who was listening to her would have to think long and hard before discerning her true intentions.

Before, when they were sisters-in-law, she had to keep her head down, and comply, but now that they were going their separate ways, she wasn’t going to bother with guessing what Gu Xi’s intentions were. As long as Gu Xi didn’t ask her directly, she would pretend she didn’t know. Let Gu Xi figure it out on her own in private.

Thinking of this, Yu Tang couldn’t help but picture Gu Xi’s face full of anxiety as she paced around the room, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly as she grinned.

“Good!” She looked over at Gu Xi, “When the time comes, I’ll wait for you to call me, and we’ll go to the Warm Pavilion together.”

“Then it’s settled!” Gu Xi said, and pulled second young miss away.

Yu Tang smiled and also led Shuang Tao back to their residence.

Second Young Miss, however, was not as calm as Gu Xi.

As soon as Yu Tang’s figure left their line of sight, Second Miss couldn’t wait to ask Gu Xi, “Why didn’t Sister Gu let me ask her? How did she come to be under the care of Third Chief Steward Hu? Even if Scholar Yu was friends with Third Chief Steward Hu, she as a person of the inner courtyard, why would she need to do anything that required his help? What did she want to do?”

They weren’t able to hear very clearly what that attendant said, which made them feel all the more puzzled.

Gu Xi lowered her gaze and thinking of Yu Tang’s family history, she whispered softly, ”I don’t know how Lady Yu gained the favour Grand Madam. As a matter of fact, it’s not like the Yu family has any connection with your family, so just how could she get so close to Grand Madam so easily?”

Second Miss froze and carefully pondered over it, but the more she thought about it, the more she felt that Gu Xi’s words made sense.

She hesitantly answered, “I’ve heard that her silk flowers were well made …… But as good as her craftsmanship may be, can it be better than the family’s designated embroiderer?” Speaking of this, she said in shock, “Sister Gu, if you didn’t mention it I wouldn’t have noticed. Yu, Lady Yu seems to have popped up out of nowhere!”

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