Chapter 46: Chapter 45: Flower Melon
The Four Treasures of the Study on the desk were moved a bit, with a layer of cotton cloth spread in the middle, and various sizes of carving knives placed on top.
Du Yunluo sat at the desk, carefully lowering the knife, even though she had planned how to carve, when she actually started, she still hesitated a bit.
Jin Ling accompanied her side, saying little, just quietly watching.
Du Yunluo carved for half an hour, her neck aching, she put down the knife and rubbed her neck, hearing the gentle laughter from outside, she couldn’t help but smile too: "After all, it’s almost the Qixi Festival, and everyone’s getting impatient."
"Are they disturbing you, Miss?" Jin Ling circled around to Du Yunluo’s back, relaxing her, "Jin Rui is watching outside, you can rest assured, Miss."
"What is there for me to worry about? After all, it’s the Qixi Festival, should we still bind and restrict them? You tell Jin Rui later, if those little ones want to catch love spiders, just let them go." After Du Yunluo finished speaking, hearing Jin Ling’s response, she suddenly added, "Jin Ling’er, why don’t you join them for fun?"
Jin Ling’s hands paused, turned her head and gave a wry smile: "Miss, please don’t tease the maid, the maid needs to attend to Miss."
Du Yunluo frowned, Jin Ling seemed to be...
If she remembered correctly, the Zhao family came to propose for Jin Ling just after the Mid-Autumn Festival in the past, so in calculation, it’s only been a month’s time.
Could it be that the Zhao family sought Jin Ling early, but Jin Ling didn’t agree, and it was only then that the Zhao family came to her?
Thinking of this possibility made Du Yunluo’s heart ache dully.
In the past life, she was controlled by all her emotions, not even noticing the big maid’s situation beside her, muddling through and sending Jin Ling off, eventually to the Yama Hall.
"Jin Ling’er..." Du Yunluo’s voice trembled slightly, "These words were spoken by you yourself, you want to stay by my side and serve. In the future, unless you find a suitable place by yourself, I won’t let you go. If someone comes asking, and you don’t want to go, just tell me and I’ll keep you."
Jin Ling’s moist eyes tightened suddenly, biting her lower lip, she wanted to ask if the Miss had heard something, but she swallowed back the question and randomly responded.
The voice obviously carried a sobbing tone.
Du Yunluo, keen as she was, turned her head to look at Jin Ling, just as she was about to speak, she heard Jin Rui leading the greeting outside.
It was Du Yunnuo.
Du Yunluo frowned.
Jin Ling quickly sniffed, bowed her head, and restrained her emotions.
Jin Rui lifted the curtain and invited Du Yunnuo in.
"Why has Fourth Sister come?" Du Yunluo asked curiously, as Du Yunnuo’s previous underhanded tricks had offended all the sisters, causing her to seldom visit different rooms these days. Today, for some reason, she suddenly came over.
Du Yunnuo walked to the desk, glanced at the half-carved flower melon, and her eyes lit up: "Is this from the dragon boat race day? Fifth Sister, you’re really amazing, even though you didn’t go to watch, it’s as if you saw it in person. Oh, your method is truly interesting, just a few cuts outline the boat, all the details and attention are focused on that drum and the Princely Heir."
A friendliness wins over a smiling face.
Du Yunnuo not only smiled but also praised her first; although Du Yunluo was cautious, she couldn’t keep a cold face.
"I just came to see your flower melon," Du Yunnuo sat on the couch and laughed, "Big Sister and you are carving flower melons, Third Sister is busy making pastries, saying she’ll fry some new designs tomorrow for us to see. I just visited her place, the flour was flying, and she refused to let me see beforehand, so I had to come to you."
Du Yunying was very fond of fried pastries, Du Yunluo remembered, every time during Qixi when she was young, she would look forward to Du Yunying’s new designs.
From the initial small animals to before Du Yunying got married, even the Dragon and Phoenix were fried out.
Others would send flower melons to their in-laws during Qixi, but Du Yunying preferred to send pastries, saying it was all about showing skill and cleverness, why couldn’t pastries compare to flower melons.
Old Mrs. Xia was amused and angry at the same time, seeing the pastries did look good, while Du Yunying’s flower melons were somewhat unimpressive, thus she agreed.
"Not letting you see is for the best, Third Sister fears you’ll see it and tell us prematurely, making her presentation tomorrow less surprising," Du Yunluo said.
"Can’t say that," Du Yunnuo took the sweet soup Jin Ling handed her, sipping it, "She gives us clues, we guess all night, and tomorrow we can eagerly wait."
Du Yunluo blinked, this seemed to make sense.
"However, I do want to know, what kind of flower melon our soon-to-be Second Sister-in-law will bring tomorrow," Du Yunnuo said, "Last year it seemed like a water lily? Our grandmother praised it."
Du Yunluo picked up the carving knife, carving while having a casual conversation with Du Yunnuo.
Although she imagined Mu Lianxiao drumming, it wasn’t witnessed personally, so she asked Du Yunnuo a few questions.
Whether his sleeves were rolled up, pant legs tucked, Du Yunnuo frowned recalling, and answered one by one.
Spending over half an hour, only then was the detail complete.
Du Yunnuo came over for a look, clapped her hands and said: "Amazing amazing! Fifth Sister’s skill at carving flower melons truly stands out."
Du Yunluo looked around, seeing no need for modification, she finally let Jin Ling carefully hold the flower melon for preparation, also keeping it chilled, intending to send it to the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion tomorrow morning.
Seeing no other people in the West Attic, Du Yunnuo leaned beside Du Yunluo, whispered: "Sister Cai’er is going to be sent to the manor."
Du Yunluo was startled: "Where did you hear this?"
"Just now in Shuifu Garden, several old women were gossiping, I happened to hear," Du Yunnuo pouted, "The matter has passed for nearly a month, and only now she’s being sent..."
"Perhaps they feared sending in haste would raise suspicion." Du Yunluo said while feeling equally puzzled inside.
Miao Ruoshan, after all, is the daughter of the main family of the Miao Family, having faced this kind of disgrace, reflection and confinement are inevitable, but sending her to the manor...
Especially since Miao Ruoshan is already at an age where marriage is being discussed, sending her away now would truly delay things.
"I thought the same initially," Du Yunnuo’s voice lowered further, ensuring Jin Ling and Jin Rui wouldn’t enter, she then said, "I heard that at first, at the Miao Family, some wanted to downplay the incident, even attempting to shift blame, saying Second Aunt didn’t care well for Sister Cai’er, angering Second Aunt enough to pound the table. Second Aunt, after all, is an outsider after marriage, having no say in her family’s matters, thus Sister Cai’er’s issue was delayed. But recently, seeing our Du Family rise, Grandfather’s carriage heading to the Eastern Palace, things changed immediately to appease Second Aunt, and that’s why Sister Cai’er is now being sent away."
Du Yunluo was surprised, not surprised by the Miao Family’s attitude, but by Du Yunnuo’s source of information.
Seeing her look, Du Yunnuo didn’t hide: "Do you think the common old women in Shuifu Garden dared to gossip randomly? It was Mrs. Shen Changgen speaking, I happened to overhear."
Mrs. Shen Changgen, being the companion maid of Miao Family’s daughter, paired with Shen Changgen, still working beside Miao Family’s daughter, quite trusted.
If she said it, the matters were likely close to the truth, but incredibly, these words were from Du Yunnuo, causing Du Yunluo to suspect a bit.
