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 yet faded away, mixed with bursts of bone-chilling chill.
A carriage was driving slowly in the deserted suburbs. The coachman shouted softly and drove away, seeming a little impatient and a little afraid, waving the riding crop hesitantly in his hand.
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. 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. He raised his whip and swung it hard and sharply at the horse's crotch.
"Boom"
There was only a muffled sound inside the carriage, as if someone had knocked down.
"ah!"
A woman's scream broke through the silence of the morning. Then a pair of white hands quickly lifted up the curtains of the car, stretched out their hands and yanked the driver's back collar fiercely.
"You driver, you don't want to live anymore, do you? Do you know whose lady is sitting in this car?"
The coachman was almost suffocated by the pain. He quickly retracted his whip and the carriage was stabilized.
"Miss Caixing, you really don't know what time it is? The old lady and the 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 slowly. The ignorant old woman who was choking had 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 is Bai and her given name is Yanqing. She is the eldest daughter of Bai Jingxuan, the prime minister of the dynasty. Because he lost his mother in his early years and was frail since childhood, and was not liked by the Bai family's old lady Ren, he was sent to be raised in Zhuangzi outside the city when he was eight years old. On weekdays, I 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. She was left alone to spend the Spring Festival in Zhuangzi. However, it was fifteen days after the Spring Festival, so on the early morning of the Lantern Festival, Ren's personal maid was sent 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 the trouble of traveling and traveling early in the morning. But anyone with a discerning eye can see this behavior at this time. This old lady of the Bai family is deliberately making things difficult for Bai Yanqing.
However, does this old lady of the Bai family really think that Bai Yanqing can be manipulated so easily by her?
"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 he was a child, and his temperament is somewhat as stubborn as Bai Yanqing's. She saw her young lady being wronged, so how could she let the old lady continue to humiliate Bai Yanqing? So, while driving the coachman out of the car, she forced the carriage to a stop, and then scolded the woman with such vitriolic vigor that even the old woman who had lived in the house for many years was scolded. I can't stand it!
The journey was originally only less than two hours, but due to Cai Xing's "unruly insistence", it was delayed until noon to arrive at Bai Mansion.
"Miss, we're here."
Caixing jumped out of the carriage first, and then carefully helped Bai Yanqing down.
Bai Yanqing put her feet on the ground and straightened her waist, standing in front of the gate of Baifu, staring at the word "Baifu" in the dazzling midday sun, in a daze. It must have been half a year since I last returned home, right? 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 Bai Mansion.
Caixing 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 woman got off the carriage, she saw Bai Yanqing and his wife leaving. She was stunned for a moment: This eldest lady has already arrived at the door of her house, why can't she come in? How could she explain this to the old lady? I originally wanted to take the eldest lady back to the house for breakfast, but now I am afraid that the old lady and the others have all used up their lunch, and the eldest lady has not yet entered the house. What should I do?
The mother-in-law didn't dare to make the decision without permission and chase after 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 to talk to the old lady.
On the other side, Bai Yanqing pulled Cai Xing and had a great time. From the streets to the alleys, from rouge and gouache to snacks, from the peak of the sun to the sunset...
"Miss...it's already this hour...we..."
Caixing 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 go home for a reunion, but now it was better. The two of them had been playing in the streets for most of the day. If they didn't go back home, something would happen again.
Bai Yanqing rolled her eyes at Cai Xing, then she casually found a tea shop by the roadside and sat down, letting the waiter serve a pot of tea. Then she drank tea and ate snacks leisurely, not in any hurry. The reason why Bai Yanqing is so calm is that she is sure that the Bai family will 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 child who knows nothing.
Sure enough, not long after, there was a 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 people arrive, the sound arrives first. The sentence on the left, "Grandma sent someone to pick her up," and the sentence on the right, "It's hard to invite a sister," both 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. When the visitor saw Bai Yanqing treating him so lightly, he felt a little angry, but he couldn't show it openly, so he had 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.
