Chapter 303 - Morning Gifts from Duke Yong’s Mansion
Chapter 303 Morning Gifts from Duke Yong’s Mansion
The snowfall lasted several days in a row, and the ground was already covered with a thick layer of snow. A sunny day finally arrived today. Without the numbing cold of the winter, more people became active in the mansion.
After paying her greetings to Madam Dowager, Qin Wanru did not return to Zhifang Pavilion directly. Instead, holding an exquisite handwarmer, she went to the yard with Yujie and took a leisurely walk there.
The snow on the wide roads had been shoveled out, but the snow on the small paths had not been completely swept away. The sturdy old maids were sweeping the snow. When they saw Qin Wanru coming over, they hurried to the side to bow. After she left, they began sweeping the snow again.
Looking happy, Qin Wanru took a casual walk and arrived at the Chuihua Gate. Seeing Qin Wanru coming from a distance, the old maid guarding the gate hurried over to bow.
“What are you doing?” Qin Wanru’s eyes fell on an old maid supervisor behind her. When she found Qin Wanru noticed her, she also came with a smile to bow.
“Second Miss, I am from Duke Yong’s Mansion.”
“Anything?” Qin Wanru asked as she looked at the long line of servant girls and old maids still standing outside the Chuihua Gate.
“We’ve brought some gifts to First Miss Qin and also some herbs. This is a token of our regard,” the old maid grinned and answered.
Qin Wanru knew the delivery of herbs to Madam Di because Duke Yong’s Mansion sent someone to tell it last night.
“Gifts to my Big Sister? The betrothal gifts of the Heir of the Duke to my Big Sister? You have sent them before, haven’t you?” Qin Wanru whispered as if she was talking to herself and knitted her brows, feeling a little confused.
The old maid waved hurriedly and said, “Not betrothal gifts, not betrothal gifts, First Miss Qin is still too young, and the mansion’s madam and general especially want to raise her for a few more years. Previously, our madam and Old Madam were a little too anxious! The gifts are for First Miss to play with this time. As for betrothal gifts, it won’t be late to send them in a year or two!”
“Qin Yuru will be 16 or 17 in a year or two. Marrying at these ages is absolutely late, but you say it’s not!”
The butterfly wing-like long eyelashes flickered twice, and her watery eyes glinted with profoundness. “Big Sister and Heir of the Duke are still not to marry now?
“Of course not, how? First Miss is only 13. Some girls are married at this age, but your mansion still wants to raise her, and so our Old Madam and madam also agree to let First Miss enjoy a few more years with her family!” the old maid smiled and said eloquently.
Yujie widened her eyes behind them. “First Miss is only 13? How could I not know!
“She is 15, it isn’t she? That time in Jiangzhou, I was still in Jingxin Monastery, but I also knew the marriage of First Miss Qin that shocked the entire Jiangzhou. Everyone said she was at the golden age of 15, and she would marry the first son of Jiangzhou magistrate at 15, right? Why is she 13 now!”
“Big Sister is 13?” Qin Wanru turned her watery eyes slightly.
“Right, this is what your mansion said, but why can’t I see it! But later I knew your mansion’s First Miss Qi is also 13, and I suddenly understood!” the old maid said. “These gifts are also a token of our Old Madam and Madam’s regard. We were too anxious in the past, and we apologize to your mansion’s First Miss!”
Qi Rongzhi was only 13, but she was not so much different from the 15-year-old Qin Yuru at first glance.
“Will your Heir of the Duke wait for my Big Sister for several years?” Qin Wanru asked calmly.
“He will wait, of course. Our Heir of the Duke and your mansion’s First Miss are engaged, and our two families are bonded. If anything happens, they should be considerate. Since your mansion still wants to raise First Miss, our Heir of the Duke can understand, and our Old Madam loves First Miss.”
“You came so early to send gifts. I am afraid you might have met so many people, right?” Qin Wanru did not ask things about Qin Yuru’s age anymore and raised her eyes to look at the long line at the Chuihua Gate.
A team of this length coming in the morning must have attracted the attention of many people. Duke Yong’s Mansion was neither far from nor near Qin’s Mansion. On a sunny day, such a prominent group of people marching over was a showoff along the way!
“Qin Yuru is 13?” The corners of her mouth were raised slightly. “It turns out there is this matter. That’s why Qin Yuru married so late in my previous life. It is because her age was reduced. Now some things are suddenly clear to me. Everything does go on in the course of my previous life!
“The course went on in my previous life without my knowledge, but I push it on purpose in this life.
“Its timing and speed are in my deliberate regulation.”
She raised her eyes and looked out of the Chuihua Gate. A small servant scuttled over. When he saw Qin Wanru, he breathlessly came over to bow. “Second Miss, I pay my respect to you!”
“What is it?” Qin Wanru raised her eyes and asked quietly.
“General asks you to go over!” the servant stood straight and said with a smile.
“My father asks me to go over at this time?” Qin Wanru asked with a surprise. She was just wandering, but how could Qin Huaiyong know she was at the Chuihua Gate?
“Right, General asks you to go over now!” the servant said.
Qin Wanru nodded and followed the servant to walk out of the Chuihua Gate, and the servant hurried to keep up. The old maid supervisor of Duke Yong’s Mansion smiled and backed off to the side, waiting respectfully for Qin Wanru to pass by.
Qin Huaiyong’s study was not far from the Chuihua Gate. The snow on this road had been cleaned. Qin Wanru followed the servant all the way to the door of Qin Huaiyong’s study. She stood at the door, kicked some snow on her shoes, and then walked into Qin Huaiyong’s study.
In the study, Qin Huaiyong was reading a case file. The large case file covered half of the desk. Qin Wanru raised her eyes slightly to look at it, which seemed to be a map.
“Father!”
“Wanru, sit down. Let me finish reading and then talk with you”!” Qin Huaiyong waved his hands without raising his head, and his eyes still fell sharply on the map in front of him.
Qin Wanru nodded, sitting in a tamed manner on the side, and the servant carried tea over hurriedly. She put her handwarmer on her knees and took up the tea to sip. The light fragrance of the tea lingered between her lips and teeth. Although she had no idea about the tea ceremony, she couldn’t help whispering, “Good, really good!”
“Wanru, you also think it’s good?” Qin Huaiyong laughed, looked sideways at her, and continued to consult his map again.
“Father, your tea is very good. It seems a new tea. Are there new teas at this time?” Qin Wanru lowered her head again to sip and whispered.
Qin Huaiyong lifted his hand and signaled to talk about it in a while.
The room turned quiet, and Qin Wanru was sipping the tea carefully. As her watery eyes turned slightly, she suddenly thought of the gifts from Duke Yong’s Mansion, and a little profoundness glinted in her eyes.
It seemed that this tea had something to do with Duke Yong’s Mansion!
“Oh, it’s here!” Qin Huaiyong seemed to be looking for something. After looking for a while, he mumbled and lowered his head to carefully look at some spot on the map.
After looking at it for a while, he raised his head, took a sip of the tea the servant brought just now, narrowed his eyes comfortably, and leaned back with a smile.
“This is the tea Duke Yong’s Mansion sent just now. If you like it, take half of it!”
“Father, I don’t need it, I don’t like tea, and I just say so casually!” Qin Wanru refused with a smile. She knew Qin Huaiyong liked tea. When they were in Jiangzhou, there were many good tea leaves in their family.
“If you don’t like it, I won’t give you!” Qin Huaiyong did not refuse and said with a smile. Then, he casually folded the map on the table and put it on the edge.
“Wanru, have you seen the servants of Duke Yong’s Mansion?” he asked as he cleaned up.
“I saw them, and I happened to meet them. They say the herbs are for Madam Di, and the gifts are for my Big Sister, but…” Qin Wanru looked very hesitant as she said this, and squeezed the handkerchief in his hand a few times, looking like she wanted to say something but didn’t say it.
“Wanru, if you have any words, speak out!” Qin Huaiyong looked happy and smiled.
“Father, why did the servants of Duke Yong’s Mansion say my Big Sister is 13?” Qin Wanru bit her lip, turned and asked in a little girl’s manner, “My Big Sister is 15, but why say she is 13?”
This appearance allowed her to be innocent and childish and talk very frankly, for this was in line with her current age and wouldn’t look too abrupt.
“In fact, this is also a helpless choice!” Qin Huaiyong heaved a sigh, leaned back, and stopped smiling.
“Father, what happened?” Qin Wanru asked with worry.
“Nothing serious happened, but you should have also heard of the previous rumors about your Big Sister, shouldn’t you?” Qin Huaiyong exhaled deeply and turned gloomy.
In fact, rumors were about Qin Yuru, Madam Di, and even Qin Wanru. No matter what, such things were not good. The courtyard affairs were spread again and again and had lost their original forms. The entire Qin’s Mansion, Duke Yong’s Mansion and even Duke Xing’s Mansion were now strangely in the teeth of the storm.
Qin Huaiyong disliked this feeling so much, but he could not find the cause of the problem. In private, he had sent out many people, but no useful information had been found.
“I heard some rumors. Are they about me?” Qin Wanru bit her lip and raised her beautiful watery eyes, looking at Qin Huaiyong with some expectations!
Rumors about Qin Yuru should be put aside, and hers should be talked about. Since Qin Huaiyong mentioned this, she should pick up the topic that was hard for him to start.
During this time, rumors about her had been spread crazily outside their mansion, but no one talked about them at home. This meant someone must have given an order to stop that.
Although the order had been given, she still heard something!
“About you?” Qin Huaiyong knitted his brows even tighter, looked at Qin Wanru, and said in a hesitant manner.
“Father, anything hard for you to talk about?” Qin Wanru’s long eyelashes flapped, a thin fog wafted in her beautiful eyes, and she stared at Qin Huaiyong in tears.
As her eyes fell on him, he felt uneasy. He lowered his head to take up his cup and drink again, then raised his head with a little difficulty, and said, “Wanru, you don’t need to care about the outside rumors. Are your grandma and I not nice to you?”