Chapter 48 Everyone says that once you get busy...

Chapter 48 Everyone says that once you get busy...

It is said that time flies when you get busy. After returning home that day, Xiao Yan devoted most of her energy to running the shop. Before she even realized it, time had flown by like water.

It wasn't until one day when she was walking through her backyard and saw that the lake was once again covered with lotus leaves that she suddenly realized that another summer had arrived.

A rough calculation shows that I've been in this era for almost a year now.

Only after truly immersing herself in this era did she gradually understand why people of this time said that girls were pampered guests, because as a girl, the time she could spend at home was really only a few years.

Take herself for example. Even though she wanted to postpone her marriage, she had discussed it with the first wife and wanted to stay at home for another two or three years.

However, when the Qin family urged him, Master Xiao readily agreed, saying "yes, yes, whatever." Even though, under the strong suggestion of the First Madam Xiao Yan Hui, out of doting on his daughter, he did manage to postpone the wedding slightly, citing the lack of time to make the furniture, it was ultimately just a matter of moving the wedding date from spring to autumn.

Xiao Yan had originally hoped that Qin Ji could be of some use, but the man said with a helpless expression:

"As soon as I opened my mouth, my father asked, 'Are you unhappy with your chosen bride because you want to postpone the wedding? You were the one who agreed to the engagement in the first place, are you going back on your word now?'"

"Given the current situation, how could I dare to speak?" Qin Ji spread his hands, indicating that he was truly powerless to change the matter of postponing the wedding.

......

"Alas, we won't see these flowers next year." Xiao Yanhui stopped and stood by the lake, sighing softly.

"How could you not see them? This spring, didn't Brother Xiaoxi say that the Qin family also dug a lake and planted lotus flowers? The girl will be able to see them again next year after she gets married."

Zhu Yue interrupted Xiao Yan Hui's occasional affectation with a fact. She then looked at the gravel path by the lake covered with light moss and went to help Xiao Yan Hui: "It rained last night, and the pebbles by the lake are still slippery. Please watch your step, young lady."

"Miss, Madam Li is bringing your wedding dress over today. Let's hurry to the First Madam's courtyard. I wonder how beautiful that wedding dress will be!" Cat's eyes gleamed with anticipation.

When the cat saw the design the girl had drawn, the material she had chosen, and the pearls and gemstones that were expected to be set in, it was already very much looking forward to seeing the finished product.

After waiting for more than two months, Li Niangzi finally said that it was ready and specially chose today as an auspicious day to deliver it. However, the young lady was not in a hurry to try it out. Instead, she started looking at the lotus leaves, which made her, a maid, impatient and itchy.

"Didn't Madam Li say she wanted to choose an auspicious day and time? The time hasn't come yet, little girl, why are you in such a hurry? Don't worry! When you get married, I'll give you a nice wedding dress as part of your dowry." Xiao Yan teased the cat.

The cat blushed deeply, stomped its foot lightly, and scolded, "Girl!"

She felt a strange sense of anticipation; not so much for getting married, but for her wedding dress.

Because what the girl said was true, last winter, Qingfu's family came to her home and found her a marriage. They wanted to ask the girl for her grace so that she could go out and get married. Such grace is something that is usually given.

But the young lady not only gave Qingfu a dowry of silver and a set of gold and silver jewelry, but also specially ordered Xiao's Silk Shop to make her a wedding dress. The bright and smooth red fabric was top-quality even in Xiao's shop.

This is hardly the kind of wedding where a maid is being married off! Even moderately wealthy families outside wouldn't be this extravagant when their daughters are getting married.

The young lady probably didn't know how jealous the maids in the Xiao family were of those who served in Qingnuan Courtyard. After Sister Qingfu left, how many people racked their brains to try and get a place in the courtyard.

Now, the three head maids are missing one. That's right, she and Zhuyue have been promoted to head maids in Qing's warm courtyard. Thinking of this, Mao'er can't help but sigh that she is really lucky.

If there hadn't been a vacancy for the head maidservant when they entered the courtyard that day, they wouldn't have been able to get up there so quickly.

Now, such an opportunity has once again been presented to the other maids of the Xiao family. Naturally, they will try their best to seize it, after all, it is not easy to find a generous and good-tempered master.

Moreover, everyone knows that besides the vacancy left by Qingfu, Lü'e is also getting on in years, and the people serving the Third Miss before her marriage will definitely need to be replenished again. Such an opportunity is simply a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

Cat even felt that these days, as she walked around the house, many more people came to flatter her. Her thoughts drifted slightly from the wedding dress, but were quickly pulled back by a strange sound.

"Cat, Zhuyue, is someone crying over there?" Xiao Yan Hui naturally heard the strange sound as well. After carefully listening for a moment, her gaze fell on a rockery.

"It's probably the sound of the wind blowing through the artificial hill and cave. Miss, I think it's about time. Madam Li should be arriving soon. Let's hurry up and go."

Cat cursed inwardly, "Which brat is so inconsiderate? Blocking the way for my daughter to go look at her wedding dress and crying!" Meanwhile, she tried to convince her daughter that everything was alright and that they should hurry up and look at the dress.

Xiao Yan glanced back at the cat, which made her slowly lower her head.

With just that slightly warning glance, the cat realized it had made a mistake in its reply.

"You're being punished by not having any snacks today," Xiao Yan said.

Although the cat may have meant well, she couldn't let the maidservants around her develop the habit of fooling her.

"Yes, miss." The cat shrank its neck and obediently accepted the punishment.

“Sometimes the maids in the house get scolded by the head maid and hide away to cry for a while. If we go over there, it might make them uncomfortable,” Zhu Yue said in a lower voice.

"Let's go take a look from a distance. If there's nothing seriously wrong, we can leave." The sobbing sounded very sad, and it didn't seem right to just leave like that, so Xiao Yan decided to go and take a look.

We took a slightly roundabout route and ended up on the east side of the artificial mountain. Xiao Yan recalled that this was a very special angle.

From this angle, you can see into the small cave in the artificial mountain, but unless someone inside specifically peers out through the cracks in the rocks, it's not easy for them to see outside.

Then, Xiao Yan met the eyes of a person who was squatting by the artificial hill with a sullen face, and for a moment both of them were quite embarrassed.

If I remember correctly, the person squatting there was Xiao Yingxun's attendant. Therefore, it is obvious who the pink figure who was curled up in a ball and sobbing in the cave was.

The cat gently tugged at its mistress's sleeve, signaling with its eyes: "Miss, let's go quickly!"

The affairs of the second wife's illegitimate daughters are not something that the people of the first wife can easily meddle in.

The maids who had seen Xiao Yan return were also caught in a dilemma: should they remind their mistress, who was crying so intently?

However, when she saw Xiao Yan and the other two slowly retreating, she chose to keep quiet. This was the only place where the girl could secretly cry.

"You seem to know why Xiao Yingxun was crying there." After getting away from the artificial hill, Xiao Yan asked after looking at the expressions of the two people beside her.

“These days I’ve occasionally heard the maids of the second wife mention that the second mistress wants to marry the fourth daughter back to her family. Perhaps… that’s why?” Zhu Yue’s tone was uncertain.

“I’ve heard about it too, and I’ve also heard that the person chosen by the Second Madam is Zhao Qingyun,” Mao’er added.

"Zhao Qingyun? Wasn't he kicked out by the second wife at the end of last year... cough cough, and asked to return home to study?"

There's a big piece of gossip here. Xiao Yan Hui originally thought that Zhao Qingyun and Zhao Dan Ya were only staying at the Xiao family temporarily because of the flower viewing banquet. Later, the old lady said that her two granddaughters had moved back to their own courtyard and that she felt very lonely, so she left Zhao Dan Ya at the Xiao family.

This is actually quite normal, but Zhao Qingyun actually stayed at the Xiao family's residence instead. The First Madam had indeed chatted with Xiao Yan about Zhao Qingyun's thick skin, but since he was a guest of the Second Branch, whether he stayed or not was up to the Second Branch.

At that time, Xiao Quexian's reputation as a talented woman was just beginning to emerge, and with her connection to Liang Er, she was invited to participate in various literary and poetry gatherings. In almost every gathering, as long as it wasn't limited to young ladies, Zhao Qingyun could get in.

Xiao Yan thought that Zhao Qingyun was staying away from home for so long in order to use Xiao Quexian's connections to attend these gatherings and try to gain some fame.

But to everyone's surprise, Zhao Qingyun proposed to her near the end of the year.

That's right. He told the second wife that he and his cousin had developed feelings for each other and their relationship was stable over time, and he hoped to ask his cousin Xian'er to marry him.

Fortunately, he spoke to the second wife first, and she only slapped him across the face. If he had spoken to Master Xiao, Master Xiao would probably have broken his legs.

When Xiao Yan Hui later heard this big piece of gossip, he was completely stunned.

How exactly does Zhao Qingyun's brain work? During that time, Xiao Quexian and Liang Erlang were openly flirting and showing great affection, yet he actually thought that he and Xiao Quexian were mutually in love and had a stable relationship?

However, because of this farcical marriage proposal, Zhao Qingyun was sent back to the Zhao family by the second wife on a whim the next day.

After all, even if the second wife intended to help her own family, she couldn't possibly support her daughter, who was on the verge of a bright future. Moreover, she dared not keep such a person around, for fear that something might happen that would ruin Xiao Quexian's reputation.

But I really didn't expect that this person would be able to make a comeback this year.

"Last year, the Second Madam was very disgusted with that person, so why is she like this again this year..." Xiao Yan Hui really couldn't understand what the Second Madam was after.

"It's not like our Xiao family's daughters can't get married. Someone like Zhao Qingyun only has a face that's passable, but otherwise she has no character, no education, and her family is declining day by day. How could someone like that want to marry our fourth sister!"

“Who says otherwise!” Cat nodded in strong agreement, and then sneered, “Flowers and cow dung.”

"Keep your voice down, this is still the back garden." The back garden is shared by the first and second wives, and it wouldn't be good if these words got back to the second wife. Zhu Yue whispered a reminder to the girl and the cat, whose吐槽 (tu cao, meaning to criticize or complain) urge was extremely strong and their voices were gradually getting louder.

“I don’t think this will work out. Even if the second wife makes most of the decisions in the second branch, there’s still the master.” Xiao Yan said assertively before stepping out of the back garden and into the main courtyard of the first wife.

Then, upon entering the main courtyard, they saw Xiao Fuyan there as well.