Chapter Five: Yuan Zhen

  Everything that happened on the Double Ninth Festival seemed to have nothing to do with Yuandai, she was still living her life leisurely, carefully nurturing and cultivating the flowers and grasses she had planted. Everything seemed to be unchanged.

  As the sun rises, Yuandai finally picks up her bamboo basket and walks back to her small courtyard, treading on the morning dew. Wenshu sees her coming and hurries over to greet her, smiling: "Miss, miss, you have to go take a look! The peony in our west garden has bloomed!" Her words are full of surprise and delight.

  Yuandai heard this and was also delighted for a while: "Really? Take me to see it quickly!" Ordinary evening primroses are not particularly delicate or difficult to raise, but Yuandai's evening primrose is a rare species, so it is much more difficult to care for than other varieties.

  Wenping took over the bamboo basket from Yuandai's hand and walked with her towards the west.

  The two people were talking about a night-blooming cereus that was about three feet high, planted in a purple sand flower pot with a very classical and simple shape. It looked elegant and refined, with green branches and lush leaves, which was pleasing to the eye. At this moment, five long stems with small buds hung down from the edge of the cyan stem pieces. This was obviously the bud of the night-blooming cereus that Wenshu had mentioned earlier. Because it had just formed a bud, the bud was only about the size of a thumb, but it showed a deep blue color like jade, with a strange and enchanting noble and elegant beauty.

  Her distant gaze was fixed, and on her usually calm face, there was a rare look of delight. After a long while, she let out a soft sigh, and in that sigh, there were hints of melancholy and nostalgia. Wen Ping couldn't guess what she meant, nor did he dare to make any reckless guesses, so he simply asked softly: "Miss, if this flower blooms, what color will it be?"

  She had been following Yuandai for some time, and although Yuandai did not intend to teach her carefully, when it came to playing with flowers and plants, she also didn't let her avoid it. As a result, over the past year or two, Wenshuang had indeed learned some techniques for cultivating flowers and plants. Now that you mention it, what's strange is the color of this flower. In this world, there are many red, yellow, white, and purple flowers, but she had never heard of such a strange color as this one.

  She gently lifted her jade-like hand and stroked the evening flower with an unparalleled tenderness. Far away, Dai's voice echoed, "This flower is ice blue in color. In a few more months, you will be able to see it! At that time, you will know what it means to be breathtakingly beautiful and unmatched in the world!"

  Her voice was not loud, but full of sighs and nostalgia, just a few words, yet it made people drunk without reason.

  Wen Ping listened and couldn't help but sigh, saying: "Although I've never seen this flower before, after hearing Miss say so, I also know that this flower is definitely not an ordinary product!"

  Yan Dai smiled slightly and said, "Just wait and see!" Her words were full of confidence. As she spoke, she reached out to take the silver scissors from the bamboo basket on Wen Screen's arm and trimmed the branches and leaves of the hibiscus flower.

  The master and servant were talking when Hui'er hurried over: "Miss, Yuan Zhen's sister has come to see you!"

  Yan Dai suddenly heard the two words "Yuan Zhen", and her eyebrows rose involuntarily, smiling: "It turns out she still knows how to come over!" While saying this, she casually tossed the silver scissors in her hand to Wen Ping, but had already quickly turned back.

  She had just walked a few steps when a young woman appeared from the opposite side. The woman was of medium build, wearing a white silk jacket with a blue satin apron and a pair of embroidered shoes, but what caught her attention was the long white skirt with a subtle pattern that accentuated her slender figure, adding to her already striking features. Upon seeing Daiyu in the distance, she smiled and approached, making a polite bow: "Miss, Yuanzhen has arrived!"

  Yan Dai hurriedly stretched out her hand to support her, and smiled: "You are now independent and don't need to be so polite!" As she spoke, she took Yuan Zhen's hand and walked into the house, instructing Wen Ping to brew tea.

  Just arrived at the door, but saw Cai Lian also coming over. Seeing the two approaching, Cai Lian hastily paid her respects and first called out to Miss, then turned to Yuan Zhen and said: "Sister Yuan Zhen has finally come! These days, Miss has been constantly thinking of you, making me and Wenping extremely nervous! I've been reflecting day and night, determined to learn from Sister Yuan Zhen!" Cai Lian was actually clever too. Since the Double Ninth Festival, after taking matters into her own hands, although Hu Die only lightly scolded her a few times, she had always felt somewhat uneasy in her heart, and now couldn't help but probe with a sentence.

  Yu Zhen couldn't help but laugh and said: "You little girl, your mouth is only good at coaxing people! But this one sentence you just said really made me feel relieved!"

  Yan Dai slightly raised the corner of her lips and said with a seemingly unintentional tone, "You're talking nonsense again! If you leave my side in the future, I'll naturally think of you from time to time. But where did all those thoughts come from?"

  As soon as the words came out, Cai Lian's heart suddenly calmed down a lot. On the other side, Yuan Zhen's eyes moved slightly, as if thinking deeply, looking at Yu Dai in the distance, but didn't say anything, just smiled and said: "Miss has always been nostalgic, I know that!"

  As they spoke, several people had already entered the inner room. Yuanyuan called out to Zhenzhen to sit on the kang, and Hou Wenshu brought over tea and dismissed the maidservants before picking up his cup to take a sip, his expression languid, without saying a word.

  After taking a sip of tea, Yuan Zhen smiled and said: "The tea made by the young lady is still so good!"

  Yan Dai waved her hand and smiled: "If you want to ask me something, just ask! Why are you still beating around the bush in front of me?"

  Yuan Zhen couldn't help but laugh and asked directly, "But what did Cai Lian do wrong?" She was originally a personal maid by Farong's side, and had been serving her since she was young. In terms of emotional ties, Wenshu and Cailian were truly unmatched. After Farong acknowledged her ancestry, she didn't want to bring Cailian into the Ling household, so she returned her contract and let her go. Later, although Cailian got married, she never forgot the affection from her early years, and would often come visit Farong every now and then. Earlier at the door, Farong's casual remark had gone unnoticed by Wenshu and the others, but Cailian had already sensed something was off, which is why she asked.

  Yan Dai lightly nodded her head and told the story of what happened on Chongyang Festival. Yuan Zhen listened with a frown, and finally said: "If that's the case, then this girl really can't be kept here, it's better to find an excuse to get rid of her sooner or later!"

  After nodding slightly, Yuandai said: "I've thought about this matter long ago! However, since she's been by my side for many years, there's some emotional attachment. Secondly, over the years, I haven't deliberately avoided her in some matters. Therefore, even if we want to send her away, we need to find a reliable person. You help me look for one! If you find someone suitable, come back and report to me!"

  Yu Zhen nodded in agreement.

  After chatting for a while, Yuan Zhen took out the blue cloth package she had been carrying with her, opened it and smiled: "This is last month's account book, I've checked it already, please take a look, miss!"

  Yan Dai raised her hand to press down on hers, shaking her head and saying: "This account book won't be looked at today! Is the house in Xijiao ready now?"

  Yuan Zhen's red lips were slightly pursed as she said, "Everything is ready! I just don't know when the young lady plans to move in?"

  Feng Mu lightly closed her eyes, and Far Dai said: "This matter still needs to be carefully planned! It's not difficult for me to go here, but it's hard to figure out how to settle my mother!" When she said this, she couldn't help but sigh.

  Yu Zhen nodded silently, and after a while, she couldn't help but let out a sigh.