At the beginning of spring, Fu Zhen mentioned that she wanted to fly a kite. So Cui Huan ordered someone to make one. However, there was never a chance to fly it after it was made. Today, with the east wind blowing, it was just the right time to have some fun.
The kite was in the shape of a butterfly, with two long colorful ribbons hanging down from its wings, as if the butterfly was about to spread its wings and take flight.
Fu Zhen had only seen other children flying kites before. Holding the kite in her hands, she was a bit clumsy. She only vaguely remembered that one had to run while flying a kite.
She ran around for several circles, with sweat oozing from her forehead, but the kite still seemed on the verge of falling and couldn't get off the ground for a long time.
Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she said dejectedly, "I've seen others fly kites so easily before. Why is it so difficult when it comes to me?"
Biyu covered her mouth and snickered. She stepped forward to take the kite and said, "It's only natural for you to be a bit clumsy since it's your first time flying a kite, miss. When I first tried it, I almost tripped and fell flat on my face because the string got tangled around my feet!"
Cui Huan helped Fu Zhen sit down to rest. "Miss, take a break first. I think the wind was too weak just now, which is why the kite couldn't take off."
Fu Zhen knew they were just trying to comfort her. She smiled and said, "I'm in poor health. I get tired after running a few steps. It's really hard for you to keep following me. Why don't you have a try?"
Cui Huan quickly declined. How could a maid fly the miss's kite?
But seeing Fu Zhen's insistence, she exchanged a look with Biyu and then hesitantly went to try.
They had flown kites since they were kids, so they were very skillful. Just then, a gust of wind blew, and with a "whoosh", the kite soared into the sky.
Biyu quickly shouted, "It's up! It's up! Miss, come and have a try quickly!"
Fu Zhen's eyes lit up. She didn't care about her aching legs and trotted a few steps to take the spool. As the string on it decreased, the kite flew higher and higher.
The wind was quite strong at this time. She was a bit afraid that the kite would be blown away, so she quickly reached out to pull it. But Cui Huan was quick - eyed and quick - handed and stopped her. "Miss, be careful of your hands. This string is very sharp. It's easy to cut your hands when it vibrates. Quickly use the embroidered handkerchief as a cushion and then hold the string."
As she said this, she handed over her handkerchief.
Fu Zhen quickly took it and held the string with the handkerchief as a cushion. Only then did the kite stop flying aimlessly like a fledgling.
This kite was quite large. Cui Huan had hired a craftsman with many years of experience. The frame was neat and sturdy, and the colors were bright. Looking up, it seemed as if a real butterfly was dancing in the sky.
In Baiqu Courtyard.
Chen Tingfeng was reading in the study. He vaguely heard Yuanbao's chattering voice at the door. Frowning, he said, "Yuanbao."
Yuanbao pushed the door open and came in, still smiling on his face. "Your servant is here! What are your orders, young master?"
"You're so noisy," Chen Tingfeng put down the book and glanced at him indifferently. "What were you talking about?"
Yuanbao scratched his head and grinned. "They're flying kites in Zhuqing Courtyard. Your servant hasn't seen that for a long time, so I just chatted with Qian Tong about it."
"Zhuqing Courtyard?" Chen Tingfeng raised his eyebrows. "She sure has a lot of leisure time."
If Xie Yan wasn't away, he didn't know who this kite was meant for.
As he said this, he paced out and stood under the eaves, looking up. Just then, he saw the kite soaring in the sky. Suddenly, it seemed as if the string had broken. The butterfly fluttered a few times and then suddenly plummeted. Blown by the wind, it was actually flying towards his courtyard.
Over there.
"Oops, the string is broken!" Biyu exclaimed.
Fu Zhen didn't manage to control her strength and staggered. Cui Huan quickly supported her.
"It's just right that the string is broken. Now all of the miss's bad luck will go away with the kite," Cui Huan said with a smile.
Hearing this, Fu Zhen also smiled. "They all say that flying a kite can get rid of bad luck. Now that it broke on its own, it seems that the bad luck wants to leave by itself. There's no need to look for it."
"Fortunately, there's no name of the miss on the kite. Otherwise, if it fell into a man's courtyard, even eight mouths wouldn't be able to explain it clearly," Biyu said, patting her chest in relief.
"Our Marquis Mansion is so large, and the courtyard is vast. Judging from the way the kite fell, it shouldn't have flown far. Maybe it fell in an unoccupied place," Cui Huan said.
Fu Zhen supported Cui Huan's hand and walked towards the house, only saying, "Don't worry about this."
No one could cause trouble for her just because of this kite of unknown origin.
In Baiqu Courtyard.
Chen Tingfeng watched as the kite flew towards him. It seemed on the verge of falling several times, but just then, a weak east wind blew. The kite swayed and landed right on the cypress tree in his courtyard.
He was silent for a moment and waved his hand, asking Yuanbao to get it down.
Yuanbao quickly took a pole and knocked it down. Picking it up, he handed it to Chen Tingfeng. "Young master, here."
Chen Tingfeng looked down at it. The ribbons were tangled with the butterfly's wings. He took it and examined it for a moment. It was an ordinary kite with no small words on it. There was nothing special about it.
After a while, he withdrew his hand and said indifferently, "Throw it away."
Yuanbao bowed and was about to leave when he suddenly heard Chen Tingfeng's deep voice, "Wait."
He was stunned and then turned around. "Young master?"
Chen Tingfeng took the kite, leaned closer, and smelled it. A faint fragrance lingered around his nose. It was so faint that if it weren't for his sensitive sense of smell, no one else would have been able to detect it.
This smell was vaguely familiar.
He frowned and thought hard, but he couldn't remember where he had smelled it before. He only vaguely remembered that this fragrance was not a good thing.
Why would the kite from Zhuqing Courtyard have such a smell?
"Go and find out where this kite came from," he said.
Yuanbao was stunned and almost immediately realized that something was wrong. He exchanged a look with Qian Tong, and Qian Tong left quietly.
He also bowed and said, "Yes, young master."
Chen Tingfeng stroked the fabric on the kite as if he had fallen into his own thoughts.
After a while, he glanced at the kite and took it back into the house.
*
Although the weather was warming up in spring, it was still not as warm as summer. So the clothes that Lady Bai made for Fu Zhen were made of thin materials but layered several times. They were well - structured, making one feel light but not cold when wearing them.
However, this kind of material was not suitable for washing. It would wrinkle easily after being washed.
In the evening, candles were lit in the room. The light of the candles reflected on the smooth fabric, making it not look dull at all.
"If we have enough time, it's best to wash this dress and then iron it carefully with a charcoal - filled iron. That would be the safest," Cui Huan said looking at the new dress hanging on the rack.
Fu Zhen looked at it and thought for a moment. "Is it too late to wash it now?"
Biyu lifted the curtain and came in. Hearing this, she shook her head. "I don't see the moon tonight, and I can vaguely hear the sound of thunder. If it rains tomorrow, the dress won't dry. And if we use charcoal to dry it, we're afraid it will damage the material of the dress."
Fu Zhen pursed her lips. "Although we don't know what tricks they've played on it, since there's no problem with the stitches, they won't make me embarrass myself by tearing my clothes on the spot. So we don't need to worry about it. Worrying too much will only ruin our own mood."
Cui Huan nodded in agreement. "We'll cross the bridge when we come to it. Worrying is useless. It's better to relax and take precautions. I don't think there will be any big problems."
No matter what, Chen Huanyun was just a young lady in the boudoir. She wouldn't use any really dirty tricks. At most, she would just try to make Fu Zhen look bad.
Fu Zhen was always cautious. She lowered her head and thought. At worst, she would just stay away from others on that day.