By the time the old lady finished listening to the Buddhist teachings from the master, it was almost dusk. The people from the Marquis Mansion had vegetarian meals at the White Horse Temple. In the past, when the old lady had meals, Lan Miao had to serve her. Usually, she could only pick up her chopsticks after the old lady had finished eating.
The old lady was fond of extravagance. Even when having a vegetarian meal at the White Horse Temple, there were still many rules. Somehow, on this day, it seemed that Mrs. You had offended the old lady. It was her turn to serve the meals. Watching Mrs. You bustling around and looking indignant at the old lady's cold remarks, Lan Miao felt a sense of loss.
She didn't feel sorry for Mrs. You.
She just thought of the conversation with Mrs. You earlier.
It was difficult for a widow. She didn't want the profits of the jade workshop she had worked so hard to manage to flow into others' pockets. But without the reputation of the Marquis Mansion, no matter how good her craftsmanship was, her jade workshop would hardly survive in Luojing, a place where every inch of land was precious.
The laws of the Jing Dynasty did not actually prohibit widows from remarrying.
But the law was one thing -
The rules were another.
Many widows were driven away, tortured, and forced to become nuns because of customs, rumors, and the inaction of their natal families. They lived a miserable life.
Maybe she should be thankful that the Lan family was not a low - status family that could be easily bullied, and she had a craft to make a living. Otherwise, her situation would be even more difficult...
"Mother, the vegetarian meal here is so delicious. You should eat more."
Xue'er's voice beside her pulled Lan Miao out of her thoughts. Her cheeks were bulging, and her eyes were bright.
Lan Miao stroked her head, and those worries that had welled up seemed not worth thinking about.
After returning to the mansion from the White Horse Temple,
Lan Miao immediately started packing things for Xue'er and told her a lot of things. Maybe because Xue'er was now the companion reader of the princess, the old lady was unexpectedly considerate for a couple of days and exempted Lan Miao from some rules.
She spent two affectionate days with Xue'er, talking a lot of intimate things.
In a blink of an eye, it was the day for Xue'er to enter the palace.
The weather was getting colder.
The carriage sent by the palace was waiting at the gate of the Marquis Mansion early. Lan Miao ordered the servants to put the luggage she had packed for Xue'er on the carriage and said goodbye to Xue'er at the gate.
Even though she had nagged a lot in the past few days,
Lan Miao still wanted to give some more instructions. Xue'er was not even five years old and was the youngest child in the Elegant Hall. Usually, the students in the school had special accommodations in the palace. But the Empress Dowager took pity on Xue'er's young age, and with the strong request of Princess Yujia, Xue'er would probably live in the Cining Palace with Princess Yujia.
She could go home once every seven days.
This gave Lan Miao something to look forward to.
"Xue'er, when you're in the palace, be very careful. Don't cause any trouble, and don't be afraid of anything. Just be natural."
"Got it, Mother."
Xue'er gave her a big smile and nestled in Lan Miao's arms for a while. It was not until someone urged them that Lan Miao reluctantly let go of Xue'er and watched her get on the carriage step by step.
Even after the carriage had disappeared from sight for a long distance, Lan Miao still didn't want to enter the mansion.
The wind blew her sideburns, and she stood there alone for a long time.
-
After Xue'er entered the palace,
Lan Miao lived a peaceful life.
Although she still had to pay morning and evening respects to the old lady every day, and the old lady still deliberately made things difficult for her, it was much better than before. In the Pinglan Courtyard, she began to focus on the order from the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager wanted a pair of jade bi.
The phoenix should be depicted soaring in the sky, showing its beauty, elegance, and nobility. The surrounding clouds and scenery should also display the grandeur of the Jing Dynasty.
It was neither extremely difficult nor extremely easy.
One day, Lan Miao carefully studied the descriptions of the phoenix totem in ancient books. She had a vague impression in her mind. Combined with the drawing provided by the Empress Dowager, it was time to start work in the jade workshop.
She called Shuangxi and was about to go to the jade workshop.
Just as she reached the gate of the Pinglan Courtyard, out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly caught sight of a small figure in the grass of the courtyard. Lan Miao let out a surprised sound and took a closer look. It was Qingzhi, squatting at the gate with a small porcelain doll in her arms, looking like a little mushroom growing in a damp corner.
Lan Miao gently squatted down.
"Qingzhi, why did you come to my courtyard but didn't go in?"
Qingzhi timidly raised her head. Seeing Lan Miao, who was as beautiful as a painting, she was stunned for a moment and then stammered, "I came to see Auntie, but I was afraid Auntie was busy..."
At this point, she didn't continue.
Lan Miao kindly picked up her words.
"Come on, I'm free now. Qingzhi, come in and have a cup of hot tea."
"Okay."
Lan Miao took Qingzhi's hand and helped her up. She also patted the dirt off Qingzhi's clothes.
She would have to go to the jade workshop another day.
When they entered the main hall, Shuangxi served a cup of hot tea and some pastries. Qingzhi silently took a couple of bites and then looked seriously at Lan Miao for a long time.
Lan Miao was puzzled by her stare.
But she was afraid that asking would startle this delicate - minded little girl. She thought that since Xue'er had entered the palace, Qingzhi had no playmate.
The sunlight shone through the clouds and came in through the window, casting on Lan Miao's face. Her skin was as fair and delicate as porcelain, her features were exquisitely natural, and her temperament was cold and elegant.
"Auntie, you're really beautiful."
Qingzhi was completely mesmerized and suddenly blurted out this sentence.
Being praised so seriously by a little girl, Lan Miao's cheeks flushed slightly. "Our Qingzhi is also very beautiful."
"Alright, now can you tell Auntie why you came?"
"Before Xue'er left, she told me to come and see you when I had time. So I came to see how Auntie is doing." Qingzhi said softly.
At this moment, Lan Miao felt a pang in her heart.
The handkerchief in her hand slipped.
She missed Xue'er.
She wondered if Xue'er was eating well and dressed warmly in the palace. She was so young and had never been away from her for so long.
Lan Miao swallowed hard and gently stroked Qingzhi's head. "Thank you, Qingzhi, for coming to see Auntie. You're such a good girl. If you have anything on your mind, you can tell Auntie."
"Really, really?"
Lan Miao's gentle words finally opened Qingzhi's heart.
Her calm little face immediately crumpled up like a wrung - out handkerchief, and tears welled up like little golden beans. "I also want to study. I mentioned it to Mother last night, but she didn't allow it and even beat me angrily. She told me to focus on taking care of my younger brother. But Xue'er has gone to the best school. I don't want to fall behind..."
"What should I do? I don't want her to be my mother anymore. I hate my younger brother..."
"I don't want to take care of my younger brother at all. I want to pour boiling water on him."
Lan Miao was shocked.
Boiling water?
She looked around. Fortunately, she had sent the maids out earlier. After making sure no one else had heard these words, she quickly covered Qingzhi's mouth.
"Qingzhi, you can't say these words to anyone, not even to me. Do you understand?"
Qingzhi's eyes were filled with tears. She closed her eyes fearfully.
She nodded vigorously and then shook her head.
"Why?"
"Why does my younger brother have to live?"
"Mother only has my younger brother in her eyes. She never cares about me."
"..."
After Qingzhi vented her emotions, she seemed to realize that she shouldn't have said these things. She looked at Lan Miao helplessly, afraid that she would look at her with a strange look.
However, Lan Miao just took the handkerchief in her hand and gently wiped away her tears.