kingnovel Chapter 847 Why is my brother here too?
Chapter 847 Why is my brother here too?
Although the Feng Mansion was not spacious, it had an ingenious layout. The front yard, middle yard, and back yard were divided in an orderly manner among the blue bricks and black tiles. There was also a garden planted with crabapples in the southeast corner.
At this time of year, the several old persimmon trees in the garden were hanging with fruits that had begun to turn yellow, looking particularly bright against the white walls.
Feng Jiaojiao, holding her apricot-colored silk skirt, stepped over the threshold of the second door and led them through two carved corridors to the backyard.
A plaque with the words "Quietly Observe and Be Contented" hung in the middle hall, and beneath it was a rosewood eight-immortals table, around which five people sat.
The maid brought tea, the tea soup in the white porcelain cup was clear, accompanied by two plates of exquisite pastries: one plate was crispy lotus cake, and the other plate was candied golden dates. These were already the best pastries that could be bought in the capital.
We drank a cup of tea together and ate two pieces of cake.
Jin Jie'er and Mingzhu couldn't sit still any longer. They took Feng Yaya's arms, one on each side, and said, "Sister, can you take us to see the persimmon garden?"
When they went out, they saw the youngest girl, Xiaoyu, still standing by the pillar. Feng Yaya waved to her again and again: "Little sister, come too."
The girl stretched her blue cloth skirt straight, folded her hands in front of her abdomen, like a bamboo pole nailed to the ground, and just shook her head, "I won't go. I'll wait for the princess's instructions."
Since returning to Beijing, Jing Chunxi has told Chuntao not to assign her any heavy work, and this girl has stubbornly treated herself as her master's confidant.
The timid girl who used to hide when she saw people now showed a calmness beyond her age, and even the curve of the folds of her clothes when she stood showed proper manners.
After three rounds of tea, Jing Chunxi stroked the gold-painted winding branch pattern on the rim of the teacup and talked about how Feng Jiaojiao covered up a lie for him at the palace banquet last year, and also recounted the old times when they met.
Feng Jiaojiao chuckled at this. "When my sister came to Beijing from Lingnan, she vomited bile on the way." Her fingertips unconsciously ran over the condensed water droplets on the teacup. "When I first arrived in Beijing, those noble ladies secretly said that I was carrying miasma."
The more they talked, the more they got along, and Jing Mingyue became so anxious that she twisted and turned on the embroidery cushion and kept winking at Jing Chunxi.
Unfortunately, Jing Chunxi's eyes were fixed on the cinnabar mole between Feng Jiaojiao's eyebrows, and he couldn't see anyone else.
Feng Jiaojiao took in all of Jing Mingyue's little tricks, thinking to herself: "This eldest daughter of the Jing family may appear dignified, but she's actually quite sincere." Then, watching her two younger sisters playing and laughing in the garden, she couldn't help but smile. The girls raised in the general's mansion were truly a hundred times better than those pretentious ladies.
Just as I was thinking, I heard the bead curtain rustle and a little girl with two buns came in. She was about eight or nine years old, and her lilac-colored bodice made her face look like a pink ball. She bowed politely and said, "My lord and miss, the master has returned from court. Madam invites the guests to the front yard to chat." Before she finished speaking, the silver bell tied around her waist was still swinging.
As the three of them stood up, Jing Mingyue finally couldn't hold back any longer. Under the pretext of adjusting her shawl, she leaned over to Jing Chunxi's ear and said, "Xi'er!" She pressed her fingertips hard on her shoulder, "It's about Dalangge!"
Jing Chunxi finally understood, covering his mouth with his hands and letting out an "Ah!", his cheeks flushing. Jing Mingyue quickly pouted at Feng Jiaojiao. As the three of them walked out, she deliberately lagged behind, holding out her arms to stop the maids who were about to follow. "It's only a few steps away. Wait in the courtyard."
"Sister Jiaojiao..." Jing Chunxi called softly, secretly organizing his words, "You are sixteen this year, right?" Feng Jiaojiao was walking forward, and without looking up, she said, "I will be seventeen at the beginning of spring."
She suddenly raised her eyes and smiled, dimples forming at the corners of her eyes, as if she knew what Jing Chunxi wanted to ask. "Daddy said, since there won't be a talent show for the next two years, I won't follow those who are eager to get married. If I can't find someone I like, I'd rather follow the nuns at Jingci Temple and plant plum blossoms." After saying this, she laughed first, then sighed, "It's just that mother has to add incense money to the ancestral hall every day..."
Jing Chunxi took the opportunity to whisper in her ear: "Cousin Mingyue was delayed by exile, but now she has found a good family!" Feng Jiaojiao turned around suddenly and saw that the people behind her were far away. She put her arm around her shoulders and said, "Girl, which family is it? Tell me quickly."
The two of them were laughing and joking, without any trace of the politeness they had when they first met. They seemed more like close friends who had grown up together.
Seeing the shadow of the pomegranate tree in the front yard already cast on the pink wall, Jing Chunxi suddenly asked, "Sister, do you still remember the cousins I met in Jiangmen County that time?"
Seeing Feng Jiaojiao was startled, he added, "They are the ones I took to your uncle's shop."
Feng Jiaojiao tilted her head in thought, the pearls on her hairpin swaying gently. "I'm afraid I won't recognize him if we meet... but..." She suddenly smiled, "I do remember the tall one. He had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. When I got home, I told my father that he must have inherited the style of General Jing."
Jing Chunxi's eyes lit up: "Brother Dalang is now in charge of the Maritime Customs in Leizhou!" Before he finished speaking, the sound of Madam Feng instructing the maids to serve tea and fruit could be heard from the front yard.
Feng Jiaojiao quickly stepped forward and took her arm, her voice as clear as the wind: "Father often said that the sons of the Jing family are all green pines in the snow." These words were said so sincerely that Jing Chunxi's nose was sore - it turned out that in those years, there were really people who remembered the character of their Jing family.
"Then sister, can you be my cousin's wife?"
Jing Chunxi's eyes sparkled, and while the blush on her ears hadn't faded, he added another sentence, gently tugging at Feng Jiaojiao's sleeve with his fingertips, "Brother Dalang is in love with you. He even mentioned it in his letter home yesterday, saying that if he could marry you, he would cherish you and never let you down."
"Me?" Feng Jiaojiao suddenly stopped in her tracks, her face flushed, even her earlobes stained a faint rouge color, like a jade pendant illuminated by the sunset. She subconsciously raised her hand to cover her lips, her fingertips trembling slightly, "I... I..."
Seeing her like this, Jing Chunxi was secretly delighted. He took another half step forward and said in a soft but firm voice, "The Jing family sincerely seeks your hand in marriage. If you are willing, we will go through the three letters and six ceremonies, marry you formally, and we will never let you suffer any injustice."
"I...I..." Feng Jiaojiao, who was always smart, started to stutter at this moment, her eyes flickering, and she suddenly quickened her pace, almost jogging over the bluestone threshold of the front yard. The butterfly pattern embroidered on her cuffs fluttered with her movements, as if she was about to escape.
"Brother Xiaokang, why are you here too?"
As Jing Chunxi entered the front hall, her eyes caught sight of Xu Zize, seated at the head of the table. He was dressed in an indigo brocade robe, his hair tied up with a jade crown. He and Minister Feng sat on either side of the main seat. She gasped in surprise, her footsteps unconsciously stopping.
Xu Zize raised his eyes when he heard the voice, and a smile instantly spread across his brows, "I happened to meet Lord Feng when I was leaving the court, so we came back together to have some tea." His voice was gentle, but his eyes were only fixed on Jing Chunxi, and he didn't even notice that the teacup in his hand had tilted half a degree.
"Your humble servant greets Princess Anping." *Minister Feng quickly stood up, folded his hands, and bowed in a standard bow.
Jing Chunxi didn't bother to respond. He glanced around and saw that Madam Feng, who was sitting on the left, had stood up hurriedly, bent her knees slightly, and was about to kneel down to pay her respects.
She took two steps forward and grasped the other person's elbow. "Madam, please stop being so polite! Sister Jiaojiao and I are like sisters. I'm really embarrassed by your politeness."
As she spoke, she caught a glimpse of Feng Jiaojiao's blushing face and sighed inwardly - she was afraid that they would never be able to be "sisters" anymore, and she might have to call her "cousin-in-law" soon.
"Thank you, Princess, for your compassion." Madam Feng's voice was tense, and the gilded bracelet on her wrist swayed slightly with her movements. Seeing that the princess was standing, she did not dare to sit down.
Jing Chunxi turned around and bowed solemnly to the head of the table, "Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and to Lord Feng."
She spoke very quickly, fearing that they would give up the main seat. After she finished speaking, she grabbed Feng Jiaojiao with one hand and Jing Mingyue with the other. The three of them sat down on the chairs on the right, jingling like a string of bells.
Feng Jiaojiao kept her head down the whole time, her fingertips tightly twisting the handkerchief, as if the silk cloth was her life-saving straw.