Chapter Seven, Knowing Leisure

Baffled, it seems these two individuals have a longstanding grudge. In fact, when viewed separately, they do not appear to be villains at all, but when brought together, they are simply incompatible. They are adversaries from eight hundred years ago, and their mutual criticism is a source of enjoyment in life

Xiang Nong muttered to herself: "Once you enter the residence, you cannot go out without permission. Now that my wife has fully recovered from her ailment, she originally intended to come to Chang'an to explore and experience the surroundings, but instead, she has been locked in a cage.

Lin gently brushed the hair of Bu Nuan and said warmly, "This is it. Once the wedding is arranged, I will call Aunt to give you a generous gift!"

"Save yourself some trouble!" the wet nurse shook her head and said, "Your uncle has his own considerations. Chang'an is a crucial area, with many officials coming and going from various provinces and counties. What if by chance you encounter someone you know? How would you handle it then? With him around, there is room for negotiation; without him, how can a young girl like you argue with others at the government office?"

I heard a muffled sound: "I didn't say anything. In the middle of the night, I was hiding behind the window and saw him. When I woke up to drink some water, he was heading back to the bamboo branch pavilion. I intended to greet him, but then I thought about how disheveled I looked, which would be quite inappropriate, so I simply pretended to be oblivious.

It shouldn't count if we haven't met! Bu Nuan shook his head: "Not yet, my uncle was welcomed by General Lan yesterday. General Lan said my uncle is busy with military affairs and cannot return for the time being"

Bu Nuan shrank her neck and said she understood, while Zheng Yan Yan was drinking porridge. A maid with a coiled bun entered the door and bowed, saying: "Madam, may you be well. Old Madam and Lady Ye have returned from the Diguo Monastery and are currently washing up. Madam, please proceed to the Wodan Garden."

You go to the second door to look for the cuckoo. Bu Nuan carefully took the paste and sealed the mouth before handing it to Yu Lu, saying, "Let him ask the steward to find a reliable person to send to Luoyang. Be sure to be cautious and avoid any mishaps to prevent trouble."

She felt embarrassed and secretly pondered what she usually ate, while slightly bowing and saying: "Yes, Madam Ye, how are you!"

She walked gracefully, examining the fabric: "I just changed my clothes and arrived late, is this the warm fabric?"

Ye Zhixian's face showed displeasure as she slightly pursed her lips and said, "Can we take the words of that Lan Sheng seriously? A smooth talker with a sinister demeanor for years! He claims to be busy with military affairs? What else did he say to you? Surely, it was not anything good, and he must have warned you against me, right?"

She smiled triumphantly at Xiang Nong, and the wet nurse muttered a phrase of Amitabha: "Did Uncle not see you?"

After warming up, I acted casually, yet when it was time to show respect, I did not hesitate. I knelt down before the Lin family and bowed my head, saying: "Nuan'er pays respects to grandmother. Nuan'er feels ashamed for only coming to see grandmother now, please forgive me. Mother misses grandmother day and night, and has asked Nuan'er to convey her regards. Mother feels she has been unfilial, and has repeatedly urged Nuan'er to be dutiful in front of grandmother."

Bu Nuan turned her head to look at her, this girl sees things clearly, much better than Yu Lu! She glanced at Yu Lu: "You should quickly learn from Xiang Nong, use your brain a bit more so that I can feel at ease when I marry you off in the future, don't end up marrying a man and come back crying every day."

Bu Nuan sighed: "Sister Ye, then Bu Nuan has overstepped. I will first call you sister, and in October, I will change my address."

Xiang Nong was tidying up the makeup box and said in a low voice, "Why do I feel that my uncle is a tyrannical figure? The servants in the residence do not dare to breathe loudly; is such a person easy to get along with?"

The warm blanket was laid out, and the wet nurse was busy dressing her in a peacock half-sleeve and a lotus silk skirt. After properly inserting the jade hairpin and carefully selecting a pair of embroidered belts to tie up, everything was in order. Only then did she follow the maidservant to the residence of the old lady.

Ye Zhixian, upon hearing Lin's words, could only give up, and with a semblance of grievance, said: "It is indeed true, Rongyu, that Nuan'er arrived yesterday. No matter how busy he is at his office, he should have taken some time to meet. As an uncle, leaving his niece at home while he busies himself and sending an unrelated person to take care of matters, what kind of reasoning is that!"

She could not help but sneer at the choice of a good son-in-law in her eyes, which, once it reached the mouth of her uncle's yet-to-be-married wife, turned into something else entirely. This shows that superficial appearances cannot be relied upon.

The wet nurse exclaimed, "Young ladies should be graceful; what is this? One's demeanor should be cultivated from a young age. You often complain that I nag, yet if you could heed even a word or two, I would not have to remind you daily."

The jade furnace responded, and with the letter in hand, I stepped out of the Misty Wave Tower

The day before, only the East Garden was visited, while the Wodan Garden lies to the west of the Zui Jin Lake. Passing through the corridor adorned with blooming bauhinia, one can see from afar the robust dougong brackets and the deep eaves.

The warm cloth turned to face the wet nurse, observing with elegant eyes, the nose watching the heart, remaining composed and silent, only the corners of the mouth slightly twisted

Bu Nuan felt disheartened. Although what was said was not wrong, given her current situation, it was already quite good that she was no longer crying daily in front of the memorial tablet of the Xia family. To still hope for traveling around was simply a delusion.

Bu Nuan smiled and looked up to see a woman dressed in a golden mud skirt hurriedly coming out from the depths of the bright room, gently saying: "Is it Nuan'er who has arrived?"

A maid came to the door to take a look, warmly approaching, "Is it madam?"

Lin came up and took her hand, looking her up and down, and said: "Good child, I received a message from your uncle yesterday. I was supposed to return immediately, but due to unfinished schoolwork, I was delayed until this morning. I have kept you waiting, so please do not be upset with your grandmother."

Lin only sighed: "Are you and Wuge enemies from a past life? It's truly strange, you are simply not compatible. Wuge and Liulang have been childhood friends, so you should show a bit of magnanimity and consider Liulang's feelings!"

"I can tell from your tone, did you see Uncle yesterday?" The wet nurse scooped some rice soup and handed it to her, "What time was it? We had all returned to our rooms and were not present to attend to you, that would be quite disrespectful!"

As she was speaking, a maid outside announced that Lady Ye had arrived

Lin listened and nodded repeatedly, personally helping her up and saying, "There is no need for excessive courtesy among family. Although your mother is not my biological child, I have watched her grow up, and she is no different from my own children." As he led her into the house, he sighed, "Nuan'er, Liu Lang has already told me everything. A good girl like you encountering such a situation, what can I say... It is indeed difficult for your mother; what she has done is already the best remedy." Nuan'er, you can rest assured here at your grandmother's place; everything will be taken care of by me and your uncle. There will surely be a way out in the future. Once you get past this hurdle, there may very well be another bright prospect ahead.

Bunuan lowered her head, and so far, everything has been smooth sailing. Lin's family did not weep and wail for their cousin, which made her feel it was genuine. It should be this way; without blood ties, it is merely a matter of social courtesy, and as long as it is acceptable in formal occasions, that is sufficient. She gracefully bowed and said: "Everything shall be decided by my grandmother and uncle."

Ye Zhixian saw Bu Nuan in a daze, slightly adjusted her sitting posture to lean closer, and earnestly said: "You must be careful, that Lan Sheng is not a good person. His father is the Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, and he has used his family's influence to become the General of the Cloud Banner, but in reality, he is just a typical dandy! In the future, when you see him, keep your distance, do not look at him directly, and do not speak to him, lest you attract misfortune!"

That is an independent courtyard formed by a corridor, opulent and magnificent. The base of the platform and the hanging stones are adorned with painted stone carvings, and even the roof tiles and column bases are decorated with lotus flowers. The roof of the main hall in Wodan Garden is very high, and in front of the door stand four stone pillars as thick as a person's embrace. Looking inside, the brick pavement is bright and clear, resembling a lake surface shimmering with silver light

Ye Zhixian clearly did not expect her to say that, and after a moment of surprise, her face turned red: "Aunt, look at Nuan'er! Please stop teasing me, it's making me quite embarrassed!"

Zhi Xian has a temper like a troublesome woman, yet Lin Shi is able to understand her son. Rong Yu is not the eldest son of the Shen family and cannot inherit his father's position. Achieving the rank of General today has been earned through blood and flesh. Everyone praises him as bright and graceful as the spring moon over willows, and even the current emperor commends him as a Confucian general. No one knows the immense effort he has put in behind his handsome demeanor. Serving the court leaves no room for negligence; even the slightest mistake could lead to the execution of his entire family. He holds a high position, and aside from being extremely cautious, what else can he do?

Pouting her lips, she raised her chopsticks in a fit of anger and forcefully jabbed them into the towering pile of stuffed lotus leaves, her movements rough and her expression fierce

Yulu looked bewildered: "What is wrong with me? What does it have to do with Guan Langzi? If we are not allowed to breathe deeply, we can just take shallow breaths. Strict household management is not bad; at least it saves a lot of words."

Bu Nuan, with her graceful demeanor, is truly the national beauty and fragrant peony, while Aunt is the real essence of elegance

Lin's smile blossomed as she invited her to take a seat, inquiring about the well-being of her family. She continued, "In this day and age, those of your mother's generation who have married or been appointed to official positions seldom have the opportunity to reunite. Every time I think of this, it saddens me. Your grandfather has passed away, and our kin have drifted further apart, leaving what was once a large family scattered. I am left here with only you and your uncle. When he was a lieutenant, things were somewhat better; now, as his official rank increases, he often spends months away from home. In such a large residence, I am but a lonely old woman, which is exceedingly desolate. But now, with your arrival and the company of Zhi Xian, the house has finally become lively again!"

The warmth of her presence gives rise to a hint of inferiority; she is indeed a piece of plump and beautiful jade! Standing before her, I can only be considered slender and weak; a single breath from her could surely blow her away for ten miles.

Ye Zhixian smiled shyly, her cheeks forming two shallow dimples. After turning around and sitting down on the crescent-shaped stool, she asked Bu Nuan: "Have you ever seen Rong Yu's uncle?"

Bu Nuan heard the commotion and quickly got up. A woman dressed in a green gauze skirt entered from outside the door, her hair styled in a high cloud bun, with a half-draped collar revealing a neck as white as snow. There seemed to be a hint of languor in her brows and eyes. By the standards of beauty in the current evaluation, the daughter-in-law of the Ye family could undoubtedly be considered a beauty of the prosperous Tang dynasty

Bunuan recalled: "Perhaps there isn't! Even if I saw it, what difference would it make? I assess the situation, and it seems that in the future, my uncle will be even stricter than my father. I shouldn't have come to Chang'an in the first place."

Bu Nuan thought that must be Aunt Lin, the biological mother of her uncle! She had a calm demeanor, a slightly plump figure, and delicate red accents at the tips of her eyebrows. In her forties, she was well-maintained and did not appear aged.

She sighed, moved to the desk to grind the ink. The jade paperweight scraped back and forth on the red paper a few times, then she picked up the brush, dipped it in ink, and began to write a letter to her parents, mostly to report her safety and to ask them not to worry. After some thought, she also wrote that she was well taken care of at her uncle's house, that both her grandmother and uncle were considerate, and urged her parents to take care of their health with comforting words. Once finished, she set down the brush, lifted the paper to blow it dry, and placed it into an envelope.

Zhi Xian is the niece of the Lin family. The marriage, which is a union of close kin, is something she has put a great deal of effort into facilitating. Seeing that Bu Nuan is well-behaved, sensible, and sweet-tongued, she naturally feels pleased, reaching out to embrace her and saying: "This child is quite endearing! Don't rush to call me aunt; Zhi Xian is your uncle's cousin, two years older than you. While you are not of the same generation in public, you can refer to each other as sisters in private. When she and your uncle formally marry, we can discuss the generational titles then."

Look at her, she truly is useful. Lan Sheng mentioned before that this lady is difficult to deal with. In that case, no matter how many times one tries to flatter her, it won't work. First, compliment her beauty, then call her "Auntie," and naturally, it won't go wrong.

The warmth of the blanket resonates deeply; this uncle's authoritarianism is truly not to be underestimated! She has already reached the age of maturity, and this is no longer the time of the previous dynasty, when girls could roam the streets freely wearing a veil. Why should her freedom be restricted?

The warmth of the cloth stops before the steps, while people come and go in the hall, yet it is silent and still.

Ye Zhixian gently assisted her and smiled, saying: "I often hear your uncle mention you, you are truly a beautiful young lady"