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Chapter 15: Going Up the Mountain
After the Chinese New Year, Xie Zhen turned six years old. Little girls grow up quickly, and she started to shoot up like a sprout, growing significantly taller compared to last year.
Most of the spring and summer clothes brought from the capital were now too small. Madam Leng gestured in front of Xie Zhen, pointing out that the sleeves and pant legs were both too short. Madam Leng smiled and sighed, “Tomorrow, let Chen Mama go to the street and buy some fabric to make you some new clothes.”
Children always love new clothes, and Xie Zhen was no exception. She joyfully held Madam Leng’s face and kissed her, saying, “I want to wear a dress with flowers and birds!”
She was referring to Leng Shi’s white silk dress with flower and bird patterns. Madam Leng had worn it only once at the celebration of the elder ancestor’s birthday in the Duke Dingguo’s mansion. However, the little girl remembered it and wanted a dress exactly like that. Madam Leng playfully pinched her chubby face and said, “When you grow up, Mother will give you that dress, alright?”
Xie Zhen was overjoyed and kept pestering her, “Really, really?”
Madam Leng never lied to her, “Of course, it’s true.”
She truly liked that dress and couldn’t wait for Xie Zhen to grow up so she could pass it on. The next day, Chen Mama brought people to measure her size. In the meantime, she measured the heights of Xie Xian and Xie Rong. In the afternoon, someone delivered the fabrics to the mansion for them to choose. Xie Zhen, being the most fashion-conscious, picked out seven or eight pieces of fabric and had dresses, short shirts, jackets, and robes made. This year, she probably wouldn’t run out of clothes.
Xie Xian was indecisive, so she chose whichever color Xie Zhen said looked good. In the end, she also picked four or five pieces of fabric for her spring and summer clothes.
Xie Rong randomly pointed out two colors, leaving the rest to Madam Leng’s decision.
Madam Leng instructed Chen Mama to note down each choice, saying, “All these clothes must be made by the end of this month. Otherwise, if the weather warms up next month, there will be nothing to wear.”
Chen Mama hurriedly agreed and led a group of maidservants downstairs. After the snow melted, Qingzhou experienced several continuous spring rains, each more lingering than the last. The raindrops fell on the eaves, making a rhythmic sound. Unfortunately, it was not heavy rain, persistently falling for half a month. On the last day of the month, the weather finally cleared.
Xie Zhen and Xie Xian had been cooped up in the house for half a month, nearly going crazy. After the rain stopped, they roamed around the entire Xie residence, finally feeling relieved.
In the afternoon of the same day, their clothes were ready and delivered. Xie Zhen had a total of over ten outfits, arranged in a long row on the couch. She picked up each one, including a short shirt made of delicate green silk with cloud patterns, a sky-blue gauze jacket, and a yellow brocade skirt with eight treasures pattern… Most of them were for spring and summer, suitable for the warm weather.
Xie Zhen tried each one meticulously, and everything fit perfectly. Her mood, which had been gloomy due to the rainy days, instantly brightened. She immediately selected the clothes she would wear in a few days for the ceremony, a cherry blossom-colored short shirt paired with a white chiffon skirt. She also chose a pair of sky-blue silk-buttoned shoes and even decided on the accessories for that day, more thoughtful than Madam Leng’s preparations.
It must be said that this little girl had a unique talent for dressing herself up.
*
On the seventh day of the second month, Xie Zhen changed into her clothes early in the morning and sat in front of the mirror, letting the maids style her hair.
Today, she didn’t tie her hair into flower buds but instead used red ribbons to create two small buns, with the ribbons hanging down on either side. She looked more like a cute and charming doll from a New Year painting. The maids attached fragrant sachets and talismans to her, expressing their admiration, “Miss, when you grow up, you’ll surely be a stunning beauty.”
Xie Zhen didn’t understand the term “stunning beauty”; she only knew that the maids were complimenting her and accepted it with a smiling face.
Madam Leng originally worried that she might not dress herself well, but to her surprise, not only did Xie Zhen dress beautifully, but she also dressed up Xie Xian. The outfit truly complemented her, with fresh and tender colors resembling the new shoots in spring. It was as white and tender as bamboo shoots, making people want to pluck her from the ground and savor her slowly.
It seemed like her daughter had grown even more beautiful than last year, with more refined features. In other families, daughters might be cute when young but become less satisfactory as they grow older. However, her little lamb was different; she grew more beautiful with each passing year, becoming more exquisite. She was only six now and already unbelievably pretty. Madam Leng began to worry about how much more beautiful she would become in a few years, wondering if it would lead to trouble.
How can parents not worry? When the daughter is not good-looking, they worry; when the daughter is too good-looking, they still worry. It’s really a dilemma.
Of course, the Leng family won’t tell Xie Zhen about these concerns. All they want is for her to grow up well. No matter how she looks, she is their precious daughter.
Today, Xie Liqing specially took a day off from the yamen to accompany his wife and daughter out.
When the family of five arrived at the door, the Li family’s carriage was also ready.
Both families set out together, heading to Puning Temple on the outskirts of the city, five miles away. Puning Temple is about five miles from Yidu County, and the carriage will take about half an hour. They mainly came for an outing with the children, stopping and walking along the way. After an hour, they arrived at the foot of the Wuli Mountain.
At this time, the Xie family learned that the Gao family’s master and madam were also in the temple.
Song Shi said, “The Gao family originally didn’t plan to come and offer incense. Later, I don’t know why they changed their minds and arrived earlier than us.”
Leng Shi didn’t have much opinion. She didn’t have a deep impression of the Gao family’s people in the first place. Whether they came or not made no difference. It was Xie Rong who was a bit uneasy, thinking about the push from Gao Tongtong last time. He stood behind Xie Xian and refused to come out.
Xie Rong told her not to be afraid, holding her little hand and walking up the mountain. “With big brother here, no one dares to bully you.”
The mountain road was a bit rugged. The carriage couldn’t move after reaching halfway up the mountain, so the remaining journey had to be on foot. Xie Xian was too small, so the nanny carried her behind the master and madam. Behind them were the Li couple, followed by Xie Zhen and Li Yu, and finally, Xie Rong. Several maids were also following to ensure their safety.
Xie Zhen refused to be carried by Chen mama. She wanted to walk hand in hand with Li Yu. “Little brother Yu, wait for me…”
Li Yu walked faster than her, refusing to stand with her.
Today, when they left, the two of them stood together. Li Yu found that she had actually grown a bit taller, which was a blow to Li Yu, who was clearly half a year older than her. He didn’t pay much attention to her all the way.
Was she like a bamboo shoot, popping up after a few spring rains?
Li Yu hid his hands in his sleeves, refusing to let her hold them.
Who would have thought that this cheeky girl would spontaneously reach her hand into his sleeve, grab his hand, and forcibly open his fingers, successfully holding hands with him.
Li Yu probably hadn’t encountered someone so shameless before and was immediately shocked, unable to shake her off.
Xie Rong followed the two but didn’t speak up to stop Xie Zhen. He only intervened when she was about to fall, preventing her from getting hurt. However, Xie Rong wasn’t as friendly towards Li Yu… In Xie Rong’s eyes, every time his sister showed enthusiasm, he responded with indifference. He really didn’t appreciate her efforts.
After more than half an hour of walking, the group finally reached the mountaintop.
At first, Xie Zhen could still insist on walking for a while, but later she couldn’t go on, opening her arms and running to Chen mama, asking for a hug. Chen mama found her adorable, and without a word of complaint, she carried her up to the mountaintop.
Arriving at the entrance of Puning Temple, monks were there to receive them.
Puning Temple was renovated with money from the Li family. The abbot considered the Li family as honored guests, and upon learning that they were coming to stay, immediately arranged several rooms in the backyard for them. The rooms were clean, with clear windows, and equipped with bedding, tables, and chairs. It was a comfortable place to stay.
The Xie family had three rooms. Leng Shi and Xie Liqing shared one room, Xie Zhen and Xie Xian shared another, and Xie Rong had a room to himself. After everything was settled, Leng Shi led them to the main hall to offer incense and pray. The hall was solemn and magnificent, with eighteen arhats in various poses. In such a dignified atmosphere, Xie Zhen and Xie Xian suddenly became much more obedient.
Kneeling on a mat in front of them was a mother and daughter. When they stood up and turned around, it was discovered that they were Madam Xu and Gao Tongtong.
Madam Xu smiled, exchanged greetings with Leng Shi, and was about to leave with Gao Tongtong.
Gao Tongtong had been ruthlessly mocked by Xie Rong last time and felt extremely resentful. At that time, she vowed never to see him again. However, today, upon seeing him, her gaze was involuntarily drawn to him. She felt that he had become more handsome and taller in the past few months.
After walking a few steps away, Madam Xu noticed that her daughter was still staring behind. “Tongtong, what are you looking at?”
Gao Tongtong quickly snapped out of her daze and caught up, “Mother, I wasn’t looking at anything.”
After paying respects to the Buddha, the Leng family led them back to the room to rest.
After all, they woke up early today and climbed the mountain for half an hour. Everyone must be tired, so it’s better to take a break now. In the afternoon, they would have the energy to go to the back mountain to see the peach blossoms.
Unexpectedly, when they woke up in the afternoon, it started raining on the mountain. The fine raindrops, like needle points, pierced into the soil of Wuli Mountain. The drizzle continued intermittently until evening without stopping.
Their plans were disrupted, and they couldn’t go out. They had no choice but to stay in the temple.
During this time, Xu brought Gao Tongtong to visit. The adults talked in the inner room, while the children played under the eaves. This time, Gao Tongtong became smarter and was extremely polite to Xie Zhen and Xie Xian. Xie Zhen even thought she had changed into a different person.
Xie Xian also felt uneasy because, with the previous experience in mind, no matter how hard she tried to please them, the sisters remained unenthusiastic.
Gao Tongtong reluctantly accompanied them all afternoon, but they showed no appreciation. She was a proud person, and the fact that she behaved like this was already quite rare. In the end, she angrily flipped her sleeves and left.
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