The Virtuous Wife

Chapter 45 Sisters Appreciating Lotus

Gu took Jingyi out of Heshou Hall and went straight to the storeroom.

Jingyi knew that her mother must be upset, so she interrupted and said, "Mother, you said that Concubine Shu likes jade, so why don't we send her a jade Buddha? This way, we won't show off and will also win Concubine Shu's favor."

Gu nodded and asked someone to find several jade Buddhas of different sizes and put them in the middle.

"Although this one has a good face, it's a pity that the jade is too poor. This one is too small." Gu muttered to herself, looking around at several jade Buddhas, and was not very satisfied with any of them.

"Mother, what do you think of this one?" Jingyi pointed to a jade Buddha about one foot high and asked Gu to take a look.

Gu took a look and said, "Well, the jade is good. The carving is also OK, especially the face, which shows both blessing and compassion. It's good. Let's take this one. Madam Liu, send someone to make a box of the best red sandalwood, and then wrap it with the best red silk. Let's send it to the Sixth Prince tomorrow, and the Sixth Prince will pass it on."

Jingyi smiled and said, "Mother, since we are in the storehouse, let's pick out the gifts from my uncle as well. Also, Yiyi heard that several cousins ​​from my uncle's family are all outstanding! We must pick out some rare things to send over, so that mother can show her thoughtfulness."

Gu poked Jingyi's forehead with her index finger and scolded with a smile, "You devil girl! Are you thinking about visiting your cousin Yu?"

Jingyi smiled and shook Gu's arm with her hand and said, "Mother, I really care about you. Besides, you only have cousin Yu as your niece, don't you miss her?"

Gu smiled and gave her a look, "Okay. Tell me, what do you want to give to your cousin Yu?"

Jingyi carefully picked out a pile of gold and silver jewelry for a long time, and finally found a peanut-shaped jade pendant from it! "Mother, look! Just give this. Cousin Yu has already been engaged, so give her this lucky bean." After saying that, she showed the jade pendant to Gu.

Gu took a closer look, "Not bad, you are thoughtful."

Jingyi accompanied Gu to pick some gifts, and it was almost noon before they returned to Gu's yard to have lunch together.

The next day, Gu asked Su Qing and Su Ming to take leave and accompany her and Jingyi to the Weiyuan General's Mansion to deliver Mid-Autumn Festival gifts.

When they arrived at the gate, Gu Wen had already brought his wife Liu and several children to wait at the main gate. Seeing Gu coming, he hurried down the steps and picked up Yiyi. "Yiyi has gained weight recently and has grown a lot taller. I'm afraid that your uncle won't be able to hold her when you come next time!" After saying this, everyone laughed.

"Brother, put her down quickly. She's so old, and you're still holding her. Be careful that people will see and gossip about her." Gu complained.

Unexpectedly, Gu Wen raised his eyebrows and glared, "Who dares to gossip? What's wrong with me holding my own niece?"

Liu smiled and said, "Okay, okay, come in quickly. The mansion has prepared tea and snacks, waiting for you to come."

Everyone entered the yard together and went straight to a pavilion in the main courtyard, "Bingxin Pavilion".

After entering the pavilion, Gu Wencai put Jingyi down and took a piece of cake to coax her: "Yiyi, this is the walnut cake made by your aunt, try it."

Jingyi took it and put it in her mouth, "So sweet! Crispy, so fragrant!"

Liu was happy, "If it smells good, eat more. I made a lot, take some with you when you leave this afternoon."

Jingyi nodded quickly, looking very happy. Gu Yu, who was sitting next to her, hurriedly brought a cup of tea over, "Eat slowly, drink some tea quickly, don't choke!"

Jingyi drank a sip of tea, turned to look at Gu Yu: "Cousin, you haven't visited me for a long time."

Gu Yu smiled and lowered his head, "Yiyi, last time I heard that you were hit on the head by Jingmei, I was very worried. But my mother said that I just got engaged and it's not suitable to go out, so I didn't go. Did you keep the things I asked my mother to bring you?"

"Yes. The ink my cousin gave me is very useful, and it has a faint scent of ink. I can't bear to use it."

"What's there to be reluctant about? I'll ask someone to buy it later."

The two of them talked and laughed here, ignoring other people.

Gu looked at them with a smile on her face: "Look at these two sisters, they are closer than real sisters! Once they meet, they can't stop talking."

"Yes!" Liu also smiled and said: "I heard that Jingyi was injured a while ago, and I had to go to see her, but you know, sister, she just got engaged, it's really not appropriate. When I went to your house, she repeatedly told me to come back and tell her about Jingyi in detail. I was afraid that this sister was wronged."

Gu sighed lightly and said: "Isn't it? I was recuperating a while ago, and I really wronged this child. Ming'er is better, after all, she has grown a few years older, but Yiyi, ah!"

Su Qing interrupted: "Mother, isn't it very happy to get together with uncle's family? Those things are over, so I don't think about them. There are many days to come."

Su Ming also advised: "Yes, mother, didn't Bai get retribution? Don't be sad anymore."

Jingyi and Gu Yu also stopped talking and looked at Gu.

Gu smiled hurriedly, "Look at me, I love to daydream all day long. Qing'er, Ming'er, you go play with some cousins, we can talk here."

Su Qing agreed, and all of a sudden, half of the people in the pavilion were gone!

Gu Yu stood up and bowed to Gu and said, "Aunt, I want to take Yiyi to my place to appreciate the lotus, do you think it's okay?"

"Oh? At this time of year, the lotus is still blooming?" Gu was a little surprised.

Liu smiled and said, "It was sent by my in-laws a while ago. It is said that it was shipped from the south, with a long flowering period and beautiful appearance. Let's talk first, and I will accompany you to take a look later." After that, she said to Gu Yu, "Go, take good care of Yiyi."

Gu Yu agreed, and then retreated with Jingyi.

As soon as you enter Gu Yu's yard, the colorful lotus flowers come into view!

Even Jingyi, a modern person, was somewhat surprised! It was already August, and the lotus should have withered by now. How could it bloom so brightly and colorfully?

Gu Yu said lightly: "This was sent by their family a few days ago. It's impossible that he heard from somewhere that I like lotus and asked someone to transport it from the south."

Jingyi looked at Gu Yu's slightly blushing face and couldn't help but joked: "Cousin, do you miss him?"

Gu Yu laughed and scolded: "You little girl, don't talk nonsense!" Although she said so, her face became even redder, like the peach blossoms in March, so beautiful!

Jingyi couldn't help but sigh when she saw Gu Yu, who was only thirteen years old this year! Thirteen years old, the age of a flower, was betrothed to a stranger whose temperament she didn't know! Thinking of this, Jingyi couldn't help but shook her head.

Gu Yu looked at her in a daze, then shook her head, and asked with concern: "Yiyi, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling uncomfortable?"

Jingyi shook her head: "No, I just think that my cousin will get married in two years, and I am reluctant to let her go."

"Silly girl, even if she gets married, we are still sisters!"

Jingyi smiled at Gu Yu, and then looked at the lotus flowers in the yard, which were of different sizes and colors. They were really beautiful! It seems that this future brother-in-law has put some thought into it.

"Cousin, which son did you betroth?"

Gu Yu blushed again and whispered: "It's the son of the Duke of England, Yang Haipeng."

Jingyi thought about it and had never heard of this person. It seems that she would have to ask someone to check the background of the Duke of England and the situation of Yang Haipeng.

"Cousin, let's go to appreciate the lotus!" After Jingyi finished speaking, she pulled Gu Yu forward two steps and gently touched the pearly white lotus with her hand. Oval petals, slender yellow filaments, Jingyi went forward and sniffed, and then she felt a faint lotus fragrance permeating her heart!

Looking five or six steps away, there was a small white lotus. The lotus was only the size of a ring, white all over, and it looked even more delicate against the huge lotus leaf!

Going further, there was a Yin-Yang lotus. The colors of the two sides of this lotus were different, one side was light pink and the other side was yellow. It was a rare lotus treasure. I didn't expect that the future brother-in-law would use it to please his cousin.

"Ah! It's a lotus with two stems!" Jingyi shouted, and then trotted over. This is a pink lotus. The so-called flowers blooming with two stems refer to lotus with two stems, which is more rare than the Yin-Yang lotus! Especially the color is so bright and the flowers are so big, it is even more rare!

Jingyi likes lotus, and she has planted a lot of lotus in her yard, but there are not so many varieties here.

Jingyi looked at the twin lotus flowers and couldn't help but think of Zhou Dunyi's "On the Love of Lotuses", "I love the lotus that grows out of the mud but is not stained, washes in the clear water but is not coquettish, is straight inside and outside, has no vines or branches, and its fragrance is even clearer as it spreads far away. It stands tall and clean, and can be admired from afar but not played with. I think chrysanthemum is the hermit among flowers; peony is the rich and noble among flowers; lotus is the gentleman among flowers. Alas! The love of chrysanthemum has rarely been heard of since Tao Yuanming. Who loves lotus as much as I do? The love of peony should be shared by many people."

Jingyi recited the second half of the poem unconsciously, which shocked Gu Yu. Jingyi is only seven years old, but she already has such talent?

"Out of the mud, it is not stained; the lotus is clean and not evil." After Gu Yu repeated it, he said with a look of surprise: "Sister, you are really talented! How did you come up with such a beautiful sentence?"

"Huh?" Jingyi came back to her senses. Oh no, she had unconsciously said what she was thinking. I wonder if it was wrong. Jingyi hurriedly said: "I made fun of you, cousin. Yiyi just thought that the stem of this lotus is through the middle, the shape is straight, there are no branches, no branches, and it stands straight and clean there. Don't you think that father and uncle are very similar to this lotus?"

"Good, well said!" A cheer came. It turned out that Gu Wen accompanied Liu and Gu here and was standing under the corridor looking at them. The surprise on Gu's face was clear at a glance.

Jingyi secretly thought that it was bad. It was already eye-catching enough. Now after such a thing, I am afraid that there will be no peace in the future.