Pastoral Splendor

A pale pink brocade robe trailed across the cool ground. Sunlight cast a long, dark shadow of Cheng Siwei's slender figure on the blue bricks. From behind, she appeared so lonely, as if abandoned by the world. Jian Yifei stood there, a pang of sadness in his heart, but he didn't chase after her, for he didn't want to lose his beloved girl.

"Fei'er." Standing at the door, Cheng Siwei called out, "Aren't you coming with me?"

Ahead lay what seemed like a thicket of thorns. She stood at the edge of the thicket, afraid to step out, lest she pierce her soles with a thousand holes.

Jian Yifei stood there, looking at Cheng Siwei's back and then at Yan Ying, feeling extremely troubled.

Yan Ying smiled slightly, pulled Jian Yifei along and walked forward, pouting, "You hold the left side, I'll hold the right side."

Jian Yifei understood and felt relieved. Sanhua was the best. Even though her mother was making things difficult for her, she didn't mind and was even willing to help her mother out the door. Where could she find such a kind-hearted daughter-in-law? She held Cheng Siwei's left arm with one hand and said happily, "Mother, let us help you."

Cheng Siwei was secretly pleased, thinking that Jian Yifei still wouldn't dare to go against her wishes. But when she turned her head, she saw Yan Ying standing on her side, smiling at her. Yan Ying's hand was supporting her arm. They stood on either side of Jian Yifei. Anyone who didn't know the situation would definitely think they were a happy family.

“Miss Xiao.” Cheng Siwei struggled with her arm, but she didn’t expect Yan Ying’s grip to be so strong, as if a pair of pliers had clamped onto her arm. No matter how hard Cheng Siwei tried, she couldn’t break free. Yan Ying still smiled sweetly at her: “Madam, I’ll see you out. You’ve come all this way to Yuzhou City, so I should at least treat you politely. But I’m sure you’ll think I haven’t been hospitable enough, so I’ll just have to see you back.”

After struggling for a while, Cheng Siwei finally gave up and could only be helped by Jian Yifei and Yan Ying to the carriage. The coachman had just received the news that he was going back to the capital. In the blink of an eye, he saw that Cheng Siwei had been helped out by his young master and a strange girl. He was very surprised. The lady was moving too fast. He hadn't even had time to hitch up the carriage yet!

The coachman was hurriedly harnessing the chariot, while Yan Ying smiled and bowed to Cheng Siwei: "Madam, next time let Yifei bring you to my house for a few days. You might find that life is much more comfortable then."

Not long ago, she was arguing righteously with me, but now she's all smiles and saying goodbye. This country girl's face changes so quickly. Cheng Siwei stood there, furious, but she couldn't bring herself to scold Yan Ying, especially since Jian Yifei was standing next to her with a lovestruck expression.

Before long, the coachman had harnessed the carriage, and Madam Huang was at the front counter settling the bill. Several shop assistants came over to help Cheng Siwei load half of her things into the carriage: "Madam, have a good trip. Come back and visit again next time. The weather in Yuzhou is cool in the summer, and many distinguished guests come here to escape the summer heat."

Cheng Siwei got into the car with a cold face and didn't respond at all. Huang's mother smiled and nodded: "Definitely, definitely coming."

The coachman cracked his whip, and the two horses slowly pulled the carriage away. Jian Yifei took Yan Ying's hand and walked out of the inn: "Sanhua, I'm so sorry, I didn't expect my mother to come looking for you."

Yan Ying rolled her eyes at him: "You'd better deal with your mother quickly, so she doesn't spend money to hire assassins to intercept me next time."

Jian Yifei felt a chill run down her spine and shivered: "My mother isn't like that."

"Hehe." Yan Ying chuckled. Jian Yifei hadn't heard what Cheng Siwei said. She originally wanted to disfigure her, but fortunately, the two guards were kind-hearted and didn't do as she was told.

“Sanhua, don’t worry, I’ll go back and talk to her right away. Whether she agrees or not, I will marry you. Let’s get married soon, okay?” Jian Yifei saw a hint of unfamiliarity in Yan Ying’s eyes and felt uneasy. He grabbed Yan Ying’s hand tightly and said, “I don’t care what she says, I will only marry you.”

"What if she insists on not agreeing?" Yan Ying smiled. "What if she doesn't arrange the marriage for you?"

“This…” Jian Yifei thought for a moment, then said firmly, “Sanhua, then I will not care about her. In short, I will definitely marry you. After we get married, we will go back and bring her to live with us. She will have no choice then.”

"Yes, as long as you are determined." Yan Ying smiled at Jian Yifei: "I don't care what your mother thinks of me, I only care about your feelings."

“Sanhua, don’t you believe in yourself? A woman as good as you is hard to find even with a lantern. I finally met you, how could I let you go?” Jian Yifei looked at her sincerely, his voice gradually becoming more passionate: “I think about you every night, sometimes I can’t sleep because of it. I think I’m sick, and the cure for this illness is you. Only after we get married will I get better.”

Yan Ying nodded without hesitation: "You're right, I really am a woman you couldn't find even with a lantern. Congratulations, you've chosen the right person."

Jian Yifei tugged at her, and Yan Ying gently lunged forward, falling into his arms. He reached out and embraced her. She looked up at him, and their eyes met. A pale yellow winter plum blossom fell from above, a small one landing on the tip of Yan Ying's nose, like a flower ornament. Jian Yifei leaned down and gently wiped it with his lips, the winter plum blossom now in his mouth. He lightly pressed the flower to Yan Ying's lips: "So fragrant."

The cool petals and the fiery lips came together, and Yan Ying felt a fire suddenly ignite in her heart. Jian Yifei was becoming more and more audacious. Although the back wall of Fulai Inn was quiet, it wasn't that no one came to play. She quickly tiptoed and bit Jian Yifei's lip hard: "Hmph, I'll teach you to be audacious."

Jian Yifei suddenly hugged her tightly, squeezing her as if trying to pull her into his arms. From a distance, the two appeared to be entwined. Huang Mama, who had peeked out from the carriage, quickly lowered the curtain and pulled her head back, her face flushed. She couldn't help but be amazed by the young master's obvious desire, and how audacious Miss Xiao was to be so shamelessly intimate with him in broad daylight, without a care for anyone seeing!

"Mom, what's wrong?" Cheng Siwei was leaning against the carriage wall when she heard the noise. She opened her eyes and saw Huang Mama's appearance. She couldn't help but wonder, "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"This old servant just saw a pair of cats huddled together," Mama Huang whispered. "It's spring, they're out playing."

Cheng Siwei chuckled, "Isn't it because you're in heat?" But as soon as her laughter subsided, she thought of Jian Yifei's marriage and gritted her teeth, "Is there really no way to deal with that girl?"

Madam Huang whispered, "Madam, please let go. Do you really want to force the young master away? I don't think he can resist marrying Miss Xiao." He's already hugged her, embraced her, and even... kissed her. Who else would he marry if not her? Fortunately, Miss Xiao is clever and beautiful, only her background is a bit lowly. Let's see if we can find a prominent family with the surname Xiao and have her marry into that family, establish some kind of relationship. That way, it will be acceptable and save face.

Cheng Siwei didn't say anything, but simply closed her eyes again.

She was utterly defeated today, beaten by a girl her age. She looked only fifteen or sixteen, yet her words were sharp and aggressive, and she wasn't just being unreasonable; every word she uttered was logical, leaving no room for rebuttal. Cheng Siwei's fingers traced her chest. If she had been half as clever as that girl back then, she wouldn't be in this predicament now.

It's true what they say, the younger generation surpasses the older. I'm already in my thirties, yet I'm rendered speechless by a young girl's questioning. Cheng Siwei felt frustrated. She lifted the soft curtain to let the cold wind in, and her mind suddenly cleared. Her eyes caught sight of Jian Yifei riding a horse alongside the carriage.

“Mother.” Jian Yifei bent down and lifted the carriage curtain slightly: “Your son apologizes to you.”

Cheng Siwei pouted: "You've been thinking about that Miss Xiao the whole time. Didn't you keep saying you wanted to marry her? Why are you apologizing to me now?"

Jian Yifei said with a hint of helplessness, “Mother, I know you love me and want to marry me off to a girl from a wealthy family, but I like Miss Xiao. Besides, aren’t we a good match? Mother, we’re not anything special. You only have a house, while Miss Xiao has a mountain behind her.”

These words left Cheng Siwei speechless for a long time. Then she heard Jian Yifei sigh softly, "Mother, you are proud of your son, so you naturally think that Miss Xiao is not good enough for me. But I think I am not good enough for Miss Xiao."

What kind of talk is this! Cheng Siwei clenched her fingers, so angry that she could hardly speak. Although Jian Yifei was not her biological son, in her heart, her son was a dragon among men, a genius of heaven and earth. She never expected him to belittle her like this.

“Mother, Miss Xiao asked me to deliver a gift to you. I’ve already left it at home. When you get back, you’ll see how skillful Miss Xiao is. I believe that a wife should be virtuous, and I will never let someone as rare as Miss Xiao slip through my fingers.” Jian Yifei held onto the soft curtain with one hand while whispering his advice. No matter what, he had to resolve this knot in his mother’s heart and make her willingly accept Sanhua as her daughter-in-law.

The down comforter felt like clouds to the touch. It was only half the weight of her own comforter, but when she put her hands inside, there was an indescribable warmth that seemed to spread slowly from the back of her hands throughout her body. Cheng Siwei stared at the comforter, somewhat surprised: "Did Miss Xiao make this herself?"

“Yes.” Jian Yifei nodded. Although he knew that Da Hua and Aunt Xiao had made it, the idea of ​​using duck down was Yan Ying’s, so it couldn’t be wrong.

Cheng Siwei touched the densely embroidered stitches and smiled, "I didn't expect that Miss Xiao to be so skillful."

When Huang's mother brought in the freshly roasted duck, the room was instantly filled with its delicious aroma.

"Mother, please try the roast duck made by Sanhua." Seeing Cheng Siwei's smiling face, Jian Yifei enthusiastically took the tray, picked up a piece of duck meat with her chopsticks, dipped it in the sauce, and said, "I guarantee you'll want to eat it again."

"Is it that delicious?" Cheng Siwei rolled her eyes at Jian Yifei, opened her mouth and picked up the piece of meat. She chewed it a little and a look of surprise appeared on her face.

Chapter 211 Invitation

The spring rain fell softly. Standing on the hilltop, Xiaojia Village seemed to be shrouded in a light veil. Yan Ying, wearing a straw hat and a raincoat, was leading a group of people to prune the trees.

Spring is the best season for grafting. Everything is reviving and full of vitality. At this time, there is plenty of rain and sunshine, which helps trees grow quickly and increases the survival rate. Last autumn, Yan Ying had already planned a batch of trees, planting and managing them in separate areas. This year, she plans to transplant the plants on a larger scale, dividing them into several gardens. This will make harvesting the fruit much easier, and when the trees are in bloom, the vast expanse of these trees will look even more spectacular.

"Sanhua, Sanhua, the clerk from the prefectural government has sent a letter!" Boss Xiao rushed over in a panic: "You'd better go back quickly."

Yan Ying instructed Da Mu, "Da Mu, try doing it the way I just taught you. I'll come back later to see if the rootstock you cut off is usable."

Da Mu was a little nervous: "Did I cut down all those trees?"

Yan Ying picked up a piece of wood she had cut off and showed it to him: "Look, just do it my way. Don't hold back. It's okay if you break one or two. There are plenty of trees on this mountain. How can you learn if you don't practice?"