20 Come, come! The Wei Familys Face 4 (1/2)
The residence of the Second Madam of the Wei Manor was tenderly remarked as the Plum Fragrance Residence. That was simply a representation of the Second Madam's love for plum blossoms, but also a slight towards her obsession towards them.
Once stepping beyond the courtyard gates, what greeted the Third and Fifth Young Misses of Wei was a sea of plum trees, with plum blossoms scattering and floating amongst the wind, decorating the freshly paved ground and giving the servants an endless hassle. For fear of angering the Second Madam by ruthlessly sweeping the cobbled pathway clear of the blossoms with a broom, the servants had to lower themselves to pick each individual blossom up with their fingers before stowing them in an earthenware jar.
Unable to be ruthless to the blossoms, they had to be ruthless to themselves.
Fortunately, the Second Madam had no short supply of healing salve, and would even join them in picking up the scattered plum blossoms from time to time.
Waving back to the servants who stopped by to greet her, Wei Yan Yue blazed through the pathway, her loose sleeves occasionally capturing the falling blossoms as she raced towards the residence at the heart of the courtyard. Shaking her head, the Third Young Miss strolled along at a slow pace, a small smile displayed on her face as she cheerfully appraised the decorations of the courtyard.
If one were to disregard the overabundance of plum trees, the Plum Blossom Residence was not bad in terms of aesthetics. A line of azaleas guarded each side of the cobbled pathway, and the grass was neatly trimmed, not a single weed poking out. There was even a small pond at the western side of the courtyard, and a reading pavilion by its edge.
”…Sister! Third Sister! Hurry up, stop dawdling!”
Wei Yan Yue's cheery shout rang, and the Third Young Miss raised her head to discover the young girl waving towards her at the door of the residence. With a joyful smile, the young maiden similarly shouted towards the Fifth Young Miss of Wei, greatly accelerating her pace to reach the residence's gates in a flash.
”Alright, alright! This sister will stop dawdling and come now!”
Coming to a stop next to Wei Yan Yue, the Third Young Miss saw a woman tinkering with a ball of fabric with her hands, an embroidery needle locked between her lips. Just as the Third Young Miss began to call out towards the woman, Wei Yan Yue quickly covered the former's mouth with her hand, making a quieting motion.
”Don't disturb Mother,” she whispered to the confused Third Young Miss. ”You know Mother doesn't wish to be disturbed while she's embroidering.”
”Alright,” The Third Young Miss replied. Grasping Wei Yan Yue's sleeves, she guided the young girl to sit at a bench in the outer chambers. As she admired the various jade accessories and luxurious decorations, the Third Young Miss released a sigh of appreciation.
”Father truly dotes on Mother,” she said, pointing towards a jade accessory of a rabbit, then towards a golden vine with a coiled dragon. ”The Heart-Cleansing Jade Rabbit that was obtained from contending against the Yan Empire's young heroes and the Dragon Vine of Kunlun Temple, Mother truly has a vast assortment of luxuries. Most of the objects here, you can't find even in the black markets!”
”However, doesn't First Madam have much more?” Wei Yan Yue retorted. ”Just take a look at her 'Sheng' authority tablets, they're made of Snow Jade! The Snow Jade that is usually given exclusively to the Imperial Family as part of an annual tribute, and whatever the markets can obtain, they're priced at astronomical prices. But the jade authority tablets are at least ten liang, and First Madam must have at least a few dozen of them!”
”Alright, alright,” the Third Young Miss reached out to calm the girl. ”But our Mother is favored as well. We don't have the family troubles that many officials experience, and Mother and the First Madam have never fought ever since they entered the Wei Manor. Be good, alright?”
”Family troubles?” Wei Yan Yue repeated, a curious glint emerging in her teal irises. The young maiden reached out to pull on the Third Young Miss' right sleeve, adopting a flattering tone as she persistently wheedled her elder sister.
”Third Sister, tell me!” she pleaded. ”You are the only one given permission among the two of us to explore the streets of Jiang'an, surely you wouldn't leave your younger sister to hang and dry in shame later in the future, right?”
”This…”
”Third! Sister!”
”Be good, be good! Third Sister will tell you a story…one that happened just a few days earlier.”
”Hehe!”
”Listen well, this is about the Liang Family, the family of the Minister of Rites, Liang Gong Ming…”
The outer chambers of the Plum Fragrance Residence soon became engulfed in a young girl's peals of laughter and a young maiden's attempts of restoring peace and quiet.