Madam Wu walked slowly.
Suddenly, a few snowflakes drifted down from the sky, and the clouds pressed down, as if a heavy snowfall was about to start.
Banqiao glanced up and urgently wanted to fetch an umbrella.
Madam Wu stopped her: "It’s fine, it’s only a few steps, and we’re walking along the veranda, it won’t be a problem."
Banqiao lowered her hands and agreed.
Du Yunluo supported Madam Wu as they walked to the main room, where the maid at the door lifted the curtain.
But Madam Wu did not go in. She turned her head to watch the sparse snowflakes dancing in the wind and said after a long while, "I remember, when Yuan Jing was a child, she loved snowy days the most, she liked playing in the snow. No matter how I warned her, she wouldn’t listen, always rolling around in the snow without any semblance of a young lady’s manners. Yet the Old Marquis indulged her, playing snowball fights with her. Her brothers all went easy on her."
Recalling the past, Madam Wu’s voice turned hoarse. She stood there for a while, and then turned to step over the threshold, sighing deeply: "We spoiled her."
Du Yunluo’s breath caught, as if someone had grabbed her by the throat.
She too was once the spoiled child of the family, and she had no standing to criticize Mu Yuanjing for anything, though she still didn’t like this aunt of hers.
Madam Wu entered the West Warm Pavilion, and Mu Lianhui stood up to greet her.
"I was just saying, Yuan Jing was indeed spoiled by me." Madam Wu patted Mu Lianhui’s shoulder, "After all, she is your aunt. She was widowed young; don’t get into any verbal disputes with her. I’m old, but I can still discern right from wrong."
Mu Lianhui opened her mouth to say something but didn’t speak up, instead, she looked lightly toward Mrs. Zhou.
Mrs. Zhou looked from her nose to her heart, indifferent to Mu Yuanjing’s matters, neither interfering nor commenting.
As for Mrs. Zhou’s relationship with Mu Yuanjing, whether she spoke well or ill of her, it would be inappropriate. Better to keep silent, as Madam Wu understood well.
Mu Lianhui’s lips curled slightly, smiling knowingly and a bit mockingly, understanding that Mrs. Zhou would not involve herself in murky waters.
"Grandmother, I understand the principles," Mu Lianhui turned her gaze to Madam Wu. "But to be honest, isn’t there more than one in this family who was widowed young? Others can endure it; why must she take out her frustrations on the younger generation?"
The words "widowed young" fell unpleasantly on Madam Wu’s ears.
Madam Wu pursed her lips, sat on the Arhat Bed, and sighed: "You can say such things to me, but don’t talk like this in front of your two aunts. They all have their troubles."
Mu Lianhui lowered her gaze, looking at Du Yunluo who took out a Beauty Hammer to knead Madam Wu’s shoulders, she said mildly: "I know."
Madam Wu took the teacup Mrs. Zhou handed her, and moistened her throat: "Did you pay respect to the Bodhisattva Guanyin today?"
Mu Lianhui sat on the embroidered stool: "I didn’t. I was only accompanying the Imperial Consort to worship."
Madam Wu scrutinized Mu Lianhui carefully: "Your mother was right, ever since you came back from Putuo Mountain, your temperament has changed. As a child, you used to recite the scriptures with me, but now, not to mention the first and fifteenth of the month, you’re unwilling to pray even on Guanyin Bodhisattva’s birthday."
Mu Lianhui lightly bit her lower lip, glancing at Du Yunluo, she said, "It’s just **** chanting the scriptures, doing it too much becomes tiresome."
Madam Wu chuckled: "Do you think it’s like setting the table and getting tired of a dish after using it too much?"
Mu Lianhui didn’t respond.
With the Beauty Hammer tapping gently, Du Yunluo sat at the foot stool of the Arhat Bed, unable to see Mu Lianhui’s expression behind her.
She didn’t know what Mu Lianhui was like before going to Putuo, but she remembered that in her previous life, Mu Lianhui always practiced Buddhism.
After marrying Li Luan, this Princess Consort Rui would still accompany the Lian Family to Putuo Mountain to pray, and it was said there was also a Buddha Hall in Prince Rui Mansion.
Is it because in this life she was distanced by the Cining Palace, no longer needing to worship to please the Imperial Consort?
Or perhaps...
Du Yunluo recalled her deduction with Princess Nanyan.
If Mu Lianhui was also someone who had been reborn, then her change in temperament might be explainable.
But it was still strange, strange that she no longer believed in Buddhism.
For someone reborn, how could they not believe in deities, spirits, even if they couldn’t be devout, they’d still hold some reverence in their hearts.
Du Yunluo couldn’t find a trace of reverence in Mu Lianhui.
Du Yunluo suddenly remembered an incident at Guoning Temple.
Mu Lianhui had invited her to pay homage, but she hadn’t gone along. Whether Mu Lianhui actually worshipped at that time, Du Yunluo had no way of knowing.
But she remembered what the Imperial Consort had said.
The Imperial Consort said Mu Lianhui liked staying in the hall, standing there for hours.
At the time, Du Yunluo didn’t find it unusual, but thinking back now, the Imperial Consort said "standing," not "kneeling."
Mu Lianhui just stood in the hall, looking at the Buddha statue, smelling the sandalwood; what could she have been thinking?
Rather than reverence, it seemed more like confusion and hesitation?
Du Yunluo couldn’t tell, she couldn’t guess for sure.
A table was set in Baijie Hall, serving vegetarian dishes because it was the nineteenth of February.
Mu Lianhui didn’t want to eat and didn’t stay to dine with Madam Wu, leaving first.
Madam Wu didn’t keep her, instead she said to Mrs. Zhou and Du Yunluo: "Yuan Jing and Lian Hui, these two children, the older they get, the less I understand them."
When Madam Wu rested for her afternoon nap, Mrs. Zhou and Du Yunluo left Baijie Hall.
Outside, the snow was falling heavily.
Nanny Su held an umbrella for Mrs. Zhou, who said: "You should go back too; it’s hard to walk in the snow."
Du Yunluo agreed.
Back in Shaohui Garden, Du Yunluo asked Lian Qiao: "Who is on duty in the Prince’s courtyard today?"
Lian Qiao replied: "It should be Jiuxi."
"Have someone ask Jiuxi who went out with the Prince, and if they took a bamboo raincoat, since it’s snowing outside?" Du Yunluo said.
Lian Qiao nodded and went.
With nothing else to do, Du Yunluo asked Jin Rui to bring the embroidery basket and continued to work on the shoe insoles she had started the previous day.
Two quarters of an hour later, Lian Qiao returned with news, saying that Yun Qi had gone out with Mu Lianxiao, and since they hadn’t expected it to snow by noon, they hadn’t taken a bamboo raincoat. But as soon as the snowflakes started, Ming Liu had sent one over.
Du Yunluo was relieved.
Because of the snow, the day darkened earlier than usual, and they lit lamps early in Shaohui Garden.
Mu Lianxiao returned just when the snowstorm was at its peak.
Du Yunluo heard the voices outside greeting him and went out to welcome him, feeling the snowflakes wrapped in the wind as soon as she lifted the curtain, causing her to shiver.
Mu Lianxiao stood under the veranda, his bamboo raincoat covered in a layer of snow. He took it off and handed it to Yu Zhu, saying to Du Yunluo: "What are you doing out here? It’s cold; quickly come inside."
The two of them stood by the charcoal brazier in the hall, warming themselves by the fire.
Their hands warmed over the brazier. Mu Lianxiao cautiously touched the back of Du Yunluo’s hand with his own to make sure it wasn’t cold before taking her hand in his: "Don’t come out next time, be careful not to catch a chill."
They stood by the brazier, their hands warming as they enjoyed its soft glow. Mu Lianxiao drained his cup of ginger tea before suggesting to Jin Rui to bring another bowl for Du Yunluo, who was delighted, but then heard Mu Lianxiao instruct Jin Rui to bring another bowl of ginger tea, "That one’s for you," he said to Du Yunluo.