Do not lean against the west railing to lock in the clear autumn - Chapter 150
Gan Lin gave a helpless "hmm," and Chu Chen, as if granted a pardon, excitedly ran outside, leaving a trail of deep and shallow footprints in the snow.
He summoned Guard Liang and asked him to bring two people with him. A group of children was not someone he could completely trust.
"Ganlin, you said you'd let me ride in the snowmobile, but now it seems impossible, isn't it?" Seeing the snow, I couldn't help but think of my encounter with Ganlin that winter.
Gan Lin smirked, his expression self-important.
"Well, if there are no snowmobiles, I can still go ice skating." With that, he went inside and found some suitable clothes to put on.
After getting ready, the group arrived at the small lake at the east end, where a layer of ice had already formed on the surface. Gan Lin stepped onto the ice and checked it thoroughly before letting me pass. Ruosheng and the others had lived in the south since childhood, and this was their first time seeing snow, let alone ice skating.
With bamboo wheels tied to the soles of his shoes, he slipped and slid on the ice. Because he hadn't done this kind of sport in a long time, he needed Gan Lin's support to stand up. He walked and stopped for a while to get used to it before pushing Gan Lin away and slid along unsteadily by himself. The people on the shore all looked nervous.
After he gradually got the hang of it, he said to the guards on the shore, "Bring Chenchen here and teach him how to play this."
The guards obeyed and left, while Gan Lin and I played figure skating on the ice. The surrounding scenery flashed by, and I hadn't felt this carefree and exhilarating feeling in a long time. All the caution I had always felt was thrown to the clouds at this moment.
"Auntie is so pretty!" Just as they were having a great time, a childish voice came from afar, and without looking, it was clear that it was Chu Chen.
The guards quickly brought Chu Chen to the shore, and he and Gan Lin slid to the bank. Chu Chen ran over and grabbed me, saying, "Auntie, Chen Chen wants to play too."
"That's exactly what I'm trying to teach you, but you're not allowed to cry if you fall and hurt yourself." Kids need to be warned first, after all.
Chu Chen immediately puffed out his little chest: "Chenchen doesn't cry when he practices, right, Uncle?" As he spoke, he blinked and looked at Gan Lin.
Gan Lin smiled in agreement: "Yes, Chenchen never cries."
Gan Lin took the small shoes that Ruo Sheng handed over and tied them securely to Chu Chen's feet. Then, she carefully led Chu Chen on the ice. As soon as Chu Chen's feet touched the ice, he slid forward and fell backward. Even with Gan Lin protecting him, Chu Chen's face turned pale with fright.
"What, are you scared? Do you still want to learn?" Gan Lin asked with a smile.
Chu Chen steadied himself and said repeatedly, "Yes, yes, I want to be like Uncle and Aunt!" As he spoke, he held Gan Lin's hand tightly and carefully glided on the ice. Before long, he figured out some of the tricks.
I circled around Gan Lin and Chu Chen. Seeing that Chu Chen had mastered some skills, I skated to the other side and had a great time. Before long, I felt a little warm. After skating a few more laps, I returned to the shore to rest, watching the two figures, one big and one small, wriggling on the ice.
Do not lean against the west railing to lock in the clear autumn. Chapter 131
Chapter word count: 4178 Update time: 09-09-20 15:12
On a snowy afternoon, a group of fast riders arrived at Autumn Sun Valley once again.
Zi Nuo dismounted, shook the snowflakes off his cloak, and strode into the house. Several glowing red-hot braziers burned brightly in the hall, making it very warm.
Biqiong took off Zinuo's cloak, Biyao handed him a hot towel to wash his face and wipe his hands, and Ruosheng made a cup of hot tea and placed it on the table. Everything happened naturally.
"I could have arrived two days earlier, but I was delayed because I had some things to take care of in Anzhou." Zi Nuo picked up his teacup and took a big gulp, his handsome face hidden behind the steam.
"Why bother making the trip? I can go back by myself before the New Year." The King of the Golden Sparrow wrote to me, asking me to return to the palace to spend New Year's Eve together. I had planned to set off for Hanyue City in a few days, but I didn't expect Zinuo to come again.
“I was on official business in Chizhou, and since my sister was also returning to the palace, I decided to stop by and pick her up so we could go back together.”
He shook his head and smiled, then said nothing more. Chizhou and Qizhou are nearly 800 li apart; they really are on the same route…
Since Zinuo had already come to pick them up, they had no choice but to pack their bags in advance and return to Hanyue City together.
It was time to leave Qiuyang Valley for the time being, and Chu Chen was probably the most reluctant to leave. Even after the carriage had left the valley, he would still peek out from the carriage every now and then to look at his friends who were seeing him off, and then he would ask nervously, "Auntie, when I come back, will they not recognize me as their leader anymore?"
I thought he was reluctant to part with those little guys, but it turns out... he was afraid of losing his position after he left!
This kid's thinking is really hard to keep up with.
It was the 22nd of the twelfth lunar month when I returned to the Golden Sparrow Palace, which I had left for half a year. My departure and return seemed to be nothing special. Only the few palace maids in Xiyang Palace who had taken care of me were happy. It was worth it for me to have treated them well in the past.
After resting in the palace for a while, when they counted the people around the table at dinner that evening, they realized that Xiao Wan was missing.
"Where's Xiaowan?" I asked. Chu Chen also realized the problem: "Oh right, where's your sister?"
Zi Nuo put down the chopsticks she had just picked up, a hint of unease flashing across her face: "She moved to Zhiyang Palace."
"Zhiyang Palace, isn't that where Princess Ziling lives? Why would she move there?" This is truly puzzling.
“I saw that she and Princess Ziling got along well, and since you weren’t in the palace, I was afraid she would be lonely, so I sent her to Princess Ziling’s place so that the two of them could keep each other company,” Zi Nuo explained softly.
"Oh, that's fine too." But why does Zinuo's expression still seem a little off? Even if my return isn't a big deal, surely Xiaowan knows, so why didn't she come to see me and call me aunt? Is it really as Zinuo says?
I don't want to think about it anymore. I'll eat first and then go to Zhiyang Palace to see Ziling and Xiaowan tomorrow.
The next day, I was unable to visit Ziling and Xiaowan at Zhiyang Palace as planned, because I was summoned to Taiji Hall early in the morning by someone sent by the Golden Sparrow King. To be honest, I've only been to a few places in the Golden Sparrow Kingdom's palace.
"It's been a long time." Steward Xu led me into the hall, and before I could even bow, King Jinque spoke first, gesturing for me to sit down to the side.
I glanced around the hall; only the three of us were there. The Imperial Advisor wasn't present today. "I wonder what business Your Majesty has summoned Qingqiu here?"
King Jinque chuckled: "It's nothing, it's just that we haven't seen each other for a long time and wanted to catch up."
King Jinque chatted with me in a very amiable manner about the situation in Qiuyang Valley. He just smiled and didn't seem to care about the fact that the people of Qiuyang Valley had named the valley after me and Zinuo. Later, we talked about some difficulties and gains during the trial of the new policy. These were things that Zinuo almost never talked to me about, and I didn't care much about them either, but King Jinque always made sure to tell me about them.
"Is there anything else the ruler hopes Qingqiu will do?" All I can do is tell them what I know and inspire them. How could I possibly know how to do it in detail?
King Golden Sparrow shook his head: "It's just that I feel you haven't told me everything yet."
Is it because of Zinuo's plan to build a post office? "Your Majesty, I think you should know that some things can only be solved when you actually encounter them. Thinking about them out of thin air is not as good as coming up with a solution in a moment! Besides, these are all things that are good for everyone, and with Zinuo here, why should I hide anything from you?"
King Jinque smiled faintly and remained silent, only instructing Steward Xu to send someone to escort me back to Xiyang Palace.
King Jinque's attitude annoyed me, and I was still somewhat displeased after returning to Xiyang Palace. As a result, I lost all interest in visiting Xiaowan at Zhiyang Palace.