146 Making the Zither
He finally understood that as long as Young Master touched anything related to Yu Youyao, he would be careful and cautious. He hoped that the zither could be made as soon as possible so that Young Master could be more at ease.
“It’s raining outside, and the weather is very cold. Young Master, you have to wear more layers.” Chang An helped Young Master put on a thick jacket and a cloak with white fox fur and deer fur.
It was already March. April was in sight.
However, Zhou Linghuai was wrapped up tightly, as if it was winter.
Even so, Zhou Linghuai still felt that the cold air was seeping into his legs. No matter how many clothes he wore, he still felt cold and gloomy.
Chang An touched his young master’s hand, which was still cold. “I’ll prepare a hand warmer for you and start the fire in the house.”
Zhou Linghuai nodded slightly and turned his wheelchair to leave.
There were a few lanterns hanging under the corridor, and they were sparsely lit. The overwhelming darkness outside the corridor seeped in, making the lights seem even more clear and dim.
There was a pot of hanging orchids above Zhou Linghuai’s head. Between the narrow leaves, a long flower stem hung down. At the end of the flower stem, there was a small cluster of light yellow flowers that fell in front of his eyes.
Zhou Linghuai smiled gently and pushed the wheelchair along the outer corridor. After turning a corner, he arrived at the kiln.
Flames danced in the furnace. Dressed in black, Yin San hid in the shadows. “Young Master!”
Zhou Linghuai nodded. Seeing that the Paulownia wood was still a little lacking, he took out a book and flipped through it. The firelight danced on his face, making his sickly face look even more noble and graceful. He was elegant and charming.
Yu Youyao’s face was pale as she woke up from a nightmare. She sat on the bed with her hair disheveled, her hands tightly gripping her clothes as she panted heavily.
Only when she felt a chill did Yu Youyao hear the sound of rain hitting banana leaves outside.
It was raining!
Yu Youyao got out of bed and walked gently to the window. She pushed open the window frame, and a cool breeze blew against her body.
Chun Xiao, who was on duty outside, heard the commotion and quickly entered the house.
Seeing Miss standing in front of the window in unilined garments, she hurriedly took out her outerwear and rushed over. “They say that spring rain is like winter. Be careful not to fall sick from the cold.”
Yu Youyao obediently put on her clothes. “What time is it now?”
Chun Xiao said, “It’s already past midnight. Why is Miss awake in the middle of the night?”
“I had a nightmare. After I woke up, I didn’t really want to sleep.” Yu Youyao’s chest felt a little cold. She couldn’t help but tighten her clothes and change the topic. “When did this rain start?”
Chun Xiao said, “It’s been raining since 10pm. It’s not that heavy, but it’s not light either. I’m afraid it’ll be raining for a few days.”
Yu Youyao chuckled. “Spring rain is as important as oil. It’s another good year.”
Chun Xiao also smiled. “Isn’t that so? Whether the crops are good or not depends on how much spring rain falls. If this rain falls for a few days, it will probably be guaranteed this year.”
Just now, she had felt suffocated and anxious. Now that the cold wind blew, Yu Youyao felt that even her body was cold.
Chun Xiao quickly closed the window. “Young Miss, go and warm yourself up on the bed first. I’ll prepare some hot water. You can soak in it to get rid of the cold. Young Miss was shocked by the cold wind just now. It’s wet and cold with the cold rain. Unknowingly, the cold air will enter your body, and you’ll fall sick.”
There was an old woman on duty in the small kitchen, dozing near the stove.
Chun Xiao entered the small kitchen.
The old woman opened her eyes warily and quickly stood up. “Miss Chun Xiao, is there anything you need?”
This Eldest Miss of theirs was not a master who knew how to torture the servants. She was also generous to the servants. Nanny Xu was also very capable in managing them. Everyone in the courtyard was also very dedicated.
Chun Xiao said, “Young Miss woke up at night and was accidentally startled by the wind. Quickly prepare hot water for her to soak in.”
The hot water on the stove had been boiling in the pot. The old woman was quick to carry a bucket of hot water into the side room and quickly prepared a bath.
After taking a bath, Yu Youyao felt warm and comfortable.
Chun Xiao was worried that Young Miss would catch a cold, so she brought over another bowl of brown sugar ginger water for Yu Youyao to drink. “If you catch a cold, you will make Old Madam and Young Master worry. You have to drink a bowl of ginger soup to warm up your body.”
“You’re the only one who knows how to talk. When did you learn Nanny’s tricks?” Yu Youyao glared at her. Although she was unwilling, she still frowned and drank.
Her mouth was filled with a spicy taste that could not be concealed even with sugar.
Chun Xiao brought over a cup of medicinal tea. Yu Youyao felt better after drinking it.
After all this, Yu Youyao was a little sleepy. She covered her mouth and yawned, letting Chun Xiao rush her to the bed. She lied down on the bed and was covered with a blanket.
Listening to the pitter-patter of the rain outside and the pitter-patter of the rain hitting the leaves, she unknowingly fell asleep.
She felt like she had just woken up from a nap.
When Chun Xiao heard the commotion, she entered the room and saw that Young Miss had already gotten up. “Young Miss, sleep a little longer. Nanny knows that you had a nightmare last night and didn’t fall asleep. She didn’t let us call you and said that you don’t have to learn etiquette this morning. You can sleep as long as you want.”
Yu Youyao shook her head. “I’ve been up early for a while. This will make me lie back down and sleep again. I’m not used to it. I’ll wash up!”
Chun Xiao pursed her lips and chuckled, preparing to wash her mistress up.
Yu Youyao heard the pitter-patter outside. “It’s been raining for the entire night?”
Chun Xiao nodded. “Yes.”
After washing up, Yu Youyao changed into a thick set of clothes. It was rare for her to not learn etiquette in the morning, so she still felt uncomfortable.
It was still early, so she had to wait for a while for breakfast. It was also still early for school. Yu Youyao did not know what to do for a moment, so she asked Chun Xiao to move a couch to the corridor to sit and watch the rain.
Dong Mei found a green silk cloak and draped it over her mistress. “It’s cold outside. Miss, be careful not to fall sick from the cold.”
Outside the corridor, the rain was misty. The raindrops were like threads, falling one by one. The old tree had sprouted green overnight. The tender green leaves were small and elegant, looking fresh and cute.
The parasol tree did not like wet or cold weather. This year, the weather was a little cold, and the leaves also grew later.
Yu Youyao turned to Dong Mei and said, “After this rain, the leaves of the Parasol Tree will grow. In April, the green leaves will appear. Cousin will definitely like it.”
After breakfast, Yu Youyao changed into small sheepskin boots and went to school with an oil-paper umbrella.
It was still early, but Yu Youyao had already arrived.
Ms. Ye called her over. “Have you been learning the zither recently?”
Yu Youyao nodded. Afraid that Ms. Ye would misunderstand, she explained, “Grandmother feels that although I’m good at studying, I still have to learn some other talents. However, Mother is sick, and Grandmother is old. I have to help manage the household, so I don’t have much time and energy to learn extra skills, so I just started learning it casually from Cousin.”