Bai Que delivered the account books to Cixin Academy. After the old madam had inspected them, she fell silent for a while and then instructed Nanny Tian to open the storeroom and retrieve a silver note for Bai Que.
"Go back and tell Mrs. Han that it will take a few more days to arrange those ornaments!"
"Yes!" Bai Que bowed respectfully and departed from Cixin Academy, taking the silver note to Niannian Garden.
She handed the silver note to Mrs. Yuan.
Mrs. Yuan, both shocked and delighted by the large amount of money in her hand, exclaimed, "What is this?"
"This is the lady’s allowance for the young miss. Nanny, please keep it safe until the young miss returns, and then you can inform her!"
After Bai Que finished speaking, she returned to Qiyue Academy.
Danxia and the others hurried forward. "Nanny, how much is it?"
Mrs. Yuan, who didn’t like Danxia and her group, replied, "No matter the amount, it is the young miss’s private money. If you’re smart, the young miss won’t shortchange you!"
"Don’t worry, Nanny, we have a sense of it!"
Danxia and the others were filled with regret. If only they had known to follow her to the nunnery earlier, but who could have guessed that Yun Jinnian would return, and even be brought back by the second master, with the second lady returning as well.
Dinner was served in the dining hall for the whole family, much like during the New Year celebration, filling several tables.
Only this time, the main table was joined by Mrs. Han and Yun Qi, and the atmosphere was also somewhat different.
Mrs. Han was almost silent, attending to Yan Jinnian’s plate while Jinnian ate in small, delicate bites.
"Don’t just focus on the vegetables, have some soup as well!" Yun Qi said, placing the ladled soup in front of Yun Jinnian. "Drink slowly; it’s hot!"
Yun Jinnian felt a warm contentment in his chest. "Thank you, Dad!"
He picked up his bowl and sipped the soup gently, looking graceful.
Xu Xinmo felt a mix of envy and hatred, but with Yun Qi present, she dared not make a sound, and could only steal glances at Yun Jinnian with disdain.
Yun Jinnian noticed but pretended not to see.
After the meal, they conversed in the warm parlor before returning to their own quarters.
Mrs. Han fastened Yun Jinnian’s cloak securely. "Take your time walking!" She then cautioned Ming Yang and Ru Yue, "You two be careful as well, don’t let Jinnian get tripped or bumped!"
As they were the head maids serving close to their masters, they were allowed to dine in the side hall while the masters enjoyed their meals and conversations. The dishes weren’t as lavish as those served to the masters, but they were still very good.
Yun Jinnian took Mrs. Han’s hand. "Mother, I’m heading back now!"
After paying respects to his elders, Yun Jinnian set off toward Niannian Garden.
Halfway there, he suddenly remembered an empty vase in his room and, on a whim, suggested, "Let’s pick a couple of plum blossoms!"
Ming Yang and Ru Yue initially wanted to dissuade him, but they knew Yun Jinnian was far from the harmless naïve person he appeared to be, and agreed with a "Yes!" before following him to the garden to pick plum blossoms and return to Niannian Garden.
"Do you like plum blossoms, miss?" asked Ru Yue.
"I wouldn’t say I like them too much, but I think plum blossoms have a noble character. Isn’t there a line of poetry that says, ’Without enduring the bone-chilling frost, how could plum blossoms smell so sweet?’" Yun Jinnian said, gently sniffing the plum blossoms.
"It seems it doesn’t smell as fragrant as the ones dad has outside the residence!" murmured Yun Jinnian to himself.
Back in Niannian Garden, Yun Jinnian entered the parlor and arranged the plum blossoms in the vase himself.
"Ming Yang, Ru Yue, go find some clay pots tomorrow. We’ll gather some snow from the plum trees and use it to brew tea!" he instructed.
"Yes!" they both responded in unison.
Mrs. Yuan approached to report the arrival of the silver note sent by Mrs. Han through Bai Que.
"Nanny, just keep it safe!" was Yun Jinnian’s simple instruction.
Mrs. Yuan nodded and then inquired, "Miss, would you like to reward Danxia and the others for their service these past days?"
"They’ve already been given items, so there’s no need for additional rewards!" remarked Yun Jinnian, signaling that he was tired.
After washing up, he climbed into the warm, cozy bed, intending to read for a while, but found that he couldn’t concentrate on the book in his hands.