Chapter 223: Chapter 205: Details Determine Success or Failure_1
In the equestrian field, Dong Yuanyao looked at Daohua and Xiao Yeyang by the lake, chatting and laughing, getting along very naturally and harmoniously, pushing Zhou Jingwan next to her.
“Jingwan, has the Yan Family’s eldest daughter always been so close with the Little Prince?”
Zhou Jingwan glanced at the direction where Daohua and the two were, then withdrew her gaze and continued feeding the horse, looking unsurprised: “Yes, Daohua is very amusing. Everyone likes to play with her.”
While saying that, she smiled at Dong Yuanyao.
“Sister Dong, sometimes I feel Daohua is a lot like you. Both of you like to play pranks, and, um… you like to dress up as men and go out.”
Dong Yuanyao looked at Daohua again: “My brother says the same, but I think I’m not as bold as her. I wouldn’t dare to joke around with the Little Prince like that.”
Zhou Jingwan nodded in agreement: “I wouldn’t dare to either.”
Dong Yuanyao: “How come she’s not afraid of the Little Prince turning against her?”
Zhou Jingwan: “… The Little Prince isn’t that petty, besides, it’s all just for fun.”
Dong Yuanyao fell silent for a moment and didn’t continue the subject, instead asking: “Right, the rouge style that the Yan Family’s eldest daughter used to tease the Little Prince with doesn’t seem like the usual kind. Do you know where she bought it? It seems more convenient to carry around.”
Hearing this, Zhou Jingwan immediately put down the grass in her hands, clapped her hands together, and took out a golden cylinder the size of her pinkie from her purse: “Here, this is it.”
“This wasn’t bought elsewhere, Daohua made it herself. She calls it ‘lipstick’. It’s indeed more convenient to carry with you than the rouge boxes bought outside.”
While saying so, she opened the lid, twisted it, and a segment of red rouge stick appeared.
Dong Yuanyao looked intrigued as she held it in her hand: “It’s highly unique,”
Zhou Jingwan quickly nodded: “My mother said the same.”
Dong Yuanyao handed back the lipstick to Zhou Jingwan, hesitated and looked at her: “Jingwan, does the Yan Family’s eldest daughter still have this kind of… lipstick for sale? I would like to buy some from her.”
Zhou Jingwan put the lipstick back in her purse: “Daohua runs a Rouge Shop, so she should have more. I’ll ask her for you later.” Having said that, she continued to feed the horse, stroking it while doing so.
“Actually, the Little Prince is quite nice. Look, such fine horses he just gave away to us.”
Dong Yuanyao speechless: “Haven’t you noticed? We were just incidental, the real recipient the Little Prince intended to give to was only the Yan Family’s eldest daughter.”
Zhou Jingwan was taken aback: “Is that so?” Laughing, she said, “I know now, Daohua’s family isn’t as rich as ours, so the Little Prince is helping her out like this.”
Dong Yuanyao felt the urge to facepalm. Forget it, no point talking with someone so clueless.
…
“This lake water feels so cool!”
Xiao Yeyang glanced at Daohua, who was bending over to play in the water by the lake: “This water is spring water flowing down from the main peak.”
Daohua’s eyes lit up; she looked up at Wuhua Mountain’s main peak and asked, “How long does it take to climb to the summit?”
Xiao Yeyang: “The stairway to the main peak is direct, it takes just over half an hour if you don’t stop. Why, are you thinking of going up to see the spring?”
Daohua nodded: “I want to go up and see if the spring water is clean. If it’s clean, I’d like to take some back to brew alcohol.” The natural minerals and trace elements in spring water are something not found in well water.
Xiao Yeyang furrowed his brows: “You need a lot of water for brewing alcohol, don’t you?”
Daohua: “I don’t need much, just enough to brew a few jars of medicinal liquor. My grandmother suffers from rheumatism. I found a folk recipe that says using white liquor brewed with mountain spring water enhances the efficacy of medicinal liquor.”
Hearing this, Xiao Yeyang felt somewhat speechless: “A folk recipe? You dare to use just any recipe on your grandmother?”
Daohua was silent for a moment: “Don’t worry, I definitely wouldn’t make a joke with my grandmother’s health.” She said, picking up the pocket watch on her chest to check the time, “It’s only the fourth quarter of wei hour (2 p.m.). We have enough time to make a round trip.”
Seeing that Daohua was very keen on going, Xiao Yeyang hesitated for a bit but then nodded: “Alright, I’ll accompany you on the trip.”
“Then I’ll ask Jingwan and the others if they want to go up too.” Daohua immediately had Wang Manman go and ask Zhou Jingwan and the others.
Xiao Yeyang: “Don’t bother asking, they definitely won’t go.” After riding for most of the day, who would want to go mountain climbing?
Sure enough, after a while, Wang Manman came back shaking her head.
“In that case, it looks like it’s just the two of us going up. This time, shall we still compete to see who climbs faster?”
Xiao Yeyang categorically refused: “I’m not competing with someone who likes to cheat.”
“You’re just too serious, isn’t a competition all about having fun?”
“But the loser has to forfeit something.”
“…”
…
Daohua and Xiao Yeyang, along with De Fu, Wang Manman, and a few others, chatted and laughed, and in no time, they reached the mountain summit.
“How about it? Will this do?”
Gazing at the spring eye with water bubbling forth, Xiao Yeyang looked toward Daohua.
Daohua nodded in satisfaction, “It’s more than adequate. I had thought it was an exposed spring pond before.”
Xiao Yeyang said, “Since it’s suitable, when we go down later, I’ll have De Fu send people to collect the spring water and then deliver it to you.”
Daohua quickly shook her head, “There’s no need for that; how could I trouble you so much? I’ll have Brother Xiaoliu come to collect it.”
Xiao Yeyang was somewhat speechless; this fellow probably didn’t realize that outsiders were not allowed on the main peak of Wuhua Mountain.
“Aren’t you going to prepare medicinal wine? In that case, if you really insist, just send me a bottle of the finished medicinal wine.”
Daohua was puzzled, “What do you want with medicinal wine?”
Xiao Yeyang said, “My maternal grandfather leads troops all year round and has chronic leg pain. If the medicinal wine you brew is truly effective, I’ll send it to him.”
Daohua said, “In that case, I’ll send you two more bottles.”
Hearing this, Xiao Yeyang felt comforted but also a bit speechless; generous to himself, but the effectiveness of the medicinal wine was yet to be seen.
Having confirmed that the spring water was usable, the two admired the scenery on the mountaintop for a while before descending.
“Oh? There’s even a separate courtyard on this mountain!”
Daohua hadn’t paid much attention when going up the mountain, but as they descended, she spotted the courtyard at the summit.
Xiao Yeyang halted and remained silent.
Daohua craned her neck to get a better look and asked, “Is it an imperial retreat as well?”
Xiao Yeyang nodded nonchalantly, with an air of not wanting to elaborate further.
Seeing this, Daohua didn’t ask any more questions, unaffected in her mood, and continued to walk down the mountain with a smile.
When they reached midway down the mountain, they found that the roadside pavilion was now occupied.
“Madam, Madam, what’s happened to you? Please wake up!”
“What should we do, Madam has fainted? We must see a doctor quickly.”
“But there are only the two of us here; how can we get Madam down the mountain?”
In the pavilion, two maids were flustered and clueless, supporting a lady with a veiled headpiece, who appeared to be unconscious.
Daohua didn’t offer to help right away, but rather scrutinized the three people in the pavilion intently. Seeing Xiao Yeyang in a rush to enter the pavilion, she promptly pulled him back, “Where are you going?”
At this moment, Xiao Yeyang’s face was clearly marked with concern and urgency. Being held back by Daohua, he said eagerly, “Didn’t you see someone has fainted? We need to go in and help!” With that, he tried to walk into the pavilion again.
Daohua pulled him back once more and whispered, “There’s something off about these three, we can’t go in.”
Xiao Yeyang stiffened, thinking Daohua had discovered something, and turned numbly, “What… what’s the problem?”
Daohua glanced at the three people in the pavilion and said with furrowed brows, “First, when women go out, how could they possibly bring only two maids with them? Even when my family wasn’t well-off, my mother would still bring two or three old maids with her to be cautious.”
“Second, the concern on those two maids’ faces is feigned; their acting is too crude. If they are really that anxious, why wipe their eyes at all? Are they trying to seem as though they’re crying tears of worry? But let’s see them shed a few tears.”
In the pavilion, the three with a background in martial arts had excellent hearing and caught onto these words. Mei Xue, who was pretending to wipe away tears, immediately stopped her act.
“Third, that lady is not unconscious at all; look, she’s still holding something in her hand. Tell me, how could the arm of someone who has fainted still have strength?”
Hearing this, Guo Ruomei, who had been leaning on a maid feigning unconsciousness, loosened her grip, and the binoculars dropped to the ground.
Seeing this, Daohua immediately grabbed Xiao Yeyang and started running down the mountain.
Yes, running.
Xiao Yeyang was a member of the imperial family; who knew whether these three were here to assassinate him?
De Fu, following behind, stared dumbfounded as his master was pulled into a run by Miss Yan. He then turned woodenly to look at the three in the pavilion with a face full of sympathy before quickly chasing after them.
After they had left, the ‘fainted’ Guo Ruomei sat up, silently watching the binoculars that were still rolling on the ground.
Mei Xue and Xue Shuang stood with heads bowed in frustration, not daring to speak.
