Song Jinglan raised his eyebrows in surprise, but did not say anything. Instead, he handed Tiandong the digging knife in his hand, and held Lin Feilu’s dirty hands gently, “Let’s go and get you cleaned.”
Lin Feilu followed him blankly into Cuizhu Villa.
Song Jinglan asked her to wait inside the hall, then turned around to fetch some hot water. When he returned with a basin, the little girl ran out of the house and sat on the steps outside the door. Her eyes bent into curves, “It’s not good to splash water into the house.”
Song Jinglan smiled and did not speak. He placed the basin aside and squatted in front of her.
He picked up a wet handkerchief in the basin and wrung the water out of it. Holding her head in one hand, he wiped Lin Feilu’s face with the handkerchief with the other.
Lin Feilu was a little embarrassed, “I’ll wash myself.”
He chuckled, “Your hands are dirty. The more you wash them, the dirtier they’ll get.”
Lin Feilu pursed her lips and rubbed her hands on his white robes while he wiped her face.
Song Jinglan looked down at the fingerprints on his clothes, and then at the girl who was shaking her head in denial. He said nothing but drooped his eyelids and laughed.
Pretty boy was gentle and lovable. Lin Feilu indulged in his care, and after two changes of basin of water, the clay doll finally turned back into a porcelain doll.
At this time, Tiandong had also returned from digging up bamboo shoots. Song Jinglan then instructed, “Split some into a basket for the Fifth Princess.” Then he turned to Lin Feilu and said, “The bamboo shoots are crisp and delicious. If the Fifth Princess likes it, you can send a servant to have more next time.”
The ministry of internal affairs always deducted the food supply of the Cuizhu Villa, but there were always abundant supplies of fresh bamboo shoots every spring.
Lin Feilu was happy. It was still early in the day, and she was not in a rush to return. She followed Song Jinglan into the hall, and found that it was cold and there was no heating furnace.
She immediately asked, “Your Highness, have you run out of coal?”
Song Jinglan was preparing flower tea as he replied with a soft voice, “No, it’s just that the snow has melted, and spring has come. It’s not too cold anymore, so we planned to keep the rest for next year.”
Lin Feilu was very upset.
Pretty boy behaving like a squirrel storing food for the winter! This is what ‘lack of security’ looks like!
She took the hot tea cup in her hands, her eyes damp from the steam emitted from the tea, “The coal would be damp by next year, and it can’t be used. I will send new ones to your Highness next winter.” The little girl patted her chest like an adult, there was an “I got you” tone in her voice as she declared, “You still have me!”
With a laugh, Song Jinglan raised his hand to brush a piece of broken bamboo off his head, “En, I will listen to the Princess. I’ll let Tiandong heat up the furnace in a moment.”
Lin Feilu nodded happily and shared stories of her adventures in the retreat, including the little fox she found on the mountain.
Song Jinglan did not talk too much, but looked into her eyes with a gentle and serious look as she spoke.
Lin Feilu suddenly remembered a sentence she had read before. If someone looked into your eyes when you were talking and listened intently, he must be a gentle person.
In the past, she simply could not stand such a tender boy, because she would not have the heart to be mean to him.
Under his intent gaze, she felt her ears starting to heat up, the little girl stopped talking abruptly and ran away without even bidding goodbye.