Chapter 42: Chapter 19: Another Time Travel (Part 1)
Yueyao and Brother Zheng had finished their evening meal and were strolling around the courtyard. The uniqueness of the Lanxi Courtyard lay in the fact that the Great Grandfather was a true scholar and aesthete with a fondness for elegance. Hence, not only were orchids planted in the courtyard, but other varieties of flowers as well.
In the front courtyard, apart from the orchids, plum trees had been planted. Furthermore, a separate courtyard had been developed behind Lanxi Courtyard, which was filled with chrysanthemums, and a small grove of bamboo had also been planted near the edge of the dwelling. It was quite cool among the bamboo in the summertime.
It was said that the construction of this courtyard, due to its various designs, had been immensely costly.
Both the front and rear courtyards, with their plants, flowers, and trees, were cared for by specialized personnel, and they all grew lush and vigorous, showing not the slightest sign of decay. In Yueyao’s opinion, Lanxi Courtyard was actually a small garden. It was indeed very pleasant to live here. In her previous life, she had been immersed in sorrow and had no interest in admiring these plants and trees. By the time the grief had not yet fully passed, she had moved away from here. In this life, she intended to stay here until she sorted out matters with Lian Mansion.
Hua Lei looked at the large empty space on the side of the courtyard, “”Miss, it would be nice to build a flower arbor here in the future and put up a swing. When you have leisure time, you could enjoy swinging on it. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
Yueyao shook her head, “”No need.” Building a flower arbor and putting up a swing were the pastimes of children. She had long passed that age.
Yueyao planned to devote herself completely to the art of painting after her period of mourning for her parents was over. Even if she didn’t become someone notable, at least she could earn a living from it. She couldn’t paint with colored ink during her period of mourning, but she could practice with ink painting.
Thinking thus, Yueyao immediately had people tidy up the side room. They moved out all the furniture like tables, chairs, and stools, leaving only the writing desk, and then she ordered all the painting supplies to be placed inside. The painting board, easel, Xuan Paper… Colored pigments, which couldn’t be used during the mourning period, were temporarily put away. However, she could still practice ink painting.
As Yueyao was organizing her own dwelling, she heard a maid running back in panic. Hua Lei looked at her and asked sternly, “”What on earth are you doing? Running around in such a fluster, what kind of decorum is this?”
The maid said anxiously, “”Miss, Fourth Miss fell while returning from paying respects to Madam. She hit the back of her head, and now Second Young Lady is unconscious. They have already called for the doctor.” With such an incident involving Fourth Miss, all the servants attending her would probably be punished severely.
Yueyao certainly didn’t believe that Yuehuan, as an adult, could trip over while walking and be rendered unconscious, “”What exactly happened?” There had to be something suspicious about this incident.
The maid shook her head, signaling that she didn’t know.
Yueyao knew there was an internal cause by just looking at her. But now was not the time for guessing. As her cousin, with such an incident occurring, it was necessary to visit.
Yuehuan’s courtyard was in total chaos, maids and old nannies were coming in and out. When Yueyao entered, no one greeted her. She heard from a maid that the doctor was inside taking pulse.
Yueyao saw Yueying and Yuebing. Yueying looked relatively better, her complexion somewhat anxious and also a bit tense, nothing more. Yuebing’s face, however, was ashen.
From the look on Yuebing’s face, Yueyao knew that Yuehuan’s accident must have something to do with her. Yueyao was not concerned; after all, Yuehuan would end up living better than her in the end.
After the doctor went out to write a prescription and had someone administer the medicine, he said to everyone, as long as Fourth Miss woke up, she would be fine. But if she didn’t wake up, the doctor just shook his head and didn’t continue. The implication was that if she didn’t wake up, she might never wake up.
The room was instantly shrouded in gloom. Maternal Aunt Su fainted straightaway after hearing these words. Lady Mo was also in tears beside Yuehuan’s bed. Yueyao, observing the doctor’s expression, cynically thought to herself how he never forgot to put on a show. Surely, anyone who didn’t know better would think that it was his own daughter on the verge of death!
Yueying, too, was continuously wiping her tears with a handkerchief.
Yuebing seemed too grief-stricken to even stand steadily, requiring the maid’s support.
Yueyao was somewhat puzzled; she didn’t recall such an incident in her previous life. Moreover, with so many maids and nannies around her, it wouldn’t be easy to fall and get hurt. It was likely that Yuebing had lost her temper again, causing this disaster.
Thinking about her previous life, Yueyao couldn’t help but laugh; in her past life, she would have certainly been in the Small Buddhist Hall by now, not concerning herself with these matters.
Yuehuan remained in a coma. Yueyao stayed a very long time in the courtyard, only going back when Lady Mo spoke and dismissed them.