Li Xin looked at the sweets on the plate, "These are mung bean cakes. Aren't they supposed to be seasonal in spring? How can we have them now?"
Mrs. Lu had told Li Xin many times before that mung bean cakes were a spring delicacy in the Capital City, describing their delicate texture and sweet flavor as the seasonal treat of spring.
"Go on and try them," seeing Li Xin's familiarity with mung bean cakes. Old Madam Lu knew Mrs. Lu must have talked to her about it.
Li Xin took a bite and found the taste as delightful as Mrs. Lu had described. It was rather warm in Old Madam Lu's room with the charcoal brazier lit, making the mung bean cakes a perfect treat.
"I have a dowry manor with hot springs, and the steward had sheds built by the springs to grow off-season vegetables in winter. The mung beans just arrived this morning," Old Madam Lu explained with a smile. She had specifically instructed the kitchen to make the cakes, knowing Li Xin might have never tried them before.
"Hot springs can grow vegetables," Li Xin marveled at the farmers' ingenuity.
"The Capital City isn't as warm as the south, but winters aren't too cold for fresh produce. Our farmers have their ways of growing vegetables in winter, be it for their own consumption or selling at markets."
"That's right, the hardest thing to get used to in the Capital City is the lack of fresh vegetables in winter apart from radishes and cabbages," Li Xin remarked, not noticing Old Madam Lu's expression change slightly.
Li Xin went on about how winters were shorter in the southern region where Li Ming was stationed. There were wild vegetables available that time of year. When they had time, Mrs. Lu would take them out to the suburbs to forage for wild greens.
Li Xin's stories about celebrating the new year away from home amused Old Madam Lu tremendously, until Lu Madam and Young Madam Lu returned with their ladies-in-waiting. Li Xin then took her leave, with Old Madam Lu having a box of mung bean cakes packed for her to take home.
When Li Xia returned to her room, Qiu Ju was already waiting for her. Li Xia knew Auntie Mei was still upset. Without much ado, she changed into simpler attire and sat at the desk.
Qiu Kui had prepared the ink, and Li Xia started writing large characters with the brush. After each page, Qiu Ling would take it away and set it aside, keeping count. At the hundredth page, "Miss, that's a hundred large character pages."
Qiu Kui took the brush from Li Xia, who massaged her wrist. She wiggled her feet too—writing large characters in the cold made her hands and feet ache. Qiu Shui and Qiu Chan then brought dinner to serve Li Xia.
Qiu Ju carried the hundred pages of large characters to Auntie Mei's room. Auntie Mei was expecting her and asked as soon as Qiu Ju entered, "How's Xia doing?" Auntie Mei felt sorry for punishing Li Xia with writing large characters.
"Miss came back and started writing before dinner," Qiu Ju had barely finished when Auntie Mei asked, "Did her hands hurt?" The last time Mrs. Lu punished Li Xia with copying texts, her hands hurt afterwards, and Auntie Mei had to massage them for a long time.
"Not just her hands, Miss. It's cold, and sitting still to write made her feet uncomfortable too," Qiu Ju set down the pages. "Auntie, look how well the Miss wrote these characters."
Auntie Mei had no mind for the characters now, only concerned about Li Xia's pained hands and feet, "Last time Xia's wrists hurt, I rubbed some medicated wine on them, and she felt better. I remember bringing that medicine to the Capital City." She started searching for the medicated wine.
Seeing Auntie Mei regretting the punishment despite doling it out, Qiu Ju couldn't help but plead for Li Xia, "Auntie, I think the Miss has learned her lesson. Can we stop the punishment now?"
Auntie Mei found the medicated wine and handed it to Qiu Ju, "No, she needs to write for two more days, and we'll stop the day after tomorrow."
Qiu Ju took the medicated wine to Li Xia's room. Li Xia had finished eating and was about to rest when Qiu Ju entered. "Auntie Qiu, does Auntie have any instructions?"
"Auntie asked me to bring this medicated wine. And you only need to write a hundred more pages tomorrow, then you can stop," Li Xia accepted the wine. "Thank you, Auntie Qiu, for speaking up for me."
Li Xia's obedience made Qiu Ju laugh out loud before composing herself, "Miss, let me say something perhaps overstepping. You really upset Auntie this time. Don't ever do that again."
Li Xia understood, "Rest assured, Auntie Qiu, I won't." She would be more careful from then on, so Auntie Mei would never find out.
Reassured by Li Xia's promise, Qiu Ju left feeling at ease.
Early on the third day of the new year, a basket of fresh vegetables arrived at the back gate of the Li manor, sent by Old Madam Lu.
In fact, before the new year, Old Madam Lu had already worried that Li Xin and Li Hui might not have access to fresh greens and instructed her servants to deliver vegetables to Osmanthus Alley. But Lu Madam had intervened and kept Old Madam Lu in the dark. Li Xin was unaware of this matter and had made that remark the previous day, alerting Old Madam Lu.
Old Madam Lu didn't say much but personally arranged for people close to her to send vegetables to Osmanthus Alley.
The fresh greens on the table stimulated everyone's appetite, and they ate more than usual.
As Li Xia savored the fresh vegetables, she thought of wild greens again. Freshly foraged wild vegetables, whether stir-fried, cooked in soup, or served as a salad, tasted wonderful. She suggested, "Elder Brother, Sister, let's go to the suburbs and see if we can dig up some wild greens."
Li Xin was also tempted and turned to Li Hui, "Brother, shall we go for a walk?"
Li Hui didn't refuse, but he had already sent out the visiting card to the Lin Manor, having arranged to meet Master Lin on the fourth day of the new year. "Let's go to the suburbs on the fifth."
Knowing Li Hui's affairs took priority, Li Xin and Li Xia didn't rush for those one or two days. After Li Hui's visit with Master Lin, Auntie Mei prepared their travel necessities.
Li Xin and Li Xia sat in the carriage, watching Li Hui ride his horse. "I wish I could ride too."
Hearing Li Xia's words and seeing Li Hui riding freely outside, Li Xin nodded in agreement, "When we get there, let's ask Brother to lend us his horses for a little while."
Li Xia concurred but then looked at their attire, "We don't have proper riding clothes."
"Oh right, we forgot about that. Never mind, we won't ride this time. Let's go riding after the Imperial Examination in Spring is over," Li Xin noticed their clothes were unsuitable for horseback riding.
"I'll ask Qiu Ling to keep an eye out. If we find suitable ones, let's buy our own horses so we don't have to borrow Brother's," Li Xia wanted to own her horse to ride whenever she pleased.
"Good idea. Sister Yu is knowledgeable about this. Let's have her advise us when we buy a pair of horses," Li Xin agreed with Li Xia's plan.
"Sister, what color horse do you prefer? I want a black one," Li Xia recalled encountering a herd of mutant horses during a mission in her previous life, with the lead horse being a striking black with a white blaze on its forehead, running like Lighting.
"I'd like a chestnut one," Li Xin said, reminiscing about the chestnut horse Sister Yu had taught them to ride.
"Then let's get one black horse and one reddish-brown horse. Mine will be called Lighting."
"Mine will be called Carefree," Li Xin thought of her carefree and happy mood while riding a horse, forgetting everything else.
Outside the carriage, Li Hui overheard the two young ladies picking names for their horses. He cleared his throat forcefully. Li Xin and Li Xia looked towards Li Hui.
"There's no such big place to keep horses in Osmanthus Alley," Li Hui's words made their expressions freeze for a moment.
However, Li Xin quickly recovered, "Brother, let's work hard to earn money and buy a manor. I heard that the Beining Marquis Manor has a horse riding ground outside the city." Li Xin's tone was full of envy.
