The Eldest Aunt and Lady Yao couldn't stay long in Sheng Jing. The Eldest Aunt, being a native of Sheng Jing, was fine, but Lady Yao was different. She had only been to Sheng Jing twice before. The first time was when she was young, and her memories of it were already hazy. This time, accompanying her mother-in-law back to the capital, although she had attended several banquets, she hadn't truly had the chance to appreciate the scenery of Sheng Jing.
Now that they were about to return to Ling City, she wanted to take the opportunity to explore and experience the local customs and scenery of Sheng Jing.
Upon learning of her desire, Lady Wen took charge and invited some relatives and friends to go on an outing to the outskirts of the capital under the guise of a spring excursion. Among them was Lady Yao. Although Lady Wen and Lady Yao hadn't spent much time together, they had surprisingly hit it off during their few meetings.
When Lady Yao received the invitation, she went to the west courtyard to ask Wen Ye if she wanted to join. Wen Ye had also received the invitation. The outskirts of the capital? She thought for a moment and said, "I'll go."
After being cooped up for almost half a month, it was time to get some fresh air. With spring returning to the world, Wen Ye suddenly remembered a few recipes for fresh wild vegetables.
For the outing, they needed to dress simply. Wen Ye had Yun Zhi and Tao Zhi prepare two sets of lightweight clothing. The weather had warmed up a bit, and Madam Lu had also received several invitations, some of which could be declined, while others couldn't.
When Madam Lu learned that Wen Ye would be going on the spring outing with Lady Yao and the others, she didn't insist on her accompanying her.
The first banquet Madam Lu was to attend was the flower-viewing banquet hosted by the Marquis of Peaceful Distance's Wife. The Heir of Marquis of Peaceful Distance had already been engaged last year to the ninth daughter of Yongcheng Earl's Mansion, which was connected to the Duke's Mansion through marriage. The Yongcheng Earl's Mansion was also related to the Wen family, and the Wen family had become in-laws with the Duke's Mansion.
The Marquis of Peaceful Distance's Wife was hosting this flower-viewing banquet for her daughter, who was about to come of age.
The Duke's Mansion and the Marquis of Jing'an's Mansion weren't particularly close. The most significant connection was that a concubine from the Marquis of Jing'an's Mansion had recently become Prince Wen's concubine, and Prince Wen didn't seem to like Xu Yuejia very much.
After confirming where Wen Ye and the others were going in the outskirts of the capital, Madam Lu said, "I remember there's a manor there, part of the west courtyard's estate. The manor has a small hillside planted with fruit trees, and it's now the season for them to bloom. If you get tired during the outing, you can go there."
Wen Ye imagined it and thought it sounded nice. They might even be able to pick some flower petals to make pastries. At the very least, they could use them for flower tea, flower baths, or grind them into powder for perfumes.
"Liuya has been there with me once before. You can take her with you," Madam Lu added. Wen Ye nodded, "Alright."
When Liuya learned she would be accompanying the Second Madam on the outing, she started listing things to bring even before returning to her room. "There are many insects in the countryside, so we need to bring plenty of insect repellent. We should also bring a variety of food and drinks."
Unable to think of anything else at the moment, Liuya turned to ask, "Liuxin, do you think we've missed anything?"
Without waiting for Liuxin to answer, Liuya added, "Oh, and we should bring two cloaks. It's windy in the countryside."
Liuxin asked, "It's just a spring outing. Why are you so excited?"
Liuya looked puzzled, "Am I?"
Liuxin replied, "Yes, you are."
Liuya gave her a strange look and suddenly asked, "Liuxin, do you want to come too?"
Liuxin quickly denied it, "You're overthinking it."
Seeing that Liuxin's expression didn't seem fake, Liuya said, "I'll be accompanying the Second Madam today. Can you keep an eye on the west courtyard for me? 'The capable should do more work.'"
This was a phrase Liuya had learned from Wen Ye.
Liuxin: "..."
And so, the Eldest Aunt accompanied Madam Lu to the Marquis of Jing'an's Mansion, while Wen Ye and Lady Yao, invited by Lady Wen, went on a spring outing to the countryside.
The four of them left the mansion at the same time. Seeing the two of them dressed simply, the Eldest Aunt couldn't help but express her envy, saying, "It's good to be young."
She wanted to go on the spring outing too.
But the Marquis of Peaceful Distance's Wife's brother worked in the Ministry of Personnel, and as they say, once your son is grown, you don't need to worry about him anymore. But the Eldest Aunt didn't feel that way at all.
Her son was already quite accomplished, but he still caused her so much worry.
The Eldest Aunt couldn't even imagine what it would be like if she had given birth to a wastrel. How much bad karma would she have accumulated in her past life?
Lady Yao didn't dare look her mother-in-law in the eye. When she learned that her mother-in-law would be attending the banquet at the Marquis of Jing'an's Mansion with her cousin-in-law, she secretly felt a little thrill.
Lady Yao knew it was wrong, but she couldn't help it. This seemed to be the first time she was going out for leisure while her mother-in-law was attending to social obligations.
When others were around, she could maintain her composure, but once she got into the carriage, with only Wen Ye inside, Lady Yao couldn't hold back anymore and quietly laughed.
Wen Ye heard her laugh and asked, "What's so funny?"
Lady Yao shook her head and said, "Second Cousin-in-law, you don't understand. If we were in Ling City, today it would be me attending the banquet, and my mother-in-law would be the one going on the spring outing."
After nearly two months of interaction, Lady Yao knew that Wen Ye and her mother-in-law were similar in some ways, so it felt right to share these thoughts with her.
Wen Ye was curious about the Eldest Aunt's life in Ling City and asked with a smile, "Is the Eldest Aunt really that interesting?"
Lady Yao opened up, "Yes, after my husband and I got married, she handed over the household management to me within just two months. Since then, I've been the one dealing with the noblewomen of Ling City, while my mother-in-law enjoys her leisure."
Over time, Lady Yao occasionally had the absurd thought that her mother-in-law should have had another son so that she could have had a sister-in-law to share the burden with.
Lady Yao's face showed a mix of excitement and guilt.
"To be honest, I do feel sorry for my mother-in-law. She raised my husband all by herself and went through so much to secure his future. Now that he's married and settled, I understand that she wants to relax. But there's one thing—she always seems to enjoy her leisure right in front of me."
Lady Yao hadn't understood why before, but today, seeing the look in her mother-in-law's eyes, she began to get it. It seemed that doing so doubled the joy.
Wen Ye, of course, understood. The Eldest Aunt's way of thinking was quite similar to her own. She could relate.
Wen Ye smiled and patted Lady Yao's knee, saying, "Today, just enjoy yourself. Don't feel guilty. After all, you only get to relax this one day, and similarly, your mother-in-law only has to endure these two days."
Lady Yao's eyes widened, not knowing what to say. After a while, she finally managed to say, "Second Cousin-in-law, you really know how to comfort someone."
They had arranged to meet Lady Wen outside the city gates.
Besides Wen Ye and Lady Yao, Lady Wen had only invited her closest friend from her maiden days, who had brought her younger sister along. When Wen Ye and Lady Yao arrived outside the city, Lady Wen was already there.
She introduced them, "This is Jingxian, my good friend, and this is her younger sister, Jinghao."
After exchanging greetings, Wen Ye learned through Lady Wen that the two were daughters of the Minister of Rites, Xue. However, Xue Jingxian had been married for two years and already had a one-year-old child.
Xue Jinghao was only fourteen. She had been cooped up in the mansion all winter and was bored out of her mind. When she learned that her older sister was going on a spring outing with her friend, she begged to come along.
The girl still had a youthful air, her cheeks slightly chubby, her eyes bright and lively—clearly a carefree and innocent young lady.
Wen Ye gave her a friendly smile. She was such a sweet girl.
The spring outing was to take place near the Spring Breeze Pavilion in the outskirts of the capital, where there was a winding stream and beautiful scenery.
Along the way, Xue Jingxian said to Lady Wen, "If it weren't for your invitation, I might not have been able to come out."
Xue Jingxian's husband's family was also of noble lineage, but her mother-in-law was somewhat snobbish.
Lady Wen had heard some things about her friend's mother-in-law, who doted on her grandson. As the mother of her grandson, Xue Jingxian was expected to stay by his side at all times.
But these were matters that Lady Wen, as an outsider, couldn't comment on. She simply said, "Today is just for fun. Let's put everything else aside for now."
Xue Jingxian thought about it and agreed, her expression lightening as she smiled.
When they arrived at their destination, they wandered around for a bit before Lady Wen, Lady Yao, and Xue Jingxian went to sit in the Spring Breeze Pavilion to chat and admire the spring scenery.
Wen Ye didn't join them. She had brought a fishing rod and wanted to try catching a few fish to make grilled fish for lunch.
Besides the maids and servants who had come along, each family had sent guards to discreetly keep watch and ensure everyone's safety.
These guards couldn't be bothered, as they had their own duties, but Wen Ye had prepared in advance and asked Uncle Qiu to bring his son along.
Now, the father was guarding the carriage while the son went to dig for worms for Wen Ye.
Xue Jingwu couldn’t sit still either. From the first glance, she felt that Wen Ye was someone easy to get along with, and when the latter smiled at her, she became even more certain of it. Qiu Shi, the son of Uncle Qiu, had just returned with some earthworms and was threading them onto the fishing hooks.
Seeing this, Xue Jinghao couldn’t help but take a step back. “Sister Ye, are we really going to use this to fish?”
Wen Ye was waiting for Qiu Shi to finish preparing the bait. Hearing the young girl’s question, she casually replied, “Of course. Fish love this the most.”
Xue Jingcha, who had never seen such an ugly worm in her life, hesitated.
Only after Wen Ye cast the fishing line into the water did she slowly approach, curiosity piqued. “Is this really enough to catch fish?”
A mat had been laid out on the grass, and Wen Ye sat on it, holding the fishing rod. “Of course. I’m quite the expert at fishing.”
Xue Jingcha, still half-doubting, had her maid lay out another mat and sat down beside Wen Ye.
In the Spring Breeze Pavilion, Xue Jingxian observed the scene and couldn’t help but remark, “I never thought Jingcha and Madam Xu would get along so well.”
Lady Wen chuckled. “Madam Xu is kind and amusing, which naturally attracts young girls like Jingcha who still have a playful spirit.”
Lady Yao nodded in agreement.
Xue Jingxian hadn’t left the estate much in the past two years and knew nothing about Wen Ye. Seeing the two of them interact so comfortably, she felt a slight sense of relief.
She only had this one sister, who was a bit impulsive. With less than a year left before her coming-of-age ceremony, Xue Jingxian worried that Jingcha might accidentally offend someone, which could affect her future marriage prospects.
Lady Wen patted her friend’s hand reassuringly. “Don’t worry. Madam Xu is very tactful.”
By the stream, half an hour had passed.
Xue Jingwu glanced at the bucket, where a few small fish swam listlessly, and couldn’t help but say, “Sister Ye, I think it would be faster to just have someone go down with a bamboo basket and scoop them up.”
Wen Ye, who had only managed to catch three small fish in half an hour, was momentarily speechless.
Realizing she might have spoken out of turn, Xue Jingwu quickly added, “Sister Ye, how about we go dig for wild vegetables instead? I’ve never done that before.”
Wen Ye coughed lightly, her tone slightly cool. “If that’s what you want, I’ll accompany you for a bit.” With that, she set down the fishing rod.
Tao Zhi, stifling a laugh, quietly instructed Qiu Shi to take a bamboo basket and scoop up some small fish.
The stream was shallow, and the larger fish were scarce and cunning. They could only catch the smaller ones, which could later be coated in egg batter and fried at the estate—a tasty snack.
As for roasting fish, that was out of the question.
When it came to wild vegetables, Wen Ye only recognized shepherd’s purse, so she focused on digging those up.
Xue Jingwu, on the other hand, couldn’t identify any of the plants. After several attempts, most of what she collected were just weeds.
But the joy of digging for wild vegetables lay in the rustic charm of the activity itself.
After filling half a basket, Wen Ye stopped. The charm of such activities was that they shouldn’t last too long.
Xue Jingcha had already abandoned her basket and returned with a large bunch of wildflowers.
She had even given the flowers names: Little Red, Little Purple, Little Yellow, Little Pink, and Little White.
When Wen Ye heard this, she was momentarily at a loss for words.
Xue Jingcha was even more childlike than she was. Wen Ye glanced at the vibrant “Little Hui” in her hand.
Meanwhile, Qiu Shi and two other servants had managed to scoop up half a bucket of small fish from the stream.
Time passed quickly. The Changnan Marquis Mansion had an estate not too far from here, though it was about half the distance compared to the one Madam Lu and Wen Ye had mentioned. The scenery there wasn’t as nice either.
Since there were no outsiders around and they were all close relatives, Lady Wen didn’t mind heading to the estate Wen Ye had suggested.
It was a relief to spend less time jostling around in the carriage.
After Lady Wen explained the situation to Xue Jingxian, the latter had no objections either.
Liuya had gone ahead to the estate to prepare. When Wen Ye and the others arrived, however, Liuya looked slightly alarmed. She hurried over to Wen Ye and whispered, “Madam, the estate manager just reported that a strange man was seen fleeing into the estate in a panic.”
