In the summer, Da Ci Temple was lush with ancient trees and refreshing breeze, but no matter how hard one tried, it couldn't compare to the tranquility and elegance of Duan's backyard. However, for a young lady like Duan Pin-yi who rarely ventured out more than a few times a year, every place was full of delight and wonder.

  She pulled Wu Ya and pointed to a fake rock not far away: "Look, doesn't it look like a girl waiting for her hair to be combed?"

  Wu Ya glanced at it disinterestedly and said, "That's a Lingbi stone. The small ones are fine for decoration, but this bamboo forest should have Taihu stones instead!" After finishing speaking, her gaze fell on Du Shao and Du Pinshu who were walking in front of them.

  Two people were whispering to each other, mostly Du Pinshu speaking and Du Zhao listening. Occasionally, Du Zhao would respond with a couple of sentences, and she would giggle like an innocent 7 or 8-year-old girl.

  How heartless!

  Wu Ya muttered in her heart.

  Duan Pin-yi was somewhat displeased: "Wu Ya, what's wrong with you? You've been sulking all day, and whenever I say something, you just give me a cold two-word response. If you look down on Daci Temple as a rural place, then just say so directly! This way of speaking without a single good word is really disheartening!" As she spoke, she flung off Wu Ya's hand.

  "Hey, I'm not mad at you." Wu Ya hastily grabbed Dou Pinyi's hand and added, "I just feel like the weather is too hot, walking around like this, sweating through my clothes, it's very uncomfortable."

  "It's okay!" Dou Pingyi looked up at the lush branches above her head, "Why do I feel like it's cooler here than at home?"

  "Or maybe I'm just too afraid of heat!" Wu Ya said perfunctorily. Hurriedly changing the subject, "I met your fifth aunt in Kyoto."

  "Really?" Dou Shi Yi had always yearned for Kyoto, but her father Dou Guang Chang neither helped with household chores nor had any official position, so she had little chance of going to Kyoto. When she heard that something had happened in Kyoto, she immediately asked excitedly: "How is she now?"

  "I was at He Gong's old house to get married, and when I went with my mother to eat the wedding wine, that's when I met her." Wu Ya said, "She lived in her maternal grandmother's house, and she had grown up to be about as tall as me. She spoke in a soft and gentle voice, with two dimples when she smiled, and got along well with He's sisters. When she saw me, she also greeted me politely, looking quite good."

  Dong Pin-yi stared blankly: "Isn't Seventh Uncle's house in Jing'an Temple Alley? Why is she living at her maternal grandfather's place? What about her mother? Isn't she living with her?"

  "It's said that Old Lady Wang is very fond of her," Wu Ya said. "She insists on keeping her by her side. Her mother looks a bit worn out and doesn't seem to be in good spirits." As she spoke, she whispered to Dou Pin Yi, "I heard one of the ladies at the banquet say that she can't bear sons and won't let your seventh uncle's grandfather take a concubine."

  Dong Pin-yi was startled.

  "You mustn't tell anyone else!"

  "I know, I know!" Dou Pingyi nodded repeatedly, "If my mother heard me say something like that..."

  Wu Yason let out a sigh of relief.

  Dowager Lady Dou looked at Dowager Lady Duan, who was admiring the bamboo with Dowager Lady Shao, and hesitated for a moment: "Seventh Aunt, do you think we should tell Fourth Aunt about this?"

  "What did she tell you?" Wu Ya hastily stopped him. "What if she told your great-grandmother?"

  Me too.

  Duan Pinyi nodded and looked at Duan Zhao's gaze, with a few more points of sympathy and pity.

  Dòu Zhāo didn't notice and chatted with Dòu Pǐn Shū all the way, climbing up to a small hill behind the Great Temple of Mercy where there was an octagonal pavilion.

  Dòu Zhèngchāng and the others arrived early, where a dozen or so 8-9 year old children were either gathering around stone tables and stools, burning small red clay stoves, or fiddling with brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, or playing Go and Double Six.

  Jian Dou led Dou Pin Shu into the pavilion, Wu Shan looked at Wu Ya and Dou Pin Yi who were still halfway supported by two rough servant women, smiled and handed over a celadon lotus-leaf cup: "Try it, the abbot of Da Ci Temple's collection of Chen Nian Mei Hua Xue Shui."

  Dong Zhao didn't take it and smiled: "You drink it yourself. What are you using to boil tea?"

  Wu Shan turned his head and glanced at Dou Zhengchang and others who were gathered together talking, winked at her and said in a low voice: "Just one cup, they don't know."

  Dong Zhaoren suppressed a smile, but was suddenly deprived of the lotus leaf cup by Dong Pinshu beside him. He scolded, "You're pushing and yielding to each other, yet there's still someone standing next to you with fire in his mouth!" After finishing speaking, he took small sips of the snow water and let out a long sigh, saying, "It's really refreshing!"

  Wu Shan and Dou Zhao stared at each other, unable to help but burst out laughing.

  Laughter startled Du Qijun, he walked over quickly: "What are you laughing at?"

  Wu Shan Chao glanced at Dou Pin Shu with a hint of a smile and said, "Nothing, nothing, Sister Shu just told a joke."

  Dòu Pǐn Shū gazed at the empty cup in her hand and smiled mischievously at Dòu Jùn Qǐ.

  Wu Ya and Dou Pinyi finally climbed up, Wu Ya saw the gentle smile on his brother's face, his heart surged with sour water, and he coquettishly shouted "Brother": "I'm so tired!"

  "So I told you not to come!" Wu Shan said without any sympathy, "Fourth Sister walks around the East Cross House several times a day and helps Aunt Cui remove weeds and catch insects, how can you compare to Fourth Sister?"

  Wu Yaqi's eyes welled up with tears.

  Dong Zhao hastily intervened: "We're all thirsty, isn't the tea water ready yet?"

  A young servant from the Wu family's house ran over with a tea tray: "Alright, alright, Fourth Miss, alright!" He looked up and saw Wu Ya and the others, was stunned for a moment, then turned around and ran back.

  Everyone looked puzzled.

  He brought over a few more cups of tea, running quickly and sweating profusely, saying "Young master, young lady, please have some tea".

  Everyone burst out laughing.

  The atmosphere became lively.

  Dong Zhao and several girls sat in the pavilion, spread bamboo mats, leaned against the beautiful woman to drink tea. Dong Qiguang painted a picture of the distant hills and forests. Gradually, Dong Zhengchang and Dong Pin Yi were all attracted over there.

  Wu Ya was thinking about whether to go over and take a look when his brother walked over.

  "Fourth sister, what have you been up to these days?" He sat down beside Wu Ya, "I'll be going to Kyoto with Mother and Seventh Uncle at the end of this month. I might not be back until after the New Year, do you have any letters or things for me to bring to Seventh Uncle?" His attitude was open and straightforward.

  Dong Zhao smiled and said: "Usually at home, someone often goes to Kyoto, there's nothing special to bring over."

  Wu Shandao said, "Is there anything I can bring back for you? During the temple fairs at Kyoto's Daishogun Temple and Baiyun Temple, people from all over gather there, and everything is sold."

  "I can't think of what I'm missing," Dòu Zhāo said with a smile, "If I remember later, it's not too late to have Wū Sì Gē bring it."

  Wu Shan asked: "I heard Liu Auntie say that you planted lotus flowers in a jar, how did you plant them? Can they survive?"

  Talking about his favorite things, Du Zhao's smile became exceptionally bright and clear, his voice also turned gentle and full of patience: "I'm growing water lilies. Have you seen them? They're very similar to lotus flowers, but the leaves and flowers of lotus are above the water surface, while water lilies float on the water surface. They're quite common in Jiangnan, but less so here. I also just started trying to grow them this year..."

  "Really?" Wu Shan's eyes widened, "There is such a kind of flower..."

  Wu Ya, who was sitting among them, suddenly stood up with a "ding" sound. Pointing at Wu Shan, she scolded in a flurry: "We have two water lilies growing in our backyard, one of which is even the white fairy. Haven't you seen it? You killed the white fairy, and Grandfather was furious, but Great-Grandfather protected you and only made you copy the 'Three Character Classic' ten times. You, you dare say you don't recognize what a water lily is!"

  Inside and outside the pavilion suddenly became as still as ancient times, with only the sound of the wind blowing through the hem of clothes.

  "I really didn't know that was a water lily!" Wu Shan's gaze was as clear and transparent as spring water, "Isn't what you said the afternoon flower?" He said, slapping his forehead in surprise. Looking at Dou Zhao, "Could it be that the water lily you're talking about is actually the afternoon flower?"

  Dong Zhaoren couldn't help it and turned around to laugh silently.

  Wu Ya's face turned red and white in turns, and she quickly ran out of the pavilion.

  Wu Shan quickly chased after her and stopped his sister under a big tree, asking solemnly: "Why don't you get along with Duanjia's fourth sister?"

  "Wo, wo..." Wu Ya's tears immediately welled up. "I'm your sister!" she exclaimed, bursting into loud sobs.

  Yu Xiang was taken aback, and after a while, he took out his handkerchief to help Yu Ya wipe away her tears. He spoke warmly, "Silly sister, when have you not been my sister? You're not only my sister, but also my good sister, the one I love the most. Just because you're my sister, doesn't mean I can only be good to you all the time. Think about it, is that right?" He continued, "You see, you came back and I'm very happy. I specially had someone bring a Western-style wall clock from the Ji family's store in Zhendingzhou just for you. I didn't buy one for the fourth sister of the Duan family, did I? That's because you like it. The fourth sister of the Duan family likes those writing brushes and paper, so I bought her a set of white fans. I didn't buy any for you, did I?" He said as he took down the folding fan hanging from his waist and opened it. "You see, the fourth sister even gave me and Gege each a folding fan, but what about you? I've given you so many good things, but you haven't given me anything!" Then he scolded, "I'm telling you, if you keep this up, from now on I'll only give gifts to the fourth sister and not to you anymore."

  Wu Ya's eyes were brimming with tears as she stared at Wu Shan: "Really, really?"

  "Really!"

  Wu Ya lowered his head.

  "Go and apologize to the fourth sister of the Duan family." He also muttered to himself, "I gave you so many things, what did you give me in return? But as for the fourth sister, I gave her a small thing and she knew how to repay me... And yet you say I'm not good to you... When you were young and got into trouble, wasn't it always me who helped you take the blame? How is it that you become less likable as you grow older..."

  Wu Ya glared at her brother fiercely, thinking of his past kindness to her, which reduced the intense jealousy she had been feeling towards Du Zhao.

  Dòu Qǐjùn saw Wū Shì's siblings walking over, and smiled: "Alright, alright, stop watching the commotion here, go eat some watermelon. If you don't eat it soon, it'll be as hot as the stones outside."

  When leaving home, Du Dechang brought two iced watermelons up the mountain.

  Dòu Pǐnyí and Dòu Pǐnshū still had some confusion in their hearts, but amidst the laughter of Dòu Déchāng and a few others, they didn't think much more about it. Everyone either sat at the stone table or leaned against the beauty chair waiting to eat watermelon.

  Wu Ya's face turned red as she walked up to Dou Zhao and whispered, "It was all my fault, I shouldn't have lost my temper."

  Dou Zhao raised his head in surprise and saw Wu Xian's sparkling eyes.

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  Happy Lantern Festival!

  I am writing, and when I lift my head, I can see the gorgeous fireworks bursting in mid-air outside the window. What are you all doing?

  However, don't forget to vote for Pinky, I think I can catch up soon...... o(n_n)o~

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