To prevent Jin Renfeng from approaching her again, Dongfang Huaizhu simply practiced calligraphy in her room all day long.
That night, Ye Qingzhu lay in her bed unable to fall asleep for a long time. Staring at the bed canopy, her mind was in a complete mess. Her memory of the plot was limited, and since she came here, the plot had deviated from what she remembered. After the plot of the Huai River Bamboo Pavilion on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month collapsed last time, she had felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
The unpredictable collapse of the plot made Dongfang Huaizhu sigh. She didn't want to experience such powerless and unsolvable things again.
"I hope the following plot will go smoothly," Dongfang Huaizhu murmured. A sense of powerlessness welled up in her heart. She closed her eyes but still couldn't fall asleep.
"And there's Wangquan Baye..." Thinking of that man with cold and delicate features, she felt even more confused. She didn't know whether the flutter in her heart was love or just simple fondness.
Scenes with Wangquan Baye flashed through her mind like a carousel. The tall figure of Wangquan Baye appeared in front of her eyes again. Dongfang Huaizhu simply got up, put on her cloak, and slowly walked out of the room to enjoy the moon.
"Fortunately, I still have a year before I see him again. It's enough time for me to sort out my feelings," Dongfang Huaizhu said to herself. It was also as if she was warning herself to sort herself out in this year and not to be so muddled anymore.
The night was not very cold. Instead, the gentle breeze was refreshing. Dongfang Huaizhu exhaled a puff of turbid air, as if the sorrow in her heart had dissipated with it.
Dongfang Huaizhu slowly walked into the small garden in her courtyard, which was filled with all kinds of precious flowers and plants. It was a pity that Dongfang Huaizhu hadn't been in the mansion much recently. But seeing these flowers and plants growing vigorously, it seemed as if they had been carefully taken care of. "I wonder who has been taking care of these flowers and plants," she thought.
In the past, Dongfang Huaizhu had always taken care of them herself when she was in the mansion, but recently she had been going out more and more often.
Dongfang Huaizhu walked slowly along the path. When she passed by the grapevine, she smelled a fruity aroma and saw a figure. Judging from the gray hair, it should be an old woman. She was squatting on the ground taking care of the newly sprouted flower buds at the moment.
Dongfang Huaizhu squatted down beside her and only then saw clearly that the old woman was weeding the flowers to prevent the surrounding weeds from robbing the flowers of their nutrients.
The old woman noticed someone squatting beside her and turned her head to see Dongfang Huaizhu. "Ah, young lady," she exclaimed in surprise.
Dongfang Huaizhu helped her stand up. "Have you been taking care of the flowers and plants during the days I've been away from the mansion?"
"I have nothing to do in my leisure time. I've always liked these flowers and plants. It would be a pity if no one took care of them," the old woman said. Her voice was not slurred like that of other old people, but rather crisp.
"Then I must thank you. I used to take care of them myself, but now I've been so busy that I've forgotten about them," Dongfang Huaizhu said with a sad look on her face, feeling quite self - reproachful.
"Has the young lady been worried about something recently? I've noticed that there's always a worried look on your face," the old woman asked, looking at Dongfang Huaizhu.
Dongfang Huaizhu touched her face and thought to herself that she had been so obvious? She shook her head. "I'm just worried about some trivial matters. It's not worth mentioning."
"Does the young lady know what kind of flower I was weeding just now?" the old woman suddenly changed the topic and turned to look at the area where she had just weeded. The land was full of weeds and only a few newly sprouted buds.
Dongfang Huaizhu shook her head. No one could tell what kind of flower it was just by looking at the buds. "I don't know," she could only answer truthfully.
"Why doesn't this flower germinate? As far as I know, this flower has been planted for a long time. Why are there only a few buds?" Dongfang Huaizhu was full of doubts.
The old woman smiled knowingly, looking kind and wise. "This flower originally wouldn't bloom. But recently I've been taking good care of it every day, watering it on time, weeding and fertilizing it. It actually sprouted a few buds."
"But you knew it wouldn't bloom or germinate. Why did you still take good care of it every day? If it doesn't bloom, won't it disappoint you?" Dongfang Huaizhu asked her question.
"Precisely because it won't bloom, I take good care of it every day. If it sprouts and blooms, won't it surprise me?"
"If I had sown a seed that would definitely bloom from the beginning, no matter what, it would bloom, a flower that everyone can see. But for this flower that originally wouldn't bloom to sprout new buds, it's the most wonderful surprise for me," the old woman said slowly.
Dongfang Huaizhu's face lit up. The problem that had troubled her for many days suddenly dawned on her at this moment. "You're absolutely right!" She turned to look at the newly sprouted buds. The joy seemed to be hidden in her heart, about to sprout.
"Thank you. Hearing your words today is like being awakened by a sudden insight," Dongfang Huaizhu bowed. She didn't have to do this, but she was truly grateful to the old woman in her heart, so she didn't care about the many formalities.
The old woman just smiled and said nothing. She slowly walked away to take care of her flowers and plants. Her steps were slow but not staggering at all.
Dongfang Huaizhu looked up at the starry sky. She was extremely grateful that she had gone out to enjoy the moon today. She firmly believed that she would do better this time. Then she walked back to her room lightly and went to sleep.
The big stone in her heart finally fell to the ground. She slept much more soundly and had no dreams all night.
Early the next morning, Dongfang Huaizhu got up refreshed and washed herself. She had already thought about what she was going to do today.
After breakfast, Dongfang Huaizhu went to find Jin Renfeng early.
Maybe Jin Renfeng just liked her because of the setting... And his mind hadn't turned bad in the early stage. All his actions were just due to his utilitarianism. As long as she changed his mind, many things that happened later might not happen.
Thinking silently, Dongfang Huaizhu came to Jin Renfeng's yard.
Jin Renfeng was practicing sword - play in the yard early in the morning. When he saw Dongfang Huaizhu coming, his eyes lit up. A big smile spread across his face. He threw his sword on the table beside him and ran towards Dongfang Huaizhu. "Why did you come so early in the morning, junior sister?"
Dongfang Huaizhu forced herself to suppress the discomfort in her heart and said, "I'm free today. I thought you might not be busy either, so I came here. I want to practice sword - play with you, senior brother."
Jin Renfeng was overjoyed. Looking at Dongfang Huaizhu's beautiful face, he was extremely happy in his heart. Junior sister is finally willing to accept me! All my recent efforts have not been in vain!
"Come on, junior sister. Sit down," Jin Renfeng said attentively. He led Dongfang Huaizhu to sit in front of the table and then quickly ordered someone to prepare tea and snacks.
"Senior brother, you don't have to be so polite. Don't go to so much trouble."
"It's not trouble at all. Why are you being so polite with me, junior sister?" Jin Renfeng said, full of attentiveness.
"Senior brother, you don't have to be like this. Everyone in the Divine Fire Mountain Manor is equal. Moreover, senior brother is extremely outstanding. You don't have to think so much," Dongfang Huaizhu tried to hint at him, hoping to make him turn over a new leaf from the bottom of his heart.
But Jin Renfeng seemed not to understand. He still had a big smile on his face and his eyes were full of enthusiasm.
Dongfang Huaizhu sighed. Knowing that this matter couldn't be accomplished overnight, she just went along with him.
After they had some tea and snacks, Jin Renfeng proposed to practice sword - play with Dongfang Huaizhu. Dongfang Huaizhu nodded to agree.
"Go to my yard and fetch my sword," Dongfang Huaizhu ordered the servant beside her.