Seeing Xie Fengran looking cold and not being able to tell whether she really cared or not, Liu Yi didn't dare to say anything and quietly retreated.
After Liu Yi left, the study fell into complete silence. Xie Fengran cleared all distractions from her mind and concentrated on reading.
She didn't go back to rest until the second half of the hai hour.
It was Lanfang's turn to stand night watch today. Seeing Xie Fengran enter the room looking exhausted, she quickly got up to attend to her while she washed up.
After washing up, Xie Fengran sat on the bed. Seeing that Xie Chenghui was sleeping soundly, she turned to Lanfang and said, "You'll have to work hard tomorrow. Get up early and pack some simple things. We're going to the Huguo Temple to offer incense. We'll go tomorrow."
Lanfang opened her mouth, wanting to dissuade Xie Fengran, but remembering what Liu Yi had said, she didn't say a word in the end. She just nodded and said, "Miss, just go and rest. This servant will definitely get everything packed."
"This time, you'll go to the Huguo Temple with me. Bring Hexiang along and let Liu Yi stay at home. How has Hexiang been these days?"
Feeling thirsty, Xie Fengran reached out for the teacup, poured a cup of cold tea and was about to drink it.
Lanfang quickly stopped her and snatched the cup away. "Miss, you're drinking cold tea again. Watch out for a stomachache." Then she poured a cup of warm water from the kettle and handed it to Xie Fengran. "It's this late, so it's not good to drink tea anymore. Miss, drink some water."
After doing all this, she continued, "Hexiang has been quite reliable, but she's a bit soft - tempered. She still needs more training from the miss."
Holding the teacup, Xie Fengran felt a bit dejected. She liked to drink cold drinks when she was thirsty and disliked hot or warm ones the most. But seeing Lanfang looking at her sternly, she still drank the water. Her eyes fixed on the teapot, thinking that she would get up and drink later when Lanfang went to sleep.
Sighing, she said, "These are not a big deal. As long as she's not easy to be taken advantage of, it's fine."
All the maids around Xie Fengran were personally selected by Old Madam Xie. Liu Yi was bold and straightforward, while Lanfang was steady and meticulous. They were impeccable in terms of etiquette.
But now that Xie Fengran had grown up, having only two senior maids around her was a bit of a stretch.
Old Madam Xie had never mentioned this matter, so Xie Fengran knew that her grandmother intended to train her.
After observing for a long time, only the cautious Hexiang had caught her eye.
Xie Fengran thought for a while and then got up to go to bed. But she still felt her throat dry, so she remembered the kettle of cold tea. She turned her head to look -
The place where the teapot had been just now was empty. Only the kettle was there, as if waving to her. There was no cold tea at all.
She could only pour a cup of warm water angrily and gulp it down.
Lanfang really knew her well!
With full of complaints, she slept through the night. This longing for cold tea seemed to dispel some of the depression in her heart.
Early the next morning, Lanfang came to wake Xie Fengran up. "Miss, it's time to get up."
Xie Fengran made a shushing sound. She turned to look at Xie Chenghui and seeing that he was sleeping soundly, she got up quietly.
While washing up, she asked Lanfang, "Have you packed everything?"
"Everything is packed. Miss, don't worry."
Hearing this, Xie Fengran remembered the cold tea she hadn't been able to drink last night. Her eyes rolled and she coughed lightly, then assigned Lanfang, "Go to the Qingsong Courtyard and see if grandmother is up. Tell her that I'll go to pay my respects later and ask if it's okay to go to the Huguo Temple today."
Lanfang didn't suspect anything. She called Liu Yi over and then went to the Qingsong Courtyard to deliver the message.
As soon as Lanfang left the courtyard, Xie Fengran quickly pulled Liu Yi aside and ordered, "I heard that the big kitchen has made a frozen dessert recently. Go and get some for me to taste."
"Miss, it's still a bit early to eat frozen desserts this season."
"Then why did the big kitchen make it?"
"The marquis wanted to eat it, so the big kitchen made it. Miss, you'd better not eat it. Watch out for a stomachache."
"Why do you sound just like Lanfang now? Just tell me, do you want to eat it or not?" First, Xie Fengran tempted her, then she showed weakness. "Although it's still cold now, your miss has been feeling very irritated recently and urgently needs something to cool down. Good Liu Yi, go and get some for me."
Liu Yi had no choice but to give in to Xie Fengran in the end. She went to the big kitchen to get breakfast herself.
Although frozen desserts were not a rare thing, they were still uncommon at this time of the year. Only Xie Yi would go to so much trouble to satisfy his appetite.
Sometimes, although Xie Fengran looked down on some of her father's actions, she had to admit that they were somewhat similar when it came to food.
Not long after, Liu Yi walked in front, carrying a bowl of frozen dessert, while the little maid from the Tingfeng Courtyard followed behind with breakfast.
The bowl of frozen dessert was quite large. It was mixed with hawthorns and some seasonal fruits, which made Xie Fengran extremely envious.
She asked Liu Yi to get another bowl and divided some for her. Then she took the rest and started to eat.
But before she could take the first spoonful, cries came from the inner room.
Xie Fengran waved her hand and sent Liu Yi to find Xie Chenghui's maid. Then she went in to have a look herself.
After a chaotic period of tidying up, Xie Fengran sat back at the dining table again. Looking at the half - melted frozen dessert on the table, she quickly picked it up and was about to take a bite.
Before the dessert could reach her mouth, Xie Chenghui, who was biting on a spoon, protested, "Sister, sister, I want to eat that too!"
Although Xie Fengran wanted to eat it herself, she knew that it would give a child a stomachache. So she coaxed him, "This will give you a stomachache. Be a good boy and eat your breakfast, okay?"
"No, no, I want to eat it!" Xie Chenghui insisted and was on the verge of crying.
Afraid that he would really cry and things would get out of control, Xie Fengran scooped up a tiny bit of fruit and held it to Xie Chenghui's mouth.
Xie Chenghui immediately became happy and opened his mouth wide, waiting for Xie Fengran to feed him.
Just as it was about to reach his mouth, a voice came from the door, "Miss, what's that in your hand?"
As if her worst fear had come true, Xie Fengran's hand trembled and the whole bowl of frozen dessert spilled onto the table.
The soup and bits of fruit were all over the table. Lanfang didn't need any further explanation.
"Miss, you have a cold constitution. The doctor has already said that you shouldn't eat cold food, and now you're even trying to get the young master to eat it. Is this something a child can eat?"
Looking at the bowl of frozen dessert spilled on the table, Xie Fengran was so heart - broken that she didn't know what to say. "I wasn't even able to eat it."
"If this servant hadn't come back, you would have eaten it. Then we'd have to call the doctor. By then, the whole capital would know that you called the doctor because you ate a bowl of cold dessert!"
"... " Xie Fengran thought about that scene and said a bit guiltily, "It can't be that bad, right?"
"What do you think?"
Xie Fengran coughed lightly and still wanted to maintain her dignity as the eldest young lady. Suddenly, she saw Liu Yi stuffing the frozen dessert into her mouth. She quickly reported on her, "Liu Yi ate it!"
As soon as Liu Yi saw Xie Fengran looking at her, she knew something was wrong. She quickly put down the bowl and snatched the rag from Lanfang's hand. "Good sister, let me do it. Let me do it!"
Lanfang knew there was an accomplice. Before she could say anything, Liu Yi's words blocked her. "Did the old madam give any instructions to the miss?"