A Figure on Jade Steps in the Wind and Snow 61

Chapter 61: Snowman

Soon, Huang Shizhong came to pick up Xie Jin’s daughter for class.

The young Miss Xie blinked her eyes and got into the carriage amidst Xie Jin’s chorus of “drink more water,” “play less,” and “listen to the tutor’s lecture.”

“Aren’t you going with her?” Old Madam Xie asked Xie Jin.

Xie Jin shook her head, “Forget it. Let Xie Da get to know Huang Shizhong’s daughter first. I’ll ask for her opinion when she comes back. If she thinks Old Fu’s lecture is good, it won’t be too late for me to visit and send a gift.”

So when the young Miss Xie returned, she saw a circle of people in the courtyard, looking like a court trial in the Censorate—

Shen Zhishu and Jiang Yu had both been pulled over by Xie Jin, under the pretext of “helping to check.”

Xie Jin was the first to ask, “How was your study today?”

“I think it was very good!” Xie Da said with great enthusiasm. “Old Fu’s lecture was very clear. Things that I only had a vague understanding of before are now clear with just a little explanation. What I learned in two hours today is equivalent to what I learned in a week before!”

“That’s not bad,” Xie Jin praised and continued to ask, “Was General Huang there with you to listen to the lecture?”

“No,” Xie Da shook her head. “When Old Fu was teaching, no one was allowed to enter or leave the room. So General Huang left after she dropped us off, and only General Huang’s daughter and I were there.”

Xie Jin nodded and asked, “Then what about General Huang’s daughter?”

“She’s not like General Huang at all, she’s very shy. She’s the same age as me, but she looks like a little sister.”

“Is she General Huang’s youngest daughter?”

“Yes, she has two older sisters, and they have both joined the army as generals. According to her, her health is not good, so she can’t pursue a martial career, so General Huang ordered her to take the path of the imperial examinations.”

Xie Jin and Shen Zhishu exchanged a look, and Shen Zhishu understood. She took over the conversation, “Xie Da, do you know General Huang’s youngest daughter’s name?”

“How could I not know? We had a great chat today,” Xie Da suddenly remembered something, took out a purse from her bag, and smiled, “Her name is Huang Zhiwen, and this purse is a gift from her. I had nothing to give in return, so I took off my jade pendant and gave it to her.”

Xie Jin clicked her tongue, “You’re too honest to trade a jade pendant for a purse.”

The little girl pouted and shook her head, “No, this purse is very exquisite, and there are two small gold ingots inside. It’s clear that it was prepared with great care.”

“Forget it. In that case, you can also bring some meeting gifts tomorrow—” Xie Jin changed the subject. “Hey, will Old Fu still be teaching tomorrow? Is this class held every day?”

“Not tomorrow, it’s every other day,” Xie Da said. “I know the way now, so I’ll go by myself the day after tomorrow. I don’t need General Huang to pick me up. Oh right—”

As the little girl spoke, she turned to Shen Zhishu and the Eldest Princess and smiled, “Huang Zhiwen also mentioned Sister Zhishu and Your Highness. She first asked me if it was true that Sister Zhishu wanted ten children, and then she asked me if I knew Her Highness Huai’an.”

Shen Zhishu became curious, “How did you answer?”

Xie Da said frankly, “I said that although I am familiar with General Shen, I have no way of knowing what she is really thinking. I have only met Her Highness Huai’an once, and she probably doesn’t know me.”

“But you know her now,” the little girl paused and added. “After seeing her today, Her Highness Huai’an is like the clear wind and the bright moon, a fairy pond on a jade terrace. No wonder my mother often mentions her.”

As her voice fell, the whole scene suddenly fell silent.

Shen Zhishu, Jiang Yu: …?

Xie Jin: ???

Xie Jin was baffled and grabbed Xie Da’s shoulder, shaking her three times, “When did I mention Her Highness the Eldest Princess? You’re making it sound like I’m coveting Her Highness. You’d better speak properly.”

Xie Da smiled sheepishly, “Did I say something wrong? Mother, you were just talking about it yesterday, saying that Sister Zhishu is as elegant as a jade tree in the wind, and Her Highness Huai’an is calm and heroic, and the two of them are a good match.”

Xie Jin: …

Other people’s daughters were caring little cotton jackets, but her daughter had wrapped her in a cotton quilt and sold her.

Shen Zhishu and Jiang Yu’s gazes were instantly fixed on Xie Jin’s face.

Xie Jin let out a dry laugh twice, “Children speak without inhibition.”

“It’s alright,” Shen Zhishu said with a half-smile. “It’s a good reminder—General Xie thinks about these things all day long. It’s probably because you’ve been alone for too long and are inevitably lonely. Shall I introduce you to someone?”

Xie Jin: …

A joss stick’s time later, Shen Zhishu and Jiang Yu were “invited” out of the Xie Residence by Xie Jin, and even Xie Da was thrown out by the angry and embarrassed Xie Jin.

Xie Da pouted, “My mother is really something. It’s clearly the truth, but she won’t let people say it.”

Shen Zhishu agreed, “That’s right. Let’s not talk about her. You probably can’t go home for a while. Where are you planning to go? Do you want to go back to the General’s Manor with me for a while?”

“Thank you, Sister Zhishu, but there’s no need to trouble you. My grandmother will probably let me in in less than two cups of tea’s time,” Xie Da waved her hand and smiled. “I’ll wait at the side door. Sister Zhishu and Her Highness Huai’an can go back now. We’ll meet again another day!”

**

After a cup of tea’s time, the side door was indeed opened a crack, and Miss Xie slipped in sneakily.

Shen Zhishu was relieved and walked back side by side with Jiang Yu.

She was not on horseback, but had come to the Xie Residence in a carriage with Jiang Yu.

The two of them swayed to the side of the carriage. Shen Zhishu stopped and turned to ask, “Is Your Highness going back to the Eldest Princess’s Manor?”

Jiang Yu was quiet for a moment and opened her mouth, “I suddenly remembered—yesterday your attendant told me that there is a snowman that the General built in the General’s garden.”

“Hmm?”

Jiang Yu got straight to the point, “I want to see it.”

Shen Zhishu smiled, “That attendant was lying to you. I’m not a seven or eight-year-old child. I wouldn’t do such a childish thing as building a snowman. It was probably those little attendants who were being playful.”

Jiang Yu said succinctly, “I don’t believe you.”

“Why would I lie to you? Besides, although it snowed last night, the sun is strong today, so the snow might have melted.”

Jiang Yu pursed her lips, pointed to the courtyard wall on the side, and said with a blank expression, “The icicles under the eaves haven’t melted. Can the snow that has been piled up in your courtyard for a whole winter melt?”

And then, without waiting for Shen Zhishu to answer, she said very quickly, “The General is making all sorts of excuses. Is it because you don’t want to be with me?”

No, Shen Zhishu said in her heart.

…It was just that building a snowman really didn’t fit her style.

She thought to herself that she would find that talkative attendant when she got back to her manor and punish her with three days’ worth of monthly salary. She raised her hand and lifted the curtain of the carriage, making a “please” gesture, “Your Highness is overthinking it. There’s no such thing.”

Jiang Yu glanced at her and got into the carriage with the help of an attendant by her side.

Shen Zhishu hurriedly pulled that attendant over and whispered in her ear, “You go back on horseback first and tell the people in the manor to keep their mouths shut. If the Eldest Princess asks who built the snowman in the backyard, you must not say it was me.”

This was said very lightly and urgently. That attendant nodded solemnly and gave a “leave it to me” look.

Shen Zhishu was relieved.

Although she couldn’t remember that attendant’s name, she looked quite familiar and often went out with her, so she should be a reliable person.

As it turned out, one should not let one’s guard down too early.

When Shen Zhishu brought Jiang Yu to the General’s Manor’s garden, a group of attendants were all peeking around.

There were a full fourteen or fifteen snowmen in the garden. Jiang Yu pointed to the one in the middle and asked an attendant who was standing straight by her side, “Who built this?”

The attendant opened her small mouth, “The General built it!”

Shen Zhishu: ???

The attendant continued, “Your Highness doesn’t have to ask. All the snowmen in this courtyard were built by the General. The General is the best at this, and the snowmen she builds are lifelike!”

Jiang Yu raised an eyebrow, turned her head to look at Shen Zhishu, her expression a half-smile.

Shen Zhishu: …

The attendant who had been entrusted by her to help her hide the truth stood in the northwest corner of the courtyard with her head held high and her chest puffed out. After meeting Shen Zhishu’s intense gaze, she nodded firmly at her, with a “mission accomplished” look.

Shen Zhishu couldn’t take it anymore. She strode to that attendant’s side and asked in a low, gritted voice, “Didn’t I tell you to tell them not to say that these snowmen are from me?”

That attendant was greatly alarmed, “Ah! I heard it as you must say it was you! I thought you wanted to show off your superb snowman-building skills in front of Her Highness the Eldest Princess!”

Shen Zhishu: …

Jiang Yu walked over gracefully and said in a faint voice, “I can’t believe the General has such leisure and interest.”

Shen Zhishu let out a dry “Ha” twice, “I feel like there’s nothing to do when I’m not fighting, so I just build some to pass the time.”

“But speaking of which, the General’s hands are really skillful,” Jiang Yu said. “Apart from these three, the rest are all lifelike.”

As she spoke, her fingers moved lightly and pointed three times at the pile of snowmen.

Shen Zhishu: …

Let me tell you a joke—

Most of the snowmen in this courtyard were the masterpieces of the attendants. Only these three that had been excluded by Jiang Yu were completely built by her.

Shen Zhishu still wanted to struggle a little, “I think these three are also alright.”

“They are alright,” Jiang Yu tilted her head and looked for a while, then pointed to one that was lying on the ground and asked, “Is this a cat?”

Shen Zhishu: “…It’s a dog.”

“Then what about this one? A little girl in a skirt dancing?”

“…A brown bear.”

“This is probably—a fisherman catching fish?”

“…A farmer farming. But at least Your Highness guessed the species correctly, so I suppose this one is not too badly built.”

Jiang Yu gave her a deep look, “Indeed.”

As her voice fell, Jiang Yu slowly took two steps forward and suddenly reached out to grab a handful of snow from the bushes.

Then her five fingers danced, and she quickly pinched the palm-sized snowball into a prototype.

Shen Zhishu came up curiously. After about a cup of tea’s time, Jiang Yu was finished and held the small snowman in her hand and brought it to her.

Her slender fingertips were tinged with a faint red from the low temperature.

Shen Zhishu’s gaze shifted from the faint red to her palm, paused, and asked with a smile, “What is this?”

“The General can guess,” Jiang Yu said.

“A leopard?”

“No.”

“Your Highness yourself?”

“No.”

“Hmm…” Shen Zhishu squinted and looked for a moment, then shook her head, “I really can’t tell.”

Jiang Yu opened her small mouth, “It’s the General without clothes on the bed.”

Shen Zhishu: ?

Jiang Yu paused and continued to speak outrageously, “The General can’t guess, so I must not have pinched it realistically enough. If the General were to reenact this scene for me tonight, I should be able to pinch it more realistically.”

Shen Zhishu: ???

“Since the General does not object, then it is agreed,” Jiang Yu nodded slightly. “I will be waiting for the General at the Eldest Princess’s Manor tonight. The General is a person of her word and will surely be on time.”

Shen Zhishu: …