The Marquis Is Innocent - 163.1

Chapter 163.1 The Grand Finale (2)

After Wei Shao left East County early that morning, several months passed.

As winter turns to spring, the season is now in March. I

In the spring, the flowers bloom, the weeds grow, the turtledoves brush their feathers, and the birds descend on the mulberry. Everything was so vibrant, and on the third day of the third month, the Shangsi Festival came once again.

ShangsiFestival is the day of purification and spring bath. From the pre-Qin era to this day, the southern countries had the custom of purifying their body. Men, women, and children go out of the city to the stream in the outskirts and dip orchids in water to splash it all over their bodies. Barefooted, they washed their hair and skin to purify the previous year’s ominous, wishing to eliminate diseases and for a new beginning in the coming year.

Shangsi Festival is also a Daughter’s Day. When Xiao Qiao’s mother was alive, every March, she and Mrs. Ding would bring their daughters to the Flower God Temple in the south of the city to participate in the Spring Festival of the Flower God together with the people to pray for her daughter’s well-being and peace. But since Xiao Qiao’s mother died, the Qiao family has been in disarray for so many years that the Spring Festival has stopped.

This year is different. Although the Qiao family has just experienced great change, as if reborn, the two sisters of the Qiao had brought a pair of children together to their home.

Two days ago, Bi Zhi also returned from the south, passing through the East County to visit his wife and children. Mrs. Ding’s mood had long out of the gloom and has prepared to bring the two Qiao sisters to celebrate the long-lost Daughter’s Day.

Early in the morning, a carriage decorated with last night’s newly picked orchids parked outside the gate of the Qiao family. Mr. Jia took the guards neatly lined up at one side, patiently waiting for the Qiao family women to go out.

A few moments later, he heard a sound of women’s laughter far away. He looked up and saw a group of maidservants surrounding Mrs. Ding, Da Qiao, and the Lady. The wet nurse carried Li’er while Bi Zhi held Fei Fei.

Today, Lady wore light-green colored spring clothes, a cherry-colored silk thin cape draped over her shoulders accentuated her slender waist, her large-sleeved embroidered with delicate orchids and grass flowers, her long black hair combed in a bun behind the head and bind using the same color of the clothes to prevent the wind blowing. She dressed like a young girl, beautiful like a pearl. Her companion, Da Qiao, wore a goose-yellow spring dress with a stone-green shoulder cape, equally bright and beautiful. The two were laughing and coming side by side with their skirts.

Mr. Jia dared not look closely, busily ordering guards to retreat to the sides of the gate, waiting with bated breath for the ladies to go out and board the carriage.

Fei Fei is almost one-year-old. Not only did she become cuter and attract people to love her, but she could also stand by herself. If someone held her, Fei Fei could walk a few steps shakily. She started talking last month, vaguely called out Xiao Qiao ‘A Niang,’ and now her bubbling had already smooth.

Fei Fei’s hair happened to be very thick. After the one-month celebration and shaving her fetal hair, now her hair had reached her ears. For her first daughter’s day, Xiao Qiao carefully dolled her up. She divided Fei Fei’s into two sides, tied and braided on each side, and adorned with a small silk bow. Chun Ning made the bow personally for her. It was pretty and exquisite. Fei Fei dressed in a tender willow-colored skirt of the same texture and color as Xiao Qiao’s coat today, with small shoes over her feet. When first carried out by Chun Niang, like her brother Li’er, she held an orchid tied with a colorful ribbon in one hand while grasping a piece of plum blossom cake in the other.

Having been at home for some days with her mother and knowing today she could go out to play with her favorite Li’er brother, Fei Fei felt delighted. She encountered Uncle Bi Zhi, whom she only knew for two days. She was not afraid of life and even dived into his arms.

 At this moment, Bi Zhi carried her to the front door. Turning her head, she saw the familiar Mr. Jia standing on the side. Whenever her mother took her out, this uncle would show his face. So as soon as she saw him, Fei Fei knew she could go out to play, so she smiled sweetly at him, waved at him, and gurgled something under her breath.

Bi Zhi then stopped in his tracks. Seeing her cute little face, Mrs. Ding teased her, “Is Fei Fei trying to talk to General Jia?”

Jia Yin was also very fond of Fei Fei and quietly glanced at the Lady, seeing that she had stopped walking, and turned her head to look at her with a smile, so he boldly leaned over towards Fei Fei.

Fei Fei stretched out her chubby little hand and handed him the peach blossom cake.

Mr. Jia was stunned, and before he could react, Fei Fei had already withdrawn the small hand holding the peach blossom cake and instead handed him the small hand holding the orchid grass. Halfway through, she retracted again. She looked down at the peach blossom cake for a while and then at the orchid grass as if hesitating.

Mrs. Ding and the servants stopped and turned back, looking with interest at Fei Fei, who was in a dilemma.

Mrs. Ding smiled and said, “Is Fei Fei reluctant to part with it?”

Before the words left her mouth, she saw Fei Fei already made up her mind, “Ah-oh,” biting down hard on the peach blossom cake and handing the rest of the cake and orchid grass to Mr Jia.

Mrs. Ding and the servants were stunned and couldn’t help but laugh.

Even the ever-steady Bi Zhi had a hint of laughter in his eyes.

Jia Yin’s heart was overjoyed, but he hurriedly waved his hand and seriously said to Fei Fei, “I don’t dare to accept the little Lady’s reward. I am grateful for it.”

Xiao Qiao couldn’t help but giggle and said, “She wants to be close to General Jia. She just nibbled on the peach blossom cake, so forget it. General can take the orchid grass. If General Jia does not take it, she will yell endlessly, and no one could leave the house today.”

Actually, Mr. Jia didn’t mind eating the rest of the cake that the little Lady had eaten, but he knew he didn’t have this blessing. He took the orchid grass in her other little hand with both hands and said respectfully, “This humble servant would like to thank the little Lady for this.”

Seeing him take the orchid grass, Fei Fei smiled brightly, babbling a few times under her breath in response to Mr. Jia.

On the side, Li’er saw her sister without the orchid grass in her hand and hurriedly handed hers over, saying, “Little sister, for you.”

Li’er is very smart but late in speech. Da Qiao was a little worried before, but unexpectedly, at the end of last year, when he and Fei Fei played together, he began to speak. Once he opened his mouth, within a few months only, all of a sudden, he learned a lot of words. As if he would have spoken before, just stifled inside his belly, unwilling to speak them out.

This sentence, “Little sister, for you.” was so clear that even Da Qiao couldn’t help but smile and touch his son’s head.

Fei Fei was so happy and took the orchid with the beautiful purple ribbon from his elder brother and smiled sweetly at him.

……