Such an enormous complex couldn’t possibly have been built in one or two years. This must’ve been the home of one of the Northern Ji imperial princes. Had Li Qitian just awarded it to Pang Xiao when Great Zhou was founded?
The carriage slowed down in the midst of Qin Yining’s wild speculations, and she didn’t have time to react before someone burst through the door curtain and enveloped her in a familiar bear-hug.
This gave Lian Xiaozhou another fright, and she quickly pushed at the baddie who dared to bully her big sister. “Bad man, go away, bad man!”
Pang Xiao was oblivious to it all as he dropped a shower of kisses on Qin Yining’s ear lobes and nape of her neck.
When Lian Xiaozhou saw that the bad guy wasn’t letting go, and that her efforts weren’t changing anything, she anxiously charged forward to bite Pang Xiao’s arm.
The attack didn’t hurt at all since it was dulled by winter clothing. Xiaozhou clung doggedly to the prince’s arm and continued flailing her fists.
Pang Xiao finally let go when he almost suffered a blow to the nose. He demanded impatiently, “Where did you get this wild girl? Is her zodiac the dog? Why does she even bite people?”
Qin Yining pushed Pang Xiao aside and pulled Lian Xiaozhou over for some comforting pats. She pinched little cheeks reddened from anger. “Don't be angry, he’s teasing us.”
The little girl pointed furiously at Pang Xiao. “Bad, uncle! Bad man! Big sister, we, go!”
Even if Xiaozhou wasn’t good at speech, her words still set Pang Xiao off. Glowering, he snatched the little girl and threw her out the carriage at Huzi.
The guard scrambled to catch an unrepentant Xiaozhou, who was still jabbing an accusatory finger. “Bad man! Bad uncle!”
Completely fed up, Pang Xiao’s expression was very dark. “She calls you big sister, but I’m a bad uncle!”
“Bad uncle!” Xiaozhou’s legs kicked frantically as her hands were pinned by Huzi.
Well, he really was eight years older than Qin Yining. A thick blanket of depression draped over Pang Xiao.
Having watched the show for a while, Qin Yining finally burst out laughing at the scene of one person standing off to the side with a black expression, and another still thrashing about with, “Bad uncle!”
Her laughter stunned the guards and servants who hadn’t seen her before.
The crisply cheerful sound dispelled Pang Xiao’s irritation, and he chuckled in return as well. The atmosphere became a lot lighter.
Qin Yining looked around and let down the window curtain. She wasn’t sure if there were eyes and ears from any other factions amongst those present.
Pang Xiao waved a hand. “All of you are dismissed. Clean up Snowtrace Garden for Miss Qin to stay at. Those who have no business here are dismissed.”
“Understood.” The group took their leave and departed, leaving only Pang Xiao, Huzi, Xie Yue, and Lian Xiaozhou outside the carriage.
The little girl seemed to have tired herself out from all the yelling and had settled on glaring ferociously.
‘Uncle Pang’ had recovered from the blow to his age and lifted the door curtain to help Qin Yining down.
The Qin fourth miss made introductions when she was certain that no one else was around. “This is Lian Xiaozhou. I almost froze to death in the mountains this time. She saved me.”
Pang Xiao’s expression finally warmed when he heard that the little girl had saved his beloved. Putting aside the fact that he’d been aged a generation, he turned to Qin Yining. “I’ll have someone help her settle in. Come meet my mother and maternal grandparents.”
Qin Yining blushed nervously.
Chapter 305: Dafu
Qin Yining had been running over earlier events at the city gate, analyzing Great Zhou’s political situation, and fretting about her family’s safety. With everything she’d been considering, she’d forgotten to analyze her current situation.
Having been ‘kidnapped’ to Pang Xiao’s manor, she was to face not only the prince, but his family as well.
But she was the daughter of Qin Huaiyuan.
Even if Pang Xiao’s father had died because of the tyrant of Northern Ji, Qin Huaiyuan’s plan had been the spark to the fires of destruction. Would Pang Xiao’s mother dislike her? Or even hate her?
And, from what position should she approach the Pangs with?
Great Yan had fallen, she was in the Great Zhou capital as the daughter of a surrendered official. She no longer had a status on par with Pang Xiao. Even if he didn’t mind the change, his elders probably wouldn’t assess her from the perspective of equals, would they?
And the most important thing was, it was her first time meeting the parents, but she didn’t have greeting gifts on hand!
As nerves and concerns vied for dominance, she failed to notice that Pang Xiao had bent at the waist and had been observing her shifting expressions for quite a while.
It was the first time he’d seen such a varied display on her face. He’d only ever known her as an exceedingly rational and sensible girl—so much so that he often forgot her true age. It was only when she blushed nervously that he remembered she was a young girl who’d just come of age.
Shortening the distance between their nose tips, he drew so close that he could smell her unique fragrance. Qin Yining abruptly took two steps backwards when she came back to her senses.
“What, what are you doing so close to me?” Anyone would be startled when a face suddenly loomed in their field of vision.
Pang Xiao smiled. “Oh look at you.” He took her hand and strolled into the inner residence, not caring that others would see them.
“Don’t be nervous. My grandfather and grandmother are all ordinary commoners. My mother is even more gentle. They don’t have the airs and affections of nobility. You’re such a wonderful girl. They’re sure to like you after they meet you.”
Qin Yining nodded nervously. “But… I came in a hurry. I haven’t prepared anything. It’s really too impolite to do so.”
Pang Xiao burst out chuckling. “What do you need to prepare? Just you being here is enough.”
The girl blushed even more fiercely when she heard this, and she picked roughly at his palm with the hand he was holding, prompting more happy chuckles from the prince.
They passed through the second door of ceremony, took a turn past an exquisite garden on their left, and arrived at the flower-hung gate.
A granny servant walked up to them as soon as they stepped through it. “Your Highness.”
“Mm. Send word to the old madame, grand-madame, and grand-lord. This prince has come home with Miss Qin.”
“Understood.” The granny servant didn’t dare say anything else and immediately sent a fleet-footed girl to take the message ahead.
Pang Xiao sauntered into the inner residence, still pulling Qin Yining’s hand. He chuckled and whispered, “My grandmother has a fiery nature and was listed on the jianghu rankings when she was young. She worked as a security escort for a while, so her martial arts are really something. She wanted some peace and quiet afterwards, and was conquered by my grandfather’s cooking.”
Giggles escaped Qin Yining when she heard the description.
“My grandfather is a very gentle, honest person. He has a kind heart, but is also very sharp. I think my mother’s smarts come from him.”
The Qin fourth miss nodded. “I can tell. You’re so smart, so the old madame must be very smart as well.”
The prince scratched the girl’s nose with a smile. “No need to be so reserved. You can call my mother ‘aunt’. She used to be a maid for the Pangs. Though she doesn’t read very much, she’s seen a bit of the world in a general’s manor. If it wasn’t for my father’s official wife running her out in a fit of jealousy, I might not be alive today either.”
“She must be a very resilient person,” Qin Yining commented seriously.
“That’s right.” Pang Xiao smiled. “Don’t you worry a thing. They’re all very easy to get alo
ng with.”
Qin Yining smiled in spite of herself, when she saw how warm his smile was. She could feel the genuine, untroubled intimacy when Pang Xiao mentioned his family. From his short introduction, she could tell that it shouldn’t be too hard to get along with them.
Her nervous sweat from earlier had all dissipated.
Soft yips from a small dog suddenly sounded from ahead. A snow-white bundle of fur bounced and tumbled through the main door, revealing itself to be a small, snowy Pekingese. A married servant in her early twenties chased the dog out.
When she saw the prince, she bent her knee in a curtsey and smiled. “No wonder Salt wouldn’t stay in the old madame’s arms just now. He knew Your Highness had returned and came out to welcome you.”
Pang Xiao looked down at the small Pekingese with a smile. “This is Salt, I told you about him before.”
Meeting Salt reminded Qin Yining of Riceball. A wave of heartache and sorrow hit her, but she didn’t let it show. She bent down to take a closer look at the dog.
Salt was covered in white, fluffy fur. He sported a pair of round, black eyes, and a slightly upturned black nose and mouth. The protruding pink tongue panted at her, like he was smiling. It was a sight that induced adoration.
Pang Xiao grinned. “Salt, greeting.”
The dog stood up on his hind legs as soon as the order was given, placed his front paws together, and made bowing motions with his forelegs. That silly look of imitating a cupped fist salute teased a giggle out of Qin Yining.
Pang Xiao patted Salt’s head. “This little guy loves people and doesn’t bite. He’s very even-tempered. If you like, you can come visit my mother often and play with him.”
The girl nodded with a smile.
Pang Xiao pulled her into the upper yard, Salt panting and dancing around the two of them. The married servant followed behind them, sizing up Qin Yining curiously.
In the covered hallway, maids on either side of the door lifted up navy-blue door curtains of fine cotton that were overlaid on thin, wooden slats. The warmth that wafted out to one’s entrance was very comfortable.
Taking off and handing his cloak to a maid, Pang Xiao led Qin Yining to the east side room.
The layout of the houses here were similar to the ones in Great Yan—just that the luohan bed in front of the window had been swapped out for a heated sleeping platform next to the window. The very sight of it looked quite comfortable.
There was a kindly old woman, tall and broad-shouldered, albeit slightly chubby-looking, sitting cross-legged next to a black lacquer table with a brazier beneath it. She looked to be in her early sixties and was looking at the young couple with a smile.
On the either side of the heated table was an elderly man wearing navy-blue, cotton robes. A six-paneled hat warmed his head as he packed tobacco into a brass pipe. A coarse thumb was carefully pressing every last strand in.
Another beautiful, middle aged woman was sitting sideways to the heated platform. The rest of the maids and granny servants were standing next to the divider, divided into two rows and their hands at their sides.
Qin Yining’s previously relaxed mood tensed again, and she rushed forward to make her greetings.
Pang Xiao was one step ahead of her. “Grandfather, grandmother, mother, this is my darling Yi that I’ve mentioned.” He turned back and tugged the girl down to kneel next to him, accompanying her through the formal greeting to an elder.
“Won’t you look at that, our Dafu’s learned to protect someone younger. Are you worried grandmother will bully your beloved?” Grandmother née Ma had the accent of a northerner and straightforward friendliness infused in her tone.
Qin Yining blinked blankly before reacting. So Pang Xiao’s childhood nickname was Dafu, meaning ‘great fortune’?
Chapter 306: Ne Yao
The childhood nickname brimmed with his elders’ hopes for him. It was obvious evidence of his family’s love for Pang Xiao.
But in Qin Yining’s mind, the prince had ever been the wildly domineering sort. It was truly difficult to reconcile him with as simple and honest as ‘Dafu’. It was bizarrely hilarious.
However, it wouldn’t do to burst out laughing in front of one’s elders. Qin Yining warned herself sternly to remember her manners and bent her knee to curtsey at née Ma. “Greetings to the grand-madame.”
“Good, good. Very good. Come and sit by me, it’s warm here.” Née Ma pushed née Yao. “You go sit over there.”
Née Yao moved out of the way with a smile. “You’re showing too much favoritism, mom. Don’t you want your daughter anymore after seeing your granddaughter-in-law?”
As thick-skinned as Qin Yining might’ve been, the joking about a granddaughter-in-law was too much for her to bear. Her face burning, she found a seat by the heated platform.
Née Ma grabbed Qin Yining’s hand with a smile. “Whenever my foolish grandson comes home, all he can talk about is how wonderful his darling Yi is, how good you are, and what you’re doing. I’m growing calluses in my ears! Things are perfect now that you’re in the capital, Dafu doesn’t need to pine and waste away from lovesickness.” She laughed heartily at the end of her words.
Qin Yining wanted to bury her face in her clothes. She’d never met such a forthright elder. Nothing had been settled between her and Pang Xiao yet, and in fact a veritable chasm existed between them. But here née Ma was, so certain that it sounded like the wedding was going to be held tomorrow.
Seeing how mortified the Qin fourth miss was, grandfather Yao Chenggu lit his pipe and took a pull on it. He laid out gently in a measured tone, “Don’t scare the girl. She’s not like us, she comes from a sophisticated family.”
This interjection drew Qin Yining’s involuntary glance. This elder was just as Pang Xiao had said; he looked like a harmless sheep and spoke mildly enough, but the meaning behind his words was anything but.
Did he dislike the Qins? Or was he mocking them? Was he telling her that things wouldn’t be so easily settled between her and Pang Xiao?
She smiled in response. “The grand-lord is jesting. In terms of status, how would a princely household be a humble family? It’s rather the Yan Dynasty that lies in ruins.”
Yao Chenggu took another pull of the pipe and only smiled mildly in return.
Née Ma glared at her husband. “You old thing. Why are you interrupting when the women are talking? It’s getting late. Didn’t you say you were going to stew a fish for Dafu today?”
“Mmhmm.” Yao Chenggu strolled outside, one hand behind his back and the other holding his pipe.
The family matriarch turned back with a smile. “Just ignore him. Us women can chat together.”
Pang Xiao’s mother took an exquisite, white porcelain tea cup, patterns traced on it in gold, from a nearby maid and smiled gently. “Why don’t you warm up with some almond tea? It’s rather cold outside, isn’t it?”
“Thank you, aunt.” Flattered by the attention, Qin Yining hastily accepted the covered tea cup with both hands.
Née Yao was a tall and limber beauty. She possessed a kind of beauty that had nothing to do with age, but rather an innate sense of tenderness and astuteness. Eyes highly similar to Pang Xiao’s brimmed with good intent when she spoke, so gentle that they seemed warm pools of water. It was a very peaceful and comforting sight.
Warmth travelled from the mouth to the heart with a sip of almond tea, easing Qin Yining’s nerves.
Née Yao chuckled. “It’s your first time in the north and you had to travel during wintertime. It must have been a hard journey.” Her placid voice was a marked contrast to née Ma’s dulcet tones.
Qin Yining couldn’t help but smile. “In respectful response, the journey went well enough. It’s my first time seeing such heavy snowfall though. I lived on Great Yan’s northern border for a bit when I was young and felt that winters there were the coldest. To think there’s a place even colder than the city of Liang!”
Née Ma laughed. “Silly, that was
the south. It’s much warmer than the north. I went even further north when I was young—now that was really cold!”
“Indeed. I always felt that I was much luckier than the typical noble daughter because I’ve had the opportunity to live freely and see the outside world. But I quite admire Grand-Madame. The prince said that you’ve visited many places? If you’re free one day, might you tell me about where you’ve been? I’d love to learn more about the world.”
The conversation just now had been enough to impart that née Ma was a forthright and direct, as well as exceedingly optimistic person. She genuinely liked the Qin fourth miss.
Seniors tended to like discussing matters of their youth, and it just so happened that Qin Yining liked listening to those stories. It was a most excellent shortcut to growing closer with someone.
As hoped for, née Ma nodded happily. “Alright, if you want to hear them.” The Pang matriarch glanced at her grandson, who was stuffing his face full of oranges off to the side. “Dafu, why don’t you have the lass stay at my place? I liked her as soon as I set eyes on her.”
Slightly surprised, Pang Xiao worked busily at a mouthful of oranges, but didn’t have the time to respond before his mother pouted jokingly, “Mom, I wanted to get to know her better myself. Don’t steal her away from me!”
Being the sharp person she was, née Yao understood that Qin Yining couldn’t live with them. The Qin fourth miss wasn’t a Yao daughter, and even if Yao Chenggu was elderly, they still had to fend against gossip developing.
Née Ma was a hearty and open woman of the jianghu. She didn’t care about these details. But née Yao had been a maid in a noble household; she had a finer grasp on how things were done.
It wasn’t until her daughter pointed things out that née Ma realized what she’d almost accidentally done. She coughed awkwardly. “Don’t mind me for being rash, lass. I just liked you as soon as I saw you.”
“Not at all. Delighted is all I have time to feel.” Qin Yining’s answering smile was very genuine.
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