Joy of Life / Qing Yu Nian - Part 3

Chapter 401 These Months

Entering the back garden with Sang Wen, Fan Xian raised his head to see warblers and swallows, greens and reds, singing to each other harmoniously. The depths of spring was nearing the heat of summer. The cold wind carried a message, and the bright moon hung like a wheel in the sky. Everywhere were lanterns hanging among rock gardens and green trees. The moonlight mixed with the firelight and added a sense of haziness. Amidst this haziness, a dozen girls were chatting. Those beautiful girls did not wear much and either stood under trees or were curled up on the bed. Their poses were different, and their beauty occasionally shone through the muslin. Their bodies emitted a light aroma that directly assaulted the nose.

Fan Xian paused. He couldn’t help feeling a sense of confusion. Perhaps he had arrived at the Cave of the Silken Web? When did Hua Garden become Chen Garden?

The girls chattered without stopping for the moment, did not even notice Fan Xian standing with his back to the light. They continued to talk excitedly about the events at Baoyue Brothel that happened during the day: the might of that strike and the imperial envoy’s awe-inspiring rant on the street.

The main speaker was one of the two headliners. The ones listening were the girls with wide eyes filled with either curiosity or admiration.

Fan Xian lowered his voice and said, “Didn’t you say the girls from the brothel were all sent somewhere else?”

Sang Wen covered her lips as she smiled and explained, “Aren’t these the girls from the garden?”

Only now did Fan Xian realize. Unconsciously he took a closer look and sighed in his heart. Everyone said that girls changed greatly at 18. These were the refugee orphan girls that Sisi had picked up and brought back. How was it that a few days in Suzhou and they had bloomed so beautifully?

Although their sense of childishness remained abundantly between their brows and their inexperience was still present, how could it hold back the advancement of their youth? It made one joyful.

Since no one unrelated ever came into this back garden, the girls, who were excitedly listening to Liang Diandian’s story, did not behave in any formal way. There were some lying on the couch with their buttocks’ sticking up and pretending to pride, while some held fans pretending to be elegant. The long straight legs gave off a taut beauty through the thin cloth.

The Great Prince’s concubine, Ma Suosuo, was sitting on a chair listening. Although she had seen the events from a distance, the story told by Liang Diandian’s sandalwood mouth was more hair-raising. Except, Liang Diandian had not personally seen the events within the brothel, so her description of Fan Xian’s persistence in the face of death and courage could not help but be slightly exaggerated. She successfully created the image of a perfect young man that Qing Kingdom was not meant to have.

The gazes of girls were hot and embarrassed. They loved the imperial envoy but could not and dare not to say anything. Even Ma Suosuo with her head slightly tilted watching the pond had a strange light shining in her eyes.

Fan Xian swallowed and knew that if he kept watching he would make many life mistakes. Those girls were still developing, but the Great Prince’s concubine and Liang Diandian were both natural born beauties with brows black as amber and lips as red as vermilion. They had spirit in their eyes that made those who look lose their minds. How could he look more? He was just about to call out to remind everyone when he heard one of the girls in the Garden unintentionally say something, so he closed his mouth and quickly stood in the darkness.

Sang Wen glanced at him in suspicion, not knowing what had happened.

The little girl was no more than 12 or 13 years old. Her eyes were wide as she naively asked, “Sisters, why haven’t we seen the mistress yet?”