The fifth day of the fifth lunar month is the Duanyang Festival. This year's Duanyang Festival is more lively than in previous years.
Because of the death of the prince, Yanbei has been silent for a year, and even the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month has some lanterns. However, the liveliness of the Duanyang Festival will not be affected. Since ancient times, the Duanyang Festival originated from the sacrifice of the tribe, racing dragon boats, hanging calamus, and bathing with mugwort water to ward off evil spirits. The Yanbei Palace also ordered that this year's dragon boat race could add a few more dragon boats to make the scene more lively.
The dragon boat needs to be launched in advance, so the dragon boat race in Yunyang City will only start in the afternoon.
In the morning, Ren Yaohua sent someone to bring rice dumplings over. There were five kernels, candied dates, red beans, and the meat dumplings that people in the south liked. They filled a basket full of them. Mrs. Li left some, and the rest were distributed by Zhou Ma to share with the servants, saying that the eldest lady sent it back.
The servant of the Lei family who brought the dumplings said that the Lei family will still have a dragon boat to be launched this year, but Ren Yaohua couldn't go because of her pregnancy, only Lei Ting and Lei Zhen came with Pan'er.
Xiao Jinglin seems to be a little busy recently. Before the Duanyang Festival, she sent a letter to Ren Yaoqi, saying that she might not be able to watch the dragon boat race with Ren Yaoqi this year. Although Ren Yaoqi was a little regretful, she also guessed that Xiao Jinglin was busy. It may have something to do with the Liao people. Xiao Jinglin has been in Jiajing Pass for many years and has fought with Liao people many times. She knows more about border affairs than many people.
So although this year's dragon boat race is more lively than in previous years, Ren Yaoqi felt a lot less interesting because Ren Yaohua and Xiao Jinglin couldn't go.
In the afternoon, Ren Yaoqi and Li went to the outside of the city by carriage. This year's dragon boat race is still on the Liyang River outside the city. When Ren Yaoqi and Mrs. Li passed by, they could see more than 20 dragon boats on the river from the river bank. It should be large, and the faucet and body are made of gold paint. From a distance, it looks very magnificent and attracts attention.
When Ren Yaoqi and Mrs. Li got off the carriage by the river bank, there were many maids and wives who didn't know which family stood on the river bank in twos and threes, all pointing at the dragon boat in the middle of the river.
Li Shi couldn't help but glanced at it, and said in surprise: "This dragon boat is quite impressive. It compares with other boats. I don't know which one belongs to?" The dragon boat of the Wangfu Huiqi is right next to the golden dragon. The dragon boat of the Yanbei Wangfu is quite old. Although it is maintained every year, it is not as good as the golden dragon that glitters in the sun. It looks a little faded.
Ren Yaoqi glanced at it, smiled and said, "I heard that the imperial court also has a boat to participate in the dragon boat race this year."
Li Shi nodded clearly: "So it is!"
At this time, someone happened to say not far away: "I don't know whose boat will take the first place this year."
"Why don't you ask? Of course it's the ship of the Yanbei Palace!" Someone said with certainty.
"It's okay to arrive in previous years, this year is not the court..."
Li Shi and Ren Yaoqi didn't listen, because Mrs. Xu's maid saw them coming and greeted them.
Mrs. Li took Ren Yaoqi and followed Mrs. Xu's maid to the pergola of the Xu family. Although Mrs. Xu hadn't come yet, there were already several wives and wives who were familiar with Mrs. Li in the pergola.
Mrs. Li sat down with Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Chen and chatted with them.
After Ren Yaoqi met with them, he also chatted with Liu Menghan and Chen Zhiyi. While listening to Liu Menghan's words, Ren Yaoqi paid attention to the situation on Li's side. Now, Mrs. Li is quite used to interacting with these wives, especially when facing the wives who are familiar with her, the smile on her face is also a lot more cheerful.
The people from the other families also came one after another, the carriages parked on the river bank also lined up in a long queue, and warm greetings could be heard everywhere. There was a drum beat in the middle of the river, and some people ran out of the pergola to see it, but only a few dragon boats were warming up in twos and threes. Only the Qinglong of the Yanbei Palace and the golden dragon of the imperial court stopped in the middle of the river, and they were very confrontational. mean.
Ren Yaoqi was listening to Chen Zhiyi and Liu Menghan whispering about which dragon boat would win this year, and the maid next to Mrs. Xu's Ouyang came over.
"Miss Ren, Madam asked the servants to invite you over."
Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but look around when he heard the words: "Is Mr. here already?"
Although Mrs. Xu sent servants from the Xu family to serve tea in the pergola, neither she nor Xu Wanli had arrived yet.
The maid pointed to the river behind her and said, "The madam is on the boat."
Ren Yaoqi followed the maid's hand and looked over, and several private boats had been parked by the river bank, in order to watch the competition later. But since the dragon boat race that year killed and injured people, the female relatives didn't dare to get on the boat, and they all sat in the pergola on the shore, so there were many fewer cruise boats on the river.
Ren Yaoqi glanced at it, and the captains of those several ships were all pretty good, and Ren Yaoqi couldn't tell which one belonged to the Xu family.
The maid thought that Ren Yaoqi was afraid of getting on the boat, so she quickly said, "Miss Ren, don't worry, the boat is very stable, and we won't follow the boat."
Ren Yaoqi smiled and nodded: "I'll go and talk to my mother."
Ren Yaoqi went to say hello to Mrs. Li, and then took the four maids of Leshan Leshui Apple Mulberry and followed the maid of the Xu family out.
Mrs. Xu only asked Ren Yaoqi to board the ship alone, and the ladies present did not have much thought. Not to mention that Ren Yaoqi was Madam Xu's close disciple, no one would say anything about Ren Yaoqi's current status.
Ren Yaoqi followed the maid to the shore before seeing the Xu family's boat. It was only a medium-sized cruise ship that could accommodate seven or eight people, and it was less conspicuous than other cruise ships.
When Ren Yaoqi got on the boat, she heard voices and laughter faintly coming from the cruise ship. Although she didn't hear what the people on the boat were saying, there was one voice that made her walk uncontrollably. pause.
"Miss Ren?" Seeing that Ren Yaoqi suddenly stopped, the maid who led the way couldn't help calling her.
Ren Yaoqi smiled at the maid and asked softly, "Are there any guests on the boat?"
At this moment, Madam Gao, who was beside Madam Xu, leaned out of the cabin, and when she saw that Ren Yaoqi was about to get on the boat, she hurried over to help her in person.
Ren Yaoqi didn't ask any more questions, and supported Gao Ma's hand on the cruise ship.
The cruise ship is very stable, and it almost makes people feel that it does not sway, but leaving the field and stepping on the cruise ship still makes Ren Yaoqi's body sway.
Ren Yaoqi entered the cabin and saw Xu Wanli and Mrs. Xu sitting at a square table in the cruise ship at a glance. Sitting opposite Xu Wanli, with his back facing Ren Yaoqi, was a man in a green shirt. When Ren Yaoqi entered, the man said in his usual lazy tone: "… After arriving in Yanbei, I plan to continue to the north, and I am afraid it will take at least three years and five years..."
Seeing Mrs. Xu looking in the direction behind him, the man stopped when he realized that someone had entered, and turned around to take a look.
Ren Yaoqi also saw the man's appearance clearly. This face was familiar to her.
He has not changed much in his appearance after being with him for ten years. His light eyebrows and handsome features make people unable to tell his age. He always has a smile on his face. When he speaks, he speaks very slowly. People feel comfortable like a spring breeze.
The man seemed to be stunned when he saw her, and a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes.
Because Ren Yaoqi's eyes were still on him, he saw the surprise in his eyes, and couldn't help but feel a little curious.
They should have met for the first time in this life. How could he have such an expression when he first saw her? Is there something else she doesn't know about
Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but recall the first time the two met in the previous life.
When Lu Dexin took her to Beijing and walked to an inn in Xiangzhou, she wanted to escape at night because of the unbearable humiliation, but was caught before she escaped from the inn. When she was taken to see Lu Dexin, she bumped into a man in the yard of the inn. At that time, she was very frightened, and was worried that Lu Dexin would come up with some way to practice herself when she went back later, so naturally she didn't pay attention. She looked like a stranger, and she later learned that the person she bumped into was Pei Zhiyan's.
Shortly after returning to Beijing, he was transferred to Pei Zhiyan by Lu Dexin.
When she was sent to Pei's house, Pei Zhiyan just looked at her for a while, and he was taken down without saying anything.
She thought that she was sent to Pei Zhiyan as a concubine to play, and she was still uneasy for a few days, but since then Pei Zhiyan has not seen her again, only let the housekeeper send her a maid to serve her daily life, and eat only in her own place in that little yard.
It wasn't until nearly a month after arriving at Pei's house that Pei Zhiyan asked him to come over, but because the meeting place this time was the study, and it was still broad daylight, she felt a lot more at ease.
When she entered the study, Pei Zhiyan was leaning against the soft slump of the study to read a book. He didn't lift his head when she saw her coming in. He just instructed her to grind ink for him. After she finished grinding, he got up and went to the desk to write. This writing is an hour.
Ren Yaoqi stood far away from him. Originally, she was still a little wary. Later, when she saw him writing seriously, she remembered her father, and she relaxed her guard for some reason. While Pei Zhiyan was writing, she quietly flipped through the books on the shelf, and she didn't notice when he came to her after he finished writing.
The first sentence Pei Zhiyan said to her was: "Do you like reading?" Then he picked up the book in her hand and glanced at it, then raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Do you still like painting and calligraphy?"
At that time, she was looking at a notebook of ancient people's appreciation of calligraphy and painting.
Seeing his gentle voice, Ren Yaoqi nodded and said sadly, "My father likes it very much." This book is also available in her father's study.
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I saved a chapter of the manuscript and plan to post it at 9:30 in the morning. If there is no update around 12:00 in the evening, don't wait for the update~
I hope to keep at least one chapter of the manuscript, so that the update time can be predicted, everyone doesn't have to wait until the flowers are all thanked, and the author doesn't have to worry... 〒_〒