Chapter 388 - 387: Wood Carving

Chapter 388: Chapter 387: Wood Carving

Du Yunluo was not very familiar with the specialties of Lindong, so she simply followed Mrs. Yang to shop.

Mrs. Yang had lived in Xuancheng for many years and had a good understanding of both the types and qualities.

Du Yunluo smiled and said to Mrs. Yang, "With Aunt leading the way, I can afford to be lazy."

Mrs. Yang hugged her and couldn’t stop laughing.

Once the New Year’s gifts were ready, Du Yunluo sent someone to deliver them to the Capital.

This year, it snowed early in Lindong, and the road to the Capital was already somewhat difficult to traverse. Fortunately, there was still enough time, so it should be possible to send them back slowly and have them arrive by the twelfth lunar month.

Just as Du Yunluo’s New Year’s gifts were sent out, the things sent from the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion arrived for her.

The person who came was Zhong Dexing, Nanny Ge’s husband.

Zhong Dexing was not young anymore, and he looked a bit tired from the journey.

Du Yunluo took the list, glanced over it briefly, and saw that it consisted mainly of textiles and medicinal herbs, along with quite a few preserved food items.

Among them, there was an entire ham, which was a tribute from the palace. Knowing that Mu Lianxiao liked it, Mrs. Zhou sent it along.

After asking about the situation in the Capital and finding out that Madam Wu and Mrs. Zhou were doing well, Du Yunluo felt relieved.

Zhong Dexing also brought a letter from Mrs. Zhou.

Mrs. Zhou’s handwriting was very neat and beautiful, different from that of ordinary women; her writing was quite imposing.

The letter mentioned some matters in the house and advised Du Yunluo to take good care of herself and not to worry about the Capital.

After reading the letter, Du Yunluo knew what to expect.

Zhong Dexing, having delivered the items, set off to return to the Capital.

Du Yunluo’s belly grew bigger day by day.

"In the first few months, it grew so slowly that it worried me, but now," Du Yunluo eyed her belly, "I wish it would grow slower; it feels so heavy."

The medical woman, Doctor Feng, smiled.

Hong Jinbao’s wife said, "In a few more days, it will get even bigger. Luckily, we’re entering winter, so you can rest more indoors."

Doctor Feng adjusted the prescription for her prenatal care and said, "My lady, even though your belly is heavy, you should still walk a few steps every day."

Du Yunluo smiled with her eyes curved in response.

No matter how tired or heavy she felt, it was for their child, hers and Mu Lianxiao’s.

As long as the child could be born safely, what did it matter if she suffered a little hardship now?

These hardships were nothing compared to the pain of her previous life.

Du Yunluo’s belly was heavy, and Yan’s nausea was overwhelming; once, she nearly scared Brother Duan.

Du Yunluo had witnessed it twice, and it seemed to be worse than what she had experienced back then.

Yan gasped and said, "This little one is quite the troublemaker. When I had Brother Duan, I could eat and sleep well, never nauseous. But now, this one is causing me so much trouble so early."

Mrs. Yang looked at her thinning daughter-in-law with real heartache and carefully nurtured her.

Fortunately, this was Yan’s second pregnancy, and she was also aware that biting the bullet through these first few months would lead to comfort later on.

In November, the underground fire dragon was lit in the small courtyard.

Outside, snow fell every few days, accumulating little on the ground but making travel less convenient than in spring and summer.

Du Yunluo hesitated about sending Jiuxi to Shanyu Pass.

Traveling around the city was already inconvenient, and the road to Shanyu Pass would surely be even harder. Although Jiuxi had traveled between Xuancheng and Shanyu Pass many times this year, Du Yunluo still worried given his young age.

Jiuxi hadn’t gone, but Shuying had come.

Hearing Hong Jinbao’s wife’s report, Du Yunluo’s eyes widened: "Why did he come?"

"The princely heir sent him, saying he had something for madam," Hong Jinbao’s wife replied with a smile.

Du Yunluo asked Shuying to come in.

Shuying bowed and took out something wrapped in a kerchief from his pocket, handing it to Jin Rui.

Jin Rui took it and unfolded it layer by layer.

Du Yunluo watched curiously until the item inside gradually became visible.

It was a wooden carving of a figure, and with just one look, Du Yunluo’s ears turned red.

This, isn’t this her?

She hurriedly took it, holding it against her chest, not letting others see it clearly, then asked Shuying, "Was this carved by the princely heir?"

Shuying nodded, "Madam, this was carved by His Lord himself."

Du Yunluo’s eyes curved with a smile: "How is the princely heir? When will he be back?"

"The princely heir is doing well and said there’s no need for madam to worry. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he should return by the end of the month," Shuying replied.

The end of the month?

Du Yunluo pondered, wasn’t that only half a month away from now?

If he only had half a month left to come back, why send Shuying now? Why not give her the figure in person when he returned?

As she pondered, a thought flashed through her mind.

So... so he remembered her birthday.

Even she had forgotten herself; it seemed tomorrow there would be longevity noodles to eat.

Feeling sweet inside, Du Yunluo asked Jin Rui to prepare paper and ink.

Sitting at the large desk, surrounded by the strong scent of ink, Du Yunluo carefully examined the carving.

It was styled with a young lady’s hairstyle, standing demurely with a graceful figure, delicate features, especially the eyes. Even though it was clearly a wooden carving, Du Yunluo felt the eyes looked watery.

It resembled her so closely.

She remembered the two flower melons she had carved before.

One depicted Mu Lianxiao drumming on the Dragon Boat on Dragon Boat Festival, the other showed Mu Lianxiao’s heroic figure riding a horse.

Carving was all about careful, deliberate cuts to craft out the Mu Lianxiao from her heart.

Her current feelings must be the same as Mu Lianxiao’s when he viewed those two flower melons back then.

Just like, Mu Lianxiao’s mindset while carving must have been the same as hers back then.

Thinking and reminiscing, seeing only that person’s smile, could carve so vividly.

Du Yunluo couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile, realizing that this was how she appeared in Mu Lianxiao’s eyes.

So endearing, she couldn’t help but like herself.

Placing the carving by the desk, Du Yunluo picked up the pen and dipped it in the ink.

She wanted to write, but her heart was so full, almost overflowing, that she didn’t know what to write.

There was so much to say.

Her body, her belly, from only moving in the morning every day to suddenly causing little commotions now;

About Mrs. Zhou in the Capital sending materials, and how she, along with the maids, had made many small clothes for the baby;

About tasting the exquisite ham, where adding two slices into the soup made it so delicious that her tongue almost wanted to swallow it whole;

There were so many things to convey, yet putting it in writing somehow didn’t feel right.

She wrote and tore, tore and wrote, until only one sentence remained.

Du Yunluo dried it, placed it in an envelope, and gave it to Shuying to take back.

Shuying left without delay, hurrying back.

After finishing his practice, Mu Lianxiao saw Shuying return from outside and promptly asked about the situation in Xuancheng.

Shuying handed the letter to Mu Lianxiao.

Mu Lianxiao held it, feeling how thin it was, seemingly containing just one sheet of paper, which was unlike Du Yunluo’s usual letter-writing style to him.

Opening the letter and taking a look, Mu Lianxiao chuckled, realizing indeed there was only one sheet.

And within those two short sentences were words that softened his smile, overflowing with affection.

She wrote: I miss you so much, come back soon.