Chapter 40: An accidental meeting! (2)
'It will be daylight in a couple more hours. Since Aunt Ye hasn't come yet, it seems that she won't be coming today.'
An Yan was very disappointed and went outside the house to wait. The disappointment was fully expressed on her fourteen-year-old youthful face as she looked around.
'Aunt Ye, where are you? Why didn't you come tonight?'
In the next morning, An Yan was already up. It could be said that she couldn't sleep peacefully last night as she laid in bed thinking all about Aunt Ye.
Hence, she got up early. She picked up a broom as she went outside her house, still wearing her ash grey padded cotton clothes, and began to sweep up the snow.
There was a heavy snowstorm during yesterday's daytime, and it also snowed a little last night. The accumulated amount of snow outside of her house would take An Yan the entire morning to sweep them up.
"Third Miss! Third Miss!"
An Yan had not swept for even an hour and there was still half the amount of snow that she had not clean up. Yet, she heard the familiar voice of Nanny Fang calling out to her. She moved her stiff and red fingers. She let out a sigh before glancing at the entrance. The sight of Nanny Fang that was panting profusely but with a happy expression on her face reflected in her eyes.
'Eh? I wonder why did Nanny Fang come to my place so early in the morning. Even if Aunt Rong wanted to find me, she won't be coming to find me so early in the morning. I understand Aunt very well. She is always really busy every morning. Hence if she needed something from me, she would have told me yesterday.'
An Yan swept away the snow near her feet away before she stopped sweeping. She then asked the Nanny Fang, "Nanny Fang, why are you in such a hurry? Did Aunt Rong tell Nanny to come to look for Yan-er for something?
"Third Miss is really smart! Second Madam did send this slave here." Nanny Fang's wrinkled old face expressed a happy expression. The only thing that marred this sight, was her panting profusely. It seemed that she had run all the way here and had not regained her breath.
"What happy matter does Aunt have to tell me?" An Yan left her broom reclining beside a tree at the side. She rubbed her hands together and looked at the sky before she said, "Today, the sky appears gloomy. It seems that there will be more snow storm today. Nanny, please come inside the house before we continue chatting."
Nanny Fang was usually used to being in the warm Xiu Liang courtyard. Hence, she was already freezing from being outside for just a short moment. Her entire body was shivering from the cold. She didn't say anything and sighed in agreement, hastily following An Yan in entering the house.
Yet, she shivered even more once she entered the house. It was as though the house was darker and colder than outside. But Old Fang kept mum and didn't comment anything about it. She just kept on shivering while she followed An Yan inside the house.
An Yan was not a fool. She knew her own house well. After entering the house, she brought out some of the warm wood — that which she had kept hidden for a long time — that Aunt Rong had given to her. She picked out a few smallest pieces of wood and lit them up. She believed that it would not take long before the entire house would be warmed up.
"Second Madam wants the Miss to go over to her place. Third Miss, please quickly follow this slave to the Xiu Liang courtyard." Seeing An Yan carefully breaking the small woods to start the fire, Nanny Fang trembled even more.
'The living condition of this Third Miss that is living in such an isolated courtyard is really incomparable to those pampered first Miss and second Miss.'
The house finally warmed up a little. Nanny Fang rubbed her hands before she repeated, "Third Miss, the second Madam asked you to go over to her place. It is also for a delightful news. Third Miss, quickly get ready and follow this old slave to the Xiu Liang courtyard."
"Mmhm. I will get ready now, putting away the equipment that I had left outside when I was sweeping up the snow. I will then follow Nanny out after locking up the house." An Yan calculated the time in her mind, the wood she used to warm up the house would almost be completely used up by the time she returned to head out with Nanny Fang.