I Am Immortal in Great Yu

Chapter 204: Chapter 85: Heavy Snow

In the low-hanging night, snowflakes the size of goose feathers drifted down in silence. Only by holding your breath and listening closely could you hear the faint, rustling sound of the snow as it fell.

CREAK! CREAK!

A carriage rolled over the fluffy, accumulated snow. The curtain was pulled aside from time to time, revealing two small, fair hands, accompanied by the cheerful, lark-like voices of Fang Ling and Nannan.

"Brother, look! Look! This snowflake is shaped like a six-pointed star!"

"This one I have is pretty, too... Oh, it melted!"

...

Outside, the cries of street-side vendors and the sounds of children running and jumping for joy grew closer, closer still, passed by the carriage window, and then gradually faded into the distance.

Third Lady leaned on Fang Rui’s shoulder, holding his hand with their fingers intertwined. Her eyes were gentle as she savored the quiet moment.

Fang Rui gazed out the carriage window at the dim, yellow lights flickering one by one amidst the swirling snow, feeling that everything was so alive, a sight he could never tire of.

Compared to the tranquility here, the drought and warfare he had experienced in the Three Southern States felt like a lifetime ago.

And so, amidst the gentle swaying of the carriage, they arrived at the Fang Mansion.

Though called the Fang Mansion, it was in fact a residence with three courtyards. It wasn’t overly large and didn’t attempt the ostentatious luxury of the city’s other prominent families.

As Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family had said, with so few people, they wouldn’t be able to fill it anyway. A house that was too large would feel empty; something smaller was just right.

At this moment, two large, vermilion lanterns by the entrance quietly cast a soft glow, illuminating the shadows of the falling snowflakes.

"Brother Rui, you’re back?!"

Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family, dressed in a snow-white mink coat, her face lovely and refined, came to greet them with her senior and junior maids in tow.

Indeed, she no longer needed to hide her appearance as she had in Changshan County. Her looks had been restored, and moreover, her station had cultivated her bearing. Unlike in the past, she now possessed the air of a noblewoman.

"Master!"

"Miss!"

"Madam!"

...

The voices of the senior and junior maids were a chorus of chirping orioles and swallows.

In truth, there weren’t that many of them.

Two senior maids: Qing Yun and Bai Shao.

Qing Yun had fair skin and delicate features. In terms of looks alone, she was even a bit prettier than Third Lady. Deft with her hands and quick of mind, she had a very straightforward personality.

This senior maid was somewhat like Qing Wen from *Dream of the Red Chamber*, but she was sensible and wouldn’t bully the junior maids or anything of the sort.

The other senior maid, Bai Shao, had a gentle temperament and was meticulous in her duties, making her seem like a combination of Ping’Er and Yuan Yang from *Dream of the Red Chamber*.

There were also twelve junior maids: Spring Grass, Xia Hua, Qiu Ye, Dong Xue, Cheng Feng, Purple Frost, Lan Yu, Bai Xue, Hua Mei, You Lan, Striped Bamboo, and Jin Ju.

All of them had been personally selected by Third Lady from various places. Each was clever, dutiful, and meticulous—truly outstanding.

HUFF! HUFF!

Three large dogs also bounded over enthusiastically, tongues lolling, their breaths forming puffs of white mist.

They were old veterans of the Fang Family, having accompanied them all the way from the Three Southern States. Due to various mishaps along the journey, only these three remained, and they had formed a deep bond with the Fang Family.

"Oh, oh, we’re home!"

"Hee hee hee! Big Yellow, Big Black, Big Flower, stop panting on me! Ling’er, save me!"

...

Fang Ling and Nannan, the two little girls dressed in puffy, bulky clothes, ran across the snow like a pair of waddling ducklings, leaving a trail of tiny footprints behind them.

WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF!

The three large dogs joined the fun, running in circles around the guest-welcoming pine in the front courtyard and marring the clean, canvas-like snow.

The sounds of joyful laughter and a lively, vibrant atmosphere spread out in their wake.

"Whoa, this Snow Sturgeon is massive!"

Fang Rui picked up the main ingredient for tonight’s dinner, marveling at the Snow Sturgeon. It was over ten feet long and frozen solid.

"Big fish! Big fish!"

"Brother, are we having fish soup tonight?"

Having run back from who-knows-where, Fang Ling and Nannan were now jumping and hopping around Fang Rui.

"Brother Rui, let me! I remember this kind of fish—the bones are very easy to remove, which makes it perfect for soup," Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family said with a smile.

"That’s right, Auntie and I can handle it. Brother Rui, you go get some rest!" Third Lady added.

Even though their lives were much better now and they had maids, Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Third Lady still kept the habit of cooking themselves, especially the evening meal, which they insisted on preparing personally.

Of course, with the maids helping, it wasn’t tiring at all—it was quite relaxing, and they treated it as a way to stretch their limbs each day.

And whenever Fang Rui was off duty from his post and had no official business, he would always join them. The family would gather to eat, drink, and chat about their day.

"No need. This fish is too big; it’ll be hard for you to handle. I’ll take it over and help you slice it up!"

Laughing and chatting with Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Third Lady, Fang Rui headed to the kitchen, surrounded by a throng of Fang Ling, Nannan, and all the senior and junior maids.

...

As the sky grew darker and the snow fell even heavier, the world dissolved into a vast, pale expanse of flakes.

「And at that very moment」

Inside, smokeless red candles cast a brilliant light, while several braziers filled with glowing charcoal made the room wonderfully warm and toasty.

The finished fish soup had been brought over and placed on a small stove, a low flame continuing to simmer it from below to keep it from getting cold. The rich, milky-white broth bubbled gently. Pieces of fish as white as snowflakes bobbed up and down in the soup, interspersed with fresh, tender green wild vegetables. The sight of the distinct layers was utterly mouth-watering.

On the table beside it, a platter of fragrant, steaming donkey-meat pastries sent up wisps of white smoke. There were also bowls of pearl rice; the maids had already dished everything out, filling the entire table.

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