Chen Caozhi bowed to Lu Weiwei and said with a smile, "I'm sorry, Little Lady Wei Rui, I can't play the recorder for you today."
"It's all right," Lu Weiwei said. "I came especially to see you. It's your birthday today, after all. You spent so long writing 'Kāifēng'-you miss your mother very much, don't you? As you wrote it over and over, I thought of my own mother too, and my tears came flowing out." With that, she smiled shyly and rose. "Then I'll head back. Come to my Cherished Garden on the fifth."
"You-why not have a bowl of Chive-Leaf Shuiyin Pancakes before you go?" Chen Caozhi said. As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt they were a little inappropriate.
Unexpectedly, Lu Weiwei widened her eyes and asked, "Have you prepared that many Shuiyin Bing? Duan Chu came too, and there's a driver and two Residence Servants."
Ran Sheng said, "I'll have the cook make more. There's plenty of flour. The more people eat the birthday Shuiyin Bing, the greater the blessings." He strode off.
Wei Xie and Gu Kaizhi had also arrived and were talking with Xu Zao in the Thatched Cottage's main hall.
Lu Weiwei asked Chen Caozhi, "Master Chen, may I ask Master Wei for advice on painting? When I came out, I told Father I was coming to seek Master Wei's instruction."
"Master Wei is very easygoing. It should be fine. Come with me," Chen Caozhi said.
Lu Weiwei had her young maid Duan Chu fetch her drafts from the ox cart, then followed Chen Caozhi to the Thatched Cottage's main hall and greeted Xu Zao and Wei Xie.
Wei Xie had seen this pure, beautiful young woman at Zhenqing Daoist Abbey that day. Learning that she was the renowned Lu