"Nothing. I just happened to turn my head and see you, Grandmother." Huangfu Yue shook her head and smiled, but her eyes signaled Consort Dowager Zheng to look behind her.
Consort Dowager Zheng understood, followed her granddaughter's gaze, and turned her head, immediately spotting Jiang Shangyun and Xu Yuqing. She keenly sensed the good atmosphere between the three.
Having lived this long, Consort Dowager Zheng had come to understand many things. She immediately grasped her granddaughter's meaning. With a subtle shift of her gaze, she turned back to her granddaughter and gave her a look that said, "I've got this."
"The branches in Yuqing and Ying'er's hands are good. They'll be helpful when climbing the mountain. Have Feng Maoyuan and his men cut a bunch of similar branches, sharpen them, and give everyone a staff," Consort Dowager Zheng said to her granddaughter.
Huangfu Yue nodded. She had actually thought of finding branches for everyone to use as walking sticks for the climb, but one of the purposes of climbing the mountain was to train her sisters-in-law, so she didn't want to provide climbing tools from the start.
She had planned to find branches for them to use as walking sticks when they got tired.
But now, Jiang Shangyun had gone to cut branches and sharpen them himself to use as walking sticks for Xu Yuqing and her daughter. Naturally, others would want them, and her grandmother had brought it up, so she had to change her plan and get branches for everyone to use as walking sticks now.
"Master Feng, please take your men and make walking sticks for everyone in the manor, just like the ones Jiang Shangyun made for my second sister-in-law and Bao'er. Cut some thick branches and prepare them," Huangfu Yue instructed Feng Maoyuan, who was still standing at the foot of the mountain, not yet having ascended.
Feng Maoyuan immediately agreed and ordered his men to comply with Huangfu Yue's instructions.
A group of guards drew their swords and began cutting thick branches. In a short while, they had felled a pile of thick branches, quickly sharpened them, and distributed one to each person in the manor, including Consort Dowager Zheng, to use as walking sticks.
Feng Maoyuan also took one and approached Huangfu Yue, intending to give it to her. Huangfu Yue waved her hand, refusing his well-intentioned gesture.
"I don't need one." Her stamina was more than enough to reach the summit with ease, without even breaking a sweat. She didn't need any walking sticks at all.
"Alright, everyone, let's continue climbing. Master Feng, you and your men will guard at the rear. I'll lead the way," Huangfu Yue said.
Feng Maoyuan quickly nodded, turned, and went down the mountain to the rear. After everyone from the manor had ascended, he led his men to follow behind at the very end.
"The scenery on this mountain is truly beautiful. It's all lush green, with verdant plants and many colorful wildflowers. It's so lovely," Consort Dowager Zheng said, following her granddaughter and admiring the mountain's scenery as they climbed, praising it with evident delight.
She also took a deep breath. "The air here is exceptionally good, very fresh, carrying the scent of grass and flowers."
"Yes! I didn't expect the scenery and air on this mountain to be so good!" Zhong Liangshu nodded in agreement, looking around with a sense of novelty. It was also her first time climbing a mountain.
"When I was at my parents' home, I climbed some mountains with my father. But the scenery and air here are certainly among the best," Zhu Jiayi said with a smile.
Xu Yuqing, however, displayed a look of disapproval and muttered softly, "It's just so-so."
She had been reluctant to climb the mountain, and even now, as they climbed, she was still filled with resentment and aversion, so she didn't appreciate the surrounding scenery like her sisters-in-law and Consort Dowager Zheng.
Although Xu Yuqing's voice was very low, and others hadn't heard it, Huangfu Yue, with her excellent hearing, caught it. Huangfu Yue turned her head to look back, glanced at Xu Yuqing, and rolled her eyes internally.
This woman was probably beyond saving!