The Princess Consort of Pingyang smiled.
"Growing flowers is very troublesome. You have classes every day, and your schedule is fully packed. Where would you find the free time?"
"I have time! Mother, didn't you say that growing flowers cultivates one's moral character?"
"I'll just grow one to try!" Duoduo whined, acting spoiled as she clung to the Princess Consort of Pingyang.
"Alright, alright, as long as you don't find it too tiring!"
How could the Princess Consort of Pingyang resist? She compromised immediately.
The butler stood with his hands down, pondering over something unknown.
"Mother, it's dirty here. Why don't you wait for me outside?"
"Yes, Princess Consort, I will show you outside to have a seat." The butler's eyes lit up, and he quickly chimed in.
"Alright then. Duoduo, hurry up, or it will delay your class time."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang looked at the mud on the ground, indeed feeling a bit uncomfortable.
"Mhm!" Duoduo replied, watching her mother and the butler leave.
Duoduo started searching inside the greenhouse.
Where would the butler hide the thing?
The golden words from earlier seemed to imply a place that wasn't easily discoverable.
A place not easily discoverable... where could that be?
In a flowerpot?
Or on a shelf?
Or perhaps in the dirt?
Duoduo looked at the various flowerpots, big and small, scattered around the greenhouse and scratched her head.
Where was she supposed to start looking?
"Princess, what kind of flower are you looking for? Let me help you find it."
Yingniang, who was standing to the side, noticed Duoduo's troubled expression.
"I don't know either. Let's do this: I'll just look around first."
"Sister, help me guard the door. If anyone comes, give me a signal."
Duoduo pushed Yingniang to the door to keep watch for her.
Yingniang found this very strange. "Why?"
Duoduo turned and ran back. "I'll tell you later!"
Duoduo began strolling through the greenhouse, observing the flowers as she walked.
Some flowers bloomed large and red; others were just sprouting buds.
Some had no flowers but grew lush and green, looking very delightful.
Some flowers, however, had withered and died, carelessly tossed to the side.
Duoduo's gaze swept over the flowerpots and shelves one by one.
There were too many flowers; her eyes could hardly take them all in.
Finally, Duoduo finished touring the greenhouse.
Sigh!
Duoduo squatted down.
So tiring!
She reached out and waved at the golden text in front of her eyes, but the golden words merely scattered at her touch.
It seemed she could no longer rely on the golden text.
Duoduo began to think seriously.
"Duoduo, haven't you chosen yet?"
Yingniang, guarding the door, called out to ask.
"Sister, if you wanted to hide something right now, where would you hide it?"
Duoduo's eyes darted around slyly.
"You mean in here? In a flowerpot, of course!"
Yingniang looked as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Then, if someone else's thing was hidden in a flowerpot, how could we find it?"
Duoduo continued asking.
Yingniang blinked. "Princess, you want to find something, not a flower?"
Duoduo knew that relying solely on her own strength definitely wouldn't work.
She walked over to Yingniang's side and carefully peeked her head outside.
She saw the Princess Consort of Pingyang sitting on a stone bench not far away, with the butler bending over and saying something to her.
"Sister, I'll tell you a secret, but don't tell anyone else!"
"Just now, when I came in, I saw that butler hiding something."
"But as soon as he saw me come in, he immediately came out. I didn't get a clear look at what he was hiding."
Yingniang opened her mouth in surprise, recalling how the butler had darted over to block the Princess Consort's path earlier.
"Where did you see him standing just now?"
Duoduo tilted her head and thought for a moment. "There!" She pointed to a spot.
Yingniang hurriedly pulled Duoduo over to examine the flowerpots and shelves.
"Look and see which flowerpot has fresh soil."
Yingniang checked the shelves and had Duoduo check the pots.
"What does fresh mean?" Duoduo didn't understand.
"It means the color is different. Look, like this—the soil that has been dug up has a different color."
Yingniang casually picked up a nearby trowel and turned over the soil in a pot.
"Oh, I get it!"
Duoduo was very happy and started inspecting the flowerpots.
"Nothing on the shelves."
"Nothing in the pots either," Duoduo said, feeling a bit dejected.
"Could you have remembered it wrong? Think again about where he was standing when you came in."
Duoduo frowned and tried to recall.
"I don't remember."
Yingniang patted Duoduo on the shoulder.
"It's okay. Let's use this spot as the center and search within a ten-step radius in all directions."
"Okay." Duoduo nodded vigorously.
The two of them took ten steps to the left, looking around as they walked.
Nothing.
They returned to the center and walked ten steps to the right.
Still nothing.
They didn't lose heart and started over again.
"Huh, Sister, why did this pot of flowers fall on the ground?"
Duoduo looked at the shattered flowerpot beneath the shelf, feeling quite pity for it.
Yingniang ran over, thinking Duoduo had found it.
"This flower is completely dead. It was probably discarded."
Yingniang moved the broken pot aside a bit to prevent it from cutting Duoduo's feet.
Duoduo craned her neck and looked up at the flower shelf above.
"Sister, that's not right. Look! There's fresh dirt on the edge of that flowerpot up there."
Yingniang followed the direction of Duoduo's pointing finger and looked over.
On the rim of the highest flowerpot, there was a clump of fresh mud stuck to it.
She stood on her tiptoes to take a look. "But the soil inside the pot hasn't been turned over."
"Let's go, we'll check somewhere else."
Hearing Yingniang say this, Duoduo walked away as well.
In the end, they searched everywhere they possibly could, but still found nothing.
"Duoduo, did you see it wrong earlier?"
"Maybe that butler was just checking on the condition of the flowers?"
"Didn't he say the estate's gardener went missing?"
Duoduo had no way to explain the real reason to Yingniang.
She squatted down, her gaze darting around the greenhouse.
"Princess, haven't you picked one out yet? The Princess Consort says it's time to go!"
Lianxin urged from the doorway.
"There are too many flowers, I want them all. Lianxin, tell Mother to wait for me just a little longer. I'll be done right away."
Duoduo brushed Lianxin off, and Lianxin left.
"Duoduo, the Princess Consort is rushing us. Why don't we just forget it!"
Duoduo sighed. "Alright, I'll go pick a flower."
Duoduo walked forward, searching for a flower to her liking.
Unknowingly, she once again walked over to the fallen flowerpot from earlier.
Suddenly, she realized a problem.
Even though the gardener had left, the entire greenhouse was extremely tidy.
Only this single pot of flowers had fallen to the ground.
Moreover, the exposed dirt from it was very fresh.
This pot of flowers had just fallen down.
No, it must have fallen right before they came in.
No, that's not right either. It must have been knocked down by someone!
Duoduo seemed to have guessed a crucial point.
She looked at the few flowerpots on the shelf, beginning to guess where it could be.
The flowerpot?
The dirt?
"Sister! Come here, quick!"
Duoduo waved anxiously at Yingniang by the door.
