Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 37 Guests Arrive at the Marquis's Residence

In the following days, the young ladies of the manor would occasionally get together during breaks from their morning lessons, and their conversations would revolve around the Marquis's manor and the upcoming Qixi Festival.

Qixi Festival was nothing special, just a competition of threading needles and throwing needles to test one's skill. The young ladies were all too young to be interested in it, and the only eldest young lady was under house arrest, so she only said a few words about it before stopping.

But when it comes to the Marquis's residence, there's quite a bit to talk about.

The third and fourth young ladies are twins, born only half an hour apart. They are almost identical in appearance and build, which makes Ruizhu unable to tell them apart, but Mengshu can.

Although the two young ladies had a good relationship, they loved to compete with each other. They insisted on equality and uniformity in everything, such as clothing. They would argue for a long time over even the slightest difference in color or pattern.

The one who suffers the most during arguments and is not good at speaking is the Third Miss; the one who is quiet and whose eyes don't always wander is also the Third Miss. Meng Shu understood this after observing her twice.

At this moment, the fourth young lady, whose eyes were darting around, was recounting the robbery committed by the second young lady of the Marquis's mansion.

"A perfectly respectable legitimate daughter of a marquis's family, yet she acts like a down-and-out. She likes this and wants that. Every year when she comes to our mansion as if she's bringing in a lot of goods."

Upon hearing this, the second young lady looked directly at her and said, "If you don't want to lose your property, you should honestly store it in the storeroom. It's unwise to talk behind people's backs, and it's not the way the Tang family is raised."

The fourth young lady hurriedly lowered her head, unable to utter a complete sentence in the face of the second young lady's reprimand. The other young ladies were very reserved in front of the second young lady, and those who were playing the game of pitch-pot found it boring and dispersed.

For Meng Shu, whether it was the dilapidated but still grand and majestic Marquis's mansion, or other families, it had nothing to do with her, a mere maid. However, the trajectory of things often leads to unexpected results by chance at a certain point in time.

Mengzhu and Ruizhu had just stored all the valuable items in the storeroom when the head maidservant of the madam came to tell them that guests from the Marquis's mansion had arrived and that the second young lady should go to Fu'an Residence to meet them. She also specifically instructed them to be careful with their clothing and accessories.

This put Ruizhu in a dilemma. Should she dress the second young lady in a more dignified and formal manner, or should she avoid dressing her in a flamboyant and extravagant way?

She looked at Meng Shu with pleading eyes, and Meng Shu then cast an inquiring glance at the second young lady.

When unsure, it's best to let the master make the decision; this is the second piece of advice Meng Shu has gained since entering the inner courtyard.

The first lesson learned was that one should not be better than one's master. Therefore, when the second young lady played chess, Meng Shu always avoided serving her and let the clumsy Rui Zhu do it for her.

"Keep it simple, and comb your hair into the double buns you wore at the poetry gathering last time." The second young lady looked at herself in the bronze mirror. "Take that moon-white satin dress."

Ruizhu, having received the order, began to comb her hair. Mengzhu went to the side room to fetch the clothes the Second Miss had mentioned. Mengshu opened her dressing case, recalling the jewelry selection rules Huaying had taught her. From the various hairpins and rings, she chose a small tassel hairpin with agate flowers, a pair of golden dragon necklaces, and a pair of wide bracelets with inlaid South Sea pearls and magpie patterns. The Second Miss nodded in satisfaction when she saw that everything she had chosen suited her taste. She then pointed to the purple jade hibiscus earrings, which Mengshu carefully put on her.

The tassel hairpin is playful, the dragon-patterned necklace is conventional, and the shrimp-whisker bracelet has a touch of luxury. However, because it is covered by the wide sleeves, it is not ostentatious when worn on a slender wrist.

After getting ready, the three of them, mistress and servants, went straight to Fu'an Residence. On the way, they met the Fifth Miss, who was coming out of Yun Gui Courtyard. The two sisters walked together. Madam Yun was nearing her due date and had been resting in the courtyard recently, which spared the concubines and young ladies from the morning and evening greetings.

Fu An Ju.

As soon as they entered the second gate, they heard hearty laughter coming from the flower hall. Guangbai stood at the door with a smile on his face. When he saw the second and fifth young ladies, he hurriedly came to greet them. The third-class maids standing on both sides quickly lifted the curtain.

Upon entering the flower hall, Meng Shu first saw a girl of about ten years old. Her hair was styled in a low, flowing bun, and the gold hairpin in her hair looked very familiar—it was the filigree pearl-encrusted golden sparrow hairpin that the old lady had just given her as a gift. The girl wore a thin satin blouse embroidered with silver butterflies and flowers, and was happily touching the hairpin. On her fair, lotus-root-like wrist was a coral and pearl bracelet with an autumn butterfly pattern. Meng Shu had recently become very discerning about jewelry and immediately recognized that the second young lady also had a pair, of even better quality. Clearly, the second young lady's bracelet was also a gift from the old lady to a younger generation.

Meng Shu hid behind the second young lady and carefully touched her nose. She had gained a deep understanding of this second young lady of the Marquis's mansion whom she had just met. It turned out that she had come to Fu An Ju dressed in plain clothes. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to put on the hairpins and coral bracelets on the spot.

The second and fifth young ladies greeted the old lady, and the three sisters exchanged greetings. The old lady smiled and introduced two nannies who were about forty years old, namely Granny Gao and Granny Yuan. They said that they had come with the second young lady of the Marquis's mansion and would teach the girls of the Tang family etiquette and manners, as well as tell them about the intricacies of the big mansion, so as to broaden the girls' horizons.

The second young lady hurriedly led her younger sister to pay their respects to the two old women in the Marquis's residence. One of the old women was tall and thin, while the other was short and plump, which matched their surnames very well.

The two men, with solemn faces, subtly observed the two young ladies of the Tang family. Their gazes naturally lingered on the second young lady. Afterward, they turned to look at each other. The second young lady was graceful and poised, her every movement dignified and composed. They both saw a hint of satisfaction in each other's eyes.

There was a noise at the door, and Guangbai led in three young ladies, number three, four, and six. The three young ladies did not look to the side, first politely greeting the old lady at the head of the table, and then exchanging greetings with their older sisters.

Everyone nodded and bowed to each other for a while, and Meng Shu watched coldly from the sidelines throughout the whole ordeal.

It was obvious that the two nannies opposite them were indifferent to the other young ladies of the Tang family, but they were different from their mistress, the second young lady, and their eyes would fall on her from time to time.

Despite being interrupted like this, the second young lady of the Marquis's mansion was still able to continue what she had been saying, which made Meng Shu admire her quite a bit.

She took two steps to the old lady and said sweetly, "Old lady, you always have excellent taste. Even Yongbaolou in the capital doesn't have such a small and delicate design for this hairpin. I feel really ashamed that you have spent so much money on it."

The old lady gently held her hand and patted it, the smile in her eyes genuine.

"Ling Jie'er is so bright and pretty, and this hairpin is a perfect match for her."

Your elder brother, Wen-ge'er, and our Lin-ge'er both study at Lushan Academy. Lin-ge'er often mentions him in his letters home, always saying how much Wen-ge'er helped him socialize in the capital. Your Aunt Yun is very happy about this. Later, I'll have Wan-jie'er take you to Yun Gui Courtyard to greet your aunt."

Of course, it was a must to pay a visit to Madam Yun. The second young lady of the Marquis's mansion happily agreed. This Aunt Yun was always generous, so she must have prepared a lavish gift for the visit.

The old lady chatted with the second young lady of the Marquis's mansion for a while, mainly asking about the condition and health of the women in the mansion. The second young lady seemed to be a very lively person, and she talked to the old lady about the latest news in the capital, which made the old lady very happy.

The second young lady sat quietly in her chair, listening without interrupting. After a short while, she noticed two probing gazes and couldn't help but frown slightly. Taking advantage of the moment when Suwen served tea, she subtly glanced at the two matrons.

He was puzzled. It was really strange that his mother and grandmother had never mentioned to him that they would invite the nanny from the Marquis's mansion to the mansion.