Thirteenth Lady's Comback: Her Everyday Life as a Bystander-Chapter 207 - 4: Silly Goose

As soon as the Marchioness Wenchang left, Yang Liu, Ning Cui, and Bisi cheerfully ushered Susu into the inner room, saying they wanted to help apply her makeup again. The Old Madam watched the four young women with a smile, saying, "Don’t make it like last year, with that ’moon-hidden flower, fish-sinking geese-falling’ look. It’s fine for us to see among ourselves." (For those unfamiliar with the story, you can refer to Chapter 13 of Volume 4.)

Nanny Qin, upon hearing this, recalled the scene from last year. Although she hadn’t seen it firsthand, just hearing the Old Madam and the maids mention it made her laugh heartily. She hadn’t expected the Old Madam to remember it and tease Susu about it.

Susu, wearing an expression of ’tired and uninterested’, was pushed into the inner room by the three.

Sixth Miss and Miss Zhao, unaware of this joke, saw their grandmother and Nanny Qin laughing uncontrollably and eagerly pulled at her arms and shoulders, wanting the Old Madam to explain it to them when Hong Sheng walked in.

"Greetings, Old Madam! How have you been?" Hong Sheng had just seen the head of the family, and had long since handed his cloak to his trusted aide. He was now dressed in a stone-blue Kesi cotton robe with floral patterns, with a wide leather belt around his waist, adorned with a jade pendant, a pocket, and a palm-sized leather pouch.

The Old Madam had sharp eyes, and as soon as Hong Sheng approached, she recognized that his entire outfit was sewn by Susu, including the pocket at his waist, which was made by Susu. Although it didn’t have any embroidery, Susu was usually quite lazy, and this outfit wasn’t part of the initial token exchange when Susu gifted the man a return gift; it was surely newly made by Susu.

Thinking about it, the Old Madam felt a bit uneasy—not envious, just sensing that a ’grown daughter is bound to leave’. She hadn’t even had enough time to admire her ’freshly grown cabbage’, and now it had been taken by a ’pig’; who wouldn’t feel a pang in their heart?

However, the Old Madam knew that the ’die was cast’, as Hong Sheng was only twenty-one yet already held a Fourth Rank position. She had to admit his prospects looked limitless. Despite his success, he was committed to his engagement with Susu, and thus, it was impossible for them to back out.

Thinking of this, the Old Madam’s expression softened even more. Already having a good impression of the young man, and for Susu’s sake, despite her reluctance, she had to let go. "Good, good, everything’s good. Brother Sheng, sit down, I haven’t had the chance to congratulate you yet."

Hearing this, Hong Sheng quickly responded, "Just lucky, that’s all!" The Old Madam laughed, "You’re always too modest. Even though this old lady doesn’t understand warfare, I know there’s no such thing as luck on the battlefield. Besides, I heard from Qing He that you captured the Tartar Sixth Prince alive; such achievements are certainly earned with your life."

The Old Madam and Hong Sheng chatted idly, though the Old Madam was anxious. After drinking two cups of tea, Susu still hadn’t appeared. Hong Sheng felt disappointed at not seeing his beloved, but he didn’t show it, pretending instead that he was merely visiting the Old Madam.

Just as he was about to take his leave, Sixth Miss chimed in with a smile, "Susu is coming out."

When Hong Sheng entered, his eyes had scanned the room but hadn’t found the dream-like figure. He assumed that Susu had gone out to avoid embarrassment, feeling a bit disappointed yet knowing he shouldn’t push for more.

Upon hearing this, he was suddenly caught between chills and delight, looking up to see a beautiful woman lifting the curtain of the inner room. Two other elegant women were ushering a young lady out—a lady who seemed somewhat reluctant and shy. She raised her head to look over—it had to be Susu!

Although Hong Sheng had seen Susu when he arrived in the capital, at that time, one was above and one below, blocked by the crowd. Susu had only shown her profile before quickly sticking out her tongue like a small turtle retreating into its shell. To be honest, Hong Sheng didn’t have Susu’s keen eyesight.

Now, with mutual gazes, they truly saw each other for who they were.

Susu was naturally beautiful; even with simple attire, she could be described as ’breathtaking beauty’. Yang Liu and the others were afraid of spoiling her look, so they merely changed her single knot hairdo to a lily bun.

Because Susu felt a bit cold, making her lips look pale, Ning Cui applied a layer of red lipstick and some lip balm, turning her little mouth into fiery red lips.

She had just attended a little lady’s three-day ceremony, so her outfit was naturally formal and elegant. But Susu didn’t like stealing the spotlight, choosing more subdued colors for her clothes, so Bisi called Qi Qiao to quickly fetch another outfit for Susu and urged her to change.