Thirteenth Lady's Comback: Her Everyday Life as a Bystander-Chapter 254 - 6: Who in the World Does Not Know You

Chapter 254: Chapter 6: Who in the World Does Not Know You

On the appointed day mentioned in the invitation, the entire Hong Mansion was bustling with activity from early morning.

The maids, old servants, young attendants, stewards, and guards all donned brand new clothes, and the women were adorned with new jewelry on their heads and hands. The smiles on everyone’s faces seemed to dispel the morning chill.

Susu and Hong Sheng had finished their breakfast and were currently being dressed and groomed by the maids.

There has always been a saying in Hami about the summer: "Wearing fur in the morning, gauze at noon, and eating watermelon around the fire."

Though it was only May, the average daytime temperature in Hami had already reached twenty-eight or nine degrees, with nighttime temperatures around eleven or twelve degrees.

Thus, for today, Susu had prepared three sets of clothing and accessories.

She was wearing a bright red, full-bodied peony embroidered with a hundred butterflies on a brocade jacket, accented by a small stand collar soft pink silk shirt underneath. A mutton fat jade flower clasp with embedded fragments of red gemstones adorned the neckline, complementing the line of red gold and white jade butterfly buttons on the jacket.

She wore an emerald-colored skirt patterned with floral designs, with long jade-colored silk ribbons hanging from it, and two mutton fat jade butterfly pendants at the hem.

Normally, a red and green combination is considered gaudy, but on Susu, it brought out her exceptional beauty, making her appear regal and resplendent, dazzling and eye-catching.

On her head, she wore a golden filigree inlaid with gemstones in a five-tailed large phoenix hairpin, with five tail feathers of the golden phoenix stretching upwards, embedded with red, blue, and green gemstones of various sizes from pea-sized to lotus seed-sized, totaling thirty or forty stones.

The phoenix’s beak held a string of pearl tassels, with a droplet-shaped ruby hanging beneath it, resting perfectly on Susu’s forehead like a naturally born Guanyin birthmark.

The golden phoenix hairpin was already extravagant, so Susu chose only two small gilded gold phoenix pins and a coral hairpin for the back of her head.

A gourd-shaped jeweled gold necklace hung outside her clothes, with a mutton fat jade bat hanging from it, about the size of an egg.

Her wrist was adorned with a pair of gold filigree inlaid with gemstone bracelets, the gemstones carved into peony shapes, exquisitely delicate.

On her fingers were two red gold rings, one with a mutton fat jade bat face, and the other set with a heart-shaped red ruby about the size of a date.

Susu’s fingers were originally slender and as delicate as scallion roots, making it hard to say whether it was the hand enhancing the ring or the ring enhancing the hand.

Seeing Susu dressed like this, Hong Sheng, though thinking his wife is merely entertaining female guests, still felt uneasy and lingered for a while before reluctantly heading to the outer courtyard.

Hong Sheng’s subordinates, originally just young men from rural areas, now had status, yet their households, mothers, and sisters still carried a rustic air.

Some were lucky to marry women with higher status, yet mostly they were girls from hereditary military households or landlord’s daughters. Some were former noble ladies, of good looks and manners, yet from exiled criminal families.

Before, without women in Hong Sheng’s household, naturally, there was no interaction. Now, with Hong Sheng married, thanks to both those jealous of his rapid rise and Miss Yue’s incident, where the wife of the newly appointed Commander of Hami Guard was said to be of maid origin, had spread throughout the Northwest Army.

Unlike Silver, Hong Sheng couldn’t be universally adored, thus many were waiting for him to make a fool of himself.

Even with Yang Xiaoshan, Leng Xiao, and others speaking on his behalf upon returning, many still saw them as covering for him.

The wives of some subordinates were curious, only to be thoroughly educated about "how wonderful and beautiful the young sister-in-law is," by their husband or brother.

The elder women didn’t mind; they valued Susu’s current status and etiquette more, knowing future interactions were inevitable. Seeing the preparation made for Susu reassured them, indicating a sensible person and furthermore, a very generous one.

Hearing about Susu’s dowry and esteemed connections, they realized this young Fourth Rank Madam was indeed capable and chose to remain respectful.

There’s truth in the saying: ’Old ginger is spicier’.

The younger ones, though, felt uneasy, especially the wives, hearing their husbands praise another woman like that. It was akin to drinking two vats of vinegar, sparking competitiveness.

Upon receiving Susu’s invitation, they hurriedly brought out their finest garments and jewelry, even purchasing three or four boxes of the best powder they typically couldn’t afford.

Some who were well-off had new jewelry made and new clothes tailored, leaving their husbands regretting their prior actions.

Dared not utter a word to their wives who seemed to have consumed gunpowder, they could only repeatedly slap their mouths: "Aren’t you just asking for trouble!"

On the day, those with good relations grouped in threes and fives, leaving together, met others on the way, "Let’s go together!"

"Hey, did you hear, that Miss Yue really embarrassed herself?"

"Oh, it’s well-known. I didn’t like her anyway. Didn’t think she’d be so presumptuous as to embarrass herself in front of the legitimate lady."

"Rumor has it that the Hong Grandma is sharp-tongued and straightforward."

"My husband says she’s like a Fairy from Turquoise Pool descending to earth, a reincarnation of the Jade Girl by Guanyin, beautiful, with a wonderful temperament, faultless!"

"Your husband says so too? Mine, a rough man, illiterate, quoted a sour poem he heard somewhere, saying ’A beauty from the North. Unique and unmatched. With one glance, she ruins a city. With another, she topples a nation.’ Gosh, it only gave me a toothache!"

"Haha, it’s not the poem that gave you a toothache, but that you drank a few vats of vinegar!"

"Crows shouldn’t laugh at pigs being black. Are you not jealous yourself?"

At this point, Susu was unaware that she was becoming quite renowned, even gathering a large number of fans—though predominantly the black fan type—among the Hami Guard and even the entire Northwest Army.

If she knew, she might mock herself, saying, "Don’t worry about having no comrades on the road ahead, for all the world to know you."

But during her travels, taking care of her pig teammates inadvertently created numerous pitfalls, leading to an incoming wave of exceptionally fierce women.

Quick, quick, quick, plant the sun!

Nearing 9 o’clock, Susu addressed the maidens and old servants one last time, "This is the first banquet the master and I are hosting in Hami, and it is also our mansion’s first social event here. For this first time, I do not expect everyone to leave satisfied, but I hope that any dissatisfaction should not be caused by the lack of conduct or etiquette from our side. Of course, if someone is irrational, don’t be afraid, just stabilize the situation and report it to me later. After everything is settled, rewards will be given based on merit."

Both Susu’s accompanying staff and the original servants of the Hong Family responded in unison.

Susu’s staff, having seen much of the world, naturally would not panic. And the original servants of the Hong Family, hearing their Madam’s firmness, felt there was nothing to fear.

Especially upon hearing "rewards based on merit," dear heavens, Madam had been here for less than half a month, and they had already received four or five rewards.

Please forgive them, poverty has limited their imagination, and they wonder what new reward might be offered!

Soon, a servant reported that the guests were arriving.

Feeling the weight of the large phoenix hairpin on her head, Susu took a deep breath and started moving towards the second gate, only to feel her scalp ache—posing requires a price.