Thirteenth Lady's Comback: Her Everyday Life as a Bystander-Chapter 265 - 17: Wishing You Well (Part 1)

But Qing Liu noticed Mrs. Sun was in a daze, so she discreetly nudged her. Mrs. Sun, snapping out of her shock after seeing Susu, quickly apologized to her.

Susu naturally understood the reason for her unusual behavior. She hurriedly stepped forward to personally help her up, but didn’t say much, only giving her hand a firm squeeze.

The maids and attendants who came with Susu and the gifts in the two carriages were naturally taken care of by others. Susu only brought along three maids—Fen Dai, Linglong, and Han Niu—entering through the side gate.

Upon entering the inner residence, they continued by carriage and sedan chair, stopping at a Hanging Flower Gate.

Inside the Hanging Flower Gate, there was a large courtyard. To the west stood a magnolia tree two or three stories high, to the east and south was a row of privet trees, to the north over a hundred stalks of square bamboo, and two broad-leaved plantain trees, along with three or four Sichuan palm bamboo trees.

In the middle was a covered walkway and veranda, with a central flow-through hall displaying a purple sandalwood rack, supporting a screen embedded with an intricate sea landscape, with mountain peaks crafted in red gold featuring inlaid eight treasures.

Beyond the screen lay another large courtyard, framed by four osmanthus trees, surrounded by corridors with side doors.

Ascending the steps, they reached a double-story etiquette gate, long-covered hallways, and surrounded by veranda thresholds—neatly arranged and richly splendid, the same with green silk curtains hanging and floral arrangements displayed. The center consisted of five large main rooms, complete with east and west wings and enclosed alley rooms.

Susu was eager to see Mrs. Qin, too distracted to examine this wealthy and affluent place closely, yet she knew it was elegant and extraordinary, each step revealing a new view.

Outside the main room, about a dozen maids and attendants greeted them. Seeing the group approach, they quickly realized guests had arrived, and a maid rushed in to announce, "Lady Su has arrived." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Soon, three or four young ladies came out, either delicate or pretty, dressed with exceptional taste. One glance revealed that they, like Qing Liu, were senior maids.

As they approached and saw Susu, another group was momentarily petrified, but Susu was accustomed to such reactions. Mrs. Sun laughed, "Seeing them, it seems I wasn’t so embarrassed just now!"

Qing Liu glanced questioningly at Mrs. Sun. She managed the comings and goings within the residence, placing the highest value on the rules of etiquette among the servants.

Had it been usual times, seeing the servants behave like this, she would certainly scold them, "Such impropriety, how could you let the guests see this and laugh!"

But now she was making jokes, which was truly peculiar.

What sort of person exactly was this Lady Su? It’s all right if she was beautiful, but how could her mere appearance make Mrs. Sun so taken by her, with every word carrying an air of familiarity?

Ms. Sun hadn’t expected Qing Liu to be so keen, but Susu noticed her expression and quickly said, "Mama is madam’s aide; she’s seen all sorts of things. It’s just because I’m also from the Capital that she finds me familiar."

Mrs. Sun naturally knew why she felt close, and after hearing Susu’s words, she realized her own conduct was a bit excessive, so she stopped speaking and invited Susu inside.

Meanwhile, Qing Liu, after hearing Susu’s words, gradually let go of her doubts. Yes, this Lady Su was also from the Capital, and it was heard she was once a maid. Just looking at her appearance and demeanor, it’s no wonder a maid could attain Fourth Rank Honorific.

Entering the main hall, Susu immediately noticed Mrs. Qin seated above.

She wore a deep blue silk tunic with a full pattern of sesame seeds on a lambskin brocade, paired with a pink peony damask skirt, with a string of small gold watches around her collar.

Her hair was styled in a cloud-top knot, with a phoenix adorned with pearls and green inlays in the center, and two gold hairpins with diamond lotus flowers inserted on each side, exuding an elegant and distinctive charm.

In the short seven years of "Thirteenth Lady’s" memory, besides her aunt and brother, the most profound impressions were left by her two elder sisters and her legitimate mother.

Although Mrs. Qin was born a concubine’s daughter, her upbringing was excellent; she was a very candid and open-hearted woman. Even without her husband’s favor and having no sons, she still lived well, owing to her status, dowry, and daughter.

To her, the title of Duchess Li was merely a designation with a set of duties. Although she performed her role diligently, she remained indifferent.

Now, eight years later, after giving birth to twins, becoming a mother of three and even a grandmother, Mrs. Qin appeared even more youthful and radiant than when Susu first crossed over. Married life; Susu naturally understood what it meant to have a loving husband. Obviously, Commander Liu truly treated Mrs. Qin well.

Seeing this version of Mrs. Qin, Susu finally felt at ease.

In her two lifetimes, Susu lacked deep parental bonds. In her previous life, not to mention that in this life, after crossing over, her aunt had already passed away. It was Mrs. Qin, this legitimate mother, who had her inquired after three times a day, fearing negligence by the servants. In accepting this identity, Susu was also accepting the relatives of this body!

Witnessing her maternal figure living quite well, Susu naturally felt very happy.

Observing Mrs. Qin’s disbelieving eyes upon seeing her, Susu lowered her head, fiercely blinking to stop her tears, then respectfully greeted, "Lady Su of Hongmen greets Mrs. Qin."

From the moment Susu entered, Mrs. Qin was so startled she nearly stood up from her rattan bed.

If she had not personally witnessed Aunt Su’s coffin tightly sealed and buried in the Ruan family’s ancestral tomb, she would have thought she was seeing Aunt Su’s rebirth facing her now.

Too similar, how could there be such resemblance? Who was this Lady Hong, and what was her background? Oh yes, she rose up from being a maid.

Mrs. Qin suddenly recalled the past she had intentionally tried to forget and sprang to her feet, "Thirteenth Lady? She is Thirteenth Lady!" No wonder she bore such resemblance to Aunt Su.

During the downfall and house raid of the Ruan family, Thirteenth Lady was only seven years old. Though it could be seen she was a budding beauty, she had not fully grown, and at that time, she bore only three or four parts resemblance to Aunt Su.

But now, she had grown up, astonishingly resembling Aunt Su at seven or eight parts, with beauty transcending nations, or perhaps more so than Aunt Su.

Facing such a sudden appearance by Susu, a tidal wave of guilt flooded Mrs. Qin.

The victors become marquises, while the defeated become outlaws. The men of the Ruan family knew their fate from the outset in supporting the royal succession—success meant survival, failure meant death.

But they hadn’t imagined that the reigning Prince Rong would disregard ancestral wills, confiscating the Ruan family’s estate, implicating women and children in the punishment.

To say Mrs. Qin did not harbor resentment was false; she had no emotional attachment with Duke Li, and his downfall was deserved. But what was the fault of the women, of the young children?

Especially Thirteenth Lady and Sixth Son, she had personally promised Aunt Su on her sickbed to treat these two children as her own.

But in an instant, it all came crashing down. Even as the matriarch of Duke Zhen’s Mansion, she had to divorce to protect herself and her own daughter.

Every move she made was under surveillance, watching helplessly as Thirteenth Lady was sold and Sixth Son was exiled to the Northwest, unable to save them.

Going round and round, she married in the Northwest, and Sixth Son was right under her watch. Even if she didn’t intervene, at least she knew he was safe. But what of Thirteenth Lady, a delicate and gentle young girl, where would she end up?

She left the turmoil in the Capital, not even inquiring about her biological daughter, and deliberately ignoring the hardships faced by the children from the Ruan family who were right beside her.

Marrying, having children, as if the storms of the Capital never happened.

Yet, awake in the middle of the night, Mrs. Qin still cried uncontrollably, as if to shed all the tears she couldn’t allow herself to cry in front of others.