Thirteenth Lady's Comback: Her Everyday Life as a Bystander-Chapter 267 - 19: Private Conversation (Part 1) (3 Updates)

After a round of greetings, Sister Zhen, whom Mrs. Qin called the "troublesome child" and "the most mischievous one," unreservedly stepped forward to take Susu’s hand, saying, "Earlier, Mother always said I lack the tenderness of a sister, and the looks of a cousin, criticizing me endlessly. Now that Sister Su is here, there’s probably no place for me before Mother anymore."

Seeing this temperament, Susu noticed some characteristics reminiscent of Miss Sixth Song, and since Sister Zhen was born of Mrs. Qin, Susu’s fondness grew from half to complete. However, she did not forget that there was still a noble lady present.

She summoned Linglong to her side, took out a pair of jade bracelets from the box in her hand. The bracelets were about a finger’s width, bordered with gold foil, and made from the finest quality blue water jade. Yet, their most striking feature was the carving.

The small, narrow surface of the bracelets was etched with a relief of a "Lotus Pond Moonlight" scene. On the left bracelet, a bright moon hung above, while lotus shadows gently swayed; the right featured carps playing among the lotus, with rippling water. Masterfully crafted and exceptionally exquisite.

Such a precious item, Sister An dared not accept, but did not know how to refuse, so she looked to Mrs. Qin, who also expressed that it was too valuable.

Susu smiled and said, "Madam, were those just polite words before? Since the girls are calling me Sister, they should just take it and wear it for fun!"

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Qin had no choice but to let Sister An accept it. She thought to herself: How much dowry could Susu possibly have? She’s just putting on a show in front of her stepdaughter. Later, she would make up for it.

She smiled and said, "What I said wasn’t just out of courtesy. Now that you’ve recognized them as sisters, why treat me so distantly? Don’t call me Madam, call me Aunt Qin!"

Susu naturally agreed, then looked towards Sister Zhen.

What she originally prepared for Sister Zhen was a pair of glassy apple green jade bracelets, which she had specially ordered from Jinyinman Tang. However, upon meeting her, she grew fond of her, so she took off a bracelet she was wearing and personally fastened it to her dress.

"It’s nothing valuable, but I carved it myself. It’s somewhat unique, take it and play with it!"

Susu had carved the twelve Chinese zodiac animals from twelve different types of jade stones, in twelve different colors, each the size of a fingernail cover. She then had someone polish a box of glass-quality transparent jade beads, selected twenty-four of them the same size as the zodiac animals, embedded them in gold threads, and strung them with the twelve zodiac beads, featuring a "卍" pattern.

She paired it with a mutton fat jade lotus clasp, and attached two tassels made of rice beads, each hanging with a small blood jade peace pendant.

The entire bracelet, apart from its fine materials and vibrant colors, had a naturally interesting design. The twelve tiny animals were lifelike and vivid.

Sister Zhen immediately took a liking to it and thanked Susu with a happy smile.

Seeing this, Mrs. Qin teased with a smile, "This is obviously one of your Sister Su’s treasured items. Now that she’s given it to you, you must take good care of it."

Sister Zhen readily agreed.

The two little girls had a good impression of Susu and kept holding her hand, asking questions. One was quiet, the other lively. Watching from the side, Mrs. Qin couldn’t help but smile.

Shortly after, one of Mrs. Qin’s legitimate twins, the boy, also came in. He was not yet seven years old, and naturally was exempt from many of the rules of propriety between men and women. After greeting Susu, she took out a top-ranking chicken blood stone seal, giving it to him as a meeting gift.

The young boy, dressed in a deep blue scholar’s robe, thanked her prudently, appearing quite mature for his age.

At noon, Mrs. Qin not only invited them to stay for a meal, but also sent someone to the military camp, instructing, "Tell the master I want to host a banquet tonight, just as a welcome feast for my niece. Have him come home early, and notify Commander Hong to come along with him."

Then she said to Susu with a smile, "There’s no need for formalities between us. Once you’ve met your uncle tonight and had dinner, you two go back together. Your uncle is a rough man. If he says anything unpleasant, don’t take offense. As you spend more time with him, you’ll see he’s very protective of his own."

Even though they could not acknowledge each other formally, Mrs. Qin treated Susu as one of her own children. She wanted Hong Sheng to know that Susu had a strong support network.

After dinner, Mrs. Qin asked someone to see to the rest of the guests, while she led Susu into her private quarters.

Sister Zhen had initially wanted to follow, but Mrs. Sun held her back, saying, "My dear girl, you know Madam Su came from the Capital. Matters over there, your aunt never mentions much. Though your mother never voices it, she’s always thinking about it. Let her ask her questions privately."

With Mrs. Sun saying this, anyone with sense knew that Mrs. Qin was thinking about the daughter she had with her previous husband, who Susu called "Sister Ruan"!

Sister Zhen was not insensible; she understood that her father had married twice, her mother too, and that Sister An was born from her father’s first wife. Her mother, before having her and her brother, also had another sister.

Whenever her maternal aunt spoke of this sister, her mother would be upset for a long time. Eventually, her aunt stopped mentioning it.

This sister, whom they never met since birth, was rumored to have married and had children. If it weren’t for this sister sending items every year, they would have hardly any impression of her!

Now, hearing Mrs. Sun’s words, Sister Zhen remained silent and led Sister An out of the main room.

Mrs. Sun dismissed the maids, leaving herself alone to stand guard outside the bedroom, and sighed: It’s fortunate that when Madam came to the Northwest, she brought only Nanny Wang and a few trusted servants. Even now, the slip regarding Miss Thirteen was narrowly avoided, which means reminding others is still necessary.

Then she thought of who could have been bold enough to switch out Miss Thirteen. Such audacity! However, seeing Miss Thirteen doing so well now, Madam could finally be at ease.

Inside the inner chamber, Mrs. Qin held Susu’s hand as they sat on the south-facing kang. Despite having weathered many storms, at that moment, she was on the verge of tears.

Susu hurriedly pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her tears, saying, "Please don’t be like this. My visit is to reassure you that I’m fine, so you can be at ease."

Mrs. Qin wiped her tears and spoke candidly to Susu, giving her a light pat and said, "You silly girl, since you came to the Northwest, why didn’t you come visit me sooner? Also, why didn’t Seventeen Letter about it at year-end, not even a whisper? I know you all blame me, that’s why you all kept it a secret from me."

Hearing this, Susu dared not reply and quickly said, "We are grateful to you, there’s no time to blame you. As for Sister Seventeen, she’s your daughter, worrying about her is only natural. She probably didn’t tell you because she feared you’d worry even more."

Susu paused and seeing that Mrs. Qin had stopped crying, continued, "As for myself, whether my aunt was there or not, you treated my brother and me wonderfully. Meeting a legitimate mother like you is a blessing from our past lives!"

Hearing this, Mrs. Qin felt even more ashamed.

"Back then, I promised your aunt that I would take good care of you and Sixth Son, but ultimately, one of you ended up serving as a servant, and the other in the military. If I hadn’t run into you now, I wouldn’t have had the face to meet your aunt, even in death!"