rouge

The sky remained a clear blue, the west wind swirled the sycamore leaves, and the wind chimes hanging from the eaves jingled just in time, creating a beautiful autumn scene.

Two days ago, Mei Sheng went to soak in the hot springs as instructed by her maid. Today, she felt that her typhoid fever and the discomfort between her forehead had disappeared, and she couldn't help but praise the many benefits of the medicinal bath.

She pushed open the bedroom door, and seeing the familiar furnishings, her spirits lifted.

Pei Jue did not return to the Pei residence with her today. Instead, he sent a servant to tell her that he needed to visit friends recently and did not know when he would return.

She even added that she could leave the manor. After hearing this, Mei Sheng felt much better when she saw this familiar scene again.

Since entering the mansion, Old Madam Pei had been all concerned about the young master's well-being, leaving Mei Sheng with not a single word. Mei Sheng had no choice but to return to her room alone, wanting to finish something that had been on her mind.

She opened the notebook, with a charcoal pencil tucked inside. Mei Sheng used the pencil to write down the makeup items and steps she needed. After pondering for a while, she put the notebook back in its place.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Mei Sheng picked up the embroidery from the corner and put it in her hand. She then called the person in and asked what it was about.

Upon seeing her, Tang Yun, who hadn't shown her face for several days, immediately burst into tears, feeling guilty: "Miss, how are you feeling?"

Mei Sheng noticed that Tang Yun seemed a little hesitant as she walked, and he was puzzled. He asked the other servants and maids over the past two days, but none of them said they had seen Tang Yun go anywhere.

Upon looking at her, Mei Sheng frowned: "I'm much better now, so don't worry. Are you feeling unwell?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Yun paused for a moment, then quickly waved her hand and said, "Miss, I'm fine. It was the envoy who caught a cold that day, and I felt really bad about it."

As she spoke, she carefully examined Mei Sheng's complexion and saw that Mei Sheng was not as pale as she had been that day. Instead, she had a slightly rosy complexion and was full of vitality.

She was surprised; the hot spring medicinal bath at Yuquan Mountain Villa really worked. After just one soak, she looked much more energetic.

Mei Sheng comforted her for a while, then reached for the small bronze mirror on the dressing table.

Tang Yun was quick-witted and hurriedly handed it to her, but she must have bumped into something in her clumsiness just now, because she couldn't help but gasp.

Seeing this, Mei Sheng took the small bronze mirror, vaguely understanding something in her heart. She got up and rummaged through the cabinet, and when she found the small white jade bottle, she handed it to Tang Yun.

"This medicine works well, go and apply it. You should rest today."

"Also, I took a portion of your favorite fish with me when I left; it should be in the kitchen now."

Tang Yun, who was baring her teeth in a grimace, suddenly looked up. The usually lively girl seemed to have changed, her eyes narrowing sweetly: "Thank you, young lady."

The next day, the two went out through a side door and headed towards a thriving rouge shop on Yanping Street.

Mei Sheng was still wearing a blue cotton coat and skirt, and a heavy veil to cover her face.

The streets were as bustling as ever. Seeing Tang Yun eyeing the snacks all the way, he stopped and bought some candied hawthorns and other sweets for her. Tang Yun immediately smiled.

When they found the entrance to the rouge shop, the two went up the steps. As they walked, Tang Yun turned her head and told her some interesting stories about the mansion. Before she knew it, she bumped into someone.

When Mei Sheng caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye, he wanted to warn her, but it was too late. So he could only support her arm to prevent her from falling to the ground and getting hurt again.

After regaining her composure, the woman opposite her gripped her handkerchief, glared at him, and angrily demanded, "How do you walk? Are you blind?!"

The woman continued her unreasonable rant, her language becoming increasingly vulgar. Mei Sheng frowned. Although Tang Yun was at fault for not watching where she was going, this woman had run into her head-on and was now turning around and blaming her.

"Oh no! This is my family heirloom! Pay up quickly!" She somehow pulled a jade pendant from her waist. The pendant shattered in two, leaving only a pendant, which was gleaming brightly in the daylight.

Tang Yun, unfazed, whispered in her ear, "This is probably a scam." They hadn't even touched each other's waists, and the woman hadn't fallen to the ground, so how could the jade have shattered?

She could tell at a glance that the jade was a fake.

Mei Sheng naturally knew what Tang Yun was talking about, but her gaze lingered on the pendant for a moment before she stepped forward and said in a calm tone, "What happened just now, no one is a fool. Who is real and who is fake can be found out with a simple examination."

As Mei Sheng approached, her aura suddenly changed, becoming exceptionally sharp. She stared directly at the unfamiliar woman: "I wonder if this young lady dares to test me?"

Diagonally opposite the rouge shop was a shop selling gold, jade, and gemstones. Although Mei Sheng had never been there, she had heard of the shop and imagined that it must have some experienced appraisers.

The woman took two steps back, looking slightly flustered. Her lips twitched, but before she could speak, Mei Sheng interrupted her: "Your jade pendant is ordinary and useless. However, we were also caught off guard today, so we probably made some mistakes."

"Tang Yun, give her the money."

Tang Yun pouted, but still took out a small coin from her purse and handed it to the woman before she could exchange it for the broken jade pendant.

After the woman grabbed the silver and fled in panic, Tang Yun asked in confusion, "Miss, why did you fall for her trick?"

Mei Sheng had already prepared her explanation and sighed slightly: "Seeing that she was dressed in shabby clothes, smelled strongly of medicine, and had a sallow complexion, I'm afraid she was in dire need of medicine at home, which is why she did this."

Seeing this, Tang Yun was somewhat worried: "Miss is really kind, but I don't know if that person can understand."

Mei Sheng smiled, seemingly unconcerned, and put the jade pendant into her purse.

The rouge shop was full of young ladies. As soon as they entered, a brightly dressed maidservant hurriedly greeted them. Upon seeing the two women's simple attire, her smile vanished: "Ladies, what kind of rouge would you like...?"

Before she could finish introducing herself, Mei Sheng shook her head, indicating that she could choose for herself and didn't need an introduction.

Seeing this, the man only offered a few words of advice before going to greet the other pilgrims.

Tang Yun wasn't particularly fond of rouge, so she waited at the door, occasionally eating some of the pastries displayed there that were meant to attract young ladies.

Mei Sheng scanned the various colors of rouge on the sandalwood display case, and when she saw the last one, her face immediately showed disappointment: "Are there any other colors?"

Wu, the lady from the rouge shop, looked up in response: "What kind of rouge does this young lady want? Could you describe it?"

Mei Sheng voiced the colors in her mind, and Madam Wu was surprised but didn't show it much: "Miss, those are all old styles, they're all stored in the storeroom."

After saying that, he instructed the little maid beside him. The little maid rolled her eyes and muttered, "Who still uses that old style? It's so outdated."

Upon hearing this, Madam Wu's face darkened slightly, and she reprimanded the maidservant. The maidservant, scolded, stopped talking and soon brought out the old-fashioned items.

Madam Wu gave Mei Sheng a discount on the rouge and face powder she needed, and also gave her some small gifts, before happily seeing them off.

Mei Sheng sighed inwardly, "No wonder it's the busiest shop on this street; their words and actions are truly exceptional."

Finally, after exchanging money for rouge, he had spent all of his two months' salary.

After leaving the rouge shop with Tang Yun, they learned that Tang Yun had nothing else to buy, so the two returned to the Pei residence.

In the past few days, Mei Sheng has not been leaving the mansion every day. Occasionally, she pretends to go to Pei Jue's room to sweep and wipe, or uses the excuse of making clothes for Pei Jue to visit the embroidery shop.

Or perhaps they would take the food to ask the servant in Pei Jue's study when he would return, without any intention of urging him.

After her fifth failure, Mei Sheng calmly looked in the mirror. The mirror reflected an ordinary-looking man, but upon closer inspection, it was clear that he was a woman.

These days, she often secretly studies the makeup techniques she remembers. Women's makeup is relatively easy to do, but for some reason, she just can't grasp the essence of men's makeup.

After three days, Mei Sheng felt increasingly restless. Before she could even wipe the makeup off her face with the damp towel in her hand, she heard Tang Yun's joyful shouts from afar.

"Miss, the master is back!" The voice came before he arrived, but it was not a joyous occasion.

He placed the rouge in his makeup box and carefully considered whether anything unusual had happened recently.

Mei Sheng pondered for a while, then got up, pushed open the door, and handed Tang Yun a bowl of hot tea. She planned to go with Tang Yun to Pei Jue's place once Tang Yun had recovered.

Having pretended to care about him for so long, she would definitely welcome Pei Jue back.

She had just stepped out when she remembered something and went back to retrieve something. It wasn't until she saw the man that she took a closer look. Half a month had passed, but his appearance hadn't changed; he still maintained his dignified and composed demeanor.

Mei Sheng suddenly felt that Heaven was being unfair. This person was clearly approaching thirty, but in the past few months, he seemed to have just reached adulthood, which was completely out of character for his age. He wondered what he must have looked like when he was young.

Pei Jue was also looking at the woman he hadn't seen for many days. Perhaps because he had allowed her to leave the manor, her face still had a rosy glow under the autumn wind, like an autumn fruit.

Thinking of this, he took two steps forward and said in a friendly tone, "The weather is getting colder and colder, don't wait for me outside next time."

As the autumn rain brought a chill, Mei Sheng knew this and nodded, returning to the house with him. As soon as they entered, they felt a surge of warmth.

Mei Sheng presented a cup of fine Biluochun tea, its color rich and its aroma permeating the air; one whiff was enough to tell it was a superior tea.

Pei Jue took the teacup with one hand, skimming off the foam, and asked unhurriedly, "Have you prepared autumn clothes for me?"

Mei Sheng was hanging up his outer garment when she heard this, her fingers paused, her breath caught in her throat, and she only came to her senses after a moment. She smiled at him and said, "It was only recently prepared. You and I are truly of one mind."

He had just returned and hadn't even spoken to anyone yet, but he already knew so much. He must have simply sent someone to keep an eye on her every move.

Mei Sheng thought to herself: Didn't they already know? Why are they reacting so strongly? Wasn't Tang Yun the messenger between the two of them? She thought that after the manor incident, Tang Yun wouldn't relay messages anymore, but she never expected...

Pei Jue sipped his tea and watched as Mei Sheng accurately took a handful of clothes from the wardrobe. He felt a sense of relief and said gently, "You're so thoughtful."

Suddenly, he changed the subject, his expression unchanged, but his eyes held a smile: "You are now more familiar with my house than I am."

Knowing that he was joking about taking clothes from the closet, and that there might not have been any other meaning in his words, Mei Sheng subconsciously felt that he was warning her not to have any ulterior motives.

He will watch over her forever.

The moment this inexplicable thought appeared, it loomed over Mei Sheng's mind like a shadow, and her whole body tensed up unconsciously.

Pei Jue glanced at her and knew what she was thinking. He didn't explain much and let her ponder on her own. If she didn't react this way, she wouldn't be herself.

Then Han Zhou was brought in, and he was asked about matters concerning the manor and the south.

Upon hearing this, Mei Sheng frowned slightly, her mind racing. She had never discussed these private matters with her before, so why was she being asked to listen now?

In a short while, Mei Sheng realized the key point and understood that if she had any other ideas in the next half month, there would definitely be a lot of trouble when Pei Jue returned.

But when she went out, she mostly used the pretext of working for Pei Jue. Whether it was openly or secretly, others didn't know what she was thinking, but they did know where she was.

Now that the clothes she casually asked about are still there, she will no longer ask about her leaving the manor.

Besides, her every move was already under his watchful eye.

Mei Sheng's heart was truly at ease. These past few days, she had been pretending to be a devoted lover waiting for her sweetheart in front of Tang Yun, and it had indeed worked.

"Wan'er, come south with me."