Chapter 66 World Three (Seventeen)

Madam Luo has not had a peaceful life lately. Ever since Wang Shi merged the account books of the other courtyard with those of the main courtyard, her life has suddenly plummeted from heaven to mud. Wang Shi claimed that her courtyard was too extravagant and wasteful, and repeatedly reduced the number of maids and servants. Madam Luo's room suddenly became empty. Sometimes when she wanted to use a maid, she couldn't find her. The allowance was also fully controlled by Wang Shi. To buy new jewelry or a piece of cloth, she had to get Wang Shi's approval. Madam Luo had never felt the taste of living under someone else's roof like this, and she complained to the old nanny more and more often about her grievances.

It wasn't just Madam Luo who couldn't adapt to such a constrained life; the old nanny was also feeling extremely bitter.

In the past, she had dozens of maids and servants at her beck and call. In the other courtyard, she only needed to speak and many maids would swarm around her. But now, the old nanny looked at the few people scattered around the courtyard, pressed her aching waist, and regretted it: If she had known this would happen, she and Madam Luo should not have provoked the young lady with the precious fan.

The old nanny did not feel guilty about bullying the precious fan. She just regretted that she was too impatient and did not find the right opportunity, which led to her being caught by Xiao Yujing.

Seeing that Madam Luo was in a depressed mood, the old nanny tried to comfort her by saying, "Madam, why don't you go out and relax? Aren't you getting bored staying in the mansion all day?"

Although the villa was silent, Madam Luo felt a noise in her ears, as if a huge rock was lying on her chest, making her feel uncomfortable. She agreed after hearing what was said.

The old nanny subconsciously took Madam Luo to the largest ready-made clothing store in Lin'an City. The gorgeous clothes were embellished with all kinds of gold, silver and jewelry, emitting a dazzling brilliance.

This was Madam Luo's favorite place. Whenever she put on the latest clothes and looked at herself in the diamond-shaped mirror, she would vaguely feel that she was still the most favored lady in the Luo family, and not the daughter of a criminal whose father and brother were imprisoned and the entire family was raided.

Mrs. Luo's eyes fell on the most eye-catching place in the store, where there was a dress embroidered with a golden mythical bird pattern. The hem of the skirt was embroidered with large round pearls, which reflected colorful light when illuminated by the sunlight.

The clerk here was very perceptive. Seeing that Madam Luo had been staring intently for a long time, he hurried forward and said respectfully, "This is the most famous embroiderer in Suzhou. She worked day and night and spent a full three months to embroider this piece.

There were eighteen pearls on the dress, all the same size and shape."

There was a ripple in Mrs. Luo's eyes: It took a lot of effort to find so many identical pearls.

Madam Luo turned to the old nanny and said in a tender voice, "Mammy..."

Just by hearing Mrs. Luo's coquettish voice, the old nanny knew that she wanted this dress.

The old lady clenched the purse hidden in her sleeve and asked the waiter how much it cost.

The price the waiter said made the old woman's eyes widen. It took her a long while to come back to her senses. She said in a hoarse voice: "Madam, this——"

Before he could finish his words, two more people walked in from the door of the clothing store. The voice of the woman in front was soft and clear, which made people's ears numb.

Madam Luo and the old nanny turned around and saw a woman in a plain dress, with a slender figure, a waist so thin that it could be held in one hand, and graceful steps.

Bao Shan walked into the clothing store and noticed someone's eyes on her. Her mind moved slightly and she turned her head slightly to look at the burning gaze.

Seeing that it was Madam Luo and the old nanny, Baoshan understood and responded with a gentle smile.

When Madam Luo saw this situation, her heart felt like it was burning with fire and her face turned red.

In Luo Niangzi's view, Bao Shan's behavior was undoubtedly a provocation.

Driven by anger, Lady Luo wanted to step forward. She wanted to expose the hypocritical face of the treasure fan in front of everyone.

She is not a weak girl at all, but a scheming woman who is good at using tricks.

Seeing this, the old nanny quickly reached out her hand and used some skill to stop Madam Luo. If she allowed Madam Luo to cause trouble for Bao Shan in public, she would inevitably lose face for the first time.

Baoshan saw the turbulent atmosphere between the master and servant, and the smile on her face became softer. She turned around to look at the new cloth.

Baoshan had never met Madam Luo before, so he treated her as a formidable enemy.

After all, how could anyone who could move Xiao Yujing's heart be underestimated?

But apart from being spoiled and domineering, Madam Luo looked no different.

In Baoshan's opinion, being spoiled and domineering is not a shortcoming. Women in the world are like flowers, each with her own temperament and characteristics, which makes them enjoyable to admire.

Being able to make the cold-hearted Xiao Yujing obsessed with her despite having a delicate temper, that is what it means to be talented.

But when they met that day, Xiao Yujing didn't seem to be as loving and caring towards Madam Luo as the rumors said. The only difference in their treatment was probably because of the kindness of giving her food when she was young.

Since there is no affection between the two of them, Mrs. Luo is concerned about the precious fan.

He was just a stranger, not worth her time and energy.

The maidservant following Bao Shan was cautious and noticed that Bao Shan's eyes were fixed on the pieces of duck egg blue cloth. However, she glanced at the cloth woven with gold and silver threads and reminded him, "Mr. Xiao has given enough silver. If you like it, you can buy it.

This amount of money is enough to buy the fabric for half a clothing store."

The maid thought Baoshan was worried about being short of money, so she reminded her intentionally, her voice low.

But because Lady Luo had just seen Bao Shan leave, she felt unwilling to do so and followed closely behind him. The shop assistant, with sharp ears and eyes, naturally heard what he said. His eyes revealed a bit of eagerness. He pointed at the golden silk dress with a divine bird pattern hanging in the center and said loudly, "What do you think of that dress, young lady?"

Bao Shan followed the direction of his finger and saw tiny specks of light on the dress, making it seem even more extraordinary. She raised her porcelain-white face and gently opened her soft lips, "Glittering with jewels, so extraordinarily gorgeous."

The extremely soft voice and the beautiful face like a spring flower complement each other.

The waiter's face flushed, and even his words became light and airy: "A dress like this... is only suitable for a beauty like the young lady..."

Anger filled Mrs. Luo's chest, and she blurted out, "I was the one who ordered the dress first, why should I give it to her?"

The guy was confused and asked, "But you haven't decided yet, have you?"

Mrs. Luo pulled out a purse from the old nanny's sleeve and threw it at the waiter's feet: "Who said it wasn't settled? This is the deposit!"

The clerk picked up the purse on the ground and said: "In that case, the dress will be delivered to Madam Luo's house from our store. Madam Luo, please prepare the remaining silver and money."

Mrs. Luo glared at Bao Shan, who was standing timidly beside her, and replied, "Of course."

The waiter ordered someone to take the dress off and looked at Bao Shan with an apologetic look on his face: "I handled it poorly. It's a pity that there is only one dress, and the young lady cannot keep it."

Unlike Mrs. Luo's rage, Bao Shan's expression remained gentle from beginning to end. Upon hearing this, she shook her head gently and said, "Don't feel sorry. Although this dress is beautiful, I don't like it."

She pointed to a few pieces of duck egg blue cloth beside her and said softly, "Please send these to Mr. Xiao's residence."

The waiter picked up the cloth and went to the side.

Bao Shan walked up to Lady Luo and watched her face change from red to purple. She seemed to be forcing herself to endure it, and with her bare hands she adjusted the bright red crabapple blossoms between her buns, laughing softly.

"Clothes make the man, and this dress suits Miss Luo quite well.

But if you wear a gold-thread dress for a long time, it will inevitably become tacky, and it will be a shame if you can't get rid of it, right? "

As for what can't be taken off, whether it is a gorgeous dress or a tacky outfit, I believe Madam Luo can understand.

Even if Madam Luo was ignorant, the old nanny beside her could understand the meaning.

When Baoshan returned to the mansion, he heard Liu Fang, who was waiting outside the gate, say that Xiao Yujing had returned to the mansion and was probably in the pavilion beside the deep lake.

Bao Shan nodded gently upon hearing this. She didn't rush off to find Xiao Yujing, but instead returned to her side courtyard. While washing her face, she instructed her maid, "Cut off a long, thin piece of the fabric I bought today to make a headband."

The maid was quick and nimble, and quickly used needle and thread to sew a simple headband with cloud-like embroidered patterns on it.

Although the style is simple, the color is bright and beautiful, and it is also eye-catching when tied lightly at the end of the hair.

Baoshan walked towards the pavilion. The rosewood five-string pipa she brought back from Yangzhou City was still placed horizontally on the stone table.

Xiao Yujing has a dignified figure, as tall and handsome as a cypress or pine tree.

He was concentrating on the pipa on the stone table. His fingers moved slightly, touching the thin and fragile strings and plucking them softly.

A soft "ding dong" sound was heard.

A green leaf fell from the branch and slowly floated down in the center of the deep lake like catkins, creating ripples.

Baoshan stopped and called "Xiao Lang" softly.

Even though the light in the pavilion was dim and Baoshan's face could not be seen, one could still hear a hint of joy in her soft voice.

A white hand, as soft and smooth as warm jade, gently stroked the five-stringed red sandalwood pipa. The two palms were only half a finger apart. Xiao Yujing's brows furrowed slightly, and he could clearly feel the warmth of the hand.

However, Baoshan did not place her hand on his palm as Xiao Yujing had guessed.

Xiao Yujing should have been relieved that Baoshan did a good thing and knew the limits and didn't get too close to him, but he couldn't utter any words of praise and felt a faint bitterness in his chest.

The pipa was half-held in Baoshan's arms. It seemed as if it was tailor-made for Baoshan. Once it entered Baoshan's arms, it became obedient and sweet sounds came out from her slender jade fingers.

The ends of her hair, tied with a duck egg green ribbon, hang softly and neatly on Baoshan's chest. With lowered eyebrows and bare hands playing the pipa, how can Baoshan be described as gentle and beautiful?

She was wearing a simple dress, with a slight bun on her hair, dotted with a little azure light.

Just looking at the color, it doesn't look like pearls or agate, but more like broken pieces of azure gemstones. Skillful craftsmanship has been used to make the broken gemstones into head ornaments.

Xiao Yujing rarely saw Baoshan wearing brightly colored clothes, but he didn't think she was unsuitable for brightly colored clothes.

A beauty is someone who looks good with either light or heavy makeup.

Be it plain or bright colors, it will never hide that exquisitely carved face.

Bao Shan tilted her head slightly and asked softly, "What song would you like to hear, Xiao Lang?"

Xiao Yujing walked over to the treasured fan. The azure gemstones sparkled, highlighting her dark hair like clouds. The loose band at the end of her hair made her mind wander, and she couldn't help but have a charming thought: to rip the band off, and let the black hair fall like a waterfall on her chest. And the owner of the hair would undoubtedly look up in panic, with a pair of wet eyes, looking at her innocently and blankly.

Such a strange thought made Xiao Yujing slightly stunned.

He raised his palm, wanting to touch the broken gem that decorated her bun.

Baoshan misunderstood Xiao Yujing's intention, thinking that he wanted to play the pipa, so she grabbed his hand and placed it on the strings.

"Put two fingers together and pluck them gently, and that will make a tune."

Baoshan's hands are small and soft, while Xiao Yujing's are broad.

Therefore, the treasure fan could not cover Xiao Yujing's entire hand, but could only grab one or two of his fingers and hold his fingertips tightly.

With their skin close to each other, Baoshan held Xiao Yujing's hand and played a Jiangnan song.

Her eyes were clear and filled with joy: "Xiao Lang is so amazing."

Although Xiao Yujing didn't know how to play the pipa, he understood qin music and knew the rhythm of music. He knew that this was the simplest song. But Baoshan was looking at him with admiration.

He accepted the compliment.

Baoshan felt that she had taught Xiao Yujing the tune, and began to play the melody.

The soft music fell into his ears, and Xiao Yujing's eyes became clear.

But not far from the pavilion, next to the corridor, someone stopped to listen to the music, his heart was like a turbulent wave, unable to calm down.