Full Moon
Qingmo helped her sit down in front of the dressing table and gently combed her hair with a comb.
Of all the people who served her closely on a daily basis, besides Granny Qin, Qingmo was the most skillful. She could create an exquisite hairstyle in just a few moments. Qingmo's fingers flew, and in no time, she loosely coiled a strand of hair into a flowing cloud bun and tucked it behind her ear. The rest of her black hair fell smoothly over her shoulders and neck, making her skin in the mirror appear even whiter than snow.
Qingmo then took out two pairs of earrings for Lin Xu to choose from. Today, she was wearing a moon-white long dress with a front opening, so she chose a pair of lustrous pearl double earrings. However, when a strand of hair was lifted from her ear, Lin Xu couldn't help but blush.
On her neck and around her ears, faint pinkish marks could still be seen. Dou Yanxun last night... he really went too far. Although Qingmo acted with composure, she was still just a young girl who hadn't experienced much intimacy. She pursed her lips slightly, but couldn't help but secretly observe Lin Xu's expression.
Even though Lin Xu tried to cover up the hickeys with a powder made from white aconite and pearl powder, she could never completely conceal them. If she were to pay her respects to Madam Bai today with this appearance, who knows what kind of trouble it would cause.
Lin Xu couldn't help but sigh softly, realizing that she would have to stay home all day. She then asked Granny Qin to inform the main courtyard where Madam Bai was staying, saying that she had returned home late last night and was feeling unwell, and asked Madam Bai for her understanding.
Counting the days, there are still half a month left before Dou Yanxun officially takes office, and there are still many things in the villa that need to be packed.
Lin Xu naturally went with him. The huge villa had dozens of servants. Dou Yanxun was originally indifferent by nature and did not have any particularly close servants or maids. Only Nongyu could be considered his confidante. The rest of them now obeyed Lin Xu.
Since that's the case, then the accompanying personnel, the items to be moved, and the luggage all need to be carefully sorted out. After a simple breakfast, Lin Xu began to order the servants to organize things in the storeroom, and she spent the whole day holding the list in her hand, reviewing it one by one.
Several more days passed quickly. As the summer days grew longer, and the pomegranate trees in the villa were in full bloom, they finally finished packing their belongings for moving to Laining and for their trip back to the Lin family the next day.
That day, Lin Xu was sitting in the pavilion next to the rockery, drinking tea and enjoying the cool air, when Zhu Ling led a rather unfamiliar maid forward and bowed respectfully.
Lin Xu took a closer look and recognized the maid as the one who usually served Feng Daizhu. Sometimes, Feng Daizhu would take her along during the morning and evening greetings. Today was the one-month celebration for Feng Daizhu's newborn, and the time hadn't come yet. Could this maid have come to ask for her help?
Sure enough, the little maidservant lowered her head, looking very respectful, and said cautiously, "Greetings, Second Madam. The Old Madam is currently with my Madam. She said that the guests will be arriving soon. If Madam is not busy, please come and help her."
Lin Xu smiled knowingly, then simply put on a sandalwood-colored gauze shawl, and instructed Rong Wei to fetch the congratulatory gift she had prepared earlier. Soon, the master and servant arrived at Lingbo Garden, where Feng Daizhu lived.
As we walked slowly from the detached courtyard to the main courtyard, we found it decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, already adorned in a festive manner.
As soon as they entered, they saw a lively scene. Madam Bai, Aunt Guo, and the two sisters Dou Zhen and Dou Chu had already arrived. Dou Huaisheng and his son were still on duty. Since the guests had not yet arrived, the servants were busy arranging and cleaning, and a few women were sitting together chatting.
After Lin Xu greeted Madam Bai, Madam Bai, who was dressed very solemnly today because of the happy occasion in the family, wore a gold-threaded cloud-patterned headband, a loose crimson robe with dark pine flower patterns, and held a string of sandalwood prayer beads in her hand. When she saw Lin Xu arrive, she simply nodded and then turned back to talk to Aunt Guo.
Lin Xu knew that Bai was angry.
Ever since Dou Yanxun received his transfer order, Bai Shi had been harboring resentment for a long time without being able to vent it. The day after she attended the banquet at the palace, in order to cover up the hickey, she pretended to be sick and did not go to pay her respects to Bai Shi. Later, Qin Mama returned and said that Bai Shi did not even lift her eyelids when she heard this, but just coldly drank her tea. However, before Aunt Guo took her leave, she smashed the teacup in her hand, which was her favorite Yue ware porcelain with bamboo leaf patterns, on the ground, which frightened Dou Chu so much that she immediately burst into tears.
In the days that followed, even though Lin Xu was very respectful in her daily morning and evening greetings and left very early, Bai Shi often left her standing aside.
Dou Yanzhou was the eldest son of the Dou family and was raised by the Bai family since childhood. The best tutors were hired to teach him in the mansion from a young age, and he later entered the Mujing Martial Arts School. It can be seen that the Bai family had always intended to cultivate him into a person with both literary and martial talents and a promising future.
Dou Yanxun was usually carefree and dissolute in public, and Bai Shi had always secretly cursed him for bringing shame to the Dou family. Bai Shi felt that she had entered officialdom by relying on the Dou family, and that Dou Yanzhou had pulled strings for her through her old friends, which was how she got to where she was today. Now, however, he had surpassed her own son, and naturally, she became more and more resentful.
Lin Xu was well aware that Bai believed the Lin family must have exerted considerable effort behind the scenes to promote the unknown Dou Yanxun to county magistrate, especially under Bai's strict daily supervision.
Lin Xu felt wronged, but she knew that Bai Shi was not someone who could be easily dismissed. So she could only serve her even more carefully every day.
After entering the hall, everyone watched Bai Shi's expression. Aunt Guo was timid and naturally dared not speak to Lin Xu, so she just spoke to Bai Shi in a low voice.
Dou Chu, on the other hand, sat quietly on the carved stool, eating milk candy. After a while, she got bored, her dark, bright pupils darted around, and she got up and ran to Lin Xu's side.
"Second sister-in-law."
Dou Chu recently celebrated his birthday and is now ten years old.
She was wearing a pale yellow ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), the skirt of which was light and airy. She wore a light blue gauze shawl over it, with delicate plum blossoms embroidered on the cuffs. However, Dou Chu had grown quite a bit taller after the New Year, and the ruqun had probably been worn for a long time. Not only had the plum blossoms on the cuffs faded slightly, but the skirt was also a bit short.
Dou Chu was an illegitimate daughter, raised by Aunt Guo since childhood. Naturally, she couldn't compare to Dou Zhen, the legitimate daughter, who lived a life of luxury and elegance. Lin Xu then recalled the exquisite dresses Dou Zhen wore every day, all made of the finest silk, soft, delicate, and extremely comfortable.
Dou Chu, however, was only wearing a slightly worn cotton ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress).
Dou Chu had no idea that Lin Xu was thinking about so many things at once. She just blinked her big, black grape-like eyes and looked at Lin Xu very seriously, as if she were a little fascinated.
Lin Xu couldn't help but chuckle at her intense gaze, and then gently tapped Dou Chu's nose with his index finger.
"Fifth Miss, what are you looking at?"
Dou Chu then seemed to realize what was happening. She stuck out her tongue, lowered her head somewhat embarrassed, and then whispered:
"Ah Chu just thinks that her second sister-in-law is so beautiful. As beautiful as a person in a painting..."
Lin Xu couldn't help but chuckle at her words, so he reached out and stroked Dou Zhen's hair. Today, her hair was tied into two buns, with only a crescent-white pearl flower in her hair. Although she had grown much taller than before, her face still looked childish.
Aunt Guo usually kept Dou Chu by her side, but whenever they met, she would only give a brief greeting and leave. This was the first time Dou Chu had secretly come to speak to her. Lin Xu saw this and couldn't help but feel a little soft-hearted, so she bent down and softened her tone, saying:
"Achu is still young, so naturally she thinks everyone is beautiful. Our Achu is also very pretty, and she will definitely be very beautiful and charming when she grows up."
Dou Chu listened attentively, her eyes brightening instantly. She seemed surprised, "Really? Will A-Chu be as beautiful as Second Sister-in-law when she grows up?"
Being a child, he couldn't help but raise his voice when excited. Bai Shi slowly sipped his tea, and just as he was about to put down his teacup, he heard Dou Chu's voice from the corner.
Aunt Guo turned around and her expression froze slightly. She saw that although Bai Shi did not speak, she also stopped talking, and her eyes gradually sharpened, as if she was listening quietly to Dou Chu's words.
Lin Xu was so focused on the glint in Dou Chu's eyes that she didn't notice that almost everyone in the hall was staring at her.
She had never had any sisters and was always the only daughter in her family. Although Dou Chu called her sister-in-law in name, her words and actions were very cute, so Lin Xu treated her with some affection as if she were a younger sister.
Dou Chu blinked and thought for a moment, but then, as if suddenly remembering something, her previously bright and cheerful expression involuntarily dimmed, and she muttered softly:
"...But Mother always tells Ah Chu that girls shouldn't focus on being so pretty, but rather on being virtuous and talented like the Third Miss, and cultivating the demeanor of a well-bred lady. She says that being pretty alone is useless; if you don't work hard, you'll just become a laughingstock... Ah Chu doesn't want to be a fool... Mother says fools can't get married..."
Lin Xu's outstretched hand, which was about to soothe Dou Chu's forehead, froze in mid-air.
Dou Chu was unaware of what had happened. She only felt that everything around her had quieted down. When she turned around, she saw Aunt Guo and Madam Bai sitting on the brocade kang (heated brick bed), both looking at her with strange expressions.
Aunt Guo took a breath, breaking the silence, and chuckled as she beckoned to Dou Chu, "Chu, come here quickly. Weren't you just sitting here eating candy? Your milk candy was specially prepared for you by your sister-in-law. Have you finished it all?"
After saying that, Aunt Guo looked at Lin Xu with a slightly embarrassed smile and smiled gently, "The second wife is always the most proper and beautiful. The sun is shining brightly today, come and sit down and have some tea. This newly harvested pre-rain Longjing tea is just right for drinking."
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