Chapter 36: Lipstick causes a stir

After bringing the mother and daughter back to the county government office, Tian took Zhao Lan to familiarize herself with the layout of the county government office's backyard and introduced the tasks she would be responsible for in the future.

Zhao Lan's daughter Chen Xiao stood aside timidly with her head lowered.

Xu Nian saw it and waved, and stuffed a snack into her hand.

"Eat, and live a good life here with your mother. I can't guarantee anything else, but no one will beat you or let you go hungry."

Chen Xiao nodded heavily while holding the cake in her hand. She believed what the young lady said.

There was an empty side room in the yard, which was just right for the mother and daughter to live in.

Xu Nian was still worried that Tian didn't have any jewelry, so he took Tian out again the next day.

The two of them came to a jewellery shop. Xu Nian originally wanted to have it custom made, but the shopkeeper said it would take at least three days, so in the end Xu Nian directly bought a silk hairpin with a quilted Qionghua pattern. After returning home, Tian Shi kept touching the hairpin on her head with a smile on her face.

In a blink of an eye, it was Old Lady Mei's birthday. Because Mrs. Shen had made an appointment with the three of them to go together, Xu Nian met the wife of the county magistrate, the wife of the county chancellor, and their daughter that day.

Standing next to Mrs. Shen were two young girls, the legitimate daughter Wu Ziqing and the illegitimate daughter Wu Zichi.

Mrs. Rong only brought her eldest daughter Liu Ping.

Xu Nian paid his respects to the two ladies respectively.

"I wonder why Mrs. Tian hides her daughter so well. If I had a beautiful girl, I would hide her too, haha."

Tian was naturally delighted to hear the county magistrate's wife praising her daughter so highly, but she still said modestly:

"My girl is naughty, unlike your daughter who is elegant and quiet."

Mrs. Rong felt a little embarrassed watching the two people complimenting each other, because her daughter was neither good-looking nor had a good temper.

Mrs. Shen also knew that she couldn't miss the time, so after exchanging a few words of greeting, they each got on the carriage.

Fortunately, the Fan Mansion is only two streets away from the county government office. Otherwise, Xu Nian’s clothes today were not thick enough, and the county government’s carriage was not warm enough. She was really afraid that she would be frozen to the point of snot coming out, which would make her look ridiculous.

When they arrived at the Fan Mansion, there was already an old nanny receiving female guests in front of the door. The nanny came to greet them as soon as they got off the carriage. When Xu Nian saw that Madam Shen avoided her when the nanny saluted, she knew that this might be the well-behaved nanny her mother mentioned.

Tian and Xu Nian walked at the end and followed everyone into Qingsong Hall, which was where Old Madam Mei received guests.

At this time, there were already several ladies sitting in the room.

Xu Nian followed the others to greet the guests and realized that those ladies were Mrs. Mei's niece from her mother's side, Mrs. Mei, the wife of the prefect of the prefecture, Mrs. Rong, and the wives of the teachers and instructors of the county school. It could be said that Mrs. Rong, the wife of the prefect, had the highest status and rank among them.

Xu Nian followed his mother and sat below Madam Rong, quietly listening to the ladies communicating with each other.

Tian didn't know anyone except Madam Shen and Madam Rong. Although Madam Rong was sitting next to her, she didn't look at Tian once after she sat down. Instead, she was chatting enthusiastically with Madam Mei on her left.

Seeing that Tian was looking downcast, Xu Nian pulled her sleeve gently and whispered in her ear:

"Mom, we are here to celebrate your birthday, be happy."

Tian was shocked to realize that she had lost her composure and quickly adjusted her expression to pretend to listen attentively.

Old Madam Mei, who was chatting at the table, couldn't help but nod secretly when she saw Tian, ​​who remained calm despite being ignored.

"Is this the wife of the Chief Clerk? The one sitting next to you is your daughter?"

When Tian saw that it was Old Madam Mei who was asking the question, she quickly stood up and said, "I am Tian, ​​I have met the old madam. This is my little daughter."

Xu Nian also stood up with his mother and said gracefully, "Nian'er wishes Grandma Mei good fortune as vast as the East Sea and a long life as long as the Southern Mountains."

Madam Mei laughed and said, "Your lips must be smeared with honey, little girl, they are so sweet."

Xu Nian pretended to be surprised and asked, "How did Grandma Mei know?"

Not only was Mrs. Mei stunned, but the other ladies in the room were also stunned, followed by a burst of laughter.

Madam Mei rubbed her belly and said with a smile: "Madam Tian raised a good daughter with a pure and kind nature."

Without waiting for Tian to be humble, Xu Nian pretended to be puzzled and said, "Grandma Mei, I am telling the truth. Look, I brought it to you."

Everyone looked over and saw Xu Nian holding a small porcelain box in his hand. Old Madam Mei also looked over curiously.

"This is the lip balm I made. It has the same effect as rouge petals. I applied some today."

As he said this, he pointed to his mouth, and sure enough, he saw that Xu Nian's lips were very rosy and shiny.

"Because I added honey in it, I was shocked how Grandma Mei knew it."

Xu Nian handed the porcelain box in his hand to the maid. Old Madam Mei took it and looked at it carefully. She was also shocked.

I didn't expect that the daughter of Xu Zhubo is so smart. With such a secret recipe, would she be worried about her family's financial situation?

The wife of the magistrate Rong, who was sitting below, was somewhat tempted. She was originally the daughter of a merchant, and her dowry included many shops, including two rouge shops. If she could buy the secret recipe, she would not only be able to make money but also build connections for her husband in the officialdom.

At this time, the nanny who brought them in whispered a few words into Madam Mei's ear, and then Madam Mei said happily:

"Bring it in quickly so I can see it."

It was not until he saw the nanny coming in with the bowl of cherry tomatoes that Xu Nian realized it was related to him.

Madam Mei called Xu Nian to her side, took her hand and said:

"Good boy, tell Grandma Mei what this flower is called?"

Xu Nian said embarrassedly: "Grandma Mei, this is not a flower, it is a vegetable or a fruit."

After saying that, he picked a cherry tomato and put it in his mouth. After swallowing the fruit in his mouth, he continued, "This is called a small persimmon, which means that everything will go well for you."

Old Madam Mei said "happiness" several times. Ever since she got older, she has liked things with good meanings. It can be said that Xu Nian's gift touched her heart.

She immediately asked the nanny beside her to fetch a set of Butterfly Love Flower beads.

"I wore this when I was a girl. It's perfect for a girl your age."

When Xu Nian saw that it was decorated with tiny pearls, she realized that the gift was quite expensive. She looked at her mother, not knowing whether she should accept it or not.

Madam Mei said angrily, "It is a gift from an elder, so I cannot refuse it. Take it quickly."

Xu Nian then took it and said with a smile, "Thank you, Grandma Mei."

The more Mrs. Mei looked at this girl, the more she liked her. It was a pity that she didn't have a grandson of the right age to match her.

Because it would take some time before the banquet ended, Xu Nian and other young ladies were taken to Xunfang Pavilion by maids, where Miss Fan had already prepared tea and snacks for the guests. The maids said that these were all made by Miss Fan herself.

Meanwhile, Tian, ​​whom Xu Nian was worried about, was surrounded by many other ladies who wanted to chat with her. What puzzled her even more was that the wife of the magistrate even asked her to go to Lingshan Temple to burn incense together, but she didn't know why.