Chapter 4 The Scumbag Comes to Your Door
Chapter 4
She woke up at one o'clock the next morning, around seven. She'd slept for eight or nine hours straight, the first full night of sleep she'd had in ages. In her later life, she was a very hardworking and dedicated person, usually reducing her sleep time to the minimum necessary for normal needs; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to make it in their industry.
As soon as she got up, Bing Mo led the maids in carrying toiletries.
The people here use willow branches dipped in green salt for washing, which Lu Songli is a little uncomfortable with.
Bing Mo was serving her by the side. Seeing that her face had a rosy complexion from a good sleep, he finally felt relieved.
Lu Songli stared at herself in the bronze mirror. She originally had a standard oval face with evenly proportioned facial features and soft facial lines. She had a very beautiful bone structure and a light complexion, and her temperament was rather cool and gentle.
She likes her looks, and her light-colored features are subtle and non-aggressive. She has a proactive personality, so she doesn't need an aggressive look, such as a strong-colored look, which would be detrimental to her career and would make her rivals of the same sex subconsciously wary of her.
The face in the mirror before her was about 70% similar to her original appearance, except that her complexion was paler and bloodless. Her hair was thicker, perhaps because she had been too concerned about her hair in her later life and it had fallen out.
Breakfast consisted of meat patties and meat soup, a bowl of thick, smooth millet porridge, and a cup of milk. Lü Songli recalls this breakfast as quite refined, unlike the later delicacies of steamed buns, dumplings, tofu soup, and the like. The Dali Dynasty was close to the Later Han Dynasty, and its dietary standards and productivity were comparable to those of the Wei, Jin, and early Sui dynasties, making it a parallel universe.
For breakfast, Lu Songli only ate half a meat pie, half a bowl of meat soup, and drank only two sips of milk, which was too strong to drink. However, she finished all the millet porridge. She knew that the remaining food would be shared by the maids in the courtyard and would not be wasted.
After breakfast, she walked around in the yard to help digest the food.
In the early morning of October, the wind is cool and the sun is warm. Servants are sweeping up the yellowed and fallen leaves in the Xiaofeng courtyard. The sunlight shines on their bodies, warm but not scorching.
The Lu family's courtyard house, with four entrances and a garden, was a gift from the emperor. Her parents lived in the main courtyard, and her two brothers chose the northwest courtyard, leaving the northeast courtyard with the best views and sunlight for her.
Her courtyard was quite large. The sight of this beautifully maintained garden, filled with all sorts of flowers and plants, was enough to make one linger. Even the townhouse she'd spent a fortune on couldn't compare to this, not to mention the fact that the entire Lu family compound was nestled in the land-scarce Chang'an. The thought of this made her feel refreshed. She was a winner in life; all her other troubles seemed minor by comparison.
Lu Songli had just stretched her muscles when someone from the main courtyard came to say that the eldest lady of the Xie family had come to visit her with gifts, and Xie Zhan had also come. Her father and mother asked her to go to the front yard.
Okay, let’s get going. We must struggle wherever we are. As long as we live, we must struggle.
In the flower hall where the Lu family received guests, because today was not a big court day, Lu Desheng did not have to attend the morning court, so the three members of the Lu family met with Xie's mother and son together.
After the two parties sat down, using the morning light, Lu Songli carefully looked at Xie Zhan from head to toe. When she first came through last night, she must have been in the water for too long, so water got into her eyes and everything was blurry. In addition, the light was poor last night, so everything was blurry.
Xie Zhan's appearance was undoubtedly handsome, with a full forehead, sharp eyebrows, deep, piercing eyes, a high nose bridge, and a jawline as smooth as a divine sword and a sharp, angular figure, making him unforgettable. Coupled with his tall stature, perhaps due to his background in aristocracy, as the saying goes, "the environment changes the spirit and the body changes the environment," he exuded an air of nobility. Standing with a fan in hand, he exuded the air of a dignified and modest gentleman.
No wonder, she thought, that marriageable young women in the capital flocked to him. If the original owner hadn't been engaged to him, the Xie family's door would have been broken down by Beijing's matchmakers. Even if he had been engaged, he was still the young man most wanted to marry by the girls in Chang'an.
After the servants served tea, Madam Xie took Lu Songli's hand and first took care of her body. Then she said with pity, "I heard about what happened last night. Who would have thought such an accident would happen? Ah Li suffered a lot yesterday."
Lu Songli lowered her head slightly, acting as obediently as the original owner, but she said silently in her heart that this was destined.
"Alas! The ones most affected by this matter are the Zhao family's daughter and Xiaoli. I don't know which gossip spread yesterday's incident, and the rumors have become particularly harsh. After the Zhao family's daughter found out, she cried uncontrollably at home. Madam Zhao came to the Xie family early in the morning to ask us for a decision, but we don't have any ideas."
Lu Songli felt amused. She thought that most of the harsh words were directed at Zhao Yutan, and there probably weren't as many people talking about her.
The three members of the Lu family didn't respond. But they all heard that Madam Xie's words were full of hidden meanings, as if she was testing something.
The three members of the Lu family didn't say anything, and Madam Xie felt a little embarrassed.
"If the Zhao family doesn't ask the Qin family for advice, why should they ask your Xie family for advice?" Lu Desheng asked in a neither soft nor hard tone.
Mrs. Lu: "Yes, what does the Zhao family mean by this?"
Madam Xie: "This - last night, Ah Zhan saved the eldest daughter of the Zhao family. The Zhao family hopes that Ah Zhan will marry her to quell the rumors."
Lu Songli sighed. "Aren't the Zhao family being too hasty?" She couldn't believe how strong the rumor could be after just one night. Now, the truth has finally been revealed, right?
Mrs. Lu said bluntly, "No, this Zhao family is too shameless, isn't it? Xie Zhan saved her, why is she still relying on him?"
Lu Desheng asked, "So what are your Xie family's plans?"
The Xie family still had some dignity and said vaguely, "This matter mainly depends on the woman's side. The girl's reputation is at stake. If it's not handled properly, the Zhao family's eldest lady and Ah Li will be gossiped about forever in the future."
Seeing what she said, "So, according to you, Madam, your Xie family doesn't mind what happened last night at all?"
Mrs. Xie looked embarrassed. "This happened for a reason. I also know that Ah Li is innocent."
Upon hearing this, Lu Desheng and his wife relaxed their expressions. There must be a reason for this! What's wrong with a little physical contact when saving someone? It's not like they were hugging each other for no reason. And his daughter, Ah Li, is indeed innocent!
Jiang: "It's fine as long as the Xie family doesn't mind what happened last night. Our marriage remains unchanged. If the Zhao family wants to rely on us, then we'll be your mistress!"
Lu Songli thought it was absurd. Could a marriage be so fraught with upheaval just because of the physical contact involved in rescuing someone? But then she thought of the stories and plays she'd heard before, where a wealthy young lady fell into the water and was rescued by a beggar. She either bit the beggar to admit her guilt or had to enter a temple to practice Buddhism. She couldn't help but complain.
Mrs. Jiang's words made Mrs. Xie choke, and then she changed the subject, "But considering the possible long-term impact of this matter, I think we should be cautious in the marriage."
"Madam Xie, you're truly amazing. You're even the boss of both the Zhao and Qin families," Lu Desheng said sarcastically. He was furious. If he hadn't been concerned about his daughter, he would have kicked the man out long ago.
Lu Songli laughed muffledly, her father was an old Yin-Yang master.
"That's right, if you clearly mind, just say so. You're acting like a whore and trying to be a virtuous woman. I can't stand it!" Mrs. Lu also delivered a direct response.
That’s awesome! Her parents are really strong in combat.
The Lu couple's blunt words made Mrs. Xie feel very embarrassed.
Xie Zhan, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke up. "Uncle and aunt, this matter involves more than just our Xie and Lu families. Our Xie family wants us four families to find an opportunity to sit down and talk someday, to minimize the impact and resolve this matter. What do you think?"
This was quite pertinent. In addition, he was still the future son-in-law of the Lu family. Lu Desheng and his wife were concerned about their daughter and rarely refrained from arguing with him.
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