Chapter 570 Mid-Autumn Flower Appreciation Banquet
With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, Li San Niang was given a three-day holiday, but the clinic didn't need her to stay and work.
Because she and Tang Mingyue had been on duty for several holidays last year, Li San Niang and Tang Mingyue were assigned to rest on several holidays this year, leaving Old Doctor Li and Doctor Cui on duty in the clinic.
The Song family's Mid-Autumn Festival flower viewing banquet was scheduled for August 14th, the day before the Mid-Autumn Festival on the 15th of August.
This morning, Li San Niang was urged to get up by her mother knocking on the door early in the morning. She wanted to stay in bed and sleep a little longer, but her mother wouldn't let her have her way. In the end, her mother had the upper hand, and Li San Niang had no choice but to get up from her comfortable bed.
Little Dewdrop, however, was completely unaffected by Li's mother's incessant knocking on the door and continued to sleep soundly.
Li San Niang tiptoed out of bed, put on her clothes, and opened the door. Li's mother was waiting outside, with a bucket of still-steaming hot water at her feet.
"Hurry up and clean your face."
"Once you're done, I can help you with your makeup. You need to look your best when you visit someone's house today."
Li San Niang had no right to object and could only let her mother do as she pleased.
In fact, Li San Niang was quite ordinary-looking. The only difference was that she had never suffered since childhood and was a female doctor, which gave her a unique and distinctive air.
But in Li's mother's eyes, her daughter was still very pretty and charming as long as she dressed up properly.
In her previous life, Li San Niang was just an ordinary-looking person. She accepted her appearance in this life well. After all, beauties are one in a million, and the general public are still just ordinary people.
After Li San Niang's mother had put the flower hairpin in her hair, Lu Zhu'er also got up from the bed, still half asleep.
The baby who has just woken up is the cutest. Li San Niang picked up Lu Zhu'er and held her close, giving her a big kiss on the forehead.
"My dearest child, are you sleeping well?"
"Come on, get up. Your grandma is going to give Dewdrop a pretty hairstyle today."
Dewdrop was a young girl who loved beauty. Upon hearing this, the sleepiness in her eyes vanished instantly. She smiled sweetly at Li's mother, who was standing in front of the bronze mirror, and called out to her in a coquettish voice, "Grandma."
Li's mother's heart was instantly melted by Lu Zhu'er's cry of "Daughter." Then, Li's mother dressed Lu Zhu'er up nicely, not only styling her hair in a beautiful way, but also tying on a hair ribbon that Li San Niang had bought earlier, which matched the color of Lu Zhu'er's new clothes. She also put a silver bracelet with bells on Lu Zhu'er's head, and even hung a necklace around her neck.
"When did Mother buy this necklace? It's so beautiful, the pearls look so perfect."
After giving Lu Zhu a good look, Li's mother answered Li San Niang's question: "It was among the gifts that Fang Langjun sent during the Mid-Autumn Festival."
I saw it when I was counting it, and I thought it must have been given to Lu Zhu by Fang Langjun.
"Today you're taking her to a banquet at the home of someone of such high social standing, whose members are all probably of much higher status than us commoners. If you don't dress her up nicely, she'll be looked down upon even more."
Li San Niang naturally didn't think there was anything to look down on, but watching from the side, she did think that her little girl looked good wearing it. "If Mother hadn't mentioned this, I would have forgotten that Fang Langjun once gave Lu Zhu'er a string of pearl bracelets."
"But that one is a bit too big. When Dewdrop is ten years older, she should be able to wear it."
Li San Niang initially had no intention of taking Lu Zhu'er to the banquet at the Song family's house, and she herself didn't really want to go.
Attending a banquet at the Song family's house would at most mean eating and drinking, and perhaps getting a glimpse of the wealthy family's garden.
But Li San Niang had been to the Liang State Duke's Mansion before. It was estimated that, apart from the gardens in the imperial palace, the garden of the Liang State Duke's Mansion was the largest and had the most varieties of flowers in the entire city of Chang'an. It was one of the top gardens in Chang'an.
Among the wealthy families of the upper class, the Song family was far inferior to the Duke's mansion, so their garden must have been just as nice.
At this time, most of the flowers to admire are chrysanthemums and osmanthus. Li San Niang didn't know much about them, but she thought that the flowers with a strong fragrance, bright colors, and large blooms were the best.
Therefore, Li San Niang thought that instead of spending the time and energy going to the banquet, it would be better to stay at home and spend time with Lu Zhu'er, Li's mother, and Li's sister-in-law.
If you have time, you can also learn acupuncture from Dr. Liang and the young boys from Shaoyang.
Otherwise, Li San Niang could also prepare exam papers for the students at the midwifery school, or grade the previous exam papers.
It can also compile reports on the age, physical condition, and number of viable deliveries of pregnant women...
In short, there are many things you can do, and they are all more useful and practical than attending a flower viewing party.
However, appropriate social interaction is very necessary for people living in this world.
If you just want to be a pure person, there are only two possibilities: either you are in a high position of power and can directly say what you don't want to do, and everyone has to act according to your whims; or you are exceptionally talented, and those in power are willing to put up with your temper, as long as you can bring them benefits, they don't care whether you are social or not.
However, Li San Niang was neither the first nor the second; she was merely a female doctor with a slight reputation.
Therefore, this necessary social interaction is absolutely essential.
Furthermore, Li San Niang had previously received a text message from Gao Ya Hui, a young woman who was very close to her, sent by a servant to the Li family, saying that she wanted to come to the Li family during the Mid-Autumn Festival to talk to Li San Niang.
In her letter, Gao Yahui mentioned that she would be attending the Song family's flower-viewing banquet on August 14th, accompanied by her sister-in-law, who had just finished her postpartum confinement period.
The original words were: "Where do I want to go?"
Even now, after listening to Third Sister's advice, I have lost some weight and you can already see that I have a waistline.
But even if I became skin and bones, those women probably still wouldn't like me.
Why should I bother with their cold shoulders? I'd rather have a chat with Third Sister.
I didn't want to go, but my sister-in-law and brother wouldn't allow it.
My sister-in-law said I'm of marriageable age, and I'm definitely going to this flower-viewing banquet. Who knows, some lady might take a fancy to me and want to marry me.
Li San Niang hadn't expected that she and Gao Ya Hui were going to the same banquet, but after thinking about it, she understood.
That's right. These upper-class families are all connected by marriage, so who doesn't know who?
If one family hosts a flower-viewing banquet, they must send invitations to dozens of other families. Therefore, it is quite normal that Li San Niang and Gao Ya Hui attended the same banquet.
Li San Niang naturally wrote back, informing Gao Ya Hui that she would also be going. Gao Ya Hui was delighted and sent a servant to deliver the reply that same day, saying only, "Then I will ask my sister-in-law to come and pick up San Niangzi and Lu Zhu'er."
Li San Niang recalled that when she went to the Qian family to attend Qian Xiaolang's birthday banquet last time (Chapter 500), Lu Zhu'er had a lot of fun playing with other young ladies and gentlemen of the same age. She thought that since Lu Zhu'er liked it, she should take her along this time. Perhaps the Qian family's wife would also take Qian Xiaolang to the Song family's flower viewing banquet.
Thus, Li San Niang decided to take Lu Zhu'er to the Song family banquet, which led to Li's mother urging Li San Niang to dress up and make Lu Zhu'er look beautiful early in the morning.
After getting ready, Li San Niang took Lu Zhu'er to visit Li Da Sao's courtyard. Lu Zhu'er, being a lover of beauty, listened attentively to Li Da Sao's endless praise of her, and then bowed and thanked her with satisfaction.
"You must keep a close eye on Dewdrop. When a family like that holds a banquet, they will surely invite people of high status. There might even be a princess or a county princess. Be careful and don't let Dewdrop out of your sight."
Furthermore, if you have no intention of remarrying, you should stay away from those young men who frequent the garden. You are now a female doctor with a small reputation; who knows if there might be people secretly looking down on you, or even resenting you, and trying to trip you up or set traps for you.”
After giving Li Dasao some careful instructions, she finally let Li Sanniang leave.
Mother Li also made some pancakes for Li San Niang and Lu Zhu'er to eat, so that they wouldn't be starving before they even arrived at the banquet at the other person's house.
After all this commotion, it was time for Gao Ya Hui to come to the Li family to pick up Li San Niang and Lu Zhu'er, as she had said earlier. Gao Ya Hui was very punctual; she and her sister-in-law arrived at the Li family's gate in a carriage before the appointed time.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com