Chapter 7 007: Captivating
...
What?
Why are you trying to pick a husband for me again?
Lin Wan was speechless, and said in a soft voice, "Grandmother, Wan'er has only just arrived in the capital and is planning to properly fulfill her filial duties to you on behalf of my mother. How can you push Wan'er to someone else so soon? Besides, there is an order of seniority. How can Wan'er go over my cousin's place?"
There was no sign of her cousin's wife inside, which meant he wasn't married yet, so how could she possibly be the one to surpass him?
The others present reacted in various ways upon hearing the old lady's words. Lin Wan noticed this, took the old lady's hand, and continued, "I'm hoping to stay at home for a few more years so I can spend more time with my grandmother."
The old lady paused, then looked at her lovingly: "Silly child."
Madam Meng glanced at her, her eyes showing approval. At least she knew her manners and knew how to behave appropriately. She smiled and said, "Lin Wan is also a sensible person."
He said to Su Xuanhuai and Su Furong, "Lin Wan hasn't been to the capital for many years and is unfamiliar with the city. When you have free time, take her out for a stroll and show her the hospitality of a local."
Su Xuanhuai immediately interrupted, "I'm so busy attending court every day that my feet don't stop moving. I don't have that much time. My sister has the most free time. She's either embroidering or admiring flowers every day."
"Oh, you go to court every day? Then why do I always see you riding a horse outside every few days? You're not as busy as your father. Your father is really too busy to sit down."
Watching the two playfully bickering, Lin Wan couldn't help but smile happily. Their sibling relationship was so good, unlike her aunt's two younger sisters at home, who quarreled every day and secretly sabotaged each other.
Lin Wan smiled and said, "The capital city is really prosperous. If I need anything, I will ask you to help me."
The old lady looked at the three of them with her eyes crinkling. The house hadn't been this lively in a long time. Suddenly, her heart tightened, and she couldn't help but cough a few times.
Everyone inside rushed forward anxiously, their eyes filled with concern.
"It's nothing, just an old ailment. I'm tired too, I need to rest for a while."
Granny Zhang, who had been waiting nearby, quickly came over and carefully helped the old lady walk towards the backyard.
No sooner had the old lady left than Lin Wan's uncle appeared.
Su Shaohua looked closely at Lin Wan, whose features resembled his younger sister's, and paused slightly: "The journey has been long, you must be tired."
Lin Wan kept her father's instructions in mind and answered respectfully according to etiquette.
He took the seat of honor, drank some warm tea, asked Lin Wanxi a few questions, and then turned to Meng Shi and asked, "Have you prepared your lodgings?"
Madam Meng: "I arranged for people to prepare it early this morning. It's 'Tangli Residence' in the West Wing Garden. I specially selected several capable maids and servants to serve it, and also added a nanny to take care of it. I will go with her later. If anything is still missing, I will make sure to get it right away."
Su Shaohua nodded in agreement with Meng's decision. After sitting for a short while, he and Su Xuanhuai went out together, leaving them with the message that they didn't need to stay for dinner, as they had a banquet to attend.
At this moment, the steward outside came over and reported, "Miss Cousin's luggage has been properly arranged."
Madam Meng nodded, then turned to Lin Wan and smiled, "Go and see the courtyard I prepared for you, and see if you need anything else."
With the steward leading the way, Lin Wan followed Meng Shi lightly toward the backyard.
After leaving "Yan Gui Tang", the group turned past the marble screen, passed through the moon gate, and turned into a hanging flower gate through a covered corridor planted with dozens of green bamboos. There was another small courtyard with a sycamore tree in front of it, which was more than ten feet tall with a green canopy. Some sycamore leaves were scattered on the ground. Facing south were three small houses, with a covered corridor and side rooms next to them.
Several people were waiting obediently in the courtyard. Besides Shiliu and Nanfeng, who had come with her, there was an old nanny, two maids, and a young servant.
Madam Meng: "Lin Wan, your aunt has picked out a few people for you. Take a look and see if they are suitable?"
Lin Wan glanced at it quickly, a slight smile playing on her lips: "Aunt's arrangements are excellent. I think everything is fine."
Madam Meng led Lin Wan into the house with satisfaction, and saw that her luggage had already been placed inside.
"Thank you very much, Aunt."
“We’re all family, there’s no need for thanks.” Madam Meng gently stroked Lin Wan’s hair. “You look just like your mother when she was young, both so beautiful and radiant. I even thought I saw your mother just now.”
Lin Wan thought of her loving mother, who had been gone for a long time, and missed her dearly, her eyes reddening slightly.
As a mother herself, Meng looked at Lin Wan, who was about the same age as her own child, and knew a little about her family's situation, and felt a pang of sympathy.
Looking up at the scar on Lin Wan's cheek, the magnolia-colored face powder added to her charm, making every smile and frown captivating.
"The facial markings on your face are quite unusual. I have never seen facial markings like this in the capital. They are very exquisite and ingenious. If you don't look closely, you won't be able to tell that they are actually used to cover up scars."
There are many high-ranking officials and noble ladies in the capital, and the things they use are all of the highest quality. They have seen all kinds of rare and exotic treasures from all over the world. However, the face mask she wore was a kind of makeup that I have never seen in the capital.
Lin Wan lightly touched the scar on her cheek with her fingertip and said apologetically, "I just put it on for fun when I was bored. I thought it wouldn't be good to show my scars when I was meeting my elders today, so I simply covered it up a little."
She also mentioned that the facial was extremely simple and didn't take much time; she could do it herself every day, and thought that if Madam Meng liked it, she could try it too.
Meng said, "You're really amazing; you even know this."
Meng comforted her and told her to settle down and stay there, and to let her know if she needed anything.
"In a couple of days it will be the temple's prayer day at Cining Temple. Usually, there is a master doctor who is skilled in medicine who will practice medicine at the temple gate. I'm going to the temple to pray for blessings. Would you like to go and have a look too?"
Lin Wan agreed.
After Meng left, she looked at the several maids and servants in the courtyard, pondered for a moment, and said, "Granny Cui, you are more familiar with the affairs of the mansion, so you can guide them. Shiliu will remain the head maid, and Nanfeng will follow outside. As for the others, Granny Cui, you can handle them."
Granny Cui was a kind-hearted person. Seeing such a beautiful young girl come all this way, she couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She patted her chest and promised that she would definitely lead the maids and servants to do good deeds.
Lin Wan was finally able to properly look around the courtyard where she was staying. Although it was small, it was complete in every way, and she smiled happily.
For two days in a row, Lin Wan did not go out and rested well at home. The journey to the capital was too far, and she was almost falling apart from sitting in the carriage.
—
In a small courtyard deep within the Su family mansion, sunlight streamed in through the blue tiles on the courtyard wall, and the shadows of the paulownia trees swayed and fell into the house.
At this moment, a maid stood outside the courtyard gate and respectfully said, "Madam asked if Miss is feeling well today and invited her to go to the temple to pray for blessings."
Hearing this, Lin Wan, who had just woken up, was still in a daze. Seeing the unfamiliar room in front of her, she slowly realized that she was now in the capital. She asked Shi Liu, who had just brought in hot water for her to wash up, to go and give her a reply.
Before long, the sound of voices could be faintly heard coming from the courtyard gate through the doors and windows.
Not wanting to keep her aunt waiting, Lin Wan quickly got up and asked Shiliu to help her wash and dress.
As Shi Liu gently combed her hair, she asked, "Miss, will you still cover up your scars today?"
Lin Wan picked through the jewelry in the box—various velvet flowers, silk flowers, pearl hairpins, gold hairpins, and silver ornaments—and looked up at her charming face in the mirror: "No, this is a sacred temple; one should be sincere."
After putting on her veil, Lin Wan put it on, chose a ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) embroidered with floral branches, and went out into the sunlight.
A spacious carriage was already waiting at the gate of the Su residence, with guards on both sides.
Before long, Su Furong, arm in arm with Meng Shi, followed by Lin Wan, and the group set off in a grand procession towards the outskirts of the city.
Su Furong looked at Lin Wan, who had put her veil back on, and asked with concern, "The weather is getting warmer. Aren't you afraid of getting hot with this veil on? Will your makeup get smudged?"
Lin Wan smiled and said, "It's not good to show the scars on your face. Wearing a veil will help."
But to onlookers, the veil added to her allure, especially her eyes, which were captivating.
The carriage turned out of the alley, passed through the bustling streets, and headed towards Cining Temple on the outskirts of the city. It took about half a day to arrive.
Cining Temple is located on a mountain, and the scenery along the way is absolutely beautiful, especially now in March when the grass is growing and the birds are singing.
The mountain is not high, and the temple is built on the top of the mountain. Looking down, you can see the bustling city in the distance.
Along the winding mountain road, you can often see groups of people walking up the mountain in twos and threes.
Upon reaching the temple gate, the sunlight brightened, and the sounds of birdsong in the mountains, chanting in the temple, and conversations among the crowds all brought Lin Wan a great sense of joy.
Before getting off the carriage, Meng pointed to the bamboo shed frame on the left side of the temple gate, and could vaguely see that a long line had already formed under the frame.
"That's where the shepherd doctor practices. Do you want to come with me to the temple to pray for blessings, or do you want to go see the master to check your scars first?"
"Huh? Why are there so many people today?"
"Mother, I saw the Crown Prince!" Su Furong, who had been quiet, suddenly exclaimed excitedly.
Following Su Furong's gaze, one could see several guards protecting a tall young man in black robes in front of the temple gate, talking to the master who was seeing him off as he left the temple.
"You silly girl, have you forgotten what your father told you?" Madam Meng frowned slightly and said with displeasure, "Keep your little schemes to yourself. If your father finds out, I won't be able to help you."
Su Furong hesitated before nodding, "Mother, I remember. I only admire and respect him, and I don't have any other thoughts. There are many noble ladies in the capital, and I know my place. It's just that I haven't seen him for a long time. He helped me back then, so I just wanted to go up and say hello."
"It's good that you know. Go ahead."
Just then, Xie Huaiyuan walked over and nodded slightly from a distance. He had seen the Su family members when he came out of the temple.
Su Furong jumped down from the carriage first and quickly stepped forward: "Greetings, Your Highness."
Before long, Xie Huaiyuan and his party rode away.
After Lin Wan got off the carriage, she looked up at the bustling scene in the sunlight and was suddenly shocked and at a loss for words.
The young man riding away on horseback ahead was no different from the person who disappeared in the fire half a year ago.
Suddenly, the wind stopped, the birds fell silent, everything remained still, leaving only my wildly beating heart. My eyes suddenly reddened, and moisture slowly welled up inside them.
He whispered the name he had been tossing and turning in bed:
Lu Liangyu.
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