Chapter 73 It's best if no one knows about the birthmark, and no one gets in the way. ...
Shi Wan knew this wasn't the place for idle chatter and reminiscing. Her surprise lasted only a moment before she returned to her usual self.
But... how did Hua Lan end up in this clothing shop? And why does the shop owner call her "Zhen Niang"?
Shi Wan was full of doubts, so she took the clothes and immediately pretended to be attracted, staring intently at the clothes Hua Lan was wearing. After a few breaths, she heard the shopkeeper beside her speak up, "Does Madam like this style and color? We happen to have something similar here, would you like to take a look?"
Shi Wan feigned displeasure, frowning as she said, "To be honest, I really love this short jacket. The tulip skirt paired with it looks beautiful in the early summer sunlight, shimmering like gold..." As she spoke, she finally met Hua Lan's gaze directly and asked, "Is this your...?"
Seeing this, the boss understood and said, "She's from a relative's family. She said she came here looking for work. I saw that this young lady was very pretty and caught the eye of the customers, so I thought I'd help her out and let her stay."
"Look, isn't this just what you were meant to be!"
Shi Wan smiled and waved her hand casually. "It is beautiful. Let this... young lady show me around and introduce it to me." She looked around and caught sight of Chen Yu standing outside the door. She lowered her eyes and said, "I see that your house is a small two-story attic. There are already quite a few exquisite and colorful patterns on the first floor. This second floor must be even more remarkable."
After speaking, she naturally said to the two maids beside her, "You two should also go and take a look. It's a rare trip for you. You're both young ladies, so please choose something you like." Before the two maids could refuse, she immediately turned to the shopkeeper and said, "These are all things that my master has served. Please trouble the shopkeeper to pick out two appropriate outfits for each of you."
In many wealthy families, the maids of the head of the household often represented a certain "face." Judging from her appearance and demeanor, she must have come from a wealthy family. Thinking of this, the boss's eyes lit up, and he quickly agreed, "Alright!"
Upon hearing this, the two maids who were accompanying the master were initially filled with fear, but then they obviously realized this a beat too late. After being persuaded by Shi Wan's few words, they immediately agreed with a mixture of fear and elation, and obediently followed their master away.
Chen had been told about the lady's past "great achievements," but because it was a private matter for women to change clothes, he only waited outside the door with two or three other guards who had come with him. He had glanced at the shop and found it to be very ordinary in structure. By guarding the outside, Shi Wan would not be able to escape.
On the second floor of the shop, Shi Wan relaxed when she saw that she and Hua Lan were finally alone. She asked in a low voice, "How have you been?"
Hua Lan had stayed by Shi Wan's side for a long time and witnessed her many hardships. Now, seeing her old friend again, she was filled with emotion, not to mention that the first thing Shi Wan asked her was how she was doing...
Her thoughts were suddenly pulled back to the past, and Hua Lan choked up as she said, "I'm doing well, Miss... how are you?" When she was young and just entered school, she thought everything was fine, considering the relationships between her masters. But now, several months have passed, she has experienced many things, and she has married someone else. Looking back, she is shocked to realize that it was all just a facade, and only she knows the bitterness inside.
Shi Wan was unwilling to elaborate on her relationship with Jiang Xu, and Hua Lan, being an insider, didn't pretend much, offering a wry smile as she said, "It's alright, I guess."
The husband doted on her immensely, so this was already a pretty good ending.
Seeing her like this, Hua Lan's eyes flickered slightly, and she said solemnly, "I haven't thanked you yet for your great kindness in letting me out of the manor and giving me some money to keep me safe."
Shi Wan snapped out of her reverie, a warmth spreading through her heart. Regardless of whether it was just polite talk, the gratitude shown by those she had helped always pleased her. However, noticing the hint of melancholy in Hua Lan's eyes, she couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you say you were going back to Jichuan? I remember you're also from Jichuan, so why did you come to Linzhou?"
Hua Lan paused, not wanting to hide it from Shi Wan, and said softly, "After leaving the manor that day, I did go to Jichuan, but... my mother fell seriously ill. She is from Linzhou and I fear her days are numbered. So I thought of returning to my roots and taking her back to my hometown."
"...My father abandoned my mother and me when I was very young. My mother always believed that the man would come back, and she also felt that she had failed to give birth to a son, thus ending the family line. So she stubbornly stayed in Jichuan. This time, seeing that my mother has finally changed her mind, I feel happy, sad, and even more sad."
At this point, Hua Lan's voice choked with emotion. "I took the money you gave me and brought my mother back to Linzhou. But as soon as we arrived, we rented a small house and stayed there for less than two days before we were bullied by local thugs who demanded protection money."
“My mother… was disturbed by these people, and her already poor health deteriorated, and she passed away within a few days. Seeing that I was a weak woman, these people always wanted to take a piece of my flesh. Fortunately, a brother from the Liu family helped me with my righteousness, helped me bury my mother safely, and also got justice for me.”
At this point, Hua Lan unconsciously shed tears. Shi Wan, who had seen many such matters between men and women at Willow Terrace, almost immediately understood the implication and said, "So, the Liu family brother you mentioned is your current... husband."
Hua Lan nodded, calmed herself down, and said, "Yes, he is a native of Linzhou, the eldest son in his family, and lives in a small village at the foot of Linzhou. I was thinking that I had nowhere else to go, so I might as well stay where my mother is. He treats me well, and he has four brothers in his family. Those local thugs and ruffians would definitely not dare to mess with him."
Shi Wan nodded, glanced downstairs, and noticed that the commotion seemed to be subsiding. She called out with a laugh, "Alright, stop recommending things, let's hurry up and try on the clothes!"
Hua Lan was startled, as if she had thought of something. A struggle flashed across her face, but she still led Shi Wan to change her clothes first. While serving her, she secretly glanced at her shoulder. When she saw the red plum-like birthmark on her left shoulder, her heart skipped a beat.
Unaware of the turmoil in Hua Lan's mind, Shi Wan seized the opportunity to say, "Perhaps... it's a bit presumptuous, but I wonder if you could help me contact someone?"
Hua Lan was meticulous. She had already guessed that Shi Wan had done something wrong when she intentionally or unintentionally sent these people away. Upon hearing this, she immediately said, "Miss, you said that you have done me a great favor. This is not difficult."
Seeing that the gratitude in her expression seemed genuine, Shi Wan hesitated for a moment, but still briefly explained the various matters with Cai Yue. Just as she finished giving instructions, she heard footsteps coming from downstairs, and someone was coming upstairs.
The two tacitly stopped talking, changed their clothes, and came out. Seeing the boss and two maids coming up one after the other, Shi Wan smiled and asked with a normal expression, "How is it?"
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper stepped forward and carefully helped Shi Wan tidy up. Because it was a short jacket, the inner clothing was also extremely revealing. Perhaps due to excessive excitement, she accidentally tugged at the fabric on her left shoulder, instantly exposing her bare shoulder. In the next instant, the shopkeeper quickly covered her with the short jacket and kept apologizing, "My esteemed lady, I'm so sorry. I'm so clumsy and got too excited."
Shi Wan didn't think much of it. She had achieved her goal of seeing an old friend and was in a good mood. She was calculating the time and thinking about going somewhere else to cover up her presence. She wouldn't care too much about it for now.
After the group left, they aimlessly browsed a few other shops, buying a little bit of everything from cosmetics and powder to clothes and jewelry, making sure they didn't skimp on anything or go to waste, before finally heading back home.
......
*
Luoyang, the Imperial Palace.
Under the sunlight, the glazed tiles shimmered with a subtle luster. Outside the Moonlit Palace, ice chests placed everywhere in the corridors were absorbing the summer heat. Consort Yue stood by the pond, gazing at a few red-scaled fish swimming in the water.
The turquoise ribbon dipped into the water, creating ripples, and instantly, red scales scattered.
Behind her, a palace maid hurried over and whispered in her ear. After a moment, Consort Yue turned her head, her tone slightly uneasy, "Really...?"
Seeing her confidant nod firmly, she allowed him to help her back to the palace. Once inside, she lost the composure she had maintained outside, her face turning a strange red. She took several deep breaths before suppressing the ambition in her eyes, her brows furrowing slightly, and whispered, "Good, good... Heaven has been kind to me!"
“Go and invite Lord Ning immediately… no, no.” After saying this, his face twitched slightly. After a moment, he said firmly, “Don’t tell anyone about this matter for now.”
It's best if no one knows and no one gets in the way.
"Keep a close eye on it... make sure nothing goes wrong."
*
By the time Shi Wan returned, the sun had already set. She would be setting off again early the next morning. Just past 7 PM, the camp was quiet, with only the campfire casting a brief glow.
When Jiang Xu returned after finishing his work, he saw Shi Wan selecting the things she had bought during the day. Under the flickering candlelight, the beauty and the jewelry complemented each other perfectly.
He laughed and said, "After you've picked these, is there any for me?"
Jiang Xu never cared about what clothes he wore, nor did he care about light or dark colors, patterns, or details. Thinking of the news Chen Yu had reported a moment earlier, he smiled and casually said, "I heard you were very careful in choosing your clothes today, trying them on for a long time?"
Shi Wan's heart skipped a beat, but she pretended to be coquettish and said coquettishly, "So you're going to cause trouble? Which of us girls isn't beautifully painted with delicate ink and lightly applied rouge?"
"You're really... so stingy! You're blaming me for trying on two clothes!"
Jiang Xu was extremely fond of Shi Wan's appearance. It was as if the distance between them had been reduced, and there was no longer any of the previous barriers and dissatisfaction. They were just an ordinary couple. His expression softened a bit as well. "What are you talking about? I was just asking a few questions, and I made you unhappy." He couldn't find anything unusual, so he thought, perhaps it really is because men and women think differently?
Shi Wan was afraid that he would think of something else if he pondered for a while, so she quickly changed the subject to the things they had bought. She and Jiang Xu played around for a long time before finally going to bed and sleeping peacefully.
Before the two fell into a deep sleep together, Shi Wan was enveloped in the familiar scent of herbs and trees emanating from Jiang Xu.
She tried to break free quietly, but failed. Instead, the other person unconsciously tightened their arms around her again.
Shi Wan: "......"
“…Jiang Xu?” she whispered, gently pushing the person beside her. Unfortunately, the moment her fingers touched his chest, she felt as if she were being burned. It was scalding hot and extremely hard, and she couldn’t push him away.
Fearing that waking someone up would cause trouble, Shi Wan hesitated for a moment and forced herself to fall asleep. Fortunately, she was in a good mood today and had indeed been shopping for a long time. Feeling tired, she fell asleep completely in no time.
Almost the instant she fell asleep, Jiang Xu suddenly opened his eyes beside her.
His dark eyes, no longer as gentle as they had been moments before, were now filled with malice, mixed with a few complex emotions, as he carefully scanned the area.
After slowly and thoroughly licking the person in his arms, he finally closed his eyes and fell asleep, completely satisfied.
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The author says: "The fragrant ink curves and paints, the rouge is applied lightly." This is from "Nan Ge Zi: The Fragrant Ink Curves and Paints," written by Qin Guan of the Northern Song Dynasty.
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