An Shuyi looked at herself in the mirror and smiled, "You're beautiful too, of course, provided you don't eat so much." Zhao Shi wasn't fat, but she loved spicy food and ate a lot of it for long periods of time. Although she wasn't fat, her face was prone to oiliness and acne.
She has a habit of picking at her hands, and over time, her face is covered in marks. Every time I see her face, I tell her to stop picking at her hands. After I've told her several times, she does stop picking at her hands, but her face doesn't heal easily in a short time, and it doesn't look very good.
The women in the village all had the pills made by Doctor Liu, and they were all in good health. When they were healthy, their complexions were naturally beautiful, and they looked several years younger. So, apart from Zhao, no one else looked like her.
Hearing her mother-in-law say this, Zhao became dejected. She knew her mother-in-law meant well, but she just couldn't control her mouth. However, for the sake of appearances, she would try to control her mouth in the future.
"Mom, I'll go wash up and change my clothes."
"Go!" An Shuyi stood up and went to find Huahua. As she walked, the bells on her feet jingled, making a particularly pleasant sound.
Hearing the voice, Xia Hua turned around and saw Shu Shu coming over. The warm yellow sun was shining on her, making her look like a fairy. "So beautiful."
"Thank you for the compliment, but no matter how pretty they are, the jewelry you picked is still the best!" She said, turning around to let Hua Hua see it more clearly.
"Even the finest jewelry should be worn by a beautiful woman. If someone too ugly wears it, it will only be a desecration of the jewelry. Next time we go to the capital, I'll take you to Mingyu Pavilion to take a look and buy some more jewelry."
Over the past ten years, they have traveled around and bought a lot of raw stones, but they haven't had them processed at all. They've all been stored in warehouses. It seems they'll have to find time to have them processed.
An Shuyi nodded, "Thank you, Huahua." Seeing that Su was still helping Huahua's shop distribute the flowers, and seemed not to have heard their conversation, she had to admit that this daughter-in-law was quite perceptive.
“Next time we go to the capital, you should come with us. Ten years have passed, and you and Wenshan haven’t seen each other even once. It’s been tough on you.”
Su paused for a moment before resuming her work as if nothing had happened, but An Shuyi, seeing her hands, knew that she was also excited.
“He is now a general of the cavalry, but this matter is of great importance. We haven’t told anyone, we’re just telling you that he will be back this year. It’s better that we don’t let you see him beforehand.”
In the past ten years, when the child was two years old, she and Huahua took the child to the frontier and let Wenshan stay with his son for a few days. After that, they took the child there a few more times. But Su Shi, in ten years, did not see her husband even once.
She knew nothing about her husband except that he was a good man. If it were her, she would have married someone else long ago instead of living a widow's life.
Madam Su nodded gently, "Thank you, Mother." Thinking of her husband, she did not refuse. After all, it had been ten years. If she hadn't known that her husband was doing well, she would have gone to the frontier to find him.
After she finished styling her hair, An Shuyi said, "You should go change your clothes too. Your aunt and I will go over first."
"Yes, Mother, then I'll take my leave." After saying that, Madam Su left the room. Even after walking a distance, she could still hear her mother-in-law and aunt laughing and talking. She couldn't help but sigh in her heart, thinking how good the relationship between her mother-in-law and aunt was.
She had previously suspected that her mother-in-law and aunt might have that kind of relationship, because their relationship was so good that it made her think too much. Such things were quite common in wealthy families.
But she couldn't believe it. As time went on, she realized that her mother-in-law and aunt were not what she thought at all. Their kindness was more like family affection, even beyond family affection. That kind of relationship would only tarnish them.
She longed for someone to be so good to her, but looking back on her entire life, apart from her mother-in-law and aunt, she had never seen such a person in anyone else.
After watching Su leave, An Shuyi looked at Xia Hua and couldn't help but exclaim, "You said I'm pretty, but you're just as good-looking, aren't you?"
The same double-breasted, high-waisted ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) has a white base layer with a floral pattern, and a light blue ruqun embroidered with many small roses, about the size of a thumb.
Her outer garment was white and embroidered, but only on the hem and cuffs. She wore a green gemstone headdress, green earrings and a green necklace, and a green bracelet on her wrist.
She not only looks beautiful, but also very dignified. One look from her carries an air of authority and she exudes a powerful presence.
Xia Hua laughed, "We're all beautiful. Let's go. It's already Chen Shi (7-9 AM), and the guests should be arriving soon. We need to go and greet them."
Although I didn't want to entertain anyone, it was a village matter after all, and it wouldn't be right if I didn't show up.
When they arrived, there were already quite a few people in the village, mostly villagers from other villages. Many people from Xinglin Village had come. Village Chief Lin was greeting the guests. When they looked, they saw that it was Prefect Xiao, and next to him was Xiao Yubai.
When Village Chief Lin saw them arrive, he hurriedly led them over. He couldn't bear to look at Magistrate Xiao's cold face. It wasn't like this a few years ago. Maybe it's because he's getting old, so he doesn't smile as much as before.
He had originally intended to ask Wen Liu, Wen Fan, and others to receive him, but they were busy entertaining the academy's teachers and classmates, which made them even busier than him. He preferred to entertain the village chiefs from other villages, which was better than Prefect Xiao, at least they would flatter him.
"Madam, Madam Xiao, I apologize for my intrusion!" Xiao Yubai said, though he addressed both of them, his eyes were fixed on one person.
He watched Madam An leave from the city wall that day, but he felt uneasy and couldn't sleep all night. He tossed and turned, thinking that since he had nothing else to do, he might as well come and visit Madam An's village. He never expected to see such a pleasant surprise.
From the moment Madam An appeared, he felt that only he and Madam An remained here, and she was the only one in his eyes. Her beauty made him feel breathless for a moment. If he hadn't been rational, he would have wanted to grab her and lock her up, so that she would belong to him alone.
Xia Hua felt his predatory gaze and involuntarily took a step forward to block the people behind her. She looked at Xiao Yubai with eyes full of danger.
She allows others to enjoy books, but she will never put herself in danger. If anyone threatens her safety, death is the only option.
Seeing that the person he longed for was blocked, and then seeing the threatening look in Madam Xiao's eyes, Xiao Yubai had no choice but to look away. The others were completely unaware of all this. An Shuyi only felt a gaze directed at her, but before she could examine it closely, she found that the gaze had disappeared.
Thinking to himself that they might be from another village, he lingered for a while because he had never seen her before. Looking at the flowers in front of him, he stepped forward and said, "Welcome, Young Master Xiao. There are too many people here, let's go inside the house to talk."
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