On her third day at Minister Wei's residence in the capital, Hong Xiaoduo still didn't sleep in. She got up while stretching, and no matter how much she said she didn't need to be served, her maid Ziyue insisted on serving her while she washed up.
The water for washing up was lukewarm, and the movements of combing her hair were very gentle, but even with this kind of pampering, Hong Xiaoduo still felt that the previous days were more comfortable, at least she could sleep in late peacefully.
“Young Lady Hong, we have a lot of guests at home today. How about I let Ziyue style your hair in the current trend? I promise I won’t use too many hair ornaments. You can just pick a few simple pearl flowers.” Ziyue said reluctantly.
With such jet-black hair, at such a beautiful age, why does she insist on wearing braids?
Girls in rural farming families don't braid their hair like this. They only braid garlic heads harvested in the fall to make them easier to hang.
"Thank you for your kindness, but I just like my hair styled this way. Don't worry, no matter how many distinguished guests we have today, your family won't blame you for my simple hairstyle making them lose face. Come on, I'll do it myself." Hong Xiaoduo still refused after she finished speaking.
Hong Xiaoduo didn't blame Ziyue, but she genuinely disliked this well-intentioned advice.
If you don't like something, you just don't like it. Why should you have to accept it just to avoid upsetting someone else's good intentions?
"Yes, I'm sorry, young lady, that's not what Ziyue meant." Ziyue looked at a pair of beautiful hands that brushed away the strands of hair from her hands, and only then did she realize that she had just overstepped her bounds.
She was originally from the madam's courtyard. She was skillful and diligent, so she was assigned to serve this young lady.
However, what the young lady just said was not wrong. The reason she wanted to persuade him to comb his hair was indeed because it was a special day for her master's family. There were distinguished guests coming, and the status of the master's distinguished guests was self-evident. Even if they were not high-ranking officials, they were still prestigious scholars.
But this young lady is dressed so casually!
"You don't need to be nervous or explain. That's exactly what you meant, because your intention was good and it was to save face for your master."
"Don't worry, I won't say anything to your masters." As Hong Xiaoduo spoke, she had already skillfully braided her hair, tied it with a hairband she had made herself, looked at herself in the mirror, and felt quite pleased with herself.
At this moment, Kaiyang, who had already gotten up and washed up and was waiting outside, came in: "Mother, are you ready? Let's go have breakfast together."
"Oh my, Kaiyang is already handsome, but he looks even more handsome and energetic in this outfit today." Hong Xiaoduo couldn't help but praise Kaiyang as he was dressed up.
She wore a light blue brocade robe, a jade belt around her waist, and her jet-black hair was tied up with a brocade belt of the same color as her robe. She also wore a pair of short boots.
Kaiyang blushed as he was praised: "I didn't wear this this morning. My mother sent it to me to change into. She said that she invited a tailor to the mansion yesterday and used the robe in my bundle as a model to rush it out."
"How about it? Isn't it wonderful to have a loving mother?" Hong Xiaoduo teased him.
“Didn’t you love me a lot too? The first new robe I ever wore was bought by you. And later, didn’t you buy me several more?” Kaiyang immediately said.
"Okay, okay, Kaiyang is a conscientious child. He will definitely remember how good I am to you. When I get old, you must take good care of me." Hong Xiaoduo smiled as she listened to the child deliberately emphasizing how good she was to him.
Upon hearing this, Kaiyang's eyes lit up, then he frowned and said, "I can take care of you even if you don't get old. In a few years, I'll be all grown up and I'll earn a lot of money to support you."
"I understand, but you can't just think about making money. You're still young, so you can't make decisions too early. What if you want to become an official when you're older?"
"Being an official isn't necessarily a bad thing. Being a good official like your grandfather, serving the people, is meaningful too." Hong Xiaoduo quickly added, afraid that the child might really be focused on making money.
Kaiyang tilted his head and thought about it seriously for a moment, then nodded: "Yes, I'll remember what you said. No matter what I do when I grow up, the most important thing now is to study hard."
The two, one big and one small, arrived at the front hall while talking, only to find that the servants in the front yard were already busy.
At the breakfast table, only Hua was present. He said that Kaiyang's grandparents and his father had already eaten because they were busy.
Breakfast consisted of pork rib congee, steamed dumplings, wontons, and side dishes.
They say that good news makes people feel refreshed, and after Hua Shi and Kai Yang recognized each other, she seemed younger, and her eyes shone with new light. She had also dressed up this morning, making it hard to believe she was the same person I first met in town.
As Hua ate, she smiled and looked at her son and then at Hong Xiaoduo. Seeing how much they were enjoying their meal, Hua couldn't resist eating more than half a bowl of porridge.
"What were the arrangements for those two today?" Hong Xiaoduo asked curiously after finishing her meal and putting down her chopsticks.
Hua knew who she was asking: "Father never intended for them to show themselves; he arranged for people to guard that courtyard."
"What were their reactions?" Hong Xiaoduo asked again.
"Mrs. Yin was clearly uneasy. That child, well, he doesn't seem to realize anything's wrong yet. He's staring longingly at the courtyard gate, waiting." Speaking of the child, Mrs. Hua's feelings were complicated.
As a mother, she felt sorry for the child. Both the father and husband said the child didn't seem to know anything about it. So young, being used by her family, waiting with such anticipation—it's heartbreaking.
But when she thought about how that child almost took the identity of her own son, she realized how lucky the Wei family was to have met Hong Xiaoduo, who knew secret arts.
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