Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 117 With the Phoenix

Grandma Su naturally noticed her daughter-in-law's unusual behavior and, intentionally, changed the subject. Considering the girls beside her, she beckoned Miss Su to take them to play.

The Su residence was not large, but the courtyard was arranged with extreme elegance. Every plant and tree seemed to be sculpted, embodying the Jiangnan style of "a scene at every step." Miss Su led the second young lady and the others along the paved stone path, passing through two moon gates to their own courtyard.

Whether it was Miss Su's lively nature or her meticulousness, a variety of games had been arranged in the courtyard, tea and snacks were prepared in the hall, and the utensils for pitch-pot and backgammon were all ready in the outer room.

However, the second young lady, preoccupied with her brother's feelings, had no interest in the game of pitch-pot. She instructed Hua Yan to bring out the milk tea and southern pastries she had brought, so that the young ladies of the Su family could have a taste.

Everyone who tasted it said "good". Miss Su was also very happy. Her politeness towards the second young lady was mixed with a genuine sense of acceptance and care. Seeing that the second young lady looked preoccupied, she asked her younger sister to take the girls out to stroll in the garden and took the second young lady into her boudoir.

A faint, elegant fragrance permeated Miss Su's boudoir. The window panels were made of fine sandalwood, carved with exquisite intertwined floral patterns, and the paper covering the windows was white and delicate. Sunlight filtered through, casting dappled patterns on the floor.

In this tranquil atmosphere, the second young lady somewhat guiltily took out the Hetian jade comb. The comb symbolized "tying the knot and being of one heart". Miss Su was slightly taken aback when she saw it, and shyly took it. She couldn't help but hold it in her hand and play with it. After a while, she noticed that the character "绾" was engraved in the middle of the crescent-shaped jade comb, and a ripple of emotion stirred in her heart.

"...He's thoughtful."

Hua Yan and Meng Zhu stood aside like human flower vases, while Miss Su's maids Cai Yue and Cai Xia were happy for their mistress and enthusiastically pulled Hua Yan and Meng Zhu to a side room to talk, their words subtly inquiring about the situation in the young master's courtyard.

Mengzhu was used to being composed and usually didn't even dare to look at the young master more than once. Huayan knew that Madam Yun and the young master were very satisfied with Miss Su, so if she didn't say anything, she would seem guilty. Therefore, she casually mentioned that the young master's courtyard was very quiet and there wasn't a single concubine.

The Su family had naturally inquired about the matter before issuing the betrothal letter, and now that Hua Yan had said it, they felt particularly at ease.

Therefore, Caiyue and Caixia exchanged glances, even more delighted. Caiyue took Huayan's arm, thinking that since her mistress would be the young mistress after marriage, she should be on good terms with the servants of the Tang family. However, she felt that Huayan and Caixia were both outstanding among the maids in terms of clothing and jewelry, and for a moment she didn't know how to win them over.

Hua Yan could easily see Cai Yue's predicament, so she stopped Cai Yue's hand and said, "Sister Cai Yue, being so polite makes us seem distant. We'll all be family by the end of the year. You must come to Yunyi Courtyard more often then and get to know us better."

Caiyue realized that Huayan was a good match, so she said, "Sister is right. We'll have plenty of time to get to know each other in the future."

The second young lady, somewhat embarrassed, took out a small long box. "Sister Su, this...this was made by my brother himself."

Su Wanwan took it curiously, opened it, and was stunned to see the magnolia hairpin made of sandalwood. Then she blushed. She loved magnolia flowers. It was not difficult to find out, but it was rare to find someone who had the heart to carve a magnolia hairpin by hand.

Having finished her task for the eldest young master, the second young lady relaxed considerably and chatted more casually with Miss Su. A zither table stood by the window, upon which lay a guqin (ancient Chinese zither), and the two began to talk about it.

The two young ladies got along quite well, and Miss Su even showed a hint of excitement and shock when she heard that the second young lady had studied under Mr. Lin.

"Ms. Lin's poetry and prose are excellent, and she is very famous in the capital. I only heard that she stayed in Jiangnan for a short time in the past few years, but I did not expect that she would go to your residence."

After Miss Su finished speaking, she suddenly remembered something, "Mr. Lin is in the capital these days. I heard that he is preparing to hold a poetry gathering and will send out invitations to young ladies from various families."

The second young lady had already received Mr. Lin's message in advance and nodded, saying, "That's right. Due to the severe drought in Jinzhou and other places, Mr. Lin asked the princess to hold a poetry gathering at a hot spring resort in the suburbs of the capital before the Mid-Autumn Festival to raise funds. The princess has also prepared a pair of pearl phoenix hairpins as a lucky charm."

As Mr. Lin's disciple, the Second Miss naturally had to attend. Hua Yan had also been preparing these past few days, making sure the ladies participating in the poetry gathering knew what their mistress would wear and what route she would take. As for the venue, that was easy to arrange.

The hot spring estate was originally under the name of the Second Miss, and the layout of the estate was designed by the Second Miss and Hua Yan. Outsiders are probably not as familiar with it as they are, which can reduce a lot of trouble.

I heard that the Jiang family's daughter from the General's Mansion and the Duke's daughter will be going together, along with many other officials' wives. For Hua Yan, this is a rare opportunity to face the powerful and influential people in the capital.

Inside the flower hall of the Su family mansion, there were only three people: Old Madam Su, her daughter-in-law, and Madam Yun.

Outside, the wind had stopped blowing through the treetops, leaving only the incessant chirping of cicadas, which only added to Madam Yun's annoyance.

"I wonder if Madam Su found anything amiss in my daughter's appearance just now?"

Madam Su's eyebrows twitched slightly as she turned to look at her mother-in-law. After the old lady nodded slightly, she slowly said, "Yu Feng's appearance is indeed extremely auspicious."

Madam Yun's heart sank suddenly; it was 'and', not 'success'.