Chapter 59: Cousin, the Sachet’s Ready!
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
As expected, Nanny Liu changed her tone. “In the future, you will burn three incense sticks every morning and night. You will need to kowtow three times to show your grat.i.tude to Madam Xie. In April, it will be the Buddhist Festival. Old Madam has lit a lantern for Madam Xie at the Precious Peace Temple, so she will need to prepare some offerings, and will need to trouble you to copy the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra a hundred times to express your grat.i.tude towards Madam Xie.”
When Concubine He heard this, her body suddenly lost all strength and she collapsed to the ground.
Nanny Liu added, “First Madam will be supervising you, so you can’t be slack or treat it lightly.”
Concubine He’s body twitched as she gripped the handkerchief in her hand tightly. Old Madam’s methods were really impressive—to have her and Madam Yang fight to the death while she watched coldly from the side.
Then, just as Nanny Liu was about to leave, she turned back around. “By the way, Concubine He, I have to remind you that there are distinctions between the first and second wives. Don’t raise the expectations of Fourth Miss to be too high, such that she tries to compete with the legitimate young mistresses of the residence. Whether Fourth Miss has a good or bad path in the future, it all depends on Old Madam.”
Concubine He’s face went completely ashen as she remained on the ground, shaking.
With that, Nanny Liu left with a few old maids. As they left the Clear Autumn Courtyard, they locked the door and blocked off the courtyard completely.
In the Jade Courtyard, Chun Xiao told Yu Youyao about what had happened in the Clear Autumn Courtyard. “Concubine He is usually a smart person. Why was she so foolish today?”
Yu Youyao continued embroidering her brocade without looking up. “Receiving favor made her arrogant and complacent.”
Grandmother knew that her father was a little muddle-headed when it came to women and did not have strong morals, so she had forbidden him from having more concubines. There was only one wife and one concubine in the residence.
In the past, her father treated Madam Yang with high regard and respect, often spending most of his time at Madam Yang’s place.
Concubine He was also doted on, but she could never compare to Madam Yang.
Now that Madam Yang had been reprimanded by her father and had to observe the rules in her grandmother’s house, he naturally gave more attention to Concubine He. How could she not become smug?
Chun Xiao laughed. “Let’s see if anyone in the residence dares to climb over your head again in the future.”
Yu Youyao said nothing.
Concubine He’s current plight had actually been carefully planned and caused by her.
She had asked Chun Xiao to take out her mother’s portrait on purpose, to make herself seem more vulnerable, like a child without a mother who was wronged but had no ability to defend herself, and could only cry while thinking of her dead mother.
After hearing about this, Grandmother naturally would think of using her mother to keep Concubine He in check, since Concubine He had been brought into the residence by her mother after all.
No matter how arrogant Concubine He was, in front of her grandmother and mother, she could only swallow her punishment and blame her own bad luck.
But she would not have planned and caused this if they had not provoked her!
At this moment, Dong Mei walked over. “Young Mistress, Young Master is here.”
When Yu Youyao heard this, her eyes widened. She quickly put down the embroidery tool in her hands and stood up. She was about to walk out, but turned around after taking a few steps. “Quick, bring over my green bamboo embroidered sachet.”
Chun Xiao smiled. “I already have it here.”
Yu Youyao happily took the sachet from Chun Xiao and rushed excitedly to the reception pavilion. Sure enough, she saw her cousin sitting in the hall with a teacup in his hand, looking at the Spring Apricot Painting that she had hung up in her hall, which was the very painting he had created not long ago and asked Chang An to send over.
“Cousin!” Yu Youyao’s eyes lit up.
Zhou Linghuai put down his teacup and looked up. Yu Youyao was wearing a high-waisted pink and white embroidered apricot skirt and a slightly thicker long-sleeved top. It had been a while since he had seen her, and she had lost a lot of weight. Her round little face had become the size of a palm, and her chin had become sharper. She was now taller than when she was at the Precious Peace Temple. She looked delicate, and already had the aura of a young lady.
Yu Youyao ran up to her cousin, her eyes filled with joy. “This is the first time you’ve come to see me in the Jade Courtyard.”
Zhou Linghuai nodded and glanced at her slightly swollen face. He frowned slightly and asked, “Does your face still hurt?”
Yu Youyao smiled and shook her head. “It doesn’t hurt much anymore. Nanny Xu said that I’ll be fine in a few days. Cousin, don’t worry about me.”
Zhou Linghuai glanced at Chang An, who was behind him. Chang An understood and took out a small jade box, handing it to his young master. Zhou Linghuai reached out to take it, then handed it to Yu Youyao.
Yu Youyao looked at the small jade box and reached out to take it. “Cousin, what is this? Is it for me?”
Zhou Linghuai said calmly, “This is the Nine Flowers Jade Dew Cream. It’s more effective at reducing swelling than the Jade Beauty Cream.”
Standing in the back, Chang An thought to himself.
This was a holy healing medicine. How could the Jade Beauty Cream compare?
Yu Youyao did not know any of this. She handed the jade box to her cousin and brought her face close to his. “Cousin, quickly help me apply it.”
Chang An’s eyes widened in shock when he heard this. How could a girl be so shameless as to take the initiative to place her face right in front of a man’s face? How improper.
Young Master did not like to touch others, so he was definitely going to refuse.
But the very next instant, it was almost as if he got slapped in the face.
Zhou Linghuai looked down at the jade box in his hand, then looked up at the girl’s face. He was stunned for a long moment, until the girl urged, “Cousin, hurry up. I’m still waiting here.”
The delicate and clear voice made Zhou Linghuai react. He subconsciously opened the jade box and used the small jade spoon to pick out some jade-white colored paste. He gently applied it on her face, then circled the bottom of the spoon around her face and spread it evenly.
It wasn’t until he finished applying the medicine that he realized his actions seemed a little improper.
The Nine Flowers Jade Dew Ointment had a faint fragrance. When it was applied on her face, it was cool to the touch, and her slightly painful cheeks could not help but feel refreshed.
Yu Youyao smiled even more happily and said in a sweet voice, “Cousin, the Nine Flowers Jade Dew Ointment is really effective. It didn’t hurt at all when it was being applied to my face.”
Zhou Linghuai closed the ointment and handed it to Chun Xiao.
Chun Xiao quickly received it.
“Cousin, I have a gift for you too.” Yu Youyao smiled and took out the green bamboo sachet from her sleeve. However, she held it in her hand and was a little embarra.s.sed to pa.s.s it over.
Zhou Linghuai took a look and his gaze stopped moving. Suddenly, he smelled a slight fragrance of fresh and elegant apricot flowers in the air.
He had thought that she had forgotten, but he didn’t expect her to have really made it. “Is this the sachet you had promised me?”
Yu Youyao nodded slightly.
Seeing that she was holding the sachet with her head lowered and had no intention of giving it to him, Zhou Linghuai raised his eyebrows slightly and reached out his hand. “Hand it to me!”
Yu Youyao hesitated again, feeling a little embarra.s.sed. “I-I embroidered this sachet myself. I’ve only just started learning needlework recently, so I didn’t embroider it well. Cousin, don’t mind my poor skills.”
‘She embroidered it herself?’
Previously, he had heard from Chang An that Eldest Miss Yu had hurt her hands while learning embroidery, and had cried and shouted that she did not want to learn.
When he had heard this, he couldn’t help but laugh at this girl for being too coddled.
Only now did he recall that the rumors in the residence about Yu Youyao learning embroidery seemed to have started after Yu Youyao had returned from the Precious Peace Temple. So, that meant that the reason she hadn’t sent him a sachet for such a long time, was because she was learning embroidery and personally made a sachet for him?
For this, she had even p.r.i.c.ked her fingers!