Daily Life of a Powerful Official Supporting His Wife

Chapter 16

Chapter 16
Xie Junling was, after all, the newly crowned top scholar, and countless minor officials sought to curry his favor. Countless invitations were sent to the Xie residence, but Lu Baoer rejected them all with the excuse that she was "new to Kyoto and not acclimatized." She had been feeling sleepy lately and was somewhat tired of dealing with these people.

Seeing Lu Baoer sleeping soundly all day, Liu Xiang was overjoyed and whispered to the old nanny, "Is the Madam pregnant?"

Upon hearing this, the old lady spat at her and said, "What nonsense are you talking about?!"

Liu Xiang felt quite aggrieved and muttered, "I spoke too much."

The old nanny had a bitter face, but she knew that Liu Xiang was not to blame. Anyone who saw the master and mistress sleeping in the same bed all day would think that happiness was coming.

Didn't she want Lu Bao'er to be pregnant and give birth to a legitimate son? But this girl was disappointing and clearly hadn't consummated her marriage with Xie Junling yet!

Lu Bao'er didn't know what the old nanny and Liu Xiang were thinking. She only knew that her life in the mansion was extremely happy. No one dared to make her angry. Whatever she wanted to eat or drink, she just had to tell the kitchen, and the cook would find a way to make it for her, for fear of offending Xie Junling's beloved.

But she didn't know that a visiting card would come later, forcing Lu Baoer to hide. It was a card from the Fu Mansion, and it was Old Madam Su who wanted to invite her to visit.

It was strange to say, how could she, an ordinary wife of an editor in the Hanlin Academy, catch the eye of Old Madam Su? It was clear that fate was truly a wonderful thing.

No matter how bold Lu Bao'er was, she didn't dare to offend the old lady. She could only let the old nanny pack up and pay her a visit. After all, they were entering the residence of the Shangshu Ling. The wives of the three rooms of the Fu family were all children of prominent figures in Kyoto. Naturally, they couldn't dress too roughly, lest they look petty and be looked down upon.

The old nanny had served the imperial court ladies before, so there was no makeup she hadn't seen. She made Lu Baoer a bunny-ear-shaped hairpin out of copper wire, and inserted a full-moon pearl hairpin underneath. Compared to the delicate and pretty look she had when she went to the Gu family, this one was a bit more luxurious.

The old nanny was pleased and picked out a gold-woven bamboo-colored jacket for Lu Baoer, a light green skirt with a snow lotus pattern, and a cloak with a rabbit fur lining. Lu Baoer's face, painted with red makeup, was faintly visible from under the hood.

Beauty lies in the bones, not in the skin. It has to be said that Lu Baoer is not only beautiful in appearance. With her bone structure, even if she becomes plump after being raised by Xie Junling in the future, she will still be full of the charm of a pearly and smooth jade, and she will not be bad in any way.

Just as I finished getting dressed, Liu Xiang came to report that the carriage was ready and waiting for my lady to get in.

The old nanny helped Lu Baoer go to the Fu family. She thought that this time, just like at the Gu Mansion, she would have to wait for a long time, so she specially prepared a box of snacks to fill her stomach.

Unexpectedly, Lu Baoer's carriage arrived at the Fu Mansion, and no one came to stop her on the road, allowing her to travel smoothly all the way. The Fu Mansion was much more prestigious than the Gu family, so it was obvious that someone had made advance arrangements. Was this person who made the arrangements Old Madam Su? Lu Baoer was baffled by this inexplicable kindness.

The old nanny had no idea what Madam Su was planning. She simply squeezed Lu Baoer's hand and shook her head. "This old servant is being too arrogant, Madam, please be careful. Although the Qingping County Lady is a kind-hearted mistress and has given us face, you should not be too arrogant and think you are worthy of that status. When you go out, you cannot make any mistakes."

"Don't worry, Ma'am. I know what I'm doing." Lu Baoer responded, lowering her brows and walking towards Qiuju who was waiting not far away.

Qiu Ju greeted her with a smile as soon as she saw her: "Mrs. Xie is finally here. The old lady has been waiting in the flower hall for a long time!"

Lu Baoer also smiled and replied, "Please trouble Miss Qiuju to meet me outside... I just came in from outside the mansion and didn't seem to see the other ladies' carriages and sedans. But am I early?"

Qiuju knew that Old Madam Su had invited only Lu Baoer today. Although she was also very surprised, she did not dare to offend her, so she replied respectfully: "The old lady only invited Madam Xie to be her guest."

Lu Baoer was surprised: "Is it just me?"

"Yes." Qiuju led her to the flower hall, where Old Madam Su was leaning on the couch with her eyes closed.

Lu Baoer saw that the room was decorated with luxurious furnishings everywhere, and there were two life-size blue and white porcelain vases placed by the door. As soon as she entered the room, she smelled a faint scent of sandalwood, and she knew that this was the flower hall where the old lady often stayed. It was not a living room, but the place where she was used to staying? Such an intimate gesture made Lu Baoer feel uneasy. She paid her respects to Old Madam Su, who woke up slowly and was so happy to see Lu Baoer that she couldn't stop smiling. She didn't have time to look at Lu Baoer that day, but now she saw the pearl flowers on her head, the clothes on her body, and her every frown and smile, all of which were the shadow of Yaoer.

Mrs. Su's eyes suddenly became wet and she was choked with sobs and couldn't speak.

Lu Baoer hated to see an old woman cry, and at this moment, she didn't care about status. She hurried over and took Madam Su's hand, asking, "What's wrong with you? But is there anything about me that doesn't please you?"

Lu Baoer had wanted to ask this question for a long time, but she had never been able to bring herself to ask it before.

Old Madam Su wiped her tears with a handkerchief. Seeing Lu Bao'er resting on her arm, she felt very uncomfortable and said to herself in a self-deprecating way, "Look at me. I called Madam Xie here, but I was so unhappy all day long that I scared you. It's not that Madam Xie doesn't like me, but that she likes me too much!"

Too much to her liking? Lu Baoer didn't understand. But as long as he didn't dislike her, Lu Baoer didn't care.

Madam Su instructed Madam Zhao, "Madam Xie arrived early this morning by carriage, so I'm sure she hasn't eaten much yet. Tell the cook to bring out the usual jade cakes, flower cakes, and egg yolk pastries so Madam Xie can fill her stomach."

Lu Baoer was afraid of giving Old Madam Su the impression that she was greedy, so she quickly declined.

Madam Su smiled and patted her hand, saying lovingly, "When I was your age, I was also afraid that my mother would take me out to visit friends. I'd have to deal with social interactions all day long, and then get up early in the morning with an empty stomach, but I didn't dare lose face with the royal family by begging for food. Now that I'm old, I realize that it's all about saving face and suffering. When I invite you to my house as a guest, it's natural to treat you well. Feel free to eat as much as you want."

"Well, thank you, old lady." Lu Baoer was still a little reserved, and Old Lady Su did not force her.

How could you become intimate right after just one meeting? You have to take it slow.

On the other side, at Shixiang Courtyard, Cheng Lingyan learned from her maid Du Juan that a distinguished guest had come to Madam Su's courtyard.

She pinned the jade hairpin on her head and asked, "Whose wife is this?"

"I heard she's the wife of an editor in the Hanlin Academy."

"Oh? Why did the old lady invite such an unknown person to her house? Does this lady's family have any important officials in the court?"

Du Juan thought for a long time and said, "I heard that Mrs. Xie from that family is from the countryside."

"A country woman? Why would my grandmother invite such a person to our home?" Cheng Lingyan was shocked. The hairpin in her hand fell to the ground, and the pearl flower on the hairpin broke. She felt heartbroken.

Du Juan curled her lips. "Not only that! Before she came, the old lady even told the cook to steam the Jade Face Cake and keep it warm. She didn't even bother to take care of the young lady's bird's nest porridge."

No wonder Cheng Lingyan didn't get to eat bird's nest porridge today. It turned out the servants weren't diligent enough! Unfortunately, that kitchen belonged exclusively to Old Madam Su. Even if she wanted to lose her temper, she didn't dare to make a scene in Old Madam An's courtyard.

"What? But that Yurong Cake that takes two hours to steam?" After a long moment of irritation, Cheng Lingyan thought about the Yurong Cake again. It was made with the finest dried fruits, ground up, mixed with sugar and oil for the filling, then wrapped in dough, molded into a pattern, and steamed for two hours before being removed from the pot.

The steps were complicated, and even if she wanted to eat it, she had to wait until the afternoon when the kitchen was empty to steam the cakes. How could she get up in the morning and stop preparing the meal for her master just to steam cakes for a country woman?

Naturally, she didn't dare to say anything bad about Old Madam Su, so she just changed her clothes and wanted to go to the old lady's yard to meet this country lady with a great background!
She wanted to see whether this favored guest was as valuable as her granddaughter!
(End of this chapter)