Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 91 The gatherings of young ladies were nothing more than three things.

These words came out of the blue, especially at this delicate juncture, and both Madam Fan and Madam Qin couldn't help but scrutinize the young woman.

Li Jie'er came from a humble background, and she was already dazzled by the sights as she walked to Fu'an Residence. The flower hall in front of her was a display of wealth she had never seen in her past lives. She was momentarily stunned, and after being reminded by her second aunt, she hurriedly knelt down.

Madam Fan's lips curled into a slight sneer. She gently touched her nose with the handkerchief in her hand. It was customary for women to perform a respectful and solemn kowtow when greeting elders outside their own household, but that was usually reserved for those with whom they had a close relationship or out of gratitude. Normally, a simple bow or a simple curtsy was sufficient. Moreover, her kowtow was completely improper; kneeling on the ground, she didn't know where to put her hands, looking more like a servant who had committed a transgression.

The second aunt couldn't save face, so she could only force a smile and say, "Li-jie has always respected Mother very much before she came, so she was a little nervous when she suddenly met her."

Madam Yun watched with amusement. The old lady had just given her a warning a few days ago, and now she was back to her old ways, trying to put someone by Lin Ge'er's side, hoping to prevent him from becoming the main wife and instead make him a concubine? How dare she?

A young maidservant quietly approached, lifting the curtain, and whispered in Wei Mama's ear. Wei Mama immediately frowned and leaned down to speak to Madam Yun.

The old lady, unable to bear it any longer, waved her hand and told Li-jie to get up. She asked a few indifferent questions and had Su-wen reward her with a purse. Madam Fan was relieved to see this. Even a senior maid who was generous with her rewards wouldn't be satisfied with just a purse. Clearly, this girl didn't meet the old lady's standards.

Interrupted by her second aunt, Madam Fan was extremely annoyed and couldn't bring up the previous topic again. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the eldest and second young ladies, along with several distinguished guests, arrived at the flower hall to pay their respects to the elders.

Sunlight streamed in through the small window, casting sparse, slanting rays under the heavy curtains, while the chirping of birds brought a touch of life to the room.

After the women and the old lady greeted the ladies of Yun and Fan, Madam Yun noticed that the old lady looked tired and stood up, saying, "Mother, I heard from the steward that Wan'er has decorated Yunxi Courtyard very elegantly, and the various chrysanthemums sent by the flower shop the other day are in full bloom. I'll take Madam Fan and the others to the courtyard to enjoy the scenery."

The old lady's smile was as gentle as cotton. "Go ahead, let these flower-like children stretch out a bit too."

After Madam Yun and her entourage left, the old lady paused, her fingers lightly twirling the prayer beads. With Suwen's help, she got up, walked around the screen and the two sides of the multi-treasure pavilion, and went out through the inner room's partition door. In the bedroom, the accompanying maid helped the old lady change into a light ochre-colored autumn dress embroidered with butterflies and a hundred flowers.

The old lady looked displeased, and after a long while said, "Send those two good-for-nothings to the Buddhist hall to see me."

Inside Yunxi Courtyard, the thirty-odd ladies dressed in splendid attire automatically split into two groups. One group was led by the two ladies, Yun and Fan, who were both principal wives, either wives of officials or wives of wealthy families. They sat leisurely in the Nongyue Pavilion chatting about everyday matters, while the head of the household ordered the maids to serve them.

This was also something Madam Yun did intentionally, and she had the second young lady take care of things outside.

Another group was led by the second young lady and the two daughters of Prefect Fan. The eldest young lady and the third young lady Qin were a few steps away, chatting with their close friends. The daughters of officials and the daughters of merchants were clearly separated. They each said a few words of congratulations to the second young lady and then gathered in twos and threes to socialize.

Meng Shu was in charge here, and a group of maids dressed in rouge-colored silk skirts moved among them, with tea, candied fruit, snacks, and seasonal drinks being arranged like a flowing stream on the rosewood table with bird and flower patterns.

When young ladies get together, they do nothing more than three things.

On a superficial level, comparing clothes and jewelry, the Fourth Miss was speaking eloquently and extravagantly.

Let's move on to more refined poetry and prose, and then discuss virtue, appearance, words, and achievements.

Practical people like Miss Liu would gather with others who shared the same interests to chat about incense-making methods and embroidery techniques.

Or perhaps they would play a few games typical of women's quarters, inevitably interspersed with gossip and interesting tidbits about each other's affairs.

Meng Shu gestured, and several maids brought out various props that had been prepared beforehand to the open space, such as rope skipping, pitch-pot, backgammon, hide-and-seek, guessing games, and passing the flower while beating the drum. The young ladies stretched out to their hearts' content in a place away from the Moon Pavilion, and the second young lady also personally joined the eldest young lady of the Fan family to play pitch-pot.

The melodious sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air, and dappled sunlight filtered through the weeping crabapple trees, casting shadows on the heavy curtains and illuminating the elegant ladies' flowing hair. Everything was harmonious. The second young lady watched this scene with satisfaction, silently approving of the performance of the eldest daughter of the Fang family and Meng Shu.

The second young lady of the Fan family was lively and had the best relationship with the equally lively fifth young lady. The two of them played cat's cradle together while listening to the older sisters around them talk about the eldest young lady's marriage.

The eldest daughter of the Fan family and the eldest daughter of the Tang family were about the same age. Because of their different statuses, they couldn't get too close, so they held their handkerchiefs and listened intently, filled with daydreams about their future husbands. The blurry figure in their minds overlapped as she turned around, vaguely resembling Tang Lin.

The eldest young lady was shy, and with the third young lady Qin present, she changed the subject to the new jewelry from Yongbaolou, which immediately attracted the attention of many young ladies.

The wife of Manager Gong of Yongbaolou was a remarkable woman. She quickly launched into a conversation, speaking eloquently about jewelry.

From the eight-treasure pearl-embellished swallow hairpin and tourmaline hairpin adorning the second young lady's head, to the beaded gold bracelet, it seems that each piece has its own story, and each piece of jewelry is imbued with the countless efforts of the Yongbaolou artisans.

Miss Hong listened with great interest. The young ladies she brought hesitated to step forward, circling around the perimeter. They noticed that everyone in front of them was dressed elegantly and handsomely. The fabrics of their clothes were not necessarily expensive, but the embroidery was undoubtedly first-rate. Furthermore, the jewelry and hairpins they wore were all rich and beautiful.

Looking at her own clothes, she couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. Although she had managed to get a lot of fabric from her sister-in-law, it was still nothing compared to what these young ladies were wearing. She looked dejected.

A huge sense of disparity washed over him. He thought of his own humble family, which had only produced one scholar brother and a few dozen acres of meager land. If it weren't for his sister-in-law's status, he probably would never have been able to witness such a banquet in his entire life.

Li Jie'er was among them. She was naturally unaware of the embarrassment she had made in the flower hall, but she dared not approach Madam Gong. Lost in thought, she tripped and bumped into Jin Shu, who was serving tea, causing her to stumble and fall to the ground with two cups of Yunwu tea on the tray.

Upon hearing the noise, Meng Shu, who was patrolling nearby, immediately led her men forward. Fortunately, neither of them was injured, but Li Jie'er's dress was stained with tea. The second young lady instructed Meng Shu to take her away to change her clothes.

Miss Hongbiao's eyes darted around. "Sister Li is new here, I'll go with her."

After crossing the small bridge, the group headed towards the back of the building. Miss Hong instructed, "Sister Li came in a hurry and didn't prepare any clothes to change into. Meng Shu, go to Yunyi Courtyard and get a set of clothes for your cousin."

Meng Shu sized up the girl beside her, pretending to be troubled: "...Miss, this girl is a bit taller than the Second Miss, so the clothes might not fit. There are a few sets of clothes prepared in the sewing room, so why don't you change into them first?"

“What good materials could the sewing room possibly have? Sister Li will have to…” Miss Hong interrupted her abruptly, and stiffly ordered, “Go and get one from the eldest young lady’s courtyard.”