While Zhu Ping'an was listening to the naughty child shaking his fat face and thinking, in the boudoir of the second young lady in the backyard of the Marquis's mansion, there were beautiful and charming girls. Li Shu and several unmarried young ladies in the Marquis's mansion gathered together after paying their respects to the old lady and talked about some girlish topics.
Most of the topics were about how prominent the husband's family was, how high an official his father was in the court and how much power he held. Then they talked about how Li Shu's husband was just a farmer, had no power, and that he had finally passed the imperial examination but was assigned to a poor ranking position. At the end, they pretended to comfort Li Shu, saying that Zhu Ping'an was unlucky this time and was assigned to a poor ranking position, but maybe he would have a chance next time, and it didn't matter even if he didn't pass the exam. They also said that their husbands would help out and fill the vacancy for Zhu Ping'an.
Anyway, the basic idea is to compete with the future eunuch, and then find some sense of accomplishment in Li Shu.
Li Shu was very disdainful of her sisters' behavior. A girl marries her husband, not his father. What's the point of comparing with her future father-in-law? Does it mean that your future happiness depends on your father-in-law? Talking about the future marriage life, not talking about your own husband, what are you doing around the future father-in-law!
Li Shu's disdain was seen by her sisters as being outdone by them, and she felt depressed.
So they chatted even more happily.
Then they talked about the marriage of the eldest daughter of the Marquis's Mansion, who was their eldest sister. The eldest daughter of the Marquis's Mansion was the apple of the eye of the second master's family. She just got married last year and married the eldest son of the eldest branch of the founding dukedom. He looked very envious, and then comforted Li Shu with a regretful tone.
As they chatted further, they talked about rouge, powder, and soap for shampooing. These were the only topics that girls would talk about in their boudoirs: makeup, beauty, clothes, accessories, plus fantasies about a better life in the future, and perhaps some gossip and rumors. Since they never left the house, they didn't have much to talk about.
In marriage, family background is important, but the most important thing is the person. If you don't know your husband, how can you expect a happy marriage in the future? What a bunch of pathetic people. Wash your hair with soap. No matter how beautiful your hair is, don't think that just hair can make you and your wife inseparable. If your husband is not good, you will only be entangled with yourself in the end.
Haven't you heard of the legend in ancient times? The leader of the Ba people, Linjun, led a fleet to march west along the Qing River. In the salt pond, he fell in love with the beautiful goddess of salt water. Linjun gave a lock of his hair to the goddess and said, "Tie it, I want to live and die with you." But Linjun was unwilling to stop his march to the west. The goddess was reluctant to let him go and turned into a flying insect to block his way. Linjun shot the goddess to death with an arrow on Yangshi. When the goddess died, the hair he gave her was still wrapped around her neck...
You don’t know whether your husband will be a lady of the imperial palace in the future, but I know that stinky toad definitely won’t be one.
My hair is just beginning to grow on my forehead, and I am picking flowers in front of the door. My lover comes riding on his bamboo horse, and plays with his plum blossoms around the bed. We have been childhood sweethearts for so many years, and I know that stinky toad too well.
Li Shu looked at her sisters with disdain.
After coming out of the young lady's room, Li Shu gave the maid Baozi a message, asking her to pack a few red envelopes and go to the inn where Zhu Ping'an lived to tell the shopkeeper and the shop assistants that if anyone went to the inn to look for Zhu Ping'an, they should come to the Marquis' Mansion to announce the good news.
The Marquis' Mansion also needs happy events, doesn't it
Li Shu curled the corners of her lips and returned to the courtyard where she lived, surrounded by the old nanny and the maids. She lazily half-lying on the embroidered bed, took out a book that she had placed under her pillow last night, and looked at the handwriting left by the stinky toad on the book, with a smile on her lips.
"Okay, I'm tired and need to rest for a while. You all can go down."
Li Shu put down the book, glanced at the maids serving in the room, and waved her hand with a weary look on her face.
"Yes, miss."
The maids and the old woman in the room all responded and left. The last maid to leave even closed the door considerately to prevent any noise outside from disturbing the young lady's rest.
After the footsteps outside faded away, Li Shu put on a fox fur cloak, opened the silk quilt, and got out of bed with a book in her hand.
Coming to the desk, Li Shu placed the book with the stinky toad character on it. Then she laid a piece of pink paper on it, took a brush with her delicate hands, dipped the tip of the brush in the ink, studied the handwriting on the book for a moment, and then put pen to paper.
"Li Shu, I love you. I only wish that we can be together through life and death, and hold your hand until old age."
The signature is "Xiahe Zhu Ping'an".
If it weren't for Li Shu's slender hands holding the brush, but looking at the font, the words on the pink paper were exactly the same as the font in the book Li Shu placed on the desk, it really looked like it was written by Zhu Ping'an.
After Li Shu finished writing, she waited for the ink to dry a little, then she thievedly sandwiched the pink paper in the book. Then, she took the book in her slender hands, tiptoed to the embroidered bed, put the book under the pillow, and half-lay on the bed again.
After a few seconds
Still in this room
On the embroidered couch, a beautiful girl was half lying, with a goose-shaped hairpin inlaid with gold and kingfisher feathers and holding a pearl inserted in her hair. Her hair was half-undone and looked like crow's wings flying lazily, as if she had just woken up. Her slender jade hands took out a book from under the pillow and gently opened it.
Then, a piece of pink paper accidentally fell inside.
The beautiful girl's lips slightly pursed, as if she was seeing this kind of pink paper for the first time and was a little surprised. She picked up the pink paper, opened it, and read the contents: Li Shu, I love you, and I only wish: to be with you through life and death, and to hold your hand and grow old with you. - Xiahe Zhu Ping'an.
"OK."
The beautiful girl had starry eyes, a beautiful smile, a charming demeanor, and slightly parted cherry lips as she uttered two words lightly.
Then he was alone, holding the embroidered pillow and laughing for a long time.
"Stinky Toad, I'm going to stew you and eat you."
After a long time, the beauty muttered something and reluctantly threw the pink paper into the brazier on the side.
Not long after Yu Ren'er burned the pink paper, the sound of brisk footsteps was heard outside.
"Miss, I'm back."
The next second, the voice of Baozi's maid was heard at the door, followed by the voice of a maid trying to stop her, as if she was telling Baozi that the young lady was sleeping or something. Soon, the voice of Baozi's maid regretting was heard, regretting that she had been so loud just now and it would be bad if she disturbed the young lady's rest.
"Come in."
The beautiful lady in the room looked at the pink paper in the brazier, which had turned to ash, and then she opened her red lips and called out softly to the door. (To be continued.)