Delicate Flower

However, before Yu Tang could visit Pei Yan, someone from the Pei family came.

It was Third Chief Steward Hu Xing.

As he sat in the Yu family’s hall, he chatted with Yu Wen and Madam Chen, enthusiastically saying, “…… My family’s Grand Madam is not your ordinary Madam of the house. That year, when Grand Elder was ill, it was our Grand Madam who helped to arrange everything and organize the family’s affairs. When Grand Elder passed away, the Pei Family’s residence was closed to visitors. Even when Eldest Madam’s maternal aunt came by, she only met our Grand Madam once. However, now our Grand Madam wishes to have your daughter come over for a visit, this is a tremendous honour that many people would never be able to have, you have to tell Lady Yu to mind her appearance and dress impeccably. Our Grand Madam is particularly fond of beautiful ladies!”

Yu Wen was pleasantly surprised.

Madam Chen was overjoyed and didn’t even how to reply.

The Pei family was the most distinguished family in Lin’an City, and if Yu Tang could win the favour of Grand Madam Pei, her reputation would certainly grow and shine, which would be very beneficial for her future marriage.

“Thank you very much, Chief Steward Hu.” Madam Chen knew Hu Xing well, as he had often came with the imperial physician for her consultations, so she spoke without the customary formalities, “We will definitely not disappoint you. Please, sit for a while, I will have someone prepare a meal so that my husband and you can have a good drink.”

Madam Chen further instructed Old Aunty Chen to prepare some gifts to give to Hu Xing.

Hu Xing waved his hands and replied, “We are not outsiders, Mrs. Yu, you do not need to be so polite with me. I was just about to go to Supervisor Tong’s place as per Grand Madam Pei’s instructions, but I ran into a steward at the entrance who was on his way to deliver a letter to your family, so I volunteered to come over. I still have things to do. I will find a chance to pay a visit to Master Yu when I am done.”

He figured that if Lady Yu’s visit to the residence won the affection of Grand Madam Pei, the Yu and the Pei family would grow even closer and he would still have to visit them at that time anyway, so he might as well take this time to get closer to the Yu family.

Yu Wen listened and chuckled, “From your words, it seems like you’re working under Grand Madam Pei nowadays?”

Hu Xing listened and said with a smile that made his eyes form into crescents, “You’re indeed perceptive. A few days ago, I helped Grand Madam with a few errands, which she found acceptable and thus had me work exclusively in her service. Isn’t Supervisor Tong in charge of the pawn shops in Lin’an City? It would be Grand Madam Song’s birthday in a couple of days, so she asked me to go and see if there were anything unique there. I was just about to head there to pick up a couple of pieces and send them to her.”

It was ill-mannered for Yu Wen to keep him any longer, so he personally saw him out.

Madam Chen was over the moon as she quickly made her way to Yutang’s room to tell her about Hu Xing’s visit. She then took her to the Jewelry shop, saying “We need to see if there’s any new pieces, and we also need to buy some new clothes. I’ve heard that the Qian family is also a family of scholars for generations and is one of the major four families in Jiangnan. If not for Grand Elder Pei’s handsome and dignified appearance, the elders of the Qian family would not have taken a liking to him either. Back then, Grand Madam was said to have married beneath her status.”

Yu Tang couldn’t decide if she should cry or laugh.

In her past life, she too was nervous when she first started meeting the Li family’s female relatives and elders. Later, she found that sometimes the more calm and normal you acted, the easier it was to fit in with the environment.

However, Pei Yan was someone who valued manners, propriety and dressing. It was also her first official visit with the Pei’s female family members, so she had to be well dressed, showing her respect for Grand Madam Pei. However, on the morning of her visit to the Pei family, it suddenly began drizzling and the weather was slightly gloomy. She had chosen a silver-red persimmon patterned cloth with soft yellow edges and a white collar with pearls the size of lotus seeds as buttons, which matched her pearl earrings along with a pair of soft yellow lotus flowers headpieces. Yu-tang looked more elegant than ever, and her skin was as light as snow, making the dull hall seem brighter.

Old Aunty Chen kept praising her, saying “Our young lady should always be dressed up to the nines. Look, she really is like a fairy descending from heaven.”

Madam Chen smiled brightly, agreeing with her.

Yu Tang looked at her powdered self in the mirror and was lost in thought.

She had never dressed up like this in her previous life, nor had she ever had the chance to look into the mirror as carefully as she did now. Thus, it was only now that she realized belatedly that she was quite beautiful. No wonder Gu Xi looked at her with a tinge of jealousy along with animosity every time she noticed that Li Duan was having illicit thoughts about her.

A woman’s love of beauty is natural.

When she was all dressed up like this, she was quite pleased with her appearance, not to mention the opinions of others.

Sitting in front of her vanity, Yu Tang watched on as her mother helped apply rose-coloured rouge and felt that her face appeared even whiter.

She looked up and smiled at her mother.

Madam Chen stroked her head lovingly and said warmly, “The carriage is ready, remember to be on your best behaviour. If Grand Madam rewards you with anything, you can accept it first and we can always return it later. If you are asked a question, just speak honestly, from the heart, but you mustn’t be rude and impolite. Understand?”

Yu Tang nodded repeatedly, and her eyes moistened.

In her past life, her mother had not lived long enough to teach her this.

In this life, she had her mother, father and brother to protect her, so she would definitely go on smoothly in life.

She wrapped her arms around her mother’s waist. As she was afraid of rubbing the face powder on her mother’s clothes, she did not bury her head in her mother’s arms, but only leaned gently against her mother’s side.

Madam Chen also gave Shuang Tao instructions, saying “In the bag is a change of clothes and jewellery for the young lady, so keep it safe, lest when the young lady needs to change her clothes she doesn’t have any and make the Pei family laugh at us. Talk less, listen and observe more. Since you are accompanying Miss into the Pei Estate, you are representing Miss and our Yu Family, so if you make a mistake, it will be poorly reflected on the Yu Family and not on you, Shuang Tao.”

“Understood!” Shuang Tao answered resolutely and said with a serious face, “I will not let the Pei family look down on us.”

Yu Tang said, “Don’t be nervous, just behave the same way you usually do when visiting the Pei family. Treating people with sincerity is the best course of action.”

Although Shuang Tao verbally assented, she did not relax at all, but rather became increasingly nervous.

Yu Tang smiled wryly, and with Ah Cam escorting her, she took Shuang Tao to the Pei Estate.

As she was meeting Grand Madam Pei, the carriage did not stop until she reached the Trailing Flower Gate.

The person who came to greet her was actually a familiar face, Ji Daniang, whom she met once when she came to pay her respects at Grand Elder Pei’s funeral.

She was also related to Supervisor Tong’s family.

Yu Tang felt all the more welcomed when she saw her.

She called out in a sweet voice, “Ji Daniang”.

When she heard Yu Tang call out to her, she smiled and said in a quiet voice, “Lady Yu, please follow me.”

“Mm!” Yu Tang answered, and could not help but ask in hushed tones, “Are you working for Grand Madam Pei now, Ji Daniang?”

Ji Daniang nodded and said, “After Grand Elder passed away, Grand Madam sent away some servants. As my family worked under the Pei Family for several generations, they certainly would keep me on. Grand Madam kept me as one of the matrons managing her domestic affairs.”

In other words, as she was working for the Grand Madam, all the masters in the Pei Family, whether young or old, had to accord her with a certain measure of respect when they saw her.

“Wow! Congratulations!” Yu Tang was happy for her.

Ji Daniang smiled, thinking that this young lady of the Yu family was good-natured, not only did she speak and act with grace and tact, but she was also always cheerful, which made people happy when they saw her – outshining their own young ladies of the Pei Family.

No wonder Third Master either intentionally or unintentionally, would always mention Lady Yu in front of Grand Madam, and even asked them, the servants of Grand Madam, to invite Lady Yu over.

Grand Madam would definitely enjoy her company.

With familiar faces and quiet, hushed conversations, Yu Tang felt that the 15 minutes’ walk had passed in a blink of an eye.

They stopped in front of a large five-room residence and waited in front of the black lacquered windows, which were covered with a white satin plywood screen as an attendant reported her arrival.

Shortly afterwards, a plump, fair matron came out to greet her with a smile, “Lady Yu? I’m Chen Daniang of Grand Madam’s Estate. Grand Madam is waiting for you, come with me quickly.”

Yu Tang saw that this matron wore a thick gold bracelet with lotus prints, so she guessed that she was probably a respected matron of Grand Madam’s. She smiled and thanked her before following her inside.

It was not yet winter, but the fire was already burning in Grand Madam’s house, and a gust of hot air greeted her as she stepped in, immediately causing her forehead to perspire.

Ji Daniang quickly alerted her, ” Pass me your cloak. Just ask me for it before you leave.”

Yu Tang took off her cloak and followed Chen Daniang into the second room to the east.

The second room to the east was connected to the wing room, making it very spacious. It was surrounded by walls full of books, and in the centre was a Luohan couch fitted with a padded scarlet lining. To the left, was a large blue and white porcelain bowl filled with water lilies and beautiful koi fishes, in front of which stood a woman in a blue silk robe, tall and slender, with glossy black hair. She held a small white porcelain bowl in her hands as she fed the fish.

A few maids stood silently in the corner with lowered gazes, and they blended with the background so well that Yu Tang did not notice them when she entered.

“It’s Lady Yu!”

The woman who heard the call, turned around.

Yu Tang was startled.

The woman looked very similar to Pei Yan, her eyes were lively, bright and sharp. As if with one gaze, she could see right through to her inner thoughts, giving people a feeling that they had nowhere to hide.

This is Grand Madam Pei?

Yu Tang’s mouth gaped slightly and her expression looked a little silly.

Just with this aura, although there were fine lines at the corners of her eyes and forehead, but she looked young, at most forty years old, not at all like she had a son as old as Eldest Master Pei, let alone as old as a widowed woman!

How did she manage it?

Yu Tang felt that when she was a widow, she didn’t even live with the same tenacity and poise as Grand Madam Pei.

Grand Madam Pei smiled at her.

Truly interesting.

No wonder her son had surreptitiously and also explicitly planned to have this young girl come into the house to keep her company.

Although her maids were cheerful and upbeat, but it was unclear if it was genuine or not. The various Pei Family’s young ladies were good-looking, well-mannered and eloquent, but they were too adapt at seeing her moods and attitude, always trying to please and flatter her but yet trying to maintain their pride. She might as well enjoy the company of her own maids instead.

Grand Madam Pei handed the small bowl in her hand to the maid serving beside her, and took the warm handkerchief given by Chen Daniang and wiped her hands, saying, “Please, sit and have a chat!”