Chapter 18

Main Courtyard.

Ping Tong waited silently outside the door of the left wing room.

One quarter of an hour passed, two quarters of an hour passed… half an hour passed!

Seeing that Daohua still hadn’t called her in, Ping Tong became somewhat anxious. “Why hasn’t the eldest young miss finished bathing yet?”

At that moment, a maid dressed similarly to Ping Tong came over with a smile, “Sister Ping Tong, Madam is worried and has sent me to check on the eldest young miss, how is it, has the eldest young miss finished bathing?”

Upon seeing the newcomer, Ping Tong forced a bitter smile, then shook her head, “Ping Xiao, you’ve arrived just in time. Please, help me listen, is there any sound coming from inside the room?”

After speaking, Ping Tong pushed Ping Xiao towards the door.

Ping Xiao was somewhat helpless, “Sister Ping Tong, what are you doing?”

Ping Tong replied, “The eldest young miss wanted to bathe by herself, so I came out, but it has already been half an hour, and there is not a sound from the room.”

“Ah?” Startled, Ping Xiao pressed her ear against the door without Ping Tong having to push her, listened for a while, and then looked at Ping Tong with furrowed brows. “There really is no sound coming from the room. Could something have happened?”

Hearing this, Ping Tong could no longer bother with propriety and pushed open the door, rushing in quickly.

Ping Xiao also hurriedly followed suit.

They were the Senior Maids of Madam Li and knew all too well how much Madam Li valued the eldest young miss.

If something had really happened to the eldest young miss, perhaps she would be fine, but Ping Tong, who had been assigned to serve the eldest young miss, would likely be in trouble.

Ping Tong ran into the room, heading straight for the bathing chamber, and upon seeing Daohua asleep at the edge of the bathtub, a flash of amazement crossed her eyes, then she just stood there, rooted to the spot.

Ping Xiao followed, and seeing her like that, was about to say something when her gaze swept over and she caught sight of Daohua in the bathtub, swallowing hard the words she had in her mouth.

Both of them involuntarily held their breath, afraid of waking the person inside the tub.

Who could have imagined that the previously unkempt little beggar girl could possess such a divine beauty?

It took a while before Ping Xiao recovered from her amazement, “I used to think that the third young miss, Yiyi, was quite beautiful, but now, compared to the eldest young miss… I fear she merely has the fate of being a maid.”

By then, Ping Tong had also come back to her senses and nodded in agreement at Ping Xiao’s words, but soon added, “You must not say that again, the one from Shuangxin Courtyard is not easy to provoke.”

Ping Xiao scoffed, “Isn’t Madam Lin just relying on her looks and being a few years younger than our Madam? No matter how much the master favors her, she is just a concubine.”

Ping Tong shook her head, “You should be more careful with your words in the future. That woman knows how to act weak and coquettish. If you fall into her hands, prepare to suffer.”

Ping Xiao pursed her lips, showing some dissatisfaction, but still refrained from continuing the topic.

“Eldest young miss, you’re awake!”

Ping Tong had wanted to persuade Ping Xiao further, but at that moment, her eyes met a pair of clear, bright black pupils.

Daohua, leaning against the bathtub, first glanced at Ping Xiao, then nodded at Ping Tong.

She wasn’t dead asleep, just slightly dizzy from soaking in the warm water.

Having traveled for so long, she was indeed tired, and had simply closed her eyes to rest.

She had heard everything the two of them said. It seemed Madam Lin was quite favored. It looks like her future days would be rather interesting.

“Go get some more hot water. I want to wash up again.”

A quarter of an hour later, Daohua stepped out of the bathtub, wrapped in a bath towel.

Looking at Daohua’s skin, smooth as white jade, Ping Xiao expressed her sincere envy, “The eldest young miss’s skin is truly lovely.”

Daohua smiled, looking very happy.

No woman dislikes having good skin, and she was no exception.

Ping Tong came over with several sets of dresses, laid them out on the bed one by one, “Eldest Miss, these clothes were prepared for you by Madam. Since she didn’t know your size, she had a few made based on the size of the second daughter, which is not too different from yours. Then, she made some adjustments to make additional sets in varying sizes. Would you try them on to see which fits best?”

Looking at the dresses spread all over the bed, Daohua’s smile widened, “Mother, you have been thoughtful.”

When she saw her at the entrance of the County Governor’s Office, there was no sign of displeasure, and she embraced her immediately. Daohua could feel that this mother truly loved her.

Ping Tong and Ping Xiao displayed the dresses one by one, making it easier for Daohua to choose.

Daohua sized up her figure and picked one, “That light green ruqun will do.”

Ping Tong brought over the chosen ruqun, smiling, “Madam said, the Eldest Miss was born during the season when the rice flowers blossom. In your letters, you often mentioned that you love playing among the rice plants, so she guessed that you like the color green. Hence, most of the clothes prepared for you are green.”

Upon hearing this, Daohua felt a slight warmth in her heart, “Could the two sisters tell me about our mother? Tell me what she does usually, what she likes and dislikes.”

“Madam is very busy usually, managing all the affairs of the inner court, handling domestic matters, and having to entertain…”

The two maids continued to describe Madam Li’s daily routines as they helped Daohua get dressed.

“Eldest Miss, not only do you have good skin, but you also have wonderful hair,” Ping Tong said as she wiped Daohua’s hair with a cloth, smiling, “Later, I will comb a Chui Bin Fen Xiao hairstyle for you.”

Upon hearing this, Daohua immediately asked, “Can it be simpler? Like just gathering the hair on top of the head?” The Chui Bin Fen Xiao hairstyle seemed so complicated.

Ping Tong disagreed, “Eldest Miss, only men gather all their hair on top of the head. Our women’s hairstyles are not like that.”

Daohua then asked, “Do the other young ladies in the county town also have to have such complicated hairstyles?”

Ping Tong nodded her head.

Seeing this, Daohua fell silent and said no more.

Ping Tong reassured her with a smile, “Eldest Miss, rest assured, my skills are good, I’ll make sure you look beautiful.”

Daohua thought to herself that she wasn’t worried about her skill. What worried her was that with a ladylike hairstyle, she would not dare to stride as boldly as before.

Half an hour later, led by Ping Tong and Ping Xiao, Daohua left the wing-room and walked toward the Old Madam’s Songhe Courtyard.

They had not gone far from the main courtyard when they encountered Lin Cailiang coming from Shuangxin Courtyard.

Seeing two Senior Maids leading a celestial-like green-clad young girl beside Madam Li, Lin Cailiang’s heart suddenly sank into an abyss, an unprecedented sense of crisis emerging within him.

What had allowed Sister Ping Tong to establish herself in the County Magistrate’s inner courtyard?

Apart from her own sense of propriety, it was also the affection the County Magistrate had for Yiyi.

But now, with such a legitimate eldest daughter present, could Yiyi continue to be as favored as before?

At this moment, Lin Cailiang felt somewhat flustered.

While Lin Cailiang observed Daohua, she also examined him.

“Eldest Miss, that is Aunt Lin’s brother,” Ping Tong whispered.

Hearing this, Daohua raised her eyebrows and withdrew her gaze inconspicuously, and walked away directly. After covering some distance, she asked in a calm voice, “Don’t the rules in dramas state that the family’s inner courtyard is off-limits for unrelated men to enter and leave freely? Or do we not have such a rule here?”

Ping Tong and Ping Xiao both lowered their heads, unsure of how to respond.

Daohua shook her head, once again thinking that her father, who had been the County Magistrate for nine years, was truly justified. Setting aside his political achievements, his governance of household rules was truly lacking.

Meanwhile, it wasn’t until he could no longer see the backs of the three that Lin Cailiang came back to his senses, then left the inner courtyard with somewhat disarrayed steps.