Lian Manman looked around. It was now winter, and only the pines and cypresses remained lush. However, from the surrounding scenery, one could easily imagine how flourishing the flowers and trees would be around this courtyard in spring and sumr.
"...A few days ago, the Madam caught a cold and couldn’t et guests, thus missing Madam Lian and Miss Lian. The Madam has been talking about it for the past few days. Fortunately, she has felt better these last couple of days... It will still be a while before the feast begins; Madam ntioned she’d like to co and rest a bit. She specifically asked that when Madam Lian and Miss Lian arrive, they must be brought here to have a chat," Aunt Wang explained.
It turned out that the Madam of the Shen family wanted to et with them before the feast started, so naturally, Lian Manman had no objections and followed Aunt Wang into the courtyard.
There were not many buildings in the courtyard, which was surrounded by a corridor. At the entrance of the Upper Room, there stood many maids waiting. When they saw Aunt Wang bringing guests, one of them went inside to announce their arrival, while two clever young maids stepped down the stairs to greet them.
"Madam was just asking if the guests had arrived, and here you are," a young maid said with a smile.
Lian Manman and Lady Zhang entered the door, surrounded by others. Inside the door was a main room, with exquisitely arranged jade bonsais and celadon tea bottles on both sides. Directly opposite the entrance was a four-panel mahogany fra color-embroidered screen.
Upon entering the main room, a pinging sound could be heard from the corner. Lian Manman looked in that direction and saw a clock behind the jade bonsai in the corner. The clock was about three feet tall, and the pinging sound was the chi marking the hour.
In this era, rather advanced clocks had already been imported from overseas through trading fleets. They were, however, still quite rare, primarily consisting of these larger standing clocks. There were also smaller pocket watches, which were even rarer and could only be bought with gold. Even if one had gold, common households couldn’t buy them.
The arrangent of such items was enough to indicate this was a significant place within the Shen family. Anyone who could rest here to entertain guests must naturally hold a considerable status within the Shen family.
The Madam of the Shen family should be the highest-ranking woman of the direct lineage by generation in the family. Therefore, everything now made sense.
While thinking this, Lian Manman noticed a young maid lifting the curtain of the eastern room, inviting Lady Zhang and herself to enter.
The Madam, Lady Shi, was in the eastern room.
The mother and daughter entered the eastern room. The room’s arrangent was typical of a household in Liaodong Prefecture. By the window was a kang bed, beneath which against the wall were four Taishi Chairs in a row. Between every two chairs was a low table, on which vases and spittoons were placed. The room’s furnishings and decorations were all exquisite, mainly in tones of stone-colored, crow-blue, and deep blue.
On the kang bed was a low table, with a stone-colored silk headrest on each side. Madam Shi was leaning against one of the headrests, leisurely sipping a cup of ginseng tea.
When Lady Zhang and Lian Manman entered, they imdiately bowed to greet Lady Shi. Having an Imperial Decree, Lady Shi’s rank was much higher than Lady Zhang’s.
Seeing them arrive, Lady Shi quickly put down her cup, got up from the kang bed, and warmly motioned to Lady Zhang, telling both of them there was no need for formalities.
"I’ve been aning to et you both for a while now, but we’ve always missed the chance. Please, have a seat and let’s talk," Lady Shi said with a gentle smile.
Lady Zhang was seated opposite Lady Shi, while Lian Manman sat on the first chair under the kang bed, next to Lady Zhang’s leg. Soon, young maids ca in one by one, bringing fragrant tea and snacks.
As Lady Shi and Lady Zhang exchanged pleasantries, Lian Manman couldn’t help but observe Lady Shi closely.
Since Lady Shi had stood up just a mont ago, Lian Manman noticed she was tall and slender. Lady Zhang was considered tall among won, but when standing next to Lady Shi, Lady Zhang seed slightly shorter.
It wasn’t Lady Shi’s height that surprised Lian Manman, but her beauty.
With porcelain-white skin devoid of any flaws, her palm-sized oval face had features as delicate as a painting. It seed as though she had stepped out of a painting, Lian Manman thought. Among her beautiful features, her eyes were the most captivating.
They were almond-shaped, with slightly upturned corners—a pair Lian Manman felt she had seen before. Then she chuckled inwardly. How could she not rember? Shen Qian (Fatty Shen) had eyes just like these.
However, Fatty Shen’s eyes were longer and narrower, not as bright as these.
Sothing stirred in Lian Manman’s heart; a thought fleetingly crossed her mind but faded quickly. Lian Manman cherished all beautiful things, naturally including beautiful people. In this era, she prided herself on having seen many beautiful won.
The first to capture her with his stunning appearance was Shen Liu, and then many more followed, be they daughters of tenant farrs or daughters, wives, and madams from wealthy families. If emotional significance was considered, Lian Zhizhi and Lady Zhang were undoubtedly the most beautiful.
However, without accounting for emotional ties, among won, Lady Shi was undoubtedly the most beautiful woman Lian Manman had seen so far.
Lady Shi seed at most twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old, possibly just over thirty, yet she wore an older green silk jacket, her jet-black hair styled in a bun popular among won in their forties and fifties in Prefecture City at the ti.
Observing Lady Shi’s attire and hairstyle, along with the matured color sche of the room’s décor, Lian Manman seed to understand sothing.
By this ti, the conversation between Lady Shi and Lady Zhang had shifted from general pleasantries to Lian Manman herself.
"Is this Manman? What a pretty girl! There are no other girls her age in our Prefecture City who can compare in looks, are there?... How old is she this year?" Lady Shi spoke, her gaze falling on Lian Manman.
...
Ruoyan’s Complete Recomndation of Farming Novels:
Title: "Rebirth: When Flowers Bloom and the Moon is Full" (Complete with main text and extras) (Click for a direct link)
Summary: Transmigrating as a wronged and abandoned woman accused of losing her chastity, she embarks on a sweet life alongside a reliable and frugal man, with a little bun in tow. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian) to cast your recomndation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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