The following day, as scheduled, Shopkeeper Lin arrived and Wufu took Hongyu and Liu Jin onto their family’s carriage and went to the County Government Office with him.
"Miss, isn’t your attire a bit too plain?" Hongyu asked once more.
It was late autumn approaching winter, and although the weather had already turned cold, Wufu was still dressed in a single layer of light blue cross-collared ruqun; it was the unlined kind, and Hongyu felt chilly just looking at it, yet she insisted it was sufficient.
Her clothing was simple, and her hair even more so. Since she hadn’t reached the age of marriage, she hadn’t bound her hair into a bun but simply used a light purple silk ribbon to tie a lock of her hair—utter simplicity.
Hongyu glanced at her own wrist, where she wore a silver bracelet, and the beaded flowers adorned her double buns on her head, while the young lady wore nothing but a pair of pearl earrings, with no other accessories.
"It’s quite nice," Wufu said with a smile, looking down at herself.
"Miss, how about applying a bit of lip rouge?" Hongyu brought out a small target mirror and powder, gazing at her eagerly.
Wufu dodged back and shook her head, "No, that stuff’s too bright red, looks like I’ve drunk chicken blood or something, quite frightening. This is enough."
She didn’t like to dress up, and even the outfit she wore now was put on her under the insistence of Madam Zhou and Hongyu. As Madam Zhou tied the hair band for her, she said, "My child will be of age to bind her hair in a few months, and then mother will make several more hairpins for you to wear."
Wufu’s birthday was on the day of ’Dragon Raising Its Head’ in February, and now it was already October; indeed, it wouldn’t be long before she reached the age of marriage.
"The young lady must be the least fond of dressing up out of all the women I have seen," Hongyu said, a bit irked.
Wufu responded cheerfully, "Simplicity is best. Your mistress doesn’t like anything complicated, especially headdresses on the head—aren’t they heavy? If you like them, when you grow up and are about to get married, I will have a full gold headdress made just for you."
A blush crept onto Hongyu’s small face, and she cried out in feigned annoyance.
As the master and servant talked, the carriage soon came to a halt, and Liu Jin, sitting on the shaft, jumped down and stood by the carriage door, facing inward he said, "Miss, we’ve arrived."
Wufu lifted the carriage curtain and saw a stretch of white walls and gray tiles; the corners of her mouth twitched slightly—here she was at the County Government Office again!
She didn’t wait for Liu Jin to hand over the footstool; she jumped down from the carriage herself. Although the trip wasn’t far, sitting inside the carriage was suffocating; it was nothing like the exhilaration of horseback riding.
Liu Jin was used to her bold leaps and followed without surprise, while Hongyu, trailing behind, sighed in dismay.
In these recent days, she had taken to trailing behind Qiu Xiang, learning many rules. She didn’t know what sort of family Qiu Xiang had served in before, but her manners seemed even more proper than those of Qiu Ye, who was born a criminal slave, and she also knew a great deal.
Therefore, she understood that her mistress’s behavior would likely bring criticism from noble ladies and Madams.
But as a servant, she had no place to lecture, and besides, Wufu had already walked to the entrance; Hongyu and Liu Jin hurried to grab the gifts and follow.
"The master is taking a bath and resting today, so we’ll go straight to the Rear Government Office," Shopkeeper Lin said, leading the way through the Yamen’s back door, and to avoid any misunderstanding, he offered an explanation.
"Thank you for the trouble, Shopkeeper Lin," Wufu said with a smile, bowing slightly.
After calling someone to open the door, there was a servant to lead the way, ushering Shopkeeper Lin and the others towards the Rear Government Office residence.
Upon reaching the secondary gate, someone was waiting there. Shopkeeper Lin hurried forward a few steps, bowed slightly, and greeted, "How could we make Miss Lan Shu wait here?"
Wufu looked on curiously and saw a young lady about seventeen or eighteen standing by the gate, her face brimming with a pleasant smile, and very composed. Behind her followed several young maids and older women attendants.
Sensing Wufu’s gaze, Miss Lan Shu looked over, and their eyes met squarely.