Thirteenth Lady's Comback: Her Everyday Life as a Bystander-Chapter 109 - 6: Dressing Up

The winter nights are always long, with early darkness and late dawn.

When Susu woke up, the courtyard was already bustling with the sounds of servants going about their tasks. The warmth in the bed was long gone, and the fire basin in the room had burnt to ashes, leaving the room quite cool!

Fortunately, Susu had a thick mattress beneath her and two quilts above her, so she wasn’t entirely cold!

Feeling her way in the dark, she got out of bed, found her customary gray squirrel coat on the clothes rack nearby, and put it on. Once her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she moved past the screen to the table under the window and lit a candle. The room was instantly brightened as she covered it with a glass lamp cover, and picked up the golden pocket watch on the table to see that it was only a few minutes to five.

Ever since she’d crossed over, Susu hadn’t had a chance to sleep in and was long accustomed to rising at this hour. She picked up the candlestick and placed it on the square table in the middle of the room. The table held several items, including a teapot whose tea had long gone cold, and a small porcelain bowl containing bird’s nest that had been soaked and had its fine hairs picked out.

Susu sat on a matching rosewood stool, lit a small red clay stove, placed a small silver pot on it, poured in the bird’s nest, and took three or four pieces of premium rock sugar from a porcelain jar with a silver spoon to simmer, then left it alone!

She pulled open the thick curtains, revealing patterns of frost flowers on the glass window, a rare sight in the south that made Susu feel nostalgic! The light inside the room barely filtered out through the window.

A rough servant woman, waiting outside, knocked on the door, "Miss, are you up? Do you need hot water? It snowed last night and there’s a thick layer on the ground now, Miss should wear more!"

Susu quickly opened the door and lifted the layered cotton curtain, seeing the world outside covered in a blanket of white.

To avoid disturbing the master’s rest, the snow hadn’t been swept away yet. Many maids from the south who had never seen snow before were curiously watching in the courtyard.

Chilled by the cold air, Susu shivered, quickly telling the servant woman, "Thank you, Aunt Qi!" Aunt Qi smiled, "Miss, quickly come inside, I’ll bring in the hot water for you!" Aunt Qi carried a bucket of hot water into the room and took the chamber pot placed in a corner out, as was routine without needing to be told!

While Susu washed her face and brushed her teeth, the bird’s nest with rock sugar in the silver pot was almost done simmering. She poured it into a small sweet white porcelain bowl, just enough to fill one, and only then did Susu go behind the screen to change clothes.

As Susu was going to visit Prince Gong Mansion today, she put on a newly tailored outfit, styled her hair into a small flowing cloud bun with a gold hairband inlaid with pearls, and wore a set of jewelry with gold filigree inlaid with red coral. The coral, bright red as blood, was carved into bats of varying sizes and forms, along with two hairpins of the Five Blessings and Longevity, a pair of bat earrings dangling with Lingzhi, a gold ring embedded with a bat the size of a soybean, and a coral bead bracelet engraved with floating cloud bat patterns!

This set of jewelry was a gift from the Old Madam when Susu turned thirteen last year, crafted with exquisite workmanship and precious materials. Remarkably, this was specially commissioned for Susu by the jewelry shop under the Old Madam’s command, based on a design drawn by Susu herself, truly unique!

It was the first time she wore the entire set since receiving it, making Susu’s snow-white skin and glowing complexion look even more radiant!

After dressing up, the bird’s nest with rock sugar was ready to eat. The warm bird’s nest moved through her stomach, and Susu let out a long breath of relief. Having something warm to eat upon waking in such cold weather was extraordinarily comforting!

Susu had a frail constitution since birth, fortunately arriving at the Song Mansion where she met the Old Madam, being consistently nourished with ginseng and bird’s nest, even as a maid. Worth noting, even when she was in Duke Li’s Mansion before, as a concubine’s daughter under the care of the Duchess, she never had a daily bird’s nest diet. Susu truly wanted to repay the Old Madam for her kindness from the bottom of her heart. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

After putting the porcelain bowl and silver pot in order, extinguishing the charcoal in the red clay stove, Susu hung the pocket watch on her lapel, noting it was a quarter to six, the Old Madam would be awake soon, so she tied on her cloak and headed out!

Susu didn’t go directly to the main house but went to the back courtyard storeroom first. It was late yesterday so the Old Madam’s requested items hadn’t been prepared yet. Honey grapefruit tea and plum blossom perfume were easy to find, just kept in the tea room. Pastries were informed to the small kitchen yesterday, but the four rolls of velvet needed the inner storeroom opened. Fortunately, they were newly acquired and placed outside, so there was no need to rummage through boxes!

This velvet was a luxury exclusively used by the French Royal Family and presented as tribute to Great Chu. However, with the prosperity of overseas trade, many items that were once tribute have entered the homes of the wealthy.