Thirteenth Lady's Comback: Her Everyday Life as a Bystander-Chapter 281 - 33: Where You Go, I Will Follow

Because there are no wars now, the commanders can drink a few cups, though they must be conscious not to drink too much.

Near eight o’clock, the banquet in the front hall dispersed. Hong Sheng bathed in a small room of the study in the outer courtyard, removing the smell of alcohol. He also drank a bowl of hangover soup before coming to the inner courtyard.

Susu was organizing the study in the eastern room, which was now divided by a screen into front and back sections.

In the front, the desk was moved near the window, with the best Four Treasures of the Study arranged on it, along with a small chiming clock.

Two treasure ink cases, one square, one round, two silver ink cases, with a piece of aged pine soot ink on the ink stonebed were among Susu’s dowry. She can’t remember when she got them!

The bookshelf was still against the wall, holding dozens of books. Hong Sheng didn’t read much when he was young and is still in the basic stage now, so they are all simple and easy-to-understand basic books.

When Susu came to the Northwest, she brought two carts of books. The simple ones included "Three Character Classic," "Thousand Character Classic," and "Explaining Writing and Characters." More profound ones like the Four Books and Five Classics in various versions were over a dozen sets.

Inside the screen was a small incense room, with a walnut sculpted high mountain stream theme Imperial Concubine’s Couch, and a large nanmu table with various incense burners and boxes for incense materials.

Susu initially said she wanted to teach Sister Yang Fang about two etiquette rules. But when she arrived in the camp, she apologized to the Yang Family, and this matter could only wait until she returned.

Hong Sheng had long said that the camp was dull and boring, and Susu, fearing she would overthink idly, had brought some of her incense burners with her.

In over two months, it would be the Mid-Autumn Festival. When she returned from the camp, she would prepare festival gifts to be sent to the Capital, and incense products made by her hand would be indispensable.

When Hong Sheng returned, Susu was washing a set of celadon incense burners by hand.

The vessel used was a deep glass lotus flower dish, about the size of a washbasin, filled with pure snow water from Tianshan.

She was wearing a pair of transparent gloves made from pig intestines, fearing the human odor would contaminate the incense burners.

This pair of gloves was specially made for her by Old Madam at a considerable expense when she was in Yangzhou. They were very flexible on the hands, with no effect on touch sensitivity.

Susu used them very carefully, afraid they might be accidentally damaged.

Linlang was outside the incense chamber listening to instructions, reciting a few lines of the Thousand Character Classic that Susu taught her, "Heaven and Earth are profound, the universe vast and desolate..."

Hong Sheng listened to a few lines outside, entered the room, and said with a smile, "Does my wife intend to cultivate all the maids into talented women?"

He sent Linlang out, walked around the screen, and saw Susu with her hair loosely tied in a bun with a long jasper hairpin. She wore a honey-colored, matched-closure long jacket with green bamboo leaf prints made of Ning silk, with only a pair of wide-legged Hang silk pants with white-gray background and green lotus embroidered at the cuffs underneath, and a pair of soft-soled slippers with moon-white satin on her feet.

Each shoe had an embroidered lotus leaf, on which a small green frog with a white belly perched, its eyes made of pearl-sized obsidian beads.

Hong Sheng found that Susu always managed to live her life with exquisite elegance, just like these shoes.

Even just a pair of indoor slippers would immediately reveal the owner’s taste.

For some reason, Hong Sheng recalled his second meeting with Susu.

At that time, the first thing he saw was a pair of embroidered shoes under her skirt. He still remembered their pink surface adorned with small daisies and clustered millet pearl stamens.

Then, he thought the Song Family’s wealth and fame were well-deserved; this pair of shoes alone must be worth ten taels of silver. Back then, his entire wealth could only buy a few pairs of such shoes.

Who would have imagined that in just two short years, he would become a Fourth Rank Military Officer, and the owner of those embroidered shoes would marry him?

After organizing the incense burners, Susu saw Hong Sheng staring at her feet, remaining silent, seemingly in a daze.

"What are you thinking about?"

Hong Sheng snapped out of his memories and said with a smile, "Reflecting on our meetings: The first time, you were a skinny, weak little girl; by our second meeting, you were a nation-dazzling beauty; at the third, you were to marry me. It’s just been two short years, but it felt like twenty."

Susu laughed at Hong Sheng, saying, "Could it be that your body is young but your heart is old?"

Hong Sheng picked Susu up and carried her to the bedroom in the western room, "You’ll find out if your husband is old or not."

Completely unprepared, Susu exclaimed and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.

Blushing, she playfully spat at him, "Even if you’re old, you’re an improperly aged one!"

"With my wife, I don’t have to be proper!"

After an intimate moment, Hong Sheng, feeling sorry for Susu who had cooked meals for several people today, did not push it too far, ending it after one round.

After the clouds and rain subsided, Hong Sheng called someone to bring water, not letting the maids in to serve, he cleaned them and changed the sheets. It was the first time Susu remained alert after such an encounter, so Hong Sheng lay next to her and talked.

"Did you see your cousin today?"

His wife was so captivating today that Hong Sheng felt deeply moved. Although his cousin’s situation was complicated, knowing Susu wished to recognize her family, he had to think of a way.

In Hong Sheng’s arms, Susu nodded, not feeling as sorrowful or distressed in her heart.

After all, having come to the Northwest, to Hami, seeing her brother and knowing that at least his life was not at risk, she no longer worried herself sick day and night.

As for openly recognizing each other, it doesn’t matter whether that person above is alive or dead, it’s something never to be considered again.

Even recognizing each other as cousins carries too many risks, so now Susu only wishes for her brother to live a better life, at least not in want.

Her brother, about the same age as Hong Sheng, had aged so much. And the other four, either skeletal or frail as if they’d collapse in the wind.

The Ninth Son was ten years old, yet so thin he looked like a seven or eight-year-old. She dared not imagine how they managed these past years.

Originally, she only thought to leave the bulk of the silver to her brother, forgetting they were exiled criminals, still young, and fortunate not to be thoroughly searched. They wouldn’t dare spend large amounts of silver during exile, would they?

"I knew at first sight he was my cousin, for indeed, we share some resemblances. But hearing Sister Ruan say he was of the same age as you, seeing him today, he appears a decade older, surely endured many hardships."

Raising her head from Hong Sheng’s chest to look at him, Susu said, "Although I worried before meeting him, he was still a stranger. Now, however, I truly feel he’s a blood-related family member."

Hearing this, Hong Sheng knew Susu firmly recognized him as her cousin and planned quietly, "If we can’t recognize each other openly, then secretly. Previously, the cousin was assigned to the Vanguard Camp, which was truly unpredictable, but now that I’ve taken on this task, I can always find ways to help."

Moreover, he heard that Qin Dusi was the one who spared the Ruan Family’s lives; Qin Dusi is practically the local emperor in the Northwest. Even if the Emperor ordered them tormented, in the Northwest, the Emperor’s commands may not carry weight. Otherwise, how would Commander Liu dare take their silver?

In addition, after closely observing, Hong Sheng discovered Ruan Family’s lads were not ordinary people. To build good relations alone, he was already inclined to help, let alone it was now his wife’s wish.

Your desires are my aspirations!