Chapter 1093 - 1095: The Magical Gift_1
Princess Huilan’s words were only halfway spoken when she wore a look of pity for Bai Ruozhu, clearly implying that the gift Bai Ruozhu had given was too modest. Perhaps her husband had been taken by someone else, and her days were no longer as good as before?
Bai Ruozhu sneered inwardly. As expected, Princess Huilan had set a trap, but it was not a clever one. It was simply meant to suggest that her husband had neglected her, to embarrass her a little.
Her face still wore a bright smile as she bowed respectfully to Princess Huilan and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness, but there is truly no such thing. I don’t know which servant has been spreading idle gossip, causing such a misunderstanding."
Princess Huilan’s complexion changed slightly. Was Bai Ruozhu implying that she was the one spreading rumors? She wanted to react but had to suppress it.
Lady Leng, always adept at socializing, never really believed that Princess Huilan was concerned about Bai Ruozhu. Now she truly regretted inviting Princess Huilan. Earlier rumors had suggested that Princess Huilan was quite fond of Bai Ruozhu, but it seemed all to be false.
"This Min Yu carving is exquisite; it must be the work of a renowned artisan. I have always liked these delicate things. Ruozhu must have known my taste." Lady Leng laughed heartily, smoothing things over and subtly clarifying to everyone that Bai Ruozhu’s gift was not ’modest’.
Bai Ruozhu, knowing Lady Leng meant well, smiled gratefully at her and added, "When you rest from viewing the chrysanthemums later, Aunt, I must help you try this Pure White Min Yu Cream. It will certainly astound you."
"Oh? Now you’ve got me curious." Lady Leng was thrilled, realizing that what was truly precious was indeed the cream inside the jar.
Leng Wanhua suddenly called out with evident curiosity, "Isn’t the Pure White Min Yu Cream the fragrance you don’t sell outside your Beauty Pavilion in Beiyu City?"
"It’s not exactly a fragrance, it’s more like a facial mask," Bai Ruozhu replied with a smile.
"Mother, I’ve heard that many have wanted to buy some to give as a gift, but since the formula is a secret, she never sells it. It’s only available for use at her Beauty Pavilion, and one must even queue up and make a reservation," Leng Wanhua explained on the side, her eyes glittering with interest in the Pure White Min Yu Cream.
Upon hearing this, Lady Leng felt overjoyed, thinking that Bai Ruozhu truly regarded her as an elder to be trusted. The weight of the gift didn’t matter, for the sentiment behind it delighted her greatly.
Princess Huilan, grinding her teeth at the side, wanted to challenge Leng Wanhua’s words but did not want to ruin the image of concern she had created for Bai Ruozhu. So, she swallowed her irritation, thinking of mocking her after Bai Ruozhu had applied the cream to Lady Leng.
She simply didn’t believe in any miraculous effects. It must be an exaggeration that had spread far and wide.
With the end of this minor incident, Lady Leng led everyone to admire the flowers. A group of women chattered and laughed amidst a garden of chrysanthemums; yet how many were truly admiring the flowers? Some were even eager to inquire about the rumor of Bai Ruozhu’s husband bringing home another woman.
Fang Guizhi breathed a huge sigh of relief upon seeing how Bai Ruozhu handled everything with ease. She had been so nervous that her heart had been in her throat, fearing that Bai Ruozhu couldn’t explain herself clearly and would lose face in front of everyone.
After a while, all the ladies grew tired from walking and proceeded to the area arranged by the Leng Residence for rest. Leng Wanhua, remembering the Pure White Min Yu Cream, said with a smile, "Ruozhu, don’t say I didn’t give you time to rest, but you did make a promise. However, you can’t just think of my mother; you have to let me try it as well."
Bai Ruozhu replied with a smile, "Alright, but the Pure White Min Yu Cream requires a special technique to press acupoints. I’ll do it for Aunt, and have Guizhi tend to you."
Leng Wanhua had no objections and immediately agreed with a smile.
All the other women displayed an attitude of being there for the excitement, crowding closer to get a clearer view.
Bai Ruozhu had someone fetch clean water and used a cloth to help Madam Leng remove her makeup, then she took out some bottles and jars from the small bag she was carrying and started to do a facial massage for Madam Leng. Of course, to prevent the audience from losing patience, she had previously discussed with Guizhi to simplify the beauty treatment steps. Although it wouldn’t achieve the best effect, Madam Leng was using the Pure White Xuan Jade Cream for the first time, and the effect was the most obvious, so she wasn’t worried that the onlookers would fail to notice it.
When Bai Ruozhu was done with the massage, she applied the Pure White Xuan Jade Cream from the Min Yu Lianhua for Madam Leng to spread over her face, and Leng Wanhua also applied the same on hers.
"It’s cool and very comfortable," Leng Wanhua said excitedly. She, after all, was a young lady and was very curious about new things.
"You can’t talk, or else the Pure White Xuan Jade Cream will be squeezed and not spread evenly, which will affect the results," Bai Ruozhu reminded her with a smile.
Leng Wanhua immediately closed her mouth and stopped talking. Madam Leng looked at her daughter and almost couldn’t help but laugh out loud—the cream on her face was dark and really quite special.
Princess Huilan also found an opportunity to mock, "How is this any different from smearing mud all over the face? It’s too detrimental to Madam Leng and Miss Leng’s elegance. Can it really be effective?"
Bai Ruozhu wasn’t offended and said calmly, "Your Highness, please be patient. Soon you will see the results."
"How can we wait patiently? Are we supposed to just sit and stare at them?" Princess Huilan said, somewhat displeased.
"Since we have nothing else to do, how about we play the drinking game and compose some chrysanthemum poetry?" Bai Ruozhu, having cleaned her hands, added, "It won’t take more than a quarter of an hour, it’ll be quick."
Many unmarried ladies wanted to showcase their literary talent during the gathering in hopes of catching the eye of noblewomen from a good family. Hearing Bai Ruozhu’s suggestion, quite a number of people immediately agreed, including the forthright Si Yihuan.
At that moment, a lady said laughingly, "We ladies of a certain age will just cheer them on while they compose the poetry."
The older women agreed, and the younger ladies were naturally willing. They promptly began the drinking game, and the first young lady stood up and composed a fresh and elegant poem about chrysanthemums, which won unanimous praise from everyone.
The next round began, and it was Si Yihuan’s turn. She stood up gracefully, performed a courtesy to everyone, and recited a poem expressing her aspirations through chrysanthemums, which immediately garnered even more enthusiastic applause from the audience.
By this time, the facial treatment was also over. Bai Ruozhu and Fang Guizhi began to wash off the Pure White Xuan Jade Cream from both faces, and the crowd had no interest in continuing the drinking game; they just stared at Madam Leng and Leng Wanhua’s faces, eager to see if it was truly as miraculous as Leng Wanhua had said earlier.
Leng Wanhua was the first to finish cleaning up. She sat up, took out a small Western mirror box from her bosom, and took a look inside. To her genuine surprise, she found that her face had become a few shades lighter!
Just by comparing her face with her hand, it was clear. Previously, her face and hand were the same shade of white, but now her face was even more delicate.
When she looked back at her mother, the surprise on her face became even more conspicuous!