Chapter 477: Dress Up
Chapter 477: Chapter 477: Dress Up
Auntie Hu shyly lowered her head. With a trace of curiosity, her bright eyes stole a glance at Lin Dali before she cast her gaze downward again. She bowed respectfully. "Yu Zhu greets you, Master."
Lin Dali’s mouth instantly went dry. He felt as if he were in a dream.
As for Widow Ma or Ma Mingli, he had long tossed them to the back of his mind. He even took an excited step forward, reaching out to help her up, but hastily pulled his hand back at the thought of his wife’s presence.
How could Hu Waner not notice his changing reactions? She simply maintained her composure. "From now on, you will be the primary concubine of our household. As for that widow, husband, what status do you think we should give her?"
Lin Dali snapped back to his senses, feeling somewhat conflicted. Ma Mingli was very much to his liking and had served him well, but as his wife had said, bringing her into the family with her history as a widow was, upon closer reflection, rather off-putting.
With such a delicate beauty standing right in front of him, he couldn’t bear to let her feel slighted. Thus, he said, "The affairs of the house are all managed by you, my wife. You have the final say."
The ladies present all wore mocking smiles. When they really thought about it, men were truly all the same. That pretty widow had caused such a massive scene previously that she nearly drove Mrs. Lin to her death. Yet, the moment he saw an even more beautiful newcomer, he immediately tossed the widow aside.
Therefore, a woman had to love herself more to stand in an invincible position.
"After all, Widow Ma did accompany you for a while," Hu Waner said, a mocking smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth. Last time he returned, Lin Dali kept calling her Ming Li affectionately. This time, she had referred to her as Widow Ma several times right to his face, yet he hadn’t even noticed?
She instantly felt a dull sense of apathy. It was her own fault for not seeing things clearly before.
"Go and urge them. Why isn’t Widow Ma ready yet?
"Today is a momentous day for both her and Auntie Hu. If she misses the auspicious hour, can she bear the consequences?"
The butler didn’t dare say another word and hurriedly bowed his head to leave. They had underestimated Madam in the past, thinking that no matter what, the Master was the one in charge of the household. Now, they only hoped she would give them a chance to turn over a new leaf.
Mrs. Qian leaned close to Bai Suihe and whispered, "We underestimated this Mrs. Lin before. It seems she does have some tricks up her sleeve."
Before coming, apart from watching the drama, they had intended to help back her up. Now it seemed unnecessary; she had everything perfectly planned out.
Bai Suihe nodded. "She might have just gotten stuck in a dead end earlier. Once she thought things through, Mr. Lin was definitely no match for her."
Although they had intervened and Mrs. Jiang had acted as a mediator, it ultimately relied on Mrs. Lin standing up for herself. From the looks of it now, she had fought this turnaround battle beautifully.
"Madam, Widow Ma... has arrived," the butler said, walking in with a bizarre expression, though his attitude was a few degrees more respectful.
"Then bring her in. It’s a good time for her to meet everyone today. I remember Widow Ma hasn’t signed a concubine deed yet. Since several ’highly respected’ clan elders are present, we might as well write up the deeds for both concubines."
The clan elders all looked toward Lin Dali. Some of them had brought this up at the time, but Lin Dali had brushed them off, claiming he had his own plans.
Lin Dali rubbed his nose. "Then I will have to trouble you elders."
A flash of disdain crossed the eyes of several clan members, though they were secretly envious. If their own wives gifted them such a stunning beauty, they would certainly let their wives call the shots too.
The butler immediately went down to prepare the clerk, afraid that if he stayed any longer, he wouldn’t be able to hold himself back.
"PFFT..."
"PFFT..."
"HEHEHE..."
"What the hell is this?"
"Is that Widow Ma?" Just when no one could recognize the newcomer, a sharp-eyed person finally spotted it.
It wasn’t that they could actually distinguish Widow Ma’s true features, but they recognized the older servant women standing beside her, who had been assigned to help her with her makeup and dressing earlier.
Gu Xingyang also quieted down, silently watching the scene unfold. Suddenly, her vision went black as her eyes were covered.
Bai Suihe’s voice rang out in her mind. "Stop looking. It’ll hurt your eyes."
What kind of ghostly makeup was that? Bai Suihe’s thoughts were completely justified. The woman looked exactly like the paper effigies of the golden boy and jade girl placed at a mourning hall for the dead.
Her face was painted a ghastly white, with two stark red circles drawn on her cheeks. Her lips were similarly painted. Coupled with her dark green outfit, if someone were to suddenly bump into her on the street, they might literally be scared to death.
"Mother, I want to see," Gu Xingyang waved her little hands. But even when she used all her strength, they landed softly on Bai Suihe’s hands like feathers. "I already saw it just now. Even the ugliest ghost I’ve ever seen looks better than her."
Bai Suihe thought it over and found it reasonable, though she didn’t forget to give an extra warning. "If you feel uncomfortable looking at her, then don’t look. I don’t want you having nightmares later."
"Mother, you’re underestimating me. I fall asleep the second I close my eyes. Even if I do dream, it’ll be a sweet one."
After she said that, she couldn’t help but smack her lips. It seemed like there were a few times when she had tasted delicious food in her dreams—especially that giant chicken drumstick, even though she had no idea what it actually tasted like in reality.
"These young maids and older women are truly talented," Mrs. Qian said, looking at Widow Ma with admiration. "Standing there, she is definitely eye-catching enough.
"With makeup skills like this, Madam Li, are you really not considering poaching them for your shop?"
Madam Li waved her hands in panic. "I do appreciate their craftsmanship, but they are not suited for my shop at all."
She had to be joking! Her shop provided styling and makeup for noble ladies. If these people went there, would her shop still have any business left? She certainly wouldn’t do something that would destroy her own reputation.
Shortly after, she clapped her hands together and said with a smile, "I actually think the mortuary could use them. Look at how perfectly suited they are for it."
At this, a lady nearby shook her head in fright. Although they were still perfectly alive, they certainly didn’t want to be tossed about like this after death. Just thinking about it was terrifying. "I think such a masterpiece of theirs should only make an appearance when strictly necessary. For all other times, they should keep it hidden away."
"That’s right! Don’t we have plenty of ’beauties’ in our respective courtyards? They definitely need makeup artists like them."
The term "makeup artist" had actually spread from Madam Li’s shop. Rumor had it that the term originated from Mrs. Gu, and since everyone found it fitting, it caught on.
"Exactly," said a quick-witted lady, who immediately came up with a brilliant idea. Didn’t her own husband always complain that she was old and fading, far inferior to the tender concubines? When she went back, she would also use this method to dress up those concubines in the backyard nicely, and then invite her husband over for a night banquet. She was sure he would be very pleasantly surprised.
So, she shared this idea with her fellow sisters. Bai Suihe could no longer hold back her laughter. This probably wouldn’t be a pleasant surprise—she was likely trying to send her husband straight to the afterlife.