Okay, she likes it.
"I heard you brought back a few dogs? And they're all white? Can I have one?"
Uh, this is difficult.
Without waiting for her reply, the little girl said, "I just went to take a look. There's a pure white one. It's really fierce. It pinned that little black dog down and beat it, and even stole its milk. I want that pure white one. I've already come up with a name for it: Snow White."
Well, this time it's really going to change hands, but luckily the one she's set her sights on is the one she's set her sights on too.
"Hey? Why aren't you saying anything?" The little girl clung to her arm and said, "Don't be afraid, my mother is a very kind person."
Madam Pei coughed and put down her teacup, saying, "Susu, please sit down too. Is there something you need, Susu?"
Qiu Su looked around the room and found a stool that wasn't too far away to sit down. "I've come to greet my mother-in-law."
"You don't need to come and pay your respects in the future. Of course, if you don't mind being bored, you can come and chat with this old woman. Just treat this place as your own home."
Qiu Su nodded, finally understanding, and smiled, saying, "Grandma isn't old at all."
Hearing this, Pei's mother chuckled. "Can't she talk now? Why is she always so quiet? Alright, stop sitting here and go do what you need to do. Tell Ling'er if you want to play. She just got back from her aunt's house. She runs around like crazy every day and goes to quite a few places."
The little girl pouted, "Mother is scolding Ling'er."
Look at her, it's truly enviable. In my memory, she's hardly ever acted coquettishly.
"Mother-in-law," Qiu Su glanced at Pei's mother's expression and, taking advantage of her good mood, said with a smile, "Can I go out for a walk?"
"Go out? Go where?"
"Go, uh, go outside and take a look."
Pei's mother stroked the teacup and frowned.
Qiu Su chuckled awkwardly, "Actually, I don't need to go..."
"It's not impossible," Madam Pei said, frowning. "The capital is not like Pingcheng. Susu must make it clear to Yuan'er before she goes out. Where are you going? Take someone with you. The capital is a mixed bag, so be careful."
"Oh dear, why does Mother treat Sister-in-law like a silly little girl, giving her all these instructions? Ling'er will just accompany Sister-in-law out."
Mother Pei smiled and waved her hand, "Anyway, just be careful."
As soon as she stepped out the door, the little girl introduced herself—Pei Lingling, emphasizing that it was the "Ling" of "spirit" and not the "Ling" of "bell." Tell me, why are people so different? One is Prime Minister Pei, the other Prime Minister Lu; the other's young lady is innocent, cute, and easy to get along with, while the other's young lady has a fierce look and calls her an ugly monster as soon as she sees her.
Going to town with her sister-in-law was quite nice, except that Qiu Su kept asking her to tell her about the mountain lord's background. Huang Tao offered to answer for her, but the little girl wouldn't have it and insisted that Qiu Su do it herself. The carriage hadn't gone far before Qiu Su's mouth was burning from talking so much that her lips were sore.
Fortunately, Lingling's attention began to shift to the shops on the street. She rolled up the car window and said to Qiu Su, "Sister-in-law, there's a clothing store that makes really nice clothes. Shall we go and order one?"
Qiu Su glanced at Lingling's pants and hesitated before asking, "Lingling likes skirts too?" Why did she suddenly think of pink lanterns?
"It's alright, but wearing trousers and a long robe is more convenient and won't hinder horseback riding. A simple skirt would also work, but if it's layered like that Sister Qing, it would be really difficult to walk."
"Insightful," Qiu Su exclaimed.
Lingling covered her mouth and giggled, "My brother also said she was dressed like a flower lantern."
The carriage stopped, and Lingling jumped down first. After Qiusu got off, she took her hand and went inside, smiling as she said, "Sister-in-law is actually quite pretty too."
"Oh, I think so too."
Lingling stamped her foot and laughed as she looked at Qiu Su's serious expression, "Sister-in-law, you're so funny."
Really? It's rare for someone to praise her, so she'd better hurry up and admit it. Besides, she was just stating the truth. Didn't so-and-so say that it's enough he knows she's beautiful? Didn't so-and-so also say that beautiful women are beautiful inside? She considers her heart at least a little trumpet flower—small, but blooming beautifully and fragrantly. Ugh, isn't this just self-promotion?
Lingling was still looking around when she suddenly pointed to a restaurant and said, "Let's eat first, and then we can go shopping. Ling'er is hungry. It's on me, sister-in-law."
"nature."
After the three of them ate, Qiu Su, being full and averse to bumpy rides, decided not to take the carriage again. They chatted as they walked, with Lingling mentioning her habit of deliberately dressing up with pink lanterns and some embarrassing incidents along the way. By the time they reached the clothing store, they had mostly digested their food.
"Hmph, ugly hag! What are you doing running around like this?"
The saying "Speak of the devil and he appears" certainly applies to Qiu Su. Today, she is still dressed in her finest attire, with two gold and jade hairpins on her head and jade hair ornaments hanging diagonally on both sides, extending to her earrings.
Pink Lantern spotted Lingling in the blink of an eye and quickly smiled, saying, "Little Lingling is here too! What do you want to buy? Tell me, and I'll help you choose."
Lingling pouted, "My sister-in-law and I went out to buy things. Oh, did Sister Qing see the ugly monster? Where is it?" Lingling looked around and blinked, saying, "Brother said that girls should be dignified and shouldn't curse people casually. Even if you really see the ugly monster, don't say anything, okay? Brother will be angry if he hears it."
Pink Lantern's face stiffened for a moment, she pouted and closed her eyes briefly, then smiled and said, "Little Ling hasn't said what she wants to buy yet? Big sister will help you buy it."
Lingling smiled innocently and brightly, "My sister-in-law has money, so she won't spend my sister's anymore. Sister-in-law, oh?"
They really are siblings; one likes "hmm~" and the other likes "oh~." Although their alternating tones are both unsettling, they both sound so comforting. Qiu Su smiled and nodded, "Miss Pink, what would you like? Choose one at a time, and I'll pay."
Qiu Su smiled gently, her hands behind her back, clearly indicating that she was well-off. Rich women always have confidence; she was certain that Qiu Su could easily spend 100,000 taels on a small trinket, while Pink Lantern wouldn't dare spend more than 10,000 taels on a small item. Qiu Su could borrow more from relatives if she spent too much, but Pink Lantern's extravagant spending would only expose the wealth that a prime minister's family shouldn't possess.
Pink Lantern narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth, presumably wanting to call out "sister," but she couldn't manage to say it after a long time. In the end, she just smiled as if her face was twitching and said, "You choose first, I'll just look around."
Huang Tao glanced at the pink lantern, snorted heavily, and shoved aside the arrogant maid beside her. She ran to the counter first, pointed at a piece of snow-white satin, and raised her chin, saying, "Young Madam, this fabric is quite nice."
Pink Lantern glanced at it and secretly despised her for her poor taste. Although the snow-white satin had a beautiful color, it was just a fake. Real silk wasn't as shiny or thick; not all fabrics are better the thicker they are.
Pink Lantern's disdain was undisguised, while Yellow Peach remained unfazed, flicking her finger and adding, "It's alright as a rag."
Qiu Su's lips twitched, but Lingling couldn't hold back her laughter any longer, revealing two rows of neat little white teeth, which made Qiu Su laugh along with her.
Lingling pulled Qiusu forward, but Pink Lantern snatched a piece of silk from the maid behind them and threw it hard at Qiusu's feet. Qiusu reacted quickly, leaping over the stumbling block the moment her foot was tripped. Lingling, walking faster, bumped her shin on the wooden plank in the silk, her leg buckled and she fell to the ground. The hand holding Qiusu's arm twisted in pain and she instantly let go. Qiusu turned to pull her back, but it was too late; she watched as Lingling fell, her forehead hitting the ground.
Qiu Su was terrified and quickly helped Lingling up, but a nail no bigger than a mung bean had already knocked a deep wound on her forehead from the wooden floor. Blood trickled down her forehead, past her closed eyelids, and onto her cheek.
"Lingling?" Qiu Su patted Lingling's cheeks urgently, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Lingling open her eyes and call out "sister-in-law".
"I'm fine."
Lingling sat up and raised her hand to cover her forehead, but Qiu Su was one step ahead and pulled out a handkerchief to cover it. She handed the person to Huang Tao, stood up, turned around, and squinted at the pink lantern who was staring blankly with her mouth open.
"I...I didn't mean to. It fell on the floor, and she stepped on it herself." Pink Lantern looked at the shop assistant who rushed out from behind the counter in a panic. "It's a problem with their floor. Yes! It's a problem with the floor."