Having played and drunk enough, the sky gradually darkened.
Lin Mingyan’s clothes were no longer presentable, so she excused herself and went into the room to change.
However, she found herself in a dilemma, as she truly had little money. Thinking that clothes would be provided upon entering the mansion, she had only brought two old outfits in her small bundle.
Now that the one she was wearing was ruined, the remaining two were simply not fit to be seen.
Du Juan watched anxiously, saying, “Miss, this…”
Wearing these clothes out would make her look even worse off than her maid, blurring the distinction between master and servant.
To put it more bluntly, wasn’t this deliberately showing poverty in front of the master?
Having received so many rewards, would it not be too much to still appear destitute?
Fourth Master would never believe that she had been brought in as a concubine without even a couple of decent outfits prepared.
Given this master’s temperament, he might even skip dinner and leave in a huff.
That would be disastrous for her!
Lin Mingyan had no choice either. Fourth Master had arrived too quickly, leaving her no time to prepare.
Just then, she noticed the fabrics Su Peisheng had just delivered, among which was a bolt of pink gauze.
She steeled herself and said, “Cut that gauze and I’ll wear it!”
“Will that work?” Du Juan’s worried face puffed up like a bun.
Lin Mingyan nodded. It was a desperate measure, but she had to try.
Fortunately, she was not one to endure discomfort. Fearing that her undergarments might be uncomfortable after entering the mansion, she had spent money on several new sets made of good fabric.
Now, she changed into a set of cotton-white undergarments and draped the gauze over them, which would have to suffice.
There was no time to tailor the gauze into a proper garment.
Instead, she followed the style of the “bed-sheet fairy dresses” seen in short videos, roughly cutting the fabric, sewing the back collar, and putting it on.
The sleeves were left unstitched, simply draped over her shoulders like a shawl.
Dressed this way, she looked far more striking than in her previous autumn-fragrance-colored qipao.
Du Juan, who had been trembling with worry, now gazed at her with admiration. “Miss, you look absolutely stunning in pink!”
Lin Mingyan was exceptionally beautiful, even to the point of being described as breathtaking.
However, subdued or dignified styles did not suit her. What suited her best were vibrant colors.
Now, draped in this deep pink gauze, she seemed to shed all pretense, glowing more brilliantly than ever.
To live well, one must have tricks up their sleeve.
Whether in modern times or ancient days, Lin Mingyan understood this well.
Her escape from that patriarchal family was largely due to her cunning and ability to pretend.
During her school years, her parents wanted her to drop out and work to earn money for her younger brother.
Faced with their favoritism toward her brother, she neither cried nor protested. Instead, she went out of her way to be good to him, treating his affairs as more important than her own or anyone else’s.
Finally, with a feigned innocence, she said, “My teacher says I’ll go to university. I will definitely go to university and earn a fortune in the future, buying a car and a house for my brother so he can live a good life!”
With this grand declaration, her parents agreed to let her study, and she eventually gained admission to a top-tier university.
Now, in Fourth Master’s rear courtyard, she had no choice but to rely on this instinct once again.
The clothing issue was resolved, but her makeup posed another headache.
She disliked the powder Du Juan had brought. Besides, her skin was flawless, smooth as fine jade.
So she merely lightly brushed her eyebrows and applied a thin layer of lip rouge.
Du Juan could hardly take her eyes off Lin Mingyan’s nearly makeup-free face.
When she stepped out, everyone in the room brightened at the sight of her.
Especially now that it was dark and lamps were lit in the room, the hazy glow made her even more captivatingly beautiful.
Su Peisheng was the first to mentally give a thumbs-up: Goodness, this mistress is truly extraordinary!
The fruits sent were eaten and drunk, and the fabrics and hairpins were already worn.
How could the person who sent these things not feel utterly delighted?
Fourth Master was indeed delighted. He paused for a moment before laughing and saying, “I didn’t expect you to be so impatient?”
Though he said this, his eyes revealed considerable amusement.
Lin Mingyan walked over and naturally sat beside him, saying, “This servant has never seen such vibrant and soft gauze before, so of course I wanted to wear it for you to see.”
It was only natural, wasn’t it? If she didn’t wear such fine things for Fourth Master to see, what was the point of keeping them for herself?
Fourth Master looked at her outfit and couldn’t help but feel curious: “In such a short time, did you sew this yourself?”
The clothing looked rather odd—definitely not Manchu attire, but it didn’t resemble Han clothing either.
If she had sewn it in such a short time, it was as if she had swallowed a tailor whole!
Lin Mingyan pretended to be embarrassed, leaning close to Fourth Master’s ear and whispering, “I just stitched a few rough seams—it’s really just a single piece of gauze draped over me.”
“Anyway, there’s no particular style to it. Does it look good on me?”
Fourth Master remained seated, unmoving, his ear slightly tickled by the warmth of her breath.
He had half a mind to say her outfit was a mishmash of styles.
But seeing her bright, expectant eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
Forget it—a young girl, eagerly wearing the things you gifted her in such a hurry just to show you, didn’t deserve to be discouraged.
“It looks good,” Fourth Master’s voice was not low, and everyone in the room could hear it.
Su Peisheng, who was arranging the dinner service, nearly slipped and fell flat on his face upon hearing this.
His mind was in turmoil: The master had always been stern and rarely smiled, let alone praised his wives or concubines for their looks.
This… this was the first time he had said such a thing since he first experienced intimacy!
He glanced at Lin Mingyan again and saw her face as radiant as peach blossoms, her expression lively and spirited—more dazzling than the fox spirits in storybooks.
What kind of helper had the Princess Consort brought in?!
But then he scoffed to himself: Helper or not, she might just as well be a rival!
Lin Mingyan didn’t linger in conversation with Fourth Master. Since she hadn’t yet figured out his temperament, saying too much could lead to mistakes.
Before long, dinner was served, and the two moved to the side hall to eat.
This table was far more lavish than the four dishes and one soup at noon, with even the presentation exquisitely refined.
Fourth Master had been busy all afternoon, running around and preparing fruits, and was already quite hungry.
Once he picked up his chopsticks, Lin Mingyan didn’t hold back either.
As a child, her family had many children. While she didn’t compete with her younger brothers, she often had to fight with her sisters to eat her fill.
Thus, she had long mastered the art of using chopsticks—each movement was steady and precise, even able to pick up slippery fish balls with ease.
Moreover, after arriving here, the Lin family had little money, often going months without meat.
Now that she had this feast before her, with no guarantee of when the next one would come, her little mouth never stopped moving.
When Fourth Master had eaten and drunk his fill, he turned to look and was astonished to see her bone plate piled high with leftovers.
Yet Lin Mingyan remained blissfully unaware, her little mouth moving like a hamster’s.
Fourth Master watched for a while and decided he couldn’t let her eat any more, or she might suffer from indigestion later.
He then signaled Su Peisheng to clear the table. Lin Mingyan hurriedly put down her chopsticks, lamenting, “Huh? We can’t eat anymore?”
With over a dozen dishes on the table for just the two of them, even though she had tried her best, several dishes remained largely untouched.
What a waste!