She couldn't finish all the food by herself anyway, and wasting it would be a shame. Besides, there was still plenty of time to slowly enjoy the local delicacies. There was no need to eat everything at once.
"Alright, I'll go instruct the kitchen now," said Servant Xin, bowing respectfully before leaving.
Pearl Su felt she had nothing else to do, so she simply sat and looked out the window at the sunset.
Dinner was served: a dish of stewed venison, a plate of pan-fried fish, a bowl of meatball soup, and a bird's nest dessert.
She ate and thought everything tasted quite good. Even the bird's nest dessert was quite pleasant.
After finishing dinner, she felt a bit too full and had no choice but to go for a walk to help digestion.
After walking, she returned to her room to rest. Servant Xin came over and asked, "Miss Su, when would you like to bathe and change clothes?"
Seeing that it was still early, Pearl Su replied, "A bit later."
After Servant Xin left, Pearl Su remembered the bundle she had brought with her. She figured she might as well organize it and prepare some clothes for bathing.
Not long after she finished organizing, Servant Xin returned to report that the bath water was ready.
Pearl Su took her clothes and went to bathe. When she entered the bathing room, she found that everything had already been prepared for her: clean clothes and all necessary bathing supplies.
The clothes were a brightly colored dress for women. Seeing it, Pearl Su decided she wouldn't wear it.
She glanced at the bathing supplies. The bath towel was soft, and the soap was delicately made, giving off the scent of goat milk and roses.
She felt puzzled. Wasn't the rose supposed to be the sacred flower of the Western Kingdom? Why was it being used in soap? She then looked at the shampoo and noticed it had a scent of camellia.
After checking everything, she tested the temperature of the water in the two bath barrels. It wasn't cold. It was gently warm—just right for bathing and washing her hair.
Suddenly, a respectful voice came from outside the screen.
"Miss Su, is everything to your liking? Do you need anything else?"
Pearl Su replied, "No need, you may go. Don't come in."
Servant Xin answered and left, closing the door behind her.
Seeing this, Pearl Su felt at ease and began to wash her hair and bathe.
When she finished and opened the door, she saw Servant Xin standing outside. Pearl Su was slightly surprised. As she turned her head, she said, "I'm done bathing. You can go clean up now."
When Servant Xin turned and saw Pearl Su, she was stunned.
This… this was her real appearance?
She was stunning. Truly stunning. She had never seen anyone so beautiful before. So beautiful that she didn't even know how to describe it.
Noticing that Servant Xin was dazed, Pearl Su had to speak again. "Servant Xin, I've finished bathing. You can go clean up now."
Hearing her name, Servant Xin finally snapped out of it and quickly replied, "Oh, yes, Miss Su. I'll go take care of it right away."
Still flustered and dazed, Servant Xin rushed into the room to tidy up.
Pearl Su went to sit on the couch by the window, waiting for her hair to dry while casually admiring the bright moonlight outside.
"Miss Su, may I help dry your hair?"
At some point, the lights in the room had been turned on. A timid voice came from behind. Pearl Su turned her head and saw Servant Xin.
"There's no need. It'll dry on its own in a while," she replied.
Servant Xin felt deeply guilty. She should've helped dry Miss Su's hair earlier, but she had lost focus and went to clean the bath first. Now, all she wanted was forgiveness.
"Then, may I help you comb your hair?" Servant Xin asked again, her eyes showing determination.
Pearl Su could see the persistence in her eyes and had no choice but to agree. "Alright."
Servant Xin immediately lit up. "Alright, Miss Su, I'll go get the comb now."
She brought the comb and climbed onto the couch, gently and carefully combing Pearl Su's hair.
As Pearl Su had her hair combed, she thought that since Servant Xin belonged to the Yun Marquis Residence, she probably knew quite a bit about it. If Pearl could learn more about the household, it would help her navigate future situations more easily.
So she asked, "Servant Xin, can you tell me who you know in the Marquis Residence?"
Servant Xin replied with a bit of embarrassment, "Miss Su, I actually just arrived at the residence and was immediately assigned to serve you."
"Oh? Then how did you end up coming to the Marquis Residence?"
"I used to live on one of the marquis's estates. When the household announced they were selecting people to serve in the main house, my mother sent me to try. I went through training to learn the rules, and then I was brought here and directly assigned to serve you."
"It's only been three days since I came to the main house, so I don't know many people. I only know Steward Li from the kitchen and Steward Lin who handles general affairs. I haven't met anyone else yet."
"Hmm. Have you seen the marquis? Or heard anything about him?"
"I haven't seen him, but I've heard others talk. They say he's very handsome, a top-class beauty."
Pearl Su silently agreed. Hmph, if that scoundrel hadn't been good-looking, she wouldn't have been so dazzled that she risked everything to save him. Truly, beauty brings trouble.
"Did you hear them say what kind of person he is?"
"According to Steward Lin, the marquis is strict about rules and is fair with rewards and punishments. But the kitchen steward said he's terrifying when he's angry, and that servants must never make mistakes. He seems to be a very strict and authoritative person."
Pearl Su nodded. At least now she had a rough idea of how that scoundrel handled things.
"Miss Su, if you want to know more about the marquis, I'll try to find out more for you tomorrow."
"Alright."
The night was cool and quiet. Pearl Su slept soundly, unaware that a figure had entered her room, made an intimate gesture toward her, and then everything returned to silence.
In the morning, Pearl Su woke up, washed, and began breakfast: goat's milk, lamb buns, cold-dressed black fungus, and osmanthus cake.
After breakfast, she strolled around the courtyard until the sun became too hot, then returned inside.
The morning passed quickly. Servant Xin came to ask what she wanted for lunch.
Pearl Su said, "Prepare whatever local specialties or popular dishes you're good at. Two or three dishes are enough. From now on, do the same. No need to ask again."
Servant Xin responded, "Yes, I understand."
Lunch was brought over: clear stewed lamb, asparagus with shrimp, fish ball soup, and a bird's nest dessert.
Pearl Su ate until she was full again. Then she asked if anyone had come looking for her in the morning. Servant Xin said no one had.
Pearl Su felt confused. Why hadn't anyone come to seek medical treatment from her? Wasn't it said that no one could treat that scoundrel? This didn't feel urgent at all.
Fine. If they didn't care, she wouldn't either. Why should she be worried about him? The only shame was the five thousand taels of gold she might not get now.
She walked around the room for a while to help digest her food, then went for a nap.
After her nap, she sat by the window on the couch, resting. After thinking for a bit, she called Servant Xin over to chat.
Servant Xin looked apologetic. "Miss Su, I'm sorry. I couldn't find out anything about the marquis. They said we're not allowed to talk about him in private."
"But I clearly heard them saying he's handsome. Isn't that talking about him too? Then why can't I ask about him?"