Chapter 156: A Careful Explanation for Su Qing
Only then did everyone return to their senses. They echoed one another in praise, while their eyes strayed more than once toward Mu Yunyao. None of them knew how her mind worked. Even clothing, in her hands, could be transformed into so many clever designs—and the crucial point was that every design stirred the heart, making them wish they could have such a set for themselves.
This was especially true for the madams. Their gazes seemed almost unable to part from the two outfits. At their age and status, many things could no longer be spoken aloud too directly. Yet to use clothing to quietly suggest the affection between husband and wife—subtle, veiled, and graceful—made them yearn for it all the more.
Originally, everyone had thought that Mu Yunyao was the one benefiting from this god-kinship. Now, however, it was difficult to say who had truly gained the greater advantage.
When the banquet began, the madams’ manner toward Mu Yunyao and Su Qing grew noticeably warmer. They were only short of writing the words I have a favor to ask directly on their faces.
Mu Yunyao merely pretended not to understand. With a smile, she accompanied everyone until the banquet came to an end.
By the time the feast concluded, nearly two hours had passed. After seeing off the guests, Mu Yunyao accompanied Madam Jin back to the rear courtyard. “Godmother, you truly worked hard today.” As she spoke, she helped check Madam Jin’s pulse.
“I was happy today. Even if it was tiring, it was worth it. Besides, you prepared everything so thoroughly for me that I did not feel weary at all.”
Madam Jin looked at Mu Yunyao, and the more she looked, the more affection gathered in her eyes. The outfit she wore was not only light but also warm. Earlier, in her previous clothes, she had felt chilled all over, but after changing into the garments Mu Yunyao had made, she felt much more comfortable. Even the shoes on her feet had cotton and mugwort added to the soles; they were soft, good for the body, and did not tire her when she walked.
After taking her pulse, Mu Yunyao’s smile eased. “Godmother’s pulse is perfectly steady. It seems my little brother was happy today as well, so he has been especially well-behaved.”
Madam Jin stroked her belly. “If he could be this well-behaved every day, I would wake laughing even from my dreams. Ah—look at this mischievous little one. I had only just finished speaking, and he already seems unconvinced. Now he is punching and kicking again.”
Mu Yunyao gently placed her hand on Madam Jin’s belly and deliberately put on a trace of sternness. “You must behave and listen. You are not allowed to make trouble in Godmother’s belly. Otherwise, this elder sister will not let you off.”
Whether by coincidence or not, the child who had been moving restlessly suddenly quieted, as though he had understood Mu Yunyao’s words. Madam Jin’s face lit with surprise again and again.
Mu Yunyao laughed with her for a while but did not linger. “Godmother has been tired all day. You should rest now. I will come to keep you company another day.”
“Good. You and Younger Sister Su must be exhausted as well. Go back and rest quickly.”
“Yao’er takes her leave.”
On the way home, the excitement in Su Qing’s chest had yet to settle. “Yao’er, I keep feeling that after those madams saw the clothes you made for Lord Cao and Madam Jin, they became especially warm toward me. Can a single set of clothes truly have such influence?”
Mu Yunyao could not help laughing. “What they were looking at was not the clothes themselves, but the status those clothes represented.”
“What sort of status can an ordinary set of clothes represent?” Su Qing grew even more puzzled.
“A single outfit on its own is nothing particularly special. But when Godfather and Godmother’s outfits are placed together, they become just as the governor’s wife said—butterflies lingering over flowers, symbolizing affection between husband and wife. Those who attended today’s banquet were all legitimate wives of their households. Although they hold the title of main wife, they are not necessarily the most favored women in their residences. Which household does not have one or two favored concubines to vex them?”
“But can one set of clothes help them win favor?” Su Qing knew that great households often had many concubines in the rear courtyard. As the official wife, having to constantly face a favored concubine was indeed enough to leave one ill at ease.
“It may not necessarily help them win favor, but at the very least, it can display their status. Such clothing is something only a legitimate wife may wear as a matching set with her husband.” Moreover, what those official wives valued most was often precisely this status. As for whether they were favored or not, one could not say they cared nothing at all, but at least half of them no longer placed it first in their hearts.
Su Qing nodded, a quiet sigh settling in her expression. “In the past, I only thought those madams lived in glory. Now it seems their lives are not entirely as one might wish.”
“The deeper the mansion and the greater the household, the more hidden paths there are inside. Mother will understand gradually after seeing more of it.”
“Mm. Yao’er, do not worry. If I do not understand, I shall listen more and watch more. In time, I will learn to see things clearly.”
Mu Yunyao naturally knew that Su Qing was doing all of this for her. Warmth rose behind her eyes. She could not help throwing herself into her mother’s embrace. “Mother is so good to me.”
“Silly girl.”
After returning home, Mu Yunyao also felt rather tired, so she went straight to rest.
Out on the streets, however, Steward Qin and the others were busy until the sky turned completely dark. Only when the stacked mountain of rice had become a pile of empty sacks did people gradually stop coming to receive porridge.
Those who had helped distribute the porridge were so tired they could barely walk. Once they sat down on the ground, none of them wanted to move. They had never imagined that a single bowl of Laba porridge could be so eagerly sought after by the people.
Yu Yi could not help asking Steward Qin, “Do you think the entire population of Jingling City came to receive porridge today?”
“Perhaps more than that.”
“More than that?”
“Yes. There are many merchants in Jingling City these days. Just now, I saw quite a few people in fine clothing come to receive porridge as well. Those people did not look as though they were lacking this one bowl of porridge.”
Yu Yi grew even more confused. “Since they did not lack this bowl of porridge, why did they insist on lining up to receive it?”
“I told Yue Wang long ago that when choosing people, one cannot look only at martial skill and loyalty. One must also see whether they have a brain. When you saw the scene today, with the whole city receiving Laba porridge together, how did it feel?”
“If you ask how it felt… aside from feeling warm inside, there was nothing especially different. Oh, and it was very tiring.”
“Then did you feel the exhaustion was worth it?”
Yu Yi looked around at the people who had not yet dispersed. Every face still carried a smile. For some reason, although his body remained heavy with fatigue, there was a quiet satisfaction in his chest that he could not quite put into words. “It was worth it.”
Steward Qin smiled as well. “That is exactly it. Those who came to receive porridge may not truly have lacked that one bowl. What they wanted was to take part in such a scene. If I have guessed correctly, Jingling City is about to become famous again.”
The lively day came to an end. One night passed, the morning sun rose, and it was another new day.
Mu Yunyao began preparing for the New Year. This was the first New Year she would spend with her mother since her rebirth. In Su Qing’s eyes, every day had been spent together with her, but to Mu Yunyao, it had already been many years since she had passed a New Year at her mother’s side.
Because of that, she treated this year with particular care. She only hoped to invite good fortune during the New Year, so that the days ahead might proceed smoothly. In addition, she had now recognized a pair of Godparents, so the New Year gifts needed to be prepared with even greater thought.
At this time, a special gift was being sent by fast horse all the way into the imperial city of the capital.
