Yun Que looked at her in disbelief.
The maid called Tao Su always had "My young mistress is beautiful and kind-hearted" on the tip of her tongue. When others complimented her clothes, she'd say they were gifts from the young mistress. When others praised her jewelry, she'd say they were bestowed by the young mistress. When others remarked that she'd gained a little weight, she'd say it was thanks to the young mistress's generosity...
Every time Yun Que went to the kitchen to fetch meals, she would inevitably encounter Tao Su, smiling and cozying up to the kitchen aunties.
Nine and a half out of every ten words from her mouth were praises for her young mistress.
Yun Que felt both envious and jealous.
Before, there were no other young ladies in the household, so there was no basis for comparison.
Now that there was someone to measure against, she began to feel imbalanced. But she never expected that the cousin wasn't at all the gentle and kind-hearted person she was rumored to be.
Qi Huan was unaware of all these thoughts running through her head.
Otherwise, she would have surely told her that being kind to others is predicated on them being worthy of it.
At this moment, Elder Madam Song and Elder Master Song, having received the news, hurriedly rushed back.
The couple surrounded Song You'an, one on each side, and burst into tears.
"An'an, Mother will never force you to go out again. Just stay safe and sound, that's all that matters."
"Your father and I were following behind you, and we watched helplessly as the crowd separated us. At the time, I thought you still had guards and Yun Que with you, and surely wouldn't be so unlucky as to encounter danger."
"But, ah, one should never harbor such wishful thinking."
"When I heard people discussing something about white hair, I realized something had happened to you. No one knows how much it pained my heart at that moment."
"It must be because I was greedy when I was pregnant with you, and stole some pastries from in front of the Guanyin statue. That's why Heaven is punishing me like this..."
"All these mistakes were committed by me. If there's to be any retribution, let it come to me. Why must it befall my An'an?"
Elder Master Song joined in the crying: "And me too, I also stole some..."
As the couple's words became increasingly embarrassing, Old Lady Song coughed forcefully twice, interrupting their lamentations.
"An'an was brought back by Huan'er. Instead of crying here, you should be thanking Huan'er properly!"
Elder Madam Song hiccupped from crying and asked confusedly, "Wasn't it said that she was carried off by a foul-mouthed man?"
Beside them, Song You'an's little face instantly turned red.
Her benefactor had been insulted, and by her own mother no less!
She bravely spoke up loudly, "That's not true!"
"...The benefactor is very good!"
It was that group of people who insulted her and her benefactor first.
Noticing all the gazes in the room suddenly turning towards her, Song You'an lowered her head shyly again, staring at her toes.
Fortunately, Qi Huan came to her rescue.
"Aunt, the man who saved An'an is my former neighbor from Mo County."
"He is Yan Qinghe, the son of the late Marquis of Wei Yuan. He's righteous and sincere, and would never insult someone without reason."
"Unless others spoke ill of him first."
"An'an was saved by him, and later we met at the Lantern Festival. That's when I found out An'an had also left the mansion today, so I brought her back with me."
She recounted the events smoothly, mixing truth with some fabrication, omitting the part about her date with Li Shuchen.
At the same time, she winked at Song You'an.
Sure enough, Song You'an didn't mention the other two men.
After hearing her explanation, Elder Madam Song felt very ashamed and said with a flushed face, "Indeed, hearsay cannot be trusted. We really owe young Yan and Huan'er our gratitude."
Elder Master Song sniffled and said, "Our family values propriety. We should send some thank-you gifts to young Yan."
The couple began to discuss what gifts would be appropriate.
Ideally, something not too expensive, yet able to convey their sincerity and gratitude.
In the end, they decided to invite young Yan for a meal!
"Alright, if you want to discuss this further, go back to your own courtyard," Old Lady Song waved her hand irritably, shooing away these two miserly crybabies.
She then assigned Wan Wan, the most steady and reliable maid in Qingsong Court, to Song You'an.
After making the arrangements, Old Lady Song wearily massaged her temples.
She had previously thought, seeing the harmonious relations between her children and grandchildren and the peaceful household, that the Song family was being well-managed by her daughter-in-law. It was only after the incidents with Nanny Xu and Yun Que that she realized it was merely because there had been no temptations before...
It was only after Young Madam Song became pregnant and couldn't attend to Song Jingcheng that Nanny Xu and her daughter showed their true colors.
The same went for Yun Que. When a cousin arrived in the household, she thought following the cousin would be better than following An'an, and thus became increasingly lax, even harboring improper thoughts.
Old Lady Song sighed. Once may be an accident, twice a coincidence, but three times is a pattern.
Tomorrow, she would need to properly admonish the servants in the household. Those with too many ulterior motives should be identified and dismissed early.
Meanwhile, Qi Huan had returned to Qinghuan Court.
After bathing, she sat cross-legged in the armchair, with her little pig lantern placed on the desk beside her.
"System, hair dye!"
"Which one does the host want?"
"The most expensive one!"
The system exclaimed in surprise, "The host always chooses the cheapest option. Why such extravagance suddenly?"
Qi Huan leaned back in her chair, stretching lazily and yawning, "In my previous life, I heard people say that using too much hair dye can cause cancer. Although I don't know if it's true or false, I think it's better to choose higher quality products for things used on the body."
"Besides the hair dye, help me search for a wig too."
"Friendly reminder to the host, helping Song You'an only earns one point per time."
Understanding its implication, Qi Huan disagreed, "Points have a price, but friendship is priceless. An'an is my sister."
"The host is so good to her sister. This system also wants to be your sister."
"...Haven't I been good to you? How many of my points have you swallowed? Tell me!"
The system fell silent. ...The host had indeed given it quite a few points for upgrades.
It stopped bantering and selected the most expensive hair dye and wig, which promptly materialized.
Qi Huan immediately sat up straight, took out a small knife, and cut open the packages one by one.
Soon, the smile froze on her lips.
The hair dye was a deep purple Roland shade.
The wig was even more outrageous – not only was it red, but it had an avant-garde style.
"...Exchange them!"
A cup of tea later, she opened the new packages and was satisfied with the black hair dye and long, straight black wig.
The next day.
When the first rays of sunlight filtered into the room, Qi Huan opened her eyes.
Today was the opening day of the Puhui Bookstore.
Moreover, she had to deliver gifts to An'an.
With these two matters on her mind, she reluctantly bid farewell to her warm bed.
After hastily finishing breakfast, she brought Yan Qing to Qing'an Courtyard.
"An'an, sister has brought you two gifts that are even better than a hat."
Song You'an's eyes immediately widened, clear and bright, and she couldn't help but ask curiously, "...What is it?"
Qi Huan directly took out the wig and shook it open, but saw Song You'an's eyes fill with tears of fear.
"...Cousin, you... you..."
"...Did you pull off someone's entire scalp along with their hair?"
Song You'an was terrified.
Not of her cousin, but afraid that her cousin had plucked another girl's hair... and scalp for her sake.
She understood better than anyone how painful it was to not have normal hair.
She stammered, "Cousin... why don't... you return it to her..."
Realizing her misunderstanding, Qi Huan quickly explained, "This is a wig."
"An'an, do you really think your sister is such a brutal person?"
Song You'an bit her lip and shook her head.
It was just that the wig had shocked her too much. After regaining her composure, she tentatively reached out her small hand to touch it.
"...Cousin, this really looks like real hair... it must be very precious..."
Qi Huan led her to sit in front of the dressing table and, following the instructions, helped her put on the wig.
"This is something your sister bought from a peddler selling curious items on her way back to the capital..."
The system grumbled, "Now I've become a peddler..."
"Why doesn't the host continue to say this was given to you by your father?"
