On the day before the winter solstice, the morning light pierced the clouds, gilding the glazed tiles of the Marquis's Mansion with shards of gold. Jiang Wan sat before the carved mirror, letting Lüluo carefully trace her brows with a cosmetic pencil. Her fingertips unconsciously brushed the edge of her vanity case—it was a sandalwood box Lu Jingyuan had given her, carved with a pattern of twin lotuses, and it now held the Huizhou ink she intended to give to Old Madam Lu.
"The way your brows are shaped, Miss, is like 'overlapping little hills,' which makes the corners of your eyes look even more gentle," Lüluo said, holding up a rhomboid mirror before suddenly pursing her lips in a smile. "Yesterday, Auntie Zhang from the small kitchen mentioned that the almond paste at Heir Lu’s mansion is made with sweet almonds sent as tribute from the south. Would you like to have a few more bowls, Miss?"
"You certainly have the latest news on everything," Jiang Wan chuckled, letting her fasten a golden orchid hairpin into her hair. The eastern pearl pendants swayed with her movements, tracing delicate arcs in the snowy light. The golden-threaded rice ear patterns on her moon-white brocade skirt glowed under the warmth of the brazier; she had designed them herself, choosing the motif to signify "an abundant harvest," a subtle nod to the Lu family’s tradition of putting the people first.
Chapter 115