"I'll take you closer to have a look."
Bai Yujun held her umbrella and led Xia Lan into the village. Because of the talisman, ordinary people could see Xia Lan as well. But the crowd was too mixed and the day too lively; no one paid attention to her, much less recognized the young woman who had rarely stepped beyond her doorstep seven years ago.
Xia Lan nervously adjusted her hair ornaments and fussed with her clothes. Though she was a ghost, she still wanted to show Young Master Li her most beautiful side.
"Do I look good?" Xia Lan asked.
"Hiss, very beautiful."
Bai Yujun was not lying. Xia Lan was not the sort of peerless beauty who could topple kingdoms, but she had the delicate charm of a sheltered young lady.
Delighted, Xia Lan revealed a long-lost smile. But Bai Yujun added another sentence.
"It's beauty that belongs to you alone—not anyone else's, but yours."
The words were a little too profound for Xia Lan to understand.
Whether they were gentry who had come to pay their respects to Official Li or villagers, all were curious about the two unfamiliar young women carrying paper umbrellas into the village. The White-clothed Girl in particular drew everyone's eyes. Occasionally, some elders felt that the girl beside the woman in white looked vaguely familiar...
Standing near Li Manor, they watched from afar as Official Li paid respects to his parents.
Then, a chubby little boy of five or six stepped out of the carriage, dressed in fine silk and satin. After him came a woman. She was beautiful, graceful, and dignified, with an air of refined nobility that made it obvious she came from a wealthy household. Official Li brought the woman and child to greet his parents, and the family