Chapter 964: Face Reveal

Chapter 964 Facing the Bride

Upon hearing that Li Sui earned her living through the art of threading and facial grooming, the child's eyes lit up with sudden joy.

"Really? You know how to pluck faces? My elder sister is getting married, and Mother said her face must be groomed. Please do it for her! Once it is finished, she can step into the bridal sedan, and I can have some wedding sweets."

"Very well, but my craft does not come cheap. It will cost at least half a bushel of fresh rice," Li Sui replied, deliberately feigning a shrewd, calculating air.

"We have rice at home! My brother-in-law's family are landlords, and they have plenty of it. Follow me!" Clutching his ball, the boy immediately led the way.

With a few deft, casual questions along the walk, Li Sui easily gleaned information about the village. The boy was named Chen Junyu, and this place was known as Chen Family Village. It lay over a hundred li away from the nearest county seat, making it quite remote.

Based on what she had observed over the past few days, Li Sui judged that the scouts of the Directorate of Astronomy had not yet stretched their nets to this secluded corner. This realization allowed her bird-startled heart to settle down slightly.

"Young mistress, please sit upon the stool. If you remain standing, how am I to groom your face?" Li Sui complained to the gaunt maiden before her with an affectionate, chiding tone.

The dark-skinned woman behind the girl forcefully pinched her daughter's arm. "She is telling you to go over! Are you deaf?"

Seeing the young girl finally sit before her, Li Sui drew a small bundle from her bodice, extracted a small wad of cotton dipped in a fine powder, and meticulously patted it across the maiden's face.

Next, Li Sui produced a slender thread. Crossing it over, she braced one section with her thumb and index finger, pulled one end with her left hand, and held the opposite end between her teeth. With the opening and closing of her right thumb, her biting mouth and left hand worked in perfect concert with her right, causing the taut thread to loop and glide back and forth across the girl's face.

As the thread pulled away, the white powder patted upon the skin was scraped off, carrying the maiden's fine facial fuzz along with it. Before long, a flawless, smooth countenance was revealed.

Beholding her daughter's transformed beauty, the woman beside them beamed with delight. "Oh my, your skill is truly remarkable! Half a bushel of rice is not expensive at all, not in the least."

"Madam, could you perhaps tidy a room for me to rest my weary feet? Walking the roads has left me thoroughly exhausted. We can consider that half-bushel of rice as my wedding gift to this young mistress."

"Yes, yes, of course!" Realizing she did not have to part with any rice after all, the dark-skinned woman immediately went to prepare a room, her face split in a wide grin.

If taken to the market, half a bushel of rice could be exchanged for copper coins. Letting an outsider stay for a single night cost nothing at all; even a fool could calculate which side gained the better bargain.

Having dismissed the woman, Li Sui prepared to coax information from the young girl's mouth. After all, her younger brother was still small and knew little, and his knowledge was incomplete.

Licking the slender thread with her tongue, Li Sui began to shape the girl's eyebrows. "Young mistress, do you favor the crescent-moon shape, or the imperial consort style?"

"Either is fine..." the girl murmured, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

"Since you are marrying, young mistress, I shall thread the imperial consort style for you." Having said this, Li Sui began to subtly probe the girl for information.

Though the young maiden was quiet and rather unresponsive, the details gathered from her lips finally brought some peace to Li Sui's mind.

This place was safe. She could take a proper rest here, replenish her strength, and then set out anew. For the past half-month, she had lived in constant dread, barely managing to catch any sleep.

Having finished grooming the girl's face and pinning up her hair, Li Sui was granted the use of a low, cramped room.

Li Sui pulled back the bedsheets, gathered all the thatch inside into a cozy nest, and then shed all her stolen skins. Clutching the clay figurine of Li Huowang, she lay down into the pile with profound satisfaction.

She disliked sleeping on a proper bed; she much preferred the sensation of being buried entirely.

"Father, I am doing quite well. Three years have passed since I arrived in this place. In just another one hundred and seventy-seven years, I will be able to see you again."

Deep within the thatch pile, Li Sui spoke softly to the clay image of Li Huowang.

After finishing her words to her father, Li Sui pulled out the clay figurine of her mother to pour out her grievances. "Mother, I have possessed too many people. There is hardly any room left beneath my skirt. What should I do in the future if I can no longer fit any more?"

She knew the clay figurines could not answer her, but venting her thoughts at least made her feel a little better.

Furthermore, it was through these conversations with the clay figures that she constantly reminded herself of her true identity: she was no one else but Li Sui.

Just as Li Sui held the figurines close, preparing to rest, the wooden door was softly pushed open and then closed once more.

With a sharp rustle, Li Sui's clothes were swiftly pulled into the straw pile as she hid, waiting to see what would unfold.

Various spiritual artifacts were already raised within the straw, ready to strike the moment things went awry.

Then, through the dimness of the room, came the sound of a woman's muffled sobbing. "Auntie, it is me. I beg of you, take me away with you. I will learn the art of threading and grooming from you. I want no money; just a bite to eat on the road will suffice."

When Li Sui's eyes peered out slightly from the straw, she saw that the intruder was not the Directorate of Astronomy of Great Qi out for her life, but the very girl whose face she had just groomed.

At this moment, the girl prostrated herself upon the ground, holding up a handful of copper coins, broken silver pieces, and a silver hairpin, presenting them before the bed.

"Auntie, I beg of you! I truly cannot marry into that family. If I marry him, my entire life will be utterly ruined!!"

Hearing the girl's purpose, Li Sui pretended to dress herself as she crawled out from the straw pile. "Oh dear, young mistress, what are you doing? Please, stand up before we speak."

As Li Sui supported her and offered gentle comfort, she gradually learned the full story from the girl's lips.

Her mother wanted this girl, named Chen Zhaodi, to marry an old man. To call it a marriage was merely a euphemism for selling her. More importantly, five of that old man's wives had already perished.

As to how exactly they died, the girl did not know. But what was certain was that if she married into that house, her own life would likely be forfeit as well.

Learning the truth of the matter, a look of hesitation crossed Li Sui's face. Currently, she could barely protect herself; if she burdened herself with this girl, it would surely bring even greater trouble.

Right at that moment, the scolding shouts of the woman echoed from outside the house. "Eldest girl! Where have you died off to? The pigs in the pen are squealing! Did you not hear them? Hurry up and feed them!"

Seeing Li Sui sitting there without making a move, Chen Zhaodi's expression instantly darkened. As if she had lost her very soul, she turned and walked toward the door.

"Auntie, I am sorry for troubling you. I shall hang myself instead."

Watching the girl's departing silhouette, a pang of pity struck Li Sui's heart. "Wait a moment. Let me think of a way to help you."

In the end, Li Sui chose to assist. Though her own circumstances were dire, if her father had encountered such a matter, given his temperament, he would undoubtedly have lent a hand.

"Do this," Li Sui instructed Chen Zhaodi, whose eyes suddenly sparked with hope. "Go back and feed the pigs first. Tonight, at the third watch, come find me again."