As the tea party dispersed, Lin Wanwan leisurely walked along the path back to her room, recalling the various remarks made by her third cousin today, and couldn’t help but chuckle. Could it be that just because the second branch is not the heir, the educational gap is so large? That’s a bit exaggerated. When preparing to sleep at night, Lin Wanwan couldn’t help but ask Hong Yan: "What does my third cousin do? And what is his connection with the Lu Family?" Hong Yan replied: "The third young master works in one of the Six Ministries in the County Government, recommended by Madam Lu." Upon hearing this, Lin Wanwan understood that in this world, there’s no such thing as unexplained favors and flattery; there must be something to gain. So it turned out that Xiao Jingkun secured his government job through Madam Lu’s connections, no wonder he was flattering her so much. Of course, one must flatter their benefactor; she was equally accommodating to Chen Jinyu back in college. There’s no choice; when under someone’s roof, you must bow your head, especially when they can help you make money. However, the extent of Xiao Jingkun’s flattery was way over the top and utterly lacking decorum. Still, being able to secure a government position with such audacity is quite something, considering both elder cousins from the main branch, Xiao Jingfeng and Xiao Jingwen, are mere teachers in the family school. Of course, after the family division following Xiao Mother’s passing, the main branch inherited eighty percent of the family assets, so they needn’t work too hard; it was okay for them to idle away. However, it was different for the second branch; they would need to fend for themselves after separation, so they undoubtedly had to plan well for the future. A government job, after all, has always been seen as stable and favorable. Just before drifting off to sleep, Lin Wanwan hazily thought that Xiao Chong was quite impressive, having ascended to the position of County Magistrate of Mao County at such a young age, on par with his uncle, who was almost two decades older than him. Moreover, what Xiao Chong was doing was more impressive than his uncle, as the completion of Ta Mountain Dam would be an eternal legacy. In contrast, County Magistrate Lu of Qiantang County was historically inconspicuous and achieved nothing noteworthy. Thinking that it was because she saved Xiao Chong’s life and thus altered the course of history in Mao County gave Lin Wanwan a little sense of pride. If she hadn’t saved Xiao Chong with modern medicine last year, Ta Mountain Dam might have had to wait another two hundred years to be built. The people of Mao County would have endured two more centuries of disaster. She couldn’t help but wonder what kind of person Xiao Chong’s aunt might be, surely quite a beauty, given the great genes, Lin Wanwan was quite expectant. The most update n0vels are published on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝙣𝙚𝙩 The following day would be her first formal outing into the social circles of the Great Tang’s upper-class society. From what she had read, everyone at these gatherings had to participate in drinking games, and she assured herself not to embarrass herself. With these thoughts, Lin Wanwan gradually drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep, resting well. The morning after, the topic among the Xiao Family sisters revolved around attending the banquet at the Lu Family in the afternoon. Xiao Jingkun seemed fearful that his sisters might embarrass him and continuously paced from the front yard to the back yard to check on his siblings and cousins’ preparations, occasionally offering some ludicrous suggestions. Lin Wanwan was quite relaxed, having put on the outfit Yun Shang had tailored for her and Little Qingyu, with such breathtaking embroidery that it would surely dazzle everyone. Even though she came from the countryside, she had to maintain her aura, backed by millennia of civilization. Xiao Jingkun seemed quite satisfied with the attire of Lin Wanwan and her mother, even reassuring her not to fret too much as the guest of the Lu Family. Madam Lu wouldn’t look down on her just because she came from the seaside countryside of Mao County, nor would she expect her to meet the same standards she demanded from her own daughter. What a smooth talker, this third cousin! His own sister, fourteen-year-old Xiao Ronghua, felt flustered by her brother’s incessant urging and absurd remarks, having changed her outfit several times without being satisfied. For young ladies, such banquets hosted by other families were also essentially matchmaking events, extremely important. However, her direct brother’s criticism had almost eroded her confidence, making her hesitant to go out. Later, thinking of Lin Wanwan’s attire, she gritted her teeth and sought help. At this time, Lin Wanwan, having already dressed herself and Little Qingyu, was leisurely enjoying cherries with her. "Wanwan Cousin, could you help me with my makeup? I just can’t get the flowery forehead dot right," said Xiao Ronghua, arguably the plainest-looking among the Xiao family girls, tearily entering Lin Wanwan’s room. Lin Wanwan couldn’t help but laugh at the layer of white powder on her face and her crayon Shin-chan-like eyebrows. She immediately instructed Hong Yan to bring a basin of water. After lathering some honey cleansing soap into rich foam, she had Xiao Ronghua wash away the makeup. "I have a more fitting powder here, I’ll help you with your makeup, don’t worry," said Lin Wanwan. Xiao Ronghua immediately brightened up and said, "Thank you, Wanwan Cousin." After washing her face, Lin Wanwan said: "For makeup, you need to close your eyes. Close them now, and I’ll start." "Okay." Xiao Ronghua obediently closed her eyes, lifting her face for Lin Wanwan to work on. Lin Wanwan quickly retrieved her primer, applied it to her face, and then the foundation adhered nicely. Little Qingyu clung tightly to Lin Wanwan, touching the eyeshadow, playing with the lipstick from time to time, constantly asking, "Mom, why can’t kids wear makeup?" "Mom, what’s this shiny thing?" "Mom, can I use lipstick?" "No, no, no!" Lin Wanwan, maintaining her speed while applying Xiao Ronghua’s makeup, prevented Little Qingyu from reaching for her cosmetics. This little one had already broken a lipstick, so young, and loved beauty. With Yun Shang, Hua Nong, and Hong Yan waiting outside at Lin Wanwan’s command, no one was there to remove the mischievous Little Qingyu. Fortunately, Lin Wanwan had infinite tolerance for her child and didn’t find her annoying. Quickly, the entire process, including eyeshadow, eyeliner, eyebrow pencil, blush, contouring, electric eyelash curler, mascara, and setting powder, was done. Finally, Lin Wanwan applied a pack of adhesive forehead floral dots she had bought modernly for a few bucks. These flower sticker dots adhered after being moistened for a few seconds and had colors and patterns printed by computer, absolutely perfect and extremely handy. In less than a quarter-hour, Lin Wanwan finished Xiao Ronghua’s makeup, as she was skilled. As a model, makeup was a basic skill, and she had self-learned through many makeup books and videos to save on makeup artist fees, achieving both speed and effect. After packing up her cosmetics, Lin Wanwan said: "All done, Ronghua Cousin, you can open your eyes now, I’ve finished your makeup." Xiao Ronghua slowly opened her eyes, looking at her instantly fairer, wider-eyed reflection in the copper mirror, hardly daring to believe it.