All Hail Cousin Brother

Chapter 591: Zither

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Nanny Xu’s eyes lit up. She quickly pulled Yu Youyao to sit in front of the dressing table. She took out jasmine head oil and rubbed it evenly in her hands, slowly applying it on her black hair.

Her black hair was like a waterfall, revealing a smooth crow-green color.

Nanny Xu took out a boxwood comb from the makeup box. She massaged her scalp with the tooth comb and combed her hair again and again. She combed it a hundred times before helping Yu Youyao tie the Feixian buns.

The boxwood comb had been used for more than two years and was as bright as jade.

Yu Youyao stroked the wooden comb, her heart filled with love.

Nanny Xu took out the flower that Matriarch had given her. The bottom of the golden piece was bent to cover the Feixian buns on her head. She sat at both ends and made holes.

Nanny Xu opened the makeup box and asked, “Miss, do you like hairpins, or headbands?”

Yu Youyao picked out a red headband. “This headband it is!”

There were red gems, pearls, and jade embedded in her headband, and tassels at both ends. It matched her outfit very well.

After putting the headband through the hairband and tying it through the holes, the hairband was fixed. The headband with the bow hung behind her head. The embedded pearl jade on it was colorful, and the tassels swayed even more.

Yu Youyao looked at herself in the glass mirror. “Wow, the flower is really beautiful!”

Nanny Xu shook her head and laughed. “The one who looks good is you. You’re delicate, generous, and elegant. Although gems, pearls, and jade are dazzling, they’re also dazzling when you wear gold and silver.”

Most of the people wearing the pure gold headgear were old people, so it could suppress the splendor of them.

Little girls all despised pure gold for being too tacky. They liked jewelry that was inlaid with treasures and jade more.

However, pure gold was pure and brilliant. If anything was missing, it was easy to overshadow the main character, causing jewelry to lose its luster and become vulgar.

Yu Youyao blinked. Her reflection in the glass mirror also blinked at her.

“What brow powder do you want to use, Miss?” Nanny Xu opened the rectangular brow powder box. There were more than ten different colored brow powders neatly placed inside.

Yu Youyao took a look and pointed at a box of greenish-black brow powder. “I’ll use this box called Green Mountain Scenery.”

“Green Mountain Scenery” was the name that her cousin had given it. It was from a quote that said, “In the distance, the green mountain scenery can be seen!”

The color of “Green Mountain Scenery” was greenish-black and slightly solemn. After mixing the water and raising her eyebrows, they looked like an endless mountain mist, exuding a gloomy green elegance.

Nanny Xu was extremely surprised. “The brow powder that Young Master personally concocted is indeed extraordinary. If he opens a powder shop, just based on his skills, he will definitely become popular in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty.”

Yu Youyao smiled. “Cousin only makes eyebrow powder for me.”

Nanny Xu’s eyes flashed. From the glass mirror, she saw a trace of affection between Yu Youyao’s eyebrows and lowered her eyes.

Yu Miaofu was the legitimate daughter of the first wife of the Yu family. Her grandson, Zhou Linghuai, was also blood-related to the Yu Residence for three generations. When relatives of wealthy families interacted, they would have to be related for five generations.

Therefore, Old Madam Yu naturally treated Zhou Linghuai as one of her own. Even though her granddaughter was old, she did not restrict her granddaughter from interacting with her cousin.

Zhou Linghuai was well-mannered and too deeply rooted in people’s hearts, earning the trust of Matriarch.

Yu Youyao was too well-behaved. Matriarch Yu would not doubt her granddaughter.

The two of them were close cousins, so there was nothing to worry about.

But!

Where was Zhou Linghuai?!

Nanny Xu took some dew and applied it on the little girl’s delicate lips.

Yu Youyao knew that the oil was heavier. When applied between the lips, it could moisten them. When the lipstick was applied later, it would look even more beautiful and not lose its color easily.

The flower dew was refreshing and soft, making Yu Youyao’s skin look even more sparkling and translucent. The rose dew was moisturizing, making her look even more pink and delicate. With a thin layer of cream, she looked full and radiant.

Nanny Xu said, “You haven’t reached the age of 15. Try not to apply any makeup. Take more care of yourself usually. If you’re full of energy, that’s better than anything else.”

Yu Youyao nodded. “It’s not good for my skin if I apply too much powder.”

Nanny Xu took a lipstick pen and dipped it in the rosy lipstick. She gently applied it on her lips, which were plump and beautiful.

A 13-year-old girl was at the age where she was delicate and fragrant. She did not need to dress up deliberately. She only needed to draw her eyebrows and apply lipstick. She was already beautiful.

Nanny Xu was very satisfied. “I’ve never seen a girl more beautiful than you.”

Yu Youyao suddenly stood up, picked up her skirt, and said, “I’m going to look for Cousin!”

When they arrived at The Green House, Yu Youyao heard the sound of a zither coming from the courtyard.

She tilted her ear.

The zither had five tones: the palace tones were peaceful and strong; the shang tones were strong and clear; the angular tones were round and long; the Zheng notes were gentle; and the feather tones were clear.

The zither had nine virtues: its material was “unique” and smooth, its sound was pure and elegant, it was clear and distant, it was pure and quiet, it was smooth and endless, it was round and did not dissipate, it was clear as gold and stone, the strings were smooth and round, and the longer it was played, the deeper it sounded.

If a zither was equipped with five virtues, it would already be a good zither.

If it had seven virtues, it would be a famous zither, such as the “Rare Voice” in her house.

If the nine virtues were present, it would be an extraordinary sound, such as “Burnt tail” and “Primordial Voice,”

Yu Youyao thought of something and quickly ran into the house.

With a thud, the lingering sound was mellow and lingering. Zhou Linghuai pressed the zither strings and his gaze landed on Yu Youyao.

The little girl was dressed very grandly for her birthday today.

The flowers on her head swayed with her light steps, and the branches in her hair trembled. There were butterflies on them, and it was like a gust of wind that blew past the flowers. The butterflies were exquisite, agile and luxurious.

Zhou Linghuai suddenly thought of the poem:

Her beauty was unprecedented. In an instant, her beautiful eyes lit up and she smiled!

“Cousin, is this zither for me?” Three years ago, her cousin had cut down the tree in her courtyard to help her make a good zither.

Yu Youyao had been looking forward to it, but she also knew that making a zither was not something that could be done in a day. The longer it took, the more effort was put in.

There was no hurry. After waiting for a while, Zhou Linghuai took a deep breath. “The strings are ready. I’m adjusting it.”

Yu Youyao quickly leaned over. The entire zither was the color of honey. The zither was smooth and beautiful. In addition to the five strings, there were also literary and martial strings. There were a total of seven strings.

It was as if a phoenix was tired of flying and was resting on a parasol tree branch. It lowered its arrogant head, retracted its beautiful wings, and lowered its long tail.

Yu Youyao was overjoyed and smiled until her eyes curved. “I’ve waited for three years. It’s finally here. Cousin surprises me every year.”

She shook her head slightly, and the tassels shook as she walked. The butterflies trembled lightly, making her look dazzling and beautiful.

Zhou Linghuai couldn’t take his eyes off it. “The zither was completed a year ago. It’s just that silk strings are rare. I’ve looked at more than a hundred types of silk, but none of them were satisfactory..”