“Wanwan, if you ask me, you should show off your skills at those banquets and amaze those noble ladies, otherwise your sister will steal the limelight.”

Sun Wanwan's milk tea was a big hit with Panda Dumpling.

As a young lady from the General's Mansion, Sun Wanwan frequently attended various poetry gatherings, tea parties, and flower appreciation events.

Jiang Yao stole the show at these banquets, drawing admiration from everyone.

At first, Sun Wanwan was also intrigued by it several times, but after meeting Jiang Shuwan, she realized that she had been ignorant before.

No matter how well Jiang Yao makes food, it's never as delicious as Jiang Shuwan's.

Moreover, Jiang Yao always had an arrogant and domineering attitude, as if she wanted to "open the eyes of you country bumpkins".

It makes people very uncomfortable.

“I don’t want to be someone’s free dessert chef,” Jiang Shuwan said.

Sun Wanwan was immediately amused by her.

Drinking milk tea and warming yourself by the fire in winter is the most relaxing thing, especially when it's snowing outside.

The house was filled with a harmonious atmosphere; some were drinking tea, some were warming themselves by the fire, some were roasting peanuts, and some were embroidering—each enjoying their own pleasure.

Suddenly, a little girl in a light apricot-colored brocade shirt and a matching pleated skirt entered.

"You are the Crown Prince's wife?"

The little girl had a slightly arrogant expression, and the maid behind her felt that her words were inappropriate, so she quietly tugged at her sleeve.

The little girl shoved the maid aside, looking utterly disrespectful.

Is this person here to cause trouble?

Why does he look somewhat familiar?

Jiang Shuwan was puzzled, but the little girl was greatly surprised by the appearance of Jiang Shuwan's courtyard.

After three days of arrangement and renovation, Jiang Shuwan's courtyard has been transformed.

The covered walkway used to be empty on both sides, but now bamboo curtains are hung on it.

The little girl knew at a glance that the curtain was for blocking the wind and rain.

The curtain was drawn at the moment, and the snow water hit the curtain, melted, and then flowed down the curtain into the newly dug drainage ditch underground.

The houses are all made of wood, and the verandas will not only deteriorate quickly when they get wet, but will also develop a musty smell.

There were no curtains on the veranda in her courtyard, and after every rain, the veranda always had a musty smell.

In addition to the covered walkways, the low shrubs in the courtyard were also uprooted.

Shrubs aren't very attractive in winter, and they attract mosquitoes in spring and summer.

Since there were no good methods for eliminating mosquitoes at the moment, Jiang Shuwan simply ordered her servants to pull them all out.

Leave only a few clumps of flowers and surround them with bricks.

The remaining floor coverings were pressed flat and covered with pebbles collected from the riverbank.

The pebbles are white like jade, only the size of a fingertip, and rainwater and snowmelt seep through them into the ground.

With the recent rain and snow making the roads muddy and impassable, Jiang Shuwan's cobblestone courtyard remains remarkably clean and tidy.

To make walking easier, the cobblestones were paved with stone slabs in the middle and around the edges.

In the middle of the cobblestone courtyard, there was a low table and two chaise lounges where one could lie down.

There was a pear tree in the corner, and its branches stretched just above the chaise lounge.

The little girl can imagine how comfortable it would be to lie here in spring to enjoy the flowers and read books, and to sit around the stove to brew tea in winter.

As she thought about it, a small longing arose in her heart, along with admiration for the owner of the courtyard, who seemed to have a clever mind.

Suddenly, she remembered something and took back her praise.

The three main rooms were also different from what the little girl had seen before.

Before even entering the house, you can see a newly cleaned fish tank on the left side, containing several goldfish.

The weather is cold, and there are only a few half-green aquatic plants in the fish tank. When two lotus flowers are planted in the spring, it will be an excellent sight.

Next to the fish tank was a cat tree, where a white cat was lazily lying.

Or perhaps it heard her come in, and the cat immediately opened its eyes alertly.

"Such beautiful golden eyes."

"The cat tree is also beautiful; it even has three tiers."

"Wow, there are even cat toys inside."

The little girl couldn't help but praise the ball of yarn under Xiaomi's paws.

The arrogance on her face vanished without her noticing, and she walked into the main room with a look of surprise.

Look left and look right.

To the left of the main house is Jiang Shuwan's bedroom, which she cannot see.

The other two rooms were completely opened up and separated by three screens made of fine white silk, embroidered with orchids on both sides, making them both beautiful and exquisite.

The chairs and tables placed in the middle of the room are made of high-quality pear wood and are well-crafted.

Along the wall facing the courtyard is a square object, large enough for two people to roll around in, somewhat like a bed and somewhat like a couch.

There was a low coffee table on it, along with feather cushions and a backrest.

At that moment, two young girls were sitting crookedly on that object that resembled a bed but wasn't quite a bed, which we'll call a couch for now.

They were holding a bamboo tube in their hands, as if they were drinking something.

They looked very relaxed, drinking the beverage from the bamboo tube while looking out the window at the snow falling all around.

On the other side, the maids and nannies were doing needlework, while others were warming themselves by the fire.

The atmosphere was harmonious and pleasant.

"Aren't you cold?" the little girl asked, frowning.

The windows were wide open, and the two girls sitting on the tatami mat weren't wearing very warm clothes, nor were they carrying hand warmers.

"It's not cold," Jiang Shuwan said, still wondering who she was. Hearing her question, she subconsciously patted the tatami mat beneath her and said, "There's a heated kang bed underneath, so it's not cold."

"Your couch is actually a kang (heated brick bed)?" The little girl's eyes widened.

Nowadays, heated kang beds exist and are quite common among the common people, but aristocratic families do not use them.

The kang (a heated brick bed) was heated with firewood, and in the eyes of noble families, not being able to afford charcoal was a very shameful thing.

They have always been particular about their movements, whether walking, sitting, lying down, or stepping, and every action is governed by rules and etiquette.

What kind of wealthy family's daughter would stay on the kang (heated brick bed) as soon as the weather gets cold? That's so rude.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!