As she spoke, Liu Yunyan looked at herself in the mirror.

She wore a moon-white embroidered dress that reached the ground. Winter dresses are made of thicker material, making it difficult to achieve the flowing, ethereal feel of spring and summer dresses. So she chose the thinnest material to make her clothes.

Therefore, even in winter, she remained as slender and graceful as a willow in the wind.

In addition, she uses a secret massage technique every month, which makes her skin more delicate and her figure more graceful.

—Her graceful and elegant demeanor alone made her the epitome of a woman from the capital.

In addition, her eyebrows were as dark as distant mountains, and her eyes were full of autumn waves. She was so delicate and beautiful that not only men, but even women would feel pity for her.

In contrast, Jiang Shuwan would layer up her clothes in winter, looking like a steamed bun.

"Coming from a humble background, she has no class whatsoever," Liu Yunyan said with a look of disdain.

"Miss, this is the young mistress."

As Liu Yunyan was thinking, she saw Jiang Shuwan walk past her courtyard gate.

The girl was dressed in a brocade gown, with a fox fur cloak over it.

Her black hair was tied up high, with only a single gold hairpin in her hair. The hairpin swayed, dazzling the eyes.

She seemed to be handling household affairs, followed by a group of well-dressed maids and servants, and she was talking to a senior nanny.

The girl had delicate features, a fine nose and cherry lips, and was exceptionally beautiful. Her eyes were like bright stars.

So many maids and servants, all powerful and difficult to deal with, were as obedient as lambs in her presence, making her appear like a dignified and elegant lady from a noble family, obeying orders without question and possessing impeccable manners.

Granny Xia: "..."

Where is she lacking in class?

Isn't that quite classy?

"Hmph, pretentious and affected, all he knows is reading storybooks. What kind of depth could he possibly have? Vulgar and tasteless, all he knows is dealing with mundane matters."

"Look at what she's wearing, layer upon layer of brocade, she's practically swollen up like a bun, and on top of that she's wearing a cloak and a hand warmer. A woman dressed like that, it's really shameful."

"I would never wear such thick clothes in my life. How can a woman be considered a woman if she can't maintain a beautiful and slim figure at all times?"

After Liu Yunyan finished speaking dismissively, she instructed the maids and servants to bring out the white fungus and snow pear soup she had just made.

"Let's go and bring soup to my cousin."

As soon as she stepped outside, a cold wind blew, and snowflakes blanketed her, chilling Liu Yunyan to the bone.

"Miss, it's too cold. Why don't you put on another layer of clothing?"

Granny Xia was also startled by the wind and snow outside. This winter was colder than usual, and the capital was colder than Luoyang.

Her daughter was dressed in a thin satin outfit and didn't even have a hand warmer; how could she go out like that?

"What do you know? Women should dress like this to be loved by men."

Liu Yunyan spoke angrily as she walked into the snowstorm.

He fell ill upon returning home that day, lying in bed delirious with fever.

"My cousin is mine... No one can take my cousin away from me... Waaah, my beloved cousin... Please divorce Jiang Shuwan and marry me... Only I am the love of your life..."

"Oh dear, my girl, it's just a piece of clothing, why are you making such a fuss!"

Seeing that her face was burning red and she was still talking nonsense, Xia Mama felt both sorry for her and speechless.

“Miss, why are you so stubborn? The young master never said he liked women who were as graceful as willows in the wind.”

"What do you know? Men just like my type. Where's my cousin... has he come to see me yet..."

"The young master has gone to the government office on business and we don't know when he will return."

"Go tell my cousin quickly. I have such a high fever. He must be heartbroken."

"..."

Jiang Shuwan's courtyard.

"You fell ill just from delivering a bowl of soup?"

Is her health really that bad?

Hearing the news from Qingxing, Jiang Shuwan was speechless.

It's only December, and it'll be cold for another two months. How can Liu Yunyan endure it?

"That's right. It's just a thin layer of material. It's fine to wear it in the fall, but now it's the dead of winter and snowing heavily. I haven't seen Miss Biao put on an extra layer of clothing."

"But she doesn't have enough clothes?"

"How could that be? This winter, apart from the old lady and a few other elders in our household, Miss Biao has made the most clothes, and most of them are beautifully embroidered. However, they are all very thin. I heard from the old women in the embroidery room that Miss Biao specifically chooses thin fabrics."

Hearing Qingxing say this, Xiaotao, who was roasting oranges and peanuts on the side, asked in surprise, "Isn't Miss Biao cold? It's snowing every day, isn't she afraid of catching a cold?"

"People care about looks, not warmth." Qingxing snorted. "I heard that the old lady went to see her. It's good that she's sick. Not only did she show off her charming figure in front of the young master, but she also made the old lady feel sorry for her. Before, the old lady had a lot of complaints about her because she spoke ill of our young lady. Now that she's sick, the old lady is probably over it."

"How can she be so cunning!"

As Qingxing spoke, she angrily grabbed an orange, broke it open, and stuffed it into her mouth. Little did she know that the orange had been roasted for a while, and the flesh inside was still scalding hot.

"Ouch, it's burning me!"

Jiang Shuwan quickly handed her some water and analyzed, "In my opinion, she didn't pretend to be sick."

Liu Yunyan had also been "sick" once before, when she was checking accounts in Pei Yanzhi's room.

During that time, she would occasionally go for a stroll there and even asked Pei Yanzhi for a few pieces of calligraphy and paintings to collect.

Liu Yunyan must have been jealous and possessive, which is why she pretended to be sick and called Pei Yanzhi over.

This time, Liu Yunyan's illness was probably due to the cold. Even with the river frozen over, she felt cold for Liu Yunyan, but Liu Yunyan disregarded the warmth for the sake of her appearance.

Pei Shushu used to dress scantily, but Liu Yunyan dressed even more provocatively.

"They're really just toughing it out."

Jiang Shuwan touched her thick padded jacket, which was quite warm indoors because it was padded with cotton. However, she still needed a cloak and a hand warmer when she went out.

We can't stay outside for too long, otherwise it will still be cold.

That is, Liu Yunyan, who truly loved beauty to the extreme.

"Qingxing, have the embroidery workshop send over the two jackets and skirts I just finished. Also, inform the young master that it's up to him whether he wants to go see them or not."

“Miss, it’s one thing if it’s the young master, but Miss Biao will definitely send someone to inform him. But why are we sending her a padded jacket and skirt out of the blue? You only made these two outfits this winter, and you haven’t even worn them yourself yet, and you’re already giving them to her?”

“She may not want it, but we can’t not send it,” Jiang Shuwan frowned slightly. “Besides, I’m not short of a couple of clothes.”

"But those are all old clothes from previous years."

"What's wrong with old clothes? Can't working people wear old clothes?"

"..."

Qingxing was speechless and muttered to Xiaotao, "Miss is talking in a language we can't understand again."

"Sister Qingxing, shall we see her off or not? Or maybe we shouldn't. Miss Biao is so frail. If she catches a cold, it's her own choice."

"Oh dear, I'm always afraid that someone will accuse me first!"