Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Start from my aunt's room
After Tan Yue finished delivering the letter, the master and his two servants began to check the dowry list.
In the past, Zhao Qingyi was tolerant and generous and never minded. Fortunately, Tan Yue was more careful. She secretly recorded everything that Luo and Li Susu wanted to take away in a book. Now it didn't take much effort to count and check it.
After finishing the inventory, Zhao Qingyi stroked the long list of dowry items, her fingertips still trembling.
In her previous life, she had actually given so much to the Li family. Looking back on her ending, she felt that she was extremely stupid.
Soon, Lanyue Pavilion returned to its usual tranquility, but this tranquility made Li Susu from Qionghua Hall unable to sit still.
"Isn't today the fifteenth? Where's the stuff? Why hasn't anyone delivered it?"
At nightfall, Li Susu took off her hairpins and rings in front of the mirror and asked impatiently.
Usually at this time of month, all the silks, satins, and jewelry sent by the two families would be in her room, and it had been like this for the past three years.
The maidservant who was serving nearby had just returned from observing the Lanyue Pavilion and muttered, "Grandma, she put the things into her own storeroom..."
Li Susu stood up and said, "You actually accepted it yourself? What good things did both families give you? Did you see clearly?"
"I saw it clearly. It's pretty much the same as usual. The only difference is that Young Master Meng gave me a...something called a Xiaying gauze skirt?"
The maidservant didn't understand, so she just repeated it as best she could, "I vaguely heard the maids in the Grand Madam's courtyard say that the gauze skirt was worth a hundred gold coins..."
"Hundred gold?!"
Li Susu suddenly raised her voice and widened her eyes.
She had never seen a gauze skirt worth a hundred gold coins, so it must be a good thing.
Li Susu felt an indescribable jealousy, and then she became angry and threw the silver comb in her hand away.
"She knew full well that my brother was about to return to the capital, and that my mother and I would have to socialize. In the past few days alone, we've received no fewer than ten invitations from women in the capital. Why didn't she let my mother and I use the goodies first? Instead, she kept them hidden."
"We don't have any decent head ornaments or jewelry. If this gets out, everyone will talk about how shabby our Li family is!"
The maid buried her head even lower.
The Li family was poor, and everyone knew it. What did it have to do with the great grandmother? As time went by, I took the great grandmother's kindness for granted.
But the truth is always hard to accept. Following Li Susu, she has learned to speak less, or not speak at all.
Li Susu looked at the jewelry on the table. Although they were few, they were also beautiful. However, they could not compare to the ten-mile-long red wedding décor of Zhao Qingyi, with a dazzling array of gold, silver, jewelry, silks, and boxes of fine things. But all she was given was this little, like giving away a beggar.
The more Li Susu thought about it, the angrier she got. "She did it on purpose! I'll make her mad tomorrow!"
No matter how good Zhao Qingyi's background is, she is still a wife of the Li family. What belongs to her naturally belongs to the Li family, to her and her mother.
It is Zhao Qingyi's duty to bring things as a "filial piety".
The next morning, Li Susu could not wait for dinner and rushed straight to Lanyue Pavilion. She passed through the hanging flower gate and looked through the hollow screen wall. She saw Zhao Qingyi leaning against the window.
Li Susu was about to go over when Tan Yue Qiaoyue came out of the house. She didn't seem surprised to see her and both of them bowed, "Auntie."
Li Susu's gaze was drawn to the two maids, who looked her up and down.
The two maids wore the same gray-blue short jacket, a plain cotton skirt, a silver hairpin, and silver pendants the size of peanuts on their earlobes.
Her eyes swept across the maids' heads and then fell back on their short clothes. The clothes were plain in color, but exuded a cool luster, like... silk?
Li Susu took a deep breath and subconsciously looked at herself. She was wearing a plain silk shirt with narrow sleeves and a light red cotton skirt. There was only a silver hairpin inserted diagonally in her bun, nothing else.
Zhao Qingyi's maid was dressed even more elegantly than her sister, who had won the third place in the imperial examination!
"How can two servants wear this silk?" Li Susu pretended to tear it off.
The maid dodged nimbly, and after looking at each other, she burst out laughing.
Li Susu heard that it was a mockery, and she became even more angry and angry, showing her teeth and claws. Qiao Yue was not someone to be bullied, so she started to fight with her.
"Qiaoyue, don't be rude."
A soft voice came from the propped-up ice crack window.
Qiao Yue stopped immediately and stepped back with Tan Yue. Li Susu smoothed her hair, raised her head and chest deliberately, and imitated the posture of Zhao Qingyi, whom she had seen before, and walked slowly into the main house.
The north room of the main house is a bedroom, and the east room is a dressing room. Judging from the sounds, she is in the dressing room.
Li Susu lifted the beaded curtain and looked in. There was a bamboo beauty couch by the window. Zhao Qingyi, with her hair in a bun, was reclining on the couch. Beside the couch, a gilded crane-shaped incense table held a Ding kiln white porcelain plate, which was piled with iced black grapes, each one sparkling.
"Auntie, sit down."
The jade-colored Hangzhou silk double-breasted shirt, as thin as a cicada's wing, enveloped her body, revealing her exquisite curves faintly.
Nowadays, it is popular to be weak and graceful, but Zhao Qingyi has been pampered since childhood, with a plump and graceful figure, which is a rare noble appearance. Her hands, without any makeup, are very slender and slim. She holds a sandalwood brocade fan and waves it lightly, indicating Li Susu to sit down. The mutton-fat jade bracelet and the gold shrimp-whisker bracelet on her wrist then slide down and hit each other, making a clear sound.
Although Li Susu often comes here, she is still impressed by the luxury and elegance of Lanyue Pavilion, including the delicate and soft lady on the beauty couch.
This whole body has a majestic demeanor, and it has not diminished even after three years of being wronged in the Li family.
After all, isn't it because of his father who holds a high position and a mother who is very wealthy, why is Zhao Qingyi's life so good?
Li Susu couldn't help asking herself this question in her heart, but she put on a pose and sat down leisurely.
Tan Yue Qiaoyue held back her smile and poured a cup of tea and handed it over.
Li Susu took it and glanced at the maid a few more times, "Sister-in-law, I heard that servants can't wear silk. This is an overstepping of the bounds and will be punished."
After hearing this, Qiao Yue couldn't help but burst into laughter. Even Zhao Qingyi, who had lived a second life, couldn't help laughing after hearing this, and covered the corners of his lips with a round fan.
Li Susu really hasn't changed at all, she's stupid and mean.
It’s just that in her previous life, Zhao Qingyi had the cultivation and kindness of a noble lady, and had always been tolerant of her. In this life, she didn’t want to show her any kindness.
"My aunt, you misunderstood." Tan Yue suppressed her temper and explained, "What I am wearing is the cotton silk gifted by my aunt. It is a blend of silk and cotton, which gives it a delicate luster. However, it is cheap and not real silk. If my aunt likes it, I have more."
Li Susu had been following the Luo family since she was a child, and she had little experience. Naturally, she couldn't tell the difference between cotton and silk. Her face turned red with shame when she heard it, and she felt even more uncomfortable when she met Zhao Qingyi's almond-shaped eyes full of teasing.
Is this a mockery of her for not knowing what's good?
Sure enough, the kindness she showed for the past three years was all fake. Zhao Qingyi looked down on her from the bottom of her heart!
"Sister-in-law."
Li Susu gritted her teeth and said, "What do you mean? You made this damn cotton and silk just to make fun of me?"
"My dear sister, you are overthinking it. It is these two girls who are so unruly and don't know etiquette." Zhao Qingyi scolded without any annoyance in her tone. The maid obediently apologized to Li Susu.
Thinking of the legendary gauze skirt that was worth a hundred gold coins, Li Susu endured it and turned her head away reluctantly.
Zhao Qingyi remained calm, picking up a grape and slowly peeling it. "I wonder why my aunt came to visit today?"
Li Susu stared at the plate of grapes intently. They were chilled, which seemed to be just right for the current heat. As she thought about it, saliva started to form in her mouth. She couldn't help but grab the teacup and swallow a mouthful of tea to cover it up.
After a while, "I heard Mei'er say that my cousin from the Meng family gave my sister-in-law a shaggy gauze skirt yesterday?"
really.
Zhao Qingyi put the peeled grape flesh into his mouth, chewed it slowly, and waited for what was to come.
Seeing that she didn't say anything, Li Susu knew that this was true and continued, "Sister-in-law, I don't mean anything else. Everyone knows that the Meng family is wealthy and has no shortage of money. The things that come out of the Meng family are naturally top-notch. I haven't seen them before, so I wanted to come to your place to broaden my horizons."
When Qiao Yue heard this, she got angry.
Here we go again.
In the past, Li Susu loved to use this set of rhetoric, saying things like broadening one's horizons and taking away many good things from grandma's dowry, saying that she was borrowing them to play with, but in the end she never returned them.
The weasel pays a New Year's visit to the chicken. He is a scum with no good intentions. He is poor and calculating. The word "beggar" is almost written on his face.
Qiao Yue secretly spat.
Zhao Qingyi smiled with an ambiguous tone, "My aunt's ears are really sharp. After just one night, she knew what I had."
Li Susu seemed confused. "Well, we're a family. My brother's not around, and my sister-in-law has lived alone for many years. The courtyard is deserted, so mother and I naturally have to pay more attention to you. After all this time, there's nothing we don't know."
She rolled her eyes, moved the embroidery cushion over, and took the initiative to hold Zhao Qingyi's hand, "Sister-in-law..."
"My mother's family background is not as good as yours. She is not as knowledgeable and well-mannered as you, and she doesn't know how to plan for me. But people say that an elder sister-in-law is like a mother, and now you are as close to my mother. People in this capital are the most snobbish. I am afraid that no one will take care of me, and my dowry is too small, so it will be difficult to discuss marriage. Sister-in-law, you can't just watch me waste away in the house until I become an old maid, unable to get married, right?"
Li Susu held her hand and rubbed it back and forth. No matter how carefully she took care of it over the past three years, her hands always bore the marks of her childhood labor. She could never cultivate hands as smooth and delicate as Zhao Qingyi's.
She reached for the bracelet and said, "Oh, sister-in-law, was this a gift from the Zhao family or the Meng family? It feels so smooth and warm, and I can tell it's worth a lot of money. How come I've never seen you wear it before?"
Zhao Qingyi frowned beautifully, withdrew her hand indifferently, and smoothed out the wrinkled sleeves.
She lowered her eyes. "Next month, my master will be admitted to the Imperial Academy. You are the sister of the top scholar, the Imperial Academy editor. Why should you worry about not being able to get married?"
You still want her stuff to add to your makeup? What a joke.
Li Susu couldn't let go of the bracelet, and still didn't hear the coldness in her voice, "Sister-in-law, you have a pair of jade bracelets. Can you lend me one? Many ladies have sent invitations to mother these days, and mother wants to take me out, but I don't have a matching jade bracelet..."
Didn't she have a matching jade bracelet? She was so eager to plunder everything from grandma's house that she could outfit herself from head to toe!
Qiao Yue stood behind the bead curtain, her eyes rolling back in anger.
Tan Yue said quietly, "Auntie, I have something to say, but I don't know if I should say it or not."
Li Susu tried to coax Zhao Qingyi into lending her the things, but she waved her hand indifferently.
Tan Yue nodded, and said calmly, "My aunt suspected me of overstepping my bounds earlier. I believe you must have learned the rules after three years in the capital. According to the etiquette of Daliang, the wives of seventh-rank officials can only wear silver and gold-plated items. Red gold, gemstones, and pearls are prohibited. This fine mutton-fat jade also counts."
"If...if my aunt insists on doing this, then it will be considered a violation of etiquette. If someone with ulterior motives sees it, they will inevitably write a letter to impeach you for not managing your household properly."
How could Li Susu not know this? She had taken away many good things in the past, but she kept them in her room because she couldn't use or wear them.
"Hey, let's just wear it at home. When I get married, I can use it as a dowry. I won't show it off outside..."
"I still think it's inappropriate." Tan Yue had no intention of backing down. "Master has finally been admitted to the Imperial Academy. He is a close minister to the Emperor and has a promising future. Many people are watching him. How can I and the old lady be sure that the person you are meeting has no intention of harming others? If someone finds evidence against you, wouldn't it cost you your job?"
Li Susu was stunned. She was just looking for an excuse to ask for something, but this damn girl was talking to her about etiquette.
“Sister-in-law…”
She didn't believe that Zhao Qingyi didn't understand what she meant. Li Susu was certain that Zhao Qingyi would not refuse her this time. She wanted both jewelry and dresses.
In the past, Zhao Qingyi always obeyed her in everything.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Qingyi interrupted her as soon as she opened her mouth, "Tan Yue is right. Things are different now. The master will be transferred soon, so it's better not to cause trouble."
Li Susu was so angry that she said, "Then, then I can take a look at that Xiaying gauze skirt, right?"
Zhao Qingyi pondered for a while, then gently waved her fan. "It's okay to just take a look."
She gave Qiao Yue a look, and the originally angry Qiao Yue understood what she meant and went to get it immediately. The box opened again, and a glittering gauze skirt appeared in front of everyone. Li Susu's eyes froze, and she couldn't help but reach out her hand.
Qiao Yue quickly closed the box, and Li Susu's hand was pinched and she screamed.
Qiao Yue didn't care about her hands. She just said cautiously, "Auntie, this gauze skirt is worth a hundred gold coins. Don't touch it."
Li Susu couldn't pretend anymore. She covered her pinched finger and cursed, "You bitch! You did it on purpose!"
Qiao Yue hurriedly knelt down in Zhao Qingyi's direction and swore to the heavens, "Grandma, please understand. I have absolutely no such intention."
At this point, no matter how dumb Li Susu was, she knew that she was being played and laughed at by the master and servants. All her trip and words had been a monkey show in their eyes!
"You, you guys...just wait! I'll tell my mother right now!" Li Susu's eyes turned red with anger and she turned to leave.
"Wait a minute."
Zhao Qingyi called her softly, and her lazy body finally moved. Her skirt spread out like clear waves under the moon. She tilted her head slightly, and the lotus seed-sized pearl on her earlobe trembled slightly.
"It just so happens that I have something to do. I have to send Qiao Yue to Qiong Hua Tang to retrieve some things. Since my aunt is here, why not start from her room first?"
Meeting Li Susu's extremely shocked eyes, Zhao Qingyi slowly raised the corners of his lips.
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