After returning to Zhaohua Lane, Zhu Jiayu sat down on the swing in the backyard.
She leaned against the swing rope, swaying slowly, but couldn't help recall Jiang Shaoxing's indifferent face.
After thinking for a while, her thoughts drifted elsewhere.
Her aunt said she would hold a banquet for her to announce her status as a member of the noble families of Yujing.
The date was set for three days later, August 11th.
Meanwhile, at the Yan residence.
Yan Feng stood tall by the window, intently watching the green banana tree below. After the servant finished reporting, he turned around and asked urgently:
"You mean, Wei Qinglou had dealings with her when he was in Suiping, and later when Wei Qinglou went to Songjiang for disaster relief, she went too?"
The servant bowed his head and said, "I would never dare to deceive you, young master."
Yan Feng burst into laughter: "Good, good!"
He had initially thought the banquet at the Ning residence was rather uninteresting, but now he felt that nothing could be more interesting than this.
He wanted to see just what Zhu Jiayu was capable of, since Wei Qinglou, who was always arrogant and never looked down on anyone, would treat her differently.
August 11th is just around the corner.
On that day, the families who received the invitations from the Ning family all arrived at the Ning residence by carriage with their families.
Ning Han was a third-rank official, and Xiao Wan was the adopted daughter of the old Grand Tutor. Although she was an adopted daughter, the Xiao couple had no other children besides her, so Xiao Wan was no different from their own daughter.
Few could refuse to give face to these two. Therefore, the Ning residence was extremely lively today.
Zhu Jiayu arrived at the Ning residence early and stayed by Xiao Wan's side.
Today she wore a light red dress, her eyebrows long and dark, her lips thin and red, her beauty even more radiant than before. She resembled a celestial goddess, a fairy maiden from the Jade Terrace, her every smile and frown captivating, her beauty enchanting and alluring.
She held Xiao Wan's hand, smiling obediently. Jiang Shaoxing watched her from afar, but he could clearly see the indifference in her eyes from her smile.
He smiled faintly, turned around, and left with Xi Huan.
Xi Huan was puzzled and said, "Hey, didn't we agree to come and greet Sister Zhu? Why aren't you going in now that we're at the door?"
Jiang Shaoxing thought that she probably didn't have the patience to deal with the guests either, but was forced to stay here by Madam Ning because she was the main character at today's banquet.
If that's the case, why should he and Xi Huan cause her unnecessary trouble? After all, they have a long future ahead of them, so there's no need to rush.
Not long after they left, Yan Feng arrived. Today he was wearing a blue bamboo-patterned robe. The blue was a lapis lazuli blue, which had an inexplicable brightness. However, on Yan Feng, it did not make him look frivolous or dissolute. Instead, it accentuated his handsome face and deep-set eyes.
Regardless of his personality, his appearance alone is indeed somewhat alluring.
He entered the flower hall, bowed to Xiao Wan, addressed her as Madam Ning, and then turned to Zhu Jiayu, smiling, "This must be Sister Zhu. Since you've just arrived in Yujing, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I'd be happy to help you."
Zhu Jiayu nodded slightly and thanked him with a gentle smile.
She appeared dignified and solemn, but in her heart she was thinking, "Entertaining guests is indeed a skill. My face is almost frozen from smiling. I wonder what those young ladies who hold flower banquets and poetry gatherings every month are thinking, or do they just like to show their smiles to others?"
After meeting with the ladies, young ladies, and gentlemen in the flower hall, Zhu Jiayu was finally allowed to go to Huaiju Pavilion, where the female guests were staying.
Before leaving, she leaned against the door frame and called to Qin Fang, "Auntie is pregnant and shouldn't overexert herself. Remember to stay by her side and let her sit and rest for a while." After she finished speaking, she said to Xiao Wan, "Auntie, don't go to greet the guests when the banquet starts. Let Aunt Ye do it for you."
Xiao Wan nodded in agreement, and then instructed her trusted maid to accompany Zhu Jiayu to Huaijuxuan, lest any ignorant person offend her.
When Zhu Jiayu arrived at Huaijuxuan, she was approached by young ladies from noble families. They were all very curious about Zhu Jiayu's background. After all, she came from a rural area and was able to be promoted by her aunt to join their social class.
These young ladies from prestigious families, raised with strict family discipline, studied poetry and literature under the tutelage of their teachers from a young age, and were skilled in music and chess. All they had done over the years was to bring honor to their families.
Striving for a good reputation, painstakingly working for a bright future, and securing a good marriage... all for the sake of the family.
The family provides them with shelter from the wind and rain, and they should repay the family with the nourishing soil; this is only natural.
But what about Zhu Jiayu?
Born into a merchant family in Suiping, she certainly didn't receive the same level of etiquette and manners as them. She had neither a good background nor a good reputation. She only became one of them because she had an aunt who was the adopted daughter of the Grand Tutor and the wife of the Secretary of State. However, she didn't have to scheme and manage things carefully for the sake of the family's interests like they did. Zhu Jiayu's existence was really too tempting for them.
Curiosity, dislike, and even jealousy were all present.
However, no matter what they said, Zhu Jiayu always responded with the most proper demeanor and the most polite words.
Over time, they lost interest in verbal sparring and testing each other's wit, and went their separate ways to drink tea and admire flowers with their close friends.
Zhu Jiayu didn't have to put much effort into dealing with them.
In her previous life, when she arrived in Yujing, she was already Rong Heng's wife. As a wife, she rose in status with her husband. Her usual social interactions were mostly with other noblewomen and wives of nobles. In this cannibalistic city of Yujing, they had to manage the household affairs and control the maids and concubines at home, and befriend noblewomen and protect their husbands at home. They had developed a remarkable ability to be shrewd and adaptable to any situation. If anyone wanted to target her or embarrass her, she simply couldn't handle it.
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