Chapter 7 Jewelry
Just by looking at this graceful woman standing there, one can tell that she is a remarkable person. She has delicate features and a slender figure, and it is easy to tell at a glance that she is a member of the Xiao family.
Hearing that she had been a seamstress when she was lost and unaware of her true identity, Madam Wan inexplicably felt a sense of goodwill towards this Fifth Sister.
Wan Rui was sizing up Xiao Yuxuan, and Xiao Yuxuan was also sizing her up. She was in her thirties, and the cotton dress she was wearing looked like it was made of a soft and comfortable material. Although it didn't have expensive or exquisite embroidery, the cut was decent, and she had a gentle and graceful temperament.
In her past life, she had chosen the fabric and taken measurements for Xiao Yuyao before rushing to Lanting Pavilion. Her complexion wasn't very good, which showed that she wasn't really happy to be intercepted by Xiao Yuyao. She was a well-mannered lady, so she never held a grudge against this Lady Wan.
"This humble servant is Wan Rui. I presume to call myself Lady Wan. Greetings, Fifth Miss."
Xiao Yuxuan couldn't possibly let her actually bow, so she turned slightly to the side and greeted her as well.
Madam Wan praised, "What a lovely girl! She's just like you and Master Xiao."
Madam Xiao was also pleased to hear this. When Xiao Yuyao was young, she didn't look like her at all, and people thought she was just too young. Later, when she grew up, her appearance was at most pretty and cute, but she was too plump and didn't have the spirit of the Xiao family. So she never heard anyone say that Xiao Yuxuan looked like her again. Now that her biological daughter has returned and looks like them, she is very relieved.
She held Xiao Yuxuan's hand, her gaze sweeping over her face and body. Suddenly, the pleats of her dress at the chest caught her eye—
These are Yuyao's clothes, and they really don't fit her at all.
"Don't praise this child too much. Since she's here, go and take her measurements. Make her a few more summer and autumn outfits, according to the current fashion trends in the capital."
"Yes, it is up to Madam Xiao to arrange it."
Wan Rui lowered her eyes, wondering why Miss Xiao Wu had to wear this outfit. Just now, Madam Xiao had said she would make several outfits for the palace banquet, but now it seemed like she was making several summer and autumn outfits instead.
However, she was too happy to do more business, so she wouldn't remind Madam Xiao.
Xiao Yuxuan and Wan Rui went to the Bisha Pavilion to take measurements. The soft ruler in Wan Rui's hand was like a flexible water snake, casually bending and pressing against the girl's undergarment at her waist. She was secretly startled.
She had measured at least eighty or a hundred girls, but none of them were this slender. Furthermore, the girl's complexion wasn't good; she looked like she was recovering from a serious illness. She couldn't help but whisper:
"Has the young lady not been eating well these past few days? She's become too thin. If her figure changes in a few days, her current measurements won't be reliable."
Xiao Yuxuan smiled and said, "What you're thinking is right, Madam Wan. I caught a cold a few days ago and have lost a lot of weight. Please make sure to add some extra fabric to my clothes, here and here, about an inch more."
"I understand."
Wan Rui secretly felt relieved; talking to her former colleagues was so time-saving and effortless, and everything was understood immediately.
Soon, Xiao Yuxuan got dressed and went with Wan Rui to choose fabric.
Lady Wan only brought one assistant with her, and naturally only a small sample of fabric, cut into palm-sized pieces and sealed in an exquisite sheepskin booklet.
Xiao Yuxuan read through the pages one by one. In her previous life, when it was her turn to choose, all the valuable and exquisite items had already been picked by Xiao Yuyao. What remained were only some that were too plain and too old-fashioned. She reluctantly picked a few, and the clothes she made in the end were naturally not as gorgeous and beautiful as Xiao Yuyao's. At the palace banquet, she was even scolded by Madam Xiao, who asked if she had deliberately dressed so plainly on the Emperor's birthday...
Looking at this fabric catalog that she could choose from at will, Xiao Yuxuan no longer had the desire to be the best.
"Madam Wan, I am not very experienced and do not know as much about fabrics as you do. You can help me choose some suitable fabrics and colors."
She had no time to choose, but Wan Rui had already made her decision. There were two kinds of satin fabrics that were popular in the capital, with bright and soft colors that were suitable for young girls. They were perfect for making clothes for Miss Xiao Wu. Perhaps it was because she saw the clothes that Xiao Yuxuan had made for Xiao Yuyao that made Wan Rui feel a little sentimental, but she carefully selected several and presented them to Madam Xiao.
After Madam Wan left, Madam Xiao remembered that she had said yesterday that she would pick out some jewelry and headwear for Xiao Yuxuan, so she asked Li Mama to take out the jewelry box that she had put in the cupboard.
Looking at the dazzling array of jewelry displayed in front of her, Xiao Yuxuan's eyes showed a mixture of surprise and joy, followed by a hint of trepidation.
"Mother, this is all I want—"
She pointed to a pink silk flower in the corner with pearl-like stamens and smiled shyly.
Following the direction she pointed, Madam Li frowned. Although the silk flower was exquisite, it was insignificant among this pile of exquisite and valuable jewelry. Fifth Miss was being too cautious.
Madam Xiao naturally realized that her daughter was picking a bargain, and a feeling she couldn't quite describe welled up inside her.
If it were Yuyao, she would happily pick out the jewelry and headwear she liked when she came to her shop. She didn't mind that Yuyao had taken a lot of jewelry from her dowry.
But now, her own daughter is choosing jewelry with such caution, showing that too much time has passed between them.
Madam Xiao thought that Xiao Yuxuan might not have had such a precious silk flower as jewelry in the previous fourteen years, and she also thought of how Yuyao didn't care when she lost her gold hairpin, so she couldn't help but say:
"Choose a few more, my dear. These things of your mother's will all be yours after a hundred years. So relax and choose whatever you like to wear and play with."
Xiao Yuxuan clenched her slender fingers, pursed her lips, and shook her head:
"Mother, you have already given me so much when I returned home. I have no shortage of jewelry. Being able to come home is the most precious gift God has given me. These material things are far less important to me than the happiness of my father, mother and brothers."
"Oh, right, Sister Yuyao likes these things, so why don't we, Mother, choose some and send them to her?"
Madam Xiao sighed, holding Xiao Yuxuan in her arms, a pang of bitterness rising in her heart. She had been out of her mind for the past month, finding fault with Yuxuan no matter what she did, and constantly thinking about making amends to Yuyao.
Looking at the intimate scene between the mother and daughter, Li's mother smiled slightly.
"In my humble opinion, the Fourth Miss's jewelry needs to be replenished for every festival. The Fifth Miss has only been back for a short time and has few items. She should be replenished more. There will be many noble people at the palace banquet next month. If the Xiao family's daughters cannot make a good impression, people will talk about it."
Li Mama had been with Madam Xiao since she was a child, and she knew her personality well enough to understand her completely. She knew what Madam Xiao cared about, and her words of reminding Xiao Yuxuan that she didn't have enough things and that she needed to make a good impression at the palace banquet really hit Madam Xiao's sweet spot.
She pondered for a moment and said, "What Mother Li said is true, Yuxuan. These are all things that I wore when I was young. I don't use them much now. I'll send them all to you. You can wear them yourself or give them away."
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