The note asked for a poem describing a woman's makeup. In Li Youran's memory, there was indeed a poem that was particularly suitable.
Liu Nana, who had been waiting to see Li Youran make a fool of herself, saw that Li Youran had already started writing poetry. She glanced at her eyes, pondered for a moment, and then walked towards Li Youran.
"Oh my, I didn't expect Miss Li to be so intelligent. Our talented Qian Qingqing hasn't even picked up her pen yet, and you've already finished writing."
Liu Nana thought to herself, "Li Youran started writing a poem right away, and at such a fast pace, it's probably just scribbling nonsense." Wanting to embarrass Li Youran, she snatched the poem Li Youran had finished writing.
"Let me read it to you, and see what Ms. Li wrote~"
"Miss Liu, please be careful, the ink on it is not dry yet."
Before Li Youran could finish speaking, Liu Nana snatched the paper away. The still-wet ink was smeared directly on Liu Nana's body, making the writing on the paper a blurry mess.
"The scoundrel will be punished by God," Li Youran thought to herself, but on the surface she pretended to be very worried.
"Oh dear, Miss Liu, how could you be so careless! It doesn't matter if you ruin my poem, the real problem is that your clothes are probably ruined now."
It's better this poem is ruined; her handwriting is worse than a dung beetle crawling, it looks like a drunk dung beetle crawling.
"snort!"
Liu Nana hadn't expected that her attempt to embarrass Li Youran would backfire, leaving her covered in ink instead. She immediately lost her temper.
"I'm so sorry, Miss Li, I've ruined a perfectly good poem."
Liu Nana wasn't about to let Li Youran off so easily, so she continued.
"Miss Li, you probably haven't forgotten, have you? Why don't you recite a poem for everyone?"
After hearing Liu Nana's words, several women who shared the same idea chimed in.
“Miss Li, Miss Liu is absolutely right. Rather than destroying it, let’s read it aloud before we forget it and let us all hear it.”
"Description of makeup... Miss Li must have written it very well."
As she spoke, a woman approached Li Youran and, without her consent, took out a slip of paper from the lantern.
The talented Qian Qingqing watched all this with indifference. In her eyes, it was nothing but a farce, and she didn't care about it at all. Her mind was only on composing poems and lyrics.
The Qian family originated from merchants, but in recent generations they began to change their ways, abandoning commerce for officialdom. Therefore, merchants place great importance on the education of their children.
Qian Qingqing was the eldest daughter of the family. She was exceptionally talented and a well-known and respected woman in the capital.
"Since you are so kind as to accept my offer, then I will make a fool of myself."
Li Youran wasn't stupid; she could naturally see that they wanted to embarrass her, which was also to make her stand out more and better advertise the jewelry shop. Therefore, Li Youran had to overcome her social awkwardness and recite poetry in public.
Xia Xiao, who had been silent all along, wanted to step in to help Li Youran out of her predicament, but seeing that Li Youran remained calm and composed throughout, she did not act rashly.
Li Youran took two steps, turned around to look at everyone, took a breath, and began to recite poetry.
"Small hills overlap, their golden light shimmering; her hair, like clouds, seems to brush against her snowy cheeks. She lazily rises to paint her eyebrows, her makeup and dressing taking her time."
The mirror reflects the flowers before and after, their beauty mirrored in each other. A new embroidered silk robe is adorned with a pair of golden partridges.
This poem is one of Li Youran's favorites; he memorized it the first time he read it.
Reading this poem is not difficult; what is difficult is overcoming phobia and reciting it in front of so many people.
"good!"
Young Master Wu, who had previously mocked Li Youran for being all show and no substance, was the first to applaud and cheer, followed by Xia Xiao and the rest of the group.
"What a beautiful sight! Miss Li, your writing is truly exquisite; I, Wu Meng, am filled with admiration!"
As Wu Meng spoke, he bowed to Li Youran.
"It was Wu Meng who clashed with you before. You are beautiful both inside and out, truly a woman of exceptional talent!"
Previously, when he insulted Li Youran, Li Youran laughed instead of getting angry, which made Wu Meng admire her. Now, Li Youran's poem has amazed everyone, and Wu Meng has realized his mistake, so he apologized to Li Youran in public.
"Young Master Wu, you flatter me." Li Youran curtsied and said, "Young Master Wu is straightforward, unrestrained, and unconventional. I admire him very much."
Although there had been some unpleasantness before, Li Youran still admired Wu Meng for his ability to admit his mistakes and his carefree nature.
"Miss Li is very talented; she is not only beautiful but also very knowledgeable."
Xia Xiao couldn't help but praise her. He hadn't expected Li Youran to be not only smart and capable, but also so talented. She was simply flawless.
Qian Qingqing, who had been silent all along, frowned when she heard Xia Xiao praising Li Youran.
The Xia and Qian families had a history of misunderstanding. Before coming here, the elders in the family had told Xia Xiao that he would also be here to attend the poetry gathering today.
The family's intention was very clear: they hoped the two young people could meet more often and have more opportunities to spend time together, so they could discuss marriage arrangements later.
Although Qian Qingqing liked scholars, she didn't dislike Xia Xiao either. After all, he was a handsome and intelligent man who had been in the countryside since childhood, so he was a good man.
However, since Xia Xiao arrived at the poetry gathering, he hasn't spoken to her proactively, let alone had any other contact with her. Now, Xia Xiao is praising Li Youran endlessly, which makes Qian Qingqing very unhappy.
Li Youran did all this to promote her shop, and once she saw that she had achieved the desired effect, she left early.
I had just returned home and hadn't even had time to take off my cumbersome clothes and heavy jewelry when a servant hurriedly brought me an urgent letter.
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