The raindrops were blown and scattered along the edge of the corridor, leaving fine, dense wet streaks. The sky was a hazy gray-white, and dark clouds slowly drifted away from the horizon.
"Miss, Madam Liu and Miss Qin have come to visit again today. They are currently sitting in the flower hall. Madam requests your presence." Yi Hua brought in a small vase of ink plum blossoms and placed it on the windowsill. Outside, a light rain was falling, and if it wasn't moved in, the delicate flowers might get soaked.
Lingqi sighed and said helplessly, "Why are we doing this again?"
Do these two women think the Siye Mansion is their own home? They come here every few days, as if they want to live here forever.
This girl never has a moment's rest!
The girl sat in front of the mirror at her dressing table, while Lingqi styled her hair behind her. Upon hearing this, she made this comment.
Tianyun gently turned her head to look at the person in the mirror. Seeing that there was nothing wrong with the makeup and hair, she slowly sighed and said, "Let's go and see what kind of trouble this is causing today."
In the flower hall, Sister Liu sat calmly drinking tea as if nothing had happened.
The tea was a fine specialty of Yangzhou, and serving it in a purple clay teapot made the tea soup appear even clearer, with a mellow and refreshing aroma and a particularly sweet aftertaste. Aunt Liu praised it enthusiastically, but Madam Qin's reaction was lukewarm.
"My sister's place is so much better than my shabby place, where we still use last year's old tea and have nothing at all!"
She was telling the truth. Compared to their Qin family, the Shangguan family's lifestyle was extremely extravagant. Their daughter would be living a life of luxury after marrying into the family. It was all Shangguan Tianlin's fault for being so useless! If he hadn't gotten into that mess, Yuwei would probably already be engaged to him.
Fortunately, he hadn't found Yuwei another partner yet, and there was still time.
Seeing that Sister-in-law Liu's eyes were squinting with a smile, Qin wondered what wonderful things she was thinking about. But she said with a sigh, "Sister-in-law, you're joking. How could we be considered a poor family?" She was always good at exaggerating.
"My sister doesn't know, my master is in Mobei..." Before Sister Liu could finish speaking, Qin Yuwei interrupted her hastily, "Mother! We've been talking for so long, please have some tea first."
She almost exposed her family's secrets, a serious crime punishable by imprisonment. Aunt Liu slapped her mouth twice in annoyance, then quickly changed the subject: "A few days ago, I promised Tianyun that if she made it to the Hundred Flowers Banquet semi-finals, I would give her a phoenix-tail zither. It was just a joke, so I suppose you don't know about it, sister?"
"Tianyun, that child, was more polite and studious when she was young, but now she's becoming more and more..." Aunt Liu smiled meaningfully, "The other day I joked with her, and she just refused me outright, saying that she was not good at dancing and had no intention of attending the banquet."
Madam Qin nodded noncommittally: "I heard about this once from the gossipy servants. If she doesn't want to go, then she doesn't have to. We've spoiled her rotten. She does things based entirely on her whims. Anyway, the family doesn't need her to show off or flaunt her status."
Sister Liu's smile froze. She wanted to mock her for overestimating herself, but she really had the confidence to say such a thing. Now that Shangguan Tianyun had grown into such a stunning beauty, even if she were just a useless vase, there would be plenty of people vying to have her!
What kind of world is this?
My poor Yuwei is both beautiful and talented, yet she is less successful than a pretty but useless woman!
She said with a hint of resentment, "If that's the case, then how about you give me a few hand warmers, sister?"
Tianyun carried the hot water bottle in, a faint smile on her lips. She instructed the servant outside the door, "Go and call my brother." Her brother's injuries had healed, and he was full of energy again these past few days. It would be a good opportunity for him to experience the hellish world of women.
Tianyun heard her mother's indifferent tone: "I never interfere in business matters, but I have heard that recently there is a shortage of hand warmers, and we don't have any left at home. If you want some, you can send a servant to keep an eye out for them at various pharmacies."
She wasn't exaggerating; the terrifying speed at which hand warmers sold out speaks for itself, it's true.
Sister-in-law Liu had not been able to buy any for three days in a row, and had no choice but to shamelessly ask for some. Without this item, the Hundred Flowers Banquet would be inferior to others, and would lag far behind in terms of graceful dance.
However, Madam Shangguan refused, claiming that the stock was sold out. Liu's sister-in-law was indignant and bluntly said, "Sister-in-law, you are too stingy. How much are those few pieces of plaster worth? If you don't want to give them, just say you don't want to. Don't make excuses about not having any stock at home. I don't believe you didn't keep a few for your daughter!"
She was petty and narrow-minded, implying that her own daughter was not skilled enough and therefore couldn't stand seeing my Yuwei doing well! She was convinced that this was just an excuse that Qin Shi didn't want to give, so she was very dissatisfied.
Qin rolled her eyes to the sky.
Seeing her so blunt, Qin, being a straightforward person herself, didn't hold back: "That's my daughter's share, what business is it of yours? It's not worth much money, yet you come all the way to ask for it. Do you think your family is really starving or what?"
Aunt Liu jumped up and was about to leave, but then felt unwilling and stood at the exit of the flower hall with her hands on her hips, shouting: "Isn't leaving it to Tianyun a waste? She already said she wouldn't participate, and even if she did, it's uncertain whether she could make it to the preliminary round. Our Yuwei has a chance to make it to the finals. She really has no sense of propriety!"
The maids carrying rain gear and moving flowers outside the hall were attracted by her loud voice and stopped to watch.
It's that same old trick of putting one down to praise the other again! Madam Qin immediately flew into a rage: "So what? Even if my Yun'er doesn't go, I still have to prepare for her. I'm happy to do it! Sister-in-law, you don't need to be so controlling that you have to meddle in my family's affairs, do you?"
Serving them good tea and water is like throwing good money after bad. When they come again tomorrow, she must tell them to serve only inferior green tea. Otherwise, it will be just like what she said about Yun'er, a complete waste!
She bumped into Tianyun as she was leaving. Tianyun greeted her and then walked behind her mother to comfort her, saying softly, "Aunt, please forgive me. My mother was just trying to protect me, just like you dote on my cousin Yuwei. It has nothing to do with anything else; it's just that my mother will never give up anything that belongs to me!"
Seeing that she had come off the battlefield to speak up for Qin Shi, Qin Yuwei pretended to chime in, "But my mother wasn't wrong. After all, you're not going to participate. Rather than letting you waste the ointment, why not give it to me? At least I can make it to the semi-finals. We won't be greedy for such a small advantage. We'll pay whatever it costs. We can just buy it, right?"
“Miss Qin is too kind. It’s not worth much anyway; this is a matter of principle.” Shangguan Tianlin strode in with an air of nonchalance. He was wearing a rainbow-colored velvet robe with lotus patterns, a snow-blue tiger-striped brocade belt around his waist, bright eyes beneath his brows, and a tall and handsome figure.
Qin Yuwei blushed and her voice softened: "I just want some plasters, but I can't find any to buy outside."
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