Chapter 104: I didn’t expect Jinniang to be even smarter than her stepmother Lin
Su Ying specially rested at the rockery. She didn't want to visit Jinniang right after Biyu stepped into the room. If Jinniang really had something to hide, going too early would only alert her and she wouldn't be able to find any clues.
"Miss, I've picked the flowers for you."
As soon as Biyu entered the room, she showed the flowers in her hand to Jinniang in a flattering manner.
At this moment, Jinniang was examining her wounds in a bronze mirror. The scar-removing ointment her aunt had given her was truly effective. Her aunt would always stare at her, watching her apply the ointment and then sit around for half an hour before leaving, satisfied. Even though she would quietly wipe away the scars with a handkerchief as soon as her aunt turned away, the scars on her forehead and chin had faded noticeably.
Before going to her grandmother's main hall this morning, she deliberately put some rouge on it, so that others would not find out that her injuries had healed, which would naturally relieve the burden in her heart, which was not what she wanted.
After checking the wound, she unconsciously looked at the flowing eyebrows and eyes in the mirror, as well as the charming red lips. She couldn't help but sigh in her heart: "Cousin, cousin, why are you so unromantic that you have to make me do all this to win your heart?"
Then, her eyes reluctantly moved down from the bronze mirror and fell on the jade bracelet on her wrist. Second Aunt had just comforted Grandmother for a long time, and after Second Aunt left, Grandmother took off the jade bracelet from her wrist and put it on her own hand.
I was a little nervous at first, but this time I finally felt at ease.
I remember my grandmother saying to her, "Jinniang, we're not going anywhere. Just stay by my side and be a good boy. Tell me what your parents like. I'll have to send a letter to Fujian in a few days."
The words sounded vague, but each one was a promise. Sending a letter? If it was to be sent, it would be in my aunt's name. But my grandmother's intention was clearly to send not only a letter but also a gift in her own name, which was a big difference.
At the thought of this, Jinniang's face couldn't help but heat up, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up. Looking at the bright red camellias in Biyu's hands, she was overwhelmed with joy. She hurriedly asked Biyu to find a vase to put the flowers in, and then brought it to her. She wanted to compare and see, is it people who are more beautiful than flowers, or flowers that are more like people's hearts?
Immersed in my longing for the future, I suddenly heard someone calling from outside the door: "Sister Jinniang, are you there?"
Oh, it turns out that Su Ying is here.
At this time, it was too late to ask Biyu to hide the vase. Jinniang gave a wink and hurried to the door to welcome Su Ying. However, because she was in too much haste, Biyu did not notice the look the young lady gave her. She just placed the vase with camellia in the most conspicuous place so that the young lady could appreciate it.
"My sister is here."
Jinniang and Su Ying greeted each other, and then Jinniang took Su Ying's hand and walked into the house. Unexpectedly, when she raised her eyes, she saw the gorgeous bouquet of flowers on the table, filling the room with fragrance and color.
"This flower is so beautiful!" Su Ying couldn't help but exclaim, "Where did you pick such a beautiful flower? It makes people feel happy just looking at it."
Jinniang sighed and said, "This girl is just trying to cheer me up. Tell me quickly, Miss Su, where did you pick it from?"
After all, Biyu came from the old lady's room, so she immediately understood what she meant and said, "Miss Su, I picked it from the garden. She has been feeling depressed these days, so I took the initiative and went to the garden."
When Su Ying heard this, she was moved and asked, "Sister, why are you so depressed? Is there something on your mind?"
Jinniang was startled. Su Ying's uninvited arrival had thrown her off balance. She had only wanted Su Ying to avoid thinking she'd ordered Biyu to pick the camellias, but she hadn't expected this to lead to Su Ying's subsequent inquiries.
She had no choice but to sigh softly and said sadly, "It's my own fault. I've caused trouble for the mansion."
Su Ying feigned confusion and asked, "Sister Jinniang, are you talking about your injury? How can that be a nuisance? If you hadn't risked your life to protect me, it would have been my cousin who was injured that day."
Jinniang smiled bitterly and said, "Sister, you don't know something."
Jinniang kept thinking in her mind, looking at Su Ying's expression, she thought that Second Aunt had ordered everyone in the mansion except the main courtyard to keep silent, so Su Ying must have no idea what happened this morning.
If so, should she mention it to Su Ying? But if so, how much should she mention? Su Ying had some clues about her cousin before, and she still remembered the hidden sachet pendant.
Jinniang accidentally touched the bracelet on her wrist, a symbol of her grandmother's promise, and a plan suddenly occurred to her. Now, Su Ying was nothing more than a formidable figure, not even a rival. But before that, she had been feeling aggrieved for quite some time over the scent sachets and pendants. How about using Su Ying's inquiry today to give her a little suspense and get some of the interest back?
So, Jinniang continued, "Because of my injury, not only my cousin, but also my aunt and grandmother have shown me great concern, which makes me feel flattered. Sister, when I saw the knife flashing towards my cousin, I rushed over without thinking. I really didn't do this specifically to make everyone think I was doing a favor to my cousin. Sister, I believe that if it were you, you would have done the same thing, right?"
Jinniang's question made Su Ying a little stunned, and she didn't know how to answer for a moment.
Su Ying's expression satisfied Jin Niang. She continued, "I've told my cousin several times not to worry about me. He listened to me, but he still sent people to check on me from time to time. When he saw me going to the library, he even followed me, helping me get books, explaining things to me, and even escorting me back. Not to mention my aunt and grandmother, who kept looking for scar-removing ointments for me. Not only were they worried that I would be left without anyone to take care of me, they even had me move into the main courtyard."
"Actually, this is enough for me. I really feel that what I have done far exceeds the kindness they have shown me."
"Sister, there's something you might not have heard. My aunt has actually already made plans for my cousin's marriage." As Jinniang spoke, she stole a glance and saw Su Ying's expression change slightly. She felt even more that Su Ying knew nothing, so she continued, "My aunt has her eye on the daughter of the Minister of Rites. Yesterday, at the invitation of the Minister's wife, she took my cousin to the Minister's mansion to enjoy the spring."
"But what does all this have to do with me? But my grandmother was wronged. She said my scar was caused by my cousin, and my aunt couldn't be so ungrateful and abandon me to go see the minister's daughter. My grandmother said she would send someone to Fujian soon to deliver a letter, and she also gave me this bracelet."
After she finished speaking, she pulled Su Ying to sit down. The hand with the bracelet was leaning on the table beside her, allowing people to see the warm white jade bracelet at a glance.
Su Ying knew she was testing her, but Jinniang's words were so clever that they stirred a ripple in her heart. She hadn't expected Jinniang to be even more clever than her stepmother, Lin. The facts she described did happen, but the reasons behind them completely changed their meaning after she spoke them.
She was not sure of the reasons for other things, but Cheng Su Ying knew. If Cheng had set her sights on the Xu family's daughter from the beginning, then her daily search for scar removal cream recipes was definitely not for Jinniang's own good, but because she was worried that Jinniang would be disfigured and the Du family would be blamed.
Thinking of this, Su Ying's somewhat heavy heart finally cleared up a bit. She couldn't let Jinniang lead her by the nose, so she pretended to be surprised and said, "So that's how it is? I thought Sister was blaming herself because of the beggars making a fuss outside the mansion this morning."
Jinniang never expected that Su Ying actually knew about that matter, and she was panicked for a moment.
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