Chapter 17 Farewell to the Stars (Part 5) Where does it hurt?
An invitation from the Jiang family was also sent to the Yining Marquis's residence.
When Xu Yueqing received it, she could faintly hear birds flying over flowers and grass outside.
She glanced at the invitation, then heard a servant announce that the young lady had arrived. She put the invitation down and instructed her attendants, "Bring in a pot of tea; make it sweet."
The maidservant obeyed and left.
Wei Mingying stepped forward, smiled and greeted the person at the head of the table, her eyes glancing casually at the desk.
Xu Yueqing gestured for her to sit down, but not seeing Wei Yuanzhan, she couldn't help but ask, "Where has Yuanzhan been these past few days? I haven't seen him for some mornings."
"He seems to have a teacher at the academy who greatly admires him... I didn't ask too much, but I guess he went to seek his advice."
Wei Mingying didn't even flinch when she lied, but she was still a little uncomfortable, so she quickly changed the subject and asked, "Whose residence hosted the banquet?"
Xu Yueqing handed the invitation to the person standing beside her: "The Jiang family's garden party has nothing to do with us. I will send someone over to refuse."
"Aren't we going?"
"With the year-end approaching, everyone at home is busy and has no time to attend a banquet."
Seeing her disappointment, Xu Yueqing pondered for a moment and then suggested, "If you find it boring to stay at home, why don't you go to the Song family school with your younger brother? That way, you can keep each other company."
She didn't want to go to the Song family and become a pitiful pair of ghosts with Wei Yuanzhan.
Wei Mingying chuckled awkwardly, "I think it's perfect for Mr. Li to teach me; there's no need to go to the Song family. Besides, I still need to practice dancing, so it's cheaper to do it at home."
Xu Yueqing frowned, thinking about how hard she worked to practice dancing every day. After a while, she smiled and said, "Okay."
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Xu Yueqing guessed who it was and called the person in. After the servants had prepared the food and presented it to Wei Mingying, she said, "I asked Madam Ma to buy you some fried dumplings early this morning. You've been saying you wanted to eat them, so have a taste."
Crispy fried dumplings are a southern style of cooking. Ever since this food shop opened in Beijing, Wei Mingying has been talking about them every day, but every time she asks someone to buy them, they never arrive, and she thought she would never get to taste them.
She immediately agreed, then grabbed her skirt and ran to the door, calling out to the departing Madam Ma, thanking her with a smile.
Seeing her adorable appearance, Xu Yueqing curled her lips behind her and said, "Why don't you thank me? You little ingrate."
At this moment, the sun was shining brightly in the courtyard. Song Qiyu and his sister walked out of their grandmother's yard. Remembering how Song Zhirou had acted in front of their grandmother earlier, Song Hanjin was very unhappy.
She glanced up and saw Zhi Rou again. She snorted coldly and turned to walk down another path.
"Pretending to be something you're not," she muttered to herself.
"Who's pretending?" Song Qiyu followed her casually and asked with a smile.
Song Hanjin glanced at him, then turned back without saying a word. Song Qiyu found her expression quite familiar, so he didn't press her further and quietly accompanied her to the private school.
Halfway there, Song Hanjin couldn't help but ask, "Brother, don't you think Song Zhirou's behavior in front of Grandmother is just like you?"
Song Qiyu stopped in her tracks, and she stood still as well, saying with a hint of disdain, "Just look at today. When Grandmother asked about her studies, she looked at her brother without saying a word. Only after her brother finished answering did she reply to Grandmother in a high-pitched voice. It was just a few words, but she acted as if she were a grown woman."
He didn't care whether Song Zhirou was following his example. After listening, he simply said, "She wants to please her grandmother. There's nothing unusual about that."
“Of course she’s ordinary. Not only that, she’s quite remarkable.” Song Hanjin replied in a strange tone, then lowered her voice, “I think Grandmother is really falling for her tricks.”
In wealthy families, there is usually no deep distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children. However, because Aunt Lin's status was too low and awkward, the grandmother did not value Song Zhirou.
But lately, Song Zhirou has been putting on quite a show. At first, her grandmother only gave her perfunctory replies, but this time she actually took the initiative to inquire about her well-being. This was undoubtedly a heavy blow to Song Hanjin, who had never received much favoritism from Old Madam Song since childhood.
Silence reigned all around, and the shimmering light and shadows enveloped her face, revealing a rare glimpse of her childlike expression.
A faint smile appeared on Song Qiyu's lips as he teased, "Does your little sister really like her?"
Song Hanjin almost thought she had misheard, and was stunned for a moment: "What?"
He continued, "Your sister is always talking about Song Zhirou this and Song Zhirou that. People who don't know her might think she's your friend."
He was teasing her.
Song Hanjin was so angry she almost jumped up, but her voice remained restrained: "Nonsense! She doesn't even deserve it!"
Song Qiyu was just joking with her, but seeing that she took it seriously, he followed her and made friendly remarks, and they went to the Xiang family school together.
On the day of the garden party held at the Jiang residence, the weather was sunny and warm. As it was nearing the end of the year, some merchants in the market had already hung up lanterns, which swayed in rows, and the clothes of the visitors were tinged with vermilion.
Upon seeing the carriage approaching, the travelers stepped aside.
Inside the carriage, the woman lowered her gaze, glancing at Zhi Rou with a hint of inquiry.
Zhi Rou spent all her monthly allowance to buy two boxes of incense pills. She delivered one to Lin He and took the other box herself to the old lady's room.
Madam Song comes from a prominent family; what hasn't she seen? Take incense pills, for example. She has countless top-quality ones in her house; why would she need a child to buy them from outside?
That's why when Madam Song heard that Zhi Rou had presented a box of fragrant pills, she was slightly surprised, but after hearing Zhi Rou explain the reason, she couldn't help but smile.
The little girl stood there upright, her bright, clear eyes blinking as she innocently said, "Grandmother, I heard them say that the incense pills sold by people from the Southern Frontier can relieve fatigue, so I asked Grandpa Zou to buy some for me. I'm giving them to you."
Steward Zou was a cold-faced man. As he grew older, his authority deepened. Most of the children in the manor would not speak to him when they saw him, and would simply nod slightly before hurrying away.
Fourth Sister must have gone to a lot of trouble to get him to go out and buy incense.
This sentiment, along with her barely concealed liveliness, opened up the heart of Old Madam Song, which had been cold and withdrawn for many years. She felt a pang of pity for the child, lamenting that he hadn't been born into the womb of her second wife.
Out of a bit of compassion, when Madam Song learned that Xu Yueyuan was going to a banquet at the Jiang residence with her two children, she sent someone to remind her to bring her fourth daughter along.
Xu Yueyuan sat in the carriage and carefully examined Zhi Rou for a while. Seeing that Zhi Rou was sitting upright and her gaze often darted to the side, she finally withdrew her gaze and said, "Don't wander around in the garden. Follow Granny Liu."
Zhi Rou nodded in agreement, then idly rubbed her fingers on her knee, making a very small movement so as not to be noticed.
When they arrived at the gate of Chenyuan, the carriage stopped. Song Hanjin glanced at Zhirou and then stepped off the carriage with Xu Yueyuan.
Several young ladies whispered among themselves, "Chen Garden, Chen Garden... Madam Jiang is truly blessed."
Less than a month after the completion of Shen Garden, the story of the Third Master Jiang and his wife began to circulate again in the capital.
In an era when marriage between the gentry and commoners was forbidden, the fact that Master Jiang was able to marry a woman from the Shen family speaks volumes about his shrewdness and cunning. Because of this, everyone predicted that the marriage would not end well.
An ambitious businessman, after gaining access to his wife's family's influence and achieving success, will probably reveal his true colors.
Unexpectedly, twelve or thirteen years passed in the blink of an eye, and the world witnessed Jiang Sanye's affection for his wife. Whether they envied or scorned, they could not help but call their story a beautiful one.
Xu Yueyuan listened to the gossip around her and led the three younger people slowly inside.
The Shen Garden was built to be spacious and bright, and it was no less impressive than the Prince Zhao's Mansion in Yongzhou.
Zhi Rou was captivated by the scenery before her. Unexpectedly, she turned her head and met a pair of clear eyes.
It's a girl.
Beside her stood a young woman with bright eyes and a slight smile on her lips. When she saw Xu Yueyuan, a flash of surprise crossed her face, and her smile became even more dazzling.
"Ah Yuan!" the woman called softly towards them.
Xu Yueyuan stumbled, seemingly a little dazed, but quickly regained her balance. Seeing the person approaching, she calmly replied, "Madam Jiang."
Shen Min was taken aback by the cold tone, and it took her a while to recover.
Yes, they hadn't seen each other for five years, how could they not feel estranged?
She was still delighted that Xu Yueyuan could come. Seeing that there was an eight or nine-year-old child with her, she couldn't help but ask, "Is this your little daughter? She looks about the same age as my Luo Luo."
Then he asked Zhirou, "What's your name?"
Shen Min's words not only embarrassed Xu Yueyuan, but also distorted Song Hanjin's face. Fortunately, Zhi Rou did not speak, but looked at Xu Yueyuan, as if waiting for her to give instructions.
Xu Yueyuan mumbled, "It's my fourth young lady. Zhirou, come and greet her."
Zhi Rou took two steps forward, and after seeing the person, she noticed a gaze falling on her.
She turned her gaze slightly and looked back at the past.
It was that girl named Luo Luo, who looked almost exactly like Madam Jiang, with big, bright eyes that radiated vitality.
It seems the children hit it off immediately. When Madam Jiang told Jiang Luoya to accompany the Song family's older brothers and sisters to play in the back, she immediately came over, took Zhirou's hand, and headed towards the pavilion bridge in the distance.
Song Qiyu had no intention of going along, and turned her head to ask, "Where are you going, little sister?"
Song Hanjin glanced at the two departing figures and frowned. Was Song Zhirou some kind of hot commodity?
She paused briefly, but her face still showed resentment and frustration, and she turned her shoe to the side: "I'll go with my brother."
As evening approached, the banquet began, and the guests were led by maids from the garden to Guanyun Hall. Zhi Rou went there with Jiang Luoya.
Due to seating arrangements, the two had to separate. When Zhi Rou returned to Xu Yueyuan's side, there was still a hint of reluctance in her eyes.
Song Hanjin glared at her for a moment, then turned her head and saw a figure in a narrow-sleeved black robe enter her field of vision, accompanied by a greyhound, strutting confidently onto the table.
"Who is that?" someone suddenly asked.
"It seems to be the young master of the Jiang family."
Some whispers arose around them, and Song Hanjin listened intently, her eyes secretly observing him.
Bringing a dog to a banquet seems rather inappropriate.
Clearly, Madam Jiang was also very dissatisfied with his actions. Before he could even sit down, her voice was already slightly angry as she rebuked him in a low voice: "You brought this beast out again. Are you deliberately trying to make trouble for me today?"
The young man lowered his eyes, bowed to Shen Min, and then sat down, patiently stroking the greyhound's fur.
He then slowly replied, "Why can't Mother tolerate it? I already told Mother about what happened last time. It was just frightened for a moment, and it's not a vicious dog. Besides, with me here, it won't hurt anyone."
Shen Min didn't want to embarrass her son in public, but the greyhound was unruly, and if it offended anyone today, it would be a problem for the Jiang family.
"If you insist on keeping it, then go back to your residence immediately. Don't wait until you've made a mess before asking me to clean it up for you."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun rolled up his sleeves, lazily got up, and before he could say anything, the greyhound suddenly stood up, bared its teeth, and ran towards the guests.
One moment Zhi Rou was wondering when a rabbit had appeared at her feet. The next moment, a noisy commotion filled her ears, and when she looked up, she saw the greyhound charging straight at her.
Zhi Rou tried to dodge, but she was no match for the speed of the greyhound. A shadow flashed in front of her, and everything on the table crashed down. Something hit her leg, causing her excruciating pain.
Song Hanjin's seat was near Zhirou's, and after the commotion, her hand was also scratched. Song Qiyu and the others immediately rushed over and surrounded her like a high wall. From the outside, not even a corner of her skirt could be seen.
Words of concern gently fell around me.
None of them asked Zhi Rou.
Seeing how anxiously those people were looking at Song Hanjin, Zhi Rou felt a slight tightness in her throat.
She gritted her teeth, wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and got up. However, the pain from her wound caused her to fall back down after only standing for a short while.
The evening breeze swayed the tree branches, and the shadows of the trees on the ground swayed with it.
Sometime later, a shadow deepened.
"Hello."
Suddenly hearing a boy's voice, Zhi Rou looked up.
The boy's boots sank into the puddle of tea spilled by the greyhound, and his gaze swept over her from head to toe.
After a while, he asked, "Where does it hurt?"
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