As soon as they finished speaking, a noblewoman who had overheard their conversation couldn't help but chuckle.
This was the second time Xin Jiuwei had publicly humiliated Xue Yingxue, and she was now quite embarrassed.
The noble ladies nearby also began to whisper among themselves.
"Now that I think about it, if there were no male guests at our gatherings, we would never have seen Miss Xue."
"They think we're being pretentious."
“But last time my brother organized a polo match, she just sat in the pavilion and watched from afar. When the Zhao family’s sister won the prize, she still had a long face.”
"Now that you mention it, I do remember. Sister Zhao is so dashing and everyone praises her. What does Xue Yingxue have to be unhappy about?"
"Did you see how she spoke to Young Master Xin today? She wasn't like this at the last treasure appraisal event."
"It's just that they're seeing Young Master Xin become Mr. Ye's student."
“She used to be with Young Master Qi all the time, but today we didn’t even see a trace of him.”
"If I were to be so fickle, my mother would definitely scold me to death."
The whispers made Xue Yingxue lose face completely. She couldn't stay there any longer. She gave Xin Jiuwei a cold look and turned to walk into the garden.
Xin Yunzhou hurriedly walked to Xin Jiuwei's side, "You've finally arrived, she's really difficult to deal with."
Xin Xiyao glanced at him sideways, "You're quite popular now."
Before he could even refute the words, Xin Yunzhou was pulled away by the scholars who had come looking for him.
Xin Xiyao and Xin Jiuwei exchanged a glance and smiled at each other.
Xin Jiuwei noticed that among the scholars who came to chat with Xin Yunzhou, one or two faces looked somewhat familiar.
It must be one of the scholars who were at the gate of the Xin residence that day. I just don't know if that slanted-eyed youth who looked down on them the most is here today.
Before she could think for long, the ladies who had been discussing earlier came forward to chat with the two sisters.
"Miss Xin, Miss Xin, it's been a long time since I've seen you. Let's go in and have a cup of tea together."
The two leading figures were the seventh daughter of the Liu family and the tenth daughter of the Yuan family, who lived on the same street as the Xin family. Xin Jiuwei greeted them and they walked inside together.
A slight breeze picked up that day. The noble ladies' hair was neatly styled, but their clothes were thin, and they couldn't help but feel a slight chill.
"Jiuwei".
A familiar, irritating voice suddenly rang out, and Qi Huaiyu actually arrived, walking towards Xin Jiuwei in full view of everyone.
He was dressed modestly today, and his expression showed no sign of the unpleasantness he had just had with Xin Jiuwei a few days ago. Instead, he appeared affectionate and gentle.
"It's already light today, why don't you wear more clothes when you go out?"
He had a thin white velvet cloak draped over his arm, and as he spoke, he unfolded it to drape it over Xin Jiuwei's shoulders.
Xin Jiuwei felt a surge of disgust and, not wanting to give him any face, took two steps back to avoid him.
Qi Huaiyu wasn't angry. He asked in a very tolerant tone, "Are you still angry with me? You can't joke around with your own health."
Several noble ladies looked on with surprise and curiosity at the interaction between the two.
Xin Jiuwei knew that Qi Huaiyu was just putting on an act in front of outsiders, but she didn't need to deal with him now. It would be more direct to let everyone know that she disliked him.
"Qi Huaiyu, you've already left the Xin residence, yet you still have money to buy clothes for the young lady." Xin Jiuwei sneered and walked past him.
Qi Huaiyu said, "It was specially prepared for you. Who told you to never take care of yourself?"
Xin Jiuwei glanced at him. "That's strange. Which young lady in Yingzhou doesn't have several maids and servants to take care of her food and clothing? Why would she need a man like you?"
"Are you saying that all the maids in my household are neglecting their duties?"
Qi Huaiyu quickly said, "That's not what I meant, please don't be angry..."
Yuan Xiaoshi, who was standing to the side, looked at them curiously and asked Liu Qi in a low voice, "What's wrong with Miss Xin? Young Master Qi looks so pitiful."
Liu Qi lowered her voice and said, "Let's mind our own business and not ask any more questions."
Qi Huaiyu wanted to put on a affectionate act in front of the noble ladies, but Xin Xiyao spoke first.
"Standing here is really boring, let's go inside and talk."
Liu Qi quickly added, "Yes, yes, the other young ladies are still waiting for us."
Qi Huaiyu's performance was interrupted, and Xin Jiuwei ignored him. The young ladies left hand in hand.
He stood there for a while, holding the cloak, his face somewhat grim, desperately trying to suppress his displeasure.
"Brother Qi, why are you standing here?"
A hand patted his shoulder, and Qi Huaiyu controlled his expression and turned around. It was the scholar with slanted eyes.
"Brother Zhiyuan, you've finally arrived." He smiled warmly, then shook his head helplessly. "Jiuwei just had a fight with me, and I'm worried she'll catch a cold."
Upon hearing this, the scholar Lin Zhiyuan frowned. "Why should Brother Qi be so subservient to such an arrogant woman?"
Qi Huaiyu shook his head helplessly, "Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore, let's hurry up and find Brother Shen and the others."
The Spring Banquet featured a variety of activities. Although there were separate tables for men and women, everyone generally sat in one courtyard, discussing poetry, appreciating paintings and flowers, or exchanging talents.
As is customary, the girls would prepare a skill they were good at, and there would be a prize if they won.
Most of the guests recently are young ladies from wealthy and powerful families, so they don't care about any prizes. However, the spring banquet is always a good opportunity to make a name for themselves. Most of the young men and talented young men in the city have also come. Since they are of marriageable age, they naturally want to take this opportunity to gain some fame.
Xin Jiuwei used to follow Qi Huaiyu around all the time, and Xin Xiyao has rarely gone out since she was rumored to have some bad experiences. The two sisters haven't attended the Spring Banquet for a long time.
"Sister," Xin Jiuwei leaned forward and asked Xin Xiyao softly, "I saw you had your maid bring a zither; are you preparing to go up?"
Xin Xiyao nodded. "After talking with my father that day, I understood what he meant. It's just about demonstrating my piano skills, which isn't difficult."
Xin Jiuwei laughed and said, "If you say your zither skills are second in Yingzhou, then who dares to say they are first? I'm waiting to see you win the championship."
Upon hearing this, Liu Qi, who was drinking tea nearby, put down his teacup and said, "I have never heard Sister Xin play the zither before. Today I can finally feast my ears on this wonderful music."
“Me too,” Yuan Xiaoshi said. “My mother said that Sister Xin could compose music when she was twelve years old. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Xin Xiyao never hid her skills in this regard, and simply smiled when she heard this.
As they were talking, Miss Zhao, who had been performing the sword dance, stepped off the stage, and a graceful figure in light blue appeared in everyone's sight, carrying a guqin.
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