Chapter 27 Xiao Yan turned around and...
Xiao Yan turned around and saw the girl who had come with Xiao Quexian. She looked smug, as if to say, "I was just saying it casually. I didn't name anyone. What can you do about it?"
"Second sister, how can you be so kind as to go on a friendly trip with someone who insulted you so rudely? If it were me, I would have slapped her across the face." Xiao Yanhui held a handkerchief halfway over her mouth, her actions and voice full of sarcasm.
"I, I didn't..." Hearing Xiao Yan Hui's twisted words, the girl blushed with anger and hurriedly pulled Xiao Que Xian to explain. But she was interrupted by Xiao Yan Hui after only a few words.
"I heard you say that Second Sister is ill-mannered. Are you going to argue with me?"
Xiao Yan turned to Xiao Quexian, her face full of righteous indignation: "Sister, listen to my advice, it's best to cut off all ties with this kind of person as soon as possible. Isn't her questioning your upbringing just questioning the old lady? Second sister can tolerate her nonsense, but I, as her younger sister, cannot."
"I mean you have no manners." Hearing that the old lady had suddenly been brought up, the girl panicked and blurted out the words.
"Sister Dan..." Xiao Quexian tried to stop her, but it was too late. She couldn't help but think to herself, "Oh no!" Zhao Danya's words had turned what was originally a casual taunt into a serious statement.
"Fine, fine!" Xiao Yan sneered, "My second sister and I were both raised by the old lady. You vicious girl are indeed questioning the old lady's upbringing."
"To insult an elder like this on our first meeting, whose family are you from? Tell me your name, and I will definitely go back and report this to my family. I will definitely go to your mansion and have a good talk with them to find out which family is so ill-mannered." Seeing the person opposite her growing paler and paler, Xiao Yan was already laughing inwardly.
You little punk, you dare to come up here and make sarcastic remarks with such low-level skills? Where do you get the courage?
Why did Xiao Yan keep bringing up the old lady? It was because she had already recalled who the girl in front of her was from the original owner's memories. Her surname was Zhao, and she didn't really remember her given name, but since Xiao Quexian had called her "Sister Dan" earlier, perhaps her name was Zhao Dan.
She was a relative of the second wife's family, and if you count the blood relations, she could also be considered a relative of the old lady.
When I first saw Xiao Yan Hui, I didn't recognize her at all. After all, the last time the original owner met her was three or four years ago, when they only had a cup of tea together in the old lady's courtyard.
It's said that girls change a lot as they grow up. Three or four years is enough for a girl around ten years old to grow from a child into a graceful young woman. It's perfectly normal if you can't recognize her.
Just now, when they met, neither Xiao Quexian nor the girl introduced her identity. Now, Xiao Yanhui was happy to pretend to be stupid and treat her as a stranger. After all, strangers can be more unscrupulous when they make trouble.
"Third Miss, you have quite the sharp tongue. My sister is clumsy and doesn't know how to speak properly. I apologize to you on her behalf. Please forgive her this time." Just as the person opposite was about to be pushed to the point of tears and apologize, someone suddenly appeared to disrupt things.
This was a young man dressed in a scholar's robe, who looked quite proper and polite, but just from the apology that came out of his mouth, you could tell what kind of person he was.
"And who are you? The girls are talking here, what are you doing meddling, you shameless man!" Cat stood in front of her daughter and scolded the man. Her voice was crisp and clear, and she was young and cute, making it hard to argue with her, otherwise it would seem like bullying a child.
In the original owner's memory, he had a slightly deeper impression of this person. He used to come with the elders of the Zhao family to kowtow and pay respects to the old lady almost every year during festivals and on her birthday. In recent years, he had stopped going to school. Unexpectedly, he came again now, even though it was neither a festival nor a holiday.
According to the old lady's line of relations, Xiao Yan should also call him cousin, but he was much closer to the second branch of the family. In the past, whenever the adults told the siblings to go out and play together, the original owner would always be subtly belittled by them.
Cat was absolutely right when he said that. He was four or five years older than the "elder brother" and yet he was getting involved in the petty squabbles between young girls. How shameless!
"Third sister, this is your cousin Zhao Qingyun. You should remember him. This is your cousin Zhao Danya. We've met before. Think about it carefully."
We're all family, so let's not stand on ceremony. It was all a misunderstanding. Dan was talking about someone else, but you misunderstood. She's young and felt embarrassed by what Third Sister said, so she started talking nonsense.”
Taking advantage of this lull, Xiao Quexian quickly stepped forward to introduce herself and smooth things over, even though she was already furious inside. But Zhang Danya had indeed been caught red-handed, and she had no choice but to back down.
"Dan-meimei, quickly apologize to your third sister." Xiao Quexian pushed Zhang Danya.
Xiao Yan Hui has been acting strangely lately, becoming increasingly domineering and sharp-tongued. If she doesn't apologize, this whole talk about manners won't be over.
Zhao Danya had already chickened out when she mentioned going to argue with her elders earlier, so she didn't dare to be stubborn now and immediately apologized sheepishly.
Zhao Qingyun, on the other hand, showed a dissatisfied expression. This dissatisfaction was not only directed at Xiao Yanhui, but also at Xiao Quexian and Zhao Danya.
He felt that the others had not respected his opinion and had embarrassed him. He muttered to himself countless times that "women and petty men are the hardest to deal with" before his anger subsided a little.
He was about to say something to make amends when he suddenly heard a very beautiful zither melody coming from the Seven Bends River below Qibao Street.
Not only those few people, but almost everyone on Qibao Street heard the music, and all their eyes turned towards the Seven Bends River. Then they saw a beautifully decorated pleasure boat slowly emerging from the water at a bend in the river.
"How come there's a painting studio here on Qiwan River?" This was the common question on the minds of merchants and pedestrians passing by on Qibao Street.
As is well known, Qibao Street is a bustling commercial street. Naturally, there are also many boats on the Qiwan River.
But the boats and sampans that used to pass by here and on this river, whether carrying cargo, transporting people, or selling goods as small mobile shops, never engaged in any illicit business.
But suddenly, a painting studio appeared here, its bow and stern decorated with brocade flower balls, and its cabins hung with exquisite golden bells. And melodious music kept coming from the painted boat.
It was as if a magnificent canary had landed among a flock of drab gray ducks. The eye-catching effect was evident from the riverbank already packed with onlookers.
It's not fair to say that the people of Jiangzuo are ignorant; rather, the pleasure boats and painted barges have their own places to go. Their business territories aren't here, and their high-profile behavior is just to make everyone on the street curious and want to join in the fun.
"Whose spoiled brat is this, acting so arrogantly in broad daylight? They've corrupted the atmosphere of Jiangzuo. I hope he gets his legs broken by his father when he gets home," someone said indignantly.
"Could it be that the courtesans have their eyes on the prime location of Qibao Street and are planning to expand their businesses?" some speculated.
"I saw the mark of Chunmian Tower painted on that small boat. I wonder which lady came out on board today? Sigh, they've already come all this way, why are they just playing the zither? The ladies of Chunmian Tower are truly exceptional dancers, why don't they come out and perform a song?" Someone said, both curious and regretful.
"You know nothing! I heard that the people sitting on that pleasure boat are nobles from the capital. They value elegance, and today this pleasure boat is taking them sightseeing in our Jiangzuo City." This person speaking seemed to be a true insider.
"Hey, you know what, we have a great network of waterways here, with interconnected rivers. Taking a boat trip along the waterways would be a really good idea."
"That's why they say they're distinguished guests from the capital."
"......"
More and more people crowded to the riverbank to watch the excitement, while the painted boat drifted along leisurely, completely ignoring the onlookers. If it came across any interesting goods, it would stop for customers to buy, but only a servant would come out.
The calm demeanor of the people on the pleasure boat quickly caused the onlookers to lose interest.
Xiao Yan was among the group who had lost interest, and she didn't want to argue with the three about who was right and who was wrong. Since she hadn't suffered any loss and the other party had already apologized, there was no need to waste any more words.
She brought two personal maids home with her.
But Xiao Quexian's eyes remained fixed on the painted boat, because she recognized the servant who had come out to buy things; he was the one who served Liang Erlang.
Although the gauze curtains of the painted boat were never lifted, Xiao Quexian was almost certain that Liang Erlang was in the painting shop at this moment.
For a moment, Xiao Quexian was simply unable to describe her feelings. It wasn't just a matter of time; it was a real separation of lifetimes. Was her beloved still the same person he had been back then?
But why is he involved with Chunmian Tower again? This was something that had made her jealous in her past life, and now it's resurfaced before they've even met. Didn't Liang Lang say back then that he went to Chunmian Tower to listen to music and relieve his longing for her, since they couldn't see each other often? Why is he doing this now...?
"The Zhao family has become increasingly impoverished in recent years. They've come here this time just to attend the flower-viewing banquet hosted by the Prefect's wife. For the sake of the old lady, you should give them some face, but you don't need to be too accommodating. The main thing is for you. You should take a good look at them then, so that you don't end up as a resentful couple later." This is what the First Madam said when Xiao Yan returned home and mentioned the two members of the Zhao family she had met that day.
That's right, Xiao Yan has no intention of mentioning the marriage with the Qin family to the First Madam at the moment.
Although a preliminary agreement had been reached with Qin Ji after their previous meeting, it was clear that both Xiao Quexian and Qin Ji were much more anxious about this matter than he was.
Therefore, to maximize her interests, it would be best for her to do nothing. Those who are more anxious will naturally be willing to pay a higher price to bring it to fruition.
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