While Tang Wan was being scolded by her mother, Xu Keke was discussing her clothes with Zhou Xiangnan. Zhou Xiangnan always prided herself on being unconventional, and on her wedding day, she wanted Xu Keke to be her bridesmaid.
When Xu Keke heard that the best man was Feng Shaozhe's son, Feng Haogan, she felt a little strange. She was engaged to this man, then broke off the engagement, yet she had never even met him.
Zhou Xiangnan saw that she was holding a peach-colored modified cheongsam to try on and couldn't help but shake his head. "Your brother will definitely be wearing a suit. We are all Western-style. How can you dress in a Chinese style? I suggested that they alter the wedding dress to be shorter so you can wear it as an evening gown."
"That's still a wedding dress, and I don't want to wear one." She wanted to wear it on her own wedding day, when she and Lu Tao walked side by side. Xu Keke herself knew she was being a bit sentimental. She didn't know why, but in this life, she had developed many girlish thoughts. She didn't really like them, yet she couldn't control her feelings.
The shop owner recognized Zhou Xiangnan. Hearing that she had arrived, he finished his work and rushed over to greet her. He happened to overhear Xu Keke's words and could understand the young girl's thoughts.
"Perfect timing! We have two formal dresses here that I brought back from France. One is a suit, and the other is a light tulle gown. The only problem is that the color is a bit tricky to pull off; it's light purple. It would definitely look beautiful on a girl. But a suit, if not worn well by a man, can look rather awkward."
The shop owner looked at Zhou Xiangnan with some difficulty, "The cut of the clothes is suitable for tall and thin people. But if the person is too dark-skinned, I'm afraid, you know that."
The boss seemed to be implying something, but Xu Keke only vaguely understood.
Zhou Xiangnan knew exactly what she meant, and waved his hand, "It's alright, find someone who can take measurements and help me take it to the hospital. Let my brother try it on first, and if it doesn't look good on him, I'll let him wear his own. This outfit is for our Zi'an. You know our Zi'an, he's got a great figure. Don't worry, I'll get both of these outfits reported. It'll definitely get you some publicity."
That's exactly what the boss meant. He clapped his hands happily and said, "That's wonderful! Young Master Zhou is one of the four beauties of Shanghai. This outfit is a couple's set, and it will look even better when the two of them wear it. If he and Miss Zhou wear this together, my outfit will definitely become a sensation in Shanghai."
Hearing them talk, Xu Keke couldn't help but think of Lu Tao, especially if he wore a light purple suit. She imagined his muscles bulging out of the sleeves, making him look incredibly muscular. Xu Keke shuddered; that suit really was only suitable for a pretty boy like Zhou Zi'an.
Just before Zhou Xiangnan's wedding, a notice of over three hundred words appeared in the newspaper. In short, it said that Ji Mingkai and Miss Yu Sisi were in love with each other. Mr. Ji Mingkai felt sorry for her being alone and helpless, and in order to take care of her for the rest of her life, he decided to take a concubine before the wedding, with the support of the Tang family.
It was specifically emphasized that this concubine was different from the wife, and that the Ji family would fund her placement in a separate residence. Since Ji Mingkai had a younger uncle who died of illness in his childhood, any children born to Yu Sisi would be assigned to that uncle's household. This would ensure that the uncle's lineage would continue.
The announcement caused an uproar upon its publication. Ji Mingkai was already despised by many because of his affair with Zhou Shaoqiu. But that was merely anecdotal evidence of his romantic escapades.
But this time the situation was completely different. The Republic of China had already stipulated monogamy. Many intellectuals sought new lovers, but publicly announced their divorce from their first wives before marrying their new partners. Even if their first wives were still in their hometowns, caring for their elderly relatives, they didn't actually leave the family. However, publicly, they had to declare that they were divorced. This was a sign of respect for their new wives.
People like Ji Mingkai are too rare. This was unacceptable to many progressive intellectuals. So newspapers began to criticize them. In Zhou Zi'an's words, these intellectuals had no other skills, but when it came to cursing others with their pens, they were incredibly resourceful and never ran out of words.
These days, Ji Mingkai has been hiding in the small mansion he bought for Yu Sisi.
"Mingkai," Yu Sisi saw Ji Mingkai covering his face with a book and lying motionless on the bed, knowing he was pretending to sleep. She sat down on the edge of the bed and called out sweetly again, "Mingkai!"
I took the book off his face and saw that he was staring blankly, his eyes seemingly wandering off somewhere. "Mrs. Liang called again just now. Mingkai, why don't we sell that jewelry and give him the money?"
Ji Mingkai sat up abruptly in bed, startling Yu Sisi. "Why do women become so vulgar when it comes to money? All you do every day is think about is money, money, money. What else do you have to do?"
“What are you saying, sir? Every place costs money. Mrs. Liang calls every day, do you think my young lady can pretend not to know?” Ding Ma, Yu Sisi’s nanny, was about to ask Yu Sisi for money to buy groceries when she heard Ji Mingkai scolding their young lady again, and she became anxious.
"Aunt Ding!" Yu Sisi quickly stood up. "Alright, stop talking. You want to buy groceries, right? I'll get you the money."
“I won’t say, I won’t say, they always forbid me from saying anything. The master and mistress passed away early. Even when you were with the first mistress, you never experienced this kind of life, with people chasing you for debts every day.”
"Aunt Ding, stop talking," Yu Sisi said, having been raised by Aunt Ding since childhood and always obeying her. So her words lacked any real conviction. But to Ji Mingkai, it was a completely different story.
Ji Mingkai had been accustomed to a life of high-society conduct for years, and no servant had ever dared to speak ill of him to his face. Pointing at the master and servant, his hand trembled uncontrollably.
"Good, good, you guys are great."
Ji Mingkai put on his shoes, grabbed the clothes from the rack, and rushed out.
Yu Sisi wanted to chase after her, but Ding's mother stopped her.
"Ding Ma!" Yu Sisi complained, slapping Ding Ma's hand away and sitting back on the bed, clutching the handkerchief in her hand. "Why didn't you stop her for me?"
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