Because He Qingfang and Li had behaved inappropriately at the family banquet, everyone at the table had their own thoughts. Li, who was pretending to be upset by He Qingfang, was glared at by Zhang and knew when to stop, so she didn't dare to continue pretending.
Despite Zhang's efforts to ease the tension and bring along several other familiar, senior ladies to rekindle the conversation, it couldn't salvage the situation.
The atmosphere was terrible at the adults' table on Li's side, while the atmosphere was also strange at the unmarried girls' table on Lin Yuqiao's side.
Lin Yuqiao initially joined her second sister, Lin Yumei, and eldest sister, Lin Yuxuan, in greeting the guests, while also taking the opportunity to observe the appearances of the young girls at the table. After comparing them, she concluded that this girl was the prettiest, and Lin Yuqiao was secretly pleased.
In this life, Chen Lianghou and Lady Li were both considered handsome and beautiful, and their children all inherited good looks. Among the boys, the second brother, Lin Yucheng, was the most outstanding, and among the girls, although she was the only one and couldn't be compared, she was still the most beautiful among her cousins. Therefore, as a little beauty who was sure to grow up to be a beauty, Lin Yuqiao was particularly keen on dressing up and competing in beauty contests.
Forgive her for being quite ordinary-looking in her previous life, never standing out from the crowd. In this life, she received a great gift from a time-traveling god, and she's gotten a little carried away.
So Lin Yuqiao dressed up nicely that night, wearing a newly tailored pale yellow gauze dress with narrow sleeves and a colorful brocade belt with ink-splashed edges, and a warm and delicate jade pendant. Her overall attire was magnificent yet charming and delicate, striving to outshine all the other girls in the Lolita world. It was precisely because of this that she attracted some trouble.
Although Lin Yuqiao was still a child, Li Shi never skimped on her when it came to good things. She had many clothes made each season, and if a good piece of fabric came along, Li Shi would give her several bolts to make dresses. She also had more jewelry than she could wear. While Li Shi, the head of the household, couldn't show favoritism in other areas, she always made sure to give Lin Yuqiao extra jewelry each season. Because she was the only legitimate daughter of the eldest branch of the family, Zhang Shi had no complaints.
Because Madam Li usually gave Lin Yuqiao more clothes and jewelry than the standard allowance for young ladies in the household, the second wife, He Qingfang, was particularly envious and often complained to her eldest daughter, Lin Yuxuan. As a result, Lin Yuxuan also felt resentful and would ignore Lin Yuqiao whenever she saw her. In private, she also forbade Lin Yumei from playing with Lin Yuqiao and joined forces with Lin Yumei to isolate Lin Yuqiao.
That evening, Lin Yuxuan saw that Lin Yuqiao, a little girl, was dressed better than her, which made her even angrier. She lost all interest in dressing up nicely and comparing herself with her friend.
But in fact, both Madam Li and He Qingfang doted on their daughters. Madam Li openly made jewelry for Lin Yuqiao, while He Qingfang relied on the old lady Zhang, who would often give her subsidies whenever she had something good. So, in total, Lin Yuqiao received about the same amount of things as Lin Yuxuan and Lin Yumei.
Lin Yuxuan disliked Lin Yuqiao and didn't want Lin Yuqiao to be smug, so she tried every means to find an opportunity to embarrass her.
The female guests who had come to the banquet were all talking with Zhang and the others in the main hall, while the younger girls were playing by themselves in the side hall. The older girls, like Lin Yuxuan, were discussing poetry and painting together, while the younger girls, like Lin Yuqiao and Lin Yumei, were each chatting and drinking tea with their close friends of similar age and temperament.
Lin Yuqiao was talking to Lin Yuhe, the daughter of Chen Lianghou's cousin, who was ranked seventh in the clan. They were about the same age, and Lin Yuhe had a gentle personality. Lin Yuqiao got along better with her.
Just as the two were getting into their conversation, Lin Yuxuan suddenly had someone call Lin Yuqiao over and asked her to hold the inkstone for her sister.
Logically, this job shouldn't be Lin Yuqiao's responsibility. Every girl present comes from a well-off family and has a maidservant by her side. Now, Lin Yuxuan is clearly treating her younger sister like a servant, bullying her just because she's young.
However, Lin Yuxuan is indeed older than Lin Yuqiao. According to the etiquette and rules here, it is acceptable for the older person to give orders to the younger person, and there is no reason to refuse.
Lin Yuqiao was furious, knowing that Lin Yuxuan could retort with anything she said, so she could only hold up the ink for her under the watchful eyes of the young girls on stage.
Seeing Lin Yuxuan's smug look, Lin Yuqiao felt indignant. She hadn't provoked or offended Lin Yuxuan, yet she was being bullied for no reason. Did she think she was easy to bully?
Lin Yuxuan was delighted with her success in getting back at Lin Yuqiao, and her painting became even more meticulous. The cousins were painting together on the same theme.
Holding the heavy inkwell, Lin Yuqiao accidentally jerked her wrist, and the remaining ink on the edge of the inkwell smeared onto her clothes, ruining her new outfit and her mood.
Standing to the side, watching this scene, Lin Yumei was gloating. She had nothing to brag about with Lin Yuqiao today and was quite dejected. As the saying goes, "What you flaunt reveals your insecurity." Lin Yumei was actually quite insecure; she and Lin Yuqiao were close in age in the household, so she often compared herself to them.
She wasn't as beautiful as Lin Yuqiao, nor was she as pampered as Lin Yuqiao, being an only child in the first wife's household. Because the second wife suffered greatly during her birth, and the baby wasn't a boy, she was deeply disappointed. Therefore, the second wife treated her only so-so, not with the same doting affection as her eldest daughter, Lin Yuxuan. Consequently, Lin Yumei was often jealous of Lin Yuqiao, and whenever she received something good, she would eagerly show it to Lin Yuqiao, wanting her to know that she wasn't inferior.
Now, Lin Yumei is watching Lin Yuqiao being punished by Lin Yuxuan, and she feels sweeter than if she had eaten honey.
Frustrated by the two sisters, Lin Yuqiao decided to ignore them. She wasn't usually afraid of trouble, but she felt that since they were cousins she'd see every day, a bad relationship would be awkward. Now she realized that for some people, backing down meant weakness, and they would only bully her more.
Pretending to be exhausted and unable to bear it any longer, Lin Yuqiao leaned forward and deliberately stepped on her skirt, causing the heavy ink cartridge to fall directly onto Lin Yuxuan's buttocks, and then she herself fell down as well.
Amidst Lin Yu-hsuan's devastating screams, Lin Yu-chiao buried her face in the front of her clothes and pretended to cry.
"Lin Yuqiao, you did this on purpose!"
Lin Yuxuan, covered in ink, turned around and pointed at Lin Yuqiao, roaring angrily.
"Big sister did it on purpose! I'm still so young, and she made me carry such heavy ink. Now I can't hold it and it's fallen, and she even scolded me. I'm never talking to you again, waaaah!"
Lin Yuqiao pretended to cry on the ground, and everyone else was stunned. When they came to their senses, several of her older cousins quickly came over to pull Lin Yuqiao up, hugged her and comforted her, while others urged Lin Yuxuan to go and change her clothes.
In fact, no one present thought Lin Yuqiao did it on purpose. After all, she was probably the youngest among them, so it was understandable that she couldn't lift the ink cartridge.
Besides, it was inappropriate for Lin Yuxuan to insist that Lin Yuqiao hold the inkstone; it was a task for maids, how could she let Lin Yuqiao do it? But since they were sisters and had a closer relationship, no one brought it up.
Now that Lin Yuqiao has fallen, it wouldn't look good if the two sisters started arguing. If the adults in the other room heard the commotion and came in, the older cousin would inevitably get scolded as well. So they're both thinking of suppressing the matter and letting the two sisters argue as they please after they leave.
Lin Yuqiao pretended to cry in her cousin's arms. Even though Lin Yuxuan was angry, she couldn't scold her anymore in front of everyone. She could only suppress her anger and go to the backyard to change her clothes. After watching Lin Yuxuan leave, Lin Yuqiao, persuaded by her cousin, followed the maid to change her clothes.
By the time the two of them had changed their clothes and returned, the banquet had just begun. The incident between the two had left everyone with their own opinions, and with Lin Yuqiao and Lin Yuxuan seated at separate tables, no one was in the mood for fun anymore, and the meal became awkward.
After the banquet, all the ladies and wives left with their daughters, each filled with gossip. Zhang's face turned ashen; she could no longer bear it and ordered Li and He Qingfang to kneel in Cixin Hall.
Before she could even return to Cixin Hall, Madam Zhang heard from the nanny beside her about the trouble that Lin Yuxuan and Lin Yuqiao had caused in the side hall earlier. She was furious and ordered Lin Yuxuan and Lin Yuqiao to kneel down as well.
"Well, you're all getting on in years and still haven't behaved properly. You've corrupted all the good girls in the manor."
"What sins did I commit in my life to marry such unreliable people as you for my son!"
Sitting in the hall, Zhang looked at the two pairs of mothers and daughters kneeling below, wiping away tears and not daring to utter a sound, and felt extremely heartbroken.
"Grandma, it was all my third sister's fault. She deliberately threw the ink box at me. If you don't believe me, ask my second sister. Everyone here saw it."
Lin Yuxuan felt that Lin Yuqiao was the reason she was kneeling there, and she felt particularly wronged, so she couldn't help but sob as she appealed.
It's not a problem that Lin Yuqiao is young, but she's about to get married. If her reputation is ruined because of Lin Yuqiao and she can't find a good family, how wronged she would be. Even several Lin Yuqiaos combined couldn't compensate for that.
"Waaah, how could you say that, big sister? You clearly brought a maid, so why didn't you let her hold the inkstone and made me do it? You know I'm too young to hold such a heavy inkstone, but when I dropped it, you deliberately blamed me. What kind of older sister acts like that!"
Holding Li in her arms and covering her face, Lin Yuqiao started pretending to cry again. Li hadn't understood what had happened between Lin Yuxuan and Lin Yuqiao before; she only saw Zhang making them kneel in anger. Now, hearing Lin Yuqiao's words, she was also extremely annoyed.
Protecting Lin Yuqiao, Madam Li glared at Lin Yuxuan, "How could you do this, Sister Xuan? You, as the older sister, bully our Sister Qiao for no reason. You have servants to take care of her, yet you treat Sister Qiao like a maid. Why didn't you let Sister Mei carry the inkstone? Sister Qiao is so small, how could she lift it!"
Lin Yuxuan remained calm despite being questioned by Madam Li, and gave the reason she had prepared beforehand: "How could I have intended to bully my third sister? I was just thinking that my third sister is all grown up now, and all she does is wander around the garden all day. She doesn't know anything about literature, so I wanted her to stay by my side and teach her more. I had her hold the inkstone so that she could settle down and be immersed in the culture. Who knew that my third sister wouldn't appreciate it and would even spill ink all over me!"
"Big sister, I already said it wasn't intentional. I was standing for so long that I couldn't lift the ink cartridge and that's why I fell. We're all sisters, why don't you believe me! Now you're saying I'm uncultured, sob sob sob, I practice calligraphy and recite poems every day."
"My child, be good. Mother knows it was your older sister who bullied you. Don't cry anymore. The old lady is here to stand up for you. She definitely won't let her get away with it!"
Li hugged Lin Yuqiao tightly again to comfort her, stroking her back tenderly.
Seeing how rude Li was to Lin Yuxuan, He Qingfang became furious again and turned to yell at Li.
"Sister-in-law, who do you think we shouldn't let off the hook? Qiao'er is such a cunning little girl, slandering her right in front of Xuan'er. Clearly, our Xuan'er intended to introduce her to literature, but Qiao'er not only didn't appreciate it, she splashed ink all over her, and now you're trying to incite the old lady to punish our Xuan'er!"
Hearing He Qingfang berate Lin Yuqiao, Li Shi had no more scruples and was about to fight back against He Qingfang to protect her daughter.
"My sister-in-law is so sharp-tongued and unruly. I wonder who is really the culprit. Xuan'er is about to be engaged, yet she is still so ill-mannered. She dares to openly bully a younger sister in front of so many people, treating her like a servant. What family would want a girl like that!"
"Enough! Enough! If anyone says another word, I'll take it upon myself to give her a divorce!"
Zhang watched as the scene spiraled out of control, turning into a shrewish outburst. She was so angry she could barely speak, her chest heaving as she smashed the cups and saucers beside her, her body trembling.
"Look at the state of you all now! Have you no dignity left? You've completely disgraced the Marquis's mansion!"
After catching her breath, Zhang finally calmed down. "The eldest son's wife and the second son's wife will each be confined for half a month. The eldest son's wife's management of the household will also be temporarily suspended. I will take over from now on."
He then cursed at Lin Yuxuan and Lin Yuqiao, who were kneeling below:
"The older sister is acting like an older sister, and the younger sister is acting like a younger sister. You're all sisters in the same household, yet you're making such a scene. If word gets out, how will you face people?"
"Xuan-jie and Qiao-jie, each of you will be confined to your quarters for two months and copy the 'Women's Classic' one hundred and twenty times. If I find out you two are causing trouble again, you'll both be sent to the nunnery to have some peace and quiet!"
After explaining their respective punishments, Zhang closed her eyes and waved her hand, urging them to leave quickly, as if she didn't want to see them again.
Li held Lin Yuqiao in her arms, while He Qingfang pulled Lin Yuxuan along. The two families walked out the door and couldn't help but glare at each other angrily one last time before going back to their respective homes.
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