When Liu smashed the teacup for the fourth time in Roulan Courtyard, Shen Ruorou was hiding behind a carved screen, covering her mouth with an embroidered handkerchief and laughing. The ice water in the copper basin had been changed three times, but her mother's hands were still red and swollen like cooked crabs, and the bloodstains on her fingertips had scabs, which hurt just looking at them.
"Mother, please don't be angry." Shen Ruoruo shook Liu's arm, but glanced out the window, "After the Spring Festival Banquet, I will have plenty of ways to get that hairpin."
Liu shook her hand off, gasping in pain. "What solution do you have? Didn't that little bitch cheat you out of the itchy grass I asked you to prepare last time?"
The smile on Shen Ruorou's face froze. Her ugly appearance at the Spring Banquet, where she was itchy and scratching her ears and cheeks, was still a laughing stock among the noble ladies in the capital. She suppressed her frustration and coaxed softly, "Mother, this time is different. I heard that the Seventh Prince will also be attending the Spring Banquet. When the time comes, let Master Li..."
Before he finished speaking, Shen Weiwan’s clear voice came from outside the courtyard gate: “Aunt! Cousin! I’m here to bring you some snacks!”
Liu and Shen Ruoruo looked at each other. The former quickly covered her hands with a handkerchief, while the latter immediately put on a gentle and pleasant smile and hid behind Liu, revealing only half of her face, but her eyes flashed with a look of anticipation.
Shen Weiwan walked in with a plate of osmanthus cakes and deliberately tripped over the threshold, spilling the cakes all over the floor. She cried out "Ouch" and squatted down. She looked up and saw Shen Ruoruo laughing behind the screen. She sneered in her heart, but her face showed innocent confusion: "Cousin, what are you doing hiding behind my aunt? Are you playing hide-and-seek with me?"
Shen Ruorou was choked by the question, and had to move out from behind Liu, twisting her handkerchief and smiling falsely: "What are you talking about, sister? I just...just saw that my mother's hand hurt, so I came to accompany her."
"Oh..." Shen Weiwan stretched out her tone, picked up a piece of osmanthus cake that was not covered with dust and stuffed it into her mouth, and said vaguely, "My cousin is really filial. Unlike me, I am clumsy and even let my aunt hurt her hand because of me."
Liu took advantage of the opportunity and immediately held Shen Weiwan's hand, pinching her wrist with her fingertips: "Wanwan, what are you talking about? Auntie loves you so much. By the way, your mother's red gold hairpin..."
"Ah!" Shen Weiwan suddenly interrupted her and turned to Shen Ruorou, her eyes shining like stars. "Cousin, do you think I should listen to my aunt and give you the hairpin?"
Shen Ruorou was ecstatic in her heart, but pretended to be surprised on the surface: "Sister, what are you talking about! That is my aunt's relic, how can I take it?"
"But my aunt said that if you marry well, you will bring honor to me!" Shen Weiwan tilted her head with an "innocent" look on her face, "but I'm afraid my mother's tablet will be sad... Cousin, you are the closest to me, what do you think I should do?"
These words were like a piece of honey, making Shen Ruorou unable to say no. If she said no, she would offend her mother; if she said yes, she would appear greedy. She could only pull at her handkerchief and force a gentle smile: "Sister, don't listen to me. I'm afraid you're not sensible, so... I said that. The hairpin is my aunt's favorite thing, so naturally, I should keep it well for you."
"Really?" Shen Weiwan blinked and leaned forward, "But my aunt said that you had already set your eyes on that hairpin, saying that the oriental pearls on it would be perfect for your wedding dress!"
Liu stamped her feet anxiously, and was about to speak, but Shen Weiwan beat her to the punch. Shen Ruorou's face flushed red, then pale, and she said stubbornly, "Sister, did you hear me wrong? When did I ever say such a thing..."
"Oh? Really?" Shen Weiwan pretended to be disappointed and pursed her lips. She turned to Liu and said, "Aunt, it seems I remembered it wrongly. That's fine. Anyway, the hairpin is in front of my mother's tablet. No one can take it away."
As she spoke, she bent down to pick up the osmanthus cake on the ground, dusted it off, and stuffed it into her mouth again, mumbling, "But cousin was laughing behind the screen just now. Did you think it was ridiculous that I didn't give you the hairpin?"
Shen Ruorou was hit in the sore spot, and her face instantly became extremely ugly. Liu quickly tried to smooth things over: "Don't make random guesses, kid. Your cousin is...she thinks you're cute!"
"Really?" Shen Weiwan tilted her head and looked at Shen Ruoruo, her smile innocent, but there was cunning in her eyes, "But why do I feel that my cousin is laughing at me for being stupid and not knowing how to 'win glory for myself'?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the maids and servants around them could no longer hold back their laughter. They all lowered their heads, their shoulders shaking like sieves. One brave servant couldn't help but burst out laughing, earning a stern glare from the housekeeper.
Shen Ruorou was so angry that she was shaking all over, but she could only squeeze out a smile that was uglier than crying: "Sister, you are joking. How could I think so..."
"That's good!" Shen Weiwan clapped her hands, looking relieved, "I knew that my cousin loved me the most! When I get married well in the future, I will definitely find a good marriage for my cousin, so that you can also be glorious!"
Liu and Shen Ruorou's mouths twitched when they heard this. This little bitch is not stupid at all, she is clearly trying to stop them with words! Shen Ruorou wants to marry well, isn't that just to cling to the powerful? Now that Shen Weiwan said this, it seems that the mother and daughter have dirty thoughts.
Shen Weiwan looked at their frustrated appearance, feeling secretly happy, but her face was still "innocent": "By the way, aunt, does your hand still hurt? I have some excellent golden wound medicine, do you want me to send you some more?"
Liu recalled the miserable scene of her crying and "delivering medicine" last time, and suddenly waved her hand: "No need! Go back quickly!"
"Okay then." Shen Weiwan bowed and skipped away, leaving Liu and Shen Ruoruo standing there, fuming with anger.
Back at Tinglan Courtyard, Chuntao laughed so hard she slapped her thigh. "Miss, those few words you just said really left the Second Madam and Second Miss speechless! Especially that line about 'cousin hiding behind the screen and laughing'. Tsk tsk, look at Second Miss's face, it's uglier than pig liver!"
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