This Mrs. Zhou was the woman that Ren Yaoqi saw at the Yanbei Palace last time when she went to see the Princess of Yanbei with Liu. She was about the same age as Liu, but her appearance was much more beautiful than Liu. When she spoke, there was a gentleness unique to women born in the water towns of the south of the Yangtze River.
The women of Yanbei were reluctant to marry southward, but the men of Yanbei preferred to marry southward. Among other things, gentleness and tenderness were the qualities that men preferred.
Mrs. Zhou had a son and a daughter who happened to be close in age to Fang Shuzhou and Ren Yaoying. The four children had likely met several times before, and upon meeting, they chatted with each other in a familiar manner. Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua went forward to greet Mrs. Zhou and then had no further conversation to offer.
Mrs. Zhou spoke a few words to them, called the maid to come forward and serve tea, and then found an excuse to go aside and talk to Liu in private, leaving her two children to entertain them.
Mrs. Zhou's son, Zhou Wen, was a talkative teenager. Whenever Fang Shuzhou was with him, he was the one doing the talking while Fang Shuzhou listened. Boys of this age were in an awkward position, and seeing girls their own age, especially those with outstanding looks they had met a few times, always gave rise to some vague thoughts.
While talking to Fang Shuzhou, Zhou Wen secretly glanced at Ren Yaoying's face, and occasionally glanced at Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua.
To be fair, the girls in the Ren family were all pretty. Ren Yaohua was bright and beautiful, Ren Yaoying was delicate and delicate, and Ren Yaoqi was elegant. Standing together, they were very pleasing to the eye.
Ren Yaohua, a proud person, felt a touch of irritation upon sensing Zhou Wen's gaze, but more of a disdain. In Ren Yaoqi's eyes, Zhou Wen was just a child, so she paid him no mind. Ren Yaoying, on the other hand, might have already sensed that Zhou Wen had some feelings for her. A mixture of embarrassment and inexplicable joy flushed her face, and she was somewhat reserved when speaking to Zhou Rong, the daughter of the Zhou family.
Miss Zhou Rong was also pretty and charming, with a lively and cheerful personality. She pulled Ren Yaoying aside and chatted quietly, her smile revealing a pair of deep dimples. However, compared to her enthusiasm for Ren Yaoying, she was a little cold towards Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua. She only greeted them briefly in front of Mrs. Zhou when they first met, but then ignored them.
How could Ren Yaohua and Ren Yaoqi not see that Zhou Rong wanted to stand up for Ren Yaoying? The two of them didn't care much and continued chatting while drinking tea.
Despite the cold reception, Ren Yaohua's mood remained unaffected. Perhaps it was because she had been bedridden for a few days due to a foot injury, and today was her first time out for fun.
Because it was hot, Ren Yaohua had eaten little in the morning, and after the long journey to Sun Moon Spring, she felt a little hungry. She refused to let herself get away with it, and the pine nut and lily pastry served by the Zhou family's maid was quite appetizing. She ate two pieces with her tea.
Zhou Rong suddenly said, "Sister Yaohua, do you like pine nut and lily pastry? This pastry is one of the signature pastries at Fumanlou, the most famous pastry shop in Yunyang City. If you like it, I'll have someone pack it up for you and take it back."
Although Zhou Rong's tone was gentle, it carried a sense of superiority, implying that Ren Yaohua had never seen the world.
However, Ren Yaohua was in a good mood today, and since they were on someone else's territory, she suppressed Zhou Rong's provocation. Upon hearing this, she simply curled her lips and said indifferently, "Thank you very much, Miss Zhou."
Zhou Rong was probably not a sarcastic person in her daily life, so she continued talking to Ren Yaoying when she realized that she was not being entertained.
Ren Yaohua, however, took the opportunity to wipe her hands with a handkerchief and whispered to Ren Yaoqi, "It seems that Ninth Sister mentions us to others quite often." And most of the time, she didn't say anything good.
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