Volume Two, Step by Step to Victory, Chapter Thirty-One: Half a Month as a Limit
Ruan Bi stood there for a while, then chuckled, reflecting on her earlier words, which had sounded rather exasperated. She took a deep breath, sat down by the lotus pond, and looked at the crowded lotus flowers and leaves. The worse the situation, the more one needs to remain calm and composed, avoiding haste and anger; otherwise, it's easy to make a wrong judgment.
"Fifth Girl, why are you sitting here alone, lost in thought?"
Ruan Bi turned her head and saw the Second Madam gracefully approaching with a silk fan in her hand. She was plump and sweated more easily than ordinary people, so her face was covered with a layer of sweat.
"Hello, Auntie." Ruan Bi stood up to greet her.
The second madam waved her hand and said, "I see you several times a day, so let's skip these formalities." As she spoke, she sat down, and the maid behind her tactfully took out a silk fan to fan her.
The second wife took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the sweat from her face. She said, "It's so hot. If you don't move, you'll become lazy. But if you do move, you'll be all sweaty and sticky. It's really annoying." She glanced at Ruan Bi with envy. "Fifth girl, on the other hand, has fair skin and a cool, sweat-free appearance."
"Auntie is joking."
"Why are you alone? Where is the maid?"
"I told her to go back first, I wanted to sit alone for a while."
"Oh?" the second madam asked with interest. "Does Fifth Sister have something on her mind? Tell your aunt."
Ruan Bi shook her head and said, "I'm just a lazy bum who likes to eat and do nothing. What worries could I possibly have?"
"That's hard to say. As a young lady grows up, she's bound to have more ideas." The second wife thought for a moment and then said jokingly, "By the way, I remember you were born around the time of the Beginning of Spring. In about half a year, you'll be fourteen years old. It's time to arrange a marriage for you."
Ruan Bi lowered her head, feigning shyness.
"Silly girl, what's there to be shy about? You'll get married sooner or later." The second madam took Ruan Bi's hand and said, "Look at your lotus-like appearance, I wonder who will be lucky enough to marry you in the future..."
Ruan Bi remained silent, still feigning shyness with her head down. Then she said, "...By the way, Fifth Sister, have you heard? The eldest son of my sister-in-law's family, the one who fell off a horse last year and has been bedridden ever since, was originally just planning to buy a concubine to keep in the house. I heard he's also arranging a marriage for her now… That boy is already quite violent, and being bedridden, he's naturally even more resentful. I heard he takes his anger out on the maids all day long. Tsk tsk tsk, I wonder who's so unlucky as to marry him…"
All that rambling was just for these few sentences, right? Although Ruan Bi didn't know why she wanted to tell her, she still gratefully looked up and said, "I'd never heard of this before, but now I'm hearing it from my aunt."
The second wife smiled, wiped her sweat with her handkerchief, frowned as she looked at the sky and said, "It's so hot. How long has it been since it rained?"
"It's been about a month."
They chatted for a while longer about when it would rain and when the autumnal equinox would arrive, before finally parting ways.
Ruan Bi guessed that Zheng Mama might be talking about this matter, so she wasn't in a hurry to find her and went straight back to the east wing of Liaoyuan. After a long day of running around, she was very tired. After dinner, she took a bath early, changed into her pajamas, and was about to rest when she heard Xiushui outside say in surprise, "Miss, Zheng Mama is here."
Ruan Bi asked Xiuzhi to go out and greet her, while she tied up her loose hair with a ribbon and put on an outer garment over her pajamas. Just as she finished tidying up, Zheng Mama came in, her eyes filled with undisguised anxiety, but she said slowly and deliberately, "Oh dear, Fifth Miss is about to go to sleep, what bad timing."
"What did you say, Mother? Please sit down." Ruan Bi said, giving Xiuzhi a wink, and Xiuzhi tactfully withdrew.
Granny Zheng sat down, leaned forward, and whispered, "Why doesn't the young lady come to see me?"
Ruan Bi picked up the teapot on the table and poured her a cup of cold tea, saying, "There are too many people around, it's not good to find Mom. Besides, I know why Mom wants to see me."
Granny Zheng took the tea and asked in surprise, "You know?"
Ruan Bi nodded, sat down, and said slowly, "It's about my marriage, isn't it? I heard it's with my mother's eldest nephew."
"Why isn't the young lady in a hurry at all?" Granny Zheng said anxiously. "Young lady, do you know? The First Madam sent someone to Zhuozhou yesterday with the young lady's betrothal gifts. They should arrive at her uncle's house tomorrow. When that happens, her uncle will send someone to deliver the betrothal gifts and write the marriage certificate. Then the marriage will be a done deal."
"Around when will the betrothal gifts be delivered?"
“I heard from the First Madam yesterday that the Old Madam had checked the old almanac and that the 16th of this month is auspicious for betrothal.”
Today is the first day of the lunar month, so there are only half a month left until the sixteenth. The old lady and the first lady are really impatient. Seeing that Ruan Bi was not speaking and was just lost in thought, Zheng Mama couldn't help but urge her again: "Miss, you have to think of a solution quickly."
Seeing her mother's anxious expression and sincere words, Ruan Bi was slightly moved and said softly, "Mom, don't worry, I'm thinking about it. There's still some time, I'll come up with a solution."
Her voice was clear and cool, as if it had a magical power, which cleared Zheng Mama's mind and made her anxiousness subside without her realizing it. After a moment, she smiled slightly and said, "I'm really something, I've wasted my life, I'm not as calm as you, young lady."
"As the saying goes, concern can cloud judgment, and Ruan Bi understands this in her heart. Thank you, Mom, for your care."
Granny Zheng was greatly gratified, feeling that her efforts had not been in vain, and her gaze towards Ruan Bi became even gentler.
After drinking tea for a while, he got up to say goodbye.
Ruan Bi asked Xiuzhi to take her home, and then went to lie down on the bed. With only half a month left, how could she stop this marriage? She actually had no idea what to do, but years of experience in the workplace had instilled in her a habit—the more troublesome the situation, the calmer she needed to be. Otherwise, if she panicked, wouldn't her subordinates be even more indecisive?
She thought about it for a long time but couldn't come up with a solution, so she simply stopped thinking about it. If all else failed, there was still a way out with Master Ziying. Although going back to the old ways wasn't her thing, it was better than having no way out at all. A great man can bend and stretch, and a woman can advance and retreat; she wouldn't do something that would make her suffer for the sake of saving face.
The next day, after breakfast, I was practicing calligraphy.
A maidservant came and said that the First Madam wanted to inspect the needlework of all the young ladies, and asked the Fifth Young Lady to bring her needlework to the place she was currently working on.
Ruan Bi was dumbfounded. Helpless, she took the handkerchief that the original owner had not finished embroidering.
When they arrived at the First Madam's room, the Second and Fourth Young Ladies were already there.
Ruan Bi handed over the handkerchief, which the First Madam took, raised an eyebrow, and looked at her, saying, "Last time during the inspection, you handed over this same handkerchief. Why is it the same one this time? What have you been doing these past few months?"
"She has such a good memory?" Ruan Bi secretly groaned, speechless.
The First Madam turned to look at Granny Liu and asked, "Mama, what does Fifth Miss usually do?"
Granny Liu glanced at Ruan Bi and said, "Fifth Miss usually likes to read and write, and rarely does needlework."
"You're a young lady, and instead of learning needlework, you spend your days studying and writing like a man. Do you still want to become the top scholar?" The First Madam threw the handkerchief back to Ruan Bi and said sternly, "Starting tomorrow, you'll bring your embroidery to me every day for inspection."
Ruan Bi felt as if dark clouds were gathering overhead. She wasn't afraid of outsmarting others, but doing embroidery? Good heavens, that would be the death of her.
The First Madam then said to Granny Liu, "Granny, I placed you in Fifth Miss's room because I thought you were steady and knew how to behave. But the young lady is still immature, and you're not going to keep an eye on her for me? From now on, remind Fifth Miss properly what she should and shouldn't do, understand?"
Granny Liu's eyes flickered slightly, and she said respectfully, "Yes."
The fourth young lady's needlework was flawless, and the second young lady's needlework was also impeccable. Ruan Bi knew perfectly well that this inspection was specifically arranged for her. Ostensibly, it was an inspection of needlework, but in reality, it was a way to give Liu Mama the right to supervise her in front of everyone.
Sure enough, at noon, as soon as Ruan Bi woke up, Granny Liu came in and said, "Xiuzhi, go and set up the embroidery frame, and take out the cloth and needles and thread. The young lady is going to do needlework."
Xiuzhi pouted and said unhappily, "Mom, why are you rushing me? The girl just got up and hasn't even caught her breath yet."
“Oh dear, how dare I rush you, Miss? You heard what the Madam said earlier. You have to bring an embroidery piece every day when you pay your respects. It’s already late afternoon, and you haven’t even started yet. If you can’t hand it in by tomorrow morning, the Madam will be angry, and you’ll be the one who suffers.” As she spoke, Liu Mama looked Ruan Bi up and down. Seeing that Ruan Bi’s expression was indifferent, she said ingratiatingly, “Besides, Miss, you’re not young anymore. You should start preparing for your dowry.”
Ruan Bi stared at her for a moment and said, "Xiuzhi, go and set up the embroidery frame."
Helpless, Xiuzhi walked to the wall, moved the embroidery frame out and set it up. She was secretly anxious, wondering how her daughter's embroidery skills could be presented to the public.
Just as they finished setting up, Hanxing announced from outside, "Miss, Sister Chunliu has arrived."
Xiuzhi hurried out and welcomed Chunliu in. She bowed to Ruanbi and said, "Fifth Miss, thank you for coming, Second Miss. Second Miss would like to invite you to come over."
Ruan Bi shook her head and said, "I'm sorry, Sister Chunliu, I haven't finished my embroidery work today, so I can't go."
Chunliu's expression changed slightly, and she said with difficulty, "Fifth Miss, Second Miss Xie is an honored guest."
Granny Liu chimed in, "Yes, Fifth Miss, you should hurry over. They are distinguished guests; we shouldn't neglect them."
Xiuzhi muttered to herself, "Who was it that kept urging the girl to do her needlework just now?"
Liu Mama pretended not to hear, but her disgust for Xiuzhi grew even stronger.
Ruan Bi hesitated for a moment. In any case, she was definitely not good at needlework, and she couldn't avoid the invitation anyway. She was at home, so she wasn't afraid of them causing any trouble. She nodded immediately and said, "Alright then, Chunliu, let's go."
After walking along the covered walkway for a while, Ruan Bi heard the faint sounds of men talking and laughing coming from the garden. She turned her head in surprise and asked, "Who is in the garden?"
Chunliu said, "It was the eldest young master who invited his classmates from the Imperial Academy to come and play."
(I've revised it countless times, but I'm still not satisfied. Maybe I'll scrap the whole chapter tomorrow. The top recommendation list is really powerful; the number of recommendations dropped so suddenly, I'm crying buckets...)
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