Chapter Thirty: The Innocent Second Sister
These words deeply stung Song Haochu. Yes, his Ying'er didn't even have a decent piece of jewelry, while Song Sangyu...
He couldn't sit still any longer, abruptly stood up, and hurriedly said to Song Yiqiu:
"Thank you for letting me know, sister!"
"I...I suddenly feel a little unwell, so I'll go back to rest first. Please tell my mother for me, sister."
Song Yiqiu nodded quickly, her tone worried:
"Third Brother, go quickly and get some rest. Your health is the most important thing."
Watching Song Haochu almost jog away, Song Yiqiu picked up her wine glass to hide the smile on her lips.
He wasn't actually feeling unwell; he was simply eager to go to the villa to comfort his sweetheart, and most likely, he would make grand promises that were currently impossible for him to keep.
...
In a relatively secluded corner of the garden, Song Ruoling carefully held her sister Song Sanchun's arm, her big eyes timidly surveying the surroundings, a bustling scene she had never seen before.
"elder sister,"
Her voice was soft, filled with curiosity and excitement.
"This is the first time I've ever been to such a grand place... I feel like I've been wandering around in the Hibiscus Garden all my life... Sister, am I sure this outfit I'm wearing today won't embarrass you?"
Today, Song Ruoling wore a brightly colored water-red long dress, a hand-carved hibiscus wood hairpin in her hair, and a pair of emerald green embroidered shoes.
The jarring color scheme and slightly rough fabric made the clothes stand out awkwardly among the meticulously dressed noble ladies in the garden, even appearing strangely jarring.
She was overprotected by her older sister from a young age and almost never left Furong Garden, so her aesthetic sense and knowledge remained at a childlike, innocent stage.
Song Sanchun never told her the truth about her family's financial difficulties and the need to sell paintings to make a living, only making her believe that it was a favor from the Madam and the Second Miss.
Song Ruoling's gaze was quickly drawn to Song Sangyu, the most dazzling person in the crowd, and she sincerely admired her:
"Second Miss looks so beautiful today, like a fairy! Sister, is it all thanks to Eldest Miss that we can be here today? I heard that Eldest Miss spent seven years in the frontier, she must be an extremely capable person, right?"
Song Sanchun felt a mix of emotions. She straightened her sister's slightly askew clothes and whispered in a conflicted tone:
"We don't need to know what kind of people they are, nor do we need to investigate. They are legitimate daughters, from a different world than us. We... should just stay far away, watch the show, and then go back."
Song Ruoling tilted her head in confusion:
"Why, sister? All these years since the young lady left home, hasn't it been Sangyu who 'took care' of us? Sangyu always speaks so gently, and I like her very much. She even praised my embroidery skills before!"
As she spoke, she pulled a purse embroidered with crooked hibiscus flowers from her bosom, her face full of anticipation.
"I specially embroidered a new purse for her today, and I hope she will like it."
Looking at his younger sister's innocent face, Song Sanchun couldn't bear to shatter her beautiful fantasy, so he could only force a smile and mumble a reply:
"Hmm...she'll like it."
She was wary of Song Yiqiu's act of sending the invitation, feeling that the eldest daughter had ill intentions.
She initially resisted attending, but couldn't resist her mother's pleading and her sister's expectations.
She knew all too well that such occasions were always a stage for legitimate daughters to showcase their talents and compete in terms of family background, while they, the illegitimate daughters, were merely a backdrop to highlight the kindness and generosity of the legitimate daughters.
Just as Song Sanchun was not paying attention, Song Ruoling saw Song Sangyu give her a disdainful glance. Thinking it was a greeting, she immediately broke free from her sister's hand and ran happily towards the group of noble ladies who were chatting and laughing.
"Ruoling! Come back!"
Song Sanchun exclaimed in surprise, but it was too late.
Song Ruoling had already run up to the group of noble ladies.
The noble ladies stopped chatting and laughing, looked the impetuous girl up and down, exchanged mocking glances, and let out a few disdainful chuckles.
"Sang Yu, I heard you have two older sisters born out of wedlock? Could it be this... um... rather 'unique' girl?"
Song Sangyu's face instantly turned extremely ugly. She suppressed her anger and asked Song Ruoling with a stern face:
Why are you here? Who sent you?
Song Ruoling didn't detect the disgust in her words at all; on the contrary, she was excited because she could finally talk to the gentle second young lady.
She awkwardly praised:
"Sangyu, your dress is so beautiful! It's so sparkly... And all you ladies, your jewelry is so pretty too, like stars. I've never seen anything so beautiful before!"
His eyes were filled with pure longing.
Then, as if presenting a treasure, she handed the roughly stitched hibiscus-patterned purse to Song Sangyu with both hands:
"Sangyu, look! This is something I embroidered especially for you. You like hibiscus flowers, and I spent a long time embroidering it. It's for you~"
Pfft!
Several noble ladies couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Good heavens, what is this embroidery? A hibiscus flower? It looks like a red rag to me!"
"These stitches...even my maidservant can embroider better than this!"
"Really... people use things that reflect their status. Don't they even consider the occasion? How could they bring out such shoddy goods?"
"Sang Yu, stay away from her. Don't let her shabby air affect us and lower our standards for no reason!"
...
Song Sangyu's cheeks burned from the mockery, and she felt incredibly ashamed.
She abruptly took a step back, as if Song Ruoling were some kind of filthy thing:
"Who wants your junk? Get away from me! Don't you know who you are? How dare you come near me? Get lost! Stop embarrassing me here!"
With that, he waved his hand in disgust, knocking the purse that was being handed to him to the ground. The purse fell into the muddy water left from watering the flowers and was instantly covered in stains.
Song Ruoling was stunned.
She looked at the dirty purse on the ground, then looked up at Song Sangyu. Her bright eyes welled up with tears, and her cheeks turned bright red.
She couldn't understand why Sangyu, who had praised her embroidery skills before, had suddenly become so terrifying. Why was her affection being trampled on like this?
She looked pleadingly at her sister, Song Sanchun, who had rushed over.
Song Sanchun gripped her sister's hand tightly, pulling her behind her. Her face was pale, but she dared not say a word. She could only lower her head, wanting to leave with her sister as soon as possible.
Even when humiliated, one must not cause trouble; this is the fate of a concubine's daughter!
"Oh? I had no idea that someone else would be the one to kick out a guest I, Song Yiqiu, personally invited?"
Everyone looked over at the sound and saw that Song Yiqiu had walked over at some point.
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