Chapter 3: Slap in the face
"Taoli, do you think I've gained weight recently?"
Jiang Ran pinched the hem of her skirt in front of the mirror. After lying at home for a few days, she felt that her waist had become thicker.
Tao Li ran a few steps toward the door before jokingly saying, "That's right. The Third Young Master has been running between East City and West Street more than ten times a day these days. I'm afraid he's brought in all the Manchu and Han banquets. How could he not be fat?"
"You silly girl, can't you say something nice to coax your lady?"
Jiang Ran pretended to hit her, and Tao Li quickly begged for mercy.
She has always been happy to order Jiang Chuan around, and now that he owes her such a big favor, it is even easier for her to order him around.
Jiang Chuan was talking to a parrot in the yard, and watching the master and servant playing around, he laughed so hard that his teeth were showing.
He only has this one sister and he dotes on her. He always refuses to give her the stars or the moon, and even if he wants the sun, he will try his best to pick it.
At the same time, someone in the Lu Mansion was also happy.
The servant Deming ran to the study room holding the brocade box, his face full of joy.
The young master had a quarrel with Miss Jiang and his temper got bad. The servants were all beaten up and his life was difficult.
In the past, Miss Jiang would come and make peace within three days, but this time, she still hasn't come even after seven days.
This morning, although the person didn’t show up, the gift arrived, which is also a good thing.
Lu Yu was practicing calligraphy in his study, throwing away a pile of waste paper. When he heard the news that the Jiang family had sent a gift, he breathed a sigh of relief, but said proudly, "Why are you crying? What rare thing is there that is worth you crawling over to send it to me?"
He said he was disgusted, but his hands were not slow. He opened the brocade box and found a black fox cloak inside. The money he wasted was secondary. The key point was that this thing was rare. It would take dozens of hunters a year or two to collect so many furs.
Lu Yu tried it on and found it fit perfectly. He felt warm in his heart and ordered loudly, "De Ming, send the gold-inlaid and kingfisher-emerald hairpin I ordered a while ago to the Jiang Mansion."
"This..." De Ming looked troubled. "Sir, you forgot. Miss Lin said the hairpin was beautiful, so you gave it to her."
"Okay, forget it then."
Lu Yu didn't care. He would just take Jiang Ran to choose one after they met.
No matter what the item is, as long as it is a gift from him, Jiang Ran likes it.
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Because of Lu Yu's misconduct, Jiang Ran had not taken care of the family business for nearly ten days. He went out for an inspection and randomly checked five shops, all of which were doing well.
In particular, the Jixian Bookstore, which she single-handedly supported, only sells leisure books, as the name suggests.
This bookstore originally specialized in selling materials for the imperial examinations, but due to fierce competition, it almost went bankrupt.
She specially recruited a group of writers, targeted the preferences of unmarried young girls, and carefully created a series of vernacular books, which were gorgeous but not vulgar, sad but not heartbreaking, sweeping away the old-fashioned stories of talented men and beautiful women on the market. Once they were released, they were in short supply and directly revitalized the bookstore.
The annual selection of the Chang'an Girls' Dream Lovers ranking list was at a critical moment. The store was so crowded that Jiang Ran almost couldn't get in.
According to convention, there will be three stories based on him at the top of the list. Buying a book will get you a vote, and the one with the most votes will get a chance to appear in the story.
Many young ladies spent lavishly just to vote for the young talent they favored. Jixian Bookstore's revenue also soared, steadily exceeding that of the same period last year.
Jiang Ran was in a good mood.
Although I had to chase Lu Yu every day before, fortunately I never lost any business.
What is a man? The money you can earn yourself will always be yours.
"Hey! Isn't that Jiang Ran?"
"I thought Jiang Ran had changed his personality. Sure enough, wherever Lu Yu is, there must be Jiang Ran."
"You must have deliberately set up this encounter. You're being unreasonable and now you regret it but are too embarrassed to apologize."
The lackeys around Lu Yu were chattering at once and were extremely noisy.
Shen Yingshi, who had the best relationship with Lu Yu, bumped his shoulder and said, "I'll be waiting for you on the road you must pass. Will you give her a step later?"
Lu Yu scoffed, "Minding your own business."
Shen Yingshi rubbed his shoulders and shouted with a wicked smile: “Jiang Ran!”
Jiang Ran looked up and saw them, feeling unlucky.
Everyone was waiting for her to come and make peace with a smile as she did in the past, and give them a bunch of gifts.
But Jiang Ran just glanced at her, without even lingering for a moment, and turned and left.
"Sister Jiang Ran."
Lin Buqiu rushed up and greeted him timidly, looking pitiful.
Jiang Ran was too lazy to argue with her. He just frowned when she pulled his cloak.
"Sister, you're wearing so little, be careful not to catch a cold."
As Lin Buqiu spoke, he covered his lips and coughed twice.
Jiang Ran took off his cloak in disgust, "It's not even winter yet, and you're wrapped up like a black bear. Don't let yourself get killed by the heat."
Why are you pretending to be weak? I hate people who pretend to be strong.
"Sister Jiang Ran, don't blame Brother Yu. It was because I accidentally caught a cold that he lent me the black fox cloak you gave me." Lin Buqiu's eyelashes were filled with tears, as if he had suffered a great injustice.
Jiang Ran then noticed that Lin Buqiu was wearing the black fox cloak that she had ordered for Lu Yu half a year ago. It was probably made by the merchant and sent directly to the Lu Mansion. The five thousand taels had already been paid, so she didn't think about it for a while.
She couldn't remember how many times Lu Yu had given the things she had given him to Lin Buqiu.
If she saw correctly, the hairpin inlaid with gold and kingfisher feathers that Lin Buqiu was wearing now was also the one she drew with great enthusiasm for Lu Yu to see, and she coaxed him to order it for her as a birthday present.
Lu Yu always told her to be generous and not be petty.
She is stingy and can't tolerate any grain of sand. If there is always a third person between two people, then there is no need to continue this relationship.
"Since it's borrowed, you should return it to me now."
Jiang Ran untied the laces and tried to take off the cloak.
Lin Buqiu exclaimed repeatedly, shouting, "Brother Yu, save me."
Lu Yu rushed forward, pushed Jiang Ran away, hugged Lin Buqiu and wrapped the cloak around him.
"Jiang Ran, why are you throwing a tantrum again!"
"Qiu'er is my sister, and also your sister. Why do you always target her?"
Shen Yingshi and a group of people joined in.
"Yes, you are so jealous, but you have violated the seven grounds for divorce. You should be divorced."
"Brother Lu, it seems that it will be difficult for you to take a concubine in the future, hahaha."
Jiang Ran did not crack the whip in anger like before, but instead smiled.
"Don't bother with that." She looked at the group of people, then turned to look at Lu Yu, "Our wedding has been cancelled. It doesn't exist anymore!"
!!!
!!!
Everyone gasped, and their first reaction was, "Impossible."
Everyone can see how much Jiang Ran likes Lu Yu.
How could she take the initiative to cancel the engagement?
"Jiang Ran, there is a limit to your willfulness."
"No matter how angry you are, you can't say such things."
Lu Yu's breathing became rapid, but he couldn't figure out how to prove that she was just talking in anger. A terrifying murderous aura emanated from his whole body.
Jiang Ran glanced at him calmly and said, "I'm not talking nonsense."
"Lin Buqiu, whether you ask him for things from now on, pretend to be sick so that he will stay with you all night, or throw yourself into his arms and act like a spoiled child or cry, it has nothing to do with me."
Jiang Ran leaned close to her ear and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Don't you like being a younger sister? Then you can be Lu Yu's younger sister for the rest of your life. Madam Lu is not me, and it will never be your turn."
Lin Buqiu's expression changed instantly, but because of his delicate personality, he didn't dare to lose his temper. His face turned red and white like a kaleidoscope.
Jiang Ran grabbed the cloak, took two steps, and gave it to a little beggar on the street.
The little beggar kowtowed repeatedly, "Thank you, Fairy Sister, thank you, Fairy Sister."
Lu Yu and his group watched in amazement as Jiang Ran strode away.
Lin Buqiu burst into tears on the spot. Someone tried to comfort her, but there was something wrong with the way they looked at her.
Lu Yu had a gloomy expression, gritted his teeth, and left without saying hello, even forgetting to call Lin Buqiu.
The person who watched this wonderful show while sipping tea in the teahouse on the street with the window open was Lu Weiqing.
"My goodness, the girl you like is quite fierce." Princess Le'an smacked her lips and retracted her head from the window with a reluctant look.
Lu Weiqing unfolded the secret letter, lit the fire stick, and just glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.
Princess Le'an quickly made amends: "It's a slip of the tongue. Miss Jiang is so lively, cheerful, kind-hearted, and warm and generous. The other girl pales in comparison and feels ashamed."
Lu Weiqing stood up and left, leaving behind a sentence: "Don't compare her with others."
Princess Le'an clicked her tongue. It seemed that the old iron tree that had been lonely for many years was finally about to bloom.
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