Chapter 107 [Reasons for being disliked]
Jiang Lili was sitting behind He Shao, the head of the He family. She could only see He Shao's back. The latter had a high-rise bun on her head and one arm rested on the handle of a rosewood chair. She was surrounded by handsome men and looked lazy. Her elegance could be seen just from her back.
Although Jiang Lili didn't understand ancient music, her performance was pleasing to the eye and she watched with great interest, holding her chin.
She was so engrossed in watching that she ignored Xin Che's rather resentful gaze from the seat opposite her.
Seeing that the performance was about to end, He Shao had no comments. He Manyu stepped forward and asked, "Aunt, are you satisfied with the opening performance of the banquet presented by your niece?"
“Manyu is thoughtful.”
He Shao just said this lightly.
There are only a few handsome men in Lingnan who are skilled in music. They perform at banquets every time, and it is a novelty to see them perform once or twice.
After so many times, no matter how innovative the repertoire and form of the ritual music performances were, they always fell short.
He Manyu felt anxious when she saw He Shao's reaction. The gift she was going to give was presented by the musicians who had just finished their performance. If she couldn't satisfy her aunt, she might miss a very important opportunity.
The gift delivery today was not just a simple gift delivery. Their father revealed an important piece of news to them. Aunt He Shao was going to open a flower shop in the capital and would choose a son from among the younger generations of the He family to live in the capital permanently and go to the capital with the team that was transporting the tribute.
Although the He family was wealthy and powerful in Lingnan, they were just landowners. Lianzhou was a remote area and could not compare with the wealth and prosperity of the capital.
He Manyu winked at her brother He Fengqing, "He Jing is not only ugly, but also has terrible taste. Thanks to him being around, he always messes up Aunt's mood. No matter what we do, we can't be worse than him."
He Fengqing understood that there is hurt only when there is comparison.
As long as they pull out that ugly guy He Jing and use him as a control group, then even if the gifts they prepare are not so outstanding, there will always be a backup to set them off.
He Fengqing stood up and said to He Shao, "Aunt, this time, cousin He Jing said that he would be the first to give you a big gift."
He Shao glanced at He Jing's seat and said, "No wonder Jing Ge'er wasn't at the table. It turns out he went to prepare the gifts."
She said to He Fengqing, "Okay, go and hire someone now."
He Fengqing went to "invite" He Jing after receiving the order. He heard that He Jing had put a lot of thought into this gift and had prepared for a long time, but he was not panicked at all.
After all, He Jing's aesthetic taste is really poor. No matter how hard he tries, if he is going in the wrong direction, it will be futile and may even have a counterproductive effect.
To put it bluntly, it's like carving on shit, it's worthless.
In the past, He Jing's performance was always steady and unreliable, but today He Fengqing was not worried.
When Jiang Lili saw someone going to invite He Jing, she picked up the wine glass on the table and prepared to watch the show begin.
While she was waiting, she heard the surprised voices of the women of the He family: "Oh my God, how can He Jing still have the courage to be the first to send a birthday gift?"
"I've taught him so many lessons, but he still doesn't learn his lesson. Now he's the first one to come out and bother Auntie."
Jiang Lili asked doubtfully, "Sister, what happened to the gift He Jing gave me before?"
Sitting next to Jiang Lili was a talkative girl in blue. Seeing Jiang Lili asking questions, she said she wanted to share some gossip: "You don't know, He Jing's taste in picking things is really hard to describe..."
"Two years ago, He Jing gave the master of the family an agarwood xylophone. He imitated He Manyu's trick of giving the master a handsome man and chose a musician he thought was good-looking to play it."
"The musician He Jing picked looked androgynous, his clothes and appearance were hard to describe, and his words were extremely greasy. My aunt was so disgusted that she couldn't eat."
Jiang Lili thought about He Jing's aesthetic taste. Well, it sounded like something He Jing could do.
The girl in blue was genuinely curious about Jiang Lili's identity. She started chatting with her, hoping to build a closer relationship. "Last year, he obtained an extremely rare piece of ice cicada silk brocade. The material feels icy and cool to the skin, and it's delicate and smooth. I heard that the entire Dasheng Dynasty only produces twenty pieces a year."
Jiang Lili was already curious about the Ice Cicada Silk Brocade just by listening to the blue-dressed girl's description. She raised an eyebrow and said, "Such a rare item, it should be a good choice for a gift, right?"
"Well, the stuff is right."
The girl in blue peeled a grape and popped it into her mouth. "But the bad thing is, he went too far. He wanted to show how much effort he put in. He personally drew a design and had that piece of ice cicada silk brocade made into a garment. The top is rose red, and the skirt is emerald green."
The girl in blue still remembers that when the ready-made clothes were displayed, the expressions on everyone's faces were more exciting than the color of the clothes.
Is this the legendary red and green match?
Jiang Lili had a picture in her mind. What a waste of good things!
The other women nearby also chimed in, "I'd rather not send him off, or even He Jing himself not be there. This would be better for both parties."
"Yeah, it's He Jing's ugly face. Every time I look up and see him at a banquet, I feel sick."
Jiang Lili listened to the discussion of the female relatives and suddenly felt that He Jing was really a pitiful guy who was disliked by everyone.
She looked at the seats where He Manyu and other younger generations of the He family were sitting. He Lin and He Jing were not there, and the other younger generations were talking to their parents in front of them, that is, He Shao's two brothers and sister-in-law.
Jiang Lili vaguely remembered that He Jing didn't seem to be from one of these two families, and she had never heard He Jing mention his parents.
Just as she was wondering, she heard the blue-dressed girl complaining to the people around her: "Yeah, you said that the younger generations of the He family were all born with handsome looks, but why did they suddenly become so ugly when it came to He Jing?"
The aunt beside the girl in blue lowered her voice: "I think the bad karma of his parents has affected the child."
Based on the subsequent gossip and chat among the female relatives, Jiang Lili compiled an incredible piece of information.
When Mr. He was still alive, seventeen-year-old He Shao was doing a thriving business in the north of Lianzhou City. The poorly managed shop suddenly came back to life in her hands. He Shao even made great efforts to help the He family become the exclusive flower supplier to the court.
He Shao was superior to her brothers, and Old Man He loved his daughter very much. In addition, many business people were open-minded, so Old Man He even said that he wanted to marry a son-in-law to He Shao and let her set up her own business.
He Jing's father is the third young master of the He family. He used He Jing's mother to give He Shao harmful medicine, making it impossible for He Shao to conceive.
In this way, no matter how well He Shao does business, all the shops and properties of the He family will belong to the nephews and nieces of the He family in the future. No matter how successful she is now, she is only managing the family property for her nephews and nieces.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
