T/N: Happy New Year! Wishing everyone a good new year!
“Marrying tomorrow?” Luo Jing Ying blanked. She completely forgotten about this matter. However, Luo Jing Ying also felt this wasn’t her fault. Wasn’t it just because the manor was too quiet? If it was lively like previously when third brother married, then even the dead would all be aware. Luo Jing Ying couldn’t help coldly snorting, “Merely just a shu-born lowly slut, naturally not worth caring about.”
“Miss best return to change first. As for second miss, adding to the dowry is still needed.”
Luo Jing Ying walked towards her own courtyard, “Mama just randomly pick something to send over. She doesn’t have the face for this miss to personally go.” Her good mood was ruined due to seeing someone she hated, but after opening the bundle and seeing those good things that she yearned for even in her dreams, Luo Jing Ying couldn’t help letting out a happy smile again.
That caretaker mama of hers quietly stood at her side. To say that she wasn’t excited in the slightest upon seeing those good things would be a lie. However, she was someone elderly in years, and her yearning towards these things have already become very faint. Right now, the only thing she wanted to see was just the Liu family restoring its former glory. Facing the ‘open-minded’ and brainless Luo Jing Ying, she didn’t say anything. In any case, from the looks of it, this body’s purity has already been damaged. Even if third miss suspects her of going out, and thereby reporting to the old madam, the matter has already become a fixed outcome. As long as she still had worth to Rui Qinwang, then Rui Qinwang won’t just watch from the sidelines.
On the other side, Jing Wan and Sun Yi Jia walked side by side.
“Little sister Wan, there seems to be something not right about fourth younger sister.” Sun Yi Jia slightly furrowed her brows, carrying three part worry. Of course, she really wasn’t worried about Luo Jing Ying per se, but rather the saying goes, ‘one’s honor is the whole’s honor, one’s detriment is the whole’s detriment[1]‘. If something were to happen to Luo Jing Ying, the ones to suffer will be the young ladies of the Luo family, or even the entire Luo family. And as for Luo Jing Ying herself, there was simply nothing worth caring about. Setting aside the fact that people like her, Sun Yi Jia has seen all too often, regarding her ‘grudges’ against little sister Wan, she already more or less understood as well. Truthfully speaking, the origins of this conflict was practically just unfathomable and unreasonable.
Jing Wan rather wasn’t that bothered. Sun Yi Jia perhaps didn’t know what Luo Jing Ying did, but her guess was pretty close. She perhaps never personally experienced before, but this sort of thing, an unmarried young lady wearing servant girl clothes and secretly going out, in her eyes, was practically detrimental to customs. Nine times out of ten it was most likely to go meet with a male lover, just don’t know who the other party is.
“We can just tell grandmother. This kind of thing, we don’t need to bother with.” Luo third miss right now was very open-minded. Although by carefully pondering over this matter, one should still roughly be able to guess who Luo Jing Ying was meeting with, the ones that were able to be fancied by the ‘high-sighted’ Luo Jing Ying, and also dared to reach out to her, was nothing more than just those few.
“You are right, we indeed don’t need to bother with it.” Sun Yi Jia smiled. Today, little sister Wan has seemingly become that tiny bit different, seemingly even more carefree. One couldn’t help but think of what the old madam said yesterday when they’d rushed to the greenhouse. This kind of minute change should be a good thing.
Jing Wan, in fact, didn’t even personally go tell Luo Old Madam, instead just randomly sent a servant girl.
Afterwards, they didn’t hear there were any movements, but noble guests did come to the manor.
Yesterday, before leaving the greenhouse, her grandfather had already told her, a certain few ‘shameless bastards’ will come admire flowers today. Of course, this description was what Jing Wan concluded herself. Her grandfather didn’t really say it that bluntly, but his words inside and out were precisely this meaning. Thus without a second word, she directly let someone have the three color peony carried to the front courtyard.
The people serving by Luo Pei Shan’s side went and came back. This seemingly was within Jing Wan’s expectations. According to that bunch’s degree of infatuation towards flowers, the other ones, even if just a bare stalk, as long as it was a rare and valuable breed, they probably all can become fascinated with, and say hundreds and thousands of admiring praises. That’s why, she just waved her hand, letting them have the other ones, including the ink orchid, all carried over.
Just, Jing Wan never expected that her grandfather’s servants would come a third time. This time, it wasn’t to move flowers, but rather to bring a person over, someone that was very much beyond her expectations————-the stunningly beautiful Ruan Fang Fei.
Have to say, seeing the gentle yet moving smile on Ruan Fang Fei, Jing Wan momentarily didn’t know what kind of expression she should put on.
She already suspected that this one was a ‘hidden very deeply’ pervert, but from what she learned from Sun Yi Jia, Ruan Fang Fei most likely wasn’t the same as her(JW), and seemingly also didn’t have signs of rebirth. After all, her knowledge and cleverness, from beginning to end, only stayed confined within the scope of an unmarried young lady. If she really had been reborn (repeating her life), then she would’ve thought of every way possible to influence the matters outside of the back manor. But under circumstances unknown to outsiders, was she already invisibly influencing Ruan Rui Zhong? No, Jing Wan although had only interacted with Ruan Rui Zhong briefly twice, but from the information she got from Luo Pei Shan, she can for the most part deduce that Ruan Rui Zhang was actually someone who very much believed in the male superiority ideology. If it was just some small matters, he won’t care about, but if it were to involve the imperial court, then nine times out of ten, he won’t bring it up in the back manor.
Neither a reincarnator nor a rebirther, a young lady of the inner manor, even if a little malicious, and deep into schemes, one can still find the root of cause, but where did this pervert come from? Although it’s said that some people might really be naturally born with certain mental illness, but truthfully speaking, shouldn’t the later influences be even bigger?
Ruan Fang Fei rather puzzlingly touched her own face, “For Luo third miss to look at me like this, is there something on my face?”
Jing Wan lightly hooked her lips and playfully smiled, “Merely just got bewitched by the beauty that suddenly appeared.”
Ruan Fang Fei probably never thought that Jing Wan would ‘take liberties with her’ like a ‘lecher’, her expression clearly somewhat stupefied.
“Little sister Wan, this mouth of yours is still that ‘sweet’, to the point that it makes one want to pinch you.”
Ruan Fang Fei turned her head, seeing the seemingly still aloof Sun Yi Jia, not wearing any powder and rouge yet still had a rosy complexion, with her brows smoothed out, clearly lacking that once unapproachable coldness. One could tell, she was living very well. For high-ranking noble young ladies of the boudoir, after marrying, not many were able to be happier than when they were still in the boudoir[2]. Should say, for ninety-nine percent of women, it was all like this, let alone Sun Yi Jia who was even a disfigured beauty. Yet she was living even better than when she was in the boudoir, really is unmatched in thousands of miles.
And really makes one resent, “Greetings Luo third young madam.”
“Greetings Miss Ruan.” Towards the greeting from the former ‘that other family’s child’, Sun Yi Jia rather calmly accepted and even returned a seldom smile.
In reality, even if she had that hideous scar on her face, Sun Yi Jia’s graceful bearing wasn’t lessened at all.
Sun Yi Jia walked to Jing Wan’s side, reaching out and pinching her cheek, “This mouth of yours. ———-Miss Ruan, please don’t mind, little sister Wan’s personality is just like so, even our family can’t do anything about her.”
Jing Wan poutingly casted Sun Yi Jia a glance, pretending to be angry, “I was telling the truth. All say all possess a love for beauties, I merely saw a great beauty and fell into a daze, what offense did I commit?”
Ruan Fang Fei covered her mouth and directly laughed. For girls, getting praised by another girl would probably please them even more, right? Besides, Ruan Fang Fei’s status and rank was placed there. Even if there were a lot of men that admired her, their praises towards her would still just be indirect and tactful. But those things, when heard often, it was just that. There would always be a time when one felt fed up. Such a blunt praise was a first. Even someone like Ruan Fang Fei all couldn’t help feeling happy from the bottom of her heart.
En, such an interesting person, leaving to slowly enjoy, wouldn’t it be even better? Just like that butterfly tangled in the web, fluttering and fluttering, struggling and struggling, how amusing, much more refreshing than directly crushing to death.
Jing Wan inadvertently caught Ruan Fang Fei’s gaze. Because Ruan Fang Fei had her mouth and nose covered, that pair of eyes appeared especially prominent. For those that didn’t detect anything, perhaps they would feel her eyes were exceptionally beautiful, glistening like gemstones, yet Jing Wan felt they were exceptionally terrifying.
For insignificant people, if not under special circumstances, Jing Wan usually would never let them enter her own room.
She just let someone prepare the things to sit and chat in the courtyard.
Because there were outsiders present, Sun Yi Jia met them with her usual aloof look, just when speaking to Jing Wan, she would subconsciously soften up. Jing Wan was rather used to this, but for Ruan Fang Fei, it felt especially jarring.
How to put it, for people like Ruan Fang Fei, they actually all had a common disease, and that is believing that everyone all ought to revolve around them. If a certain person’s attitude was the same to everyone, then it was still okay, but if this person were to suddenly treat another person differently, and that person wasn’t them, then they would feel upset inside, especially when seeing these two being exceptionally intimate.
Because Sun Yi Jia and Ruan Fang Fei were close in age, and their upbringing also similar, logically speaking, these two, from a certain perspective, should mutually find the other unpleasant, yet also have a complete understanding of the other. However, when they really sat together, Jing Wan discovered that the atmosphere wasn’t harmonious at all, seemingly not having any desire to chat with one another.
Thus, Ruan Fang Fei pulled Jing Wan to chat about flowers, while Sun Yi Jia pulled her to chat about something else. The longer it went on like this, the more it felt out of place. It was just like two children ‘fighting for attention’, and Jing Wan obviously became the target they fought over.
Jing Wan responded rather calmly, but inside, she couldn’t help rolling her eyes. For these two to have never fought in the past, as expected, was just because they rarely gathered together. After going through such a battle, afraid their opinion of one another will have all somewhat changed.
Calmly facing two who suddenly became childish wasn’t anything difficult, but as time dragged out, one would still feel tired. Have to say, it was still Sun Yi Jia that knew her best, realizing the trouble she brought on for Jing Wan first. Thus she voluntarily restrained herself, slowly falling silent. It was still just one’s own family that heartached for her.
“Miss, old master’s side came to inform, saying it’s time to return.” Ruan Fang Fei’s mama spoke.
Ruan Fang Fei looked to the sky, “Oh my, unknowingly, this much time has passed. One had already wanted to talk with Miss Luo before, just never had the opportunity. Fortunately, one came with father today, else would’ve missed the opportunity. Miss Luo, in a few days, how about we go out of the city for a spring hike together?” She rather hopefully looked to Jing Wan.
Jing Wan smiled, “Alright.”
After sending away Ruan Fang Fei, Sun Yi Jia frowned, “What exactly did she come for?”
“Who knows.”
[1] In other words, one person’s honor and achievements will bring honor and glory to the whole family or clan, just as one person’s mistakes will also negatively affect the whole family/clan.
[2] Meaning when they were still unmarried, in chinese literature, the boudoir is always in reference to an unmarried young lady’s private room.
