Lovable Beauty

“Young Lady, that side is inviting you over.” The maid Wutong came in through the curtain and said to the mistress who was resting on the bed.

Du Yinger was fiddling with the sapphire hairpin that Fang Ze gave her, and raised her eyebrows in surprise, “Invite me? What did they say?”

The corners of Wutong’s mouth turned up before she could speak, and said mockingly: “They said they want to break all ties with the young lady. They asked the young lady to take some embroidery work you once sent over. Young Lady, in my opinion, I think returning things is just an excuse. They actually want to find out what’s real or fake. Otherwise, it would all be the same to send someone over to deliver it, and why bother asking the young lady to make a trip? Young Lady doesn’t have to bother with her, lest she says something ugly again. This servant will retrieve it?”

Even though she was mocking Xie Yao, the one sentence exposed some smugness, for the young lady having won the master’s favor.

of inquiring about the truth revealed a sense of complacency, which won the master’s favor for the girl.

Du Yinger showed some displeasure.

If a young lady was to lose her innocence before marriage, even if she gave it to her prospective husband, it’s not something worth showing off. She was forced to obey by her cousin; she didn’t intend to publicize it. But it caused quite a stir, as they were overheard by her maids, they were able to guess it, and they even went to Xie Yao’s place to gloat about it.

Du Yinger had already made up her mind to replace such a stupid servant girl as soon as she officially marries her cousin. As for Xie Yao…

Thinking of Xie Yao’s haughty appearance in front of her before, Du Yinger bit her lip.

It really wasn’t a good idea to give in to her cousin in advance, but if she can anger Xie Yao, she was willing to make this trip. Xie Yao’s words became worse, meaning she was only getting angrier. What she liked most now was to see Xie Yao’s disgraced face, like a bereaved dog that only knew to bark ferociously but was helpless to watch as she stole her cousin’s adoration.

“She’s sick. Bring me some plain clothes.” Coming up with a plan, Du Ying’er lazily ordered and gently rubbed her waist when she got up. Yesterday, her cousin pestered her several times; she was really sore.

After dressing up, Wutong wanted to help her insert a white jade hairpin. Du Yinger’s eyes turned around and she didn’t stop her. As for that sapphire hairpin, she’ll put it on the day Xie Yao leaves. Today, just the fact her cousin slept with her was enough of a blow to Xie Yao.

The master and servant headed for Xie Yao’s yard.

***

“Is my cousin-in-law feeling better?” After entering the room, Du Yinger walked over to Xie Yao’s bed and asked worriedly, with a bit of self-blame in her beautiful eyes, “Cousin-in-law, I-I really like my cousin. I just didn’t expect him to be so anxious. He said such things right after Cousin-in-law lost your child. Cousin-in-law, you and Cousin have been husband and wife for so many years. I really can’t bear for you to divorce. I can try to persuade Cousin. Cousin-in-law…cousin-in-law, please let me serve my cousin. Can’t we just live together as one family?”

Usually, Xie Yao would be furious at her for mocking her in a roundabout way, but today she only gave Du Yinger a sideways glance, and then said to Nanny Liu who was pale with anger, “I’ll let you clean up the things that Miss Du gave me. How is the progress?”

Nanny Liu gave Du Ying’er a hard look, then lowered her head and said, “I’ll go and have a look. Young lady, wait a moment; I’ll send it over right away.”

Xie Yao nodded, and when Nanny Liu went out, she pointed to the chair over there and said, “Miss Du, sit down. You must be tired from last night.”

Du Ying’er was prepared to be ridiculed by her. Her face remained unchanged. Seeing that there was only her maidservant left in the room, she let Wutong go out, and after making sure that the footsteps were far away, she whispered to Xie Yao: “Sister-in-law, do you know what my cousin said to me last night?”

Xie Yao showed a puzzled expression cooperatively.

Du Yinger’s cheeks were slightly red, and she whispered like a mosquito: “My cousin said he-he has never been so happy in his life…”

The cousin also said a lot of good things about her, and his greed really proved his liking for her. Du Yinger looked down at Xie Yao on the bed and did not hide her smirk. It didn’t matter that Xie Yao’s status was higher than hers; the winner was the one who laughed last. She was younger than Xie Yao and more beautiful than her, and she was about to take Xie Yao’s position and become the fourth-rank magistrate’s wife.

Looking at her arch-enemy who was smiling like a flower, Xie Yao’s hands hidden in the quilt almost ripped it apart but the harder she clawed at it, the calmer her face became, “Did he also praise you for your beauty? Did he praise you for being better than the celestial maidens in the sky?”

Du Ying’er was surprised by her abnormality and was just about to figure out what Xie Yao meant, when Wutong’s shout suddenly came from outside, and then fell silent. Du Yinger panicked and ran out in a hurry before stepping out the door when she was suddenly pulled over by someone. Du Yinger secretly thought it was bad and struggled violently, but Nanny Liu hated her to the bone and took advantage of the two biddies, restraining her and tightening her up, she ruthlessly stuffed a ball of dirty black rags into her mouth.

“Bring it in!”

Nanny Liu commanded with bright eyes.

The two women were brought by Xie Yao from Hangzhou and were loyal to Xie Yao. They dragged Du Ying’er in like a chick and forced her to kneel in front of Xie Yao’s bed.

Du Ying’er’s struggles were muffled. Xie Yao didn’t have her energy, so she nodded to Nanny Liu Liu, “Help her dress up.”

Nanny Liu had been waiting for these words. She clenched a handful of Du Yinger’s hair and jerked her head up, then ripped out the sharp hairpin specially prepared on her head, and slashed down on Du Yinger’s face without mercy.

Du Yinger’s eyes widened in horror, and she tried her best to dodge regardless of the pain in her hair, but in the end, she was no match for the two biddies…

The muffled groan of the woman in the room was like the neighing of a trapped animal, full of anger, terror, and despair. Xie Yao listened to the sound that was music to her ears, quietly enjoying the good show in front of her. Watching Du Yinger’s beautiful face become bloody and indistinguishable, she forgot her sadness about the miscarriage, forgot the heartlessness of the ungrateful bastard, and forgot all thoughts about matters concerning the divorce.

about the miscarriage Sadness, forgetting the heartlessness of the heartbroken man, and forgetting all the thoughts about reconciling and leaving.

She just felt overjoyed and pleasantly relaxed.

***

“I’ve never seen this ointment of yours before. May I ask where young master got it from?”

The Huichun Clinic was a well-known medical clinic in the city. The owner’s surname was Guo. After smelling the jade lotus cream, he looked at Xie Lanyin with bright eyes.

Seeing that he was interested in the jade lotus cream like the previous doctors, Xie Lanyin couldn’t help being disappointed.

The Jade lotus cream worked very well. She ran around the city hoping to find a seller to buy more, not to help these doctors pull some strings. If that Young Master Yuan was a drug dealer, she would give away his surname and residence, but thinking back to Master Yuan’s cold demeanor, Xie Lanyin suspected if she did do that, the next time they meet, she would very likely die under Master Yuan’s piercing gaze.

“I got it by mere chance. Since you don’t have it here, I’ll take my leave,” Xie Lanyin said as politely as possible.

It’s rare to come across such a good thing. Master Guo was reluctant to let it go. He looked at the blue-glazed porcelain plate in his hand and sincerely suggested: “Young masters, I’m willing to pay a hundred taels of silver for this bottle of jade lotus cream. If I’m luck to come up with the formula, I will give you a thirty percent bonus, how about it?”,

Xie Lanqiao and Jiang Huaizhou looked at their younger sister.

Xie Lanyin declined without any hesitation: “For this junior to get this medicine, I have already taken advantage by failing to return it to the original owner, how can I use another’s property in exchange for money? This junior can only appreciate your kindness.”

None of the most prestigious medical clinics in the city have it. This Jade Lotus Cream was probably Master Yuan’s unique prescription, unique just like the top-quality balm prepared by her cousin. Xie Lanyin asked her cousin to prepare the jade lotus cream just for her own family’s use and never thought of making a profit from it. Her cousin wasn’t the kind of person who only cared about money.

The sale failed; Master Guo regretfully returned the porcelain bottle to Xie Lanyin.

“Go to another shop to see?” Getting in the carriage, Jiang Huaizhou couldn’t bear to see his little cousin disappointed and said enthusiastically.

Xie Lanyin shook her head and drummed her legs, feeling a little tired, “Forget it, let’s go home. Mother would nag if we’re out too late.”

Jiang Huaizhou considered it and said in a low voice, “I’ll help you ask Master Yuan the origin of the jade lotus cream when I have the chance in the future.”

“Then I’ll trouble Third Cousin. If it is his own prescription, Third Cousin should stop at that. Don’t ask him about buying it,” Xie Lanyin said sensibly. Her cousin spoiled her. Xie Lanyin feared that he will offend the other party by rashly mentioning money for her sake.

“Do I need you to teach me the ways of the world?” His little cousin worried needlessly. Jiang Huaizhou lightly tapped her forehead.

Xie Lanyin smiled sweetly and leaned on her sister.

The carriage rode steadily, circled a few streets, and finally stopped in front of the Jiang residence.

Xie Lanyin was the last to get out of the car. The three of them laughed and talked, and just as they were about to reach the steps, suddenly there was the sound of wheels at the entrance of the alley. Xie Lanyin was the first to look over at the commotion.

“It’s the carriage of the Fang family.” Jiang Huaizhou had a lot of dealings with the Fang family, so he recognized it with sharp eyes.

Xie Lanyin and Xie Lanqiao looked at each other, turned around at the same time, and stood in front of the door waiting for the carriage to approach.

The car stopped; the curtain lifted.  Seven-year-old Fang Ling poked her head out timidly. She had never met her two cousins. She only knew Jiang Huaizhou, so she called to him in a low voice, “Third Cousin,” just like how the Xie family sisters referred to him as.

“Why is A’Ling here?” Jiang Huaizhou asked. No matter how much he might dislike the Fang family, he wouldn’t treat a little girl coldly.

Fang Ling answered obediently: “My mother said that my eldest aunt is here, so she brought me here to say hello to my aunt.”

Xie Lanyin looked into the car in disbelief. Xie Yao had just had a miscarriage, yet she didn’t stay at home to recuperate in bed, what was she doing here?

“You three just came back from outside?” Xie Yao leaned out of the carriage with a pale face, eyeing the three juniors, and said familiarly.

While talking, the servant girl who followed the carriage helped Fang Ling get off and then came to help her.

Xie Yao reluctantly got out of the car. Her eyebrows were wrinkled. Sweat was dripping from her forehead and nose. She looked very weak.

With her looking like this, Jiang Huaizhou couldn’t stop her from entering the door, so he gave the two cousins a reassuring look. First, he invited the mother and daughter into the manor and then sent the porter to send the news inside.

When Madam Jiang and Madam Li got the news, they came out together.

As soon as Xie Yao saw them, tears pooled in her eyes. She, along with her daughter, knelt down towards Madam Li, “Sister-in-law of the Jiang family, Fang Ze doesn’t want me and A’Ling anymore. We have nowhere to go in Xi’an City. I can only come to you and ask my sister-in-law to take us in for a few days. When she returns to Hangzhou, we will go back together with her.”

She bowed her head and wept. Fang Ling saw her mother crying and thinking about her father not wanting her, so she also started crying.

The mother and child pair cried together, appearing miserable and pitiful, but Madam Jiang didn’t have any sympathy. She only felt ashamed, too ashamed to face her brother and sister-in-law.

The eldest nephew was getting married; the whole Jiang family was full of joy. The sudden appearance of the mother and child pair, crying, was like a basin of cold water pouring down. Soon enough Fang Ze would catch up to them, and all this was trouble she brought to her brother and sister-in-law!

Her face turned blue, and Jiang didn’t know how to face her sister-in-law beside her.

Madam Li glanced at Madam Jiang and her two daughters who bore similar expressions, sighed silently in her heart, and went up to help Xie Yao, “Little sister, get up first. Let’s go to the room to talk about it. You are still not recovered. Don’t tire yourself out.”

They already showed up at her house. Even if she wanted to kick them out, she probably won’t be able to.