Chu Jin Yao was considered late in arriving. She lived far away and it was not as convenient as the other young ladies. When she reached, Rong Ning Tang was already filled with people.
Old Furen was wearing a dark red with gold woven outerwear, siting upright on the Arhat bed. When she saw that almost everyone was here, she cleared her throat and gave a rare kind smile. “Your GuGu spoke to the Prince Consort upon returning home about our family’s matter. The old ancestor at the Prince residence liked it and the Prince Consort also liked our family’s young ladies. Your GuGu has passed the message back that after a few days the Prince Consort would officially send an invitation to invite our residence of Marquis Chang Xing for a visit. The messenger has already been sent back by her so it is estimated that in a few days’ time, the Prince Consort’s invitation would be delivered.”
The young ladies immediately let out soft cheers. Seventh Young Lady threw herself into Old Furen’s arms and said, “That is great. I haven’t been to the Prince residence!”
Seventh Young Lady was young, not old enough to be taken out by her mother, thus she was very keen on going out. The other young ladies were older than Seventh Young Lady but seldom went out. Upon hearing that they would be going out after a period of time and would be even heading to the residence of Prince Huai Ling, the few young ladies were so excited that they squeezed their handkerchiefs as they could not wait to discuss it with their close sisters.
Old Chu Furen smiled as she watched them clamour and did not reprimand them for not paying attention to the rules. The world during this period was particularly harsh on females, thus a large number of girls would be locked in the inner courtyard from when they were born. The furtherest they could go was the second doors. Other than the lantern festival, the third day of the third lunar month, they would not be able to go out easily. Now that they suddenly learned that they could go out to attend a banquet, moreover at Tai Yuan’s noble residence of Prince Huai Ling, no matter how prudent a young lady was, it would be difficult for her not to be excited.
Old Chu Furen waited until their excitement passed before continuing, “This visit to the Prince residence is of no trivial matter. You all seldom go out, so you must look well in public. Madam Zhao…”
Madam Zhao took a step forward and replied, “This Daughter-in-Law is here.”
“Have the clothes for this season been made for the young ladies?”
“The four sets of clothes per season for our family’s young ladies have been distributed.”
“It has been distributed…” Old Chu Furen pondered for a while. “It is rare for them to go out, so let’s make a set of new clothes for them. I will call the daughter-in-law of the Li family over later, so you all can select whatever material you like. The cost would be paid at my end. And for the head ornaments, I remember that the last time new head ornaments were made was during the New Year’s. Do you all have enough jewelry at the moment?”
The younger generation were all exceptionally bright, naturally they spoke in unison upon hearing the question, “ZuMu, we have worn the head ornaments for a few times, may Old Ancestor feel sorry for us!”
The young ladies acted coquettishly and the more favoured maids also spoke, “Old Furen is the most generous, there isn’t anything that the young ladies want that they do not have.”
Old Chu Furen was coaxed into laughter. “You monkeys! Then fine, go call Zhen Bao Ge’s people in. You can select what you like. I am already old and there is no need to dress up. It is you few young ladies that are still vibrant and young, there must not be any neglect.”
Madam Yan flattered Old Chu Furen, “Mother, I cannot agree with your words. You are still very young. That time when my maiden family came over, they even told me secretly that if they did not know that you are the older family matriarch, they would have thought that you and I were of the same generation!”
These words were so blatant. Even if this was to please Old Furen, Madam Zhao was unable to say such words. However, Madam Yan could do so, so it was not surprising that Madam Yan had the most face among the three daughters-in-law. Old Chu Furen waved her finger at Madam Yan. “You are cheeky. How can you say such words? Not afraid that the younger generation would laugh?”
Madam Yan replied, “Mother, I am wronged! I am obviously telling the truth!”
Seventh Young Lady hugged Old Chu Furen and agreed, “Mother is not wrong. Old Ancestor is still young and healthy!”
While Gu Momo and the others laughed in agreement, Chu Jin Xian sat by Old Chu Furen’s side smiling faintly. Chu Jin Yao stood in the hall and did not speak wittily like the other sisters and instead smiled at the scene.
Old Chu Furen was coaxed so well that she was unable to close her lips. “All of you have better lips than the oriole! You think I do not know what you all are doing? You are eyeing my personal funds! Fine, it is difficult for our family to be this lively so there is no need to call Zhen Bao Ge to come over, instead you three daughters-in-law shall bring your own young ladies out to select suitable headwear. No matter how much you spend, it would all be on me.”
When Madam Yan heard that, she smiled so much that her eyes almost disappeared. Chu Jin Yao also felt happy when watching this scene.
Rong Ning Tang was filled with peace and happiness but Chu Jin Miao smiled forcefully. After watching for a while, she quietly withdrew.
She was still confined in name, but upon encountering such a big event, she too had to go over to Old Furen. If no one mentioned it and everybody would turn a blind eye, then her confinement would be lifted.
If it was before, Chu Jin Miao would be the liveliest of the sisters. She was the Di-daughter of the Eldest household, so she was far nobler than the daughters of the Second and Third households. There were only two Di-daughters in the Eldest household, Chu Jin Xian was dignified and composed, so she would not speak such flattering words, whereas Chu Jin Miao was the younger Di-daughter, so she was the most qualified person to act like a spoilt child and attract everyone’s attention. Unfortunately, with the arrival of Chu Jin Yao, all of this had ended abruptly.
In addition, after the last incident, Chu Jin Miao felt somewhat uncomfortable upon seeing Old Furen. When she saw Old Chu Furen, she would be reminded of the fact that she had failed in scheming. She could not tell if it was fear or deliberate avoidance, but she did not want to face Old Chu Furen. Even when all sisters were acting coquettishly in such an occasion, she spoke very little.
Chu Jin Miao avoided the crowd and walked out by herself. As she stood in the veranda of the Marquis residence, she looked up at the tiled-blue skies. The laughter of Chu family young ladies continued to ring behind, but as Chu Jin Miao heard it, she could not help but stretch her hand out to tighten the cloak around her.
She too had once been a part of these laughters, but now, the ZuMu instead was not her ZuMu and the sisters were no longer her sisters. She could no longer stand straight and argue with the young ladies of the residence of Marquis Chang Xing and instruct the servants in the residence. Furthermore, there was a gap between her and ZuMu. All of this was due to Chu Jin Yao.
Chu Jin Miao thoughts churned uncontrollably. Why did Chu Jin Yao have to come back? She was the one that grew up here. The title of the Young Lady of the Marquis residence and the sisters of the Chu family, were originally hers! Now with Chu Jin Yao suddenly appearing, saying her thirteen years were erroneous, how could Chu Jin Miao accept it willingly?
Chu Jin Miao stood in place for a while, and when she was finally unable to withstand the continuous laughter from the room, she left looking glum. Never mind. Since the Chu family no longer accepted her, then she would not value them! She was already thirteen and soon there would be talks of marriage. She will find a noble family and marry out with honour, living her life well while making the people of the Chu family regret it!
In Rong Ning Tang, the grandparent and grandchildren had been laughing for a long time when a maid looked around and said, “Where is Fourth Young Lady? She was here just now.”
The atmosphere in the room stagnated for a while and Old Furen’s smile gradually diminished as she counted the Buddhist beads in her hands without speaking. Chu Jin Xian sat by Old Furen’s side as if she did not hear anything. Second Young Lady, as usual, stood on the spot, as if she was an invisible person, whereas Third Young Lady rolled her eyes and snorted. Chu Jin Yao had a susceptible position. She had long discovered that Chu Jin Miao was gone but did not say anything. Now that the question was asked publicly, she would not answer it. In the end, it was Sixth Young Lady of the Third Household that spoke, “The room is somewhat warm. Fourth Young Lady perhaps went out for a breather.”
Madam Zhao anxiously said, “She is not of good health and it is difficult for her to breathe when there is too many people. Mother, why not I go out to look for her?”
Old Furen replied lightly, “Since she went out for a breather, then let her take it easy. She will come back herself after some time.”
Unexpectedly, she could not even look? Madam Zhao was very anxious but dared not disobey Old Chu Furen and could only bow her head reluctantly, “Yes.”
Madam Yan squinted her eyes at Madam Zhao and smiled secretly.
Sure enough, three to four days later, Prince Huai Ling Consort’s invitation arrived at the residence Marquis of Chang Xing. The Prince residence invitation was grand and elegant with gold foil embossed patterns at the four corners. Madam Yan sighed as she held the invitation, “As expected of the Prince residence, it is sure large-scaled. It is just an invitation that is thrown away after one use but they actually decorate it with real gold! This is truly…”
Madam Zhao felt ashamed of Madam Yan and turned her face away. The few of them were dressed in new clothes as they gathered at Old Furen’s before heading out when everybody else arrived. The other young ladies heard Madam Yan’s words and although they felt that Madam Yan was somewhat small-minded, they all understood in their hearts that the difference between the residence of Prince Huai Ling and the Marquis of Chang Xing could be seen in these insignificant details. How would the residence of the Marquis of Chang Xing be willing to use gold to emboss the invitations? But the residence of Prince Huai Ling did not care at all. Even if Marquis of Chang Xin splurged, it would not be of such a level. These gold and silver decorations could only used by the Imperial family.
When everybody had arrived, Chu Jin Yao was led by her mother to greet Old Furen and upon getting Old Furen’s permission, she then boarded the carriage accompanied by her brothers and slowly headed down towards the main streets.
This was Chu Jin Yao’s first time in the market. When she was living with the Su family, she was not qualified to go to the county market with her father and afterwards left with Marquis Chang Xing, taking the carriage all the way back to the residence of Marquis Chang Xing. She had never had the chance to see what Tai Yuan looked like. Now that she was finally out, she was very excited the entire journey and could barely hold back pulling the curtain apart to look.
However, Chu Jin Yao wouldn’t dare. She was sitting in the same carriage as Chu Jin Xian, while Madam Zhao was in the same carriage as Chu Jin Miao. Chu Jin Xian was sitting in a dignified manner in the rickety carriage and even if she did not look in her direction, Chu Jin Yao knew that she would not allow her to do something improper like lifting the curtain up.
Perhaps Chu Jin Xian could see that Chu Jin Yao could not sit still due to her excitement. Actually, there was no need to look as Chu Jin Yao had already expressed it. Chu Jin Xian was helpless and felt heartache as she spoke softly to her, “There are a lot of people on the streets so it is inappropriate to be seen by others. When we reach Zhen Bao Ge, you can look around openly.”
Chu Jin Yao was stunned for a while before realising that Chu Jin Xian was comforting her. She said, overwhelmed, “I understand. Thanking Eldest Sister.”
Chu Jin Xian’s words were not false. After the Marquis residence’s carriage traveled a little, it turned into a corner keeping the noise outside the curtain further away. Now, the roads were much more even and the carriage no longer bumped up and down. Chu Jin Yao waited patiently for a while and heard a knock on the carriage and a maid’s voice from outside the carriage, “Eldest Young Lady, Fifth Young Lady. We have arrived at Zhen Bao Ge. This servant will help you down.”
Chu Jin Xian left first while Chu Jin Yao was supported by the maid as she slowly stepped off the carriage. Actually Chu Jin Yao was used to being active since childhood, so the distance between the carriage to the ground, she could manage with a single jump. However, in front of so many people, she dared not do such a thing.
After Chu Jin Yao stepped on the ground, she immediately turned her head to look at the streets. The entire street was selling jewelry, gold, jade and more. The wealthy and nobles were all around and the carriages of the officials and big clans everywhere. Chu Jin Yao’s eyes were wide as she toook in this scene. She had never seen such a broad and magnificent shopping street! This was many more times imposing than the county Father Su, Su Sheng, spoke of.
When Qin Yi saw Chu Jin Yao’s expression, he could not help but whispere, “It is just an ordinary street, is it needed to the extent? If you really like it, then you should go to the commerce street in the capital.”
Chu Jin Yao’s eyes were sparkling as she asked Qin Yi quietly, “Is the capital bigger than Tai Yuan?”
Qin Yi laughed softly, “It is just Tai Yuan. Naturally, it cannot compare to the capital.”
Chu Jin Yao let out a soft sigh of admiration. Tai Yuan had already opened her eyes to the world but the capital was more vast and magnificent than Tai Yuan, so what kind of scene would it be? Chu Jin Yao pondered over it for a while before speaking in frustration, “It is a pity that I do not have a chance to see the capital and can only dream about it.”
“How can it be?” Qin Yi said, “If you want to visit, isn’t it easy?”
Chu Jin Yao shook her head, “I am a young lady who would not even go out normally, what’s more going to the faraway capital? Even if one is to be married, one would not want to go to such a far away place. No matter how good the capital is, it has nothing to do with me. My home is in Tai Yuan, I do not want to be too far from my parents.”
This time Qin Yi was silent. He once again realised that he was vastly different from Chu Jin Yao.
“Young Lady!” Shan Cha’s voice sounded from behind. She lifted her skirt and hurried down the steps before walking over to Chu Jin Yao’s side and complained repeatedly, “Why does Young Lady hide here alone? I thought that you went in with Fourth Young Lady and the rest. I had a hard time searching and was even scolded by Eldest Young Lady! Why are you always running around alone!”
When the words were said, Qin Yi’s face turned grim and almost scolded this maid for being rude. Who gave her the courage to talk to Chu Jin Yao like this? Chu Jin Yao vaguely felt that Qin Yi was somewhat irritated, so she placed her hand gently on the jade pendant and said to Shan Cha, “I understand. Is Eldest Sister waiting for me inside?”
“Yes.” Shan Cha was scolded by Chu Jin Xian, thus she felt angry and wanted to say more. However, she saw Chu Jin Yao walking past her, straight into the shop.
Shan Cha was totally ignored by Chu Jin Yao. She was even more annoyed but fortunately, she was aware of her identity. There were so many masters in the store and any one of them would be able to crush her to death single-handedly, thus she would not dare to kick up a fuss with Fifth Young Lady at such a place. As such, she could only hold back her anger and pout as she followed Chu Jin Yao into the store in despair.
Chu Jin Xian was waiting at the doors and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Chu Jin Yao crossing the threshold. She spoke with a frown, “What is wrong with the maids by your side? There are so many of them following you but they can actually lose you?”
“Eldest Sister, say no more.” Chu Jin Yao tugged Chu Jin Xian’s hands lightly, “It is rare for us sisters to go out together, so don’t be angry with this kind of things. When I return, I will discipline them.”
Chu Jin Xian looked at Shan Cha’s floating eyes and then at Sun Momo who was following Madam Zhao’s and Chu Jin Miao, how could she not understand Chu Jin Yao’s predicament? However, she could not settle everything for Chu Jin Yao. Chu Jin Yao herself had to understand the ways to survive in the inner courtyard.
Chu Jin Xian sighed and said no more. Upon seeing that, Chu Jin Yao sighed in her heart. This was how a family was. Chu Jin Xian could not find her and the first words upon seeing her were to ask if she was doing fine and the next was to reprimand her maid’s dereliction of duty. If it was Madam Zhao, she would only say with a frown, “Why do you run around? What kind of propriety is this?”
Madam Zhao seemed to always have a strong prejudice against her whenever she saw her. Madam Zhao wanted her daughter to be a decent young lady as soon as she appeared, no matter what she had encountered. Chu Jin Yao sighed. Perhaps, what Madam Zhao needed was Chu Jin Miao, a young lady who was frail, articulate with her words and relied on Madam Zhao heavily and not her, the biological daughter who came back midway.
Chu Jin Xian was already engaged and not supposed to go out anymore, but she had strongly plead that she be allowed to go along. Looking at Madam Zhao’s and Chu Jin Miao’s affectionate figures, Chu Jin Xian thought to herself that she had guessed correctly. Madam Zhao only had Chu Jin Miao in her eyes and had totally forgotten that she still had another daughter to look after. Chu Jin Yao had returned after such a long time, but Madam Zhao was not willing to adapt to the new situation. If Chu Jin Xian had not come today, the rest of the young ladies had a mother to bring along to look at jewelry and only Chu Jin Yao would be left behind. And that would be very awkward.
Even Chu Jin Xian had developed a sense of resentment towards Madam Zhao for failing to meet expectations.
When the young attendant of Zhen Bao Ge saw the two beautiful young ladies standing arm in arm in the hall, one as gentle as the moon, the other as bright as the morning sun, he quickly ran over to greet, “Young Ladies, what do you want to see?”
The attendant of course knew that these were the distinguished guests from the residence of Marquis Chang Xing and going by the appearance and clothes of the two, they were most likely the Di-Young Ladies of the Marquis residence. He did not know why they were standing by themselves, but this was not important as it was enough for him to know that these were two big customers!
Chu Jin Xian put her thoughts away and no longer looked at those troublesome things as she pulled Chu Jin Yao inside. “You do not have many jewelry so take this opportunity to buy everything.” She then turned her head to instruct the attendant, “Go bring out all the head ornaments of your shop. Whether it is hairpins, double pins or buyaos, take everything out for us to see.”
When the attendant heard this, his heart blossomed as he replied immediately, “Yes. Will comply.”
The attendant had the intention to please this pair of big customers, so he brought some exquisite jewelry over and one by one, described them. Chu Jin Xian was very clam as she picked the head ornaments from the boxes to look and after asking a few questions, said, “Wrap these few up.”
Chu Jin Yao broke out a cold sweat when she heard that. “Eldest Sister, how can I use so many? This is not right for us…”
Their actions here had startled Madam Yan. She saw at a glance that there were many boxes piled up in front of them and Chu Jin Xian had just instructed to wrap up a number of boxes. Madam Yan immediately objected, “On what rationale can you two pick so many?”
Although Old Chu Furen had told them to choose as much as they liked, they could not take it seriously. The womenfolk tacitly understood that they could only select one larger hairpin and two small ones, and the cost would approximately be as such. If it exceeded by a lot or if one wanted to take the opportunity to purchase a few more pieces, then it would be out of their own pockets.
Madam Yan could not be angrier when she looked at Chu Jin Xian and Chu Jin Yao. Both of them were going too overboard. They were all spending Old Furen’s money, so for what reason could these two be able to spend so much?
Chu Jin Yao secretly tugged Chu Jin Xian’s sleeves and Chu Jin Xian then pressed her hand as she swept a glance at Madam Yan, “Do not worry Second Shen, these are my gifts to Fifth Younger Sister, it would be charged to my tab.”
Madam Yan was rendered speechless. She looked at the pair of golden hairpins, a pair of golden hair clips and a pair of silver pearled Buyaos in front of Chu Jin Yao and spoke in a strange tone, “Eldest Young Lady is sure in Old Furen’s heart and thoughts. One’s wealth is sure enviable.”
Chu Jin Xian ignored Madam Yan and instead spoke to Chu Jin Yao, “Pick whatever you like, there is no need to worry about anything else.
Chu Jin Yao held back for a while before speaking softly, “Thanking Eldest Sister.” She was grateful for Chu Jin Xian’s kindness and was also saddened at how strapped for money she was.
The actions here inevitably alarmed the others and naturally, Chu Jin Xian’s words had made it to many ears. They were envious and jealous, but there was nothing they could do. Chu Jin Xian was the recipient of Old Furen’s good graces and the food and clothes she wore had always been the best. On the surface, her dowry was six thousand taels, but one did not know how much Old Furen had privately given her. Chu Jin Xian was filled with confidence, thus if she wanted to spend on Chu Jin Yao, she really did not care about this paltry amount.
Chu Jin Xian’s words had also made their way to Madam Zhao, and she was somewhat embarrassed. She brought Chu Jin Miao closer and said, “I had forgotten that Jin Yao still lacks jewelry. Since we are out today, then let’s resolve it too.”
Madam Zhao planned to pay for it. Since she, the mother, was here, how could she let her Eldest Daughter pay for it? She swept a look at the things on the table and frowned, “Buy all of these? One needs to change clothes as a guest, but it cannot be done for head ornaments. If the jewelries are all new, it would make others laugh.”
“Anyway, the future is still long, so it does not matter if one prepares earlier for her.” Chu Jin Xian said lightly before speaking to the attendant, “Put all these away.”
Madam Zhao could not say anything more in the presence so many people, so only said, “You are still a young lady. Keep the dowry by your side and let me settle this.”
Chu Jin Xian pushed aside Madam Zhao hands, “Mother, I will be marrying soon and Jin Yao has just returned. I, as an older sister, am unable to accompany her for much time and can only make it up with these things. This is my sincerity. If Mother wants to make amends, then that would be another story.”
Chu Jin Yao raised her brows secretly upon hearing these words. She suddenly felt that Eldest Sister was also a powerful person. Sure enough, upon hearing it, Madam Zhao could not get over it and only said, “Alright, I will not fight with you. I just saw a set of gemstone head ornaments that were not bad. It is fortunate that Jin Yao does not have any gemstone jewelry, so I will get that set for her.”
Chu Jin Xian had already said that so it was not possible for Madam Zhao to stop her, but it was not ideal not to express anything. She was a Marquis Furen, so how could she pale in comparison to her eldest daughter? She could only buy another more expensive set of jewelry to maintain the scene.
When Chu Jin Miao heard that it was gemstone, she was in shock. She only had a few pieces of gemstone jewelry and they were all accumulated by her over the years. It was not even enough to make a set! For what reason could Chu Jin Yao gain an entire set of gemstone head ornaments?
Chu Jin Miao looked at Chu Jin Yao with contempt. Chu Jin Yao felt that she would be a fool for not taking advantage when it was offered, so she lowered her head and did not speak, letting Chu Jin Xian and Madam Zhao make arrangements. As Chu Jin Miao’s stares were to no avail, the more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She then reached out to tug Madam Zhao’s sleeves and said, “Mother…”
Even though Madam Zhao was a Marquis Furen, she was unable to buy two sets of gemstone jewelry at a time. Everyone understood what Chu Jin Miao meant when she behaved as such, so Madam Zhao was somewhat embarrassed and for the first time, she felt that Chu Jin Miao only cared about herself and was not well behaved at all. That thought was fleeting as Madam Zhao saw Chu Jin Miao’s pitiful eyes and couldn’t bear it, “I just saw a set of gold butterfly combs. If you like it, then take it along too.”
Chu Jin Miao was not happy in her heart. A gold comb and a set of gemstone head ornaments. the difference was just too huge! However, Chu Jin Miao could only say reluctantly in front of so many people, “Thanking Mother.”
In the end, Chu Jin Yao watched emotionally as the big and small packages were loaded into her carriage. It felt good to have money, but these were all Eldest Sister’s and Mother’s money. When would she be able to have her own income?
As Chu Jin Yao pondered, she decided not to make trouble for herself. Her entire net worth was only half a bolt of brocade and thirty taels. She had had plans for her two months allowance but had been unable to save any.
She was filled with an indescribable sadness.
Although there were some small incidents in this trip, the womenfolk all bought the jewelry that they liked, thus everyone were happy. Chu Jin Yao went along the flow of people. Madam Zhao and Madam Yan encountered wives of other officials and started talking intimately while holding hands. Chu Jin Yao stood among the sisters in boredom as she listened to the conversation of the adults. Her eyes moved casually and she discovered that there was a beautiful clothing shop that was open beside Zhan Bao Ge.
Chu Jin Yao’s mind immediately became active.
She was quite good at needlework so if she had the opportunity to open a shop, the most suitable should be a clothing shop. Chu Jin Yao did not know if she would have chance in the future to own a clothing shop, but she really wanted to inquire about it in advance, so as to understand the market situation.
As she thought about it, Chu Jin Yao left the group quietly and walked over. Just as she walked down the steps, she heard Qin Yi ask, “Where are you going?”
“I am going to talk to the attendant of that shop…” Before she could finish speaking, she saw a fleet of majestic cavalry galloping at the end of the long street. Perched on tall horses with grim faces, they galloped over at a rapid pace. A red-robed little boy was playing with stone beads by the side of the road when suddenly his stone beads quivered and rolled out. The boy did not even lift his head as he reflexively ran after the beads.
Screams were suddenly heard in the streets and Chu Jin Yao could not help but shout, “Be careful!”
