Chapter 68

  Xian Yi sat in the garden, listlessly swinging the round fan in her hand, gazing at the various beauties strolling about in the flower bushes. To say she didn't feel anything would be a lie, unless one was an idiot or a saint. For now, she could only pretend to be unaware of everything, which also saved her from giving the eldest mistress an excuse to make things uncomfortable for herself.

  After all, the eldest mistress hadn't explicitly brought up the topic either. The reason for inviting everyone to dinner was simply that the elderly lady liked lively gatherings. On a hot summer day, it was better to have something to do than nothing at all. So, having the young ladies and daughters-in-law appreciate flowers and drink wine together was also a way to pass the time.

  Of course, the dinner invitation wouldn't be limited to just their own family members. Anyone knew that the Jin family had few descendants, and gathering them together would only amount to a handful of people. Moreover, there were two young masters who hadn't married yet, so what was the point of having two madams bring two young ladies? Therefore, it became a matter of course to invite relatives from various families.

  Even if each family had their own thoughts, they couldn't say anything out loud. If this event could be successful, it would be a good thing. If not, the daughters from each family still needed to get married after all.

  The relatives from the first house are definitely not few. Not to mention that several beautiful daughters-in-law came from Old Lady Zhang's natal family, but also several girls came from Eldest Sister Jiang's family. Then there were the Li family, who were related to the Zhang family through marriage, as well as the He family, who were relatives of Madame's maternal family. In total, more than a dozen girls came, all of whom had some connection to the family. Compared to this, the third house seemed to have fewer people. Even if someone came, it was only a few young people who were there to make an appearance, or sisters-in-law from Second Madame's natal family and other married women who didn't have any particular purpose for coming, but rather just wanted to chat with Second Madame and think about their own future plans. Xian Yi's natal family was the weakest. Even if Chen Mama wanted to come, she would be stopped. Why bother sending her own daughter to be bullied by these high-ranking families? It would be better to live a good life on the estate in the suburbs of Beijing. Recently, it was heard that people from their hometown had contacted their mother, but it's not clear if there are still any relatives left in their hometown.

  Xian Yi sat beside her, looking bored but still polite, able to exchange a few words with whoever came by. Even if she hadn't been back to the capital in a long time, it didn't mean she was out of touch with the latest news. After all, she had an ambitious husband who wanted to dress her up as a fashionista. Just look at this gradual color-changing silk skirt she was wearing today - it was just popularized this year and Jin Fenghua had already brought back several pieces for her to make into clothes. Xian Yi wore it to the garden party, making some people here look like country bumpkins in comparison. Even if Zhang's maternal relatives looked down on Xian Yi, these people couldn't possibly mock her outfit without being conscience-stricken. This wasn't a family gathering of close relatives, and the third house's people weren't blind. Unfortunately, all they could do was endure or whisper evil words into Zhang's ear, saying that Jin Fenghua, as a concubine-born son, dared to dress up his wife so lavishly, probably using the second house's money. Zhang wasn't unsuspecting, but she had a clear grasp of the second house's finances in her hands. She and the third house were equally aware of whether Jin Fenghua used that money or not. But being too aware made it difficult for her to refrain from complaining to her son in private about Jin Fenghua's mysterious wealth. The more she thought about it, the itchier she felt, and the more she wanted to plant someone by Jin Fenghua's side to thoroughly investigate him and dig out all his secrets. Zhang was most annoyed when people around her had secrets.

  "You said that the third young lady in your family is really a servant? Looking at her, it doesn't seem like it. It's those daughters-in-law and girls from the main house who are not to my liking." Zhou Shi was the elder sister of Er Tai Tai Zhu Shi, and back then she had also carefully considered the simplicity of the third branch before marrying off her younger sister to this family. Now that her younger sister had no mother-in-law above her and children below her, with a husband who respected her, it could be said that she had married into a good family. Therefore, the relationship between the two sisters-in-law was usually good, and today Zhou Shi had even come in person.

  "The old lady's natal family has many people, who doesn't know that if the old lady wasn't a tough one and Eldest Brother wasn't able to keep his wealth safe, it's likely that after Old Master passed away those years ago, they would have been skinned alive by these relatives." Zhu Shi sipped her tea hiding in the pavilion, her previous thoughts about the second household had long since faded. Everyone has a greedy heart, but one must also distinguish between what can be bitten and what cannot be bitten. Fortunately, her husband thought the same way as her. But to tell the truth, after Golden Phoenix was adopted into the family for so many years, she still hadn't seen through this person.

  "Yes, now who doesn't fawn on her? The girls in the family all let her pick..." Zhou Shi said disdainfully, then looked at Xian Yi again and whispered to her own younger sister: "Do you think your family's Third Young Mistress knows?"

  Zhu also shook her head and looked at Xian Yi's clothes, saying: "It's hard to say, I don't understand this girl either."

  "This couple is really strange." Zhou Shi said with a mouthful of fruit.

  "I think San Shu's movements are indescribably beautiful, and they're a bit like the well-bred ayi I saw at my cousin's house last time." said Jin Jia's eldest daughter, Zhu Shi's daughter, in a soft and weak voice.

  Madam Zhu was delighted, "My own daughter doesn't know what virtues she has, and now she can express her own opinions. It's clear that this temperament can be changed. So she encouraged her by saying: 'It's still my girl who has a good eye for things, isn't it? The girls from the Guo family in Beijing personally taught her, if she didn't have any talent at all, Madam Jiang wouldn't have taught her for so long.'"

  "You're really lucky." Zhou said with some envy, her family also had daughters, but if they wanted to invite a nanny from the palace, it was extremely difficult, not to mention that the lady of a large family would personally teach them, the Jiang family in Beijing was a prominent family, and Mrs. Jiang was almost made empress dowager back then.

  The Zhu and Zhou families were envious of Xianyi's elegant attire, but the more they looked at her, the tighter Zhang Lao's eyebrows became. The more refined and dignified Xianyi appeared, the more it highlighted the coarseness of the girls brought by Zhang Lao. It wasn't that Zhang Lao's relatives' daughters were unbearable, but people are always compared to one another, with some being superior to others. This was also why Jin Fenghua had insisted on teaching Xianyi etiquette in the first place - losing out in terms of family background wasn't a big deal, but losing out in refinement was unacceptable. Sometimes, personal charm could make up for one's humble origins.

  As Zhang Lao gazed at those girls she had previously favored being compared unfavorably to Xianyi, she felt extremely displeased. She couldn't bear the condescending looks and boastful talk about comparing family backgrounds from those girls. She wished their parents would take them back home immediately. Not only did Jin Fenghua not seem impressed, but even Zhang Lao herself thought it was embarrassing. What was the point of saying so much nonsense? No matter how good one's family background was, they would still have to become someone else's concubine in the future. Trying to show off their superiority before even entering the household was either stupid or pitifully stupid.

  "They are all so careless." Old Lady Zhang panted with anger and frustration.

  "They are all spoiled at home, and it's inevitable that they will be like this." He Shi is the mother of Mrs. He, the younger sister of Old Lady Zhang, and she is not young either. Because Old Lady Zhang has the title of Madame Anguo, she often tries to curry favor with her.

  "It's not even worth a servant girl." Old Lady Zhang said with her mouth, but her eyes lit up and she pointed to the little girl standing beside Xian Yi who had been smiling silently: "Whose child is that? Although she doesn't look the best, her temperament seems steady."

  He looked at her and said: "That's the illegitimate daughter of the Li family, she's 15 this year. She's usually gentle and soft-spoken, and her stepmother is quite fond of her."

  "She's only as old as that slave girl." Old Lady Zhang continued, somewhat discontentedly: "It's just that she doesn't look as good as that slave girl, what a pity."

  He's heart skipped a beat, and he hastily said: "Who says it must be a great beauty? If the third young master really likes beauties, why is there only one legitimate wife in his backyard? Moreover, he himself looks like that, and it's hard to find someone better-looking than him in the country. Maybe he just likes those with good temper. Look at the third young madam, isn't she a gentle-tempered person?"

  Mrs. Zhang thought for a moment, and indeed, there was such a taste to it. These days, radish greens have their own preferences, she thinks they don't look good, but maybe Jin Fenghua likes them? Besides, this Li family girl seems like someone who understands things, if used well in the future, maybe something will come of it.

  "Call her over."

  The fairy dress was annoyed by a group of women carrying guns and sticks, and if the scene wasn't wrong, she really wanted to shout: If you really like it, go find Jin Fenghua, what's the use of finding her. Fortunately, she had endured it until the old lady Zhang's servant came over, but not to rescue her, but to call a young girl in a light blue skirt next to the fairy dress. The girl was about the same age as herself and hadn't said anything before, but the fairy dress didn't ignore her existence. Watching the girl leave politely, the fairy dress had an idea: Had Old Lady Zhang already chosen someone?

  Li Yuanni restrained her excited hands, following behind the nanny with her head down. She knew her chance had come. Before her stepmother arrived, she had clearly informed her of the situation in the Jin family. She also learned from outside that the third young master of the Jin family was a handsome man like Pan An, not only knowledgeable but also highly valued by the Jin family. Moreover, he only had one wife with a humble background and all the property of the second house. If she seized this opportunity, she would no longer worry about her stepmother giving her away as a gift to someone else. All these years, she had been trying to please her stepmother in order to marry well, not to be given away. She wanted a name, even if it meant being a concubine. The situation with Jin Fenghua was like a pie falling from the sky for her. As the wife came from a low background, she would only be a substitute wife. If something unexpected happened to the wife, Old Lady Zhang would definitely help her control the second house. At that time... Li Yuanni took a deep breath. The girls who came today were all foolish, otherwise how could they show off her? She knew she was only pretty, but she had confidence in winning over the 16-year-old boy. Which ambitious boy would really want to marry a slave wife? They were both born out of wedlock and sympathized with each other, without putting pressure on him. It was truly a match made in heaven.