Chapter 218: Chapter 218
At noon, the once quiet little building was occasionally filled with the rustling sounds of movement, mixed with the occasional low reprimands from the little maids:
"Hey, hey, hey, everyone be careful, be careful. These are the young lady’s favorite golden silk peonies. The county princess herself specially sent them yesterday, and there are only a few pots..."
"Why place them there? Didn't the young lady say the prettiest ones should be put in the most prominent spot..."
"And that five-colored red pill, the sweet dates, you maid, how are you so clumsy..."
With the collective effort of the little maids, it didn’t take long before the small courtyard was transformed back into a small flower garden.
Red, blue, purple, and various flowers intertwined beautifully, with bees and butterflies flitting among them from time to time.
Upon arriving and seeing this scene, Young Lady Yang instinctively frowned slightly but quickly averted her gaze and, under the service of her maid, briskly quickened her pace.
Inside the pavilion, An Ning was currently imitating the original owner's manner of resting her chin on her hand, lost in thought...
Yes, lost in thought.
Occasionally, she would look at newly published picture albums.
Unfortunately, the last one had been confiscated a few days ago by her own mother during her convalescence for being a waste of eye power. Now, holed up in the small courtyard with no companions around, life was unbearably dull.
Thanks to her powerful spiritual awareness, An Ning could barely browse through the books stored in the space.
However, from Young Lady Yang’s perspective, seeing her was truly unbecoming.
Passing through layers of sheer curtains, on the sandalwood couch carved with various green ivy and flower patterns, a girl of about fourteen or fifteen lazily leaned back. The tiny tasselled forehead ornament moved with the slight swaying of her small head.
Because of the summer heat, the visitor wore only a water-red strapless peony brocade top, with a light smoky blue gauze dress covering it, making her snow-white skin exceptionally radiant.
A gentle breeze blew through, and a faint glow seemed to flow within the thin clothes.
At a glance, Yang Wan immediately recognized this as the soft jade gauze that had recently become the most popular fabric in the capital. It was said even the palace ladies adored it, and it was extremely expensive—one bolt cost nearly half a month's household expenses.
Not to mention the warm jade bracelet worn on her wrist, which likely cost as much as half a year’s household spending...
Since marriage was approaching, and she had already begun handling steward affairs, Young Lady Yang unconsciously calculated in her mind.
Yang Wan’s brows furrowed even more deeply. Behind her, Young Lady Yang’s second sister, a step slower, instinctively tugged at her eldest sister’s sleeve.
Only then did she manage to hold back the reprimand that was about to escape her lips.
Pretending not to notice the sisters’ subtle move, after a moment, An Ning turned her head, blinking like a young girl, speaking lightly:
"If the two sisters were coming, why didn’t you have the maids notify me?"
"What? Sisters should be like family; do we really need to bother with such formalities? I didn’t know Third Sister was so particular about these empty formalities."
Pretending not to hear the other’s dissatisfaction, An Ning nodded casually without looking at anyone, idly playing with the bright red beads on her hand.
Her tone was light and carefree:
"I’m glad the two sisters don’t mind. Today, Ah Yu and the others were all sent out by me to move flowers, so if the hospitality is lacking, I’m sure the two sisters will understand."
"After all, family doesn’t need such formalities!"
Saying this, An Ning nodded to herself.
Everyone knew that the eldest young lady of the household was the most generous and proper. Raised by the old madam since childhood, she was always meticulous about etiquette. Upon reaching the appropriate age, the old madam personally invited famous tutors for her; every move was measured as if by a ruler.
It could be said there was no flaw in her demeanor.
This marriage was to a family that valued etiquette above all—the prestigious Cui family, known for their scholarly heritage spanning centuries. Though only a branch family, their eldest legitimate son was a proper official in the Ministry of Rites.
Since this engagement was set, the eldest young lady had been even more demanding of herself.
The reason she was so angry today was because the entire Spring Rain Pavilion was simply too lax, and she felt slighted.
However, hearing this from the person in front of her’s mouth...
Taking a small sip of the clear tea hastily brewed by a little maid, Young Lady Yang subconsciously took a deep breath.
Don’t get angry, don’t get angry!
A woman should be chaste.
Virtue comes before beauty...
Forget it, what’s the point of arguing with a blockhead stubborn as an elm knot?
Raising her eyes to glance at the other’s peach-blossom-like face, Yang Wan finally spoke slowly:
"Not to mention your previous reckless acts, Third Sister, since your body has recovered, you should have gone to Shou’an Hall earlier to pay respects to the old ancestor. Grandmother mentioned you this morning!"
Does she have that much free time?
Sigh, everyone in the household knew that among the three granddaughters, the old lady disliked this one the most—a fool with nothing but a pretty face and no manners.
The fact that she looked remarkably like the unlucky daughter-in-law was one reason; being raised by that same unlucky daughter-in-law was another; and being a complete match to that unfortunate woman was the biggest reason of all...
Right in front of the two, An Ning didn’t hide her disdain and smirked slightly. After a moment, completely disinterested, she said:
"Don’t worry, Eldest Sister, I know!"
Who could possibly be reassured by that?
Beside them, Yang Yuan: "..."
"Do the two sisters have any other business?"
Accompanied by the tinkling sound of beads and jewelry, An Ning tilted her head in confusion:
"No, just that Third Sister seems a bit different today!"
Unexpectedly, it wasn’t Young Lady Yang who spoke this time, but the quiet Second Miss Yang Yuan.
Hearing the voice, An Ning slowly raised her eyes to look at her softly speaking second sister.
Speaking of the Yang family’s three sisters, though one family, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say each had a different style.
As the eldest legitimate daughter, Yang Wan had been taught to be poised and graceful since childhood. Her appearance was also the type the elders favored the most.
The only pity was that Yang Father’s genes were too strong, so the biological mother’s beauty genes had little advantage here.
Because of this, the biological mother Yu often nagged earlier on this body.
Second sister Yang Yuan was a truly graceful beauty, a fifteen-year-old girl with a slender and elegant figure. Overall, she looked beautiful and refined, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she was steeped in scholarly aura.
It was unclear why she had spoken up .
An Ning didn’t answer but gave a puzzled glance in return, her crystal-clear eyes suspiciously watching the other.
In short, her mind was small and clear on her face.
No different from before!
Instinctively, Yang Yuan relaxed slightly and then pursed her lips into a smile:
"Third Sister may not know, but a few days ago Young Master Xie just..."
Before she could finish, the person beside her sharply interrupted.