novelraw Chapter 734 - 723: Stand-In Younger Sister
Chapter 734 - 723: Stand-In Younger Sister
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"Cousin Yanran, don’t be angry; there’s nothing worth getting angry about. Being angry is only bad for your health, and I want to live a bit longer!" Ye Qiu said with a light smile, her eyes cool and pure.
Wang Yanran was holding back a surge of frustration, but felt powerless. What could she do? Encourage her cousin to resist? Knowing full well that Ye Qiu was unwell, getting angry would only worsen her condition!
She hated how her aunt and uncle clearly favored Ye Xia more, yet always kept Ye Qiu on their lips, making everyone pity Ye Xia even more, feeling sympathetic toward her supposed hardships.
Her supposed hardships my ass! Every time they said they were buying something for Cousin Ye Qiu, wasn’t it always something Ye Xia liked? They claimed to love Cousin Ye Qiu, but their actions always benefited Ye Xia. Yet, infuriatingly, Ye Xia, having reaped the benefits, remained oblivious, believing herself to be magnanimous.
Wang Yanran was livid but couldn’t lash out, and her heart grew even colder toward her cousin Ye Xia.
"First, take off your outer clothes; you must be exhausted. You know you are not well, so why did you wear such heavy clothing?" Wang Yanran quickly ordered her maids to help Ye Qiu change into something else.
Ye Qiu obediently let her change her clothes and then was forcibly made to lie on the soft couch, her eyes brimming with gratitude and affection for her cousin.
There was a smile in her eyes. This feeling of being cared for was so nice, hence her indifferent tone when speaking of the Ye Family people: "Today is Grandmother’s birthday, Father and Mother wouldn’t allow me to dress disrespectfully."
"How is this not disrespectful? The clothes don’t even fit properly, and who doesn’t know that pomegranate skirts are most suitable made of red silk! What’s the deal with your sapphire blue one?" The anger Wang Yanran had just calmed flared up again.
"And this jewelry, Ye Xia’s red pomegranate skirt goes well with rubies. What about your blue dress with rubies? Take it off quickly, I have a set of Blue Jade here for you. However, since you are not yet of age, wearing a full set would be inappropriate, so I’ll have the maids redo your hair."
The people of Yin Country love their jewelry, like jade, Jade, gemstones, and the like command high prices. Red Jade and Blue Jade, in particular, are even more expensive due to their rarity. Ye Qiu immediately wanted to refuse.
"Cousin Yanran, how can this be okay? Blue Jade is so precious, how can I wear it?"
"Why can’t you? You’re my dear cousin. If you feel guilty, we can swap. Just give me your ruby set," Wang Yanran said nonchalantly.
"It’s still not okay. Mother would scold me if I went back with it," Ye Qiu shook her head in refusal.
"Just say I liked your jewelry, and I forced you to exchange it. Is that not enough?"
"Cousin," Ye Qiu said with a helpless expression, then earnestly advised her, "I think it’s best not to switch. Look, if I show up in front of everyone wearing this inappropriate attire, with Ye Xia as a contrast, won’t Mother’s lie about favoring me most become self-evident?"
Wang Yanran truly hesitated for a moment but was still dissatisfied: "But some foolish people might think it’s your poor taste. Besides, as long as we are comfortable ourselves, who cares what others think?"
It seems she couldn’t be persuaded after all! Having such a cousin warmed Ye Qiu’s heart.
"Cousin, as you said, as long as we are comfortable ourselves, who cares what others think? Anyway, in a few months, or a year or two, I might be gone. Who will remember me then?"
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"You must not speak such disheartening words," Wang Yanran suddenly turned stern, her eyes filled with reluctance to hurt. "Alright, if you don’t wish to change, let it be so, I won’t force you."
Ye Qiu’s eyes crinkled with a smile upon hearing this: "Thank you, cousin, let’s have some fruit, the dishes today will definitely be greasy, let’s fill our stomachs first."
Ye Qiu’s maternal grandmother was born into a peasant family and remained unworldly all her life. Despite her son having achieved significant official status later on, she could not shake off the parvenu temperament deep in her bones, believing that providing guests with an abundance of fish and meat was the most face-saving and polite way to host.
The Wang family’s uncle was a filial man. His elderly mother was of advanced age, yet he had always indulged her.
He was indifferent to the unusual looks from others; rather, this was a part of his good reputation. He preferred to be the subject of ridicule himself rather than go against his mother’s wishes, embodying the filial piety that scholars held in high esteem.
Therefore, whenever there was a significant event in the Wang family, the feast would consist of rich dishes, with not a single vegetarian dish in sight, to please the Old Lady. The chosen meats were especially greasy and fatty.
Ye Qiu’s health was not the best, and she couldn’t eat too much greasy food. Likewise, an unmarried girl like Wang Yanran, who needed to maintain her figure, also dared not indulge too much. Moreover, with autumn approaching, the dishes would mostly have cooled by the time they were brought from the kitchen, with the oil solidified on top, greasy and gamey. Hence, neither planned to partake in the feast and decided to eat something else to stave off hunger beforehand.
As the meal was about to begin, Ye Qiu and Wang Yanran were summoned by Aunt Chen to the Old Lady’s courtyard. The attendees today were either the Ye Family themselves or people on good terms with the Wang family, so besides the separation of men and women, there weren’t too many strict protocols to follow.
Today Ye Xia was particularly sweet-tongued, eliciting bursts of hearty laughter from the Old Lady. As a result, she had been specially retained by the Old Lady’s side for the meal, while Ye Qiu and Wang Yanran joined the table for the younger girls.
"Call Brother Yu over. His cousin has arrived today, and the siblings have yet to properly greet each other!" the Old Lady chuckled heartily, uttering a statement that shocked Aunt Chen.
Aunt Chen’s face stiffened, and anger flickered in her eyes: "Mother, I fear this might be somewhat inappropriate. There are many young ladies present who are yet to have their coming of age! Moreover, Chengyu is already of age and should maintain a respectful distance."
Hearing Aunt Chen’s evasive objections, the Old Lady felt displeased: "What harm is there for such young children? Didn’t they all play together when we were in our hometown? What’s the issue with cousins greeting each other? Today is my old woman’s birthday; can I not have my two most beloved grandchildren by my side?"
Such accusation-laden words left Aunt Chen in a difficult position. If she refused, it would seem like she was preventing her grandchildren from showing filial respect to their grandmother. Not only would she come under criticism, but her husband, Vice Minister Wang, might also face scrutiny from the Imperial Censor, potentially ruining the good reputation they had carefully built up over the years.
But calling her son into the room, where there were so many young women, if something inappropriate arose, she, the housekeeper, would be blamed for improper conduct.
What angered her most was the Old Lady’s intention to matchmake her son with Ye Xia. How could Ye Xia possibly be worthy?
With resentment brewing, Aunt Chen could only summon her son to show filial piety to his grandmother, then quickly arranged for the servants to move the table of unmarried young ladies to another room.
This provoked disapproval from the Old Lady: "Making such a fuss, why so particular?"
Seeing the mocking expression on her younger sister-in-law’s face, Aunt Chen harbored silent resentment and counted yet another grievance.