Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Before the party, Yun Xi made a point to take a trip home.
The invitations had all been sent out. If she did not show up, Liang Xiuqin and Yun Ziling would have an excuse to make a huge fuss about her. Then if something were to happen, all the blame would fall on her.
It was Saturday, and Yun Yuanfeng was not at home. Yun Xi did not have to guess to know that he had gone off to see that woman.
Liang Xiuqin was busy worrying about Yun Ziling’s big day and her road ahead, so she did not have time to care about what Yun Yuanfeng had been up to lately on his weekends.
She arrived home just at the right time. The moment Yun Xi stepped into the living room, she saw Yun Ziling and Liang Xiuqin who were getting ready to leave, with their dresses sitting there waiting while they were doing their makeup.
The driver had not returned yet, so they were all waiting in the living room.
When the housekeeper saw that Yun Xi had returned, her face lit up. She called her to the kitchen to have some soup, for fear that she had not eaten well at school. Compared to Liang Xiuqin’s ignorance and indifference when she saw her daughter, the housekeeper seemed more like a mother.
“I just finished cooking a lung-nourishing soup of lady bells and lily bulbs. It’s made according to your prescription. The weather has been rather cold and dry these days, so do drink some of it. I also made a carrot cake. You can take some with you when you leave.”
“I’d love to, Auntie. I still have to go back to school tonight. Could you place them in a thermal container for me? I’ll pack it to go.”
“Sure.”
“By the way, where is Second Aunt? Why haven’t I seen her around?”
“The Second Madame went to take your grandfather to see his old comrades-in-arms. She should be on her way back soon. Please wait a moment longer.”
Yun Xi nodded, and then she turned her head and saw Liang Xiuqin getting up from the couch. Overhearing what the housekeeper had said to Yun Xi, she let out a cold snort, mocking the housekeeper. “How very sweet of you!”
The housekeeper seemed to have gotten used to Liang Xiuqin’s snide remarks, so she wasn’t bothered by it. Instead, she tried to comfort Yun Xi, “Miss, don’t mind her. She’s just being bitter and calling the grapes sour because she can’t have any.”
Yun Xi bit her cheeks and nodded with a smile. The housekeeper’s words were like a slap in Liang Xiuqin’s face.
In saying that, the housekeeper was indirectly criticizing Liang Xiuqin for being a mother who didn’t deserve to be acknowledged, whereas the housekeeper knew her efforts were certainly well appreciated. The meaning behind her words implied that in Yun Xi’s eyes the lady of the house was worth much less than the housekeeper.
It was too bad that Liang Xiuqin did not get the joke at all. Instead, she wore a disdainful look on her face and walked past them with her chin raised. “Nobody wants those grapes anyway!”
Yun Xi smirked. Liang Xiuqin was really becoming more and more like her past self. If she really started to have unrealistic expectations and behaved as pettily as she had before, then that would be really stupid of her.
In the past, she had lived through all those years without the love of a mother, and she turned out just fine. Not having that maternal love now was no longer relevant to her.
“Have you received an invitation letter from the Jiang family?” Yun Xi took a cup of almond milk from the housekeeper. She glanced at the paper bag on the coffee table and exclaimed loudly, “Wow, is this from The Beauty?”
Yun Xi recognized the brand of Yun Ziling’s dress as soon as she saw it. Yun Ziling snatched the bag away in a panic and pressed it tightly between the armrest and herself, as if she didn’t want her taking another look at it, for fear that she might see right through what they had done.
Yun Xi glanced at Yun Chuhan, who was just coming down the stairs, and then looked again at Yun Ziling and Liang Xiuqin, who seemed to be shivering with the jitters, and teased them casually, “Mom, you’re so good to Yun Ziling. You’re willing to spend tens of thousands on a dress just for her!”
“H…how did you know…”
“The Beauty is a brand of hand-made custom dresses. It recently opened a store in Jingdu. I saw it when I was out shopping with Yumo. All of their dresses are high quality, at expensive high-end prices. The cheapest dress they had was still a little over 10,000. It’s even more expensive than well-known international brands. However, there are plenty of rich women here in Jingdu, so there are certainly those who can afford it. I just didn’t expect my mother to be so rich. Looks like you’re willing to spend all your capital just to have Yun Ziling stand out from the crowd….”
