Qin Yue was an open - minded girl. Sensing that Jiang Sihe was easy to get along with, she took quite a fancy to her and stepped forward to affectionately link arms with her.
"Auntie, can I accompany my cousin?"
The First Lady nodded with a smile. "Sure. You're of the same age. You should take your cousin out to play with you in the future..."
Qin Yue nodded. "Of course. My cousin is so cute and well - behaved. The other young ladies will surely like her..."
The First Lady intended for Qin Yue to introduce Jiang Sihe to the noble young ladies in the capital. It would not only help her make friends but also expand her social network, which would be convenient for her future life in the capital.
...
"Why is the mansion so bustling?"
Concubine Ruan, dressed in simple clothes, stood beside a row of bamboo in the yard and looked curiously in the direction of the ancestral hall.
Jiang Jingshu's plain white dress was smeared with some mud. Drops of sweat rolled down her face as she was mending the wall of their courtyard.
Hearing her mother's question, she wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve. "I don't know. There must be something going on!"
They lived in a remote corner of the mansion and seldom interacted with others. They thought the people in the mansion were too vulgar to get along with their refined and elegant temperaments.
"Mother, when I paid my respects to the First Lady yesterday, she said that at my and elder sister's age, we should make friends with some young ladies in the capital..."
Concubine Ruan gave a faint smile. "What's the use of making friends with those girls? All they do is try to curry favor with the powerful and wealthy, or engage in senseless comparisons. One should live like this green bamboo, calm and detached from worldly affairs..."
Jiang Jingshu blushed slightly. "Mother is right. Daughter has learned a lesson!"
Hearing her daughter's reply, Concubine Ruan nodded with satisfaction.
"Mother, it's time for me to fetch our meals. Can I finish mending the remaining part of the wall after lunch?"
"All right. Go and fetch the meals."
Jiang Jingshu let out a sigh of relief. Her fingers ached from the mud. Finally, she could take a break.
She quickly washed her hands and left the small courtyard, forgetting about the mud on her plain white dress.
As soon as she reached the kitchen door, she saw that it was bustling inside.
"I'm here to fetch the meals..."
The servants in the kitchen were all busy and ignored her. She stepped a bit closer and said, "I'm here to fetch the meals for the Bamboo Courtyard..."
This time, Nanny Diao in the kitchen heard her. She merely glanced at Jiang Jingshu indifferently and looked at the mud on her dress with a hint of disgust. Without saying a word, she continued her work.
"Fourth Miss, this servant is busy. The meals for the Bamboo Courtyard haven't been prepared yet..."
Jiang Jingshu thought it was normal that the meals weren't ready since the kitchen was so busy. "Then I'll take some pastries first. I saw you just steamed some crystal cakes. My mother likes them. I'll take a plate of crystal cakes..."
"Fourth Miss, I'm sorry. There are no crystal cakes allocated for the Bamboo Courtyard!"
This made Jiang Jingshu feel rather embarrassed. Her face turned a bit pale. "Why?"
"The crystal cakes are for the First Lady and the Second Lady's courtyards. Concubines' courtyards aren't allowed to have them. This servant is just following the mansion's rules. I hope Fourth Miss won't blame me!"
"Nanny Diao, is the shredded bird's nest soup for the Second Miss ready?"
Hearing the question from the door, Nanny Diao avoided Jiang Jingshu and walked to the door. Her tone became obsequious. "Oh, isn't this Miss Lan, the maid serving the Second Miss? Why did you come here in person?"
Hearing this, Jiang Jingshu turned around. Miss Lan looked like a third - class maid, yet Nanny Diao was fawning over her...
"The Second Miss is going to the ancestral hall soon. I'm here to get a bowl of sweet soup for her to fill her stomach first. If the ceremony takes too long, it won't be good if the Second Miss gets hungry..."
"It's been stewed for a long time and is simmering on the small stove. The temperature will be just right for the Second Miss when you take it back!"
After saying that, Nanny Diao turned around, took a delicate soup bowl from the cabinet, scooped the shredded bird's nest soup from the small stove into it, and then put it in a food box.
"Will a bowl of soup be enough for the Second Miss? We've prepared some crystal cakes. How about putting a few pieces for the Second Miss as well?"
Miss Lan nodded. "All right. If the Second Miss has an appetite, she might eat one piece!"
Nanny Diao packed the crystal cakes, handed the food box to Miss Lan, and said obsequiously with a smile, "Miss Lan, please tell the Second Miss when you get back that this servant adjusted the sweetness of the crystal cakes. If it's not to her taste, please let this servant know so that I can adjust it according to the Second Miss's preference next time!"
"Got it!" Miss Lan replied and left with the food box.
Seeing Nanny Diao's snobbish behavior, Jiang Jingshu couldn't help but sneer.
"While the rich feast on delicacies, the poor freeze to death on the streets. Such extravagance is truly despicable..."
Although Nanny Diao didn't understand the meaning of Jiang Jingshu's literary words, she knew it was a sarcastic remark.
"Fourth Miss, what you said is not right. It's a time of peace and prosperity now. The common people are well - fed and well - clothed. Where are there people freezing to death on the streets?"
"Such extravagance has already made people lose their calm and detached state of mind. If things go on like this, the Jiang family will only decline..."
Nanny Diao was quite surprised. The Jiang Mansion was at the height of its prosperity. Why was the Fourth Miss of the mansion talking about its decline?
"I can't agree with your behavior. Please only prepare some simple porridge and side dishes for our Bamboo Courtyard in the future..."
Nanny Diao was a bit puzzled by the Fourth Miss's behavior. But since the master had made a request, as a servant, she had to follow it.
Nanny Diao prepared some simple porridge and side dishes for Jiang Jingshu. Jiang Jingshu carried the food box back to the Bamboo Courtyard.
She told her mother what had happened, and her mother highly approved of her actions.
"Be vigilant in times of peace and consider the possibility of decline in times of prosperity. Thinking like this is right. We should maintain our calm and detached temperaments..."
"Yes, Mother. Daughter will keep it in mind!"
After having the meal, Jiang Jingshu returned the food box to the kitchen. On her way back, she happened to pass by the ancestral hall.
She subconsciously glanced in that direction. Her elder sister, Jiang Sihe, was dressed in gorgeous clothes and surrounded by maids. The hairpins on her head were extremely dazzling...
Jiang Jingshu lowered her head and looked at her own plain white dress. There were still a few mud spots on it, and her shoes were also covered in mud.
"Why is the Fourth Miss hiding here?"
Cuiwei, the maid beside Concubine Wei, exclaimed in surprise.
At her shout, everyone's eyes turned to Jiang Jingshu hiding behind the bushes.
Cuiwei seemed to think the situation wasn't lively enough. "Is the Fourth Miss here to watch the Second Miss's ceremony of being recognized as the legitimate daughter?"
Jiang Jingshu tidied up her hair at the temples and said coldly, "I just happened to pass by and came to take a look!"
Cuiwei pulled her towards the ancestral hall. Seeing her younger sister's plain clothes with mud spots, Jiang Sihe was stunned for a moment. She always paid great attention to such things. How could her sister be like this?
After being pulled over by Cuiwei, Jiang Jingshu stood in front of everyone.
The maids couldn't help whispering to each other.
"The Fourth Miss is so shabby..."
"Shh, keep your voice down. She's the Second Miss's younger sister..."
Jiang Jingshu heard them too. Her face turned red with embarrassment, and her fingers tightly grasped the corner of her dress.
"Elder sister, you're really in the limelight now. It's a pity that even if you climb onto a high branch, you can never become a true phoenix..."
Jiang Jingshu blurted out this sarcastic remark to save herself from the awkward situation!