On the appointed day, Shen Yuning took Wei Rui with her to the racecourse. It was Wei Rui's first time attending such a banquet. She was so nervous in the carriage that her palms were all sweaty. She took out her small mirror and carefully checked if her makeup and ornaments were appropriate for the day.
Seeing her like this, Shen Yuning couldn't help laughing: "Don't be so nervous. With our status, few people will even look at us. But it's rare to come to the racecourse. If we have time, I'll teach you how to ride a horse."
Wei Rui quickly shook her head: "No, no. If you teach me, won't everyone know that I can't ride a horse? I'll just make an excuse that I'm not feeling well and stay away."
Shen Yuning looked at her helplessly. This little girl was so vain. Then she thought, wasn't she the same when she was eleven or twelve? She had practiced all kinds of skills hard at home just to be praised when she went out, not because she really liked them.
When they arrived at the racecourse, Wei Rui entered with a nervous look on her face. As expected, she found that no one was looking at her. While she was relieved, she also felt a bit sad. She had spent so much effort today, wearing all her few pieces of jewelry, but no one even glanced at her.
When she saw a few noble ladies who had arrived early, Wei Rui felt a pang of guilt again. All the ornaments on her head couldn't even compare to a single hairpin on those ladies.
Two fifteen - or sixteen - year - old girls stepped forward to pay their respects and introduced themselves as the family members of a newly - appointed official in the capital. They looked at Shen Yuning eagerly, thinking that since Shen Yuning and Wei Rui were not dressed in the latest fashion, they were also new to the capital like them.
Shen Yuning smiled slightly and introduced herself in return: "I'm Shen Yuning from the Rongchang Commercial Firm. This is my niece, Shen Weirui."
The expressions of the two girls immediately cooled down. They said a few hasty words, then said they had something to do and walked away quickly as if someone was chasing them from behind.
Seeing this, Wei Rui felt rather sad. She pulled on Shen Yuning's sleeve: "Auntie, why are they like this?"
Shen Yuning casually stroked Wei Rui's head: "Don't care about what others do. In the future, we won't have much to do with them anyway."
Even with this consolation, the young Wei Rui still felt offended in her heart and became sullen.
The two of them walked to the rest area and took a break in the most secluded room. Wei Rui didn't ask anymore why they had to stay in the corner. Wouldn't it be better to stay in that empty, luxurious and spacious place where one could have a clear view of the racecourse? She understood all too well that those seats were reserved for the noble guests.
Not long after, Xue Yuxin came. After six years apart, Xue Yuxin and Shen Yuning stared at each other for a long time. For a moment, they didn't even dare to recognize each other.
It was Shen Yuning who came to her senses first. She bowed and greeted: "May you be well, Miss Xue."
Xue Yuxin couldn't hold back any longer. She rushed in front of Shen Yuning and hugged her tightly. Tears welled up in her eyes: "Yuning, elder sister misses you so much."
Shen Yuning's eyes also turned red. She missed this elder sister who had grown up with her since childhood. But no matter how much she missed her, she knew that they were no longer on the same path.
It took a while for Shen Yuning to persuade Xue Yuxin to stop crying. The two of them sat down on the chairs hand in hand. Xue Yuxin's maid quickly stepped forward to pay her respects: "May you be well, Lady Rongchang."
Shen Yuning nodded with a smile and said to Xue Yuxin: "After all these years apart, Miss Xue and those around you haven't changed a bit."
Xue Yuxin didn't like her being so polite. She frowned and pouted: "Call me elder sister. Don't call me Miss Xue. It sounds so strange and distant."
Shen Yuning couldn't help laughing. She didn't insist anymore and called out: "Elder Sister Xue."
Then she pointed at Wei Rui: "This is my niece, Shen Weirui."
Wei Rui straightened her back and showed a somewhat timid smile: "May you be well, Miss Xue."
Xue Yuxin sized Wei Rui up and down. She beckoned her over, took her hand, took off the jade bracelet from her own wrist and put it on Wei Rui's.
Wei Rui quickly looked at Shen Yuning. Seeing her aunt nod, she happily thanked Xue Yuxin. Seeing that the woman in front of her was beautiful and amiable, she boldly said a few witty words, which made Xue Yuxin smile.
Xue Yuxin asked Shen Yuning about everything. Although she learned that Shen Yuning had been doing well these years, seeing the somewhat rough skin of this younger sister who had been pampered since childhood, her hair no longer as black and shiny as satin, and even feeling the calluses on her hands, Xue Yuxin couldn't help her eyes turning red again.
Shen Yuning couldn't bear to see her like this. She quickly changed the topic: "Did you invite me here today just to question me about what happened in these years?"
Xue Yuxin leaned back on the chair and shrugged helplessly: "There's always a gloomy atmosphere at home. Over there, they're causing a ruckus every day, as if I'm the one preventing their daughters from getting married. It's so annoying. I just came out to relax."
"Over there" referred to the second branch of the Xue family. Among the three daughters of the Xue family, except for the youngest daughter who was only sixteen, the first two were already quite old and it was really difficult for them to find suitable marriage partners.
Shen Yuning asked with concern: "Elder Sister Xue, I heard from the young master of the Xue family about your situation. But that incident happened several years ago. Haven't the Marquis and the Marchioness found a suitable match for you all these years?"
Hearing this, a blush appeared on Xue Yuxin's face. She hesitated for a moment and turned her face away: "My reputation is ruined. How can I marry into a good family?"
Her maid, Cuizhu, was a bit indignant: "Second Miss... Oh no, the Lady doesn't know. They over there have the nerve to say that. That person framed our young lady, but still shamelessly said that our young lady had ruined her reputation and should be sent to a temple to become a nun, so as not to delay the marriage of their two daughters."
Xue Yuxin let her maid speak ill of the second branch in front of Shen Yuning while she leisurely drank tea and ate snacks.
Shen Yuning frowned and asked: "Is it really like this? Doesn't the Grandmother care?"
Xue Yuxin sat up and said disdainfully: "How can Grandmother control them? They threaten to kill themselves at every turn. Back then, Uncle was demoted for the sake of my father, which led to the matter of you being exchanged. They bring this up every day..."
Shen Yuning lowered her head. No wonder Xiao Rou had caused such a big commotion back then, which made the eldest daughter of the Xue family lose her reputation, but she could still live in peace as a young lady.
Xue Yuxin added: "Now they want to arrange a marriage with the Xiao family. Humph, but the old master of the Xiao family has passed away. The second young master of the Xiao family will still be in mourning for another half - year."
The Xiao family was the maternal family of Mrs. Xue II and also Shen Yuning's maternal family when she was a child. However, Shen Yuning didn't like the Xiao family very much. Their social status was not high, but they were very arrogant. They always looked down on Mrs. Xue for giving birth to a daughter. Later, when Shen Yuning grew a bit older, the Xiao family was eager to arrange a marriage between their eldest grandson and her, but it was rejected by Grandmother Xue at that time.
Now thinking about it, the eldest grandson of the Xiao family was already married. Since Xiao Rou had been delayed, she could only marry the second young master of the Xiao family. In fact, considering the ability of Master Xue II alone, this marriage was quite a suitable match. But the Xue family was a Marquis's Mansion after all. It was a bit of a downgrade for Xiao Rou to marry into the Xiao family.
Xue Yuxin showed contempt in her eyes: "In my opinion, the Xiao family is not willing either. They wanted to marry you before because you were brought up by Grandmother. How can Xue Yujiao compare to you? You don't know. Xue Yujiao is such a troublemaker. She always compares herself with me. Whenever my maternal family sent me something, she would roll on the ground and throw a tantrum to get the same thing, saying that she was also a legitimate daughter of the Xue family and had the right to have it."
Actually, when Shen Yuning was a child, whenever Xue Yuxin's maternal family sent something to Xue Yuxin, they would also send a copy to Yuning. In Shen Yuning's heart, that maternal family was much closer than the Xiao family.
Xue Yuxin continued to chatter: "Moreover, recently, Grandmother found a suitable marriage for Yuhan, but they over there blocked it. Tsk tsk. Sister Yuhan is a concubine - born daughter. She is almost at the age for marriage. Grandmother knew that it was difficult for the daughters of our family to find suitable matches, so she wanted to arrange Yuhan's marriage early..."
Xue Yuhan was Shen Yuning's half - sister in the past. She was cute and had a very good relationship with Shen Yuning. Hearing this, Shen Yuning felt even more dejected and a sense of guilt welled up in her heart. If it weren't for her, Xiao Rou would have been born in the Marquis's Mansion and raised by Grandmother. Maybe she wouldn't have grown up so wrongly, and it wouldn't have been so difficult for the daughters of the Xue family to find suitable marriages.
After Xue Yuxin finished complaining, she didn't mention these things anymore. Instead, she nudged Shen Yuning: "I've told you about my things. What about yours? Why haven't you gotten married yet?"
Shen Yuning shrugged: "I haven't met the right person."
Xue Yuxin covered her mouth and giggled. She teased: "I heard that Fourth Brother Chen has feelings for you. Aren't you interested? And the people in the Chen family are easy to get along with. Mrs. Chen is very gentle. You know the second young mistress of the Chen family. She has a bit of a fiery temper, but she hates fawning on the powerful and bullying the weak the most. The sisters in the Chen family have grown up together. If you could really marry into the Chen family, it would be a good destination."
Shen Yuning slowly sipped her tea: "We've known each other since childhood. If there were feelings, we would have developed them long ago. We wouldn't have waited until now."
Xue Yuxin knew that she had a stubborn personality, so she didn't persuade her deeply. She said euphemistically: "Yuning... Do you know that the eldest young master of the Cheng family is still unmarried?"
Shen Yuning was stunned. The eldest young master of the Cheng family was her former fiancé. When they met in childhood, he was even more like a girl than she was. He always blushed shyly and lowered his head. Grandmother Xue had planned long ago that although it would be a bit of a downgrade for Yuning to marry into the Cheng family, the Cheng family was a noble family with military merits. The young master of the Cheng family was a child prodigy at a young age. He would surely have a bright future.
She laughed self - deprecatingly. Such a young man with a good family background and good looks. Even though he had broken off the engagement with Xiao Rou, he was still unmarried. It must be that something had delayed him. How could she think that it was because of her?
Just then, a young servant walked over, bowed to Xue Yuxin and said: "Miss Xue, my master would like to have a talk with you."
Shen Yuning looked up at the servant and then at Xue Yuxin. Seeing her blushing face, she suddenly had an epiphany. So all this talk about sisterly affection and inviting her here was just a guise for a tryst with her lover?
Xue Yuxin saw her look and blushed even more. She pulled Shen Yuning up with her: "I really came to see you. I... I don't know where he came from. I..."
Shen Yuning patted her hand with a smile: "Alright, alright. I know. You came to see me, not to meet a man. Alright? Go quickly. Don't keep him waiting."
But Xue Yuxin didn't let go. In order to prove that she had no improper relationship with the outside man, she pulled Shen Yuning to go with her. Then she said to her maid Cuizhu: "I'll be back soon with the Lady. You take good care of the young miss."