Old Madame Zhen no longer put on airs as she secretly scolded her granddaughter in her head, ‘What a shameless girl! It’s true that having a daughter equates to raising three thieves! She’s always trying to take my things!’
She completely ignore Zhen Ting Yun and turned to Pei-Shi to ask, “What did you bring? Bring them over and let me have a look.”
Pei-Shi did not expect Old Madame Zhen to be so easy to talk to today and was relieved. She quickly instructed a servant to bring over the clothes and jewelry she spent a long time preparing.
When the items were brought over, they were indeed even more valuable than those brought to Zhen Ting Yun. Most of the jewelry was made of gold and silver, looking dazzling enough to blind someone. This was because Pei-Shi knew that Old Madame Zhen did not like antiques and curios. Old Madame Zhen preferred gold and silver, so Pei-Shi had those prepared instead.
Sure enough, upon seeing these items, Old Madame Zhen softened and gave Pei-Shi a rare smile, “You’re thoughtful.”
Pei-Shi immediately lowered her head and replied courteously, “As long as Mother likes them.”
In fact, Old Madame Zhen could not stand Pei-Shi‘s phony courtesy, but she had Zhen Ting Yun by her side. This debt-collecting lass kept looking at her things and asking, “Grandma, there are so many good things here. Can you give some to me?”
Pei-Shi thought that this was inappropriate and immediately reproached her, “Ting’er, how can you speak to your Grandmother like this? These are all prepared for her, and they are not suitable for girls your age to use. If you like them, I’ll buy some for you next time.”
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Xze Yyeyxl Hbld oyp kdkvkyzzu wdokzzkdt vs tkhl yduvbkdt vs bla taydeeywtbvla, cwv obld pbl blyae Vlk-Fbk‘p osaep, pbl clnyxl pvkxwzyvle yde pvyavle ekttkdt vbaswtb vbl rkzl sq tsze yde pkzhla.&dcpr;
Fbl qkapv ewt swv y tsze dlnjzynl cwv qlzv vbyv kv oyp vss blyhu. Mbld pbl qswde y tsze caynlzlv, kv oyp pvkzz vss blyhu. Fbl nsdvkdwle vs plyanb yde qswde y ryka sq fyel caynlzlvp, cwv vbld pbl oyp osaakle vbyv fyel xktbv cl xsal hyzwyczl vbyd tsze.&dcpr;
Wkdyzzu, pbl rknjle swv y tsze akdt yde bydele kv vs Hbld Mkdt Zwd, “Tlal, vbkp sdl’p qsa usw.”
Hbld Mkdt Zwd oyp shlafsule yde nbkarle, “R jdlo Qaydexy kp y tldlaswp rlapsd yde yzoyup byhl xl kd uswa blyav.”
Rd yzz ynvwyzkvu, yzvbswtb Xze Yyeyxl Hbld bye y pvkdtu rlapsdyzkvu, pbl oyp pvkzz okzzkdt vs tkqv vbkdtp vs vbl uswdtla tldlayvksd obld pbl oyp rzlyple. Fbl oydvle vs pbso sqq bla olyzvb yde yv vbl pyxl vkxl, kv yzps nsdhlule y bkeeld xlppytl oblalcu, ‘kq usw’al qkzkyz vs xl, R’zz elqkdkvlzu byhl xsal tsse vbkdtp vs tkhl usw kd vbl qwvwal.’
Mblalqsal, pllkdt bso byrru Hbld Mkdt Zwd oyp yqvla alnlkhkdt vbl akdt, Xze Yyeyxl Hbld oyp yzps liwyzzu pyvkpqkle. Rd yeekvksd, pbl oyp pvkzz zlqv okvb y ckt rkzl sq tsse vbkdtp. Fbl zkqvle bla nbkd okvb y pldpl sq pwrlaksakvu yde nsxxldvle, “Ekvb bso caygld usw’al ynvkdt, yde yzoyup rlpvlakdt xl qsa vbkdtp, obyv yx R vs es okvb usw?…”
Xdzu Vlk-Fbk oyp zlqv wdyoyal sq vbl pkvwyvksd yde nzwlzlpp yp vs obu Xze Yyeyxl Hbld pllxle byrrkla yqvla tkhkdt yoyu sdl sq bla vbkdtp vs Hbld Mkdt Zwd.
Ysalshla, eked’v Xze Yyeyxl Hbld yzoyup qyhsa taydepsdp shla taydeeywtbvlap? Ebld eke pbl pvyav esvkdt ps xwnb sd Hbld Mkdt Zwd?
Pei-Shi maintained her dignified appearance and reluctantly agreed, “That’s good.”
Apart from that, she did not know what else to say.
Due to being coaxed by Zhen Ting Yun and the many gifts Pei-Shi brought, Old Madame Zhen’s mood improved significantly. She no longer showed any hostility towards Pei-Shi and the mother and daughter-in-law duo spent some time drinking tea, eating snacks, and chatting idly. Painting a picture of unprecedented harmony.
If it was not for the fact that Zhen Ting Yun’s mind was preoccupied with her unfinished practice of her calligraphy and practicing her bamboo flute, she would have stayed longer. So, after a short stay in her grandmother’s courtyard, she decided to return to her room.
Observing the situation, Pei-Shi got up to leave as well. Otherwise, Old Madame Zhen might have insisted that both of them stay for lunch.
In fact, Old Madame Zhen wanted to keep her granddaughter by her side to have a private conversation with her and get her opinion on certain things. She just arrived to the capital and was unsure of her own standing. She wanted to show some attitude and display her superiority in front of her daughter-in-law but did not have the assurance to do so yet. So she wanted to hear her granddaughter’s thoughts on this matter. However, she also knew that Zhen Ting Yun was recently very busy with her studies for the women’s academy entrance examinations and the only free time Zhen Ting Yun usually have was at night. After much contemplation, Old Madame Zhen decided to let Zhen Ting Yun leave. After all, there was no difference even if they had this conversation later.
Pei-Shi was surprised at Old Madame Zhen’s change of attitude towards her today as Old Madame Zhen was being quite amicable. Old Madame Zhen did not lace her words with satire or made things difficult for her.
Thus, even after she departed with Zhen Ting Yun, she was still left a little baffled.
Upon coming back to her senses, Pei-Shi could not help but sigh before turning to tell Zhen Ting Yun, “Your grandmother loves you so much. If you have time, remember to drop by more often to spend time with her.” This would also reduce the amount of trouble that might occur at home.
Zhen Ting Yun obediently agreed with a sweet smile, “As a granddaughter, I’ll remember to be filial to Grandma.”
Pei-Shi was pleased to see that her daughter was so quick-witted, and might be more useful than she originally expected. After thinking for a bit, she took off the string of green jasper beads bracelet from her wrist and said with a smile, “This was given to me by your maternal grandmother. It’s not something particularly valuable, but you can wear it for fun. When you visit your maternal grandmother to give your greetings, remember to wear it and I’m sure she would be delighted to see it…”
In a few days, it would be Third Miss Pei’s birthday. Pei-Shi planned to take Zhen Yi Yun and Zhen Ting Yun to the celebration so that Zhen Ting Yun could meet her side of the family. Giving her daughter such a ‘valuable’ item was a form of kind gesture.
Zhen Ting Yun happily accepted the bracelet. She did a quick mental calculation of all the things she obtained so far and felt that she had gained a small fortune.
It seemed that there were benefits to be reaped with coming to the Imperial City. She had even become a rich little lady.
****
After accompanying Pei-Shi to Old Madame Zhen’s courtyard, Zhen Ting Yun returned to her room to practice her calligraphy. When she finished practicing her five big characters, it was about time for lunch.
According to the timetable she set, she was supposed to practice playing the bamboo flute after. However, that afternoon, a tailor dropped by to take her measurements to make some more new clothes, so by the time she finished doing what she had set out to do, the sky had darkened and it was already dinner time.
Zhen Ting Tun did not mind. As long as there was food, it did not matter whether she ate earlier or later.
As a result, an unexpected guest arrived just as she was eating. It was Zhen Yi Yun.
Zhen Yi Yun had just returned from the women’s academy. Although the school also provided boarding for students, most of the students that stayed in school were students whose families were residing outside the Imperial City or those who came from poor family backgrounds. Students like Zhen Yi Yun would usually travel to school daily.
Since Zhen Yi Yun had just come back from school, she was wearing a blue and white robe with a jade-green silk belt tied around her waist; this was the uniform of Yuhua Women’s Academy. The robe was not particularly beautiful, but because Zhen Yi Yun was tall and slender, even the coarse material of the uniform was unable to conceal her stunning beauty and charm.
When Zhen Ting Yun saw her older sister approaching, she had to put down her chopsticks and give her greetings. With a smile, she asked, “Elder Sister, why have you come?”
Zhen Yi Yun gave a genteel smile as she gently replied, “In a few days, we will be attending Third Cousin’s birthday at our maternal grandparents’ place. So I thought that I should drop by to tell you more about our maternal relatives…” This was something Pei-Shi had told her to do last night. So after she came back from school, she headed straight to Zhen Ting Yun’s room. At the same time, she could demonstrate the love and compassion of an older sister.
Zhen Ting Yun was indeed curious about it.
According to her dream, Zhen Yi Yun had claimed that Pei Ru Song, her eldest cousin, was the ‘original male lead’ and her original marriage match. But in reality, she knew nothing much about him or the Pei family. Thus, she was still skeptical about many things.
But since they were going to visit their maternal grandparents’ place soon, it would be good to gather some information in advance to make preparations…
Therefore, Zhen Ting Yun nodded in agreement, “Then I shall thank Elder Sister.”
Zhen Yi Yun’s expression softened and she gladly took a seat in front of Zhen Ting Yun before she started carefully explaining the situation of the Pei family to Zhen Ting Yun.
Although the Pei family had better luck in bearing males, the family tree was not much more complicated. Old Master Pei married Wei-Shi as his official wife, and the couple had two sons and one daughter. The eldest son was Pei Cheng Liang, their second son was Pei Cheng Cai, and their youngest daughter was Pei Yuan Jun. Their eldest son had one son and one daughter; whereby their eldest grandson was Pei Ru Song, and their third granddaughter was Pei Ming Zhu. Their second son had three daughters and one son; whereby their eldest granddaughter was Pei Ming Zhen, their second granddaughter was Pei Ming Ya, their fourth granddaughter was Pei Man Li, and their youngest grandson was Pei Li Ruzhen.
The birthday celebration held this time around was for the Third Miss, Pei Ming Zhu. Being the eldest daughter of the first branch of the Pei family, and with such an outstanding sibling like Pei Ru Song, she was more liked by the Pei Patriarch and Matriarch compared to her other female cousins. So, mistakes must not be made at her birthday banquet.
Zhen Yi Yun had always been close to her maternal grandparents so she knew everyone’s preferences very well. She suggested with a smile, “Third Cousin loves jade the most. Second Sister can look for some good quality jade accessories to give her. She’ll definitely love it.”
Good quality jade was very expensive, and although Zhen Ting Yun had recently received some money, she was reluctant to give it away just like that. So, she gave a perfunctory reply, “Mmm, I’ll think about it.”
Zhen Yi Yun naturally knew that her younger sister had just arrived to the capital and would not have that much money to spare on buying gifts. Pei-Shi would definitely have prepared a main gift for Pei Ming Zhu on behalf of the Zhen family for such an occasion as not doing so would ruin the Zhen family’s reputation. However, it did not mean that small gift exchanges between the younger generation would not take place. Such gifting of presenting would show closeness and sisterly affection between the cousins. Zhen Yi Yun had already given her younger sister a heads-up and had done her due diligence as an elder sister. If Zhen Ting Yun still managed to trigger the irk of others, then it goes to show that it was solely her own fault, and she could only blame herself for being slow-witted.
That was right. After the lecture from Pei-Shi, Zhen Yi Yun was enlightened.
The most unbeatable thing in this world was time.
While Zhen Ting Yun was stuck in the countryside with their crude and ignorant grandmother, Zhen Yi Yun was the darling of her father and mother. Being both beautiful and smart, she was as well-educated as any male since she was young. On occasions when she uttered ingenious sentences and wise sayings, Father Zhen would sigh, claiming that it was a pity that she was not born a male. In addition, with the knowledge of the original plot, she had sought tutelage under the talented and insightful Tutor He. In the original plot, it was because Zhen Ting Yun had the luck to become Tutor He’s student, thus paving the way for her fame in the Imperial City in the future.
However, since she managed to make Zhen Ting Yun stay behind in the countryside, Tutor He’s tutelage and all that fame had turned to become Zhen Yi Yun’s assets.
More importantly, human emotions are something that must be cultivated. Be it Father Zhen or Pei-Shi, or their maternal relatives, they were all closer to her than Zhen Ting Yun, who had only recently arrived from the countryside.
In fact, Zhen Ting Yun had lost long ago.
She had lost thirteen years.
As per Pei-Shi’s words last night, “No matter what she does, she will never be able to compare to you. So, why must you pit yourself against her?”
Just like this round, regarding the preparation of gifts for Third Cousin. So what if she told Zhen Ting Yun about what Third Cousin likes? Did she even have the money to get her hands on some good-quality jade accessories?
On the other hand, Zhen Yi Yun had reached the age whereby her hair-pinning ceremony was approaching in the second month. In preparation for that, Pei-Shi had long given her one homestead and one store to manage. Therefore, she had an inflow of cash which allowed her to buy whatever she wanted and this had helped her in maintaining and forming good harmonious interpersonal relationships with others.
With such thoughts, Zhen Yi Yun became more open-minded and gladly played the role of a good elder sister. After all, the advantage was on her side, and she could always easily suppress Zhen Ting Yun…
In her past life, a famous person once said, “Despise the enemy strategically, but respect the enemy tactically.”1It means that from a broader strategic perspective, it is important to maintain a sense of superiority or disregard for the enemy’s capabilities or significance. However, on a tactical level, when engaging in specific actions or maneuvers, it is crucial to give due attention, consideration, and respect to the enemy’s abilities, intentions, and movements.
Tingyun, fighting! 👊