Chapter 53: Chapter Fifty-Three

On the second day of the lunar new year, since the Xie Clan had no elders present, Old Lady Su worried that Lu Bao'er and Xie Junling would have a lonely year, so she thought of inviting them over for a few more meals. Coincidentally, that day she also invited the Second Lady of the Cheng Clan to visit, making the Fu Residence livelier than usual.

No matter how much Old Lady Su disliked Yan Shi, she still gave her due respect. She warmly welcomed the guest in, smiling and saying, "This must be the Cheng Clan's Second Lady, right? You look radiant; it seems everything is going well in your household."

Yan Shi was still a little afraid of the Qingping County Lord, so she did her best to go along with Old Lady Su's conversation, saying, "Perhaps the winter dates in my household are nourishing; in a few days I'll send a basket of them to the old lady—these winter dates are as big as a fist, kept fresh under snow, and dates that have been frosted are much sweeter than ordinary ones."

There is a saying that fruits and vegetables taste sweeter after being covered by frost and snow. Since Yan Shi was trying to curry favor, Old Lady Su naturally wouldn't stop her: "That's wonderful; when the time comes, I'll also send some to Bao'er."

Having said that, Old Lady Su then introduced Lu Bao'er to her. Yan Shi had never seen Lu Bao'er before, and had been pondering her appearance for a while. She thought, having grown up in the countryside without any good skincare or nourishment, she would naturally be somewhat plain in looks. Knowing that her Hua Jie'er's complexion, as fair as snow, had been cultivated with a small box of snowflower cream costing ten taels, who wouldn't say her daughter's skin was like congealed fat? Thus, Yan Shi harbored a certain prejudice against Lu Bao'er deep down. Seeing Lu Bao'er wearing a blue sapphire set in red gold pendants, her hairpin shaped like a blue carp imitating a lotus velvet flower, her attire's color scheme both luxurious and not vulgar, it was clear the dressmaker had some skill; this outfit was just right. Looking at her brows and eyes, her brows were not painted with blue dye yet still dark and thick, her lips untouched by rouge yet naturally rosy, showing her skin's foundation was truly good. Such a charming young lady made even Yan Shi unable to resist asking her for beauty tips.

Upon seeing Lu Bao'er, Yan Shi again thought of the lively He Jie'er at home, and actually hoped Lu Bao'er could use some thunderous methods to deal with He Jie'er. Originally she had wanted to lend He Jie'er a hand, but she thought few men could resist kneeling under her pomegranate skirt; now, upon seeing Lu Bao'er, Yan Shi felt that Xie Junling's fondness for her might also have a reason. With such looks, He Jie'er might not even measure up to this country-bred lass.

Since He Jie'er stood little chance of rising, Yan Shi seized the opportunity to make things difficult for her, just to vent her own frustration and feel relieved. Moreover, it's not that she failed to curry favor with Xie Junling because she lacked effort as a mother; Old Lady Cheng would naturally not say much more.

If Cheng Linghe truly lacked the ability to climb into Xie Junling's bed, then as a discarded woman she would naturally just marry anyone, and shouldn't even dream of marrying into a prominent household, lest someone dig up the fact that Yan Shi brought Cheng Linghe to Xie Junling's residence, causing the groom's side to hold a grudge and bear resentment.

Cheng Linghe naturally knew this as well; this time, either she would succeed benevolently or perish trying, she was determined to fight to the death.

Thinking she could deal with that little vixen, Yan Shi felt completely at ease, a smile spreading across her face. She patted Lu Bao'er's hand and handed her a gold-threaded Hetian jade bracelet, saying, "Second Aunt, this is our first meeting, so I haven't prepared anything; please accept this, and don't disdain it."

One does not strike a smiling face; even though Lu Bao'er knew Yan Shi harbored a hundred schemes, she could not openly show her likes or dislikes, so she accepted the bracelet and said, "Second Aunt Xie, how could I disdain it? This bracelet is lovely; I really like it."

Lu Bao'er placed the bracelet into a jewelry box like a child, handed it to the grandmother, and asked her to keep it safe.

Old Lady Su got straight to the point, asking, "Cheng Clan's Second Lady, you've come to Jingdu—is it to see the elders of your family?" Old Lady Su naturally knew she was a daughter of the Yan Clan.

Yan Shi had come for her children's marriage prospects; upon hearing this, she felt a bit embarrassed. Her Hua Jie'er had married half a month earlier, and at that time she had sent a notice to Old Lady Su, but since she herself didn't come, she only sent a congratulatory gift via her personal maid to give Hua Jie'er face. Yan Shi naturally knew she could not sway this noble Qingping County Lord; she had originally hoped Old Lady Su would give her some face out of consideration for the two families being affinal, but little did she know the other party wasn't foolish, and would not casually show up to lend support, lest people think the Yan Clan relied on Old Lady Su's backing and thus have to watch her reputation in Jingdu. Old Lady Su was allied by marriage with the Cheng Clan, not with the obscure Yan Clan—don't involve yourself with her, or you'll invite dislike.

Yan Shi gave an embarrassed laugh: "My daughter married half a month ago."

Old Lady Su pretended to suddenly understand, saying, "Oh! That's right—look at me, I'm old and can't remember things clearly."

Old Lady Su's face was all smiles, but in fact these words were meant to intimidate Yan Shi; inside and out they were full of neglect, clearly saying Yan Shi didn't even merit her attention, so don't forget your own standing.

Yan Shi knew this errand was thankless, and she hadn't expected it to go so poorly. She was full of Old Lady Cheng's instructions, yet now she couldn't utter a word.

After the meal, as they were about to disperse, she finally managed to say: "Bao'er, your paternal grandmother entrusted the Second Aunt to give you a message, saying she hasn't seen you in years and truly wishes to meet you. If you have the chance in spring, go see how she's doing—Tongzhou is a place of beautiful mountains and waters, the very best! You really ought to return to see the place where your mother once lived."

If she hadn't spoken, it wouldn't have mattered, but once she did, Old Lady Su grew somewhat annoyed.

How dare she mention Tongzhou? Her daughter had perished on the way to Jingdu right there in Tongzhou!

Old Lady Su replied coolly: "If we speak of Bao'er's mother, she spent far more days in Jingdu than in Tongzhou!"

Yan Shi knew Old Lady Su bore a grudge, and the two families had hardly interacted over the years. Yet she never expected Old Lady Su to treat a daughter with such deep feeling. Speaking of grievances, her Cheng Clan also felt wronged! The loss was a son from the main branch—how could that not outweigh a daughter?

Yan Shi naturally didn't dare say that; she gave a hollow laugh and waited for Lu Bao'er's response.

Lu Bao'er didn't want to offend either side and was about to speak, but Old Lady Su, acting like a shameless old hag, seized Lu Bao'er's hand and said solemnly, "Old Lady Cheng is her paternal grandmother, and I am her maternal grandmother! Now that Lu Bao'er has married into the Xie Clan, how could she not consider her husband and simply run back to her maiden home? That would only invite ridicule. All the affairs of the Xie Fu, great and small, are handled by her as the mistress of the household; she likely has no time to return to Tongzhou."

After that, Yan Shi had nothing to say.

If Lu Bao'er didn't return to the Cheng Clan, how would they ever have a chance to force her to change her surname and enter the genealogy? They couldn't just do it on their own, resulting in Lu Bao'er not even showing her face—wouldn't the Cheng Clan become a laughingstock among the clan?