Rebirth of a Farming Wife - Chapter 318
Chapter 318: Chapter 326
“`
“Yuhan, shut your mouth!” Mrs. Pei could no longer tolerate it; her cousin from her mother’s family was becoming increasingly disappointing. Before, she was only a bit spoiled, prone to crying and whining. Now she had actually gone ahead and framed her sisters without a second thought. This was no longer a question of upbringing but one of character. Especially with Mrs. An watching coldly from the side, Mrs. Pei knew how dearly her younger sister-in-law treasured her daughter. If she didn’t address the matter now, the recently mended relationship might stiffen once again.
“Aunt, my intentions were good,” Pei Yuhan tried to argue.
“Enough! How have I taught you during all these days? All those words have gone to waste. You’ve deeply disappointed me. Now be quiet and stand aside; we’ll discuss this at home later.” Mrs. Pei’s tone was unprecedentedly stern.
Su Wenyue watched from the side, feeling it was about time to step in, all things considered, she still had to maintain Mrs. Pei’s dignity. Since Cousin Yuhan, being from the Pei family, was imprudent, she couldn’t let Mrs. Pei lose too much face, thus she spoke, “Aunt, please don’t be angry. After all, Cousin Yuhan is young and lacks understanding. I believe she meant no harm.”
After speaking, Su Wenyue turned to the Governor’s wife with an apologetic smile, “I ask for the Governor’s wife’s forgiveness. It’s not that I don’t wish to contribute a portion of my efforts for you, and it’s certainly beyond talk of compensation. I am truly unable to exert myself due to the injuries sustained during my difficult childbirth. The doctor specifically instructed me to rest well, and my husband doesn’t permit me to overwork. I seldom handle needle and thread these days; even the clothes for Aunt took a long time to embroider since it’s quite draining. Even the outfit I’m wearing was made by an embroiderer at home.”
“The clothes you’re wearing were made by an embroiderer? The stitches look quite similar to those on the Marquess’s dress,” the Governor’s wife asked in surprise, not doubting Su Wenyue’s words, but rather surprised at her own oversight.
“No wonder the Governor’s wife couldn’t distinguish. The craftsmanship of our family’s embroiderer is quite good. With my limited energy, my body can’t handle much, and with a plethora of matters at home, I felt it’d be a pity if such a skill were to go unused because of me, so I taught our embroiderer. If the Governor’s wife likes, I can draft a design and have our embroiderer make a dress for you. How about that?”
“That would be wonderful; I’ll be waiting to wear such clothes,” the Governor’s wife happily accepted Su Wenyue’s kind offer. She was not like the imprudent niece of the Marquess from her mother’s family. Although Mrs. Su might not have as high a status as hers – being the Lady of a Sixth Rank Commander from the Imperial Court – there was no reason for anyone to treat her as an embroiderer. As for the Marquess, that was her Aunt, with a much higher status, and she wouldn’t compare herself to her.
Seeing Su Wenyue so effortlessly resolve the problem she created and managing to please both Mrs. Pei and the Governor’s wife, Pei Yuhan felt even more indignant and unwilling to accept it. Yet, due to Mrs. Pei’s strict warning, she didn’t speak up, sitting there with a sullen face.
Many Madams shook their heads in private at the sight of Pei Yuhan acting this way. Initially, they had considered Pei Yuhan, the daughter of the governor of Jiangzhou and the niece of the Marquess, to be of significant status, with a presumably good upbringing. They had planned for their daughters to make her acquaintance, and some families with eligible sons even considered her for marriage. However, after witnessing Pei Yuhan’s behavior and demeanor, they all reconsidered.
With such character, no matter how high her status, they couldn’t endure having her in their families. Marrying a wife was about finding virtue, and bringing home a troublemaker would mean not only a lack of respect for the elders and mismanagement of household affairs but also the impossibility of peaceful days, not to mention anything else.
Pei Yuhan, already sensitive by nature, was fully aware of the changes in attitude from the ladies and Madams, which further darkened her already gloomy expression.
Although Mrs. Pei was conversing with others, she didn’t overlook Pei Yuhan’s behavior, feeling even more disappointed and helpless. It was better to marry off this niece as soon as possible, lest the care given to her turned into enmity. She had previously blamed her sister-in-law for raising her poorly, but now it seemed that might not be the sister-in-law’s fault. Some people are just fundamentally flawed. Despite having been under her care for a considerable time, she felt her niece owed her no gratitude, which was evident in her lack of any gratitude and in her remarks today, which embarrassed her.
When lunchtime came, the Governor’s wife led them into the hall to be seated. Servant girls brought in the courses one after another. Everyone sitting in the hall was of a certain status and had mostly met outside. Only two people seated not far from her were unfamiliar to her, and judging by the arrangement of their seats, their status wasn’t low. Su Wenyue benefited from Mrs. Pei’s favor, otherwise, she would have been seated in a much more average and distant spot.
Naturally, the banquet hosted by the Governor’s wife wouldn’t skimp on splendor. For that time, the dishes could be considered lavish. The tables at the front had several plates of fruits each, further back there was only one plate, and the portions were not as generous.
Many people praised the delicacies at the Governor’s wife’s mansion. Su Wenyue, used to the cuisine at home, found the flavors here mediocre. However, seeing the appetite of a young girl at a neighboring table, her own appetite was piqued.
Su Wenyue found the young girl quite amusing. Although many praised the tastiness of the dishes and ate with propriety, mindful of dining etiquettes, it was only the young girl who did not bother to converse with others, focusing solely on the spread before her, eating deliciously and making others crave just by watching.
To be exact, describing her as a young girl didn’t quite fit. She had a youthful, baby-faced appearance, seemingly very young yet already dressed as a married woman. She likely wasn’t much younger than Su Wenyue, but having lived an extra lifetime, Su Wenyue’s mindset had changed, leading her to view the other as a young girl. To others, Su Wenyue and the young girl couldn’t differ much in age, as both appeared youthful, though Su Wenyue dressed somewhat more maturely.
Su Wenyue noticed the young girl finishing all the sliced bamboo shoots with meat on her plate, still seeming to crave more. She asked her servant girl to pass her plate of it to the young girl. The young girl was initially startled, looked over at Su Wenyue, who smiled back warmly, and the young girl returned a sweet smile.
The sliced bamboo shoots were, after all, provided by Su Wenyue, and she knew the taste well. Although she had initially sent a small quantity for the Governor’s wife’s entertaining, it wasn’t much for a banquet, which is why each table only had a small dish of it, reserved for those seated at the front.
Su Wenyue watched as the girl, without any guard up, quickly finished off the plate of bamboo shoots sent over by her servant girl. Her mouth twitched – the girl was indeed a ‘little glutton.’ Especially when the girl looked at the other dishes with bright, eager eyes, shining with a wolfish gleam.
“`
