Sisters also compare with each other

  After being caught and severely punished for the swimming incident, Ruoxi became very obedient and indeed did not leave the house. She focused on making clothes at home, made a hat with fox fur trim for Old Lady Jia, two pairs of shoes each for Mr. and Mrs. Fang Jinglan, several pieces of high-quality sable fur for He Shi, and some small clothes for Wen Ge'er. Knowing that Lian and Lin's daughter was almost one year old, Ruoxi racked her brains to make two adorable hats and small clothes. She also sent a piece of Shanxi's most famous lu silk to Ruxuan and Rumei as a token of her sincerity.

  Fang Jinglan has made a trip to the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions, reaping a rich harvest, and has already returned to the capital to present his report. It is said that this matter was handled fairly well, earning him praise from above.

  Like feelings also very for own old father happy, fiercely is downed a bit of effort, personally wove a piece of raccoon skin warm hat sent back.

  Finally, after a painful reflection, he gave two sachets each to Ru Shan and Ru Mei.

  The servant was sorting things out, looking very unhappy, staring at the boxes of high-quality fabric, and couldn't help but complain: "Miss, every time you send back a whole box of gifts, no matter how expensive they are, it's unlikely that people will appreciate them." Yuqin also chimed in: "Isn't that right? Miss sends ten times, eight or nine times out of ten, they only return two or three times. And those things are worthless too! Why bother putting your own hot face against someone else's cold butt?"

  "Beside her, Chen Xiang couldn't help but rebuke them lightly: "What do you know? The young lady's gift-giving to the two ladies has its own considerations. You just open your mouths and say all sorts of unpleasant nonsense, which will be spread out and harm your own skin."

  Tao Hong, who was busy folding and packing the small clothes for Lin's family, asked curiously: "Sister Chen Xiang, is there another trick in this?"

  Chen Xiang said, "How can that be? The name of the hall is still so big? Second and third sisters, what kind of virtue do we not understand yet? The girls just want to let them take it easy. At least, after receiving the girl's gift, they will no longer speak ill of the girl in front of the old master and madam."

  The other girl suddenly realized, so it was like this.

  In the study, Yu Qing was biting her pen and writing a letter, but she couldn't help but secretly sigh. To be honest, she really didn't like Yu Shan, who was always looking down on her. But there was no way around it, as Yu Shan's greatest talent was pretending to be weak and pitiful, and she had also mastered the skill of turning things around and making others feel guilty. This was something that Yu Mei had experienced deeply. So, when it came to Yu Shan, Yu Qing thought it was better to just give her some sweet talk and let things pass, at least she wouldn't be badmouthing her behind her back or speaking ill of her in front of Fang Jinglan.

  While Yu Mei is indeed arrogant and mean-spirited, at least she doesn't have many tricks up her sleeve. As for emotions, I'm not afraid that she'll speak ill of me in front of Fang Jinglan, but rather thinking about sending a gift to Yu Shan, Yu Mei will definitely not be left out either.

  It wasn't long before the gifts from Rulan and Meixiu arrived, each containing a small wooden box. Xiang directly tossed it aside, curling her lip: "Whatever the Second Young Mistress sends is always ugly and useless, taking up space and too precious to throw away but not worth opening either. It's probably just some painting she did herself or some unwanted trinket, looking at it makes me sick."

  Linglong also held different ideas, opening the box while saying: "Although it's not worth much money, it's still a fun thing. Let's take a look and see what good things Erniang has sent us this time..." After finishing speaking, the box was opened, and inside were indeed two rose palace flowers and a gold-plated hairpin, just as Linglong had said. Linglong picked them up to take a closer look, pursed her lips, and then tossed the items back into the box, saying to Linglong: "The jewelry that our young lady rewards us with is much more beautiful and valuable than this. Shen Xiang sister, in my opinion, these things can only be given to the little maids in the mansion."

  Chen Xiang locked the box with a disdainful expression and handed it to Lan Yin, "Take these things to reward the servants, don't let them tarnish our young lady's reputation. Forget it, just throw the stuff away, but leave the box, it can still be used for storing needles and threads."

  The poor Fang family's number one talented woman, who has received countless doting and carefully selected gifts from Rú Shàn, had her gift disposed of by the maid before it even reached her hands. If she were to find out, who knows what kind of rage she would be in.

  Here is the translation:

  "Again, it's a gift from San Niang. Linglong took a look and said, 'Although San Niang is willful, she's still better than some people who understand the principle of not imposing on others what you don't want for yourself.' This golden ankle ornament may not be a valuable item, but it's made of natural jadeite." Linglong also took a look and nodded, "That's right. Although San Niang doesn't give many gifts, each one is still quite exquisite. Especially since San Niang always sends a letter with her gifts." Then she handed the unopened letter to Ruoqing.

  She smiled and was also a bit curious about what Rumei would write this time. As she opened the letter, she couldn't help but laugh. The entire letter was filled with endless resentment and schadenfreude towards Rushan. In short, Rushan had indeed gone too far this time. Although they had settled the engagement with the Yu Prefecture Wangfu, they had managed to save face slightly. However, during the subsequent steps of sending betrothal gifts and intermediaries, the Yu Prefecture Wangfei didn't even show her face. The six gifts sent out were merely formalities, and compared to the grandeur of the Jing Prefecture Wangzi's recent engagement, they were extremely shabby. The goose was a dead goose that had been left to rot, the cake was a moldy pancake that not even dogs would eat, and the twelve pairs of golden chickens sent by the Yu Prefecture Wangfu were only fist-sized, with empty centers. They felt very light in her hand. It's estimated that the total amount of gold used for the twelve chickens was less than three taels.

  Li looked at these watered-down gifts and couldn't help but feel delighted. If even the king of Yu Prefecture's mansion didn't receive them well, it was easy to imagine that their future days in the wife's family wouldn't be too good either. Then, Ru Mei took advantage of her sisterly love and also went to mock them severely.

  Later, Fang Jinglan heard about this matter, but this time he didn't scold Rumei as usual, and instead pretended not to know. Rumei was encouraged by this and became even more diligent, because since Ruzhuan had become pregnant, Madam Li and her daughter looked at everything with favor. So, Rumei's enthusiasm for writing letters surged, and this time she wrote a total of five long articles. She wrote one article about how miserable Ruzhuan was and how difficult the days were for Zhang Yiniang and her mother, and another two articles about the details of the six gifts sent by the Prince of Yu's mansion. Only in the end did she mention her own affairs.

  Fortunately, Rumei's marriage had not been affected by Rushan and was already engaged to Yang Qitai, the second son of Qingchang Houfu. The wedding date was set for next January. Because Rushan was older, no matter what, her matters had to be settled before it would be Rumei's turn.

  Then, as Mei wrote in her letter, the betrothal gifts given by the Yang family were numerous and impressive. The geese were lively and spirited, twelve golden dogs that were as big as a grown man's fist, and very heavy to hold. The flat cakes were from Su Yuezhai's most famous Bao Ta Xue Bing, and the betrothal money was also very generous, twenty-four sedan chairs, each carried by five strong men who personally lifted them into the house.

  As if seeing the truth, she fiercely rubbed her chest and secretly scolded herself. This Rumei, if one day she was covered with a sack and brutally beaten, would be the first to applaud with joy.