Chapter 21 Tao Yiran's Disdain

Xin An arrived at Wang's courtyard early to pay his respects. Tang Gang was going to attend court, so Wang got up especially early. When Xin An arrived, she had just woken up from a nap.

"Didn't you say that today's ceremony was waived? Why are you here?"

Xin An smiled and said, "I have been raised in a rough environment since I was young, so I am in better shape than my sister-in-law. I got up early today thinking about coming here to talk to my mother."

She said that Tang Mo had gone out, and that she would arrange for someone to carry the dowry today.

Wang's people were guarding the dowry. "A woman's dowry is related to her whole life. I have sent people to look after it carefully, but you should not be too relieved. You must count it carefully."

Xin An nodded, and Wang smiled and gave her a pair of jade bracelets. "You are my legitimate daughter-in-law, so I will give you my things in the future. This bracelet was my dowry back then. It was given to me by my mother. It is not a good thing. Take it."

The Wang family was not a large family, and because it was a remarriage and the Marquis's Mansion was at the center of controversy at the time, the old lady decided to marry the son of a fifth-rank official. Unfortunately, although Wang had established a firm foothold in the Marquis's Mansion, the Wang family collapsed quickly due to the death of her father, and so far only a few nephews who are still studying have some hope.

Xin An saw that the bracelet was not of very good quality, so he took it with a smile, "The things my mother gave me cannot be measured by quality or price. Even a piece of wood is a very precious treasure."

Wang was a little surprised by the double meaning of this statement, but then her brows relaxed. "Before I was ready to give you this bracelet, I was a little worried. There are bracelets of better quality than this one, but this pair of bracelets has a different meaning to me. It better represents my feelings. I hope you understand."

"Come, mother has something else for you."

A box of everlasting flower headdresses, vivid and lifelike, Wang picked up a hairpin and put it in Xin An's hair, "This was given by the Queen Mother at the New Year's Festival last year. It is made of tongcao, with a soft texture and elegant color, comparable to real flowers. The stamens are inlaid with rice-sized pearls, which make it more lively and gorgeous. It is just right for you at your age."

After the hairpin was done, she nodded with satisfaction and said, "Go look in the mirror, it really looks good."

Xin An stroked the flowers in the mirror, her eyes full of joy. Wearing the flowers, she looked younger. She turned around and smiled, "Thank you, mother."

In her previous life, as soon as she entered the Marquis' Mansion, she regarded this mother-in-law as her rival, and the two of them often competed secretly. Now that they have become close mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, their relationship is completely different from before, and it is extremely harmonious, which is quite refreshing.

Wang smiled happily, and took her to pay her respects to the old lady. On the way, she told her a lot of the old lady's preferences. Xin An also told her that Tang Mo would go to Tang Yong's house later. "It's easy to add flowers to the brocade, but it's hard to send charcoal in the snow. It's just a matter of helping out. If it doesn't work, you can give some money. It's also good to leave a token of your gratitude."

"Your second uncle's family is actually quite good. They don't rely on the power of the Marquisate. All the sons in the family are studying hard and want to take the imperial examination. Your father is a man."

Considering that it was not appropriate to say something bad about Tang Gang in front of his new wife, he did not continue. "Help me if you can. I can see that you have a plan in mind. It is a blessing for the second boy to marry you."

Xin An nodded and added: "It's okay for relatives to help each other. Flowers don't bloom forever. Who can guarantee that there will never be a day when they need help from others?"

Wang was very pleased, and thought of her family's decline over the years. If the Marquis's Mansion could help, it wouldn't be so difficult. She had resentment towards Tang Gang in her heart, and now hearing what Xin An said, hope rose in her heart again, "The second boy is a little jumpy and not steady enough. You should give him more advice and say what you need to say. Don't worry, mother is not the kind of person who favors her son in everything. As long as it's good for him, it's okay to let him suffer a little."

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law smiled at each other. Xin An moved closer to her and lowered her voice to tell her that Xueyu from Chunhuayuan was pregnant. Wang raised her eyes, then smiled and patted the back of her hand to indicate that she knew.

Seeing Xin An arrived, the old lady was very happy. She didn't ask her to serve her meal, but asked her to sit down and eat with her. The old lady's breakfast was the best in the whole house. The crystal dumplings, thumb buns, peach blossom pastries and other snacks were all extremely exquisite and pleasing to the eye. Xin An didn't hesitate to try every snack and said they were delicious. She also earnestly asked the old lady to taste them. The old lady ate a lot more and was very satisfied.

Knowing that the dowry would be carried today, the old lady did not keep her for long. When she returned to Qiushiyuan, the first load of dowry had already arrived.

There were nine servants in Qiushiyuan, including Xin An's dowry. Steward Wu from the Marquis' Mansion sent twelve servants to help. The dowry boxes came in one after another. Qiushiyuan was suddenly very lively. Aunt Wang was very busy, and Xin An stood under the eaves watching. She had to decide which ones needed to be displayed and which ones needed to be stored.

"There's no need to store these two boxes of material. Pick out some nice-looking material to make a few dresses. Pick out the darker-colored ones separately. I'll give the rich purple material to my grandmother."

"Put all the jewelry on the dressing table, and put all the other large items in the storeroom."

Looking at the dowry piled up in the yard, Xin An felt very relieved. Seeing that these people were very efficient and meticulous in their work, and were also very careful in carrying and placing the dowry, he was very satisfied. "Everyone has done a good job. I will reward each of you with one or two taels of silver later. Go and ask Aunt Wang to take them."

Both the people in the courtyard and the servants in the front yard hurried to express their gratitude, especially the servants in the outer courtyard. They had heard that the people in Qiushi Courtyard had received twelve months' reward, and their eyes were red with envy. They did not expect that they would get one or two taels of silver just for helping out. This was a huge sum of money. When they looked up again, they felt that the Second Young Master's wife was emitting golden light all over her body.

The news from next door also came quickly. Tao Yiran didn't take it seriously. "Those who sell themselves into slavery must abide by their duties. Now that this is the beginning, do I have to pay for any orders I receive in the future?"

The merchants' behavior is not decent.

Aunt Cai also agreed with this point and said to Aunt Liu: "They should be grateful for the opportunity to work for the prince."

"The wife of the Crown Prince is a noble lady from a famous family. She has people always waiting for her. How can that money-grubbing businessman next door compare to her?"

She was smart. Seeing that Tang Rong was interested in Tao Yiran, she chose to avoid him and try to please him. To this end, she helped Tao Yiran suppress the two maids Xueyu and Yingyue. Tao Yiran valued her, and Aunt Liu was furious.

Tao Yiran thought Aunt Cai's words were pleasing to the ear, and she warned, "No matter what the second sister-in-law's background is, now they have married into the Marquis's mansion and become sisters-in-law. Aunt Cai, please don't say this again in the future, lest your sister-in-law be upset."

Aunt Cai smiled and said, "Young Madam is kind-hearted. No one else can compare to her."