The Rebirth of an Ill-Fated Consort (Chapters 1- 203)

Chapter 38: Making Clothes

Even with her return to the Jiang fu, Jiang Ruan had not changed her previous way of dressing, and was still wearing her old, dark green jacket patterned with water caltrops. Although her features were bright, and the old clothes added several degrees of colour, the stark contrast between her and Jiang Su Su was immediately noticeable. Jiang Su Su mostly favoured white clothes and extremely simple adornments. At first glance, she looked plain and elegant. However, upon closer examination, all her clothes, without exception, were made of expensive silk, and the embroidery on them was of the highest quality. Although the few head ornaments she wore looked simple, they were all considerably expensive. Looking at her, it was clear that she was a well-cared for and meticulously raised young lady from a wealthy family, well-bred and refined in temperament.

"Although Ruan'er can not be compared to Su'er, you, as the stepmother, should still have her concerns at heart," the Old Jiang Madame reprimanded Xia Yan.

Xia Yan said, ashamedly, "This is all daughter-in-law's fault. Over these past few days, even though Ruan niang had returned, daughter-in-law was paying attention to the matters of the Jiang fu, and forgot all about Ruan niang. Later, daughter-in-law will ask the seamstress from Ruyi Lou (a clothing shop) to come and measure Ruan niang for some new clothes. How can our Jiang fu's di daughter not look magnificent?"

In just a few sentences, Xia Yan had indicated that she had been busily involved with the Jiang fu's matters lately, and said that she would call for the seamstress immediately. In this way, she had more or less shown that she was able to recognise her wrongdoings and change for the better. Thus, the Old Jiang Madame let go of her worries. After a few more words of reprimand, followed by some words of self-deprecation, Jiang Ruan and her entourage left the residence.

Jiang Su Su stood at the door and called out to Jiang Ruan. "Da Jiejie, won't you visit Su Su's courtyard and stay for a while?"

Jiang Ruan replied, "Another day. There are still some matters which I have to take care of."

"Does Da Jiejie not like me?" Jiang Su Su said, helplessly. "What has Su Su done wrong?"

"How can that be?" Jiang Ruan looked surprised. In a gentle tone, she continued, "I am your di older sister, you are my younger sister, how can it be that I don't like you? Don't be overly sensitive."

Jiang Su Su's expression did not change. She lifted up her head and said, "On hearing Eldest Sister's words, my heart feels at ease. In a few days, when we visit the Shen ladies at their residence, I will take good care of Eldest Sister."

After Jiang Su Su had walked away, Lu Zhu stared at her back and said, "Miss, why does Second Miss give off such strange vibes?"

"What is so strange?" Jiang Ruan asked.

Lu Zhu pondered briefly. "I don't really know, I just feel that she and furen are too good-tempered. With the situation just now, any other person would have flown into a fury, yet Second Miss and furen kept smiling, and were so polite. How can there be such people in this world? Even a clay figure has some degree of rudimentary emotion.

Jiang Ruan smiled faintly. Xia Yan was well-educated and capable of sound judgement; Jiang Su Su was elegant and refined. For the both of them, their reputations were the millstones around their necks. In order to preserve their noble skin, they would not do anything that would cause them to lose their dignity, and would always be appropriately magnanimous when others were around. Just now, she had repeatedly emphasized her identity as the eldest di daughter, would Jiang Su Su have experienced great difficulty holding back her ire? Regardless, this was only the beginning.