Xianggong, Please Divorce Me!

Ch. 18: Carelessly Run Outside the Wall

"Ru Hua, what do you mean?" Ru Yi's eye expression penetrated.

The green shirted Ru Hua snapped a flowering crabapple. She looked, yet didn't see Ru Yi's glance, saying, "It's nothing. It's just that watching all of you chat is increasingly boring."

Ji Xiang and Ru Shi simultaneously glowered and said in unison, "How is this boring?"

Ru Hua handily stuck a flower in her hair bun, appearing dependable. Neither urgent, nor sluggish, she opened her mouth and said, "Ru Shi, you said we are from the palace and that our status is not common. Then you tell me, how are we not common?" She saw Ru Shi remain silent, laughed, and then continued to speak. "Perhaps in the palace our status was not ordinary because the emperor doted on us. We now have already been given as a present to General Song. How can we still not be ordinary? Don't forget, how many of us are renowned or have a share in fame. Even more, General Song doesn't look at or visit us. To say, older sister Ru Yi, you took advantage several times to run to the study delivering this and delivering that. And several times the guard at the doorway drove you away? That we nowadays live in the large courtyard and have people waiting upon us is owing to the emperors' blessing. However, you also shouldn't mistakenly think that lao furen and the general don't dare do anything to us. They don't attach any importance to us. To speak frankly, the few of us are not worth their trouble. But now things are different as the general has taken a wife. Furen has plenty of possibilities to deal with us. In the final analysis, lao furen opened her mouth and let furen take charge of the household!"

"Moreover, older sister Ji Xiang, your sentence about a small business family, and another sentence about being wretched and common, certainly I know that among the four of us, older sister Ru Yi has the status of being the daughter of an official while us remaining three are all from common families. Yet where is the grandeur. As a matter of fact, compared to us, she is used to much better! The clothes we wore when we entered the palace were respectable, with pearl hairpins, but they still were not good enough! Nowadays we eat and drink what's fragrant and tasty, wear gold and put on silver. Furthermore, in the palace we were taken care of for a few months. However, previously we could not distinguish between bean thread vermicelli [2] and fish bones. Still more we didn't know the distinction between silk and satin. We didn't know what was good or bad. Arriving at the general's manor, we followed our inclinations and drew money from the accounts at our leisure. However, the funds are arranged to give other people a good look at us who came from the palace. The others are respectable compared to them (the four)! In the final analysis, it's no more than us taking ourselves too seriously...."

Hiding in the rockery, Su Tang listened to every word and phrase spoken by Ru Hua. Su Tang just felt that this person was quite unordinary! Her bearing was neither haughty nor humble, voice neither hot nor cold, spoke spic and span, and clearly understood principles. Contrary to what one might expect, a person with a penetrating mind.

Looking once more at the other three people, both Ji Xiang and Ru Shi faces were green, white, red and then purple at being spoken to. A very nice-looking sight. One scowled with cheeks swelling, and one gnashed teeth. However, both had the appearance of suppressing extreme anger, stubborn opposition, not a word coming out. Contrarily that Ru Yi had a sleet of placidity on her face, only the sides of her mouth held a smeared on smiling expression, the implication of which was unknown.

Quite a while later, Ru Yi spoke. "Contrary to expectation, I cannot see younger sister Ru Hua being able to say these benevolent words. It may be assumed that the new furen will be well liked."

A phrase that was gentle as a breeze and light rain, mocked, brim full of ridicule.

Ru Hua nevertheless was absent-mindedly coiling a strand of hair. Her head also didn't raise as she responded, "I don't know whether furen will be liked or not. I also don't care about that. I merely know that self-awareness is required to behave with integrity. In the end, it is better than being disgraced and not even know." Saying this she raised her head and softly smiled. "I'm also fed up with strolling in this garden. I'll go back to my chamber now."