My face flushed instantly. A single title had transformed me from a virgin into a married woman, which was truly unfair.
"Lead the young mistress to the back hall and have her choose some of her best clothes."
"Yes, yes, a batch of fabric just arrived from Hangzhou the day before yesterday. Several new dresses have just been made and haven't been put on the shelves yet. It's a good opportunity for the young mistress to try them on."
Aunt Gu led me to the back hall. This shop was truly grand. The back hall was divided into men's and women's halls, each with maids attending to me. The two walls of the women's hall were lined with ready-made clothes, a riot of colors, dazzling my eyes. Little Hebao exclaimed "Oh my god, good heavens, oh my god!" a few times before burying her head in the clothes, no longer paying any attention to me.
Aunt Gu picked out a light green dress, a pearl white dress, and a light purple dress from a colorful array of colors, placed them on the table, and said with a smile, "Young Madam, with your fair and delicate skin, you look best in these light colors."
I awkwardly replied, "Oh, okay."
"Young Madam, go inside and try it on. If it doesn't fit, I'll have it altered immediately. It will only take the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."
I took the clothes to the inner room and put on the pearl white one first. I had been wearing the Xiaoyao Sect's white robe for more than ten years, and it seemed that I couldn't wear any other color except white.
When I came out of the inner room, Xiao Hebao exclaimed "Oh my god!" again, then stared straight at me. I gasped. Has this girl's gaze become warped after spending so much time with her senior brothers?
Aunt Gu stared wide-eyed: "Oh my, tsk tsk, really, good heavens."
I waited for ages, but Aunt Gu didn't utter a single concrete word. What exactly happened?
I asked timidly, "Um, Aunt Gu, isn't it good?"
"Oh, I don't even know what to say. Young Madam is truly as beautiful as a fairy."
I awkwardly tugged at my clothes and mumbled softly, "Sister Gu is joking."
"What are you joking about? Women are like flowers. The most beautiful flowers usually have no fragrance, and the most fragrant flowers are usually just average. I've seen so many women, some with good figures but not so good looks, and some with good looks but not so good figures. But a woman like you, young mistress, with both beauty and figure that are first-rate, is truly rare and wonderful. She is so beautiful that it makes the heavens and people resent her."
I wiped the sweat from my brow. He really knew how to praise people.
"Little purse, what do you think?" I hope Little purse stays sober and gives me the truth.
“Miss, if you go out like this, which will surely anger both heaven and man, the young master’s eyes will pop out.”
I was speechless. Little purse always sides with outsiders.
"Then let's take this one."
"Young Madam, try those other items as well."
After three bouts of rage, I emerged from the back room with slightly unsteady steps. This was because my pearl-white dress had a twelve-panel skirt, wide enough to be used as curtains or bed curtains, while underneath was a narrow petticoat that barely covered my legs. According to Aunt Gu, this was how one walked, like a graceful lotus flower, each step a delicate, flowing movement. Alas, forcing each step into two was truly torture. I was afraid I might lose control and, with a whoosh, my graceful lotus steps would turn into a fierce, swift movement.
I turned around the screen, and Jiang Chen was sitting there drinking tea. When he saw me, his teacup froze in his hand, and he stared straight at me before slowly standing up.
I felt the density of the rain of needles was unprecedentedly strong. Instantly, the skirt was riddled with tiny needle holes, and the wind was whistling through it.
Aunt Gu said to Jiang Chen, "Oh my, young master, you are so lucky! The young mistress is so beautiful and has such a great figure. Even I, an old woman, am envious and tempted."
The little purse scoffed and pouted, saying, "You don't know, my young lady looks even better without clothes."
Jiang Chen burst out laughing, his eyes practically disappearing from his mouth. My face burned; I wanted to bang my head against the wall.
I'm going to have a good talk with Xiao Hebao tonight. I'm usually very good to her, so why does she always treat me like this?
My face was burning hot, and I scrambled into the sedan chair in a flustered state. It took me a while to catch my breath. Just as I had calmed down, I suddenly realized that Jiang Chen, who was sitting next to me, seemed to have been silent and taciturn ever since he got into the sedan chair.
Curious, I turned my head to look and saw that the small sparks I usually saw in his eyes were starting to blaze. My heart skipped a beat, my breathing became uneven, and I hurriedly looked away.
Jiang Chen said in a low voice, "Xiao Mo, you are really beautiful."
The sedan chair was cramped, and he was very close to me. His soft, gentle praise seemed to blow a warm breeze into my ear, making me feel incredibly soothed and ticklish.
My face flushed, and I said in a low voice, "It's this dress that looks good."
"You're beautiful, the clothes just enhance your look. When I saw you just now, my heart stopped beating. If you don't believe me, touch my heart; it's still pounding."
As he spoke, he unceremoniously took my hand and placed it on his chest. His fingers felt firm and warm, and I quickly pulled my hand back. I don't know if his heart was beating fast or slow, but mine was definitely racing.
I dared not look at him anymore. I stared at the street scene outside the sedan chair, feeling like each day was an eternity. In fact, I didn't see anything, because even without looking at him, I could feel that his gaze was like a huge spider web, and I was probably the little flying insect. A gust of wind blew me over, and I got stuck.
Finally, the sedan chair stopped, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Without waiting for him to help me up, I jumped out.
When I looked around, I was stunned!
Is this Guiyun Manor? It's truly breathtakingly magnificent! The two imposing stone lions at the main entrance even have red gold bells hanging around their necks!
I was secretly worried. Wasn't this blatantly inviting thieves? Sigh, the Jiang family is really ostentatious; even the stone lions at the gate are so flamboyant.
Even more flamboyant than the stone lions was a row of beautifully dressed maids standing gracefully at the foot of the steps at the main entrance. Leading them were four lovely young women, elegant and charming, eagerly awaiting their arrival.
Upon seeing Jiang Chen, they immediately stepped forward in unison and bowed respectfully, saying, "Young Master is back." Their voices were clear and melodious, like the warbling of orioles in a valley.
Immediately afterwards, the vermilion gate opened, and a young man emerged, dressed in magnificent clothes and with handsome features, followed by several servants.
He strode up to Jiang Chen, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Cousin, you must be tired from your journey."
What a hardship! As soon as I got off the boat, I was put in a sedan chair, and they squeezed me in so tightly that they took up most of the space in the chair.
Jiang Chen asked with a smile, "Shaohua, is your mother home?"
The young man laughed and said, "My aunt received my cousin's letter and knew you would arrive home today, so she sent people to wait at the door early this morning. My aunt is in the main hall right now."
After saying that, he looked at me with a smile and said, "This must be your sister-in-law. You must have had a long journey."
Jiang Chen nodded and said, "Xiao Mo, this is my cousin Shao Hua."
I gave an awkward smile in return. Fortunately, I had been called by my younger brother and sister-in-law for a long time at Xiaoyao Sect, so I didn't panic.
A flash of red light appeared at the gate, and another young girl emerged from within. She was beautiful and wore a crimson dress, as bright and dazzling as a pomegranate flower blooming under the blazing sun!
She gracefully stepped down the stairs, lifting her red dress, and stood prettily in front of Jiang Chen, her bright eyes sparkling as she smiled before even speaking: "Cousin, you're finally back."
Finally? After waiting with bated breath?
Jiang Chen turned around and smiled at me: "This is my cousin, Shao Rong."