Jiangnan Gaiden - Capítulo 49
He held Huan'er tightly, speechless for a long time!
His embrace revealed his passion, but he didn't say anything, didn't say he loved her. Huan'er was a little disappointed! But it didn't matter, he would say it someday, she would definitely make him say it! Whether by coercion or bribery.
Both of them were covered in osmanthus blossoms. Wu Jie hurriedly stopped, wanting to move aside and not dare to disturb their intimacy, but Shi Wuji had already noticed him.
"What is it, Wu Jie?"
"Aunt Wang from Jinzhifang is already waiting in the small hall behind Juxianlou."
Jinzhifang? Huan'er recalled Wuxia saying that the top tailors in the north all came to Jinzhifang, even the emperor's clothes were specially ordered there; thus, its reputation spread far and wide. The fabrics were of the highest quality, and the prices were outrageously high, but the craftsmanship was exquisite. If you wanted to wear good clothes, you had to be willing to open your wallet. It was said that the labor cost for a single piece of loungewear was equivalent to an ordinary family's annual living expenses. Add to that the expensive fabric, and a garment would cost at least forty taels, and that was the lowest price. There were still people who would make a garment for one hundred thousand taels; the amount they inflated by exploiting the customers' desire to show off must have been considerable. The inherent weaknesses of the Chinese people, persisting for thousands of years.
"What are the people from the Golden Weaving Workshop doing here?" Huan'er asked.
Shi Wuji helped her out!
"I'll get you some winter clothes: ten sets of full loungewear, two white mink coats, two purple mink cloaks, a mink hat, ten pairs of leather boots, and four sets of pajamas. It's cold here in winter, you won't be able to stand it."
Unexpectedly, Shi Wuji noticed these small things about her. When she married into the family, she only had two sets of decent clothes. When Wuxia got married, she had one set of clothes made to match her status, but she didn't have any other clothes and didn't care.
"Is it really necessary to do so much? It's such a waste of money."
"Clothes are necessities, so it's not a waste," Wu Jie replied.
Huan'er said no more.
Huan'er, Wuxia, and Yuniang all spent lavishly on new clothes. The men only symbolically made one or two sets.
Aunt Wang's blood-red painted mouth was the type to speak to people in a human voice and to ghosts in a ghostly voice, describing all three women as celestial beings descended from heaven, reincarnations of Chang'e, Xi Shi, and Zhao Feiyan. From beginning to end, all you heard was her incessant chatter. A typical super public relations figure, suitable to double as matchmaker and madam. The middle-aged woman still possessed charm, tall and robust yet exuding a seductive air; her gold and silver ornaments only amplified her vulgarity.
"A few days ago, I heard Master Wang say that there were two beautiful flowers at the eldest daughter's wedding banquet. One was the bride, as red as a rose, and the other was an elegant lily, which was the eldest daughter-in-law! I didn't believe that anyone could be as beautiful as the eldest daughter! But seeing it today, I realize that Master Shi is truly blessed. His sister is the most beautiful woman in the North, and his wife is the most beautiful woman in the South. They are so beautiful that it's hard to tell who is better! Last time, Young Master Ma Shengwen happened to have something to do and couldn't attend. He missed it and regretted it so much. He kept asking me what the young daughter-in-law of the Shi family looked like. All I've heard is that she is an absolute beauty."
Huan'er bet that if you put Granny Wang in some remote mountain valley, she could still talk for three days and three nights straight. With her mouth moving so eagerly, how could her jaw not dislocate? She was incredibly skilled, but she couldn't stand this constant flattery any longer. A thought struck her, and she smiled:
"This humble woman is neither talented nor virtuous, how could she possibly deserve such praise from you, sir? The ancients said: 'The tongue is three inches long, and a woman's tongue is like that; it will rot, the flesh will leave behind, but the tongue will not decay.' We did not believe this before, but today we have the good fortune to witness it, and we realize that there are many wonders in the world. We are amazed by the wisdom of the ancients. Traveling ten thousand miles is better than reading ten thousand books. This is truly the best example of 'seeing is believing,' and we are very grateful."
This pedantic explanation left Granny Wang completely bewildered; as an uneducated woman, she probably hadn't even seen what a book looked like, let alone written her own name. Not wanting to appear rude, she quickly finished taking her measurements and hurriedly led her maid away.
The people inside burst into laughter.
Wu Jie laughed until he was exhausted, then slumped in his chair, clutching his stomach and yelling:
“We never knew how to shut up Aunt Wang before, but today we finally understand, sister-in-law, this is a brilliant move!”
"She's a master at insulting people indirectly without using vulgar language!" Wuhen had always admired her. He really didn't know where Huan'er, this freak, came from; it was clearly not inherited from her parents.
Huan'er sat next to Wuji, sipping the tea her husband handed her, her face beaming with a mischievous grin.
"Not convinced, fellow heroes?"