Allure of a Country Maiden-Chapter 259 - 257

The departure of familiar faces one by one from her side could not but leave Xiao’er feeling a touch of melancholy.

As the old poem goes, "A fire burns on the peak for three months, and a family letter is worth ten thousand taels of gold."

After Xiao’er received a letter, she felt revitalized.

The content of the letter was simple, only four characters: "Safe, don’t worry."

This eased Xiao’er’s mind considerably.

Through all the sorrow of parting had passed, she now found trouble sticking to her. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

The weather was stiflingly hot, and it was unbearable to stay inside the house. Xiao’er had people move everything to the pavilion in the courtyard where she planned to spend the entire morning designing jewelry on the stone table.

She had long planned to open a jewelry shop, but had not found a suitable store until a few days ago when she finally acquired a two-story building. Although the building was small, it was excellently located, right opposite the Rare Treasure Store.

Even though opening a jewelry store across from the Rare Treasure Store felt a bit like challenging it, she had no other choice.

Xiao’er didn’t plan to renovate the shop, but instead had the whole building demolished for rebuilding. The blueprint was ready, and the workers set to build.

However, she had yet to find a skillful craftsman for making the jewelry.

"Miss Xiao’er, the gatekeeper sent a message saying that Miss Li from the Prime Minister’s Mansion wishes to see you," Zijing, standing outside the pavilion, reported with a bow.

Why again? Xiao’er frowned. What the hell was up with this woman constantly finding reasons to stick around her?!

She had declined her visit three times already with various excuses. Another refusal seemed too impolite and would inevitably spark rumors of her being unfriendly.

Forget it, just meet once, solve the problem, and spare herself the constant interruption.

"Let her in."

After Zijing left, Xiao’er summoned a maid, who was waiting in the shade of a distant tree, to clean up the table. She then instructed her to brew tea and prepare some pastries and fruits.

It wasn’t long before Li Yunning was escorted in by Zijing.

As the daughter of a county lord and the future Sixth Imperial Consort, Xiao’er was entitled to a courtesies from Li Yunning, who possessed no official rank. Li Yunning stood outside the pavilion, ready to pay her respects. Assuming that Xiao’er would stop her, considering her senior in age, she was surprised when Xiao’er sat firmly on the stone chair, accepting her courtesy.

"May the County Mistress of Rui’an be safe and well."

Xiao’er simply nodded: "Please have a seat, Miss Li."

Such audacity! Accepting her courtesy even though she is a few years older than her, she mustn’t fear losing her fortune.

Li Yunning bit her lip secretly, pushing back the humiliation that rose in her heart. She then walked into the pavilion and sat down opposite Xiao’er, her dissatisfaction now buried, leaving no trace on her face.

"I’ve heard that Miss Li has been seeking to speak to me a number of times. May I ask what it’s about?" Xiao’er deliberately stressed the words "me," intending to assert her higher status and force Li Yunning to back off.

Hearing Xiao’er’s emphasis, Li Yunning’s face twitched. She then replied with a soft smile, "A few days ago, my mentor had me paint a picture. I felt that something was missing, so I thought about asking the highly knowledgeable and talented County Mistress of Rui’an for advice."

She was flattering Xiao’er in the hope that she would lose her composure and give condescending remarks about her painting.

When she was her age, she would have been over the moon upon receiving such flattery. It wasn’t until after a stern lesson from her father that she corrected her behaviour.

"Miss Li, you’re kidding. You were taught by Mr. Quyang, a renowned painter in our kingdom, and my skills are merely trifling. I dare not give you any advice. It would be like an amateur showing off his skills in front of a master carpenter. I’d be overestimating myself."

Ah, you flatter me, I flatter you, harmonious indeed.

Li Yunning didn’t expect such maturity from Xiao’er, given her young age. Xiao’er showed no signs of the arrogant self-importance and pride typical of a young achiever.

It seems she had underestimated her.

If she indeed critiques her painting today, even just a sentence or two, she would have the means to portray her as arrogant and condescending in the eyes of the scholars and artists throughout the Imperial Capital.

No, even if she simply glances at it without saying a word, she could still make her out as a fraud who is undeserving of her reputation.

But what a shame...

"The County Mistress of Rui’an is too modest. The painting you did on the Longevity Festival can be compared to renowned painters. The Empress is planning to host a cooking competition. Did the County Mistress of Rui’an receive the invitation?"

"Yes," replied Xiao’er indifferently. Sigh, she was struggling to maintain the enthusiasm. What should she do? She felt like she should usher Li Yunning out.

Li Yunning didn’t seem to mind, assuming that it was just Xiao’er’s shy personality. After all, she seldom saw her mingling with other ladies of prominent families, and she didn’t have a close friend.

Remembering the palace banquet when Xiao’er confidently discussed things with the two princes and Di Shaowei, her disdain grew even more. Indeed, a sly vixen character, always sniffing around men.

Although she looked down on her, she didn’t show it. She continued: "The Empress usually hosts embroidery contests. Who could have thought that she’d host a cooking competition this year? We, the ladies of the boudoir, have never done any kind of chores, so the news of the cooking competition was quite shocking. I even burnt my hands a few times while preparing for the competition. Your hands, county mistress, are still so delicate and white. Haven’t practiced these days?"

Given that Xiao’er is a farmer’s daughter, she would not have been exempt from chores like her. But how were her hands even more delicate and whiter than hers?

"No."

"I see, a knowledgeable and talented person like the county mistress of Rui’an must already be accomplished in cooking. You must have learned how to cook from a young age, is that why you’re confident about this competition?"

"Indeed. But, I cook only to reduce the burden on my parents, certainly not as noble as Miss Li’s purpose of learning cooking from renowned chefs since a young age," Xiao’er retorted sarcastically, with a smile.

She has been cooking since childhood to have meals ready when her family returns from the fields, while Li Yunning learned cooking to please men. She can’t figure out how Li Yunning feels that doing the same thing for different reasons makes her nobler?

Time and again, she has seized all opportunities to get closer to her, to form a relationship, to cultivate friendship. But her inherent sense of superiority eventually exposes her true nature: she is dismissive of one’s low birth status.

Li Yunning frowned upon hearing this. Cooking, embroidery, and etiquette are among the compulsory courses for women of their stature.

Strictly speaking, she has been learning how to cook since she was a child.

But why would the County Mistress of Rui’an comment on her in that way?

The cooking that she learned could not be compared with the chores that the maids and old ladies do. How could they be put on the same level?

She was truly uncouth!

"Does the County Mistress of Rui’an know when the Sixth Prince and his company will return?" Li Yunning decided to change the topic.

"After winning the battle," said Xiao’er.

"I see. I wonder how they are doing over there."

Xiao’er couldn’t help but roll her eyes. How could this woman be so talkative? Even her indifference hadn’t stopped her from speaking up. She wished her decency would kick in and she’d leave on her own. Ushering her out would not be agreeing with her beauty.

"Has the County Mistress of Rui’an received a letter from the Sixth Prince? I heard from my father that General Di has sent back information."

"Has Miss Li finished speaking yet? I’m very busy," said Xiao’er.

Li Yunning left, her face flushing red.