In Ningyuan, Sang Wan began to change her clothes and dress up after breakfast.
Today was the first visit of her eldest brother and sister-in-law to recognize their relatives, and it had to be treated with grandeur.
Especially considering Mrs. Zhuang’s previous visit, it was clear how much Mrs. Wang valued appearances.
Thus, Sang Wan, contrary to her usual deanor, dressed as extravagantly and richly as possible.
She wore a begonia-red cloud brocade outer coat with grape patterns and gold and silver threads intertwining along the border of half a finger’s width. Her fiery red pleated skirt was adorned with patterns of lotus flowers and gemstones on gold brocade, and she wore jujube-red soft-soled shoes with upturned toes. Her black hair was coiled up with drooping Japanese-style sideburns, fastened at the front with a gold carving hairpin of joyful patterns before her brow. Concealing the temple and accentuating the heart of the head were white jade inlaid with gold, and on her left temple was a hairpin with a ruby-beaded cockatoo that swayed with her movents.
Her figure was slender and delicate, her waist slender and twisting gracefully, her neck elegant and long, her skin fair and smooth. Her cheeks were lightly brushed with rouge, her lips soft and tenderly red. Her eyebrows followed the line of her temples, and her eyes sparkled like stars. Every gesture and movent exuded a majestic grace, a richness blended with elegance. The whole aura she projected was heart-captivating and awe-inspiring.
"The eldest madam looks so beautiful!" Xingzhi and the others, who had never seen Sang Wan dressed so lavishly, couldn’t help but exclaim with sparkling eyes.
"Indeed! The eldest madam has not only a beautiful appearance but also an extraordinary aura. Whether in casual wear or formal dress, she always stands out!" Mrs. Li also praised with a beaming smile.
Feeling shy from the complints, Sang Wan smiled and pursed her lips. Even she was taken aback when she saw her reflection in the mirror, hardly believing the majestic and noble person in the mirror was herself!
Once Sang Wan was dressed up, she made a special trip to Mrs. Wang, accompanied by Mrs. Li and others. Along the way, the servants who saw her stopped to bow, their eyes lighting up with astonishnt and admiration.
Upon seeing Sang Wan, Mrs. Wang was montarily speechless, blinking her eyes, and then joyfully clapped her hands, exclaiming, "Good, good! This is the true eldest daughter-in-law of the main branch of the Shi family! Co, sit down, take a seat!" She then said to everyone with a laugh, "Tell , which daughter-in-law in Qingzhou City could compare to ours? Even those ladies and madams of official families are no match!"
Naturally, everyone played along, laughing and enthusiastically agreeing with her praises of Sang Wan. They spoke their hearts, which made the complints even smoother.
Mrs. Wang secretly reveled in her pride, and her thoughts inevitably turned to Mrs. Zhuang, thinking to herself that next ti she would take her daughter-in-law out like this, to see what Mrs. Zhuang would have to say then! To see if she would still mock the Shi family’s main branch for marrying a daughter-in-law from a poor scholar family. Hmph, let the Zhuang family try to marry such a gem themselves and see if they can or cannot!
Sang Wan found Mrs. Wang’s undisguised gaze and words sowhat embarrassing, and while sitting down gracefully, she said with a smile, "Daughter-in-law does not know much about dressing up and specifically ca to see if Mother finds anything inappropriate. If there is, I would ask Mother for guidance!"
"Very good, very good! You should dress like this when eting guests from now on!" Mrs. Wang liked what she saw more and more, "If it were teaching you, I would dress you the sa way!"
Sang Wan breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said with a smile, "Hearing Mother say this, I am reassured!"
Mrs. Wang was even more pleased to see her concern for her opinion, and lavished her with praise.
Gu Fangzi happened to co in, and upon seeing Sang Wan, could not conceal the jealousy that welled up, but her eyes brightened as she took Sang Wan’s hand warmly, praising with a laugh, "At first glance, I thought it was a lady from so wealthy household visiting! Big cousin sister-in-law looks completely different when dressed up like this, truly beautiful! Auntie, don’t you think so?"
"Yes, yes! I was just saying that!" Mrs. Wang replied with a smile.
"If Mrs. Zhuang saw this, she definitely wouldn’t have anything to say!" Gu Fangzi indeed knew Mrs. Wang well, striking right at what Mrs. Wang had been thinking.
Indeed, Mrs. Wang’s laughter grew even more jubilant. The Zhuang family woman, who didn’t even have a daughter-in-law yet, how could they compare to the Shi family?
Gu Fangzi then added regretfully, "What a sha, big cousin sister-in-law should have dressed like this last ti! Although Mrs. Zhuang can’t compare to big uncle or big aunt, she is still a closely associated friend of the Shi family, isn’t she?"
Mrs. Wang’s heart skipped a beat, and her smile faded slightly, suddenly doubting Sang Wan’s intentions: She valued and made an effort to dress up for her natal family’s brother and sister-in-law, so why had she been so casual with her own guests? Even if Xiao Que’er forgot to pass on the ssage, didn’t she know she should still be formal when eting guests? Wasn’t she aware of this, or did she do it on purpose?
Internally cursing, Sang Wan stood up and said to Mrs. Wang, "Mother, Miss Wan has learned from the last lesson and always keeps it in mind, I won’t make the sa mistake again! Last ti—I had no idea about what was more or less important! Mother, Miss Wan cos from a humble background and doesn’t understand the rules. If there is anything I think of or do imperfectly, I still need Mother’s guidance!"
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