Rebirth of a Farming Wife

Chapter 437: Chapter 444: Beyond Expectations
 

“What virtues and abilities does our lady possess that she could become sisters with you, Miss Chen?” Shu Lan couldn’t hide the cold sneer in her heart upon hearing Chen Li’s patronizing tone. In her eyes, their lady was untouchable, exalted, whereas Chen Li was nothing but a disreputable, flirtatious woman from a merchant family. In some aspects, she couldn’t even compare to the servants, yet she had the audacity to propose sisterhood with their lady, as if trying to overstate her own worth.

“Why not?” Chen Li seemingly failed to grasp the irony in Shu Lan’s words. “In my view, your lady has the figure, beauty, wealth, and a strong family background. She completely overshadows Yiyang Prefecture’s supposed number one beauty. She’s the real deal, beautiful and wealthy; anyone would be envious. Why can’t she become sisters with me? Don’t think too highly of me; it’s not good to belittle oneself like this.” Chen Li’s oblivious response only served to infuriate Shu Lan, almost making her choke with rage.

Shu Lan regarded Chen Li with disbelief. The woman’s logic was truly bizarre. From their first encounter to now, Shu Lan had never been able to understand Chen Li’s thought process. Did her words imply that their lady was inferior to Chen Li? The real message was for Chen Li to recognize her place and not aspire to affiliate with their lady. Forming a friendship with such a disreputable woman would only tarnish their lady’s reputation, wouldn’t it?

But Chen Li evidently missed the point entirely, making Shu Lan wonder if it was genuine misunderstanding or a calculated ploy.

Perhaps Shu Lan’s tone was too polite. As a servant girl for Su Wenyue, Madam Su had handpicked her and three other servant girls after meticulous selection, ensuring they were the best of her attendants, trained by elderly ladies in the palace. Whether in speech, conduct, or daily requirements, they adhered to strict standards, deeply ingrained into their very bones. So, even if Shu Lan was being impertinent, her words were still within bounds and lost on someone as thick-skinned as Chen Li.

Moreover, because of her own background, Chen Li always thought of herself as extraordinary and thus misinterpreted Shu Lan’s words.

Seeing Shu Lan’s complexion redden with frustration while Chen Li remained oblivious to the sarcasm, Qi Luo felt somewhat resigned. Wasn’t Shu Lan just asking for irritation? In Qi Luo’s opinion, with someone like Chen Li, it was best to be straightforward.

“Enough, don’t discuss this matter any further,” Qi Luo intervened. “Perhaps Miss Chen doesn’t realize that in our kind of families, even acknowledging sworn sisters isn’t a trivial matter. It involves a lot of considerations. Miss Chen should be mindful of our lady’s predicament.”

“Indeed, indeed,” Chen Li conceded quickly, aware of the complexities within noble households. “I spoke out of turn. We can drop the matter; I wouldn’t want to cause any trouble for your lady.”

Qi Luo’s effective words garnered a glance from Shu Lan, signaling her to learn from this. One must thoroughly consider the circumstances and the individual at hand. With someone like Chen Li, who had a unique way of thinking, it was essential to use the appropriate approach. Seeing that Chen Li was about to say more, Qi Luo hurriedly cut in, saving herself from another lengthy tirade that would only bring her a headache.

“Let’s not talk anymore. We’ve been out long enough, and our lady is waiting for us to bring Miss Chen over. Let’s hurry.” Qi Luo promptly led the way.

Shu Lan and Chen Li quickly followed suit, swallowing any words that Chen Li initially intended to say. Yet, as they walked, she changed the subject, “Truly, your lady is kind-hearted for immediately sending you out to find me after I got lost. She’s way better than your master, that man. How could such a kind person be married to someone cold-hearted like Han Yu? It’s such a waste.”

Both Shu Lan and Qi Luo were irked to hear Chen Li speak out of turn about the relationship between their master and lady. Since when was it Chen Li’s place, an outsider, to judge? But they’d grown accustomed to Chen Li’s quirks and thus ignored her, letting Chen Li babble on until they reached Su Wenyue’s courtyard, where she finally ceased talking, appearing somewhat bashful and blushing with embarrassment.

“Miss Chen, our lady has ordered us to go in directly,” they told her.

Chen Li nodded, instinctively smoothing down her clothes before following Qi Luo and Shu Lan inside. They saw Su Wenyue sitting gracefully on the couch, with two maids at her side attending to her and an old woman in front reporting something. Su Wenyue listened intently, holding a cup of tea in her hand, but only idly playing with the tea lid, not drinking any.

They say that a man in his element is most handsome, but Chen Li, in that moment, thought that a woman in earnest was the most beautiful. It wasn’t Chen Li’s first time seeing Su Wenyue, but she was still taken aback by her beauty, staring blankly for a few seconds until Chunlan’s cough snapped her back to reality. She laughed awkwardly, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, feeling unusually shy.

Chen Li thought to herself that being in the presence of a beauty indeed brought pressure. Previously, due to her slight interest in Han Yu, she had never really looked at Su Wenyue properly, mixing indifference with deliberate avoidance, partly out of jealousy. But now that she had let go of those feelings, everything felt different.

Su Wenyue had been aware of Chen Li’s arrival but deliberately ignored her, intending to leave her hanging. She had expected Chen Li’s temper to flare up, but instead, Chen Li patiently waited, showing no sign of discontent, which came as a surprise to Su Wenyue.

Han Yu really disliked Chen Li. Whenever he encountered this somewhat scatterbrained woman, the urge to lash out was nearly irresistible. But hitting women was not a good habit, and even Han Yu, not the most gentlemanly around women, disdained such actions. And yet, he found it hard to restrain himself around Chen Li. So, when he saw her lingering at the entrance to his study, he walked away, abandoning her at the door, believing she would follow on her own.

Little did he expect that she would dawdle and take so long to arrive; Han Yu surely wasn’t going to fetch her, nor would he send a servant. Growing impatient, he picked up a Military Book to read, becoming engrossed until he finally remembered Chen Li as night fell. Realizing he had neglected the matter, his brow furrowed.

“What’s wrong with this woman? Did she feel my attitude was too harsh and decided to go back?”