Cheng Yumo had imagined this scene so many times before. But when Cheng Yumo finally saw Cheng Yujin, it was Cheng Yumo who received the blow.
Cheng Yujin didn’t look dejected at all. She wore a plain white-based collared short jacket with a light blue mamian skirt. She didn’t wear many hairpins, but each one perfectly complemented each other. Even from a distance, Cheng Yumo knew that their value must be not low. Except for a pair of teardrop-shaped earrings, Cheng Yujin didn’t wear any other jewelry. Although her adornment wasn’t gorgeous, she didn’t look shabby either. In fact, Cheng Yujin looked very elegant in plainness.
It was the kind of exquisite elegance that came from the inside and attracted people’s eyes.
Standing there, Cheng Yujin reminded people of the sky behind the clouds, of the lake before the forest: gentle and beautiful. In contrast, although Cheng Yumo was wearing a red dress, she didn’t have enough sleep these few days. She had to get up early in the morning today, making her lacked energy. She also had to cover the black circle below her eyes with heavy powder and bright makeup, which actually accentuated her bad complexion. Coupled with the bright red dress, she looked like a child who stubbornly wore adults’ clothes and makeup.
No woman wouldn’t care about this contrast, especially because the person Cheng Yumo faced was her sister, her husband’s wife in the previous life.
Her newly-married period with Huo Changyuan was roughly the same as Cheng Yumo imagined, but there were some differences. The biggest one was that her life as a daughter-in-law seemed to be more difficult than her previous life.
Cheng Yumo recalled the events from her previous life again. When Cheng Yujin returned on the third day of marriage, her complexion was rosy, and she was in a high spirit without any signs of fatigue. Therefore, Cheng Yumo was sure that Cheng Yujin’s life at Huo family must be very good. Cheng Yumo resented the fact that Cheng Yujin robbed her fate and enjoyed the great blessing. But now that Cheng Yumo finally experienced it herself, she found out that the process of changing from a boudoir girl to a married woman, from a daughter to daughter-in-law, was not pleasant at all.
Why was her situation different than Cheng Yujin’s situation in the previous life? Did Huo Xue-shi treat Cheng Yujin differently from her? Cheng Yumo refused to admit. She quickly comforted herself. It must be because Cheng Yujin had many capable confidant mamas and brought a very ample dowry, so Huo Xue-shi didn’t dare to cause trouble. If Cheng Yumo also had a Junzhu as her mother, she would be as confident as Cheng Yujin.
Helped by her servant girl, Cheng Yumo sat on the position next after the Old Madam Cheng. From entering the door to taking the seat, Cheng Yumo truly felt the difference between married and unmarried daughter. Yichun Marquis manor treated her with the courtesy for a guest and no longer regarded her as their second Miss.
Because of Cheng Yumo’s arrival, the womenfolk in the hall stood up and rearranged the position before taking the seat once again. Old Madam Cheng opened the conversation and asked Cheng Yumo about her life in her husband’s house. It was nothing more than a routine small talk, such as how her food was, did she sleep well, how was her husband treat her, and so on.
Cheng Yumo answered one by one, and her replies were quite satisfactory. In front of so many people, it was impossible for Cheng Yumo to say anything less than good about Huo family. Even if she had any grievances, Cheng Yumo would only complain to Ruan-shi in private after dismissing other people.
Old Madam Cheng was obviously satisfied with Cheng Yumo’s answers. With Old Madam Cheng as the starter, other relatives followed afterward and began to ask about Cheng Yumo’s marriage life. In a while, the hall was full of conversation. After some time, Old Madam Cheng saw that the time was almost up and said, “Somone go and call the masters. Second young lady and her husband are coming early in the morning. They must not have eaten enough this morning. Let’s take the noon meal before we talk again.”
A few servant girls bowed their heads and left. After a while, a loud sound of footsteps came from outside, mixed with men’s talking voices. It was Cheng Yuanxian and other menfolk.
Huo Changyuan came with them and entered the courtyard’s main hall.
As soon as the men came in, everyone in the hall except the Old Madam stood up and greeted them. Ruan-shi and Qingfu Junzhu walked to their respective husband, welcoming them warmly. At this moment, the change in Cheng Yumo’s identity was apparent. Previously, she only needed to stand up and curtsied. But today, after Cheng Yumo greeted her father and uncles, she walked to Huo Changyuan’s side and said sweetly: “Marquis, you are here.”
Seeing the newly-married couple’s interaction, the elders laughed. Cheng Yumo was embarrassed and quickly lowered her head. Cheng family’s relatives treated Huo Changyuan familiarly, but he didn’t feel comfortable. An unknown feeling was nagging his mind, making him restless. Huo Changyuan moved his gaze and saw Cheng Yujin, standing in front of the door to the warm chamber, watching the couple with a smile.
—Like a gentle sister who warmly saw her younger sister getting married.
The feeling of weirdness inside Huo Changyuan’s mind became more and more apparent, especially when he saw Cheng Yuanxian. On the day of his wedding, some pictures flashed intermittently inside Huo Changyuan’s mind. Huo Changyuan didn’t know whether those pictures were true or not, but he vaguely felt that Cheng Yuanxian, who was supposed to be his father-in-law, has now become his wife’s uncle. Every time he saw Cheng Yuanxian, Huo Changyuan felt an indescribable sense of strangeness.
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