Chapter 64 – Laying the Odds on Her Name (1)
Lu s.h.i.+ming personally told Old Madam Lu that he would take Pei s.h.i.+ and the children to the baths for a few days. Surprisingly, the Old Madam appeared to have heard this.
According to her, the brother and sister have been busy recently, that visiting the baths would help them relieve exhaustion.
However, Old Madam Lu asked him to take the other misses with him.
Ye Zhen heard the words of the Old Madam and naturally felt disappointed in her heart. She proposed to go to the hot spring to avoid the family, so that she could naturally come back more beautiful!
But in the company of the misses of the Lu family, how could her stunt pave off?
Oh heavens please be good to me!
Giddy with ideas for a trip in her head, Old Madam Lu went to find Lu Jing and Lu Fang to ask them personally if they’d like to go to the baths too.
“Grandma, we’d like to go, but yesterday we just accepted the second daughter of Prime Minister Xu’s family. Tomorrow, we will go to their family for a poetry meeting. We also have an appointment to go to Baihua Garden to enjoy the flowers.” Lu Jing said, clearly having no interest in going to the hot springs, especially in the company of Ye Zhen.
Old Madam Lu did not force her, but asked Ye Zhen, “Yao Yao, do you want to go to the baths or join Jing’er and her friends to poetry reading?”
The second daughter of Prime Minister Xu’s family, isn’t that Xu Huiru? She and Ye Zhen both studied in college before. Both were excellent at poetry and painting. Xiu Huiru was always displeased with Ye Zhen, always trying to prove that she was better than her.
“Grandma, I won’t go. I don’t know how to write poems or even paint! Going will only cause trouble to fourth sister. I’ll go after I learn.” Ye Zhen said with a smile, humbling herself in front of the hateful sisters.
Tilting her head a little higher, Lu Jing seemed pleased of Ye Zhen’s words. “Third sister is right not to go.”
A bit disheartened by her granddaughter’s decisions but seeing that she couldn’t persuade anyone anymore, Old Madam Lu did not insist any further.
“Well, then, my third daughter-in-law will take Yao Yao and Xiang’er to stay at the baths for a few days.”
With that, Ye Zhen’s spirit was lifted, her mouth couldn’t help but morph into a victorious smile!
Pei s.h.i.+ saw this, and thought how she didn’t know how much her daughter loved the baths. So, she quickly ordered the maids to prepare their needs for the journey.
It was best to leave for the baths before noon, the roads could be dangerous at night..
Ye Zhen was in a good mood and threw a charming smile at the Old Madam. “Grandma, you should come with us, too. I heard that hot springs can beautify you. We’ll come back way more beautiful.”
“Ha, ha, ha, grandmother can’t go this time. But if you come back more beautiful then there shouldn’t be any reason for me not to go the next time! ” Old Madam Lu said happily.
Lu Jing secretly showed a disdainful expression, her hands curled into fists, as she watched the madam laugh heartily because of Ye Zhen.
If one can be beautiful by soaking in hot springs, why does ugliness and obscenities exist in this world?
The matters are set and Ye Zhen left the room briskly. She told Dai Mei to pack up her things and went to Mister Shan to personally invite him.
As what she had presumed earlier, Mister Shan had no problem. For him, studying is the same everywhere.
On her way out, she found some of the miss playing piano in the pavilion by the garden, the Chen sisters specifically who took temporary residence in the mansion. With them was Lu Jing and Lu Fang, and their faces were close to each other, as they talk about something trivial.
Or someone! Surely, Ye Zhen was one of their hot topics! Envious h.e.l.lions!
“The third sister didn’t go to the baths to avoid the poetry meeting, did she?” Chen Liping asked suspiciously.
“Sister Liping shouldn’t say that. It hurts her third sister.” Lu Jing chuckled mockingly. “-When the third sister enters the women’s college, she will naturally dare to attend the poetry meeting.”
Chen Qiuping was a bit more restrained and said nothing.
Ye Zhen gave them a carefree look and said with a smile, “I may not be able to pa.s.s the entrance examination yet. Please don’t go outside and say it, lest I be humiliated.”
“Still needs us to stay quiet? During the Flower Appreciation Festival, many people heard about you. The third miss of our family who have only learned a thousand characters but have the guts to take entrance examination! Third sister may not know about this but people have secretly started bets!” Lu Jing exclaimed tauntingly.
Dai Mei who was at Ye Zhen’s back froze at the news.
“Bets? What bets?” she asked in disbelief.