Baoqin, Baoqin, wake up …
She suddenly woke up from her dream and heard a soft voice calling out to her.
"Who is Baoqin?"
She stood up blankly and saw a face so beautiful that it didn't seem real in the mirror. She looked to be about fourteen or fifteen years old. She looked young and delicate, just at the right age.
This wasn't her, but a white-collar worker who had worked hard in a big city for many years. No matter how hard she tried to maintain her appearance, she still looked haggard. This was her, a young girl from ancient times who hadn't been betrothed yet.
Let's forget the past. I'm afraid I can't go back … She let out a long sigh, and then her heart was filled with joy.
Anyone who woke up from a dream and found that they were suddenly ten years younger and had become as beautiful as a fairy would feel happy.
After calming down, she looked around and saw an extremely exquisite boudoir. Just an exquisitely carved step bed alone took up half of the room. Several layers of light yellow and green muslin curtains hung down hazily, exuding a faint fragrance.
Baoqin from Xue family was a girl who was very doted on by her parents. Unfortunately, that was all in the past. Now that both her parents were dead, she relied on her elder brother for survival. She also had a cousin named Xue Pan and a cousin named Xue Baochai. They had already left for the capital … Wait, Xue Baochai? This name was so familiar!
Before Xue Baoqin could recall any memories related to Xue Baochai's name, the crystal curtain at the door was lifted, and a young maidservant wearing a cyan vest and a sapphire blue cotton skirt walked in. That was her maidservant, Xiao Luo, who had been serving her for two years.
Xiao Luo had two simple buns on her head and a red headband. She frowned slightly and said, "Miss, Lady Mei is here. It seems that she has come with ill intentions …"
Lady Mei? Baoqin searched her memories for information about the Mei family. Gradually, she recalled that she had been engaged to them since she was a child. Originally, as a merchant family, the Xue Family did not have the qualifications to be related to the Mei Family by marriage. However, Mrs. Xue, who was Bao Qin's mother, had inadvertently saved the life of the Mei Family's old lady when she was alive. In order to express their gratitude, the Mei family's matriarch made the decision to betroth Xue Baoqin to their son. However, since the death of the Xue family's Master and Madam, the family business gradually declined. Last year, the Mei family's Old Madam passed away, and the Mei family gradually showed the intention of breaking off the engagement. Not long ago, Lady Mei came to Jinling to pay respects to her ancestors. She bumped into the Xue family in the suburbs. At that time, the meeting between the two families was very unpleasant. When they returned home, Xue Baoqin even cried bitterly. Her brother, Xue Wu, was also furious.
Very good, you're not benevolent, I'm not righteous. Who's afraid of who?
Xue Baoqin tidied her clothes and stood up. She leisurely said, "Let's go. We're going to meet the guests."
Xiao Luo hesitated and said, "Miss, aren't you going to change into the clothes you're going to wear?"
Xue Baoqin once again walked in front of the western mirror inlaid with jewels hanging on the western wall. She carefully looked at herself. Because she didn't go out, she only wore a half-worn begonia red silk blouse embroidered with delicate lotus butterflies. Below, she wore an autumn-colored silk skirt. Her face was plain and there were no other decorative patterns. Her glossy black hair was combed into a young girl's hairstyle and inserted into it was a small mutton fat jade pomegranate hairpin. The entire hairpin was sparkling white without any other color. Only the pomegranate shaped part of the hairpin showed a faint touch of captivating red. From this, it could be seen that this hairpin was not cheap and was not an ordinary item. In the mirror, the young girl's skin was as white as snow. Perhaps it was a bit bloodless, but it gave her a feeling of being as pure as ice and as pure as jade. Her almond-shaped eyes were large and black. When she looked at you, it was as if she could suck in your soul. The corners of her eyes were slightly raised, adding a bit of charm to her temperament.
Xue Baoqin was truly a rare beauty in the world!
A small Mei family dared to look down on her and disdain her Xue family for declining. How could a sparrow or swallow know the ambition of a swan? In the future, who knew if she would spread her wings and fly to a place they could only look up to?
Xue Baoqin raised the corners of her beautiful lips and smiled faintly: "There's no need to change clothes. It's not like they're important guests." As she spoke, she took large strides and walked out unhurriedly. Xiao Luo could only hurriedly follow. In his heart, he said, "That's your future husband's family. If they're not important guests, then what is?"
Xue family was indeed not as wealthy as it used to be. It could be seen from the dilapidated building. The red paint was mottled and the rubble was decaying. However, a starving camel was still bigger than a horse. The skeleton of this mansion still stood there proudly, recounting its former glory.
Walking through the corridor with red paint and green railings, the lake full of dead lotuses, and the rockery pavilion overlooking the entire Xue family's mansion, Xue Baoqin arrived at the reception hall.
The eight fine-edged lattice doors were wide open, and the warm early autumn sun shone in, illuminating half of the azure floorboards. The room was made of rosewood. It was painted with oil, revealing the original color of the wood. There was no sense of wealth or extravagance. Although Xue family was a merchant family, they weren't nouveau riche. They still had a foundation. However, from the famous calligraphy and paintings hanging on the front wall and the rare toys on the shelves, one could see that they had a deep foundation.
Lady Mei sat in a chair. Although she looked calm, there was a trace of impatience hidden between her brows. Her youngest daughter sat next to her. She was neatly dressed, with a new head ornament and new clothes on her body. At this time, she was rubbing a pair of pure gold bracelets inlaid with agate on her wrist. She muttered, "Why aren't they here yet? Aren't they a bit too arrogant? "
Lady May picked up the pink tea cup on the side of the lotus leaf table and took a sip of the fragrant tea. She faintly said, "Have some patience. Look at you. You don't look like a girl raised by our Mei family at all. You didn't manage to get into a merchant's house, so you've been tainted with the aura of vulgarity. "
She was strict in managing the household. Everyone in the family, young and old, was somewhat afraid of her. The moment she heard her mother's words, her younger daughter immediately shut her mouth. The corners of Madam Mei's lips curled up in satisfaction. Just as she was about to say something, she suddenly realized that someone had appeared at the door and blocked the sunlight.
Lady May and Miss Mei both looked up at the person. Perhaps it was because of the sunlight behind the person, but for a moment, they felt dizzy. They didn't want to admit that it was the person's beauty that had dazzled their eyes.
Lady May inwardly rejoiced that she didn't bring her son back to Jinling to worship their ancestors. Otherwise, if he saw this Xue Baoqin, it would be troublesome to cancel the engagement.
Where did this seductive vixen come from? Did the heavens send her down to bring disaster to the world? Lady May gritted her teeth as she thought to herself.
Xue Baoqin saw the two female guests, one old and one young, who were dressed elegantly. She smiled and said, "I didn't know that you were here. Sorry for the delay."
Miss Mei was already jealous of Xue Baoqin's beauty. Without waiting for her mother to say anything, she coldly snorted and said, "Sister Xue is dressed so plainly to come out and meet guests. Are you looking down on our Mei family?"
For someone who was so unreasonable, ignoring her was the greatest form of contempt. Therefore, Xue Baoqin did not even look at her. She slowly walked to the opposite side of the Mei family's mother and daughter and sat down calmly. She looked at Madam Mei and said, "Madam Mei, what brings you here today?"
Seeing that Xue Baoqin was ignoring her, Miss Mei was so angry that her nose was about to become crooked. She wasn't very pretty to begin with. Now that her face was twisted, she looked even uglier. Madam Mei gave her a warning look, then looked back at Xue Baoqin and said, "No matter what, our families are old friends, and we have many things to do when we return to our hometown to worship our ancestors. Thus, I took some time out today to visit you and your sister. "Her words were very arrogant, as if she was an elder.
Visit us? If I didn't know better, I would think that you really cared about us! Xue Baoqin searched her memories for relevant memories. She remembered that ever since the Xue family's master and madam had passed away, the Mei family had only sent servants to offer their condolences. They hadn't expressed any concern. As in-laws, how could they be so cold? Now that they were saying these words, wouldn't it make her laugh coldly? Thinking of this, the smile on her face became fainter and fainter. Seeing her like this, Lady May was very unhappy, "Miss Xue, your parents are no longer here. I think that I still have the right to discipline you. Otherwise, when you marry into our family in the future, if you are still like this, wouldn't you lose face for our Mei family? You have to know that the capital is not like Jinling. How many high officials and nobles are there? Face is the most important thing. Otherwise, how can we establish ourselves? "
Xue Baoqin's expression was cold. Hearing this, she didn't show any anger. Instead, she calmly asked, "What does Lady May mean by this?"
Lady May said, "I've heard many things about you these past few days. Most of it is fine, but there is one thing that is truly unbearable. You're an unmarried girl, yet you don't stay at home. Instead, you run around the streets and show your face in public like this. What kind of scandal is this? Is this the upbringing of your Xue family? "
It was true that she had to show her face in public. The Xue family was a merchant family and had many shops. Xue Wu couldn't take care of everything by herself. As a result, Xue Baoqin would go out from time to time to take care of the shops and take care of the farmstead. However, every time she went out, she would wear a veil, so it wasn't considered a scandal. Xue Baoqin didn't believe that Lady May didn't know about this. She was just trying to find fault with her. In the end, she looked down on the Xue family's merchant background. She wasn't satisfied with this marriage, but she couldn't find a reason to cancel it. Thus, she wanted to vent her anger on her. A few days ago, when the two families met in the suburbs, the situation was like this. The Mei family's mother and daughter insulted Baoqin indirectly. Baoqin was so angry that she couldn't sleep that night. Her eyes were swollen from crying.
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