Giving Gifts

"Sorry for the trouble... little sister."

Jiang Wanrong spoke, still feeling a little unused to it all.

She had hoped her family would treat her kindly, but now that she was here, she found she could not quite adjust to their warmth just yet.

The courtyard next to Jiang Yourning's was called Bright Azure Courtyard.

It took the two of them very little time to walk over.

"Wanrong, you'll be living here from now on. Another day, I'll go with you to buy some ready-made clothes, and we can have a seamstress come take your measurements for some tailored outfits too. How does that sound?"

"All right."

Jiang Wanrong carefully surveyed her surroundings.

Many rare and expensive flowers and plants grew in the courtyard.

The fish in the little pond darted about and leaped merrily, as though welcoming her arrival.

A faint fragrance lingered inside the rooms. They had been scented with osmanthus incense, and it smelled quite pleasant.

Everything was arranged neatly, and the furnishings were clearly worth a considerable sum.

"Ningning... could you let me be alone for a while?"

As she looked around, Jiang Wanrong felt a tangled mix of emotions and uncertainty.

"Of course. If you need anything, just call for me. I'm right next door."

Jiang Yourning nodded gently.

Then she glanced back every few steps as she left.

The moment she left Bright Azure Courtyard, Jiang Yourning summoned Chun Tao and wrote her a shopping list.

She could hardly let the heroine come home without giving her a present.

When she arrived at the dining hall with Jiang Wanrong, Jiang Yourning noticed a rather unfamiliar man at the table besides her third brother, Jiang Li, and fourth brother, Jiang Heng, who had returned home. She could not help frowning, but ultimately said nothing.

First, she dipped in a curtsy to Jiang Li and Jiang Heng. "Third Brother, Fourth Brother."

Beside her, Jiang Wanrong followed suit, greeting them with no less courtesy.

"All right, all right, both of you, sit down." Lin Xiangyin immediately smiled and beckoned them to their seats, then gave a meaningful glance to a matron nearby.

A matron promptly came over carrying two boxes.

"Rong'er, you came home so suddenly that we didn't have enough time to prepare. I hope you won't mind this gift."

"Thank you, Father, Mother."

Once Lin Xiangyin finished speaking, Jiang Wanrong accepted the gifts with a somewhat restrained smile.

Then Jiang Li said coolly from beside them, "I didn't have time to prepare a gift either, but there are a few things of little value in my courtyard. Ningning, take your fifth sister over to collect them later."

Hearing this, Jiang Yourning could not help silently snarking to herself.

[Oh, please, give it a rest. I bet the moment you heard the news, you took your freshly paid salary and bought a whole pile of things!]

[You've got a perfectly good mouth, yet you can't say a single nice thing. No wonder the girl you fancy will later refuse to marry anyone but Second Brother.]

So that was how it was?

Jiang Wanrong was surprised at first, then her eyes widened despite herself.

And the girl Third Brother liked had fallen for Second Brother, whom she hadn't even met yet? What kind of bizarre plot was this?

"Thank you, Third Brother."

Although she did not understand why her sixth sister would say such things, she did feel a little less ill at ease.

Meanwhile, the man Jiang Yourning found unfamiliar cast a sidelong glance at Jiang Li, his expression difficult to describe.

So his colleague was stubborn-mouthed and unlucky to boot?

"Little sister, I prepared gifts for you too. There's one for both you and Ningning. Here!"

Jiang Heng pulled two small boxes from his sleeve.

As Jiang Yourning accepted hers, she thanked her fourth brother, then swiftly tossed it into Chun Tao's arms.

[Fourth Brother's gifts are either his precious katydids, caterpillars, or silkworm pupae about to break out of their cocoons and become butterflies. Please don't let me see any of those things right now, or how am I supposed to enjoy my meal later?]

After thanking her fourth brother, Jiang Wanrong's hand paused slightly around the box as well.

Katydids? Caterpillars? Silkworm pupae?

She was usually quite brave, but she could never bring herself to like creatures of that sort.

Just then, Jiang Yourning chuckled. "Wanrong, I bought you lots of things too. They've already been sent to your courtyard. I hope you'll like them."

[A woman whose poison arts are unrivaled and who can wield a sword to cut people down... I wonder if, once she kills that bastard, she'll let me cling to her powerful leg?]

[I want to lie flat, have someone support me, and have money to spend even with my eyes closed.]

"All right..."

Jiang Wanrong studied this younger sister of hers.

Instinctively, she should have been wary of someone who knew so much about her, yet for some inexplicable reason, she felt this girl was rather sweetly foolish.

Finally, the man who had kept making himself all but invisible also gave Jiang Wanrong a small box.

Only after his daughter had received gifts from everyone did Jiang Huai'an speak slowly. "Rong'er, open your presents and have a look. If you don't like any of them, we can exchange them."

"I like them all. Thank you, Father."

Jiang Wanrong thanked him first.

Lin Xiangyin had given her a set of hair ornaments, while Jiang Huai'an had given her the deeds to two shops in good locations belonging to the Jiang Residence.

The unfamiliar man, meanwhile, had given her a jade whistle.

Looking at the last box and recalling Jiang Yourning's words, Jiang Wanrong spoke slowly.

"There's only one box left. I'd like to open it after I go back. You won't be angry, will you, Fourth Brother?"

"Of course not. As long as you're happy, you can open it whenever you like. Just don't leave it shut too long, or the thing inside will die."

Jiang Heng nodded with a cheeky grin, seeing nothing wrong with his gift whatsoever.