As the sisters-in-law chatted, the maids brought out tea and fruit. Xue-shi personally carried a plate of purplish-red grapes. "These fruits came from the Western Regions. I specially saved two plates for Mother to try."
Xue-shi came from a family of imperial merchants and had plenty of rare treasures at her disposal. These grapes were brightly colored and plump-one glance was enough to tell they were tribute goods.
Grapes, a fruit introduced from the Western Regions, were expensive and beyond the means of ordinary households. The Marquis's Estate had bought them a few times, but they had been sour and astringent, so the young masters and ladies hadn't cared for them.
But this plate of tribute grapes Xue-shi had brought was so purple it was almost black. They looked sweet.
Jian Ruonan looked at the grapes and swallowed.
The old madam was getting on in years and didn't particularly like fruit. The grapes held little appeal for her. "Since everyone's here, share them around and have a taste."
No matter how much Jian Ruonan craved something, she would keep her mouth shut when it came to food in the old madam's room.
She had no desire to eat anything contaminated by athlete's foot.
But Xue-shi had brought these grapes herself, and they hadn't passed through the old madam's hands. They were safe to eat.
When the fruit plate reached her, Jian Ruonan helped herself to a handful without hesitation and ate them in small bites.
All-natural, pesticide-free grapes, with a little fruity tartness. Delicious-even better than the purely sweet ones she'd eaten before.
They certainly deserved to be tribute goods.
She spat out the grape seeds and wrapped them in her handkerchief, thinking she would have Nanny Zhou plant them on the farm so she could eat them again in the future.
After finishing the grapes in her hand, Jian Ruonan reached into the plate for more. When she looked up, she noticed that everyone was eating except Jian Chuyun, who sat primly upright without touching a single grape.
Jian Chuyun was the old madam's favorite granddaughter. She had been raised at her side since childhood, and even her marriage prospects were being personally screened by the old madam.
Seeing that her beloved granddaughter hadn't eaten, the old madam asked, "Chuyun, why aren't you eating?"
Jian Chuyun propped her chin in her hand and looked at the old madam with a face full of concern. "There are so few grapes. If I eat some, Grandmother will have fewer. I won't eat any. I'll save my share for Grandmother."
That simple remark silenced the entire room.
The old madam pressed both hands to her chest and closed her eyes, her heart soothed and sweet as though she had eaten honey.
The matrons and maids beside her said with smiles, "The second young lady is so filial!"
"As expected of someone the old madam taught herself! You won't find anyone more filial in the entire capital!"
"The old madam truly is blessed!"
"Unlike some people's daughters, who aren't satisfied with what's in their hands and keep grabbing for more. They even take the grape seeds away."
As the matron spoke, she glanced at Jian Ruonan, openly mocking her greed and lack of manners.
The younger Shi-shi straightened her back with reflected pride and swept a casually dismissive glance over the women present.
Min sighed inwardly. Here they went again.
Every time, they praised the second branch while belittling the first.
She was used to it. She only feared Nannan would be hurt.
Jian Xilu took Jian Ruonan's hand and gave it a gentle, comforting squeeze.
Don't be upset, little sister.
Jian Ruonan was dumbfounded. She even stopped eating her grapes and stared blankly at Jian Chuyun.
[What is she trying to do?! Huh?!]
[Seriously, all I'm doing is eating grapes, and she's launching a battle for the succession?]
[If you're so capable, why don't you go battle those consorts and ladies of illustrious bearing in the palace? It's just a few grapes. Do you really have to fight this hard?]
[Eating a few grapes makes me utterly unfilial now?!]
[Even eating grapes lands me in a high-level match. If I eat a turtle, will I have to plot every single step?]
[Jian Chuyun, oh, Jian Chuyun. Looking at that shoehorn face of yours, courtesy of inbreeding, really kills my appetite!]
[How have the first and third branches not beaten someone like you to death yet?!]
Min: "..."
Good. Nannan's mind was perfectly healthy. She wasn't upset in the slightest.
Now, then, she needed to keep herself from laughing.
Min had excellent composure and controlled her expression well, keeping a faint smile on her face.
Jian Xilu: "Pfft-"
Jian Xilu couldn't help it. A laugh escaped her.
Especially when she looked at Jian Chuyun's long face. She truly couldn't hold it in-the more she looked, the more it resembled a shoehorn.
Her little sister really had a way with words, rattling off one quip after another. She was hilarious.
Seeing Jian Xilu laugh, the old madam looked displeased. "Eldest girl, what are you laughing at?"
Jian Xilu covered her mouth, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably. "Of course I'm smiling because little sister Chuyun is so filial."
Jian Ruonan quietly chimed in, "Having such a filial older sister makes me want to smile too. Grandmother, aren't we allowed to smile?"
With her head half lowered, she blinked her big eyes, looking innocent and guileless.
Compared with her inner world, it was practically the difference between heaven and earth.
Jian Xilu continued her painful struggle not to laugh.
The old madam awkwardly withdrew her gaze. Although she felt the sisters were being disrespectful, there was nothing wrong with their words, so she couldn't pick a fight without cause.
The old madam gathered Jian Chuyun into her arms, calling her her darling and sweetheart, then had someone bring over the remaining grapes and personally fed them to her. "Your grandmother is old and doesn't like eating these things. I'm afraid I won't digest them if I eat too many. You young people have good appetites. Eat more."
In the end, Jian Chuyun ate the most grapes.
As she ate the grapes the old madam fed her, Jian Chuyun looked smugly at Jian Xilu and Jian Ruonan.
As though being personally fed by her grandmother were some supreme honor.
[Ugh, the old madam really has no hygiene standards. Feeding her granddaughter grapes without washing her hands after picking at her feet-bleurgh-]
[Ancestors above, this faithful believer vows to eat a balanced mix of meat and vegetables for the rest of her life. Please bless me so the old madam never, ever dotes on me!!]
Min: "..."
Jian Xilu also felt incredibly lucky. Thank goodness the old madam didn't like her.
Seeing the old madam's favoritism, the sisters weren't upset at all. They were delighted-especially Jian Ruonan, who practically wanted to set off firecrackers in celebration.
Jian Chuyun was terribly pleased with herself. She sat with her back ramrod straight, proud as a great big rooster.
Seeing Jian Ruonan looking at her, Jian Chuyun turned and smiled at the old madam. "Grandmother, you should dote on Ruonan too. If you keep doting on me, she'll start hating me."
Jian Ruonan sucked in a breath and hurriedly explained, "No, I'm not jealous of you, elder sister."
[Help! You two belong together. Stay locked together forever-you're a perfect match!!]
[Just please don't come torment me!!!]
Jian Chuyun lifted her chin. "Then why are you staring at me?"
Jian Ruonan lowered her eyes meekly and fiddled with her fingers, looking like a harmless little white rabbit. "I wanted to whisper something to you, elder sister."
Still eating the grapes the old madam fed her, Jian Chuyun deigned to reply, "Oh? Come on, then."
Jian Chuyun hated the first branch too.
Why did the first branch have to inherit the title? If Father inherited it, I'd be the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Jinyang.
Her mother had said that her eldest uncle wasn't born to her grandmother, and once he inherited the title, the family would divide its households.
Her father merely held an idle post at the Ministry of Works. In the future, she would only be the daughter of a sixth-rank official, leaving her current marriage prospects caught between reaching too high and refusing to settle too low.
So annoying.
This Jian Ruonan was clearly a spineless good-for-nothing, taking up a place as the marquis's legitimate daughter for nothing.
Sent to Jiangnan? She was obviously just a country bumpkin raised on a farm by a concubine.
Jian Chuyun maintained her haughty air, growing angrier the more she thought about it.
Jian Ruonan kept her head half lowered, looking utterly timid.
She walked up to Jian Chuyun in tiny steps, cupped both hands into a little trumpet, and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Grandmother picked at her feet and fed you grapes without washing her hands. I hear she has athlete's foot, and her feet are itchy and smelly. I just wanted to ask, elder sister-are the grapes sweet?"
Jian Chuyun: "..."
Before you continue