Ji Yan opened the courtyard door and saw a woman standing outside. She exclaimed in surprise, "Aunt Wang, it's snowing so heavily, you've come all the way here to find me, is there something urgent?" The woman smiled and said, "Ji Yan, I just received an order from the Xiao Jiang family and came over to help Miss Jiang measure her wedding dress." Ji Yan welcomed her into the courtyard, introducing her to Jiang Wanru who was standing inside, saying, "Miss, this is Aunt Wang. Her needlework skills are the best in the sewing room."

  Jiang Wanmu glanced at the slender woman, put down the shovel in her hand, and turned to walk towards her own room. Jiyin explained softly behind her, "Aunt Wang, Miss's intention is for you to follow her into the room." The woman saw Jiyin's tense expression and sympathetically patted her arm, comforting her by saying, "I understand your intentions, I will help your young lady take measurements and make clothes properly."

  Ji Yan and Wang Shu entered the room, Jiang Wanru stood in the middle of the room. Wang Shu took two steps forward with a smile, sizing up Jiang Wanru for several moments, then turned to Ji Yan and said: "I think Third Miss's stature will still grow by next year when she gets married. I reckon it won't be accurate to measure now, so why don't I describe the style of the wedding dress, and you help Third Miss make a decision?" Ji Yan saw that Wang Shu was treating Jiang Wanru like an idiot, her eyes had a hint of urgency, but when she looked at Jiang Wanru, she saw her nodding indifferently.

  Jiang Wanru sat lazily at the table, listening to Wang Shu and Ji Yan discussing the style of her wedding dress. Every time Ji Yan mentioned a style, she would look at Jiang Wanru and ask, "Miss, do you think it's okay?" Jiang Wanru didn't even want to lift her head, and said lazily, "As long as it's easy to put on and take off." It was like she hadn't spoken at all. Ji Yan looked unhappy and said to Wang Shu, "Wang Shu, my family's young lady's wedding dress... we still need to trouble you to think about it some more. Please help our young lady come up with a solution, and make the style that will make her look beautiful."

  Wang Shu's aunt heard Ji Yan's words and glanced at Jiang Wanru, who was lying on the table with her eyes closed. She turned to face Ji Yan and said: "There is a style that I think Third Miss will like. The dress has two layers, the inside uses red satin, and the outside uses red gauze fabric for decoration. However, that red gauze was given by Eldest Miss to Madame as a token of filial piety, saying it was a gift from the palace. Madame temporarily placed it in the sewing room and hasn't said what she wants to use it for yet."

  Jiang Wanru heard Wang Shu's hint. She understood that she wanted to ask Jiang Dafuren herself. At first, she didn't think about how difficult it would be, but only thought about the preciousness of the red gauze, which made her extremely unhappy. Then, thinking again about wearing the red gauze on her body, the wedding day was supposed to be a lively occasion with people coming and going. If someone accidentally got close to her, they might tear off a few pieces of gauze. In the end, the one who would lose face would still be her.

  Jiang Wanru immediately lifted her head, behind Wang Shu's back, and shook her head vigorously at Jiyin. Jiyin saw this and sighed softly, saying: "Auntie, since this matter is so difficult to handle, there's no need to make things hard for you or exert yourself so much for Miss's sake. Why don't you just make a wedding dress for Miss in the usual style, that way it'll be enough for the big day?" Jiang Wanru heard these words and gave Jiyin a thumbs up, then lay back down on the table with her eyes closed after seeing Jiyin notice her gesture.

  Wang auntie looked at Jiyuan and saw her glance back. She followed suit, turning to look at Jiang Wanting who had closed her eyes. Turning back to Jiyuan, she said: "Jiyuan, you should wake up your young mistress and ask her clearly what style of wedding dress she wants. Although there are still a few months left, we have many new clothes to make for the masters of the house from the beginning of the year to the end. I'm worried that Third Miss won't be satisfied later on and will want to change styles, but by then the needlework room won't have anyone with the time to help her alter the wedding dress back and forth."

  Ji Yan heard Wang Shu's words and held back a mouthful of stifled air, saying: "As long as the wedding clothes you make are the right size and easy to put on and take off, my young lady is easy-going and will accept any style. However, that style of silk clothing you just mentioned, my young lady won't want it. On a good day, wearing red silk, if someone were to tear it off her body, the new clothes wouldn't even be worn for half a day before they'd become rags." Jiang Wanru heard Ji Yan's blunt words and struggled to hold back the laughter that was rising to her lips.

  Aunt Wang heard Ji Yan's words and suddenly became agitated, staring at Ji Yan in a loud voice: "I kindly provided new clothes for your young lady, but you don't appreciate it, and instead say such things to annoy me? This is good intentions not being rewarded." Jiang Wanru then lifted her head, looking at Ji Yan and saying: "Go take a look outside, is it thundering?" Ji Yan quickly calmed her down, saying: "Miss, on a snowy day like today, how could there be thunder? It's just Aunt Wang speaking loudly to me for a moment."

  Jiang Wanmu glanced at the woman and said, "You'd better speak softly with Ji Yan, don't be too loud, it's disturbing me from my sleep." After finishing speaking, she immediately closed her eyes and lay down on the table again. Wang Shu's fuss actually made Ji Yan's anger dissipate, saying, "Alright, I'll take this task, of course, I'll do my best to make it good, after all, if Third Miss looks good wearing it, it will also bring me honor."

  Ji Yan burst out laughing and said, "Aunt Wang, I'll go get Miss's new clothes for you to measure the length?" Aunt Wang shook her head and said, "No need, I've made dozens of years of clothes, just by taking a glance at Third Miss, I already know how big and long her wedding dress should be." Ji Yan was impressed and said, "Aunt Wang, no wonder everyone in the house says 'Madam values you the most, any clothes that go out must be made by Aunt Wang before she'll wear them.'"

  The aunt Wang couldn't help but laugh and quickly spoke up, "This has been said before, now the fourth young lady's needlework is done well, she respects her mother-in-law's new clothes, I see them afterwards and can't help but admire, the madam wears those clothes, they fit well and look good. The madam specially rewarded the fourth young lady with several pieces of good fabric, and also let one person from the sewing room help her make wedding clothes, and at the same time learn from the fourth young lady." Ji Yan heard this and widened his eyes, pulling aunt Wang to sit down, saying "Aunt, you rarely have free time, stay and chat with me for a bit."

  Wang auntie looked at her with concern, and Jiang Wanru, who was lying on the table, said softly: "I'm here, I'll disturb Third Miss." Ji Yan smiled lightly and said: "Auntie, even if Miss is sleeping on the table at this time, our conversation won't disturb her. I've heard Xiao Jiang auntie praise you several times, praising me to think that when I have the chance to meet Auntie, I must hold onto Auntie and have a good chat, also so that I can gain some experience, otherwise Fourth Miss and Fifth Miss will scold me for being stupid every time they see me."

  "Alas, you're just following the wrong master. Your parents can't abandon you, yet you're willing to follow Third Miss out of the mansion. Even that young master from the Wang family is said to have a terrible temper. Your miss isn't clever either... You should be more careful in the future and distinguish who's the real master. The wedding dress for Third Miss has four sets of inner garments and two outer ones. Do you know how many dresses can be made with the fabric from Fourth Miss's place?"

  Ji Yan shook her head at once and curiously asked, "More than two sets compared to my family's young lady?" Wang Shu stretched out her hand to compare and said, "The madam gave the second young lady five more sets of dowry clothes than the third sister. The fourth young lady knows how to make the madam and old lady happy, those good fabrics are given away as if they were worthless. Alas, Ji Yan, you should think of a way, if you follow closely behind the third young lady, your family will not be able to lift their heads for this lifetime. Look at the third young lady's temperament, there is nothing likable about her. Alas..."

  After a while, the woman left, and Jiang Wanmu seemed to still be in the room, able to hear her "sighs". Jiang Wanmu pulled a face of discontent and went back to shoveling snow in the courtyard. Jiyuan looked at Jiang Wanmu with dissatisfaction and said: "Miss, aren't you angry?" Jiang Wanmu raised her eyes and said: "What's there to be angry about? How much dowry is given, what can it do? Can it prove that our future days will be better?"

  Ji Yan shook his head repeatedly as he listened to the words. Jiang An and now two married daughters, their dowries were more than those of ordinary people's daughters. Jiang Wan was the legitimate young lady, and when she married into the Lian family that year, her dowry could fill a whole street. But now that she has returned to the Jiang family, every time she looks up with excitement, she seems to have lost some of her former radiance. Ji Yan had long heard from the servants that after Jiang Wan gave birth to her eldest daughter, Lian Zi Mo gradually became extremely fond of a gentle and mild-mannered concubine, who recently gave birth to a younger son.

  Jiang Wanxi's days, compared to Jiang Wanyi, were much better in the mouths of others. At least her husband's family listened to her opinions and she gave birth to two sons, managing the household properly and getting along well with her husband's family. Ji Yan had seen Jiang Wanxi several times and saw that she was still following closely behind Jiang Wanyi, but her expression was clearly different, with a calm smile on her face. Unlike when she was at the Jiang's house, where she seemed to be covered in thorns all over her body, always remembering to prick people a few times.

  Jiang Wanmu glanced at Jiyuan, who was shoveling snow with a smile, and let her think about it. Jiang Wanmu and Jiyuan spent the whole afternoon clearing the road in the middle. After returning to her room, Jiang Wanmu washed her body with warm water and tidied up her clothes. Just as she finished, Jiyuan rushed into the room and said to Jiang Wanmu: "Miss, you should take the initiative to discuss the style of your wedding dress with Wang Shu."

  Jiang Wanmu patted her hand and said, "No need to waste your breath, the people in the needlework room already know what kind of wedding dress I want. She just wanted to see my reaction to the wedding dress. You handled it well, after the New Year, go visit the needlework room every ten or half a month, no need to say anything." Ji Yan said "Ah" and looked at Jiang Wanmu, "Will they make your wedding dress nicely like this?"

  Jiang Wanmu smiled lightly and shook her head, saying: "No, this can prove that your family's young lady is still a fool, still waiting to investigate the style of that wedding dress. In the Jiang family, I can only be a fool in order to live safely." Ji Yan looked at Jiang Wanmu and nodded, saying: "Although I don't fully understand what you mean, Miss, I will listen to your words."

  Hard study