(Jiang Wanru and Ji Yan walked out of the right side gate of the Wang Fu) Ji Yan turned back to glance at the dark red wall, saying in a low voice: "Miss, this engagement was only announced yesterday. She clearly knew about it, and it has nothing to do with you, why did she have the nerve to come and question you?" Jiang Wanru listened and simply reached out to gently brush off the snowflakes on her hair, sighing lightly: "It's just that they look down on me, thinking I'm the easiest person to bully in the Wang Fu, so they wanted to make a final show of strength before leaving."

  Jiang Wan looked at Ji Yan's confused expression and explained in a soft voice: "Ming Tong is someone who can speak to the princess, originally she was prepared by the princess as a concubine for the third master, but temporarily became his mistress to avoid tarnishing the reputation of the first wife. However, things didn't go as planned, with the rumors about the princess spreading, that's how I ended up in this fake marriage with the third master. The proper wife hasn't even entered the house yet, and a concubine can never be promoted to a legitimate wife. But she's getting older by the day, and the third master is gradually becoming colder towards her.

  Her family members are considered to be of good standing in the Wang household, and her elder sister-in-law is a useful person in the eyes of the princess. In this situation, it's likely that when Third Master gets married, she won't even have a chance at becoming his concubine. Her family will definitely help her think of a plan, and Third Master would also be willing to let her go. Ming Tong has an outstanding appearance, and from what I can see, she has a gentle temperament and is quite skilled in handling matters. I've seen how meticulously she serves Third Master at meals - even if there were ten of me, we couldn't match the precision with which she takes care of him. A person as refined as her would be a favored woman no matter whose side she's on."

  Ji Yan looked at Jiang Wanru with some disbelief after hearing her words, because since they entered the Wang Fu, they had never heard of Lian Hao favoring Ming Tou. Jiang Wanru gazed at her and said: "Ji Yan, men in this world all like women who are as gentle as a flower that understands language. Ming Tou's temperament is considerate and meticulous, smiling like spring warmth and blooming flowers, crying like spring rain drizzling down. She just miscalculated for the time being. In the Wang Fu, she showed off too much intelligence, in front of Third Master, using too much force, which would only lead to self-destruction. If she could distinguish between primary and secondary matters, and slightly restrained herself, later when Third Master welcomes his official wife, she will definitely be the first person in Third Master's heart."

  The news of Ming's marriage had reached Jiang Wanru's ears, and after careful consideration, she understood that the queen was quite thoughtful in arranging this marriage for herself. On the surface, it didn't seem like a good match - the man was too old and already had grown children. However, upon closer thought, it was actually a very suitable match. A man who was devoted to his first wife would not have high expectations of his second wife. Considering the children's well-being, he wouldn't mind Ming's humble background. He just wanted a kind and capable woman to manage the household. In the future, as long as Ming was diligent and used her wisdom and abilities, the man would treat her well.

  Ji Yan sighed yesterday about Ming Tuo's engagement. She felt sorry for the beautiful woman. But today, seeing Ming Tuo crying in the courtyard like a flower after rain, Ji Yan realized that she was being bullied by Jiang Wanru. Ji Yan had always been kind-hearted, but now she felt a strong dislike towards Jiang Wanru. Taking a deep breath, Ji Yan said: "Miss, her engagement is not to her liking, but it's not your fault, no matter what, she can't bully you."

  Jiang Wanru smiled brightly and said, "Am I not being bullied by her? Originally, we were just two people who didn't interfere with each other's business. She still wants to bring up old feelings in front of me, without thinking that our relationship is just superficial. Does she want people to think that I'm the one who often speaks out of turn in front of Third Master? Forcing her to leave the Wang Manor? Doesn't she ever think about when have I ever managed these things? Moreover, Third Master has already made up his mind, how can he be swayed by others' opinions?" Ji Yan's eyes sparkled. He thought about how Lian Hao had been spending more and more time in Miss's room lately, even if Miss didn't pay attention to him. He could still stay for a while before leaving.

  Ji Yan smiled and said, "Miss usually doesn't like to bother with people. No matter what others say, Miss always nods in agreement. It's no wonder Ming Tong thought you were easy to bully." Jiang Wanru glanced at her and said, "What I said to her wasn't wrong. The people in the Wang household are all unrelated to me, so why should I go out of my way to cause them trouble? Ji Yan, from now on, when you encounter someone like Ming Tong, try to avoid her as much as possible. A woman like that is a nemesis to both concubines and wives. She's a nightmare for everyone, no matter where she is. Even if you're friends with her, you still need to be careful of the knife in her back. She's really not someone you can let your guard down around."

  Ji Yan couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh, and after a while, she let go of her hand and saw Jiang Wanmu's gloomy expression as he gazed into the distance. Far away on the street, it was a vast expanse of white, with few pedestrians, making the passing vehicles seem numerous. Ji Yan glanced at the increasingly large snowflakes, reached out to pull Jiang Wanmu, and said: "Miss, the snow is falling heavily, the road is difficult to walk, let's call a horse carriage." Jiang Wanmu withdrew her gaze, smiled and nodded, saying: "Okay." Ji Yan hailed a passing horse carriage, told the driver where they were going, and after negotiating the price with him, the carriage stopped.

  Jiang Wanru and Ji Yan climbed onto the carriage, only to find that the narrow space inside was already occupied by three young women wearing cotton-padded jackets. The three women stared at Jiang Wanru and Ji Yan in surprise as they settled into their seats. The three women sized them up several times, exchanging glances with each other. After Jiang Wanru and Ji Yan boarded the carriage, they lowered their eyelids and sat properly to one side, occasionally flashing a glance at the curious gazes cast by the three women. The three women looked at the two of them sitting quietly and then shifted their gaze away, continuing to chat about their family affairs.

  Three women occasionally mentioned a place where Coca-Cola was sold, and the three of them burst out laughing. Jiang Wenyu and Ji Yan listened with interest and couldn't help but let out a soft laugh as well. The women heard their laughter and quickly looked at the two of them, seeing that there was no ridicule in their eyes, so they became even more excited. They didn't speak softly like before, and from time to time, they would look up to observe the expressions on the two women's faces. The three women felt at ease and raised their voices while speaking, and gradually, the atmosphere between the five of them became more relaxed.

  Jiang Wanru and Ji Yan had no experience interacting with women, so at first they found it quite entertaining to listen to them teasing each other. However, as the conversation went on, they started to feel that something was off. Most people know that "family shame should not be revealed outside", but these three women sitting in front of Jiang Wanru seemed to have a particularly close relationship with each other, and were very familiar with each other's family affairs. In Jiang Wanru and Ji Yan's ears, they began to hear the women gossiping about their husbands' shortcomings, then scolding their own men for being unkind, and finally mocking each other's sisters-in-law for being immoral.

  Three women, as they talked more and more, began to offer advice to each other. Using their own real-life experiences, they hinted at Jiang Wanruo and Ji Yan, who were quietly listening with raised eyebrows, saying: "Two ladies, looking at you both are kind-hearted people. In the future, be careful of those who smile especially warmly at you, for in her heart, she may be scolding you." Jiang Wanruo and Ji Yan's half-blooming smiles froze upon hearing these words, and they could only slightly curve their mouths to avoid others mistakenly thinking they were cursing someone in their hearts. The two women could only once again lower their eyes, pretending not to know what the other women were talking about.

  The horse cart finally stopped at the intersection of East Street, and the driver put down the stool beside the car. Jiang Wanru and Ji Yan immediately jumped off the car, and Ji Yan quickly handed over the silver to the driver. After walking a long way, Ji Yan let out a soft sigh and said: "Fortunately, my mother and aunt are not that kind of people. If they were, we would have to be on guard against each other all the time, and life would be too tiring. It turns out that in ordinary families, except for those with little silver to use, family members live in harmony and happiness, and life is much better. Listening to the three elder sisters' words, I realized that days without using silver are also difficult."

  Jiang Wanru was also shattered by the words of three women, breaking the fantasy that only existed in her heart. She gently patted the snowflakes on her body, and her heart felt as cold as the snowflakes falling on her. In Ning Chao's family, when his grandparents and parents were alive, there were rarely any divisions within the household. Compared to ordinary families, aristocratic families like theirs were better in this regard. Illegitimate children would often choose to live separately after their father passed away. In most families, there was no distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children; they were all considered siblings, and after getting married, they would naturally live together under the same roof, sharing a good life.

  Jiang Wan had never faced such complicated interpersonal relationships in her two lifetimes. The petty calculations she heard from the mouths of three women, although not fatal to each other's lives, still made Jiang Wan feel quite annoyed every day. Thinking that every day, for some trivial matters, several women would smile and get along with each other in front of their husbands, but behind their backs, they would secretly vie with each other. This kind of two-faced behavior might be fine in the short term, but it was not a way to live in the long run. Even with good intentions, without good family members, life would still be difficult.

  Jiang Wanru walked on the street, and the snowflakes that came rushing towards her made her think of those three women. She recalled their excited expressions when they mentioned their small victories over each other. Suddenly, she felt her heart was empty and swaying, not knowing where to anchor herself. The streets were covered in white snow, and amidst the hustle and bustle of people on East Street, Jiang Wanru felt that the accumulated snow in her heart was equally deep and bottomless. She turned around and saw Jiyuan's face with a lucky expression, and she smiled faintly, saying: "Jiyuan, I have something to take care of and it will take some time. Later, I'll just grab something to eat casually. You all don't need to wait for me to finish lunch; after lunch, I'll go find you at the fabric store."

  Ji Yan looked at Jiang Wan with a worried expression, listening to her say: "Let Fang Zheng help us choose some thick fabrics, we'll go back and make our own outerwear. Next time we come out, we can't wear such eye-catching clothes." Their brocade clothes were not particularly special on East Street, but no matter where they went, people wearing cotton-padded jackets and hemp robes were always in the majority. Jiang Wan had already spotted a bookstore and also saw the fabric store next to it.

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  Hard study