Noble Daughter | Chapter 10: Meeting Again

Wei Heng just walked to Shuhe Ju, and Wei Fang happened to walk over as well. When she saw Wei Heng, she was slightly surprised, but she was a kind-hearted person and didn’t say anything. She called out, “Third Sister,” and extended her hand to Wei Heng.

Wei Fang is thirteen years old this year. Since she didn’t get admitted to the girls’ school, she continues to study with Wei Xuan and Wei Heng in the Wei family’s school. Wei Heng doesn’t dislike her.

Wei Heng placed her hand in Wei Fang’s palm, and the two sisters walked hand in hand into Shuhe Ju.

“Wow, Sister Heng actually came. What’s going on? Not having a stomachache this year?” The speaker was a very delicate-looking girl, about the same age as Wei Heng. She is Mu Jin, the daughter of Wei Xuan’s uncle Zhongqin Bo Mu Weikai, and also the legitimate niece of the Empress Mu in the palace.

With an aunt like the Empress Mu in the palace, Mu Jin is protected even if she walks sideways, developing a spoiled temperament, ignoring everyone. However, it’s strange, everyone has their nemesis, and Wei Xuan is Mu Jin’s nemesis. Mu Jin doesn’t respect anyone except Wei Xuan, who is her most loyal supporter.

Mu Jin’s sister, Mu Zhen, glared at Mu Jin, reached out and pulled Wei Heng, saying, “Don’t mind Jin. Speaking of which, we haven’t seen each other for a long time. I heard you were sick the other day. I was afraid to disturb you during your illness, so I didn’t dare to visit. I just had someone send you a few packs of medicine. Don’t blame me.”

The young lady of the Zhongqin Bo Mansion spoke differently, and even Wei Heng admired her manners and behavior. “Sister thinks of me everywhere, I’m grateful to Sister beyond words. The ginseng you sent came in handy. Otherwise, I couldn’t have recovered so quickly.”

In reality, the Marquis’s mansion was not lacking in ginseng, and the He family was known for their wealth. When Wei Heng said this, Mu Zhen only thought that Wei Heng knew how to please people. Although they were the same age, compared to her seemingly clueless sister, Wei Heng seemed much more mature.

“Hypocritical, does your family lack a few ounces of ginseng to eat?” Mu Jin didn’t let Wei Heng off at all.

Wei Heng’s face immediately turned red. These words were indeed hypocritical, but everyone had to be hypocritical for the sake of face. Being called out like this by Mu Jin made her feel embarrassed.

“Jinjie.” Mu Zhen called out in frustration, attracting the attention of those around Wei Xuan.

In the past, Wei Heng would have confronted Mu Jin, but now she looked at Mu Jin as if she were a pitiable child. With such a personality, she would have a hard time in her future in-laws’ home. Bad people will be dealt with by bad people. Wei Heng felt sorry for her.

Mu Jin, a character like her, was not worth mentioning in Wei Heng’s eyes, just as Wei Heng was to Wei Xuan. Of course, in the previous life, Wei Heng didn’t have such refinement.

Wei Heng’s attention had completely shifted to Fan Yong at this moment. She didn’t expect that the Fan family brothers and sisters had also arrived.

This Fan Yong was Wei Heng’s husband in his previous life, the heir to the Marquis Yongping. Fan Yong’s mother is the younger sister of Lady Mu, so Fan Yong is Wei Xuan’s cousin, two years older than Wei Xuan, now thirteen.

In Wei Heng’s heart, she silently mocked the young boy who was only thirteen and already infatuated. His eyes were only circling around Wei Xuan, and Wei Heng couldn’t help feeling a tinge of jealousy. After all, having been a couple for a lifetime, daily kindnesses between spouses add up. In the previous life, Fan Yong, because of Wei Xuan, treated Wei Heng quite well. She gave birth to a son only when she was over thirty, and any complaints from the mother-in-law were shielded by Fan Yong. Moreover, Wei Heng’s temper was not good, while Fan Yong was easygoing, always accommodating her.

Therefore, even in her reincarnated life, Wei Heng had no intention of changing her husband. She naturally regarded Fan Yong as her possession. Seeing him revolving around Wei Xuan now, Wei Heng couldn’t help but show a displeased expression.

Although Mu Zhen’s call momentarily attracted everyone’s attention, soon the eyes of the boys in the room returned to Wei Xuan.

Today is Wei Xuan’s eleventh birthday. Although only a year older than Wei Heng, she has already started growing taller. At just eleven years old, she has the height of a thirteen-year-old, showing signs of adolescence. Unlike Wei Heng, who, despite being just a year apart, hasn’t hit her growth spurt and still looks like a little girl, no matter how pretty she is, it’s still the prettiness of a little girl.

Wei Xuan is delicately beautiful, not as much as Wei Heng and Mu Jin, but better looking than most girls. She radiates a unique charm, with bright and clear eyes, possessing an indescribable grace that others can’t catch up with.

All the boys in the room had their eyes fixed on Wei Xuan. One praises her calligraphy getting better, another comments on the liveliness of her paintings, and yet another admires her exquisite embroidery skills as if they were works of divine craftsmanship.

Fan Xin pulled Wei Heng aside and made a face at Wei Xuan. “She’s the only one with any talent. She’s taken up all the elegance in the world, and she’s still not satisfied, showing off everywhere as if afraid others wouldn’t know.”

Fan Xin is Wei Heng’s younger sister-in-law and best friend from her previous life. The two share many private conversations, and Fan Xin is one of the few girls who supports Wei Heng rather than fawning over Wei Xuan. Therefore, Wei Heng and Fan Xin get along very well. After marrying into the Fan family, Wei Heng enjoyed benefits from her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, living a fortunate life without much hardship.

Wei Heng just smiled at Fan Xin’s words without responding. She knew Fan Xin was saying this to cheer her up. In reality, Wei Xuan wasn’t flaunting herself everywhere; she tried to keep a low profile. But being outstanding is like gold—it always shines, and you can’t hide it.

In the midst of their conversation, Wei Xuan walked over to Wei Heng. “Little sister, you look much better now.”

“Second sister, thanks for the class notes you’ve provided these days. I wouldn’t have kept up with my studies without them.” Wei Heng smiled, took a box from Mu Yuer’s hands, and handed it to Wei Xuan. “Second sister, a birthday gift for you.” It wasn’t prepared by the He family for Wei Xuan; it was Wei Heng’s own intention.

“What is it? Let me see.” Mu Jin directly “snatched” the box from Wei Heng’s hands and opened it.

Mu Jin took out a golden hairpin from the box, chuckled, and said, “What did I expect? Sister Hong, why are you giving such mundane things to Sister Xuan? Gold or silver hairpins—when did Sister Xuan ever care about these?”

Wei Xuan, with her elegant temperament, mostly adorned herself with jade accessories. Today, being the first day of the lunar year and her birthday, she only wore a golden necklace. However, in the high society of the capital, where eyes look down upon others, no one dared to look down on her. They praised Wei Xuan as a peerless beauty, and jewelry for her was just a burden.

Wei Heng couldn’t be bothered with Mu Jin. This girl seemed to explode like fireworks whenever she saw her. Wei Heng understood the reason. Mu Jin has always been proud of her appearance, ranking fairly high in the capital. However, she falls short compared to Wei Heng. Among women, it’s not just about talent; it’s also about looks, and Mu Jin had no special talent, making her resent Wei Heng even more for being more beautiful.

Some young ladies are like this; there might not be deep-seated grudges, but for some absurd reasons, they develop hatred towards each other.

Wei Heng wrinkled his nose playfully and smiled at Mu Jin: “It doesn’t matter if you say it’s vulgar, as long as the second sister doesn’t think it’s vulgar.”

“Master Ouyang’s works, how can they be considered vulgar?” Wei Xuan smiled.

As soon as they heard the name Master Ouyang, Mu Jin’s expression changed, feeling somewhat awkward. Ouyang was a master artisan from the previous dynasty, and every piece of jewelry he created in his lifetime was a masterpiece, passed down to this day, priceless.

Now, everyone looked at the plum blossom hairpin again. The petals were as thin as cicada wings, swaying as if snowflakes were falling on plum blossoms. The plum blossom stood proud and aloof, exuding an aura of disdainful beauty in the frost and snow. Compared to other jewelry, this exquisite craftsmanship and the elegance of standing alone were striking. This plum blossom hairpin was truly tailored for Wei Xuan.

“I really like it. Thank you, little sister.” Wei Xuan nodded at Wei Heng.

“As long as the second sister likes it.” Wei Heng smiled and then made a silly face at Mu Jin. Even in her second life, Wei Heng’s temperament hadn’t matured much.

Mu Jin said sarcastically, “You’re really generous. Do you give such valuable gifts to each sister on their birthdays?”

If Mu Jin wanted to sow discord between Wei Heng and Wei Fang, it showed some intelligence. After all, Wei Heng wouldn’t give such precious gifts to everyone.

“Of course not. During my illness these past few months, the second sister has been sending me class notes every day. I can’t repay this kindness, no matter how valuable the jewelry is. It can’t compare to the sisterly bond, right?” Wei Heng spoke sincerely. Although she felt a mix of envy and resentment towards Wei Xuan, Wei Xuan was undeniably admirable. 

“Miss, the table is ready.” Shuying lifted the curtain and came in to report.

Wei Xuan took advantage of the opportunity to separate Mu Jin and Wei Heng. Their personalities clashed, and they always ended up arguing when together, causing headaches for Wei Heng and Mu Zhen.

In this room full of young boys and girls, all of whom were distant relatives, and with the maidservants watching, there would be no impropriety. Madam Zhang had a cheerful personality and allowed the younger generation to have fun. She didn’t allow other elders to come to Shuhe Ju, saying that if the elders came, the younger ones would feel uncomfortable.

At this time, everyone is sitting together when eating. If you want to be lively, elegant and interesting, you naturally have to give orders. Mu Jin and Wei Heng present here are both relatively young. Although Wei Xuan and others are good at poetry, they still have to take care of other people’s feelings, so Wei Xuan said: “Just do Fei Hua Ling, it’s simple and interesting.”

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