Chapter 4: The First Sister Beats the Second Sister

Xiao Wan took small, delicate steps, with her eyes level and her hands folded in front of her chest, trying to make her walking posture fit the identity of a young lady in this era. She had a slight smile on her lips, exuding warmth and friendliness as she followed behind the maid, heading towards the Rong Garden.

Along the way, whenever she encountered the maids and servants of the mansion, Xiao Wan always met their gaze with a friendly nod and a smile.

The maids were all somewhat surprised to see the maid personally leading her. They greeted the maid politely, but none of them acknowledged Xiao Wan as if they hadn't seen her, treating her as if she were not a legitimate mistress.

Xiao Wan didn't mind. These were all petty people who liked to elevate themselves and belittle others. Getting into a confrontation with them would only make her feel uncomfortable.

After passing through the Moon Gate, they arrived at the Rong Garden. The old lady liked tranquility and enjoyed planting flowers and plants in the garden.

It was July, and several oleander bushes were in full bloom. Oleander was poisonous but also had medicinal properties. Xiao Wan reached out to pick one, but as soon as she did, she felt a chill shooting towards her.

Raising her head slightly, she saw her half-sister, Gu Sirong, standing proudly with her chin up, casting a disdainful glance at her, not bothering to conceal the contempt in her eyes.

Gu Sirong was the legitimate daughter of the Gu family, only fifteen years old and at the prime of her youth. She was beautiful, talented in poetry and literature, and skilled in playing the qin. She was also well-versed in the classics, and her strategic reasoning was even stronger than that of the average scholar. She was a renowned talented woman in the capital, with a very proud and aloof temperament, and naturally, she couldn't tolerate the presence of Xiao Wan, her illegitimate half-sister.

Xiao Wan smiled, her clear eyes meeting Gu Sirong's gaze calmly, and she courteously greeted her, "Hello, Second Sister."

Gu Sirong's eyes were cold and aloof, exuding a chilling aura. Except for her elder sister, Gu Sijing, all the young ladies in the mansion would lower their heads when they met her gaze, so as not to be frozen by it.

But today, Gu Sirong was somewhat surprised that the usually timid Xiao Wan dared to meet her eyes directly. She narrowed her phoenix eyes and did not return the greeting, speaking coldly, "Are the flowers our ancestors nurtured for you to pick at will? Are you, a mere concubine's daughter, ignorant of manners?"

Her maid, Huamei, chimed in, "Exactly. Our ancestors put a lot of effort into nurturing these flowers. They are blooming beautifully, yet they are being picked by someone. Tsk tsk. Besides the eldest Miss, who else in the mansion can compare to Second Miss in knowledge and grace? Some people, even if they climb up a ladder, they still can't reach the tip of Second Miss's toe."

The tone was even more arrogant and disdainful than her own.

Xiao Wan treated the words of the concubine's daughter as if they were just buzzing flies, her smile unchanged as she continued to pick her own flowers.

Ziqin, who was behind her, tugged at her sleeve. If Second Miss didn't allow her to pick, then she shouldn't. Why provoke her?

Second Miss was known for being cold, proud, and harsh. Several of the illegitimate daughters in the mansion had suffered her wrath.

Moreover, this was the Rong Garden. The old lady rarely summoned them here, and even a slight misstep could displease her.

Xiao Wan glanced back at Ziqin, and Ziqin shuddered. Second Miss's gaze wasn't particularly severe, but it carried an inviolable air of authority. Her hand that was pulling Xiao Wan's sleeve involuntarily loosened.

Xiao Wan calmly picked up the flowers in her hand and said to the maid, "Sister Shu, let's go."

The maid also didn't want her to get into a conflict with Second Miss, so she quickly gave a nod to Gu Sirong and continued to walk forward.

Gu Sirong didn't expect her to ignore her like this. Her face darkened, and she angrily shouted, "Stop right there."

Xiao Wan sighed softly and stopped as instructed, turning back to look at Gu Sirong with a faint, gentle smile. However, from the corner of her eye, she saw Liu Mama from the ancestral house walking towards them through the plum trees.

The mocking smile at the corner of Xiao Wan's mouth pricked Gu Sirong's eyes, and suddenly, without warning, she raised her hand and slapped Xiao Wan.

The crisp sound of the slap immediately echoed in the tranquil Rong Garden, and Xiao Wan was slapped to the ground by Gu Sirong.

The newly changed light purple Shu brocade skirt was stained with dark mud, the half-new and half-old golden hairpin on her head was askew, and the oleander in her hand was scattered all over the ground, making her look quite disheveled.