How Did the Female Lead in the Angst Novel Become My Ex-Wife’s Sister? - Chapter 11

To leave a solid impression on her future benefactor, Pei Linlang headed out early in the morning. Using the silver coins she had essentially squeezed out of Qin Yufeng, she purchased a bolt of high-quality fabric.

She didn’t own many clothes; the only decent outfits she had were those she had “borrowed” from Shen Zhao. Although she had long since outgrown feeling inferior about such things, she still felt a bit of a psychological disadvantage whenever she faced Shen Zhao in her own hand-me-downs.

To save on costs, Linlang decided to have Qin Yufeng do the tailoring. After all, Linlang was her golden goose; surely the woman would be eager to help.

Linlang spent the entire afternoon supervising the process. Qin Yufeng grumbled incessantly, haggling over every stitch and claiming Linlang owed her more in “labor hours.” She insisted that once Linlang became successful, she mustn’t forget her, adding:

“We can’t rely on those cubes forever. The novelty is starting to wear off. Once I finish this outfit for you, shouldn’t you be thinking of another way to make money?”

Linlang grinned. “Don’t worry. As long as tomorrow goes smoothly, everything will be fine.”

Since making even a simple outfit took at least a day, Linlang decided to head back to the estate first, promising to pick it up the next morning.

******

Twilight settled over the Shen Estate, drowning it in a heavy silence. Once again, Shen Zhao was nowhere to be found, a fact that seemingly bothered no one except Nanny Zhang.

On the western side room, the lanterns were lit early as usual. Inside, Yunxiu blew out a match and brought a candle holder over to Cen Xianyue. “Miss, please rest for a moment. If you keep up this needlework for days on end, your eyes won’t be able to take it.”

“It is fine,” Xianyue said softly. “It is only this once. In the future, I fear I won’t have another chance to make clothes for her with my own hands.”

“Miss…” Yunxiu’s face was a mask of worry. Over the last two days, she had tried every argument she could think of, but her Lady hadn’t listened to a single word. Xianyue was determined to do it herself, even if she had to stay up all night to ensure the garment was ready by tomorrow. She had claimed:

“You saw how much she is looking forward to tomorrow. An elder sister is like a mother; it wouldn’t be right to let her go out to meet people in someone else’s old clothes. The child is grown now; she needs her dignity.”

What ‘someone else’s clothes’? Those were the Master’s new clothes! Yunxiu thought bitterly. She said aloud, “There are plenty of ready-made sets in the shops and as many tailors as you could want. Why must you exhaust yourself?”

Her mistress didn’t answer.

Yunxiu understood that her Lady simply wanted to do this for the Pei person. Linlang was growing up day by day; perhaps in a single blink, she would be starting a family with someone else.

Yunxiu was simply resentful. It was just a lingering bond from the past; was it really so unforgettable? The Lady hadn’t even been this attentive toward the Master, yet when it came to that person, every stitch seemed to be laced with tears. It was agonizing to watch.

******

In the silence of the estate, any movement was magnified. It felt as though Pei Linlang was the only “living” person in the huge courtyard as she came skipping into the inner yard. The sound of her footsteps immediately caught Xianyue’s ear.

Xianyue paused her work and looked up, instructing Yunxiu, “She is back. I am fine here; go and attend to her.”

“Yes…”

Yunxiu went out, coming face-to-face with Linlang’s radiant, happy expression. Yunxiu loathed that heartless, carefree attitude. When Linlang greeted her with a casual “How is Sister today?”, it felt like nothing more than a superficial courtesy.

Remembering her Lady’s words, Yunxiu suppressed her anger and huffed. “It’s a wonder you even remember to ask about my Lady.”

“Of course I do! How could I not?” Linlang said with a sheepish grin, looking like she was ready to make a run for it. To Yunxiu, she didn’t look like someone who had her mistress on her mind at all.

“What’s with that face?” Yunxiu snapped. “Do you have any idea what my Lady is doing for you—”

Before she could finish, Nanny Zhang’s voice rang out from the distance: “Master! You’re finally back! Where did you stay last night? Were you exhausted?”

Yunxiu glanced toward the voice for just a second, and when she turned back, Linlang had already vanished into thin air.

“Heartless wretch! My Lady must be blind to have taken a liking to you!”

*****

Having escaped the “Disaster Star” that was Yunxiu, Linlang returned to her room and immediately splashed water on her face. From the fabric shop to the tea house, she had been running back and forth all day and was drenched in sweat. If Qin Yufeng had possessed a bathtub, she would have bathed right there.

A moment later, Yunxiu sent a servant to light a charcoal brazier in her room. Yunxiu herself came in, mumbling something. Linlang, ears filled with the sound of splashing water, finished washing before looking up. “What did you say?”

Yunxiu looked impatient. “I said clothes!”

“Ah, clothes.” Linlang’s mind whirred. She guessed that her sister had sent the maid to ask if she needed a new outfit. The “Good Person of the Capital” was likely worried she’d embarrass herself in borrowed rags, so she was offering to have something made.

Linlang was touched, but she was already enough of a burden living here. To take more would be shameless. She quickly waved it off. “No, no! Staying here is already enough of a hassle for Sister. I’ll handle the clothes myself. There’s no need for her to trouble herself!” She spoke with genuine sincerity.

She was serious, but she was baffled by Yunxiu’s look of shock. “You? Handle it yourself? Do you have money?”

How rude. Linlang straightened her back. “I’m afraid I’m going to disappoint you. Not only do I have money, but I’ve already bought the fabric! It’s high-end stuff worth five taels of silver! I’ll be wearing it tomorrow!”

Yunxiu’s expression shifted through several stages before settling on pure rage. Linlang wasn’t surprised; the girl was always angry, acting as if Linlang owed her the world. While the original owner was to blame, Linlang found the constant hostility exhausting.

“You… you ungrateful soul! I’m going to tell the Lady right now!” With that, Yunxiu turned and fled.

“Tsk. Weirdo.” Linlang went back to washing her face and then her feet. Despite the charcoal fire, the winter air was freezing, but she had reached her limit. Even if she froze to death tonight, she was getting clean.

Seeking more hot water, Linlang decided to venture into the inner courtyard, a place she usually avoided. At the moon gate, two maids passed her by. One whispered, “Did you smell that? It was a woman’s perfume, wasn’t it?”

“Shh!” The other noticed Linlang in the shadows and gave a quick nod of greeting.

Linlang nodded back. “Is something wrong with Brother-in-law?”

“Nothing, the Master is just…” They hesitated in unison. Hearing Nanny Zhang’s voice approaching, they quickly changed their tune: “The Master had a bit to drink. The Madam is looking after her.”

As they left, Linlang paced and muttered, “Perfume… that person really did go see her lover!” She picked up her pace, intending to add some fuel to her sister’s fire.

The main rooms of the Shen Estate were usually empty, as the couple lived in separate side rooms. This was the first time in six months they had been in the main bedroom together.

Shen Zhao sat on the edge of the bed, her head hanging tiredly. With no outsiders present, Cen Xianyue sat nearby, looking utterly despondent. She didn’t even try to hide her state, staring blankly as Yunxiu helped her “husband” remove her shoes and socks.

Yunxiu’s heart was in turmoil. She had gone to see Linlang earlier, hoping the wretch would talk some sense into her mistress. She couldn’t bear to see the Lady staying up another night for a single garment, but she hadn’t expected Linlang to say something so “heartless.”

In her anger, Yunxiu had blurted out the news to her mistress. Upon hearing it, Xianyue had immediately taken a pair of scissors and shredded the nearly-finished robe. Yunxiu hadn’t been able to stop her in time.

But a moment later, the Lady had regretted it. She had clutched the ruined fabric, trying to stitch it back together while tears fell like peas. “It’s fine… no one in this world hates having too many clothes. Since she isn’t in a hurry now, I’ll take my time and do a proper job…”

Xianyue’s eyes were still red, a sight that made Yunxiu’s heart ache.

Just then, Linlang tiptoed to the doorway of the inner room. Yunxiu, still fuming, barked instantly, “How old are you, entering a couple’s private room? How did your mother raise you?”

Linlang wanted to argue that she hadn’t even stepped inside yet, but Xianyue spoke up: “Let her in.”

As Xianyue looked at her, her eyes were filled with a deep, lingering sorrow that made Linlang’s heart skip a beat. Her sister is truly heartbroken, she thought. All because of that piece of trash.

Then Linlang looked at Shen Zhao. Shen Zhao was looking at her too, with an expression just as full of resentment.

But unlike Xianyue, Shen Zhao suddenly let out a half-drunk, bitter laugh. “Ah, Little Brother, you’re here early. Come, come in. I was just worried I had no one to talk to.”

Pei Linlang hesitated for a moment before shuffling her feet into the room.

She sat down on the rosewood armchair next to Xianyue and reached out to squeeze her sister’s hand in a gesture of comfort. Glaring at the figure on the bed, she spoke up. “Brother-in-law, it’s amazing you can still laugh. Do you have any idea how much my sister has been…”

Cen Xianyue pulled her hand away with a flash of resentment, shooting Linlang a sharp, warning look.

Feeling unfairly rebuffed but undeterred, Linlang pressed on. “How much has she been agonizing over you? You didn’t come home yesterday, and today you return reeking of alcohol. Just what exactly have you been doing?”

Shen Zhao looked at her with an unreadable smile. “I had no idea the Madam was agonizing over me.” Her gaze shifted back to Cen Xianyue. “Madam, is it true? Are you agonizing for my sake?”

Xianyue didn’t answer, but the look in her eyes was far from “innocent”—it was heavy with a silent, complicated pain.

Linlang grew frantic. “What kind of nonsense is that? My sister is married to you! If she isn’t worrying about you, who else would she be worrying about? As for you, you’d better not have been off visiting some secret lover, or your ‘little brother’ won’t let you hear the end of it!”

Before Shen Zhao could even respond to the accusation, Yunxiu interjected with a sharp, biting tongue. “My Lady and the Master are a family. What right do you have to not ‘let her hear the end of it’?”

“Yunxiu, that’s enough,” Xianyue murmured.

“The Lady is only kind enough to treat you like a brother,” Yunxiu huffed, ignoring the restraint. “Hmph, you’ve really developed quite a high opinion of yourself. Such thick skin!”

“Yunxiu!” Cen Xianyue stood up abruptly, her temper finally snapping. Her phoenix eyes widened, flashing with a rare, fierce anger.

Yunxiu finally shut her mouth, her expression a mix of regret and defiance. She hung her head sullenly, but offered no hint of an apology.

Cen Xianyue grabbed Linlang’s hand and commanded Yunxiu, “Take proper care of the Master.” Without another word, she led Linlang out of the room.

As they left, Linlang stole a look back over her shoulder. Shen Zhao was still wearing that same unpleasant, mocking smile. Linlang gritted her teeth, loathing how utterly ungrateful and blind the person was to Xianyue’s heart.

Support How Did the Female Lead in the Angst Novel Become My Ex-Wife’s Sister?