Marrying the Sweet Story’s Melodramatic Villainess [Transmigration] - Chapter 10

The shimmering light of dawn broke as the morning sun rose, scattering the day’s first dew.

Cui Yi was steadfast in her routine, spending half an hour exercising. After the session, a thin layer of perspiration coated her forehead. Her heart tightened slightly as she exhaled soft, warm breaths. She paused to compose herself before heading to the side chamber to bathe.

About fifteen minutes later, Cui Yi emerged, enveloped in a faint mist of moisture. Her maid, Gu Jing, hurried forward to dry her damp hair. Fortunately, the weather was warm, so there was no risk of catching a chill. Gu Jing’s hands moved rhythmically as she praised, “My Lady, your hair is becoming lovelier by the day.”

As the saying goes, “Hair is the surplus of blood, and blood is the foundation of hair.”

Cui Yi’s tresses were now dark and supple, having lost the brittle dryness from her days of infirmity. This was a clear sign that her health was steadily improving.

Once her hair was dry, Gu Jing used a ribbon to tie it into a low ponytail. She planned to style it more formally only after Cui Yi had finished her breakfast.

Cui Yi glanced into the bronze mirror, lowered her gaze, and gently put on a pair of turquoise-inlaid earrings before beginning her day’s work.

Early that morning, the property agent had delivered a compiled list of shops for sale within the city of Chang’an. Cui Yi only needed to make her selection and hand it over to Lady Du; the household accounts would then settle the payment to finalize the purchase.

Although Cui Yi had not wandered much around Chang’an, she had a fair understanding of its layout. Her wine was intended for the wealthy, so the location had to be impeccable. Chang’an’s high-end commercial districts were typically controlled by the nobility and powerful families; unless a clan fell into ruin, shops there were rarely up for sale. Ultimately, Cui Yi selected a shop in a serene environment that was not too far from the city center. It was also the most expensive one on the list.

After making her choice, she sent word to Lady Du. Lady Du reviewed it, found no issues, and instructed the steward to withdraw the funds from the treasury. The shop was registered under Cui Yi’s name.

With the shop purchased, the next step was renovation. She entrusted this task to the steady Gu Jing, while assigning the recruitment of staff to Dong Zhi. Although Dong Zhi appeared blunt and outspoken, she had a sharp eye for judging character. Under Cui Yi’s organized direction, matters proceeded in an orderly fashion. Cui Yi then checked her schedule and dispatched someone to Tang Wensi’s manor with two jars of fruit wine.

With that, Cui Yi’s work for the day was complete. The rest of her time was for leisure. She reclined on the couch, her brows touched with a hint of lazy exhaustion as she read a casual book, looking thoroughly content.

Meanwhile, the frantic and busy Gu Jing and Dong Zhi thought: “…”

However, their mistress had promised them generous red envelopes once the tasks were finished!

Cui Yi had always been open-handed with rewards. As first-rank maidservants, their standard monthly salary was one tael of silver. In this era, one tael could purchase nearly twenty shi (over two thousand catties) of grain—a high wage by any standard. With the added bonus in sight, Gu Jing and Dong Zhi were brimming with motivation.

Thus, Cui Yi only had to sit back and wait for the final results.

Because they were going to fly kites, Pei Mingjiao wore a lightweight dress to the gathering. A servant carried a goshawk-shaped kite for her, while she herself tucked a deck of cards into her robes. Seeing how much she was looking forward to it, Gu Yue felt a pang of jealousy. She said sourly, “The County Princess truly treats Lady Cui differently. Even I am starting to feel a bit envious.”

Gu Yue and Pei Mingjiao had been friends for over five years, and their bond was deep. Hearing this, Pei Mingjiao felt no guilt whatsoever: “Naturally, I am closer to you.”

This eased Gu Yue’s heart, and she instantly forgot all about Cui Yi.

The carriage swayed and bumped until they finally arrived at Tang Wensi’s manor. The estate spanned about sixty mu and was part of the dowry inherited from Tang Wensi’s mother; it was now registered under her own name. Upon seeing the two arrivals, Tang Wensi greeted them joyfully: “Let’s fly the kites first! I’ve already sent men out to hunt. We’ll have a barbecue later.”

Pei Mingjiao glanced behind her and stopped the scurrying Tang Wensi. “Wait for Cui Yi. She hasn’t arrived yet.”

“Yi-niang has business and cannot come,” Tang Wensi replied with a touch of awkwardness. But then, remembering the “surprise” Cui Yi had mentioned, her awkwardness was replaced by delight. She boasted, “However, Yi-niang said she is sending me a gift.”

Sending a gift?

Before Pei Mingjiao could even process the inexplicable sense of disappointment she felt, she heard that Cui Yi had sent a private gift to Tang Wensi. She tilted her chin up, her words sharp: “What ‘good things’ could she possibly have?”

Tang Wensi said displeasedly, “Cousin, you aren’t allowed to say that! As long as it’s from Yi-niang, I will like it.”

“I truly didn’t know when the two of you became so close,” Pei Mingjiao remarked tartly, though it was unclear who she was actually bitter toward.

Tang Wensi pouted. “Regardless, I just like Yi-niang.”

Pei Mingjiao snorted. “Let’s have a kite-flying competition then. See if I don’t make you cry from defeat.”

Tang Wensi held her rabbit-shaped kite with grand determination, while Gu Yue held her brocade carp kite, smiling without a word.

For a moment, the air was thick with competitive tension.

Kite-flying required skill, and Pei Mingjiao was not one for patience. Tang Wensi had poor luck; her kite string snapped halfway through. The victory went to Gu Yue.

Gu Yue said with a smile, “I’ve won this round by a narrow margin.”

Pei Mingjiao and Tang Wensi shared a look of defiant frustration, puffing out their cheeks and vowing a rematch next time.

As time passed, Tang Wensi wiped the sweat from her brow with a handkerchief. “Let us head back.”

Pei Mingjiao took a water flask from her maid, Caizhu, and took a sip. Her arms were aching terribly. With a complicated motive, she remarked, “It’s a good thing Cui Yi didn’t come. With her constitution, she definitely wouldn’t have been able to handle this.”

Tang Wensi was momentarily confused as to whether the relationship between her cousin and Cui Yi was good or bad.

Along the way, tenant farmers were working in the fields. Some children watched them with curiosity, but none dared to approach. The three girls chatted idly until they encountered the guards returning from the hunt. They had good luck, having caught a wild boar and a mountain deer.

Tang Wensi immediately gave orders to set aside half of the game to be sent to Cui Yi.

Watching this, Pei Mingjiao could only think that Cui Yi was truly cunning to have her cousin so captivated.

They followed the guards back to the residence. The manor steward came forward to report, “Young Mistress, Lady Cui has sent someone with a delivery.”

Tang Wensi’s eyes lit up when she saw the servant carrying a wooden crate. She hurried him to present it. Upon opening, it revealed two jars of wine. In this era, young ladies’ passion for wine was no less than that of men. However, since she had been anticipating a unique gift, Tang Wensi felt a small flicker of disappointment that it was “just” wine. But she quickly realized that wine paired perfectly with roasted meat and that Yi-niang had indeed been thoughtful. She immediately rewarded the servant from the Cui household and told him to wait so he could take the meat she promised back to Cui Yi.

The servant, having received a generous tip, followed the guards to collect the meat with a beaming face.

Once the servant left, Pei Mingjiao was the first to move to open the wine. She remarked, “I want to see what kind of wine Cui Yi sent. The best wine in the world is Jade Floating Grain (Yu Fu Liang). I have some at my place; I ought to send her some to taste, lest she thinks any old wine is fit to be a gift.”

As she finished speaking, a subtle fragrance of fruit wafted through the air. The wine in the jar was as clear as spring water. Pei Mingjiao froze for a moment.

Tang Wensi let out a small cry of surprise. “This wine is so clear!” She immediately ordered someone to fetch a wine pot; she had to taste this “clear liquor.”

The servant quickly poured the wine into a pot and filled a cup for each of the three ladies. Tang Wensi took a sip immediately—it was sweet, mellow, fresh, and lingering. It suited her palate perfectly. She had never seen wine so transparent before. Feeling ashamed of her earlier disappointment, she said movedly, “This must be from Yi-niang’s private collection. I didn’t expect her to be so generous as to give me two jars.”

Pei Mingjiao sipped the wine and spoke no more of sending Jade Floating Grain to Cui Yi. Instead, she felt a wave of grievance in her heart.

Cui Yi truly knew how to win her cousin’s favor.

Why didn’t she come to win mine?