There's Something Wrong With My Little White Flower - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Fallen Republican Era Young Lady X The Overseas-Educated Paternal Aunt

The Jiang family residence on Fuxu Road occupied a considerable area. This white, three-story European-style mansion was originally the villa of a warlord’s wife during the Beiyang period. After changing hands several times, the Jiang family moved here in the eleventh year of the Republic of China (1922).

The Jiang family had been merchants for generations. During the late Qing Dynasty, Old Master Jiang had run a cotton mill, capitalizing on the wave of the Westernization Movement. Under the current Master Jiang, the business was even more prosperous. Besides the cotton mill, they had recently opened a garment shop, self-producing and selling new fashion styles.

A black Pontiac drove up the curved driveway. The doorman immediately became alert, and upon seeing the familiar front of the car, broke into a smile and quickly announced: “The Young Master and Young Lady are back!” He hurriedly opened the black wrought-iron gates to welcome them.

Master Jiang received the news and personally waited in the front hall. He first greeted Ruan Jiyun with fatherly affection: “Yunniang is growing up before my eyes. My old brother in the underworld should be at peace now.”

Ruan Jiyun’s eyes reddened again. She gently curtsied: “Uncle Jiang, Yunniang is still in mourning. I was already immensely grateful that you sent the Eldest Young Master and Young Lady to help with the funeral… To take me in now, this is truly…”

“From now on, we are family. No need to be strangers,” Father Jiang waved his hand dismissively. “Had I known earlier how shameless that lot of your relatives were, I should have taken you in three months ago at Brother Ruan’s funeral, so you wouldn’t have been bullied by them…”

He sighed and instructed the servants to set the table: “Let’s not mention these frustrating things. You must be hungry after such a long drive. Come, let’s eat and talk.”

The dishes had been arranged long ago. Because Ruan Jiyun was in mourning, the dining table, besides the rich, dark-sauced Shanghai cuisine, also featured several light, vegetarian dishes, clearly showing careful consideration.

Jiang Peifeng’s stomach was already rumbling with hunger. She was the first to reach for her bowl and chopsticks. She naturally loved good food, and part of the reason she chose to work in the quick-transmigration system was to taste the unique flavors of different worlds.

The Jiang family chef’s skills were excellent. After finishing one bowl of rice, she noticed Ruan Jiyun from the corner of her eye. Her bud-like fingers pinched the chopsticks, making her look like a painting. The beauty then slightly lowered her head, only picking at the dishes closest to her three or four times before gently setting her chopsticks down.

Just that little amount?

Jiang Peifeng, holding a newly filled bowl of rice from the servant, was a little stunned.

“You eat too little!” She shook her head in disapproval, picking up a pine mushroom xiaolongbao from a distant plate and offering it to her: “Have some more.”

Ruan Jiyun was startled by her action. Her large, moist, fawn-like eyes looked at her in panic, then at the little baozi in her bowl. After a moment of hesitation, she finally picked up her chopsticks in silence.

The baozi was delicately shaped. A translucent skin held a pool of soup broth, and it smelled of the unique clear aroma of mushrooms. Ruan Jiyun only took a tiny bite, and her eyes instantly curved in satisfaction—Delicious! This baozi is too fragrant!

Her amazed expression over the baozi was also noticed by Jiang Peifeng. Watching Ruan Jiyun chew her food in small, mouthfuls with puffed cheeks, a strange sense of accomplishment rose in Jiang Peifeng’s heart.

“Have some of this Thousand-Layer Cake, too. It’s sweet,” she said, picking up a pastry from another steamer basket.

The little rabbit, whose mouth was still full of food, looked up, a tiny spark of expectation flashing in her wet, wide eyes.

Jiang Peifeng immediately understood and placed the Thousand-Layer Cake into her bowl.

Ruan Jiyun lowered her eyes to the sugar cake. The fluffy, soft cake surface was sprinkled with a layer of golden osmanthus honey. She hesitated for a moment, but her love for food finally overcame her shyness.

It’s sweet! The soft, glutinous texture of the rice mixed with the clear sweetness of osmanthus. One bite made her feel blissful! She kept her head down, her nostrils filled with the aroma of the food, which made her eyes feel slightly moist.

Her father, who was busy with business all year, simply paid for her meals at her uncle’s house. However, her aunt was frugal, and whenever meat dishes appeared on the table, the girls certainly wouldn’t get a share. If she reached for a dish too many times, she would be reminded that “a girl must not be greedy; it shows a lack of upbringing.”

In this environment, she had always been used to silently suppressing her preferences and dared not eat until she was full. She never expected that at the Jiang house, Jiang Peifeng not only noticed but also actively encouraged her to eat more.

“Treat this as your own home. Tell us whatever you like to eat,” Father Jiang also chimed in happily. “You certainly won’t eat more than Peifeng. She eats three bowls of rice every meal!”

“Father—” Jiang Peifeng was extremely embarrassed. Don’t you dare expose your own daughter like that, hey!

Another round of laughter erupted at the dining table.

Ruan Jiyun finished the Thousand-Layer Cake very elegantly. When she looked down again, there was a spoonful of pine nut corn in her plate, and the person who served it was resting her chin on her hand, looking at her with an expectant gaze.

She softly sighed and obediently picked up her chopsticks.

Eat!

It was such delicious food, and Miss Jiang personally served it to her. She couldn’t let it go to waste!

Ruan Jiyun ate with great enthusiasm, for the first time in her life. What she didn’t know was that this action immensely pleased Jiang Peifeng.

When working for the big female lead system, her mission targets were all cheerful, confident, and unrestrained big female leads. Ruan Jiyun, a girl who was so obedient and gentle, was the first of her kind that Jiang Peifeng had ever encountered.

Who could refuse the sense of accomplishment of raising a fragile, little white flower into a gorgeous white peony?

The dinner ended pleasantly. Jiang Zhiyu conventionally had to go out to a social engagement with Father Jiang, and Jiang Peifeng consciously stayed behind to help Ruan Jiyun get familiar with the environment.

“Your room is right next to mine. Since I didn’t know what you like, I just prepared some basic furniture. You can change things later when you find something you like…”

Jiang Peifeng opened a door on the second floor and introduced it to Ruan Jiyun.

Ruan Jiyun obediently followed behind her and, upon hearing this, hurriedly waved her hands: “Miss Jiang, you are too kind… I’m not picky. I’ll like whatever you prepare…”

Before she could finish, Jiang Peifeng put a hand on her shoulder and gently pinched the back of her neck: “You are allowed to have your own likes, and it’s perfectly natural for you to have dislikes.”

Ruan Jiyun was pushed to the doorway, staring blankly at the exquisitely decorated room, her little heart pounding excitedly in her chest.

This room… is really beautiful.

She had lived in a centuries-old ancestral house in Nanxi Town. This was the first time she had seen a Western-style decorated room. The rose-patterned wallpaper, pure white Western furniture, a piano placed by the window with sheer curtains, not to mention those beautiful tea sets and ornaments—every piece looked like it was taken straight out of a magazine.

Moreover, Jiang Peifeng personally helped arrange this for her!

“I’ll… live here from now on?” Her eyes sparkled, and she asked in a low voice with a tone of disbelief.

Jiang Peifeng nodded: “Yes, until the day you don’t want to live here anymore.” She originally wanted to say, You’ll probably live here until you marry my eldest brother, but looking at Ruan Jiyun’s rosy, beautiful face, she somehow didn’t quite feel like saying that sentence.

“This was originally a guest room, so there is no bathtub installed yet,” she changed the subject. “You can use my room for bathing these few days.”

Ruan Jiyun certainly had no objections. In fact, her interest in visiting Jiang Peifeng’s room was even greater.

Jiang Peifeng’s room was clearly different from what Ruan Jiyun had imagined. The thirty-plus square meter space was still Western-decorated, with light beige wool carpets on the floor. Near the window stood a row of massive, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, fully packed with books. Next to the bookshelf was a two-seater sofa, and on the small round table beside the sofa, a pot of fragrant narcissus bloomed.

Ruan Jiyun’s eyes widened in awe at the gigantic bookshelf: “Miss Jiang…… your room is almost like a boy’s room.”

In her understanding, only a scholar could have so many books. No, perhaps even a scholar wouldn’t have this many!

Jiang Peifeng smiled: “It’s a new society now. Girls can also learn to read and study if they are willing. In fact, many colleges have started accepting female students, and their scholarship is no less than that of the boys.”

This statement opened up a new world that Ruan Jiyun knew nothing about. She exclaimed blankly: “Girls can also go to college? Those girls are truly amazing!”

“If you want to learn, you can too.” Seeing Ruan Jiyun’s eyes lingering around the bookshelf with envy, an idea vaguely formed in Jiang Peifeng’s mind. “Sister Ruan, you are only sixteen. You have enough time to study, to learn what you want to learn.”

Ruan Jiyun was surprised: “I can’t… How can I compare to you, Miss Jiang? I’m just a country girl, and I’m slow…” She silently swallowed the other half of the sentence: How can a girl like me, whose birth caused my father’s line to end, still have the right to dream of spending money to study?

Studying—that was such a sacred thing. Girls who could read were blessed by the God of Literature.

“Confucius once said, ‘In education, there are no distinctions,’” Jiang Peifeng said gently. “You are so smart, and you lack nothing compared to others. Why can’t you study?”

She proactively pulled Ruan Jiyun to the desk: “I once heard a quote, said by a very remarkable scholar. Sister Ruan, I will give this quote to you.”

“Wealth and status may leave you, youth and health will one day vanish. Only knowledge, once learned, belongs to you. When it resides in your mind, no one can take it away. Everything in the world may let you down, but knowledge will not.”

She looked at Ruan Jiyun, saying in a gentle tone: “Do you want to strive for something for yourself that no one can take away?”

Ruan Jiyun’s eyes widened, and her petal-soft pink lips moved, repeating the quote with reluctance to let it go: “That is truly well said.”

Jiang Peifeng simply pressed her into the chair, pulled out a sheet of snow-white stationery, and chose a fountain pen from the pen holder, twisting off the cap: “If you are willing, I can start by teaching you to read and write.”

Jiang Peifeng, Ruan Jiyun.

With her skillful motions, the characters leaped onto the paper. The handwriting was clear and strong, subtly revealing a commanding presence.

“This is my name, Jiang Peifeng; these characters are Sister Ruan’s name—Ruan Jiyun.”

Ruan Jiyun looked earnestly at the characters on the paper. The black ink was clearly displayed against the white paper. She stared at the handwriting, observing the strokes for a long time, her heart pounding excitedly, as if she was seeing and re-understanding the world for the first time from a strange, new perspective.

“This is my name.”

Her own name, stroke by stroke, was written like this. It didn’t look inferior or shorter than any other character. They were all the same—with clear structure and bold strokes.

Jiang Peifeng couldn’t help but smile, seeing that she was speechless for a while. She handed the fountain pen, along with a brand-new notebook, to Ruan Jiyun: “Since you’re not saying anything, I’ll take it as a yes. Starting tomorrow, we’ll set aside two hours every day, and I’ll teach you to read.”

Ruan Jiyun affectionately touched the stationery in her hands. With a determined look, she raised her head and smiled back at her: “Then from now on, Miss Jiang, you are my Little Teacher.”

Jiang Peifeng’s heart trembled slightly at the soft-spoken “Little Teacher.” Since their meeting at the funeral, this was the first time Ruan Jiyun had shown such a lively, shy smile. Looking at the girl’s sweet smile, she couldn’t help but smile along.

“It’s a deal.”

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