She stretched out roughened fingertips to catch some of the snowflakes that floated down. Unfortunately, the moment they touched her fingers, they melted as if they never been.
Distracted, An Yan gazed at the sky, wanting to see the beautiful sight of snowflakes swirling in the air as they drifted down.
The moment she raised her head, Zi Yi standing at her side unfolded a parasol and held it above An Yan's head.
"Third Miss, this servant did not know that we were in for a sudden heavy snowfall. This servant has just returned from fetching an umbrella. Second Madam instructed me to not let the Third Miss catch the cold."
Zi Yi was slightly flushed. The fingertips holding the umbrella were slightly red from being out in the cold. When she exhaled, her breath formed a white mist in front of her face.
An Yan returned to her senses, her expression playful as she laughed and reached out to hold Zi Yi's hand. But her hand only grabbed empty air. Zi Yi had quickly dodged her hand. An Yan appeared startled, her hand still stretched out, but she then slowly withdrew her hand.
Her expression turned stiff. She emanated an aura of frostiness that was even colder than the snowflakes falling down around them.
Zi Yi only then noticed the inappropriateness of her action and she hurriedly bowed low to apologise as she said, "Miss is a n.o.ble person, how can she share an umbrella with this servant? This slave appreciates Miss's kindness, but this slave asks Miss to…"
"Let's go!"
An Yan 's expression remained ice-cold. That previous lovely and enthusiastic smile had immediately vanished like a reflection on the water that had been disturbed by a small ripple.
Zi Yi was cursing inwardly for her previous action, but outwardly she did not dare to say anything. She knew that this Third Miss had the iciest temperament. In front of the Second Madam, she would be extremely docile, but, she generally wouldn't care about anyone else. Moreover, she contained poison in her body so no one dared to provoke her. If they did, they could be instantly killed by her poison. It wouldn't be worth it.
There were snowflakes scattering everywhere and in the midst of them was An Yan's wee and bonny figure that looked lonely and desolate.
"Jin-er, today, as per your wish, you will be able to see your future husband. Are you happy?"
In the main courtyard, it was unusually lively, with many of the aristocrats' children who had all gathered together. They were all laughing and playing. At the front, there were young boys that were making a ruckus. It was as expected for the New Year celebrations!
All of the elite n.o.blemen of the city had congregated. There was a wooden fire going on in the room. The wood used was very rare, the most expensive silver carbon wood. The room was warm without a trace of the scent of smoke. Most of the young ladies seated inside wore girdle-laced cheongsams to look pretty. Each of their appearances was like a piece of art. Together, it formed an extraordinary beautiful scene. The males gathered together to drink wine and chatted, discussing poems, adding elegance to the gathering.
The one who spoke was a married woman, wearing a dark blue brocade skirt and a short white fox fur coat. Her arms were as fair as green onions. She had a charming appearance, especially her captivating eyes. Any man who looked into those eyes would find his soul deeply entrapped by them!
She moved closer to the Eldest Young Mistress of the manor An Jin's ear and whispered. Her words made An Jin blush, the tips of her ears turning hot red.
"Sister-in-law! You only know how to tease Jin-er!"
An Jin stamped her feet and pulled over the slightly quiet An Qing who had been smiling slightly the entire time before she complained, "Qing meimei, look at our sister-in-law! She is teasing your Jin jiejie again. Isn't she annoying?"
Although An Jin said that, her lovely peach blossom eyes were often glancing at a handsome youth that was dressed in dark red Chinese robes standing amongst the group of n.o.blemen.
An Qing, who was at her side, just wordlessly placed a hand over her mouth and giggled.
Her gesture in covering her mouth to giggle made her looked extremely graceful.
An Qing and An Jin were twin sisters and had identical appearance. But their personalities were completely different. Hence, it was very easy to clearly identify who was the eldest Miss, and who was the second Miss.
You were not invited! (2)
Her gesture in covering her mouth to giggle made her looked extremely graceful.
An Qing and An Jin were twin sisters and had identical appearances. But their personalities were completely different. Hence, it was very easy to clearly identify who was the eldest Miss ,An Jin, and who was the second Miss, An Qing.
An Jin was a very lively girl and loved novelties. Once she opened her small mouth, she would not stop talking for a long time. Today, being her auspicious birthday, she wore an apricot-yellow skirt, decorated with lots of small flowers. It looked quite charming. Draped around her shoulders was a peach-colored shawl. She appeared very lively and happy, and with her narrowed peach blossom eyes, she looked incredibly lovable.
On the other hand, An Qing had a rather calm and collected air. Although she was the younger of the two, she was more mature and sensible than An Jin. Even the gesture of lifting her hands showed the graceful mannerisms of an aristocrat lady. Today, she was dressed in a white-colored Chinese gown with a pure white-colored fur short coat. There were very few decorations on her dress, with only a thin design of bamboo leaves on the cuffs of her dress. Her accessories were also as simple as it could get. Yet, her appearance was delicate and elegant.
Simply standing there, she appeared very pure and unpolluted, attracting the hearts of many n.o.blemen.
One must know that these two twins of the prime minister's house were well-known beauties of Jing City. Many n.o.ble youths wanted to be the one to marry one or both of them.
"Sister-in-law wasn't teasing Jin-er. In two months, Jin-er will get married. At that time perhaps Jin-er will be jubilant." The sister-in-law, Feng Yue Wei, was their Qi Country's second princess. She married An Shuo, the eldest son of the prime minister, this past September.
Born with good looks and an alluring figure, she was also very bright, but she couldn't change some habits learned from the imperial palace. She wanted to overcome Rong Xiu to become the main Madam of the manor.
Although Rong Xiu was not the main Madam of the manor, she still held the supreme position within the manor. Even if Feng Yuewei wanted to usurp that position, it was impossible. The only thing she could do was hold tightly onto those that had the highest position in the manor, the main branch heirs.
The birthday celebration today had been arranged by this eldest daughter-in-law precisely for this reason in order to win over the people's hearts.
"An Jin will definitely inform eldest brother that eldest sister-in-law teased Jin-er!" An Jin kept her head down and stamped her foot in shyness. From time to time, her eyes still shot glances at that man wearing dark red robes. Her fiance was the oldest son of Grand Tutor Wei, Wei Zhi Lan.
"Your eldest brother would be of no help to you," said Feng Yuewei with a charming laugh. An Shuo, who was not far off and was interacting with the other aristocratic youths, couldn't help but to come over and lovingly embrace his wife.
The whole family was happy and harmonious. An Jin and An Qing happily received their birthday gifts that had formed a huge pile.
When An Yan arrived at the gate of the courtyard, she could hear all the lively chatter going on within. An Yan thought, That kind of liveliness was the kind that she had thought she would never be able to partic.i.p.ate in. Her personality was cold and solitary. Could she really join in?
"Third Miss has arrived. Please follow this servant. The First Miss, Second Miss, Second Madam, and other Madams are all at the front." Zi Yi closed the umbrella, the snow falling to the side, before informing An Yan who just stood by her side without moving a step forward.
"En."
An Yan clasped and unclasped her tight fists under the cover of her sleeves before finally putting a foot forward. She believed this step would be the most important step in her life.
An Yan was a beauty, especially after donning those beautiful clothes. She was now like a lotus blossom upon the calm lake. She was slender and elegant, but she emanated a dense aura of coldness, preventing anything from approaching her.