Chapter 78: The Ladies Have Arrived (1) (2/2)

“Ah, yes, that’s my eldest sister-in-law,” Chu Lian replied.

Madam Zou pulled Chu Lian, “Let’s go over there too.”

Since they were already here, there was no way for Chu Lian to hide. She could only gather up her courage and follow behind Madam Zou. However, her heart was beating wildly in her chest. She secretly decided to find a place with fewer people around to hide in.

From far away, the noble madams noticed Heir Jing’an’s wife, Madam Zou, and greeted her one by one.

Madam Zou smiled as she replied to their greetings. “Alright, alright, you don’t have to stand on ceremony with me. It’s my grandfather’s longevity feast today. I should be thanking you for attending the celebrations!”

The madams replied appropriately, “Not at all, not at all.”

Madam Zou then retreated a step to reveal Chu Lian standing behind her. “You probably don’t know her yet, but this is my Third Sister-in-Law, the Sixth Miss from House Ying.”

Chu Lian bobbed in greeting.

All the noble madams returned her greeting. However, when Chu Lian quickly glanced at them, she noticed contempt and scorn in their eyes. Her expression stiffened a little, and she instantly realised why these people seemed to look down on her.

However, she wasn’t the original ‘Chu Lian’, so she didn’t take it to heart. Although their stares made her feel a little uncomfortable, her usual brand of carefree personality stopped it from bothering her too much.

She didn’t need to rely on their help to survive, so why should she care about what they thought of her? All she had to do was live happily without any regrets.

After sorting through her thoughts, the nervous tension on her face disappeared, and her bright, sunny nature shone through.

Chu Lian was in the best time of her youth right now. With her natural beauty, and with how Xiyan had specially dressed her up this morning, she looked like a stunning young lady. The relaxed and open expression on her face only highlighted her pretty looks.

She calmly and generously greeted all the noble madams. This time, the madams were the ones who felt uncomfortable. However, they could only bear with it on account of Madam Zou watching them.

Madam Zou brought Chu Lian over to pay her respects to Madam Huang, the wife of Heir Dingyuan.

Although Madam Zou was the eldest legitimate granddaughter of House Dingyuan, she was born from the second branch instead of the main branch. Heir Dingyuan was the eldest son of the main branch and his wife was thus her eldest aunt.

After greeting the wife of Heir Dingyuan, Madam Zou kept Chu Lian by her side and brought her around to meet some of the capital’s other noble ladies.

‘Meeting’ the ladies was simply a matter of showing them her face and then giving them a formal greeting. This wasn’t too hard for Chu Lian. She only had to stand quietly behind Madam Zou like a flower vase after giving her greetings.