Chapter 70: Being a Virtuous Wife (1)

Her current accessory case was made of fragrant rosewood and wasn’t very big. However, it was rather finely made, consisting of multiple layers that Chu Lian began to open one by one.. There were quite a few accessories inside, but the ones with any actual worth were few in number.
While these accessories were fine for normal everyday wear, there weren’t many that were suitable to wear for special occasions.
There was only a ruby hair ornament decorated with colourful butterflies that she might be able to wear outside. This hair ornament had previously been mentioned in the novel as well; it had been given to ‘Chu Lian’ by her mother.
As for the rest, there were only the lucky jade amulet from Matriarch He and the crimson jade bangle from Countess Jing’an.
Rightfully speaking, the Jing’an Estate should have given their new family member some new accessories. However, for some reason, Chu Lian hadn’t seen a single one. The maidservants had even complained about it.
However, it only took a little bit of thought to figure out why. Since He Changdi didn’t like her, it was perfectly reasonable that he would shortchange her wherever possible.
In the original novel, when ‘Chu Lian’ had just married into the family, He Sanlang had cared for her wholeheartedly. At the very least, he had never been stingy with clothing, accessories, or food.
For hair ornaments alone, He Changdi had prepared over ten of them for her. That wasn’t a small number.
Chu Lian pursed her lips and closed the accessory case.
Hmph, she didn’t care even if he hadn’t prepared anything for her. She didn’t need anything from him. Once she earned enough money, she would draw out some designs and send them to an accessory store.
Chu Lian wasn’t bragging. Back in the modern world, not only had she studied design, but she had also traveled the world as a gourmand, taking in different cultures and styles. Her usual hobbies had consisted of sightseeing and eating good food; she could be considered a globetrotter.
Now that she was in the Great Wu Dynasty, the only other thing that she was good at besides cooking, was drawing.
Chu Lian pushed away the accessory case and hugged her knees close to her, zoning out as she thought. Senior Servant Gui and Xiyan’s expressions changed as they watched her off to the side.
The two servants exchanged glances and secretly decided never to mention the accessory matter in front of Third Young Madam ever again, so that she wouldn’t be frustrated over it. At the same time, He Changdi entered the blacklist of Chu Lian’s two most trusted servants.
Which brides wouldn’t have a few ornaments they could show off? Even the daughters of the common folk would have a few silver hairpins made in the latest styles when they were married! Not to mention the nobility.
There weren’t many who were treated as unfairly as their Sixth Miss.
“Put everything away! Give the keys to Fuyan. She’ll manage the accessory cases from now on. Xiyan, help momo manage the expenses in our courtyard.”
Senior Servant Gui looked like she had something to say, but when she saw that Chu Lian didn’t seem to be in a good mood, she held herself back.
Actually, Chu Lian wasn’t in a bad mood at all. She was trying to calculate just how much she had in her private funds!
After counting here and there and adding on the gold and silver she would get from melting her accessories, she wouldn’t get more than six hundred taels.
If anyone were to reveal that the legitimate Third Young Madam of House Jing’an only had six hundred taels to her name, no one would believe it!
While observing and listening to the goings on in this estate for the past few days, Chu Lian had discovered that the Jing’an Estate was not as rich as the outside world believed it to be.
At the very least, her mother-in-law, Countess Jing’an, didn’t seem to be doing well. As for the matriarch, a granddaughter-in-law had no place in the inheritance of the matriarch’s personal fortunes.
If she wanted to live a good life, she could only depend on herself!
Chu Lian sighed as she realised that it would be hard to be a layabout, no matter where she was. Especially a layabout whose husband could care less about her.
After she had finished counting her personal funds, a maidservant reported from outside that someone had come to visit Songtao Court.
Who would visit at this time?