◎She is a good “tea” who never actively harms others.◎

After leaving the moon gate and walking a dozen steps, Lán Zhu glanced at Second Miss, who seemed lost in thought, and tried to steer the conversation back, her face full of worry: “Miss, Madam will certainly not back down, and the Li family has shown no sign of changing their mind. Is it really decided then?”

Chu Yufu slowed her steps. After a moment of thought, she decided that if the engagement were to be called off, she would need to deal with Third Young Master Li directly.

In the book, Third Young Master Li wasn’t particularly learned, but he loved to associate with talented women. Within two months of marriage, he took a concubine. If she remembered correctly, that concubine had been a former Daoist nun, elegant and refined like a pure white lotus, completely enchanting Third Young Master Li.

Before the banquet, she had only exchanged formal greetings with him and had no chance to talk. To give up now would be a pity—she had to appear “foolish” in front of him and take her chance.

“Let’s go to the front courtyard.”

“The front courtyard? To see the Jiuhua Pagoda?”

“See what pagoda? I’m going to talk about life with Third Young Master Li,” Chu Yufu whispered, quickening her pace toward the garden exit.

The Li family garden was not large. As they retraced their steps, approaching the entrance near the Jinli Pond, they suddenly heard several bursts of laughter coming from behind the rockery.

“Miss, look at these two pots of flowers—they’re blooming so beautifully! This is the first time I’ve seen pink chrysanthemums!”

“The pink one is called Pink Xutao, and the white one is called White Jade Pearl Curtain. Both are new varieties from Qingyuan Commandery.”

“One looks dazzling, the other pure and pristine. Hehe, doesn’t it resemble the two Chu sisters?”

“Now that you mention it, there is some resemblance. Both are Chu family girls—but how can Second Miss be so different from First Miss? No wonder First Miss Chu Jinhe has the nickname ‘Little Lotus Fairy’ in the capital, while her younger sister hasn’t learned even a bit…”

The first two lines were about flowers, so why did the last sentence involve her? Chu Yufu looked up.

At the garden entrance less than fifty feet behind the rockery, two sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girls were bending over to admire the flowers. The taller girl wore a pale purple gauze robe with gold trim and a moon-white orchid layered skirt, her expression languid. The shorter one was dressed as a maid, forming a perfect master-servant pair.

Perhaps because no one else was in the garden, the two spoke freely, unrestrained.

“Is this the difference between a legitimate daughter and a secondary daughter? I heard Second Miss used to live with the concubine…” The maid’s small mouth babbled on, gossiping.

Chu Yufu hadn’t reacted yet, but Lán Zhu grew anxious. Listening to them get increasingly excessive, her little face flushed with anger. Through clenched teeth, she managed to say: “What do they know? Talking boldly in broad daylight, can’t even shut their mouths while looking at flowers!”

Second Miss’s birth mother’s surname was Wàn; in the household, people called her Wàn Yiniang.

When First Miss Chu was born, a few days later, Grandfather Chu fell gravely ill. His greatest wish was to hold a grandson, so Wàn Yiniang was brought in. Unfortunately, she gave birth to a girl after a full term. Grandfather never got to see a grandson and died with regret.

father Chu thought Wàn Yiniang’s womb was uncooperative. Over the years, he remained indifferent toward the mother and daughter, and Wàn Yiniang resented that her daughter’s birth had blocked her own prospects, treating her with occasional kindness or cruelty.

Later, Wàn Yiniang passed away, leaving Second Miss to make a life in the deep, grand household. Now, Madam treated her like an object, giving her to her brother to secure his future. That was already pitiful enough, yet these people—ignorant of the situation—still came to gossip, twisting the knife in the girl’s heart!

Chu Yufu tugged Lán Zhu’s sleeve, signaling her not to get angry.

They were just gossiping. Who hasn’t chatted with friends about rumors? It was just unfortunate that she overheard. However, they were gossiping about the original girl, who had already passed away, and it had nothing to do with her—so the knife struck harmlessly.

Chu Yufu recognized them by sight but couldn’t recall who they were. Before the banquet, she had formally met the girls with her stepmother but hadn’t paid much attention. She whispered: “Lán Zhu, whose daughters are these?”

“They are the Fifth Miss of the Mingxuan Marquis’s household, Zhao Hanyun.”

Chu Yufu frowned. The male lead’s fifth sister? By the begonia gate, Fifth Miss Zhao and her maid were chatting animatedly, showing no sign of stopping. Normally, she should have avoided the situation, but the garden had only one entrance, and she had urgent business…

After only two seconds of hesitation, she stepped out from behind the rockery.

At the appearance of her tender, bright pink figure, the little maid by the begonia gate suddenly went silent.

“Xier?”

Fifth Miss Zhao, crouching while admiring flowers, hadn’t heard the maid speak and felt a little strange. Looking up, she saw Second Miss Chu walking toward her. In an instant, she felt flustered. Her complexion visibly shifted from pale to red. She hurried to stand—but having crouched for so long, she suddenly felt dizzy, swayed, and stumbled forward!

“Ah!”

“Miss!” The maid Xier reached out to grab her but missed.

Chu Yufu saw Fifth Miss Zhao falling toward her a few steps away. Her eyes flickered, and she quickly leapt forward, catching her. The two hugged tightly, stepping back several times before stabilizing. Zhao Hanyun gasped in surprise, then stood straight, fixing her gaze—and realized she had been caught by none other than Second Miss Chu.

Second Miss Chu’s hair bun was high, but up close, she wasn’t very tall. With narrow shoulders and a slender waist, she looked delicate. The collision left her a little pale. She was about to speak when the other spoke first.

“Are you alright?”

The girl’s voice trembled slightly, her brows furrowed, and her black eyes were full of concern.

Zhao Hanyun’s gaze was complicated. Biting her lip, she shook her head. “And you?”

Second Miss Chu raised a hand to press her own shoulder, took a light breath, and looked up with a soft smile: “I’m fine. My shoulder was bumped, but it seems nothing serious.”

She then gave a polite bow and started to leave.

Seeing her walk away, Zhao Hanyun snapped back to reality and stumbled over her words to call after her: “Wait! Just now… you heard, didn’t you?”

The small garden was empty; even the sound of a stone being thrown would carry far. There was no reason for Second Miss Chu not to have heard, but Zhao Hanyun and Xier had been so engrossed in their chat that they hadn’t noticed the footsteps. Still, once the question was out, she immediately regretted it.

The girl in front froze for a moment, then her eyes quickly reddened. Her long lashes quivered, her gaze darkened, and her lips turned pale, yet she forced a calm tone: “Ah… I heard, but you’re right. I really am not as good as my sister.”

“This outfit was made new at the start of the year. I think… it’s alright.”

Her voice grew softer and softer, her head lowered further, revealing a slender, pale neck. A breeze lifted her delicate pink dress lightly before letting it fall, wrapping her thin frame, making her appear even more fragile and pitiable.

As a young lady of the Marquis’s household, Zhao Hanyun was not spoiled; she was a refined and polite girl. At today’s banquet, the chrysanthemum wine was delicious, and she had indulged in several cups. The alcohol, combined with the emptiness around them, had made her chat freely with her maid, unaware that the actual person in question had overheard everything.

If Second Miss Chu truly spoke to her, she would have felt reassured—realizing her words weren’t wrong. Second Miss Chu did indeed fall short of her sister in upbringing and taste, yet she didn’t mind and even helped her. Otherwise, from the angle just now, she could have fallen face-first and injured herself!

Drinking really does lead to trouble!

A pang of guilt shot through Zhao Hanyun’s heart. Her lips moved, and after a moment, she took a hand-embroidered orchid-patterned handkerchief from her sleeve and offered it: “I had too much wine at the banquet just now and said some drunken words. I apologize. Please don’t take it to heart.”

“You look very pretty in pink. It suits your complexion.”

Second Miss Chu lifted her damp eyes, looked at her for a moment, then suddenly turned her tears into a smile. She took the handkerchief and pressed it to the corner of her eyes: “Thank you.”

Seeing her smile, Zhao Hanyun relaxed. “I should be the one thanking you. This handkerchief is newly embroidered and unused. If you don’t mind, I’ll give it to you as a token of apology.”

The handkerchief wasn’t worth much, but being hand-embroidered made it special. Chu Yufu nodded and spoke softly: “Of course I don’t mind. Miss Zhao, thank you. I have some matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave first.”

Zhao Hanyun nodded in farewell, watching her and her maid walk away. Once they turned a corner onto the corridor, she said: “Xier, Second Miss Chu may be a little foolish, but she’s really kind-hearted.”

The little maid, no longer chattering, replied: “Yes. It seems Second Miss Chu hasn’t had an easy life. Even at the end of the year, she still says this outfit was made at the start of the year. Madam Chu looks kind, but could she be harsh in private…”

Before she finished, Fifth Miss Zhao furrowed her brows sharply: “…If you have something to say, say it back at the residence.”

After walking some distance, Chu Yufu slowly wiped the tears from her eyes with the handkerchief, then instinctively rubbed her shoulder. Although Fifth Miss Zhao was petite, up close she realized the girl was easily half a head taller than her. The collision’s momentum was enough that it almost knocked her over too.

Lán Zhu lightly supported her arm and asked: “Miss, are you alright?”

Chu Yufu pressed her fingers against the sore spot. Feeling no indentation or swelling, and with no restricted movement, she shook her head.

Lán Zhu relaxed, her gaze falling on the handkerchief in Chu Yufu’s hand and the redness at the corner of her eyes. She muttered: “Miss, you’re too soft-hearted. You deserved to be bumped.”

Chu Yufu tucked the handkerchief into her bosom and laughed with a nasal sigh: “But she is Fifth Miss of the Mingxuan Marquis’s household.”

Just now, she said not to offend the protagonists. Now she encountered the male lead’s sister gossiping about her—it was impossible to avoid. This situation was tricky; one wrong move and Fifth Miss Zhao could lose face. If she remembered it in her heart, it could be a problem.

She had planned to pretend to stumble later to strike up a conversation with Fifth Miss Zhao, but the other’s accident made it naturally happen.

As for the skill of turning tears on and off, that was trained in her past life.

When she was two, her parents died in an accident, leaving her in the care of her grandparents. At seven, they also passed away, and she became an unwanted “little burden,” drifting between relatives’ homes.

To survive, playing the pitiful child was a practiced tactic. Biting her lip hard could squeeze out two tears easily.

Later, she went to school. Some students bullied her because she had no parents. She learned to manage emotions, to show weakness, and to use softness to overcome strength, making teachers and classmates protect her.

Later, people called this method “green tea.” Chu Yufu didn’t mind. Green tea or not—she thought it fine. After all, the child who cries gets the candy. She is a good “tea” who never actively harms others.