Transmigrated as the Villainess, She Made the General Blush - Chapter 20

After breakfast, seeing that Old Lady Fang and Fang Qin’er still had many private things to discuss, the ladies who had come to pay their respects all took their leave.

Before leaving, Jiang Xianle kept Fang Huaijin and Fang Qiluo behind, asking the siblings to show Xiao Wangshu and her brother around the residence.

Fang Huaijin played chess with Xiao Fuguang in the pavilion, and the two got along fairly well.

As for Fang Qiluo and Xiao Wangshu, since they had little to talk about, the atmosphere was a bit awkward. They stood beside Fang Huaijin and Xiao Fuguang, watching the game.

“Qiluo, didn’t you put a few feather-white koi in the pond? You go feed them every day, don’t you? Why aren’t you going today?” Fang Huaijin asked casually.

Qiluo suddenly remembered, raised her hand and slapped her forehead, saying with annoyance, “I forgot!”

She couldn’t believe she had forgotten something so important!

Fang Huaijin shook his head with a smile and said, “Then why don’t you go now? Take Cousin Wangshu with you. You girls should both like watching those pretty fish.”

At this moment, Xiao Fuguang just placed a piece on the board and looked up, saying, “Sister, Qiluo, you two go ahead and take a look. Don’t worry about me, I’ll just play chess here with Cousin Huaijin.”

Their mother’s honor was closely tied to the Fang Family. Although the Xiao Family was more powerful, maintaining good relations with their relatives was also very important for the siblings.

Xiao Wangshu naturally understood this. Until she was strong enough to stand on her own, she would seize any possible support that could help her.

“Alright, you and Cousin Huaijin keep playing. I’ll go with Cousin Qiluo to see her pretty fish.” Xiao Wangshu raised her hand and rubbed Xiao Fuguang’s little head.

Xiao Fuguang immediately pouted and urged, “Cousin Qiluo, do me a favor and take my sister away.”

It was one thing for his sister to rub his head at home, but how could she do it in front of their cousins!

Fang Qiluo covered her mouth and laughed, the awkwardness from earlier completely gone.

Fang Huaijin also smiled and said, “Cousin, you can only blame being born later. If you were her elder brother, she definitely wouldn’t dare treat you like this.”

He had grown closer to his cousins lately.

“Isn’t it just the trouble of being born a few years late?” Xiao Fuguang sighed dramatically, shaking his head in mock seriousness.

Xiao Wangshu glanced at him sideways and gave him a light smack on the back of his head.

“See? Asking for a beating, aren’t you?” Fang Huaijin sat across from them, watching the scene with amusement as he placed another piece.

Fang Qiluo covered her mouth with her embroidered handkerchief, and after laughing, said to Xiao Wangshu, “Cousin, let’s go. Otherwise, if your brother cries after being hit, he’ll run to Aunt and Grandmother.”

“Cousin Qiluo, you underestimate me. I may be young, but I’m a man who stands tall. Just a smack or two from my sister-how could I cry to Mother or Grandmother about that?”

As Xiao Fuguang spoke, his eyes never left the chessboard. He twirled a chess piece thoughtfully and continued, “You two go ahead. Don’t let Cousin Qiluo’s fish go hungry.”

“See, Cousin Fuguang is so focused on chess, he’s even trying to get rid of us,” Fang Qiluo joked, then said to Xiao Wangshu, “Come on, cousin, let’s go feed the fish.”

Xiao Wangshu nodded and left with her.

—

Perhaps because they were getting along especially well today, Fang Qiluo chatted a lot with Xiao Wangshu along the way.

They talked about clothes and jewelry, then about food and entertainment, and finally, the conversation turned to men.

Fang Qiluo considered her words and advised, “Cousin, in my opinion, that Second Young Master Mu has too many close female friends. He is not a suitable match for you.”

Xiao Wangshu smiled and said, “Cousin, you’re still being too tactful. It’s not just that he has many female friends, is it?”
As everyone knows, there are two renowned gentlemen of the Capital: one is Han Feiyu, the cousin from Li Mansion, and the other is Second Young Master Mu, Mu Yunze.

Han Feiyu, the cousin from Li Mansion, is charming on the outside, yet inwardly he is a devoted soul with his heart set on one person.

Second Young Master Mu, Mu Yunze, is charming both in appearance and in character-what you see is what you get.

Any official’s daughter who could be of benefit to the Mu Family’s influence, he would approach with refined manners, leaving behind a reputation for being attentive and considerate.

According to the original novel’s depiction, even Mu Yunze’s own sister, Mu Chuxue, had been targeted by certain official young ladies who fancied Mu Yunze.

If the novel’s heroine Mu Chuxue was subject to such treatment, then it goes without saying that the malicious supporting female, Xiao Wangshu, who was infatuated with Mu Yunze, suffered even more. Wasn’t she just pushed into the pond not long ago?

The number of confidantes Second Young Master Mu, Mu Yunze, has is beyond what words like ‘many’ can describe; ‘an overwhelming flood’ would not be an exaggeration.

“Sigh!” Fang Qiluo sighed at these words, then asked, “Since you know all this, cousin, why trouble yourself? Are you truly so unable to let him go?”

She looked at Mu Yunze and thought, well, he’s not bad, but there’s nothing particularly outstanding about him. He’s hardly worth the esteemed young lady of the Xiao Mansion lowering herself so much to pursue him.

Xiao Wangshu smiled again, her tone so flippant it sounded even more rakish than many noble sons: “It’s just something to amuse myself and pass the time. If he doesn’t know how to play along, so be it. Do you really think I’m welded to him, cousin?”

Fang Qiluo’s face showed obvious surprise at these words.

“Cousin?”

Was she being serious?

Her words were blunt, but somehow they sounded rather pleasant.

“You needn’t worry, cousin. Outsiders can never compare to family. I know where to draw the line.”

As she spoke, Xiao Wangshu took a jar of fish food handed over by a Fang Mansion servant, opened the lid, scooped out a spoonful, and sprinkled it where the fish were gathering in the pond.

The red-and-white carp in the pond swam over, poking their heads above the water, crowding together with mouths wide open to snatch the food.

The fish food attracted wave after wave of pond fish, not only the few feather-white koi that Fang Qiluo had raised, but also many red koi originally kept in the pond for viewing.

Fang Qiluo, afraid her feather-white koi would lose out on the food, quickly took the jar of fish food handed over by the maid, feeding the fish as she spoke: “I’ve nagged you so much, cousin, but as long as you know your own mind, that’s enough.”

“Of course, but I still thank you for your concern, cousin,” Xiao Wangshu replied with gratitude.

Fang Qiluo happily fed the fish, her smile lively and gentle: “You and I are family, after all. I can’t just stand by and watch you trust the wrong person. I may nag a bit much, but I hope you don’t mind, cousin.”

Xiao Wangshu smiled softly and replied, “How could I?”

Today, Xiao Wangshu’s words were especially pleasant to hear. Fang Qiluo was never one to put on airs; as long as Xiao Wangshu was easy to talk to, she was more than happy to chat with her cousin.

The two cousins talked from Mu Yunze to the fish in the pond, then to fish food, and finally to the restaurants and taverns of the Capital.

The range of topics was so broad and the transitions so smooth, it was truly impressive.

After spending most of the day together, Fang Qiluo felt that her cousin’s demeanor was still as proud as ever, yet seemed to have changed greatly.

She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but it was definitely a good change.

…

Later, when Fang Qin’er escorted Xiao Wangshu and her brother away from Fang Mansion, Fang Qiluo personally ran to the carriage to remind Xiao Wangshu to come feed the fish with her often.

At that moment, not only Fang Qin’er, Old Lady Fang, and the others, but even Fang Huaijin and Xiao Fuguang were surprised.

It was clear that in just a few short hours today, these two cousins had gotten along better than ever before.