Chapter 319

Chapter 320: The Couple Failed to Please Anyone

Madam Zhang picked out six bolts of fabric in no time, which made the corner of Tao Yi Ran’s eye twitch. When she then turned to select jewelry as well, it proved she chose not what suited her but only what was expensive.

She immediately set her sights on a full headpiece set, gold inlaid with gemstones of many colors, expensive at a glance. Wearing a face full of covetous delight, she lifted the set and admired it over and over, now and then cutting a sidelong glance at Tao Yi Ran. Seeing Tao Yi Ran sit motionless, she grew displeased.

Xin An also took a liking to a set of head ornaments: gold-inlaid jade, the design much simpler, something that could be worn all together at a banquet without being showy, and separated for daily wear as well. She turned her head toward Madam Zhao and said: “Aunt, take a look at this set; I think it suits you very well.”

Madam Zhao smiled and rose to look. The attendant sized her up and praised the set too, saying it appeared simple yet was exquisite, and even helped her try it on then and there. Madam Wang also approved. Madam Zhao looked in the mirror and felt it was right, dignified and in keeping with her status without drawing attention.

Xin An made the decision and settled that set, then helped Madam Zhao choose two bolts of fabric that were steady yet still bright.

Madam Zhang refused to let go of the ornate headpiece. The attendant had not recommended it to her, chiefly because it truly did not suit her; her figure, bearing, and looks could not carry it. If she wore it out, not only would it fail to bring new customers to their shop, even the original guests might stop coming to choose jewelry.

In fact, they had brought that headpiece intending to recommend it to Madam Wang.

Seeing that Tao Yi Ran still did not speak, Madam Zhang lost patience, came up to her with the headpiece, and asked with a smile: “Niece-in-law, how do you think this headpiece would look on your Maternal Aunt?”

Tao Yi Ran truly could not bring herself to speak against her conscience. [A headpiece awash in gold and gems is vulgar enough; on Madam Zhang it would only make her already unpresentable looks worse. And what status does she have to wear such a piece?] She finally said, gently: “Maternal Aunt, perhaps look at something else.”

Madam Zhang’s face collapsed. Auntie Liu forced a smile and said: “What the Eldest Young Madam means is that this headpiece does look splendid, but it is indeed heavy and terribly inconvenient at banquets. Such a cumbersome piece would weigh down the silhouette. Madam, you are naturally elegant; wearing this would not complement you, it would press you down.”

[Short and squat, swaddled in winter layers, add such a headpiece and she would look exactly like a rat spirit from a storybook.]

The attendant fetched a simpler set and offered it to Madam Zhang. Madam Zhang pouted; the more she was discouraged, the more she insisted: “This flimsy thing is nothing compared with the dignified set I chose.”

The three youngsters had already gone to have their measurements taken. The two Wei sisters stood with downcast eyes, wishing they could dig a hole with their toes and hide. At this point Xin An spoke with a smile: “Ring it up. Today my Elder Sister-in-law and I, as their sisters-in-law, are adding clothes and jewelry for the younger sisters, so we will pay.”

The shopkeepers of the cloth shop and the jewelry shop briskly tallied the bill. Chun Yang stepped forward to take the slips and paid on the spot in banknotes.

When it came to Tao Yi Ran, the jewelry shop’s keeper had no choice but to ask whether that headpiece was to be taken. Madam Zhang cut in first: “Yes, wrap it up for me, and I will take the hairpins and earrings I chose at the start as well.”

She then smiled at Tao Yi Ran and said: “Niece-in-law, you are spending on me.”

When the bill was totaled, that headpiece set alone came to three thousand eight hundred taels. There was no help for it; the base was pure gold studded with so many gemstones that the workmanship alone was astounding.

Rage gave Tao Yi Ran a stomachache, but she absolutely could not show weakness in front of Xin An, so she instructed Auntie Liu to go back and fetch the money.

As for how to get it, of course she would look for Tang Rong.

When he heard that more than four thousand taels’ worth had been bought, Tang Rong was a little dumbfounded and asked: “How could it be so much?”

Auntie Liu began to complain, saying Madam Zhang was ruthless, that even making things almost plain was no use: “She simply told the shopkeeper to wrap it up on the spot. This is putting the Young Madam on the spit, and we cannot tear our faces with her.”

Tang Rong felt dizzy and asked: “How much did the people of the clan choose?”

Auntie Liu told the truth: Xin An paid less than eight hundred taels in total, and that was because they bought two sets of headpieces. The First Madam kept declining. The three young ladies chose jewelry that was not expensive, all delicate designs, and even picked two cheaper velvet flowers.

They were not costly, but looked truly lovely on girls in their teens.

By contrast, Madam Zhang took whatever was expensive, whether it suited her or not.

Tang Rong drew a deep breath and could only grit his teeth and go back to fetch the money. As he watched the box that held the banknotes run to the bottom, a hard light flashed in his eyes. After handing the banknotes to Auntie Liu, he sat down fuming. When he gave money for Cai Quan to handle matters, he had had enough silver to support what he needed to do next.

Later, when Cai Quan mishandled the affair, he began to harbor doubts; once he made alternative arrangements, the silver on hand had become tight.

But now it was all gone. He summoned Qing Mo and instructed him to hint at the news to his uncle on the side. [Was his money really so easy for others to spend?]

Auntie Cai was terrified, afraid Tang Rong would set his sights on the several chests in the storeroom, and her mind spun on how to put together a fake to fob him off. [I have truly seen it all.]

After Madam Zhang left with a pile of fine things and her two daughters, Madam Zhao clicked her tongue and said: “These days, one really can see every sort of oddity.”

“She does not care a whit for face. She is at least an official’s wife; how can she behave like this?”

Madam Wang said that some people are simply born that way; whether something is useful to them or not, if they do not get it themselves, they feel they have suffered a loss. She added: “No wonder she cannot stand me. It is because I do not let her lay her hands indiscriminately on the Marquisate’s goods; she feels she has not taken advantage and imagines that I am the one taking all the advantage.”

Madam Zhao was puzzled and asked: “Then why can she not stand me?”

Madam Wang answered: “Because she did not get to live in this courtyard.”

Madam Wang recounted what happened on the day the Wei family arrived. Madam Zhao thought it was absurd: they are members of the Tang Family, sharing blood and a common ancestor; how could affines compare?

That evening, Madam Zhao told Tang Yu about the day’s events. Tang Yu regretted that Tang Rong had such a Maternal Aunt. He actually wanted to say that some traits are a matter of family teaching; he feared Tang Rong resembled the Wei family more.

Tang Gang received the news as well, told directly by Madam Wang: “Originally I thought the household could pay together, but had we done that, who knows how much she would have chosen. The eldest son’s wife looks aggrieved. Marquis, if you have funds on hand, do make up a bit for the eldest. Ever since the Wei family arrived, he has not had a moment’s peace.”

Tang Gang was beside himself with anger and had someone pass word of the day’s events to Wei Liang Cai. Why should he make up silver for things the Wei family had done?

Hearing the news from several mouths in succession, Wei Liang Cai flew into a towering rage and vented it on Madam Zhang. The Wei sisters had come back in the afternoon and shut themselves in their room to cry; now they came out to complain as well. Once again Madam Zhang became the target of all arrows and was forced to cough up five thousand taels, which Wei Liang Cai personally took to deliver to Tang Rong.

After some polite demurring, Tang Rong accepted the money. Wei Liang Cai remained courteous on the surface but felt dissatisfaction with him. Madam Zhang was at fault, yes, but did Tang Rong and his wife not have even a sliver of blame? If they did not want to buy, they should have said so plainly and explained the difficulty. With someone like Madam Zhang, if you are weak she is strong; if you put your words clearly, she cannot play dumb. Yet they handed over the money and then, again and again, had people leak the news to him, as if he would not understand once and had to hear it twice?

Madam Zhang suffered a double loss and bore a grudge against Tao Yi Ran, convinced that Tao Yi Ran was scheming behind her back.

In the end, after all the commotion, the husband and wife failed to please anyone.