Too high to reach

Chapter 85 Re-recognition
After Mo Yi's incident, the Lantern Festival at home was also quite awkward.

During the meal, Liu came out. She had originally wanted to show off Mo Yuan, but the atmosphere made her too shy to say much.

Mo Yi stayed in the room and slept until late the next day before waking up.

I tried to open my eyes, but couldn't, and then I remembered what happened yesterday.

"Bring me a mirror!" she hurriedly called out. She grabbed the mirror and struggled to open it even a crack.

"..." Ghost! I scared myself to death.

My face is even more swollen than yesterday. My eyes and nose look like fermented dough. Because of the medicine, it's a dark yellow blob.
I also have some difficulty breathing through my nose.

"That's good... we can't go anywhere now."

“After dinner last night, a few girls came to see you. They said you were asleep, so they didn’t come in,” Xiangzhi said.

"Hmm." Good heavens, what was that man holding? How could it be so badly damaged?
Think back, that man was tall and strong, with thick eyebrows and phoenix eyes, and he looked quite dashing! Yes, he was carrying a large bundle, which probably contained something hard.

Looking at my strange reflection in the mirror, I really didn't know whether to be grateful to him or resent him...

Voices came from the doorway. Mo Qing had arrived. Upon seeing her, she made a big fuss and talked for a long time. Mo Yi ignored her and, after she had finished talking and laughing, patted her bottom and left.

A short while later, Mo Yuan arrived.

This girl... seems to have changed all of a sudden. She took some snacks, sat down next to Mo Yi, and her gentleness and care were obvious.

And she had a strong desire to talk, treating this visit as a post-mortem summary of yesterday's events, recounting whatever came to mind, including but not limited to:

My first impression of this kind of occasion;
The demeanor and bearing of the Lady Hou and the principal ladies;

They even singled out the other girls one by one, analyzing them from their appearance, attire, talents, and manners. They didn't even spare the maids beside them…

Then he also commented on the merits and demerits of his three sisters.

Then, they even talked about Liang You's performance and the way he looked at Mo Yi.

The impact of Moe's fall on the marriage.

Then, they summarized the gains and losses, and also looked forward to the bright future that might arise from the Lady Hou's invitation to visit again.

In fact, Mo Yi has always felt that she is a very meticulous person. Even though she doesn't talk much, it doesn't mean she can't see things.

Unexpectedly, Mo Yuan was even more meticulous than herself, mentioning many details that she herself hadn't even noticed!
Finally, she couldn't help but ask, "Fourth Sister, why are you so good at chess?"

Mo Yuan covered her mouth and laughed, "I didn't even know I was this good! I usually just look at chess scores and don't have many opportunities to play against others. Heh, look at Wang Xiaowei's arrogance! I originally planned to broaden my horizons. But when I looked at the chessboard, the paths were all clearly laid out there. Do I even need to think about this kind of game?"

"You really can't judge a book by its cover..." Mo Yi murmured. Who would have thought that the frivolous and opportunistic Mo Yuan would have such a scheme?

Mo Yuan sneered, "That Wang Xiaowei, I'll make fun of her every time I see her! Ah, look at the madam's airs... Mo Yi, more than ever, I hope this marriage will go through!"

"Hehe." Mo Yi smiled wryly and raised her swollen face at her.

Mo Yuan gave her a smug look, "I wonder what the empresses, princesses, and royal consorts are like in the palace!" Mo Yuan's face was full of longing. "And His Highness the Crown Prince, the princes, the dukes... good heavens! I wonder if I've ever seen them..."

"Don't even think about it... One is in the sky, the other is on the ground! They're not even the same thing!" She never fantasizes about things that don't exist.

Mo Yuan's eyes darted around: "Sigh, tell me, why didn't I go with you guys back then! If I had been there, you definitely wouldn't have suffered this loss! Mo Wen, that person! Ha..."

She gave Mo Yi another disdainful look: "To be honest, I went there shamelessly for a reason. I wanted to curry favor with the Lady of the Marquis and some noble ladies. Besides... if they don't like you, they can still like me!"

Mo Yi looked at her shamelessness and wanted to glare at her, but couldn't bring herself to do it...

"But... what was Mo Wen doing there? And dressed up so elaborately? She must have something up her sleeve!"

“Did you see that? As soon as we walked in, Madam Hou mistook her for you, and her eyes lit up! Did you see that?” She nudged Mo Yi with her elbow.

Mo Yi remained silent.

"Hmph! She always acts like I'm doing something wrong! Actually, she's the one who's truly shameless!"

"You've found a good marriage for yourself, but you won't even give the leftovers to your sister?! You act like she's suffering a huge loss just because someone else is doing well. Humph, I won't do that! Only when everyone is doing well can we help each other out, right?"

"Hmph, if she hadn't walked ahead of you, I would have thought she was the one who did it!"

"Let me tell you, if you're inferior to her in every way, she might still show some kindness and give you a little something. But if you're better than her, she won't stand for it. If she gets the chance to push you, she won't hesitate!"

Mo Yi said sullenly, "Fourth Sister, don't say that. Whether it's true or not, what others will think if they hear it! Besides, I feel like you're different from before!" Mo Yuan smiled smugly, "I was naive before, only thinking about immediate gains! The key is, I thought those ladies from wealthy families were so great! Yesterday, I saw that they were dressed better than us, and their manners and speech were better than ours, but inside, aren't they all the same?"

Mo Yi gave a thumbs-up in admiration, "You still haven't told me why your chess skills are so good? I had no idea beforehand."

"Oh, this! My mother can play, although she's not very good, but she knows the rules. As for me, I took after my... great-aunt. You know my great-aunt's background... but she wasn't as bad as people say! Her chess skills were superb."

Otherwise, with her background, even as a concubine, she wouldn't be able to marry into an official's family! My mother has her writings and some chess manuals. I look at them when I have free time, and they don't seem that difficult or complicated. So, Wang Xiaowei, with her limited skills, dares to show off in front of me! I beat her without even using my brain!

"Bullshit!" Mo Yi retorted.

"Chess skills aren't something you can just boast about! They're real!"

Mo Yuan admired herself for a while, then said, "Hey, Mo Yi. The Lady of the Marquis has sent an invitation; you have to take me with you!"

"Me, take you?! I don't even know if I can go myself! Besides, when my aunt saw I was injured, she laughed so hard her gums were showing, she thought I didn't know!"

"Hey! My mom and second aunt, aren't they the same?! They bicker and argue their whole lives, and they never break out of their comfort zone."

Mo Yi looked at Mo Yuan and suddenly said, "Fourth Sister, I think you're the kind of person who can make a good life no matter what!"

"What else can we do? Mo Yi, wasn't I right yesterday?! With our three-way balance of power, outsiders won't be able to underestimate us!"

"Yes, if you weren't so powerful, I wouldn't have been able to get injured! It might have been Wang Xiaowei who did it! She hates you, so she took it out on me."

"You're blaming me for this? Isn't it because Liang You treats you differently from others, which angered everyone? You didn't understand, and you didn't take precautions, so who can you blame?"

"But you didn't remind me!"

"I...I was just worried about my mother making a scene, so I was only thinking about her and didn't pay attention to her!"

“Moyi…”

"Ok?"

"You really are ugly!"

"go out!"

……

Mowen arrived around noon.

"I never expected it to be this swollen..."

Mo Yi had no expression; she was never one to talk much to begin with.

"You told your father that someone else pushed him?"

"Ah."

"I... I scratched you back then, you know?" Mo Wen asked cautiously.

Mo Yi shook his head: "I was too nervous at the time, I didn't feel it."

"If you hadn't caught it, you wouldn't have fallen like this."

"Ah."

"This medicine... was it sent by Liang You?"

"Hmm." Mo Yi didn't want to talk to her at all.

Seeing that Mo Yi didn't respond, Mo Wen stood up and said, "Then you should rest. Tell me what you want to eat."

"Ah."

Watching her departing figure, I recalled Mo Yuan's words: "If you're inferior to her in every way, maybe she'll show you some kindness and give you a little something. But if you're better than her, she won't tolerate it. Given the chance to push you down, she won't hesitate!"

That's how it is.

……

(End of this chapter)