Quick Transmigration: Survive to the End

Linshi Diecui is a place specially built to enjoy the scenery. In summer, there are many plants and trees, and in winter, you can enjoy the snow scenery. When you are tired from playing, you can sit in the houses next to it. Therefore, the Zhan family often entertained guests here.

When Yinyin and her two companions arrived, several ladies who were close to the Zhan family were already seated inside. They were familiar with Zhan Shuer and her sister, and although they knew that Zhan Shuer had been in trouble before, they acted as if nothing had happened. They praised the two sisters a few times, and then turned their attention to Yinyin.

"Is this the First Madam's daughter?"

Yu Miaoqi smiled and nodded: "Madam Zhou has a good eye. Yinyin, go and greet the ladies."

Yu Miaoqi personally introduced her to everyone, and Yinyin greeted them one by one, receiving many more gifts in return.

After the ceremony, the three girls were seated together not far behind Yu Miaoqi to show their intimacy.

Although Yin Yin felt that the three of them had no close relationship whatsoever and that it would be better for them to sit behind their respective mothers, the Zhan family wanted to save face and wanted to arrange things this way, so they could only sit like this for the time being.

If we consider the Zhan family's attitude when Yin Yin first arrived in the capital, she would definitely be ranked last. But today, although she is not sitting in the first place, she is right in the middle, separated from Zhan Shu'er and Zhan Hui'er, and is also the closest to Yu Miaoqi.

After taking their seats, Zhan Huier remained silent and sat quietly, while Zhan Shuer whispered a few words to Yin Yin. The difference in their closeness or distance confused the lady who knew them well.

As more and more guests arrived, the three men led the visiting ladies to play in the courtyard next door.

"I was worried about you when I didn't see you for a while, but now that I see you look so well, I can finally relax."

Yinyin glanced at her and recognized her as the daughter of the Wu family, a prominent family comparable to the Zhan family. However, this Miss Wu spoke with a somewhat sarcastic tone while expressing her concern, clearly indicating that she did not get along well with Zhan Shuer.

Zhan Shuer, whose composure had improved considerably, merely glanced at her and said indifferently, "Is that so? Thank you, Miss Wu."

Miss Wu stared at her in surprise for several moments, ignoring Yin Yin, and then turned her gaze to Zhan Hui'er beside her: "Shu'er has changed quite a bit, and Hui'er seems to be more composed than before? I haven't heard Hui'er say more than a few words since she came in!"

“Now that we’re engaged, we have to be more composed,” Zhan Shu’er said, her smile not reaching her eyes. “Third Uncle has found a good match for us. Next spring, Sister Hui’er will be married off to the border and become the wife of a fifth-rank official.”

The atmosphere in the courtyard fell silent instantly. A young lady asked, "There is an order of seniority. How come Miss Zhan is not yet engaged, but Miss Zhan is already engaged?"

“I’m not fortunate enough to be chosen by my third uncle,” Zhan Shu’er chuckled. “Only my dear sister Hui’er, his own daughter, can enjoy such a blessing.”

The ladies present exchanged glances, and all of them became more cautious in their attitude towards Zhan Huier, including Miss Wu from before.

This was not only because Zhan Huier was about to marry far away and, barring any unforeseen circumstances, would never have any contact with them again in this lifetime, but also because Zhan Shuer had mentioned the Third Master twice with veiled implications, which aroused their suspicions.

Upon seeing this, Miss Wu hesitated for a moment before swallowing the thought of Mr. Huang that she had wanted to mention earlier: "It's true that we'll see Miss Zhan less and less each time we meet. When you get engaged and married, Shu'er, we'll be missing one more person when we get together."

“There’s no need to wait until later,” Zhan Shu’er said, still with her fearless attitude. “My maternal grandmother likes me and wants me to go back to Pingzhou with her. My parents have already agreed.”

"You're leaving too?" Miss Wu exclaimed in surprise, her face showing a complex expression. The previous animosity was now suppressed.

Living in the same circle, disagreements and conflicts are perfectly normal, but to say there's no affection between them would be a lie. Besides, they all know why Zhan Shu'er left—she accidentally fell into the water and was rescued by a merchant. Regardless of whether she married or not, the capital city wouldn't accept her. On the bright side, the Zhan family isn't entirely outdated; they didn't force her to her death just to clear her name.

For a moment, the young ladies in the courtyard felt a sense of shared sorrow, after all, none of them were fools. Zhan Shuer had fallen into the water in the dead of winter for no reason, and then happened to be rescued by the renowned Young Master Huang. What a coincidence!

Many of those present were there at the time, but were later silenced by the Fourth Princess. Now, listening to Zhan Shu'er's words and thinking about the information they had gathered over the past few days, they all felt distressed.

It was Zhan Shuer who interrupted their emotions: "I'm not leaving now. The roads are difficult to travel in the snow. I'll have to wait until the snow melts before I can go out. I feel bad for you having to see me a few more times."

Although the young ladies hadn't quite shaken off their emotions, they all managed to laugh. Miss Wu even remarked with considerable admiration, "Look at you now, you really do have the air of an eldest granddaughter from a prominent family."

Zhan Shuer couldn't help but roll her eyes at her without any politeness: "You're so mature, it's like you're a generation older than me."

Miss Wu said irritably, "I just praised you once. It seems that some people can only put on a show; their true nature is hard to change!"

“You’re right,” Zhan Shu’er clapped her hands, not even looking at Zhan Hui’er, and laughed loudly, “It’s because some people are good at putting on a show that they fooled a simpleton like me, which is why I suffered so much. All of you sisters should take my experience as a warning and never be fooled by those wicked people in good looks!”

Seeing the ladies' gazes shifting between Yin Yin and Zhan Hui'er, Zhan Shu'er remained expressionless and directly took Yin Yin's hand.

"This is the younger sister of the eldest branch of our Zhan family, the apple of my aunt's eye. Now that you all know her, even though I'm not in the capital anymore, we've known each other for so many years, so you can't bully her!"

Yinyin tried to move her hand, but found that Zhan Shuer's hand was clenched tightly, and she couldn't easily break free. Then she looked at Zhan Huier, who was left standing to the side, enduring the strange looks from the other young ladies, her face pale and not daring to utter a word of rebuttal. She had no choice but to suppress her anger for the time being, and even had to owe Zhan Shuer a favor.

Regardless of Zhan Shu'er's motives for doing this, she has paved the way for Yin Yin in these circles of noble ladies. In the future, whenever these young ladies hold a flower party, as long as Zhan Shu'er was there before, Yin Yin will definitely receive an invitation.

After that, Zhan Shu'er and Yin Yin had many people talking to them, but Zhan Hui'er was left out in the cold. She seemed to be sitting in the crowd, but there was no one to talk to.

After sitting for a while, Zhan Huier's gaze towards Zhan Shuer gradually turned hateful.

Seeing this look, the other young ladies quickly distanced themselves from her. Whether it was playing pitch-pot or anything else, no one wanted to be on her team.

As dusk approached and the wedding ceremony was about to begin, everyone moved along. Zhan Shuer seized the opportunity to whisper to Yin Yin, "I used my sister, but I also helped her out. Please don't blame me."

Yinyin looked up at her: "As long as Sister Shuer doesn't regret it, that's fine."

“What could I possibly regret?” Zhan Shu’er smiled brightly. “I’m almost no longer a member of the Zhan family, so what is there to regret? Who knows, I might need to ask my sister for help someday. When that time comes, I hope my sister can put aside past grievances and give me a hand.”