The cousin's family is extremely wealthy; she deserves to be a concubine.

When Madam Shen boarded the carriage at the gate of the mansion, she saw her own son dressed in his usual outing clothes and asked, "Where are you going?"

If it's not the official uniform for duty, then it means they're going somewhere else.

He Zhizhang smiled and said, "My son is on good terms with the young master of the Jiang family. They are having a plum blossom appreciation banquet at their residence today. They sent me an invitation yesterday, so I can go with my mother and sisters today."

Upon hearing that he had connections with the Jiang family, Madam Shen's eyes brightened slightly. Then, as if remembering something, she asked in a low voice, "What about your father?"

He Zhizhang shook his head slightly, "I wasn't the only one who went today; there were also many young masters I usually hang out with. It's alright."

Only then was Madam Shen relieved, and she instructed the maids and servants to quickly help her young lady onto the carriage.

He Zhizhang glanced at Hua Sirong subtly, his eyes darkening, unnoticed by anyone.

Chiang Kai-shek's Mansion in Beijing

Hua Sirong followed the people from the Marquis's mansion into the gate. She was a new face, and her outstanding appearance caused the noble ladies to speculate about who she was.

Jiang Yilan, the eldest daughter of the Jiang family, took Hua Sirong's hand first. "This must be Sister Hua. My uncle has been praising you highly since he returned to the manor."

"This time, the manor is holding a plum blossom appreciation banquet, and my uncle repeatedly told me that you couldn't be left out."

It was no secret in Beijing that Mr. Jiang was unmarried at an advanced age.

The young ladies from various noble families felt somewhat resentful seeing Jiang Yilan's excessive enthusiasm for Hua Sirong, suspecting that Hua Sirong had some extraordinary hidden identity.

After hearing Jiang Yilan's explanation, they mistakenly thought that Hua Sirong was going to be their aunt, so they became friendly and kind to Hua Sirong.

"Miss Hua, may I ask what your family does for a living?"

"I noticed that Sister Hua came with the young ladies from the Marquis's mansion. Could she be related to the Marquis of Muqing's family?"

"Surname Hua? I seem to have heard that a cousin of theirs, surnamed Hua, came to seek refuge."

With everyone chiming in, they uncovered all of Hua Sirong's secrets.

"Isn't that the woman who was rumored to bring bad luck to her family that was all over the capital before?"

Whispers continued to circulate in Hua Sirong's ear, and Jiang Yilan's smile was forced, but a smug glint flashed in her eyes.

"Sister, don't be angry. It's rare for us to get together and laugh, so it's inevitable that we might say something inappropriate. You're a magnanimous person, please don't take it to heart."

Hua Sirong had initially thought Jiang Yilan was an ally, and if she still couldn't see the hidden meaning in her words, she wouldn't deserve to stand here.

"It's alright. Uncle Jiang said my father died saving him, so according to Uncle Jiang, the saying about him being a jinx to his family won't apply to me."

Therefore, I don't care about the rumors that others spread based on hearsay.

After all, how could a smart person not see that it was all fabricated? Sister Jiang, look at all these people gathered here; have any truly intelligent people uttered a single unnecessary word?

Jiang Yilan and the other women who had just made veiled accusations felt like they were being called complete idiots under the gazes of the group of noble ladies, and their faces turned extremely embarrassed.

Some who were not convinced wanted to stand up and continue arguing with Hua Sirong, but they were eventually pulled back by the people around them.

This young lady from a humble family, who was favored by the master of the Jiang family, was not weak or easily bullied.

He Zhihuan also came today. She had just broken off her engagement and wanted to find a quiet place to hide.

Hua Sirong was a troublemaker. While Madam Shen went to the noble lady's place, the group of unmarried young ladies stayed by the waterside pavilion.

The pavilion was surrounded by transparent gauze, and each table had an exquisite vase in the center, with several sprigs of winter plum blossoms in twos and threes, filling the room with a faint fragrance of plum blossoms.

He Zhizhu, the legitimate daughter of the Marquis's family, had only been there a short while when she made an appointment with her confidante and went elsewhere, so there was no way to count on her.

At this moment, in the waterside pavilion, He Zhihuan was the eldest among the young ladies of the Marquis's mansion, and also the daughter of the Marquis. She had no choice but to step forward.

He pulled Hua Sirong aside and kindly advised her, "These young ladies today are all either rich or noble."

"Your identity has been exposed, and the way you spoke just now has definitely caught their attention. Even if the master of the Jiang family is backing you up, I advise you to be careful today."

Out of consideration for past relationships, He Zhihuan added, "If you really don't have any close friends, then come with me today. Just don't interrupt when I'm talking to others."

Hua Sirong, willing to accept He Zhihuan's favor, nodded in agreement.

Inside the waterside pavilion, there was hot fruit wine, freshly brewed hot tea, and a constant stream of various pastries.

The group split into several small circles, gathered around a fire, chatting and laughing, and everyone felt warm and cozy.

At this point, someone suggested that it would be more interesting to go to the garden to walk in the snow and look for plum blossoms.

Today is a plum blossom appreciation banquet. What's the point of just looking at a few branches in a vase? Everyone prefers to go to the garden and personally seek out the proud fragrance of the plum blossoms.

Besides, they had heard that the mansion had invited many talented young men from the capital today, and they wondered if they might bump into each other in the plum garden.

Hua Sirong followed He Zhihuan at a distance, though she wanted to stay at the waterside pavilion until the banquet ended.

If everyone goes to the plum garden and you're left alone, wouldn't you seem out of place?

Today, Hua Sirong brought Chunyan with her when she came to the Jiang residence.

It wasn't that I didn't want to keep Granny Yan in my pocket, but apart from Granny Zhang who accompanied Madam Shen, all the other young ladies were accompanied by pretty little maids.

If she brought along Wang Mama or Yan Mama, wouldn't that make people look at a freak?

As for Xiaoya and Fufeng, she doesn't yet have the courage to take them out to a banquet alone.

I feel more at ease using Chunyan. Although Chunyan is not good at learning the rules, she is loyal and strong.

Especially since Hua Sirong just incurred a wave of hatred, having Chunyan by her side makes her feel incredibly safe, doesn't it?

Chunyan was a cute little chubby girl, and she was holding a few pieces of plum blossom cake that Hua Sirong had secretly given her.

The two of them lagged behind the main force by about five zhang. Chunyan seized the opportunity to stuff a piece of pastry into her mouth, her round eyes darting around, afraid that someone would see them and look down on her.

"Miss, it's chilly today. How come these young ladies, who usually find it tiring to walk even a few steps, aren't they cold?"

Hua Sirong covered her mouth with a handkerchief and chuckled, "Chunyan, wouldn't you call this being bored and having nothing better to do?"

Chunyan's eyes lit up, and she nodded emphatically, "That's exactly what you said, girl. You don't know, in the winter, we farm people try not to go out if we can avoid it."

If I catch a cold, I'll have to spend money; if I don't have money, I'll just have to tough it out.

Although Hua Sirong didn't know what it felt like to catch a cold, she wasn't truly unaware of the hardships faced by ordinary people.

Looking at the laughing beauties in the distance, she sighed, "Wealthy people can stay in the snow all day without getting frostbite."

She took Chunyan's hand and said, "Let's go, let's indulge in some refined pursuits and go admire the plum blossoms."

After all, we're already here.

Chunyan is a carefree girl. One moment she was saddened by how many people would freeze to death this winter, and the next she was back to being that carefree chubby girl.