jdhmnovel Chapter 571 Do you dare to compete with me?
Chapter 571 Do you dare to compete with me?
Huo Qing stared at Bai Qiaoniang, his Adam's apple moved, and he said with a playful smile:
"Oh, my brother has really good taste, my sister-in-law is so pretty.
He's out all day, and you're home alone, don't you feel bored?"
Just as he finished speaking, there was a crisp "pa" sound, and Bai Qiaoniang slapped him with her backhand, knocking his head to the side.
"It's none of your business whether I'm bored or not!" Bai Qiaoniang's chest heaved with anger. "No matter what, I'm still better than you! Even taking a concubine requires someone's approval. You're such a coward, and you still have the nerve to flirt with me!"
Huo Qing covered his red face and jumped up: "I gave you face, right! Huo Jun is not at home, don't think you can walk sideways in front of me! Believe it or not..."
Bai Qiaoniang was so angry that her face turned red. She raised her foot and stomped hard on Huo Qing's instep.
Huo Qing screamed "Ah!", jumped up holding his feet and cursing.
Bai Qiaoniang glared at him, then turned around, picked up Bai Wanwan and left: "Shameless thing, stay away from us!"
Bai Wanwan nestled in her arms and also felt that Huo Qing was really disgusting.
The two of them walked quickly into the banquet hall, which was bustling with noises of talking and clinking glasses.
Just a few steps inside, four young ladies from aristocratic families came over, chatting and laughing: "Wow! This little girl is so cute! Come play hide-and-seek in the garden with us, okay?"
Bai Wanwan shrank into Bai Qiaoniang's arms and whispered, "Thank you, sister. I don't want to go."
These were all unfamiliar places, so she naturally wouldn't just follow them.
Madam Bai touched Bai Wanwan and said, "This child is still young and a little shy."
The girl from the Li family, who had twin buns on her head, curled her lips and snorted, "You're already so old, but you're still hiding behind your mother. It's just a game of hide-and-seek, are you afraid we'll eat you?"
Miss Zhao came over and raised her voice deliberately: "I heard that she was brought back from a farm in the countryside. She has never seen the world, so she looks so timid."
The girl from the Sun family laughed while shaking the silk in her hand:
"If you hang out with this kind of peasant, you'll end up smelling like a fool.
Come on, come on, don't spoil our fun here."
Su Niantang put his hands on his hips and looked Bai Wanwan up and down with his eyes slanted:
"This is a spring banquet of a wealthy family, why are you, a little country girl, joining in the fun?
Go back to the countryside and play in the mud!"
Bai Wanwan glared and stiffened her neck. "You can come, but why can't I? You lost to me in the horse race last time, and you forgot so quickly?"
These words seemed to touch Su Niantang's sore spot, and her face flushed red:
"You! If you have the guts, make a bet with me! Later, the kids are going to compete in poetry recitation. Do you dare to compete with me?
The loser still has to follow the old rules and hand over his most precious possessions!"
Bai Wanwan tilted her head and sneered:
"Just writing poetry? Fine! Anyway, the kids will be in one room and the adults will be in another.
Let's see who shows weakness first in front of everyone!"
Several young ladies gathered around to hear the excitement. Su Niantang puffed out her chest and deliberately raised her voice: "Don't cry and beg me for mercy when the time comes!"
Everyone around laughed: "These two kids are quite interesting. They even want to make a bet."
"What kind of things can a child come up with? It's just some small jewelry. Let's just watch for fun."
Su Niantang's maid brought out a maroon wooden box. When the lid was opened, everyone present couldn't help but come over to take a look.
Inside lay a palm-sized mutton-fat jade pendant, as white as freshly melted snow, without a single color.
The edge of the jade pendant is engraved with a lotus pattern, and in the middle is a hollow carving of a phoenix with its wings spread out, ready to fly, with even the texture of its feathers clearly visible.
The most peculiar thing is that there is a crescent-shaped hole in the middle of the jade pendant. When you look through the light, you can see a faint halo flowing inside, as if the moonlight is condensed in the jade.
A lady couldn't help but exclaim:
"This is no ordinary item. It is clearly the Phoenix Perched in the Wutong Tree Pendant bestowed by the late emperor. It was worn daily by Empress Xiaozhen back then.
Legend has it that the jade pendant contains a map of the secret treasures of the previous dynasty. The elders say that seeing this pendant is like seeing a phoenix, and its value is worth a fortune."
The noble ladies beside her nodded in agreement, their pearls and jade swaying in envy. "No wonder she looks so noble! To find herself in the hands of this young lady, truly a jewel of the royal family has come to light."
Everyone started to whisper to each other, "After taking out such a treasure, which young lady would dare to show off her wealth so easily in the future?"
Su Niantang stroked the edge of the jade pendant with his fingertips, raised his eyebrows and glanced at Bai Wanwan and said, "Did you see it clearly? The reputation of this Fengqi Wutong Pendant is not something that can be easily surpassed."
Bai Wanwan raised a faint smile at the corner of her lips and leaned close to her personal maid to whisper a few words.
The maid looked solemn and walked away quickly, holding up the hem of her skirt. A moment later, she returned with a long red lacquered and gold-painted box in her arms.
The box was inlaid with nine oriental pearls, which trembled slightly with every step, making the faces of the people around brighten.
Bai Wanwan opened it directly, and lying on the gold velvet lining was a pair of red gold filigree and kingfisher hairpins with pearls.
The main body of the buyao is made of red gold to form a lotus with two stems, the lotus heart is inlaid with a pigeon blood ruby, the twelve kingfisher feathers are like a peacock spreading its tail, and the tail feathers are adorned with round South Sea pearls and broken diamonds, reflecting a colorful halo every time it shakes.
The most amazing thing is that the lotus core has a hidden mechanism. As you walk, it slowly opens and closes, revealing a micro-carved picture of "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" inside.
The crowd that was originally discussing the jade pendant was now frozen in place as if they were under a spell.
Several ladies subconsciously held down the jewelry on their temples, fearing that their own items would be overshadowed by the others.
Someone could clearly hear a gasp, and someone with a keen eye exclaimed, "Could it be that the jadeite inlay on this hairpin is made from the lost blue jadeite?"
A lady clutched her handkerchief and stamped her feet:
"This is not a hairpin, it's clearly a mountain of gold and silver worn on the head!
Look at this pearl, it's even rounder than the night-shining pearl passed down in my family, and even the ones from Southeast Asia aren't this big!"
Su Niantang's knuckles turned white as he pinched the jade pendant. He forced himself to speak, "It's just that the color is brighter..."
Bai Wanwan said lightly:
"Sister said the Phoenix-Restaurant-Wutong Pendant is very valuable, but this hairpin was originally a gift for Empress Xiaoduan's birthday, and it took thirty skilled craftsmen three years to create it.
The color of this blue water jade alone surpasses all the jade in the world.
Everyone knows which one is more difficult. "
Su Niantang sneered and raised his chin:
"Okay, I think you can handle this hairpin.
Then stop talking nonsense and start the competition! "
As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of noble ladies followed the maid into the warm room.
The tables and chairs had been set up in the room. Someone had spread out snow-white rice paper and placed the ground ink and brushes neatly.
Concubine Liu smiled and said:
“It’s rare to see so many ladies gathered together today.
Since this is a flower viewing party, why not write a poem about flowers? What do you think?"
She paused and waved her hand:
"But it's no fun just to think about it. Go and bring in some pots of the best flowers from the garden.
Let the girls write while looking at the real thing, so they can get inspiration!"