A Beautiful Duchess with a Dark Heart – Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Becoming a Sought-After Treasure

Wen Yu was paying attention to her grandfather and wasn’t distracted, so she heard it the moment her name was called.

But she still couldn’t believe it……

Calling me?!

Seeing everyone’s gaze turn to her……hmm, that’s right.

Old Madam Wen’s eyes narrowed, becoming alert. What was this old fool calling Wen Yu for?

She involuntarily glanced at her eldest son.

Wen Qian’s expression remained calm.

Yuan Xi Jun looked at her husband, then at Wen Huan……Wen Huan was clearly agitated, but she tried to control herself, biting her lip hard.

Wen Yu stepped forward gracefully and curtsied, “Wen Yu greets Grandfather! May you enjoy boundless fortune.” Her voice was neither too loud nor too soft, her movements practiced and elegant.

Seeing Wen Yu, Wen Rujiang raised his eyebrows, obviously surprised. This eldest granddaughter was actually so outstanding? He felt a pang of jealousy, but his mind quickly shifted gears, and for the first time, he showed a smile towards his own family member, “Mm, you’re an adult now, a grown young lady! Grandfather has prepared a coming-of-age gift for you, which your Third Aunt will give to you later! In a few days, there will be a dragon boat race in Qingjiang. We’ll bring you there and you can mingle with the families near Plum Garden.”

Plum Garden was a villa belonging to the Wen family, over two hundred miles away.

Old Madam Wen inwardly seethed. Could this old fool be thinking about Wen Yu’s marriage prospects? She looked at Wen Yu. This girl’s appearance could be very useful! This damned old man……

After hearing her grandfather’s words, Wen Yu’s face immediately brightened, appearing rather excited, but she controlled herself well, “Grandfather is so kind, this granddaughter is deeply grateful.”

There wasn’t a hint of a young girl’s coquettishness, a perfect display of the demeanor of a proper eldest legitimate daughter.

Even Wen Qian pursed his lips.

Wen Rujiang was truly satisfied, his tone becoming slightly more sincere, “Mm, good girl! You may go back now! Song Shang, shall we go to the front and talk for a while?” He couldn’t bear to stay any longer.

The moment he approached Wen Yu, Song Shang understood, feeling a surge of displeasure: You have a conflict with Old Madam Wen, dragging your children into it. What now? Are you going to use your granddaughter too?

Or are you trying to use Wen Yu’s marriage for your own benefit?

Heh, thinking too much! A ruthless thought crossed his mind, if you really dare to……

Seeing how excited the little girl was, sigh! This silly girl had no idea the old man wanted to use her. It was heartbreaking……He nodded at Old Master Wen who was talking to him, “Alright! Aunt, we’ll go talk in the front!”

Old Madam Wen said affectionately, “Good! I steamed crabs and shrimp for you, but you should drink less wine!”

“Yes, don’t worry!” He didn’t pay attention to the others, his peripheral vision sweeping over Wen Yu.

Wei Shi tried to get closer to him, but before she could say a few words of caution, Song Shang had already strode away.

As soon as Old Master Wen left, the women in the room breathed a sigh of relief.

Wu Shi quickly instructed the people around her, “Quickly escort the two concubines to rest. Third Sister-in-law, take a look around the room, if you need anything, tell me immediately!”

Guan Shi smiled, “Second Sister-in-law, you don’t need to be so polite. You always handle things perfectly. I’ll take the children and chat with Mother for a while! Mother……”

Old Madam Wen smiled, “We have plenty of time to talk! You go back to your room and rest. Even if you’re not tired, the child in your belly can’t handle it!”

Guan Shi didn’t put on airs, “Thank you for your consideration, Mother!”

“We’ve been talking for a long time. I’ll spend some time with your cousin’s wife. Everyone, go back to your rooms!”

……After everyone left, Guan Shi called out, “Yu girl, the gift your grandfather gave you is with your Third Aunt! Come with me?”

Wen Yu approached gently and whispered, “Wouldn’t it be too tiring for Third Aunt?”

“Not at all! It’s said to be your coming-of-age gift, it’s already two months late. Third Aunt feels quite embarrassed about it!”

Wen Jing and Wen Man came up, smiling and saying, “Jing’er also painted a fan leaf for Eldest Sister. I’ll bring it to Eldest Sister when we get back to the room.”

Wen Yu’s eyes reddened, her voice choked with emotion, “Third Aunt, Fifth Sister. I……”

“Alright! We’re family, come on!” Guan Shi pulled Wen Yu along, their arms linked.

“I’m in charge of the matters at Plum Garden.” Guan Shi walked slowly, speaking slowly, “Your grandfather is a wise old man, major decisions are not something Third Aunt can handle. But he is getting old after all, and he’s much more meticulous about daily life now. There are many children in the family, and I myself……I can’t manage things over there at all!”

“I understand, Third Aunt, you……” Wen Yu was deeply touched, but didn’t know what to say.

“Silly child! You just think too much. In a few days, we’ll take you to Plum Garden to stay for a while.”

“Okay!”

They reached Third Uncle’s courtyard as they spoke. Third Aunt’s servants were very efficient and had already tidied up the room.

They brought out the things Old Master Wen had gifted to Wen Yu, opened the box, and handed it to her.

✿✿✿

Wen Yu looked inside and saw a set of kingfisher feather hairpins……

“Heavens, Third Aunt……this is, so beautiful!” Wen Yu’s eyes lit up, looking as if she couldn’t bear to touch them.

Third Aunt also nodded, “It’s truly a fine piece! But you’re still young, you can’t handle such jewelry. Keep it safe for now! When you marry into a good family in the future, wear it to dazzle your sisters-in-law and aunts!”

“Third Aunt!” Wen Yu blushed, her fair skin turning pink.

Wen Jing also giggled, her little face flushed.

“You girl, you’re truly beautiful!” Guan Shi said sincerely.

Wen Man was young and innocent, nodding at Wen Jing, “Eldest Sister is so pretty!”

“This is for you from Third Aunt.” Guan Shi took out a small box, “This jade bracelet, one each for you, Fifth Sister and Seventh Sister! Third Aunt also kept one……” she touched her belly, “Your Third Uncle got these while he was away on business. Although they’re not particularly expensive, they’re still hard to find!”

Wen Yu took it out, admired it for a while, and put it on directly, “Thank you, Third Aunt, look, how beautiful it is!”

The girl wearing it was indeed beautiful.

Just now, she thought this girl was quite clever, but now it seemed, she really had no scheming at all. But her appearance was truly exceptional, it was the old man who was truly cunning! Guan Shi calculated in her mind: With such beauty and her status, the old man’s original plan could be taken a step further……

Guan Shi smiled and said, “And this……” she took out a small cloth bag, quite heavy. Opening it, inside were gold and silver shells, five-pointed stars……

Although they were made of gold and silver, they were very exquisite. They could be considered ornaments, but they could also be directly spent or given as tips, making them very practical. Considering Wen Yu’s situation, this was the most suitable gift.

Seeing this, Wen Yu’s tears flowed out, “Third Aunt……”

“Don’t cry, silly girl. Seeing Jing’er and her sister, and then thinking about you……sigh! But there’s no need to worry, you’re an adult now! For you, looking forward is what matters!”

“Yes, thank you for your guidance, Third Aunt!”

“Mm, go back and rest!”

“Okay, Third Aunt, you should rest well too. It’s going to be quite busy these next two days!”

“Your Second Aunt will handle everything, Third Aunt can take it easy!”

Wen Jing gave Wen Yu the fan leaf she painted for her. Wen Yu sincerely praised it a few times, and Wen Jing saw her out of the courtyard gate.

Guan Shi turned to her nanny and said, “I didn’t expect Wen Yu to turn out like this! Beautiful and dignified!”

“Indeed! I never noticed before! Judging by the girl’s demeanor earlier, her life here must not be good!”

“Mm. She’s not very cunning, but she’s not foolish either!”

“Indeed! Her marriage prospects could really be……”

“We’ll see, she has a father! And he’s been promoted!”

Earlier, Hong Xing had received the gifts from Third Madam, which were quite heavy, so she was beaming with joy. She chatted non-stop with Wen Yu along the way!

Back in the room, she still lingered, wanting to see what Third Madam had given Wen Yu. But in the end, Yan Zhu drove her out. Although Hong Xing was unhappy, she didn’t dawdle and hurried back to look at her own loot.

Wen Yu put aside the smile she had been wearing and pointed to the pile of things on the table, “These are from Grandfather, Third Uncle and Third Aunt.”

Yan Zhu quickly opened them, “Wow! The sun must be rising from the west! Kingfisher feather jewelry! My heavens! Even more exquisite than the set Madam Jiang wore last time?! Miss, have you become a sought-after treasure?!”

“Humph!” Wen Yu rubbed her face, “The gods want to fight, and they’re using me, a little ghost, to test each other out!”

“Ah?!” Yan Zhu’s expression changed, then she thought for a moment and said, “Humph! Let them test, do they think Miss is stupid? As long as there are more gifts, let them test however they want!”

Isn’t your Miss stupid? If she encountered this in her past life, she would have been beyond excited!

“Mm, what our Zhu Zhu said must be right!”

“Hehe, let’s put them away safely!”

My application for signing a contract was rejected: （. I’ve lost the mood to write. There are still some chapters left, I’ll post them for you to enjoy. I need to at least let the male lead make an appearance.