Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Only Fit to Eat Chicken Tail? Chicken tail? That kind of off-cut meat that only maidservants eat—she actually gave it to her young lady? After finishing all the good food, was this implying that her young lady was only fit to eat chicken tails? Wasn't this a blatant insult? "Second Miss, how can you humiliate my young lady like this? It's one thing for you to feast on fine food and drink, but what are you scheming by bringing this to her?" "How dare you! What nonsense are you spouting? I kindly brought some food for my sister, and now I'm somehow in the wrong? I think of my dear sister every moment, giving her the best of everything—am I still the one at fault?" Jia Qingcheng didn't want to bother with Song Jiaojiao, but Song Jiaojiao was just getting started. "Sister, please don't misunderstand me. Brother Wuliang said the thing you love most to eat is phoenix tail meat—is that not true?" What? Pei Wuliang said she loved eating phoenix tail meat? Jia Qingcheng was so angry she nearly laughed. She remembered that in her past life, whenever she and Pei Wuliang went out to eat, she would order a roasted chicken. Because Pei Wuliang liked it, she would say she only preferred the phoenix tail—her real intention being to let him eat the whole chicken with an easy conscience. She had been foolish back then, believing Pei Wuliang was sincere and didn't despise her for her ugly face. So she truly loved him deeply. Whether in food or in possessions, she always saved the best for Pei Wuliang. Even at the moment of her death in her past life, she had already packed up her valuable jewelry and given it to Pei Wuliang's cousin... She cared for him so much, yet he had deceived her for an entire lifetime. Even now, he still believed she only liked eating phoenix tail meat. Or perhaps, in Pei Wuliang's heart, she, Jia Qingcheng, ugly and plain-faced, had reached above her station to be with him. She was only fit for phoenix tail. Fine then! "Sister, do try it quickly—it won't taste as good once it gets cold. Let me feed you myself." With that, Song Jiaojiao actually rolled up her sleeves, picked up that piece of phoenix tail with her chopsticks, and tried to bring it to Jia Qingcheng's lips. "Sister, it's still warm—this is the best time to eat it." Jia Qingcheng refused, turning her face away. "I won't eat it. Take it away!" "Sister, this is a small token of my affection. How can you not appreciate it?" "I said, take it away!" Jia Qingcheng suddenly stood up, and in doing so, knocked the piece of phoenix tail right off. The meat fell onto the floor, and suddenly, a little stray cat darted in, snatched the meat in its mouth... "Hey, you—" The cat fled swiftly. Seeing this, Song Jiaojiao looked even more aggrieved, turning around with tearful sobs. "Sister, if you won't eat it, fine, but why must you trample on my sincerity? I brought it all the way from such a distance, worried the whole way that it would get cold. And now—it's gone to that little beast instead." Jia Qingcheng didn't want to waste words with Song Jiaojiao. In her past life at this time, she was preparing for her grand wedding with Pei Wuliang, and Song Jiaojiao was also preparing her dowry. She remembered clearly that Song Jiaojiao had brought a considerable amount of wealth into Chu Wangfu. And all these years, Song Jiaojiao had been living at the Jia residence, eating their food and drinking their drink. According to custom, an adopted daughter's dowry wouldn't amount to much. So in her past life, where did that lavish dowry come from? Was it secretly given by Father? Or was it her stepmother's doing? Or perhaps—Pei Wuliang? But in his past life at this time, he was just a destitute poor young man. Where would he get so much silver? "Sister, don't be like this. You look so scary when you're angry—you'll frighten me. If I've done something wrong, you can scold me all you like. But you suddenly getting angry—I truly don't know what I did wrong. Is bringing you food also a mistake?" Song Jiaojiao put on the airs of a victim with her sweet-talking, venom-tongued words, but Jia Qingcheng refused to fall for her tricks. She remained silent. Yet precisely because of her silence, Song Jiaojiao's maidservant grew even more emboldened! "First Miss, how can you bully our Second Miss like this? She may only be an adopted daughter, but the Master has said that the young cousin is also a daughter of the Jia family. She is our Jia family's true Second Miss—born to privilege, just like you. What right do you have to humiliate her like this?" "What do you mean by that?" Song Jiaojiao smiled smugly upon hearing this. "Sister, you haven't heard yet, have you? In a few days, I'll have the same status as you. I'm no longer the Jia family's adopted daughter. From now on, I am Jia Jiaojiao. Father and Mother have promised to send me off with a grand wedding. We'll become true family." True family? Dream on! In her past life, she remembered that Song Jiaojiao had been married off as the Jia family's adopted daughter. She hadn't expected that in this life, everything was changing... Well, wasn't she also trying desperately to change Prince Chu's fate? "Sister, if I've done something wrong, you can hit me or scold me—just don't stay silent. You're scaring me like this. Sister, hit me, go on, hit me. If hitting me makes you feel better, I don't mind being beaten by you." "What are you doing!" Jia Qingcheng shoved Song Jiaojiao away. Song Jiaojiao tumbled to the ground, sobbing pitifully—and at that very moment, Father Jia and her stepmother arrived from outside and witnessed the scene... The stepmother immediately rushed forward to help Song Jiaojiao up. "Jiaojiao, are you alright?" "Mother, I'm fine." Song Jiaojiao had already changed how she addressed her. Seeing that Father Jia and Madam Jia had come to back her up, she grew even more aggrieved, tears streaming down her face. "Father, I'm fine. Don't blame Sister. It's my fault—I did something to displease her." "Qingcheng, what madness has gotten into you now? She is your sister—how could you treat her so cruelly?" "Isn't that right, my lord? Qingcheng grows more unhinged by the day. Just because Master Pei didn't choose her as his principal wife, she goes out of her way to make things difficult for Jiaojiao. Look how wronged our daughter is." "Mother, it's not like that. Sister, she—" "Jiaojiao, say no more. Your mother and I have both seen it with our own eyes. She's just an ugly woman making a fuss." An ugly woman making a fuss? Was she talking about her? "Jia Qingcheng, why must you bully Jiaojiao?" Father Jia's eyes were filled with disgust. Just looking at that repulsive face of hers made him feel sick. Being ugly was one thing, but why did she have to imitate those women who squabbled over jealousy and favor? What a disgrace! And Jia Qingcheng, watching her own father misunderstand her for the sake of an adopted daughter, felt her heart ache with bitterness. Once, her father had doted on her too. Even though she had deliberately made herself ugly since childhood, her father had never shown her the slightest disdain—on the contrary, he had treated her wonderfully. Though he had many women, his love for her had never diminished in the slightest. But a father's love could fade too. When Song Jiaojiao arrived, her father split in half the love that had once belonged solely to her. And now, he intended to let Song Jiaojiao fully join the Jia family. Further words were useless. She knew that no matter what she said, no one would believe her. So be it. "Silence, then? That means you admit it? Qingcheng, how could you have become like this? You truly break this old man's heart. Even if Pei Wuliang didn't choose you, he gave me his word that should you ever be widowed, he would look after you. Why can't you listen? Why cling to that empty title of principal wife and keep humiliating Jiaojiao at every turn? She is your sister. How could you become so petty and unreasonable, bullying your younger sister? If word of this gets out, aren't you afraid others will mock you for picking on someone smaller and weaker?"