Chapter 124: Cute Equals Ugly

Linyue knew that people like Tao Xinhua were the most dangerous to offend. She might seem unremarkable, but the hidden blades in her words could not be ignored.

Linyue had originally expected to encounter a pack of bone-devouring she-devils upon entering the Prince’s mansion. Yet, of the three before her, only Tao Xinhua possessed any real cunning. Yan Tong and Fan Shuining were hardly worth noting, and Zhong Yufei’s antics were downright childish. So what if her father was a Great General? Linyue's own father was the Head of the Family, her eldest brother was the Young Lord, her second brother was the Sect Master, and her eldest sister was the Princess Consort. If it came to using family power to bully others, Linyue was far more qualified than she was.

Linyue’s face appropriately assumed an expression of indignation. "Sister Tao, you needn't make excuses for her. She truly went too far. Once I see my eldest sister, I will certainly tell her about this so she can demand justice for you. That is no way to establish rules."

Hearing Linyue’s words, Yan Tong and Fan Shuining exchanged a joyful glance. No lady of the house would willingly submit to being ordered around like a servant, especially by someone who was merely born into a slightly higher status and held a flashier title, but was just as out of favor as they were. What right did she have to be so arrogant?

The Princess Consort of Nanping treated them well enough, providing the finest food and clothing. As long as they did not cross any lines, she turned a blind eye to their doings. Since none of them wanted to stick their necks out and let others reap the benefits, they had simply endured it.

But now that someone was willing to speak up on their behalf, they were naturally delighted. Even Tao Xinhua’s eyes brightened. Yan Tong and Fan Shuining chorused joyfully, "Then we shall trouble you, Sister."

Yaoyao stepped forward and assured the three of them, "It's nothing! Sister Yu'er dotes on Sister Yue'er the most. As long as she speaks up, how could it not succeed?"

Yan Tong warmly took Yaoyao’s hand and praised, "This little sister is truly cute. I wonder which family you belong to?"

Having her hand grabbed by Yan Tong gave Yaoyao goosebumps. Pouting in displeasure, she pulled her hand away and said with an aggrieved look, "Cute? Does that mean I'm ugly?"

Yan Tong froze, utterly bewildered. She had clearly meant it as a compliment; how had it turned into calling her ugly? Especially with Yaoyao’s innocent, aggrieved wide eyes, it truly looked as though Yan Tong had said something terribly wrong.

Not yet knowing Yaoyao’s identity, Yan Tong dared not offend her. She quickly explained, "I didn't mean that at all. You really are very cute."

Yaoyao was doing this simply to annoy her. Her lower lip trembled as if she were about to burst into tears at any moment, and her voice grew even more aggrieved. "You're still saying it! You're still saying it! 'Cute' just means ugly! Are you bullying me because I'm a child and wouldn't know?"

It had to be said that Yaoyao’s tactic was highly successful. Not only Yan Tong, but even Tao Xinhua and Fan Shuining were thoroughly baffled. How could "cute" possibly be equated with "ugly"?

Linyue laughed inwardly. Feigning anger, she glared at Yaoyao, then took Yan Tong’s hand with her own small hand and explained, "Please don't mind her, Sister. Yaoyao’s understanding of the word 'cute' is a bit different from yours. She misunderstood your meaning."

Then she turned to Yaoyao and said, "When Sister praises you as cute, she means you are very pretty."

"Really?" Yaoyao asked, her tone filled with suspicion.

Linyue truly felt that Yaoyao’s acting skills had reached a new height. All of this just because she disliked having her hand held? She really refused to suffer even the slightest inconvenience.

"Yes, indeed," Linyue assured her.

Yan Tong also quickly promised, "Yes, that is exactly what I meant."

Only then did Yaoyao beam once more. She kindly advised, "Oh, then you should speak more directly next time, Sister. If someone is pretty, just say they are pretty. Don't use a bad word like 'cute.' It's very easy to cause misunderstandings."

Yan Tong suffered another internal blow, while Fan Shuining was secretly delighted. Looking at Yaoyao, she praised, "This little sister is truly amusing."

"Amusing?" Yaoyao’s retort caused Fan Shuining’s cheerful mood to instantly tense up. Did this word also carry some strange, alternative meaning to her?

Fortunately, Yaoyao was only teasing. "Of course I have to be amusing. Being boring would be so dull."

Only then did Fan Shuining breathe a sigh of relief and echo, "Yes, quite so!"

Knowing better than to provoke Yaoyao further, she instinctively glanced at Yan Tong, who had suffered the same plight, only to receive a mocking look from Yan Tong, who was secretly gloating.

"From what you say, Sister, does 'cute' have another explanation?" Tao Xinhua, who had not joined the banter, looked at Linyue and voiced her curiosity. "Could you explain it to us, Sister? It would broaden my horizons and save me from offending someone one day without even realizing it."

Having succeeded in her mischief, Yaoyao took Lanshui’s hand. Lanshui gave her a doting look, tapping Yaoyao’s forehead with her finger, to which Yaoyao playfully stuck out her tongue in response.

Lanshui could do nothing with her. Looking at Linyue, who was surrounded by the three ladies, her eyes filled with gratification. Yue'er had truly grown up.

Looking up at the rising sun, Lanshui suggested, "Yue'er, perhaps you and the ladies should rest in the pavilion ahead."

Linyue, who was just about to explain the meaning of "cute," still had other questions to ask them, so she naturally had no objections. Tao Xinhua and the other two looked up at the sun and were likewise happy to agree.

Linyue took Tao Xinhua’s hand with one hand and Yan Tong’s with the other, not forgetting to offer an apologetic smile to Fan Shuining. As they walked toward the pavilion, she explained, "The word 'cute' is indeed not a compliment to Yaoyao. Please don't take it to heart, Sisters." She gave Yan Tong another apologetic smile.

Yan Tong quickly replied, "Not at all, not at all! How could we? Please go on, Sister."

"There is a reason why Yaoyao equates 'cute' with 'ugly.' It dates back to someone we met in Lingyang City. At the time, that person said Yaoyao wasn't cute, which nearly made her cry from anger. But after he explained his meaning, Yaoyao became very happy and even became friends with him." Of course, that friendship did not last long before Meng Chuchen interfered, and the matter was dropped; the person never dared to cross Yaoyao again. "He divided beautiful women into three tiers. The first tier consists of women who possess both beauty and grace, just like the three of you, Sisters." This tactic was naturally effective; what woman did not love to be praised, especially as a first-tier beauty?

"The second tier consists of those who possess nothing but raw beauty, of which Zhong Yufei could barely be counted as one." With this compliment, Yan Tong and Fan Shuining looked at Linyue with even warmer eyes. They felt Linyue’s analysis was spot on; Zhong Yufei was merely seductive in appearance, but completely lacked true grace.

"The third tier consists of those whose looks are not outstanding enough to be called beautiful, but who possess an ethereal grace. Like..." Linyue deliberately pretended to forget the name. "...the sister who was wearing the pear-blossom white dress just now. What was her name again?"

Yan Tong dutifully supplied, "Her name is You Yuwei."

Linyue put on a look of sudden realization. "Yes, yes, that's the name. You Yuwei. She has quite a fine temperament, so she belongs to the third tier."

"Then what about 'cute'? Which tier does that fall under?" Yan Tong asked eagerly.

Linyue secretly looked down on her a little. It had already been said that "cute" was equivalent to "ugly," so how could it be counted among the tiers of beauty? Seating herself on a stone bench in the pavilion, Linyue smiled and said, "He said that when you cannot praise a woman's beauty, yet cannot bring yourself to lie and praise her grace, and yet you do not wish to offend her, you can use the word 'cute.' The hidden meaning of 'cute' is 'pitiful and unloved.'"

Only then did the three understand why Yaoyao had reacted so strongly. It was the first time they had ever heard such an explanation.

Perhaps because Zhong Yufei’s long-standing dominance had left too deep an impression, none of the three sat down. Since there were only four stone benches in the pavilion and they had not yet figured out the identities of Yaoyao and Lanshui, they naturally felt too awkward to sit first.

Yaoyao wanted to sit, but with Lanshui holding her hand, she had to stand in place, making the atmosphere somewhat awkward. Fortunately, Lanshui broke the ice, saying, "Yaoyao and I will go have some tea and pastries sent over. Yue'er, I must trouble you ladies to look after her for a moment."

Linyue knew Lanshui’s intention and went along with it. "Sister Lan, please go ahead. My sisters and I get along very well; there won't be any trouble."

Yan Tong and the others thought a bit more highly of Lanshui, while growing increasingly puzzled by her identity. If she were merely a maidservant by Linyue’s side, Linyue’s attitude toward her was far too respectful. Yet if she were a woman of status, there was no need for her to humble herself so.

Had they known that Lanshui was the beloved of the Yue family’s Young Lord—and thus the future mistress of the Yue family—they would likely have been even more astonished. Fortunately, Lanshui did not care about such matters at all.