The Female Cannon Fodder With Boundless Merits
Chapter 487 - 491 Unrivaled Under the Heavens (3)

Chapter 487: Chapter 491 Unrivaled Under the Heavens (3)

"Ah, my skirt..." Su Qingqing’s heart ached beyond repair.

She had pleaded with her mother for half a month before she finally consented to have the embroidery lady make it for her.

It cost not only tens of taels of silver but also favors to have the head of the embroidery house personally undertake the task, resulting in a piece that was truly unique in the entire Capital.

Just a few days ago, she had told her close friends that she planned to wear it to the poetry gathering so that everyone could admire it.

"Ah, little sister, I’m so sorry, Sister didn’t do it on purpose... The skirt is dirty now, why don’t you take a new one from my wardrobe?" Su Li said in a sugary voice, though anyone with eyes could see the insincerity and lack of remorse on her face.

Su Qingqing choked back, yearning to say: Your few tattered pieces combined couldn’t compare to a corner of the skirt she was wearing.

But remembering how her mother, in order not to play favorites, hastily made several skirts for Su Li after cutting hers, she was forced to suppress her words.

Su Qingqing’s inner fury was indescribable, burning with the desire to tear someone to shreds, yet she could only endure.

After all, Su Li was the person whom everyone in the Su Family had to "offer" their respect.

Su Li played with her cascading hair, amusedly watching the myriad of expressions crossing Su Qingqing’s face, feeling as refreshed as if she had eaten a cool piece of ice in the sweltering summer.

She did so love the sight of others who couldn’t stand her, yet had to swallow their feelings and endure.

Su Qingqing managed to muster a strained smile, "No need, Sister, those clothes were specially made for you by Mother."

With an obviously fake and exaggerated smile, Su Li said, "Is that so... But it’s all my fault that your skirt got dirty, it’s only right that I compensate you with a new one, you wouldn’t want me to feel bad about it, right?"

Su Li signaled to Huang Ying with her eyes, and understanding the hint, Huang Ying went into the inner chamber and brought out several outfits made from dreary-colored fabric, laying them out one by one in front of the Second Young Lady.

Su Li’s gaze lingered on Huang Ying for a moment, giving her a subtle nod of approval.

This maid had some redeemable qualities, and although she couldn’t quite distinguish between the importance of the master and others, she was obedient. She could be trusted with handling trivial matters.

Su Li: "Little sister, even Mother said these clothes were pretty, and I’ll give them all to you. Hurry up and change into one so I can see."

Su Qingqing was barely holding back her rage, her face almost turning blue.

A pile of greens and blues... Certainly sober enough, and they would lend an air of gravitas to an older woman’s stature, but they were meant for a young girl in the bloom of her youth. Such dark colors would not only fail to complement her but also look out of place and awkward.

Confronting Su Li’s petty whims, Su Qingqing felt an urge to explode and shout: How is this pretty, it looks hideous.

But these were the outfits their mother had praised as beautiful...

After perusing the memories of the original owner, a tick developed in the corner of Su Li’s mouth.

This young lady with her distorted sense of aesthetics truly believed such colors were attractive and happy in the conviction that her mother genuinely cherished her, keeping her preferences close to heart.

Every time they made clothes, she would instruct her little sister not to compete with her.

Foolish, so foolish it was unbearable to witness.

Her bizarre aesthetic taste was clearly led astray by someone else.

Clearly, Su Qingqing also understood her sister’s preferences; pouting, she didn’t know how to refuse.

If it were usual, the original owner, who loved her family like a cozy little cotton-padded jacket, would have watched Su Qingqing’s every subtle movement and preemptively found an excuse to go along with her wishes, rather than being so relentlessly stubborn as now.

Seeing how Su Li seemed possessed today, insisting on fitting her own new clothes onto Su Qingqing herself, Su Qingqing was at her wit’s end.

"Cough cough cough cough...."

As the two struggled, Su Li clutched at her chest, looking utterly overwhelmed, the constant coughing reminding the other two present that she was a fragile beauty, easily toppled by a mere puff of wind.

"Cough cough... Sister, you’re making me so sad..."

Su Qingqing: "...." She couldn’t see at all where she had been distressing.

Normally her very perceptive and sensitive sister had suddenly become unfathomable, and Su Qingqing’s mind buzzed with thoughts, unable to grasp what she was up to now.

She could only attribute her sister’s unusually willful behavior to the influence of her frail body.

Su Qingqing was genuinely afraid that something might happen to Su Li in her presence—that her health was truly fragile.

The doctor had said that Miss Su wouldn’t make it past sixteen... and now her sixteenth birthday was fast approaching.

Reluctantly, Su Qingqing still complied with Su Li’s wish and went back inside to change into the new dress.

The new dress, compared to the Floral Skirt Su Qingqing had taken off, was beyond comparison.

Her naturally delicate and bright beauty was suffocated by a garment of deadening solemnity, like a woman shrouded in twilight, all her girlish charm gone.

Her stunning appearance was instantly diminished by seven-tenths, showing how critical a person’s dress and decoration are.

Su Qingqing was on the verge of tears, deeply regretting the subtle desire she had to show off.

Su Li, leaning askew, lay limp on a soft couch, clearly looking up at her, yet Su Qingqing distinctly perceived a sense of condescension.

Indifferent, cold scrutiny, as if she... were an object...

Startled by her own sudden thought, Su Qingqing jerked, but upon looking again, Su Li still assumed a feeble demeanor, her petulance like a paper tiger, easily torn apart by a single poke.

Just as Su Qingqing thought of hurrying back and changing out of these clothes, forgoing even the thought of urging Su Li to take her medicine, the very thing she least wanted to happen occurred.

Besides the other two present, a smooth male voice suddenly filled the room.

"Older sister, younger sister, what are you doing?"

Young Master Su, Su Yao, along with the youngest, Su Zhi, had come to visit the ill Su Li, never expecting to see such a comical sight from the normally dignified Second Young Lady.

Su Yao, dumbfounded, stared at Su Qingqing intently, forgetting to finish his sentence.

The youngest child of the Su Family, Su Zhi, also poked his head out from behind Su Yao, and immediately, with shock, he pointed at Su Qingqing, "Sister, how did you end up dressed like this... It’s so ugly."

Su Zhi hadn’t finished his last few words before Su Li cut in, "You think it looks very nice too, don’t you?"

As if not seeing the odd expressions on everyone’s faces, Su Li continued to place her hands on Su Qingqing’s shoulders, saying, "Mother always says I look very nice in this, and it’s true, it looks even better on you, sister."

The young Su Zhi’s face, still not free of boyish innocence, revealed his exasperation.

Bullshit, his most beauty-loving sister didn’t like this style at all; she must have been forced by circumstances, coerced into it.