Gu Xuelan didn't sit. She paced the room in stiff, measured strides, her heels snapping against the tiled floor with every step.
"She made a fool of us. Right there. In front of everyone." Her voice trembled, not with tears, but with rage.
Bai Shi let out a slow breath, her lips pressed into a thin line.
"That crowd of peasants even had the nerve to laugh."
"Oh, they laughed..." Xuelan bit out, voice rising. "I heard that fat auntie say we were 'just full of air with no stomach for spice.' And that delivery boy, he smirked at me, Mother."
"Well.." Bai Shi sat up straighter, brushing invisible lint from her skirt, "they won't be laughing for long."
Xuelan finally stopped pacing, her eyes flashing.
"Mother, I'm going to see a friend. I won't be back for dinner, don't wait for me."
Bai Shi studied her daughter for a moment.
The pink qipao was wrinkled at the hem.
Her carefully powdered face had a faint flush that wasn't from the heat.
