readsfreenovel Chapter 190 Dark skin doesn't fit the aesthetic standards of the local people.
Chapter 190 Dark skin doesn't fit the aesthetic standards of the local people.
Two days later—
After the scholars' names were issued, news came from the prefectural government that the one thousand scholars who had passed the examination and their families were invited to a literary banquet.
The banquet was held in a large estate outside Anning Prefecture.
The prefect specially spent several hundred taels of silver to rent a venue, ensuring that the venue would be large enough to accommodate several thousand people.
The invitation they received at the end of summer included the entire Xia family.
Xia Mo looked at Xia Erge, Xia Dage, and their parents.
“I won’t go,” Xia’s father said, his heart trembling at the thought of such a grand scene. He was born and raised in the countryside and had never seen anything like it before. He was afraid that going would embarrass his son.
Xia's mother also said, "Your father and I won't go either. The three of you... do you want to go and have a look? You can broaden your horizons while you're at it?"
What Xia's mother was thinking was that she and Xia's father were already this old, and their horizons were limited, but their three children were still young, and it would be good to broaden their horizons.
"Second brother, can I go with you?" Xia Mo asked.
Brother Xia and Brother Xia Er exchanged glances.
The two of them... actually didn't want their younger sister to go; they wanted to hide her away.
Yin Rou wasn't a member of the Xia family, but she was allowed to sit and listen. When she heard that Xia Mo was going, and saw Xia Mo's beautiful face and appearance, her heart skipped a beat.
Brother Xia's scholarly title is indeed something to be wary of, but... there are many people of higher status than Brother Xia. If someone harbors ill intentions towards Xia Mo, I'm afraid...
“…Yes,” Xia Erge met Xia Mo’s expectant eyes, the words of refusal churning in his throat, but in the end, “no” became “yes”, he really couldn’t refuse his little sister.
When Xia Mo heard that she could go too, she smiled.
"How should I dress up?" Xia Mo asked her mother.
Xia's mother looked at her daughter, who looked beautiful and energetic even in cotton clothes, and she had no intention of helping her with the role.
"I definitely have to use tanning cream. Even if I get tanned, I'll still be a tanned beauty," Xia Mo said with a grin to her mother.
When Xia's mother heard that Xia Mo was going to apply tanning cream before going out, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
“Hmm, since her skin is on the darker side, we can’t wear bright colors like pale yellow or pink, as they would make her look gaudy. But… my daughter looks good in bright red no matter what her skin tone is, so why don’t we make bright red the main color?” Xia’s mother began to think.
When Brother Xia and the others heard that Xia Mo had gone in disguise, they secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Yin Rou smiled gently. She was worrying too much. She didn't even consider that Xia Mo was just naive, not stupid.
"If pure bright red won't work, we can add some green, and then sandwich some dark yellow between the green and red for a smooth transition..."
Yin Rou also stood beside Xia's mother. She also wanted to dress up Xia Mo. There was longing in her eyes. It would be even better if she could dress up in a way that did not hide Xia Mo's beauty.
"Hmm, that's a good idea. Let's hurry up and make the clothes..." Xia's mother took Yin Rou to the street to buy fabric.
* * *
The next day—
The literary banquet was held at the large estate outside Anning Prefecture.
At the end of summer, Xia boarded a carriage with his elder brother Xia and his second elder brother Xia, and arrived at the outskirts of the manor.
"Xia Xiucai, please," the clerk at the door greeted Xia Mo and his companions after seeing their documents.
After entering the manor, servants and maids came forward.
“Scholar, and this young master Xia, the areas for women and men are separate. Please invite this young lady to the garden on our right.”
“Alright,” Xia Mo waved to Brother Xia and the others, and followed the maid to the right courtyard of the manor.
On the left are men, on the right are women, and there is a screen in between, which is supposed to separate men and women, but it is not completely separated.
All the scholars who passed the imperial examination this time came, along with their families.
Of the thousand scholars, only three hundred came from relatively well-off families. The other seven hundred were from the county town or villages, and the family members they brought to the banquet were of varying quality.
"Is that embroidery on your clothes?"
Xia Mo casually found a place to stand, and immediately an elderly woman approached Xia Mo and reached out to wipe Xia Mo's clothes.
The fabric that Xia's mother and Yin Rou bought yesterday was the most expensive embroidered fabric, as both of them wanted to dress Xia Mo up nicely.
Embroidery is essentially weaving patterns into the fabric. Similarly, embroidery also comes in different grades. This embroidered outfit worn by Xia Mo features some clever design elements in the pattern, such as adding a small amount of ultra-fine silver thread and a suitable amount of silk to make the subtle patterns look more layered. When she moves, the patterns will appear and disappear, making it even more attractive.
Similarly, this kind of embroidery at the end of summer represents even greater value; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that a foot of cloth was worth ten taels of gold.
Xia Mo stepped to the side, dodging the hand that reached out to her, and looked at the woman who had reached out to her with a cold expression.
The woman's eyes flickered when she saw Xia Mo, and she said, "My son passed the imperial examination this year and is attending a banquet up ahead. Young lady, you're not married yet, are you? Why don't you... take a look at my son?"
Mrs. Chen thought that Xia Mo's clothes must come from a wealthy family. Most importantly, her family was willing to spend money on their daughter. If she could marry her, wouldn't her family also become wealthy?
Xia Mo glanced coldly at Madam Chen and walked away.
Feeling the disdainful gaze from Xia Mo, Mrs. Chen clenched her yellowed teeth and muttered to herself, "Ugly and delusional. If it weren't for your money, who would want a girl like you! Ugly freak!"
Mrs. Chen was used to talking to herself in a low voice, and she was so quiet that she was confident no one could hear her. She was completely unaware that Xia Mo could hear her.
Xia Mo attended the banquet; she came on purpose.
The literary banquet included poetry, verse, and calligraphy competitions. She was going to participate in the calligraphy competition; she had even thought of the characters she would use, just waiting to make a splash, and then…
“Is the fabric you’re wearing the most precious of all, woven with dark silver thread?” Another woman stepped forward and spoke to Xia Mo.
Mrs. Shi stepped forward, but instead of reaching out her hand haphazardly, she greeted him politely.
Mrs. Shi noticed that apart from her dark complexion, Xia Mo was elegant, dignified, and dressed in extraordinary clothes, which suggested that she might also have an extraordinary background. She thought that if her son could be with a girl like her, it might be a great help.
"Yes," Xia Mo replied perfunctorily, not really wanting to talk to her.
But her voice is pleasant; even a perfunctory reply gives off a gentle and sweet feeling.
"This outfit is a clever and thoughtful creation from the family. It suits the young lady very well and brings out her temperament," Mrs. Shi praised.
In fact, Mrs. Shi felt that although Xia Mo's features were delicate, she was still ugly. Since there was nothing else to praise, she praised her clothes and temperament.
People at this time of year value fair skin as beauty, and dark skin at the end of summer doesn't fit the current aesthetic.