CHAPTER 256: 244 IS AMBIGUOUS

When Tian Sangsang looked up, she saw quite a crowd—each person young and attractive, all from the performing arts troupe, of course. Naturally, leading the group was none other than the outsider, Shui Lian.

"Sangsang." Shui Lian stood in front of her, smiling amicably. "I hope we’re not intruding."

The girls openly examined the living room of Tian Sangsang’s home without any pretense. Truth be told, the place was full of charm. Vases held carefully arranged flowers, pots nurtured blooming plants, and spider plants hung from the windowsills. A faint but pleasant floral fragrance filled the air—it was delightful.

It was surprising really—after Tian Sangsang transformed herself into a beauty, even her taste seemed to ascend to another level.

"It’s a bit of an intrusion, actually. I was just about to take my son out," Tian Sangsang said coolly to Shui Lian. "What brings you here, Ms. Shui?"

The girls from the performing arts troupe immediately felt a wave of displeasure. Ms. Shui had been so warm and gracious, yet Tian Sangsang refused to show even a sliver of courtesy. Typical of someone from the countryside—no manners to speak of. No matter how pretty she became, she could never hide the coarse, rustic soul beneath. She was still the same old Tian Sangsang.

Because Tian Sangsang came from a rural background and used to look the way she did, no matter how she changed, the girls always chose to disregard her and still secretly considered themselves a notch above her. That, of course, was their innate sense of superiority.

Shui Lian hadn’t expected her to be so blunt. A trace of embarrassment crossed her delicate features. Quickly regaining her composure, she apologized, "We really didn’t know you were heading out. I feel so bad for interrupting. We just wanted to say thank you. Someone gave me a bottle of rose essential oil last time, and after asking around, I found out it was from you. My friends and I tried it out, and they loved it so much they wanted to learn from you."

Tian Sangsang looked at her flawless face with an ambiguous smile, saying nothing.

"Oh, and here," Shui Lian lifted the bag in her hand and grinned, "I heard from Jinghuai that Yanyan likes candied fruit, so I brought some over specifically for him. Please, take it."

Jinghuai again? Oh, how intimately she called his name! What—did she think Tian Sangsang, the rightful wife, was dead?! Damn you, Jiang Jinghuai. If you’ve got the guts, just don’t come back at all!!!

Since she was being polite, Tian Sangsang responded in kind. "That’s very thoughtful of you, Ms. Shui, but there’s no need. I appreciate the gesture, but why not keep it for yourself? Yanyan doesn’t really like candied fruit anymore. The last time he ate some, it was so sweet it hurt his teeth. So, Ms. Shui, those candied fruits you sent last time? Yanyan only had one, and Jinghuai threw the rest in the trash. Such a waste, right? It’s not that we wanted to throw them away, but they were just too cloying, almost sickly sweet."

"Throwing them away must’ve been unavoidable." Shui Lian clutched the bag tightly in her hands, her voice remaining gentle. "If the child’s teeth were affected, then I might as well eat them myself. Have you seen a doctor about it? Jinghuai worries so much about both of you while he’s away. He’s always mentioning you two to me, asking me to check in on you when he isn’t around. He truly cares about you."

Tian Sangsang gave a faint, perfunctory smile. "You still haven’t told me why you came today." Like hell she cared to listen to her drone on about Jiang Jinghuai!

Shui Lian paused in confusion. "Haven’t I said? I thought I mentioned it just now. We all tried your essential oil and loved it. We wanted to ask if you have any more. Of course, we won’t take it for free. We’re willing to pay for it. I remember you enjoying running small businesses—didn’t you used to go into town every day to sell things? Go ahead, name your price—we’re happy to work it out."

What an entitled tone—as if they demanded it, so she must give it; or if they wanted to buy it, she must sell it. It practically reeked of charity. Tian Sangsang played along reluctantly. "I’m all out. Rose essential oil isn’t easy to make—it’s quite challenging. For now, I only had a few bottles, and I’ve already given them all away."

"Could you teach us how to make it, then?" one of the girls asked expectantly, her bright eyes fixed on Tian Sangsang. "We can make it ourselves."

The "method..." Tian Sangsang stroked her chin thoughtfully. "It’s kinda complicated to explain. I just told Qin Lan recently. If you want, you can go ask her. Anyway, I’m in a rush to head out."

The girls immediately picked up on her lack of hospitality—they had no plans to stay much longer anyway. But leaving on their own accord and being subtly asked to leave felt like two completely different things, which made them a bit irritated.

You don’t want to host us? Well, we didn’t want to stay anyway. Big deal!

With that, they parted ways.

Tian Sangsang set off for Guan Kunling’s place while Shui Lian and her group headed to Qin Lan’s home.

Qin Lan was busy at home. A wooden basin held two roses she had secretly snipped from Tian Sangsang’s field, though they both looked wilted and lifeless. One of the roses even had blackened petals—it was clearly on the verge of withering. But she had no idea and was still trying her best to "rescue" them with water.

She stared intently at the bottle of rose essential oil Tian Sangsang had gifted her, convinced that if Tian Sangsang could make it, so could she. "It’s just distillation! I even asked Huihui what distillation means," she muttered smugly.

A knock on the door.

"Coming, coming!" Qin Lan dashed to the door in a hurry.

The visitors were somewhat familiar faces. Once she heard they were asking about the method, Qin Lan wasn’t inclined to hold back. In her opinion, once everyone could make rose essential oil, what was so special about Tian Sangsang anymore? Dressing up every day like some seductive little vixen—hmpf.

"Distillation?" Shui Lian asked softly. "She only mentioned the word ’distillation’?"

For someone like Qin Lan from the countryside, intellectuals commanded the greatest respect. Even though Shui Lian was just a kindergarten teacher, the title of "teacher" still stood tall in Qin Lan’s mind.

She replied courteously, "Yes, just the word—it doesn’t reveal much. That’s why I specifically asked around to understand what distillation means first. But surely, Ms. Shui must already know, right?"

"I do, yes..." Shui Lian’s response was noncommittal, her gaze locking uneasily with the other girls’ as the room grew tense.

On their way back, the girls from the performing arts troupe were practically fuming.

"That Tian Sangsang—clearly, she’s toying with us! All she gave us was the word ’distillation,’ wouldn’t even explain it, and deliberately sent us to ask Qin Lan!"

Shui Lian chuckled lightly. "What can we do? I imagine it’s her secret recipe—she wouldn’t just give it away for free."

"So stingy! We went out of our way to ask her in person, too!"

"When we get back, I’m telling Yao’er—let her judge who’s in the wrong. Who does that?"

"Still, Ms. Shui..." one of the girls turned to Shui Lian. "You’re from the same hometown as Tian Sangsang. Yet she still won’t share anything with you—that’s really petty of her."

"What am I to her?" Shui Lian sighed sadly. "We never really knew each other back then. I’m only slightly more familiar with Jinghuai."

"With your relationship to Captain Jiang alone, she shouldn’t treat you so coldly!"

"What relationship?" A blush spread across Shui Lian’s cheeks as she lowered her gaze, a shy expression flickering across her face. "You’re all teasing! Don’t make people misunderstand. I have some errands to run, I’ll head off now~"

The girls exchanged knowing laughs as they watched her retreating figure. Not related? Please! That look on her face screamed "something’s going on." Clearly, Tian Sangsang was just jealous of Shui Lian—that’s why she was treating her so poorly.