That morning, Jiang Yu's mother arranged a "Ladies' Etiquette Class" for Lin Xiao—teaching her how to drink tea, how to sit properly, and how to chat with other wealthy ladies. In the afternoon, she was taken to a ladies' tea party. All the women present were wearing exquisite dresses and holding limited-edition handbags, chatting about topics like "which brand has launched new jewelry" and "which private hospital has good beauty treatments". Lin Xiao wore the dress prepared by Jiang Yu's mother and held a handbag whose brand she couldn't name. She couldn't get a word in and could only sit in the corner, drinking tea awkwardly.
Halfway through the tea party, Jiang Yu's mother called her aside and pointed to a woman in a pink dress not far away: "That's Li Man, the young mistress of the Li family and your sister-in-law. She's been married into the Jiang family for three years. You should learn from her and see how a qualified daughter-in-law of a wealthy family behaves."
Lin Xiao walked over to greet Li Man. Li Man looked her up and down and said with a smile, "Sister-in-law is really young," but there was a hint of contempt in her tone. After chatting for a few words, Li Man deliberately raised her voice: "I heard your parents run a business in the vegetable market? Last time I went shopping for vegetables, I saw an aunt arguing with the vendor for a dime. I wonder if that's your mother?"
Everyone around looked over, and Lin Xiao's face turned pale instantly—her parents did run a vegetable stall in the market, but Li Man's words were obviously mocking her humble background. She wanted to refute, to say "My parents earn money with their own hands; there's nothing to be ashamed of," but the words got stuck in her throat—she was afraid of saying something wrong and shaming the Jiang family.