So on Thursday evening, Rona Langdon ca downstairs in a rare good mood, cooked dinner, and then began to sound Vera Xavier out. "Vera, you take after . You look beautiful with just a little effort. That cousin of yours really cares about you."
Vera Xavier glanced up. Rona Langdon always used her full na when speaking to her, deliberately emphasizing the "Xavier" surna. ’For her to call by my first na so gently now... she’s definitely up to sothing.’
The fact that she still had the Xavier surna was, ironically, all thanks to Cara Preston. Because Vera hadn’t wanted to return to the Xavier Family, Mrs. Xavier had only one condition: that Vera’s surna would not be changed.
Rona Langdon couldn’t bear to part with her own daughter, Cara Preston, whom she’d raised herself, and she didn’t genuinely care for Vera Xavier anyway. So it made no difference to her whether Vera’s surna was Preston or Xavier, and she agreed to the condition imdiately.
Vera Xavier picked at the food in her bowl, not taking Rona Langdon’s bait.
But Cara Preston chid in with a smile, "It’s true, her cousin treats Vera so well! Mom, look at Vera’s clothes. You can tell they’re from a nice departnt store. This dress she’s wearing is real silk. I heard it costs over a thousand!"
Rona Langdon’s eye twitched, and she reached out to tug on Vera Xavier’s dress. "What? This dress costs over a thousand? How can it be so expensive! That’s almost half of your dad’s monthly salary!"
Vera Xavier looked down at Rona Langdon’s hand—still greasy and unwashed from cooking—and silently pulled her dress from Rona’s grasp.
But as she pulled it away, Rona Langdon felt the smooth, delicate texture of the real silk, making her heart itch with envy. She had never worn clothes this nice.
Rona Langdon couldn’t help but blurt out, "Vera, take the dress off after dinner and let your mother try it on!"
Vera Xavier thought Rona Langdon had reached a new level of shalessness. She replied bluntly, "Mom, you’re too fat. It won’t fit you."
No woman likes to be called "fat," least of all soone like Rona Langdon, who still prided herself on having been the greatest beauty in Crestfall. Her expression imdiately soured. "How am I fat...?"
After she said it, she glanced at Vera Xavier’s slender waist, then down at her own. She had to admit, her waist did seem a little thick...
Cara Preston lied through her teeth. "Mom, you’re not fat at all. You have a perfect figure. It’s Vera who’s too skinny."
Rona Langdon pouted. Cara Preston added, "Even if you are a little bigger than Vera, Mom, you should still be able to fit into her dress."
Rona Langdon imdiately perked up at her words. "Vera, take it off for to try after dinner."
"No. You’ll rip it," Vera Xavier refused once more.
Rona Langdon was about to say sothing else, but Zachary Preston couldn’t listen any longer. "Just give it a rest. Are you really going to fight with Vera over a dress? Have you no sha?"
Rona Langdon stubbornly retorted, "Who’s fighting with her over a dress? I’ve just never worn anything so nice in my entire life. What’s wrong with wanting to try it on?"
Then she started playing the victim, launching into her usual tirade. "If you had any real ambition, would my life be this hard?
"Look at Mr. Zhang in the front courtyard. He’s a lower rank than you, but his wife can go shopping without batting an eye. She dresses so well! I heard that mink coat she wears is worth almost ten thousand!
"And then there’s Zhang in the back courtyard. He’s just a driver, but I’ve seen him hauling boxes and boxes of stuff into his house. He claims they’re just local goods from his hotown. Do you really believe that?"
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