Chapter 3 — The Real Female Lead Returns

03

Early the next morning, my mother dragged me to the mall.

"Tieu Nguyet, you probably never wore nice clothes in the countryside. Today I'm taking you to buy some clothes." She spoke enthusiastically as she selected a rack full of terylene shirts and floral dresses.

Tham Lan also went along. She wore an elegant dress and walked silently beside my mother. Sometimes when she sees a beautiful outfit, she gently comments:

"Mom, this pink dress seems to suit you very well. Your skin is white, it will definitely look beautiful."

Look how sweetly he speaks. My mother was so flattered by her that she smiled from ear to ear, and immediately took down her dress and draped it over me:

"That's right, that's right, Tieu Lan's vision is really good. Tieu Nguyet, come in and try it out."

I looked at the pink princess dress full of frilly lace, the corners of my mouth twitching slightly. This aesthetic really intends to turn me into a giant cotton candy. But I did not refuse, obediently took the dress and walked into the fitting room. This is my strategy — if the enemy doesn't move, we don't move. Tham Lan wants to label me as an "innocent, homely country girl"? Okay, I'll cooperate with all my might to let her off guard. I changed my dress and walked out, my mother and Tham Lan's eyes immediately lit up.

"Beautiful! So beautiful!" My mother pulled me around, with the radiant pride of a mother with an adult daughter on her face.

Tham Lan also smiled and chimed in:

“That's right, you're already beautiful, you look beautiful in anything.”

I looked at the girl in the mirror and smiled shyly. The girl in the mirror, her skin is somewhat rough due to years of wind and frost, but her facial features inherit all the beauty from her parents - clear, sharp. Paired with this pink dress, it really creates a strange contrasting feeling.

“Mom… is this dress… very expensive?” I asked timidly, my hands struggling to hold the hem of my skirt.

“It's not expensive, it's okay, you like it!” My mother waved her hand generously, signaling the cashier.

All morning, my mother bought me five or six outfits - almost all of them were designs and colors "suggested" by Tham Lan: pink, light yellow... As for Tham Lan, she just chose a simple, elegant white shirt. On the way home, my mother kept praising Tham Lan:

"Tieu Lan is truly a good child, understanding and thinking of others. Unlike me - this wild girl, who only knows how to cause trouble!"

I bowed my head and remained silent without answering. Tham Lan took my mother's arm and gently said:

"Mom, I just came back, don't blame me. I've lived alone out there for so many years, I must have suffered a lot..."

A scene of intimate sisters acting so perfectly. I silently calculated in my heart - I had to find a good opportunity to peel off Tham Lan's "understanding" skin for everyone to see clearly. And that opportunity came faster than I thought. That afternoon, an old teammate of his father brought his nephew to his house to play. His name is Mr. Ly - a calligraphy enthusiast, and also brought a handwritten calligraphy letter as a gift. My father called me out to introduce:

"Old Ly, this is my daughter - Khuong Nguyet - I just found."

Mr. Ly smiled kindly at me:

"Good! Very good! I'm happy to have found it! This girl, her eyebrows and eyes are exactly like her father's, she's a lucky girl!"

I obediently greeted:

"Hello Mr. Ly, hello Tieu Ho."

That Tieu Ho boy was about sixteen or seventeen years old, his face clearly showing the stubbornness of puberty. He glanced at me and then snorted softly. Everyone sat and talked in the living room. Tham Lan brought tea and poured water, her performance impeccable. Mr. Ly pointed to the calligraphy "Hau Duc Loads Things" hanging on the wall and asked:

"Chan Quoc, who wrote this picture? It's very meaningful."

My father quite proudly replied:

"It was written by my family's Tieu Lan. She has liked these things since she was little, I even invited a private teacher to let her learn."

After hearing this, Mr. Ly was immediately interested:

"Oh? Tieu Lan also knows calligraphy? Let's write some words for you to see!"

Tham Lan quickly expressed humility:

"Mr. Ly, I just wrote for fun, it's not worth showing off..."

“There's no need to be humble!” My mother was there to help, "Go, write a few words so Mr. Ly can give you more instructions."

Being half pushed and half invited by everyone, Tham Lan walked to the writing table, sharpened the ink, spread out the paper, picked up the pen and wrote the four words "Ning Tinh Chi Vien". Her handwriting is really not bad - the strokes are neat and elegant, and from the look of it, you can see that she has worked hard. Mr. Ly stroked his beard and nodded continuously:

"Okay, very good! Writing like this at such a young age is commendable!"

Being complimented, Tham Lan smiled cautiously, her eyes briefly glanced towards me, with a vague sense of pride in her gaze. I immediately took the opportunity. I pretended to be curious, came closer and looked at the ink, paper and pen table, my eyes sparkling as if full of desire.

“You're really good.” I used a rustic voice, full of admiration, and said, "Writing with a brush, in my village, only the teacher knows how to write. He writes beautifully and can also draw pictures."

Tham Lan's eyes flashed with disdain, but she quickly hid it, she smiled gently:

“If you like, I can teach you later.”

“Really?” My eyes immediately lit up like a child being given candy, "So... can I try it now?"

My father frowned, probably afraid that I would make fun of him. But Mr. Ly was very excited:

"Haha, if you want to try it, just try it! Come here, let's see!"

I picked up the pen, intentionally letting my wrist shake, holding it the wrong way. Tham Lan "kindly" reminded:

“Sister, you can't hold it like that, you have to hold it like this…”

I said "oh oh" twice, clumsily adjusted the way I held the pen, then dipped in a lot of ink, preparing to write. Everyone held their breath and watched - everyone probably thought, just waiting for me to ruin this proclamation paper. But right when the tip of the pen was about to touch the paper - I suddenly stopped:

“Awe!”

A huge drop of ink, without missing an inch, shot straight onto Tham Lan's brand new white shirt, leaving a blinding black stain.