After greeting everyone, Zhulan took her seat; this year's gathering was exclusively for the ladies. With a smile, Zhulan said, "I didn't know what everyone liked, so I prepared a bit of everything—please have a laugh at my expense."
Lady Tao looked at the table before her, well-prepared indeed, "Madam Yang truly doesn't seem to be born of a military general."
Zhulan knew that what Lady Tao wanted to say was that she was of scholarly origin; it was a pity that the Yang family had become associated with military generals, but in some people's eyes, military generals were also considered uncouth, "I used to be ignorant too, but my greatest strength is my love for learning."
