Chapter 125: Family
Fu Tingyun and Yu Wei exchanged bewildered glances.
They had been standing for an unknown length of time when the gate creaked open. The woman curtsied to Fu Tingyun and said with a smile, "Apologies for keeping you waiting, miss. Our Madam invites you inside for tea in the hall!" Then she respectfully ushered Fu Tingyun in.
Why was she meeting her sister-in-law instead of her mother?
It was said that her mother was bedridden, leaving household affairs to her sister-in-law. Naturally, visitors would first be received by the sister-in-law.
Fu Tingyun reassured herself.
As long as she could meet them, everything else could be taken slowly.
Fu Tingyun and Yu Wei followed the woman into the residence.
Only now did she understand why Master Lu had described their house in Shi Family Alley as "square and compact."
The courtyard's gate faced east, with the layout longer north-south than east-west. The main hall had five rooms facing the entrance, which would be scorching and stuffy in summer due to the western exposure. The second room on the east side served as the reception hall, its doors wide open. From the courtyard, one could see the landscape painting on the central wall and the pair of black-lacquered Grand Tutor chairs flanking it. The two northern wing rooms included a kitchen and another with its door tightly shut—likely the servants' quarters. A protruding southern wall blocked the two western rooms of the main hall, leaving the corridor dark even in broad daylight. Fortunately, someone's garden lay beyond the southern wall, where a few jujube trees stretched their branches into the courtyard. Potted pomegranates and oleanders at the base of the wall added a touch of vitality to the otherwise dreary space.
So shabby! It couldn’t even compare to the residences of the more distinguished stewards in the Fu family.
Fu Tingyun was inwardly shocked, then wondered—wasn’t her mother supposed to be ill? Why was there no trace of medicinal herbs in the entire courtyard?
She maintained her composure and took a seat on the southern Grand Tutor chair, while Yu Wei stood silently behind her.
The sound of a door opening came from behind.
She turned her head and saw a round-faced woman in a spring-green brocade sleeveless vest enter.
This must be her sister-in-law, right?
Fu Tingyun wasn’t entirely sure but stood up with a smile, quickly scanning the woman’s appearance.
The woman appeared to be in her mid-twenties, with fair skin and a slightly plump figure. Her hair was styled in a round bun adorned with two pearl hairpins, and she wore a pair of gold willow-leaf earrings. Her smile preceded her words, giving her an amiable demeanor.
The woman who had led them in introduced with a smile, "This is our Madam."
Fu Tingyun’s eyes brightened, and her smile became even warmer as she affectionately called out, "Sister-in-law!"
Her sister-in-law froze momentarily.
"You flatter me with such courtesy," she replied, discreetly studying Fu Tingyun. "Please, have a seat! Dong Gu mentioned you came from Weinan—my mother-in-law’s hometown. That makes us practically family. However, my mother-in-law is unwell and no longer receives guests. If you have any matters to discuss, you may speak with me." She then took her seat on the central Grand Tutor chair, smiling pleasantly. Though her tone was polite, her words carried a cold detachment, as if Fu Tingyun were some impoverished relative coming to the capital to seek favors.
Fu Tingyun’s smile stiffened, taking a long moment to recover. Just as she was about to speak, the woman referred to as Dong Gu by Madam Fu brought in tea, forcing her to swallow her words.
To her surprise, Dong Gu didn’t leave after serving the tea. Instead, she stood behind Madam Fu, holding the tea tray in her arms.Fu Tingyun frowned almost imperceptibly and said in a low voice, "I have something to discuss with Madam Fu. Please dismiss your attendants."
Madam Fu, however, smiled and replied, "Dong Gu is my wet nurse. Whatever you have to say, Miss, you may speak freely. It's no trouble at all."
Her demeanor was entirely defensive.
For a moment, Fu Tingyun felt disoriented.
How had things come to this?
In her memory, her sister-in-law would smile at her ingratiatingly, patiently play in the mud with her, even bathe her and recite beautiful poems to her... What had changed everything?
Yu Wei, noticing Fu Tingyun's distraction, gently nudged her back. Fu Tingyun snapped out of her thoughts, pressed her lips together, and said softly, "This is urgent. It would be better if we spoke privately."
Madam Fu's expression darkened slightly. After a moment's thought, she nodded at Dong Gu, who gave her a reassuring look before quietly exiting and closing the hall doors.
"Now, Miss, you may speak," Madam Fu said coldly.
"Sister-in-law!" The interruption had inexplicably drained all the joy Fu Tingyun had felt upon reuniting with family. Her voice was now calm and measured. "I am Fu Tingyun."
Madam Fu's face paled instantly. "W-what did you say?" She stood abruptly, her sleeve knocking over a teacup on the table. Green tea leaves scattered across the black-lacquered square table with its endless swastika pattern, some landing on her skirt. "W-what did you say?" Trembling like a leaf, her face ashen, she repeated the question, ignoring the mess.
"Sister-in-law—" Fu Tingyun began, but the door burst open with a crash. Dong Gu rushed in, panic-stricken. "Madam, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, nothing!" Madam Fu, still visibly shocked, instinctively waved Dong Gu away. "I just knocked over a teacup by accident. It's fine. Miss Fu and I still have matters to discuss. You may leave."
Dong Gu glanced suspiciously at Fu Tingyun, whose face was equally pale, muttered an acknowledgment, and withdrew respectfully.
The creak of the closing door seemed to jolt Madam Fu back to her senses.
Her teeth chattering, she hissed, "Where did you come from, you impostor? How dare you claim kinship with officials? Everyone in Huayin knows my sister-in-law died of illness. Stop spouting nonsense! Leave at once, or I'll call the Shuntian Prefecture bailiffs to give you a thrashing!" She shooed her away. "Go now!"
Fu Tingyun had anticipated many possibilities, including this one. She could even understand it—anyone would suspect fraud if a sister-in-law they'd met only once suddenly returned from the dead.
But then why had her sister-in-law instinctively called her "Miss Fu" in front of Dong Gu?
Deep down, Madam Fu had recognized her as Fu Tingyun, yet she still threatened and chased her away.
Then Fu Tingyun remembered the wariness in Dong Gu's eyes when she'd introduced herself as a fellow townsman from Weinan...
A chill ran down her spine, as if she'd plunged into an icy abyss.
Her sister-in-law had clearly been warned in advance.
But by whom?
Fu Tingyun didn't dare dwell on it.She spoke somewhat woodenly, "I've only met my sister-in-law once before, so naturally you wouldn't recognize me. Please let me see Mother—whether this is true or false will become clear once we meet." Realizing that as a daughter-in-law, Madam Fu had elders above and a husband below her, and might not have the final say in household matters, she thoughtfully added, "Please don't feel pressured!"
Madam Fu's expression shifted uncertainly.
She had heard about her sister-in-law's situation before.
Contrary to public rumors, her father-in-law had said the girl was taken by Migrant Bandits.
As a woman herself, she had privately grieved for her sister-in-law.
Thus when Fu Tingyun first entered, she'd only found her vaguely familiar—it wasn't until the name was given that realization struck. If nothing else, the five or six points of resemblance between their brows convinced her Fu Tingyun wasn't lying.
Every bride marrying into the Fu family, regardless of background, first had to learn the Fu women's precepts from the elders. She knew the family rules well. Moreover, after the incident with her sister-in-law, her father-in-law had specifically summoned her for instructions...
Her gaze involuntarily fell upon the gold-inlaid jade plum hairpin in Fu Tingyun's hair.
This belonged to her mother-in-law. On the second day of her marriage during the formal tea ceremony, the matriarch had worn this very pin—its inset emerald so vividly green it seemed like flowing pond water. Even as a woman of noble birth, she'd coveted it endlessly. How then had Fu Tingyun, taken by Migrant Bandits, managed to preserve it?
Fu Tingyun's current circumstances were... questionable. Even if some young noble fancied her beauty, how could she ever enter a respectable household?
She must be...
Biting her lip at the thought, she finally said, "Wait here," before disappearing into an inner chamber. She returned swiftly clutching a money pouch.
"Twenty taels of silver—my private savings. I can't spare more," Madam Fu pressed the pouch into Fu Tingyun's hands. "Leave quickly! If Father-in-law or your brother returns, it'll be disastrous. You have your own life now—like me, I've never returned to my maiden home since marrying. Consider yourself a married daughter..." Her disjointed attempts at comfort accompanied physical urging toward the exit.
"Sister-in-law!" Clutching the pouch, warmth flooded Fu Tingyun's heart. "I was wronged! I came precisely to explain everything to Mother and Father—please let me see her!" Fearing disbelief, she gestured toward the tearful Yu Wei. "This is my personal maid. They've uncovered how Zuo Junjie framed me...""Fu..." Madam Fu hesitated, unsure how to address her, and called out vaguely, "Even if that's the case, what can be done? Now that your engagement with the Yu Family has been called off, the family has publicly declared you 'deceased due to illness.' You've already started your own life—why dwell on these matters? Besides, Mother is truly ill. When she doesn’t think of you, she’s fine, but once she remembers you, she cries day and night. Her eyes are nearly ruined from weeping, and because of this, she’s grown distant from Father. You know how much Father respects Mother—when he was on duty in the capital, he preferred to have us, his sons and daughters-in-law, serve him rather than take a concubine. Now that both Father and Mother are past forty, they should be enjoying their golden years with grandchildren. If you keep holding onto this, you’ll only make them suffer more. Think of it as repaying their kindness in raising you. Please, for their sake, let it go and allow them to live peacefully for a few days!" As she spoke, she tearfully grasped Fu Tingyun’s hand. "I’m ten years older than you—just listen to me this once! Some things fade with time. Just consider yourself unlucky not to have married into the Yu Family and become an official’s wife."
"Fade with time..." Fu Tingyun murmured Madam Fu’s words, standing dazed in the Fu family’s hall, her expression slightly vacant.
※
A shout: "Sisters, brothers, still no pink votes?..." (>_<)
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