(Minor edits at the end of the previous chapter, which do not affect the reading ^^~)
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"Have someone set up another table in the side room next door. Eldest Master, take the boys and go back first. Eldest Master's wife, Fifth Master's wife, and the young ladies may stay for now."
This meant Old Madam Ren intended to keep them for a meal.
Old Master Ren usually paid no attention to such trivial matters. Upon hearing Old Madam Ren's instruction, Eldest Master Ren Shizhong led his sons and nephews out, while First Madam bowed and prepared to direct the maids in setting up the table.
Madam Lin quickly stopped First Madam and said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, don't trouble yourself. Let me handle it."
First Madam glanced at Old Madam Ren and, seeing no objection, nodded and smiled at Madam Lin. "Thank you for your trouble, Fifth Sister-in-law."
Madam Lin shot First Madam a sidelong glance and chided, "What kind of talk is that, Sister-in-law? It sounds as if I never do any work. Now that I'm being unusually diligent for once, I even get a thank-you from you. Are you mocking me in front of the younger generation?"
Her voice was clear and crisp, her words sharp, yet the way she spoke made it sound like a playful joke between close relatives.
"Don't mind this little troublemaker. She's always turning black into white. Just let her handle it," Old Madam Ren interjected.
First Madam smiled and returned to her position behind Old Madam Ren.
Upon hearing this, Madam Lin seemed to take it as praise. Covering her mouth with a smile, she turned and left.
Ren Yaoqi followed Madam Lin and the others to the side room. They waited until Old Master Ren and Old Madam Ren had finished their breakfast, and First Madam had joined them before eating together.
Eighth Miss Ren Yaoyu seemed to have no appetite. She picked at a crystal dumpling on her plate with her chopsticks, turning it over and over, unwilling to take a bite. She even stole several glances toward Madam Lin.
Madam Lin, however, ate slowly and deliberately, even praising the winter bamboo shoot dish to First Madam as particularly delicious.
If the most favored young ladies in the Ren Family were Ren Yaohua and Ren Yaoyin, then the most favored daughter-in-law in Old Madam Ren's eyes was undoubtedly Madam Lin, with even First Madam, who managed the household, taking a back seat.
This was not only because Madam Lin had married Old Madam Ren's youngest son but also because Madam Lin's paternal grandmother was Old Madam Ren's aunt.
Old Madam Ren's aunt had married into the Lin Family, the largest grain merchant in Yanbei. After Old Master Lin passed away, the head of the Lin Family became Old Madam Ren's aunt's eldest son, who was Madam Lin's father.
Madam Lin and Fifth Master Ren Shimiao were childhood sweethearts, betrothed from a young age. They had been married for over ten years and had a son and a daughter. Although Fifth Master spent three to four months each year in the capital with the Second Branch's Old Master, the couple had always been on good terms.
However, despite Madam Lin's favored status, Old Madam Ren showed little affection for Madam Lin's daughter, Ren Yaoyu. Ren Yaoyu was far less favored in Old Madam Ren's eyes compared to Ren Yaohua and Ren Yaoyin.
Before Ren Yaohua left for the manor, the eastern warm chamber of Ronghua Garden could be considered Ren Yaohua's personal boudoir. Even Fourth Miss Ren Yaoyin, First Madam's daughter, did not live there.
After Ren Yaohua left, Ren Yaoyin and Ren Yaoyu moved in one after another, taking over Ren Yaohua's place in Old Madam Ren's favor.Ren Yaoqi vaguely remembered that shortly after Ren Yaohua returned, Ren Yaoyu was schemed out of Glory and Splendor Courtyard by Ren Yaohua, but Ren Yaohua herself did not gain any advantage either.
In the end, it was their ninth sister, Ren Yaoying, who replaced Ren Yaoyu and moved in.
However, because of this incident, Ren Yaohua thoroughly offended Fifth Madam Lin, making Madam Lin, who already had some friction with their mother Madam Li, increasingly displeased with them and their mother. This eventually led to Ren Yaohua completely falling out of favor with Old Madam Ren, resulting in that unfortunate marriage later on.
Madam Lin’s behind-the-scenes fueling and stirring certainly contributed to Ren Yaohua’s outcome.
However, in her previous life, Ren Yaoqi had been ill at this time and did not witness how Ren Yaohua schemed against Ren Yaoyu.
Ren Yaoqi thought of the two maidservants of Ren Yaoyu kneeling outside… Could it be that the incident happened today?
Thinking of this, Ren Yaoqi glanced at Ren Yaohua.
Ren Yaohua was holding a delicate famille-rose bowl decorated with motifs of blessings, mountains, longevity, and seas, sipping lotus seed and longan porridge in small mouthfuls. As the two happened to be sitting opposite each other, when Ren Yaoqi looked over, Ren Yaohua happened to look up and saw her.
Seeing Ren Yaoqi suddenly scrutinizing her, Ren Yaohua frowned and glared back.
Ren Yaoyin, sitting beside Ren Yaoqi, noticed Ren Yaohua’s gaze and couldn’t help but turn to look at Ren Yaoqi.
Ren Yaoqi averted her eyes and lowered her head to eat. Ren Yaoyin, knowing that the two sisters had never gotten along, assumed they were having another disagreement and smiled, letting it go.
When First Madam and Madam Lin had both put down their chopsticks, everyone else followed suit and stopped eating.
At that moment, Jinlian, the senior maidservant from Old Madam Ren’s side, came over and said that Old Madam Ren wanted the ladies and young misses to go to the main hall after breakfast.
No one dared to delay. After being served by their maidservants to rinse their mouths and wash their hands, they followed First Madam to the main hall.
The main hall of the principal room in Glory and Splendor Courtyard was very spacious. Old Madam Ren was sitting on the large carved rosewood Arhat Bed in the north, drinking tea. Master Ren was not seen, presumably having already gone out.
The Ren Family was now large and prosperous, and the head of the household naturally carried a heavy burden.
After paying their respects, everyone took their seats according to seniority.
Old Madam Ren set down her teacup, swept her gaze over those below, and finally fixed it on Ren Yaoyu. “Yu’er, come here.”
Ren Yaoyu looked at Old Madam Ren, but Old Madam Ren’s face, which seemed to be smiling even when she wasn’t, made it hard for her to discern anything. She rose hesitantly, her eyes repeatedly darting toward Madam Lin sitting opposite.
Although Madam Lin was still speaking softly with the eldest daughter-in-law, she immediately caught her daughter’s pleading gaze and secretly signaled her with a look, urging her not to be afraid and to go over quickly.
Ren Yaoyu felt somewhat reassured and slowly took a few steps forward, stopping in front of Old Madam Ren.
Old Madam Ren’s voice was still relatively gentle. “Are those two maidservants kneeling outside the ones who serve you?”
Ren Yaoyu glanced at her mother and nodded.
“Do you know why they are being punished to kneel?”
Ren Yaoyu instinctively wanted to look toward Madam Lin again, but Old Madam Ren suddenly slapped the sandalwood side table on the Arhat Bed heavily and raised her voice. “I am asking you! Where are you looking?”Ren Yaoyu trembled in fright, nearly bursting into tears. Though usually lively by nature, for some reason, whenever she saw her grandfather or grandmother, she became like a mouse spotting a cat, and she never liked speaking in front of Old Madam Ren. Her mother, Madam Lin, had scolded her many times for this flaw, but she could never seem to change it.
"Mother, Yaoyu only ran back to Jianjia Courtyard out of fear because she didn’t know why those two maids were being punished by kneeling. She’s always been timid—please don’t let her unsightly flaw upset you." Madam Lin, heart aching for her daughter, hurriedly smoothed things over.
Old Madam Ren’s expression darkened slightly. "It’s because you’ve spoiled her!"
Madam Lin herself wasn’t afraid of being scolded and quickly replied with a smile, "Your daughter-in-law knows she’s at fault. Isn’t that why I’ve brought her before you, hoping you’ll help discipline her? You’re so good at teaching children—who in Yunyang City doesn’t know of my cousin Shijia? Every time I return to my maiden home, my grandmother and mother always compare me to Cousin Shijia and lecture me." By the end, Madam Lin even sounded aggrieved.
The cousin Madam Lin referred to was Old Madam Ren’s youngest daughter, Ren Shijia, who had married the only son of Madam Lin’s paternal uncle.
Old Madam Ren’s expression softened slightly. "If that’s the case, don’t feel sorry for her when I discipline her."
Madam Lin hurriedly said, "How could your daughter-in-law feel sorry for this girl? I’m only worried about you, Mother!"
Old Madam Ren gave a light humph and turned back to Ren Yaoyu. "Early this morning, someone saw your two maids sneaking out of the courtyard with a bundle of something."
Ren Yaoyu was about to glance at Madam Lin but managed to hold back, stammering, "Grandmother, I... I don’t know..." She had completely forgotten what her mother had taught her to say.
Madam Lin shot Ren Yaoyu a look of exasperation, having to step forward once again. "Mother, who saw it? Could they be called here to clarify? On a dark winter morning, it’s easy to mistake what one sees. Or perhaps those two maids were just taking Yu’er’s laundry out?"
Ren Yaoqi, who had been listening silently all along, suddenly remembered something. After she recovered from her illness and emerged, although no one in Glory and Splendor Courtyard or even the entire Ren Family dared to discuss Ren Yaoyu being driven out of Glory and Splendor Courtyard, she had heard one thing from Nanny Zhu—and that matter likely had a direct connection to why Old Madam Ren had grown to dislike Ren Yaoyu.
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