"So what should we do now? Should we help her?" Ren Yaohua stood up, pacing back and forth in the room as she asked Ren Yaoqi.
Ren Yaoqi remained silent for a long while before finally shaking her head. "It's not the right time yet."
Ren Yaohua was taken aback, glaring at Ren Yaoqi. "What do you mean it's not the right time? When will it be the right time?"
Instead of answering Ren Yaohua's convoluted questioning, Ren Yaoqi asked in return, "How do you plan to help her, Third Sister?"
Ren Yaohua was left speechless. At this moment, even if she didn’t want to admit it, she had to acknowledge that Ren Yaoqi was smarter than her. No wonder their father favored her more.
Although she had realized she wanted to help Madam Lin, she didn’t know how to go about it. She could only ask Ren Yaoqi here, hoping she would take action.
Ren Yaoqi said seriously, "What can we do now? Whatever we do at this point would only drag us into the messy conflict between Fifth Uncle’s wife and concubine, with no benefit to us whatsoever. Fifth Aunt might not even appreciate it. Never forget your purpose in doing anything, or else you’ll be led around by the nose by your opponents." Ren Yaoqi’s words unintentionally carried a lecturing tone.
Hearing this, Ren Yaohua fell silent for a moment before turning and leaving without another word.
Ren Yaoqi watched her retreating figure with a bitter smile.
Was she being too impatient? Should she give Ren Yaohua more time to grow?
Because she had lived an extra lifetime, Ren Yaoqi’s memories of Ren Yaohua from her previous life had grown hazy. Now, she regarded Ren Yaohua as her younger sister.
But Ren Yaohua had always been strong-willed since childhood, even taking charge in front of their mother, Madam Li. Now, their roles had suddenly reversed—Ren Yaoqi had become the decision-maker between them, while Ren Yaohua had to follow her younger sister’s lead.
Ren Yaohua might be struggling to adjust.
But how much time did they have left for Ren Yaohua to adapt slowly?
Although Ren Yaohua had walked away without a word, she hadn’t taken any rash actions on her own. She was, after all, different from before.
That evening, when Ren Yaoqi went to bid Madam Li goodnight, she saw Ren Yaohua again. On the surface, Ren Yaohua showed no signs of anything being amiss.
As they left Madam Li’s room, Ren Yaoqi softly called out to Ren Yaohua, who was walking ahead. "Third Sister, I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful with my words next time. Please don’t be angry with me."
Having lived a second life, Ren Yaoqi always showed a bit more tolerance toward Ren Yaohua. Thinking of her fate in the previous life, Ren Yaoqi couldn’t bear to be too harsh on her.
Ren Yaohua paused in her steps and said calmly, "There’s nothing to apologize for. I’ve thought it over—you really do see further than I do and have better methods. In the future, just do whatever you think is right. There’s no need to ask for my opinion."
Ren Yaoqi wasn’t sure whether Ren Yaohua’s words meant she was still angry or had already let it go. She fell silent for a moment, but by the time she thought of something else to say, Ren Yaohua had already turned and left.
Ren Yaoqi sighed softly and returned to her own west wing.
Many things couldn’t be changed overnight. They would have to take it slow. At least Ren Yaohua wasn’t like before, hurling harsh words at her at the slightest disagreement. That was already a significant improvement.The maids and matrons in the courtyard noticed that the atmosphere between Third Miss and Fifth Miss had grown strange again these past few days. Fifth Miss spoke to Third Miss with even greater caution, while Third Miss’s attitude toward Fifth Miss had become noticeably more polite compared to her previous disdain.
Madam Li was somewhat worried about her two daughters and asked Nanny Zhou, “What’s going on between them this time? Could they have quarreled again?”
Nanny Zhou reassured her, “This servant doesn’t think so. Don’t you know Third Miss well? If she had truly quarreled with Fifth Miss, how could she possibly still treat her kindly?”
Madam Li thought it over and found some truth in that. In the end, she simply concluded that Ren Yaohua had become more mature.
It was a good thing she wasn’t restless. Madam Li felt slightly relieved.
Several days passed like this, and the mansion was unusually calm and peaceful. Even in the fifth branch, after Ren Shimiao had truly moved into Madam Kang’s courtyard, Madam Lin had made a fuss twice but then seemed to grow quiet out of disappointment. When she had left the Ren Family to return to her maiden home, Madam Lin had insisted on receiving reports about the Ren Family’s affairs three or four times a day, down to the smallest details.
Now that she was back in the Ren Family, she had ordered not to hear even a whisper of news from Madam Kang’s side.
That afternoon, Ren Yaoqi was still holed up in the study of the western side courtyard, practicing calligraphy and reading, when she heard the maids outside chattering excitedly, as if something had happened.
Since Ren Shimin disliked maids and matrons entering the study, Ren Yaoqi didn’t call anyone in to ask. Instead, she set down her brush and went out herself.
“What happened?” Ren Yaoqi asked the maids, who were all looking thrilled.
Sangshen hurriedly replied, “Miss, news just came from Aunt Ren’s side. They said Aunt Ren went into labor after noon. Old Madam Ren has already instructed the midwife to wait in Aunt Ren’s courtyard, and she and First Madam have rushed over. Our Third Madam is also on her way.”
Ren Shijia was going into labor?
Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment. “Is it a few days early?”
Xueli said, “They said she went into labor two days early.” Xueli glanced around and lowered her voice slightly. “I heard that Aunt Ren went to see Fifth Madam in the morning and came out looking unhappy. Then, at noon, she started feeling stomach pains. After that, the matron by her side checked and realized she was going into labor early.”
Involving Madam Lin again? Ren Yaoqi shook her head.
At that moment, Ren Yaoqi saw a group of people hurrying past outside the western side courtyard. It seemed to be her mother and her attendants heading out, likely to Ren Shijia’s place.
As a young lady, Ren Yaoqi couldn’t enter the delivery room. In places with strict rules, she was even forbidden from entering the courtyard where the delivery room was located. Ren Yaoqi wasn’t particularly curious either. In her previous life, she had witnessed childbirth, and the scene was far from pleasant.
Ren Shijia’s husband didn’t arrive until nearly evening. By the time he came, Ren Shijia had already been in pain for almost two hours, and the child still hadn’t been born.
Third Madam had also stayed there without returning. Ren Yaoqi had dinner alone. Ren Yaohua hadn’t returned from Old Madam Ren’s courtyard either, and Ren Shimin had gone out to drink and dine with others.
That night, Ren Yaoqi couldn’t fall asleep at first. Just as she was finally drifting off, she heard the gate of Purple Magnolia Courtyard being opened, followed by the sound of someone entering.The dim yellow light of lanterns passed by the south window of Ren Yaoqi's room, which was covered with fine white gauze, moving from far to near and then back again. Ren Yaoqi heard Nanny Zhou softly instructing the maids and servants, knowing that Madam Li must have returned.
Slipping on her shoes and getting out of bed, Ren Yaoqi quickly put on her outer robe and ran out. By then, Madam Li had already reached the main hall.
"Mother, how is Aunt? Is the baby well?" Ren Yaoqi asked.
Madam Li turned and saw Ren Yaoqi running out, a gentle smile curling at the corners of her mouth. She nodded. "Yes, you have a new cousin. You can go see him tomorrow."
Ren Shijia had given birth to a son.
Ren Yaoqi had a fairly good impression of her aunt Ren Shijia and was happy for her upon hearing the news.
The next day, just as Ren Yaoqi was about to leave, she overheard several maids and servants whispering nearby. As she approached, she heard one of the servants saying, "...They say it's been decided—it's Qingliu. When the young mistress leaves, Qingliu will go with her to Yunyang City. Madam Lin will arrange things for her later..."
"Qingliu? That girl is rather plain and not particularly clever. How could Old Madam Ren and the young mistress choose her?" a maid remarked, her tone tinged with envy.
The servant glared at her. "What do you know? This is a maid chosen for the son-in-law, not for the son! Naturally, the criteria are different."
Somehow, the news that Ren Shijia was arranging a concubine for her husband had spread throughout the Ren Family. In recent days, there had been much speculation among the servants, and it was even said that some with a penchant for gambling had opened a betting pool on who would ultimately be chosen.
"She's quite fortunate. Who would have thought it before?" someone sighed.
The servant who had spoken earlier chuckled again, repeating the same line: "Didn't I say? This is a maid chosen for the daughter, not for the son. What good could come of it? Jinlian, the capable girl from Old Madam Ren's room, was overjoyed that she wasn't chosen. When she heard it was Qingliu, she couldn't have been happier!"
Ren Yaoqi pretended not to hear any of this and turned away.
Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua went together to visit the newborn.
Ren Shijia's delivery had gone smoothly, without any complications, so aside from exhaustion, she was in good health. Old Madam Ren was finally relieved.
Since the confinement period had not yet ended, neither the mother nor the child could be moved, so Ren Shijia naturally could stay at her parents' home for another month.
This time, her husband Lin Kun also stayed behind.
Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua took a secluded path, as it was a shorter route to Ren Shijia's courtyard.
Unexpectedly, as they approached a small path near the bamboo grove behind Ren Shijia's courtyard, they noticed two people hiding in the grove, talking. The bamboo grove was not particularly dense, and it was small enough that the figures could be seen clearly if one approached.
However, upon hearing someone approaching, the two panicked and immediately separated. One ran east, while the other slipped into the other side of the bamboo grove, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
"Who's there?" Granny Xu, who was following behind Ren Yaoqi, sensed something amiss and called out first.
Everyone looked up, but all they caught was a fleeting glimpse of two figures, one in yellow and the other in green, before they vanished from sight."Miss, let me take a few servants to investigate. Those two were sneaking around here talking. They fled as soon as they heard someone approaching—they must have been plotting something shady," Granny Xu said with a frown.
There were too many typos and awkward sentences, so I've revised it.
(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to Qidian to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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