In the afternoon, Ren Yaoqi had just woken from a short nap when Nanny Zhou personally came to the west wing where she resided.
"Eighth Miss has indeed been taking medicine recently. It is said that Madam Lin felt Eighth Miss was somewhat plump, and during her last visit to her maternal home, she obtained a prescription from her sister-in-law for Eighth Miss to take. Eighth Miss has been taking it for a while now. However, because Eighth Miss is sensitive about her appearance, Madam Lin forbade the servants from discussing it openly, fearing she would feel embarrassed."
Among the sisters of the Ren Family, Ren Yaoyu was the most round and the shortest in stature, a fact that greatly dissatisfied the ever-competitive Madam Lin. She worried that Ren Yaoyu would remain this way even as she grew older.
Although elders generally preferred to select plump, fertile-looking brides for their descendants, Madam Lin scoffed at such standards. She knew that what elders favored might not necessarily appeal to their husbands. Thus, despite Ren Yaoyu's young age, Madam Lin had already begun paying attention to her figure.
Upon hearing this, Ren Yaoqi raised an eyebrow. She recalled that in her previous life, Madam Lin had secretly obtained some prescription for Ren Yaoyu, claiming it would help women achieve a slimmer figure. Ren Yaoyu did indeed become much thinner later on. However, Ren Yaoqi knew that such medicines were often cooling in nature and excessive consumption was actually harmful to women.
Hearing that Ren Yaoyu was taking medicine now, Ren Yaoqi was not particularly surprised. Since the prescription came from the Lin Family, and Ren Yaoyu had shown no adverse effects from it in her previous life, it was likely that something had been tampered with during the preparation—something that should not have been added.
"Did you manage to find the medicinal dregs?" Ren Yaoqi asked thoughtfully.
Nanny Zhou shook her head regretfully. "Eighth Miss was punished and sent to the ancestral hall yesterday, so she did not take her medicine today. The dregs from yesterday have already been discarded and cannot be retrieved."
Ren Yaoqi had only asked out of curiosity, so while she felt some regret over the lack of evidence upon hearing Nanny Zhou's response, she was not overly disappointed.
Seeing that Nanny Zhou seemed somewhat self-reproachful for not completing the task, Ren Yaoqi was about to offer a few words of comfort when a sudden noise came from outside.
"Who's out there?" Noticing Ren Yaoqi's frown, Nanny Zhou immediately strode forward to lift the curtain.
Ren Yaoqi had just woken from her nap and, upon Nanny Zhou's arrival, had dismissed her attendants to let her in. The two were now speaking alone in the side room on the right.
Ren Yaoqi sat on the kang by the window, her eyes lowered as if lost in thought, and did not follow Nanny Zhou to see who was outside.
"It's you?" Nanny Zhou's voice carried a mix of surprise and relief. She then turned to look at Ren Yaoqi. "Miss, it's..."
Before Nanny Zhou could finish, the person outside had already appeared by the curtain, holding a red-lacquered tea tray. She stood with her head bowed, appearing respectful and composed, though her hands gripping the edges of the tray were slightly tense.
Seeing her enter, Nanny Zhou fell silent. Ren Yaoqi remained seated on the kang, neither moving nor speaking, her clear, penetrating eyes fixed intently on the newcomer.
Ren Yaoqi's eyes were beautiful; when she smiled, they curved like crescent moons, soft and lovely, giving an impression of harmlessness. At this moment, Ren Yaoqi was not smiling, nor was she frowning. Her expression was neutral, as if she were merely observing in an ordinary manner.
The atmosphere in the room instantly grew tense and still."Granny Xu?" Ren Yaoqi smiled slightly and called out softly.
Only then did Granny Xu lower her head and step forward, silently placing the tea tray she held on the kang table, then kneeling before Ren Yaoqi. With her head bowed, she said, "This servant deserves death."
"Deserves death?" Ren Yaoqi looked at the person kneeling respectfully before her, her smile tinged with a hint of mockery. "Our Ren Family isn’t so unreasonable, is it? To casually send someone to their death? Granny Xu, are you trying to frighten me?"
Granny Xu hadn’t expected the usually gentle and easygoing Ren Yaoqi to suddenly fixate on such a common phrase. She couldn’t help but be slightly taken aback. The phrase "this servant deserves death" was actually used by servants when they had made a mistake and were begging their masters for mercy. No one truly intended to die; otherwise, they would say, "Master, spare my life."
Though Granny Xu felt somewhat uneasy, she quickly composed herself. "This servant came to deliver the almond milk. I didn’t mean to..."
Ren Yaoqi watched her, patiently listening to her explanation but not allowing her to rise. Granny Xu seemed to feel that no matter what she said, it sounded like an excuse. She sighed in defeat and instead said, "This servant has made a mistake. I ask the young lady to punish me."
Ren Yaoqi’s gaze remained fixed on Granny Xu. Hearing this, she didn’t respond immediately, as if genuinely considering how to punish her.
It was Nanny Zhou who, after glancing at Ren Yaoqi and then at Granny Xu, couldn’t help but speak up. "Young lady, it was this servant who instructed Granny Xu to bring the almond milk prepared by Madam for you when I came in. In a way, this is also my oversight."
These past few days, Nanny Zhou had also been discreetly observing Granny Xu. After all, Granny Xu and Nanny Gao were the ones she had selected for Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua, the two sisters. She thought that if they weren’t suitable, she would replace them early.
However, after observing them over this period, Nanny Zhou was quite satisfied with both Granny Xu and Nanny Gao. Nanny Gao was warm-hearted and generous, complementing Ren Yaohua’s strict and proud temperament perfectly. Surprisingly, the mistress and servant got along harmoniously. As for Granny Xu, Ren Yaoqi’s chamber steward, she was steady, meticulous, and balanced in her conduct—someone capable of handling important matters.
Madam Li and Nanny Zhou had originally intended to select capable assistants for the two sisters. But Nanny Zhou felt that Ren Yaoqi’s attitude toward Granny Xu was somewhat puzzling. Although Ren Yaoqi had entrusted the affairs of her room to Granny Xu, and Granny Xu had handled them well, Nanny Zhou still sensed that Ren Yaoqi didn’t fully trust Granny Xu and even seemed somewhat resistant to her.
Nanny Zhou had wanted to ask Ren Yaoqi what she truly thought, but she hadn’t found the right opportunity. In her view, Granny Xu was truly a rare and valuable right-hand woman. If Ren Yaoqi could accept her, she would undoubtedly be of great help in the future. Nanny Zhou believed Granny Xu was trustworthy.
Ren Yaoqi had also been quietly observing Granny Xu during this time. It had to be said that Granny Xu was indeed capable. If not for Ren Yaoqi’s experiences from her previous life, she would have undoubtedly tried every means to win over someone like Granny Xu for her own use.Ren Yaoqi had never noticed anything amiss with Granny Xu. She had secretly asked Yuan Dayong to investigate Granny Xu and learned that she indeed had only one son, with a background that gave no cause for suspicion. The inexplicably appearing daughter from her previous life seemed never to have existed at all.
On the contrary, Granny Xu had always been diligent and conscientious in her work, strict with the maids in the room when necessary and lenient when appropriate. Last time, when she reminded Ren Yaoqi that the maid Qingmei, sent by Concubine Fang, could no longer stay by her side, Ren Yaoqi entrusted the matter to her. Soon after, Granny Xu found a good excuse to transfer Qingmei out of Ren Yaoqi’s room without implicating Ren Yaoqi in any way. Instead, Qingmei felt that leaving Purple Magnolia Courtyard offered better prospects and was even grateful to Granny Xu and Ren Yaoqi when she left.
As for the maid named Xueli, since Ren Yaoqi said she could be kept, Granny Xu no longer mentioned her to Ren Yaoqi and treated Xueli no differently from the other maids.
No wonder even Nanny Zhou regarded Granny Xu with newfound respect and was now thinking of pleading on her behalf.
Ren Yaoqi herself had a strange feeling that, for now, this Granny Xu seemed to have no issues.
After some thought, Ren Yaoqi bent slightly and personally helped Granny Xu up, speaking in a very gentle tone, "Get up. I was only joking earlier."
Granny Xu breathed a sigh of relief, thanked her, and rose from the floor.
Ren Yaoqi did not ask when Granny Xu had arrived or how much she had overheard, as if she had forgotten she had just been discussing confidential matters with Nanny Zhou. Instead, she picked up the slightly cooled almond milk and took small sips.
Seeing Nanny Zhou give her a meaningful glance, signaling her to leave, Granny Xu bowed without a word and withdrew.
Once Granny Xu was gone, Nanny Zhou said, "Miss, both Madam and I think this Granny Xu is quite good, someone you can rely on. You could test her further. If you find no issues, you can entrust her with tasks in the future. From how she handled the Qingmei situation, it’s clear Granny Xu is capable. With her by your side, it will be much easier for you to manage things."
Ren Yaoqi knew Nanny Zhou genuinely cared for her and did not argue. Instead, she nodded and smiled, "I’m just not used to it yet. After some time, I’ll naturally make use of her. You needn’t worry about me."
Nanny Zhou now trusted Ren Yaoqi even more than Ren Yaohua. Hearing this, she set the matter aside and began discussing Ren Yaoyu with Ren Yaoqi.
Later, Madam Li from the main house sent Xier to fetch Nanny Zhou. Ren Yaoqi gave Nanny Zhou a few instructions and let her go.
Ren Yaoqi had not yet made a decision about Granny Xu. She planned to wait until she had dealt with all the miscellaneous matters before addressing it.
After all, according to the trajectory of her previous life, even if Granny Xu harbored ill intentions, it would not happen until several years later. During her time in the Ren Family, Granny Xu had given no cause for complaint. Otherwise, someone as astute as Nanny Zhou would never have allowed her to accompany Ren Yaohua to the Zeng family.However, what Ren Yaoqi did not expect was that the next day, around the same time she woke from her afternoon nap, Granny Xu came to her of her own accord, carrying a bundle in her arms.
Looking at the half-dried medicinal dregs spread out on the kang table, wrapped in a piece of indigo coarse cloth and emitting an unpleasant medicinal odor, Ren Yaoqi lowered her eyes slightly, concealing the inscrutable thoughts within them. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please come to Qidian to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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