Ren Yaoqi asked, "So, Father, did you agree?"
Seeing that Ren Yaoqi was about to start questioning him relentlessly again, Ren Shimin helplessly set down the paintbrush in his hand, which was stained with pigment, and decided to speak with her properly. "I said I would first go ask your Eldest Uncle."
Ren Shimin didn’t feel the slightest bit embarrassed about admitting in front of others that he was merely an idler in the Ren Family, as he rarely involved himself in the family’s affairs.
Last time, when Ren Yaoqi suggested promoting Yuan Dayong to return to White Crane Town as the assistant shopkeeper, Ren Shimin had also gone to speak with Master Ren the Elder. Since Ren Shimin rarely made requests, Master Ren the Elder readily agreed. After all, the Yuan family were all servants of the Ren Family, and Ren Shimin was only asking for an assistant shopkeeper’s position—Third Master Ren still had that much face.
However, it would be more troublesome now if Sun Shiyi Niang’s husband wanted to work for the Ren Family. This was because neither Sun Shiyi Niang nor her husband were members of the Ren Family, and it was said that he had once studied some literature, so he might not agree to sign a deed of servitude with the Ren Family. Moreover, he was also disabled. Even if Master Ren the Elder didn’t say anything, Old Master Ren would surely reprimand him if he found out.
Knowing that Ren Shimin hadn’t immediately agreed, Ren Yaoqi breathed a sigh of relief. However, she suspected that in her previous life, Ren Shimin had eventually managed to secure a position for Sun Shiyi Niang’s husband in the Ren Family, and he had even been assigned to the coal depots nominally under Ren Shimin’s management, where he could access the accounts. Concubine Fang might have intended to use Sun Shiyi Niang and her husband to meddle in the coal depots under Third Master Ren’s control. And it was precisely after learning about this that Ren Yaohua became convinced that Sun Shiyi Niang had been brought in by Concubine Fang to seduce their father.
Arranging for Sun Shiyi Niang’s husband to work for the Ren Family was likely a step that Concubine Fang had discussed with her before she even entered the household. Now, although Concubine Fang couldn’t appear in public due to her injuries, Sun Shiyi Niang had still taken this step before leaving.
"Father, I think it might not be a good idea to have Manager Sun’s husband work for the Ren Family."
"Why?" Ren Shimin only thought that his father might not agree, so he wanted to ask his elder brother. As for himself, he didn’t particularly care whether Sun Shiyi Niang’s husband could come or not.
Ren Yaoqi said, "Didn’t she say she wanted the family to be reunited? If her husband comes to work for the Ren Family, how can they be reunited? Besides, Grandfather definitely won’t agree." Ren Yaoqi thought to herself, if her father stubbornly insisted on pitying that family of three, she would make use of Old Master Ren’s cruelty and ruthlessness to show her father what it meant to be unreasonable.
Fortunately, Ren Shimin had always been obedient to his daughter. Hearing this, he didn’t even offer a rebuttal, simply nodding and saying, "That makes sense. So, what do you think should be done?"
Ren Shimin just wanted to quickly send his chattering daughter away.
Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment. "Manager Sun has helped us a lot recently. Since she asked you for a favor, it wouldn’t be right to refuse. Why don’t you reward her with a sum of silver so her family can rent a small shop and start a small business? It might be a bit hard work, and they might not become wealthy, but it should be enough to support the family."
Ren Shimin quickly nodded. "Yao Yao is right! Let’s do it that way!"Ren Yaoqi smiled and said, "Father, I still have quite a bit of silver left from what you gave me to buy pigments. Why not leave this matter to me? You’ve never concerned yourself with such things anyway. If similar situations arise in the future, you can tell me or leave it to Mother, so you won’t have to trouble yourself."
Ren Shimin felt that his daughter was truly considerate and could no longer bring himself to find her bothersome. He reached out and patted her head, agreeing to her suggestion.
Ren Yaoqi gritted her teeth and endured the strong smell of pigments on Ren Shimin’s hands.
Sun Shiyi Niang returned not long after, by which time Ren Shimin had already resumed his work on the painting.
Ren Yaoqi smiled at Sun Shiyi Niang and said, "Shopkeeper Sun, I heard you wish to reunite with your husband and daughter?"
Sun Shiyi Niang glanced at Ren Shimin, who was completely absorbed in his painting and paying no attention to their conversation. Having entrusted the matter to Ren Yaoqi, he truly washed his hands of it.
Noticing her expression, Ren Yaoqi slightly restrained her smile. "Shopkeeper Sun, you’ve worked hard these past days. However, making such a request to your employer has put us in a rather difficult position."
Sun Shiyi Niang’s face flushed with embarrassment.
Ren Yaoqi smiled again and looked at her. "But this time, I’ll help you. When you leave the Ren Family, I’ll give you fifty taels of silver. That should be enough for you and your husband to open a small shop in Yan Prefecture."
What could fifty taels of silver accomplish? It wouldn’t even be enough to buy a shopfront.
Sun Shiyi Niang frowned. "Thank you for your kindness, Fifth Miss. If it’s truly inconvenient, let’s just forget it."
Ren Yaoqi nodded readily. "Then, Shopkeeper Sun, feel free to come to me whenever you change your mind. However, I must remind you that my father has never involved himself in the Ren Family’s external business affairs, nor does he handle trivial matters. It was highly inappropriate for you to approach him. I hope this is the last time. From now on, if you need anything, you may come to me or my mother. Shopkeeper Sun may not be aware, but our family has many rules, and there are distinctions between men and women. It wouldn’t be good if idle gossip were to spread."
If Sun Shiyi Niang still didn’t realize she was being lectured and looked down upon by a young girl, she would have wasted all her years of life. Yet Ren Yaoqi spoke with a smiling and amiable tone, making any anger seem like unreasonable fussing.
Suppressing her rising anger, Sun Shiyi Niang said, "This humble woman understands. Thank you for your guidance, Fifth Miss."
Ren Yaoqi nodded. "Very good. I knew Shopkeeper Sun was a sensible person."
With that, Ren Yaoqi summoned the young maid she had asked Nanny Zhou to assign to serve Sun Shiyi Niang. In front of Sun Shiyi Niang, she instructed, "You must serve Shopkeeper Sun well until she leaves the Ren Family. If she has any needs, report them to me or inform Nanny Zhou. If Shopkeeper Sun approaches the wrong person again, you’ll have to answer to Nanny Zhou for punishment."
The young maid shot a resentful glance at Sun Shiyi Niang. Who would have thought Shopkeeper Sun would seize the opportunity while she was in the restroom with a stomachache to speak with Third Master Ren, causing her to be scolded by Fifth Miss? The maid secretly vowed that even if she had to run to the restroom in the future, she would have someone trustworthy guard her post!
Sun Shiyi Niang was furious but dared not speak out. She excused herself, claiming she was unwell, and left.
Third Master Ren never mentioned Sun Shiyi Niang’s matter again.
After returning to Purple Magnolia Courtyard, Granny Xu came to see Ren Yaoqi on her own initiative.Ren Yaoqi smiled and glanced at her: "Is there something you need, Granny Xu?"
Granny Xu lowered her head and said, "Yes, Miss. I came to speak with you about Madam Sun."
Ren Yaoqi raised an eyebrow, waiting for Granny Xu to continue.
Granny Xu pondered for a moment before saying, "I once owed a great debt to Madam Sun's husband. My son fell ill with a strange disease back then and didn't recover for several days. Fortunately, we later encountered an old doctor who prescribed an ancient remedy. Unfortunately, one of the medicinal ingredients used as a catalyst was uncommon. I searched all the large and small pharmacies in Yan Prefecture but couldn't find it. Later, I met Madam Sun's husband, who was about to collect herbs and said he would help me look for it while he was at it."
At this point, Granny Xu sighed, her expression turning somber. "Later, that ingredient was found, but while helping me gather the herbs, Master Yu fell off a mountain and broke his leg..."
Recalling the strange look Sun Shiyi Niang had given Granny Xu earlier and connecting it with what Granny Xu had just said, Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but ask, "Did you know that Master Yu from early on?"
Granny Xu looked somewhat embarrassed. "Yes, since childhood."
Seeing Granny Xu's expression, Ren Yaoqi thought there might be some story between her and Sun Shiyi Niang's husband. However, Ren Yaoqi wasn't interested in such stories; something else had come to mind.
"Does Sun Shiyi Niang have a daughter? How old is she? What's her name?"
Granny Xu thought for a moment. "She should be twelve this year. Her name is Qingniang, Yu Qingniang."
Ren Yaoqi was startled, and in that instant, something suddenly became clear.
In her previous life, the maid who had served as Ren Yaohua's dowry maid under the identity of Granny Xu's daughter was named Qing'er.
Sun Shiyi Niang was indeed the woman Ren Yaohua had mistakenly believed to be a mistress, and her daughter had entered the Ren Family as a maid to seek revenge. No wonder Ren Yaohua was eventually betrayed by her own maid—the seeds of this outcome had been sown by Concubine Fang long ago.
Because of her past connection with Sun Shiyi Niang's husband and her lingering guilt toward him, Granny Xu had allowed Sun Shiyi Niang's daughter to enter the Ren Family as her own daughter, serving as Ren Yaohua's dowry maid and following her into the Zeng Family after marriage.
However, it was unclear what role Granny Xu had played in this revenge plot. Did she bring Yu Qingniang into the Ren Family simply to provide a better future for the daughter of an old acquaintance, unaware of Yu Qingniang's plan for revenge? Or had she actually participated in the scheme?
This was a matter from her previous life, and Ren Yaoqi had no way of knowing the truth. Still, she couldn't help but feel uneasy about Granny Xu. How to handle this unease required careful consideration.
Thinking of Concubine Fang's scheming, Ren Yaoqi had never felt more strongly that Concubine Fang truly deserved to die.
Two more days passed, and Fifth Master Ren's painting was fully restored. Sun Shiyi Niang no longer had any reason to stay in the Ren Family.
During this time, Sun Shiyi Niang had attempted to speak with Ren Shimin on several occasions, but each time she was interrupted by the maids. The young maids, feeling indignant, often muttered and criticized her in front of her behind Third Master Ren's back, openly and subtly calling her shameless.Sun Shiyi Niang was furious, but in the end, she had no choice but to pack her things and leave the Ren Family. When she departed, she didn’t even get to see Third Master Ren. However, Madam Li had someone send her some reward money.
Ren Yaoqi secretly warned the servant by Third Master Ren’s side: if they ever encountered Sun Shiyi Niang seeking him out in the future, they must keep a close eye on her. Fortunately, aside from occasionally meeting friends, Third Master Ren rarely went out.
Plot Preview: A beloved character is about to make an appearance... o(∩_∩)o.
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