After leaving Glory and Splendor Courtyard, Ren Yaohua’s expression remained dark. Ren Yaoqi naturally knew what was troubling her but did not attempt to console her.
Instead, it was Ren Yaohua who couldn’t hold back and asked Ren Yaoqi, “In Grandmother’s eyes, am I truly a scheming and shameless woman?”
Hearing this, Ren Yaoqi glanced at Ren Yaohua and replied calmly, “In Grandmother’s eyes, being scheming and shameless isn’t necessarily a flaw. Why should you care?”
Ren Yaohua immediately furrowed her brows and glared at Ren Yaoqi.
Ren Yaoqi smiled faintly. “You know my stance, and deep down, you likely understand what kind of person Grandmother is. So don’t look at me like that.”
Ren Yaohua paused for a moment, then pursed her lips and said, “I grew up by Grandmother’s side. No matter how many flaws she may have… she has always been good to me.”
Ren Yaoqi lowered her voice and murmured, “Is that so? I hope it remains that way in the future.”
Her voice was soft, and Ren Yaohua didn’t catch it clearly. “What?”
Just then, a gatekeeper woman hurriedly led a maid through the Inner Gate. Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua both stopped and looked over, recognizing the maid as Bihe, the senior maid serving Madam Lin.
After the poisoning incident involving Madam Lin and Ren Yaoyu, the maids and servants around them had been largely replaced. This maid, Bihe, had been trained by Nanny Zhou under the orders of their mother, Madam Li, before being sent to serve Madam Lin. Later, Madam Lin was quite satisfied with Bihe and kept her by her side.
Since Bihe originally came from the third branch, she naturally recognized Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua. Upon seeing them, she immediately approached and curtsied. “This servant greets Third Miss and Fifth Miss.”
Noticing the joy on Bihe’s face, Ren Yaoqi smiled and asked, “You’re in such a hurry—is something happening?”
Bihe replied promptly, “Reporting to Fifth Miss, it’s wonderful news! Eighth Miss has just woken up!”
“Eighth Sister is awake?” Ren Yaoqi exclaimed with delight.
Ren Yaohua also asked, “When did she wake up? How is her health? What did the physician say?”
Bihe answered, “She woke up about two hours ago. The physician said Eighth Miss is still weak and cannot get out of bed yet, but with proper care for another year, she will gradually recover. Fifth Master and Madam Lin are overjoyed. Third Madam also rushed over as soon as she heard the news and sent me to deliver this good news to Old Master Ren and Old Madam Ren.”
Since moving out of the Ren Family, Fifth Master Ren had never returned. He had opened a stationery shop in Yunyang City. Though the shop was small, with Ren Shimin’s help, he had connected with the external affairs manager of Yunyang Academy. With the academy as a major client, his small business was doing quite well.
Recently, it was said that Ren Shimiao even planned to send someone beyond the northeastern frontier to purchase furs and start a fur trade.
Fifth Master Ren was using practical actions to show his intention of establishing his own household. Old Master Ren was furious about his behavior, declaring that Ren Shimiao was no longer a member of the Ren Family.
Even after learning of this, Ren Shimiao remained unyielding, refusing to humble himself and seek Old Master Ren’s forgiveness.
Because of this, Ren Yaoqi somewhat admired Ren Shimiao, even though she hadn’t particularly liked this fifth uncle in the past.Ren Yaoqi thought that since Madam Li had sent Bihe, Madam Li likely intended to smooth things over, using Ren Yaoyu’s awakening as an opportunity to ease the tension between the fifth branch and the Ren family elders.
Although Ren Yaoqi felt her mother’s efforts would ultimately be futile, she had to admit that since leaving the Ren family, Madam Li had become increasingly adept at handling such domestic matters.
“Then you should go quickly,” Ren Yaoqi said with a smile, nodding to Bihe.
Bihe acknowledged and cheerfully headed off to Glory and Splendor Courtyard.
“Should we return to Yunyang City to see Eighth Sister?” Ren Yaohua asked. Though she didn’t care for Ren Yaoyu, she was still glad to hear she had awakened.
Ren Yaoqi replied, “Didn’t Grandmother say she wanted us to stay for two more days? I doubt she’d let us return to Yunyang City now.”
Old Madam Ren had extended their stay to continue her lessons on cultivating loyalty to the family in young women of marriageable age. Ren Yaohua frowned. “Eighth Sister’s awakening is a significant matter.”
Ren Yaoqi merely smiled at this, offering no argument.
Not long after they returned to Purple Magnolia Courtyard, where they had been staying, Old Madam Ren sent someone over to inquire in detail if they lacked anything, and bestowed upon them a pile of gifts—food, clothing, and other necessities. As expected, not a single word was mentioned about Ren Yaoyu’s awakening.
Ren Yaohua sent someone to investigate and learned that after Bihe delivered the news of Ren Yaoyu’s awakening to Old Madam Ren, the latter had merely responded with a calm “I know” before dismissing her. She did not send anyone to Yunyang City to see Ren Yaoyu.
Ren Yaoqi felt Old Madam Ren’s reaction was still relatively “gracious.” If it had been Old Master Ren, he would likely have driven Bihe out.
Since the fifth branch was no longer part of the Ren family, they naturally could not set foot in the Ren household.
Ren Yaohua sighed, a rare occurrence, and sat silently on the edge of the kang for a while, lost in thought.
On the second day after returning to Yunyang City, Old Madam Ren took Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua to attend the birthday banquet of a certain Madam Sun.
Now, both Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua were young women who brought honor to the Ren family, making them Old Madam Ren’s most favored granddaughters. It was only natural for them to be taken out to meet guests. Ren Yaohua had often accompanied Old Madam Ren on such outings before, while Ren Yaoqi had rarely been granted such “honors.”
Initially assuming it would be just another gathering of wealthy families from White Crane Town engaging in mutual flattery and one-upmanship, Ren Yaoqi was surprised to encounter Han You, the eldest daughter of the Han family, there.
Since Madam Han’s passing, Han You had lived a reclusive life, and even after the mourning period, she seldom ventured out. Thus, Ren Yaoqi hadn’t seen her in a long time.
After several years, Han You had grown into a beautiful young woman. Her temperament remained somewhat shy; she sat quietly in a corner, listening to the conversations of the other girls around her with a smile on her face but without joining in.
She also noticed Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua, paused briefly, hesitated for a moment, then stood up and walked toward them.
“Are you Sister Yaohua and Sister Yaoqi of the Ren family?”
Ren Yaohua, aware of some matters concerning the Han family, was not particularly fond of its members. Hearing Han You’s greeting, she merely gave a slight nod—a gesture that could still be considered polite.Ren Yaoqi actually had no ill feelings towards Han You, so she smiled and nodded, speaking amiably, "Sister Han, I didn't expect to meet you here."
Seeing Ren Yaoqi show goodwill, Han You was very pleased, her face slightly flushed: "I heard earlier that the Ren Family would also be coming, and I was wondering which sisters I might meet. By the way, I wonder if Sister Yaoting will come today?"
Han You didn't have many familiar peers, but the young ladies of the Ren Family left a deep impression on her, especially Ren Yaoting, with whom she had the best relationship at the time.
Ren Yaoqi smiled and said, "My second aunt took Fourth Sister to Yunyang City, so she won't be able to come today."
Upon hearing this, Han You's face showed some disappointment, but she soon smiled shyly again: "It's also nice to meet Sister Yaohua and Sister Yaoqi. I don't really know anyone else here."
Ren Yaohua glanced at Han You and said to Ren Yaoqi, "I'll go over first to greet Miss Sun. You should come over soon too." With that, she nodded to Han You and walked away on her own.
Ren Yaohua didn't want to exchange pleasantries with Han You.
Having witnessed the likes of Ren Yaoyin, who appeared modest and gentle on the outside but was vicious and shameless within, Han You's shyness and timidity couldn't win Ren Yaohua's favor. "You can know a person's face but not their heart"—this was a truth Ren Yaohua had already come to understand, and in this lifetime, she never again allowed herself to be deceived by others' appearances. In this regard, she had Ren Yaoyin to thank.
After Ren Yaohua left, Han You quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Being highly sensitive by nature, she naturally sensed Ren Yaohua's slight aversion toward her. Since she wasn't skilled at socializing, she felt much more at ease facing only the amiable Ren Yaoqi.
"Sister Yaoqi, shall we find a place to sit?" Han You said cautiously to Ren Yaoqi, as if afraid she might refuse.
Hearing this, Ren Yaoqi thought it seemed Han You had something she wanted to say. After a brief consideration, she nodded: "Alright, how about we go to the pavilion to enjoy the breeze? I've long heard that the Sun Family's lake is the best-constructed in all of White Crane Town, and I've been wanting to see it."
The Sun Family was also one of the foremost wealthy households in White Crane Town. Their residence was designed in the style of a Jiangnan garden, complete with pavilions, towers, and waterside pavilions, making it exceptionally convenient for hosting banquets.
Han You naturally agreed.
The two, each accompanied by their maids, strolled slowly along the lakeshore that the Sun Family had excavated using manpower.
It was already evening. Although the sky wasn't completely dark, the Sun Family had hung red silk lanterns every three or four steps along the lake, casting the entire stretch of water in a warm, festive glow.
Because it was somewhat chilly today, there weren't many people by the lake. The guests were all inside listening to opera or playing leaf cards, or sitting in the flower hall drinking tea and chatting. Here, only the occasional sounds of drums and cymbals could be heard, which instead accentuated the serene and tranquil lakeside environment, evoking a sense of comfort.
After walking halfway around the lake, Han You relaxed, shedding her earlier restraint. However, when a cool breeze blew by, Han You sneezed.
Ren Yaoqi immediately said, "It's windy here. Shall we go sit in the pavilion?"
Han You felt a bit embarrassed: "Alright."The two entered the lakeside pavilion, where two maids who had been waiting there promptly lowered the cloth curtains around the pavilion to block the chilly wind outside. After serving them tea and snacks, they withdrew to the outside.
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