Xiao Jinglin escorted Ren Yaoqi back to Treasure Vase Alley and stayed for lunch before leaving with Hongying.
Not long after Xiao Jinglin departed, Pingguo returned with Xueli.
Although Xueli’s attire had become much plainer since leaving the Ren Family, her complexion was even better than when she had been with them. Upon seeing Ren Yaoqi, Xueli hurried forward to pay her respects.
Ren Yaoqi noticed her rosy cheeks and slightly hurried breathing, clearly indicating she had rushed back from the Lei Family’s estate just to see her.
Ren Yaoqi did not press her with questions immediately, instead inviting her to sit down, have some tea and snacks, and rest for a while. She also sent someone to fetch Ren Yaohua. Earlier, when Xiao Jinglin was present, Ren Yaohua had not rushed to ask about her meeting with Lei Pan’er. Ren Yaoqi also wanted to wait until Xueli returned with her findings before discussing Madam Xiao Qiao’s situation with Ren Yaohua.
By the time Ren Yaohua arrived, Xueli had already finished a cup of tea and eaten a few pastries, barely filling her stomach.
Ren Yaoqi then recounted to Ren Yaohua the details of her meeting with Lei Pan’er and Madam Xiao Qiao, including her speculations about Madam Xiao Qiao’s intentions.
Xueli added from the side, “Fifth Miss’s guess is likely correct. When I met Lei Pan’er’s wet nurse, she told me that ever since Madam Xiao Qiao entered the Lei residence, she had been constantly paying attention to the Lei Family’s eldest young lady, insisting on personally managing her daily needs. Originally, the wet nurse had been taking care of all matters, big and small, for Lei Pan’er, but after Madam Xiao Qiao’s arrival, the wet nurse was completely sidelined. Madam Xiao Qiao even wanted Lei Pan’er to move into her courtyard. The wet nurse told the Lei Family head that Lei Pan’er was accustomed to her own bed, so Lei Pan’er ultimately remained with Second Master Lei. Perhaps because of this, Madam Xiao Qiao held a grudge against the wet nurse. Later, the wet nurse was falsely accused by Madam Xiao Qiao of embezzling Lei Pan’er’s private savings and was driven out of the Lei residence.”
Ren Yaohua listened with a furrowed brow, then after a moment of thought, asked, “Does this Madam Xiao Qiao truly resemble Pan’er’s birth mother?”
Xueli nodded. “The wet nurse said they were about seventy to eighty percent alike in appearance, but the late Madam Qiao was gentle and mild-tempered, unlike Madam Xiao Qiao.”
Ren Yaoqi then asked, “Did Madam Xiao Qiao have no children while she was with her husband?”
“It seems she was once pregnant, but unfortunately, her husband passed away around that time. She suffered a miscarriage due to grief and shock. I heard the child was already formed when it was lost—a baby girl.”
Ren Yaoqi nodded. No wonder Madam Xiao Qiao, despite never having been a mother, was so fixated on children. She had once had one and lost it.
“How does the Lei Family treat Madam Xiao Qiao?” she asked further.
“Because Madam Xiao Qiao closely resembles Lei Pan’er’s birth mother, Lei Pan’er does not reject her closeness and even trusts her words. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have allowed Madam Xiao Qiao to drive the wet nurse out of the residence earlier. As for the Lei Family head, his attitude is hard to discern. He merely instructed the household not to slight her and did not prevent Lei Pan’er from getting close to her. However, he did not agree to the suggestion of having Lei Pan’er move in with Madam Xiao Qiao.”
After hearing this, Ren Yaoqi fell into thoughtful silence, then turned to look at Ren Yaohua, who remained silent with a furrowed brow.
Noticing her gaze, Ren Yaohua turned her head, raised an eyebrow, and looked at her questioningly.Ren Yaoqi smiled: "This is an internal matter of the Lei Family, it's not appropriate for me to intervene. Even you shouldn't get involved in managing it right now."
Ren Yaohua understood and nodded, saying, "I know that, of course." After a pause, she added to Ren Yaoqi, "Don't worry, when I... I'll handle it myself when the time comes."
Ren Yaoqi smiled gently. Although she was concerned, she also knew she needed to let Ren Yaohua handle things on her own; otherwise, Ren Yaohua might resent her for meddling.
Before Xueli left, Ren Yaoqi comforted her, saying, "I think we should postpone your marriage to Zhu Ruomei for another year. But don’t worry, when the time comes, I’ll make sure you have a splendid wedding."
Upon hearing this, Xueli’s face flushed as red as if it could drip blood, but she still tried to appear composed and dignified: "Thank you, Miss." After hesitating for a moment, she added, "Miss, after I get married, can I still work for you?"
Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but laugh at this, her tone tinged with teasing: "Zhu Ruomei is now a figure of some standing, and many people outside call him 'Lord Zhu.' What would it look like if you came back to work for me?"
Xueli thought Ren Yaoqi was joking with her and quickly replied, "I just want to serve you."
Xueli’s words were sincere. Although the relationship between Fifth Miss Ren and her as mistress and maid did not have a beautiful beginning, after spending a long time by Ren Yaoqi’s side, she came to understand that Fifth Miss Ren was an excellent mistress.
Even after she left the Ren Family, Ren Yaoqi took good care of her. Her monthly allowance and rewards were no less than those given to the personal attendants. Because Fifth Miss Ren had always valued her so highly, everyone in the Zhu Family also treated her with great respect.
Besides, Zhu Ruomei did not yet hold an official position. Xueli only thought of him as an unnamed attendant serving the second young master of the Yanbei Prince’s Mansion. Xueli thought that even if she couldn’t serve Fifth Miss Ren closely in the future due to needing to attend to her mother-in-law, she could still manage dowry shops or estates for her.
Ren Yaoqi patted her hand gently and said warmly, "It’s good that you have such intentions. How about this: when the time comes, if you feel it’s better to come back and work for me, you can return. I won’t treat you unfairly."
Hearing this, Xueli breathed a sigh of relief and quickly expressed her thanks.
Ren Yaoqi said this only to comfort her, as she knew Zhu Ruomei was no ordinary person. Judging from the current situation at the Yanbei Prince’s Mansion and the Xianwang Residence, there would likely be significant developments in the coming year, and Zhu Ruomei would surely play an important role. It would naturally be better for Zhu Ruomei to marry Xueli after he had secured an official position, rather than having her enter his household now. However, these matters were not suitable to discuss openly with Xueli at this time, so Ren Yaoqi did not explain too much.
The following days passed peacefully, and before they knew it, it was late August, with Ren Yaohua’s wedding approaching.
Just a few days before Ren Yaohua’s wedding, news came from the Ren Family’s old residence: Fourth Miss Ren, Ren Yaoyin, had returned.
First Madam was not pleased with her daughter’s return at this time. The Ren Family was currently in turmoil, and it was uncertain when they would overcome their difficulties. Not long ago, First Madam had corresponded with her eldest daughter, asking her to find a good family for Ren Yaoying in Jiangnan. With the support of the Gu Family and a generous dowry, she was confident Ren Yaoyin could marry into a good household.However, Ren Yaoyin chose to return at this very moment. How could the Ren Family possibly have the heart to plan for her marriage now? Yet Ren Yaoyin's age could no longer be delayed. This dashed First Madam Ren's plans, so even though she had not seen her daughter for years and truly missed her, she still did not show Ren Yaoyin a pleasant expression.
Ren Yaoqi, on the other hand, showed no reaction. The third branch had already moved away from White Crane Town and would only become increasingly independent from now on, naturally leading to fewer interactions with Ren Yaoyin.
As for Ren Yaohua, she was about to marry. She disliked Ren Yaoyin and could simply cut off all contact with her in the future, so there was nothing to worry about.
The day before the wedding, the Ren Family held the bridal send-off.
The Ren Family prepared a dowry for Ren Yaohua, following the standard for a legitimate daughter of the family: a manor, a three-courtyard residence, two shops, a set of huanghuali furniture, along with clothing, jewelry, various decorations, and daily necessities. Although the Ren Family was no longer as prosperous as before, and Ren Yaohua's dowry had been significantly reduced, in the eyes of outsiders, her wedding was still a grand and splendid affair.
Generally, when daughters of wealthy and influential families married, in addition to the dowry provided by the family, their parents and maternal relatives would also offer some subsidies. The amount of these subsidies depended entirely on the financial strength of each branch. Therefore, even among legitimate daughters of the same branch within a family, there could be differences in their dowries.
Over the years, Madam Li had not managed to save much private wealth, so she only gave Ren Yaohua a few sets of fine jewelry she had accumulated. Madam Li felt deeply apologetic about this, as other mothers would supplement their daughters with their own dowries. However, when Madam Li married, the Xianwang Residence was at its most difficult time—what dowry could she possibly have brought? Ren Yaohua, however, did not mind this at all. She was well aware of the financial situation of the third branch, so when Madam Li offered her those sets of jewelry, she only accepted half, intending to leave the other half for Ren Yaoqi.
Nevertheless, Ren Yaoqi spoke with Ren Shimin. That evening, when Ren Yaohua went to Third Master Ren to receive his guidance, he generously gave her three thousand taels of silver as a nest egg and presented her with several valuable and elegant items such as famous paintings and calligraphy copies to enhance her status. Ren Yaohua was both shocked and overwhelmed by this unexpected favor.
Rong Shi also added to Ren Yaohua's dowry: two thousand taels in silver notes and a pair of dragon-phoenix jade pendants. After the Xianwang Residence established contact with Hezhong, there was no longer a need to hide everything, as they still had some foundation. It was said that the pair of pendants were bestowed by the late emperor.
Other relatives also made contributions of varying degrees when adding to Ren Yaohua's dowry. Ren Shijia was the most generous, giving Ren Yaohua a set of pure gold jewelry, a pair of jade bracelets, eight bolts of brocade, and an additional one thousand taels of silver.
Ren Shijia had not been so extravagant when other nieces married. The reason she treated Ren Yaohua differently was mainly because of Ren Yaoqi. Moreover, the Lin Family had now divided their household, and Lin Kun managed numerous properties, leaving Ren Shijia with ample wealth.
She even pulled Ren Yaoqi aside and whispered, "Good child, when you marry, your aunt will have even better things for you." Her confidence was palpable.On the day of the wedding, the eight maidservants Old Madam Ren had prepared as dowry for Ren Yaohua were originally supposed to have four of them sent ahead to the Lei Family along with her dowry. However, Old Madam Ren never expected that before the dowry was delivered to the Lei Family, the maidservants she had carefully selected would all be quietly replaced by Nanny Zhou.
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