Beneath the eaves, a deathly silence reigned, broken only by the soft rustle of falling snow.
The maids and elderly servants standing nearby held their breath, not daring to make a sound, though their cautious gazes fixed on Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua were tinged with tension.
Ren Yaohua’s cold, sharp eyes bore down on Ren Yaoqi. Seeing that after being slapped, Ren Yaoqi merely covered her cheek, pressed her lips together, and stared back without a word—without lunging forward to return the blow—Ren Yaohua felt a flicker of surprise. Yet the grievances she had endured these past days allowed hatred to gain the upper hand. Without another word, she raised her hand to strike again.
Just then, the curtain of the main room stirred once more, and a tall, slender nursemaid in her forties, with temples lightly streaked with white, stepped out.
At the sight of the two confronting each other under the eaves, her expression changed. Seeing Ren Yaohua about to strike again, she swiftly moved forward, pulling Ren Yaoqi into her arms to shield her. With a stern face, she said to Ren Yaohua, "Third Miss, we have only just returned to the estate today. What is the meaning of this? Do not forget that the mistress is still ill." As she spoke, she subtly signaled Ren Yaohua with her eyes.
Seeing the anxiety and concern in the nursemaid’s eyes and remembering her mother’s illness, Ren Yaohua gritted her teeth and lowered her hand, though her gaze toward Ren Yaoqi remained icy.
Ren Yaoqi observed their interaction. On the surface, Nanny Zhou appeared to be protecting her from Ren Yaohua’s blow, but her tightly encircling arms also pinned Ren Yaoqi’s own arms, rendering her immobile—a precaution against her lunging forward to seek revenge on Ren Yaohua.
"Fifth Miss, please do not cause any more trouble, all right? The mistress is ill. Why don’t you go in and see her?" Nanny Zhou coaxed Ren Yaoqi with a stern expression, looking down at her.
Ren Yaoqi nodded, signaling for Nanny Zhou to release her.
Nanny Zhou had expected to expend more effort to persuade Ren Yaoqi, but to her surprise, Ren Yaoqi seemed to accept this injustice rather easily. She couldn’t help but pause in surprise, then carefully studied Ren Yaoqi’s expression.
Ren Yaoqi covered her cheek, her eyes slightly lowered, her face betraying little emotion.
Nanny Zhou cautiously loosened her grip, and indeed, Ren Yaoqi made no further move. Instead, she stepped around Ren Yaohua, lifted the curtain, and entered the main room.
The overall layout of Purple Magnolia Courtyard was characterized by a short frontage but considerable depth. Thus, although it was a sizable three-section courtyard, the main room consisted of only three bays, though each was quite spacious.
The central bay served as the main hall, while the eastern bay could be used for receiving guests. By the window stood a large heated brick bed, which, with a small table placed on it, doubled as the usual dining area. The western bay was the bedroom, and further inside was a small washroom. The washroom had a small door facing north, allowing hot water to be conveniently brought in from the third section’s rear courtyard.
Ren Yaoqi walked directly toward the western bay. Against the northern wall stood an elaborately carved canopy bed, its newly hung red silk curtains draped over the copper hooks on the bedposts. On the bed lay a woman in her thirties.
The woman had an oval face, thick hair, and delicate, beautiful features. Her complexion, however, was pale with illness, and her lips lacked color. Perhaps due to a habitual tendency to frown, faint lines had formed between her brows, adding an air of age to her otherwise youthful face.
"Mother…" Ren Yaoqi approached the bedside softly, gazing at the woman whose face, even with closed eyes, could not conceal her sorrow. With a choked voice, she called out gently.Her voice was soft, but the woman on the bed seemed to sense something, her eyelashes fluttering as she opened her eyes. She had a pair of charming almond-shaped eyes, and Ren Yaohua’s eyes were a perfect match to hers.
She appeared very weary, yet when she clearly saw Ren Yaoqi before her, she smiled gently and beckoned, calling out, "Qi'er? Come here and let Mother see if you’ve grown taller."
Ren Yaoqi hurried forward, threw herself onto the veranda outside the open hall’s bed, knelt down, and buried her face in Madam Li’s chest, sobbing "wuwu."
Seeing Ren Yaoqi crying so pitifully, Madam Li couldn’t help but freeze for a moment. She placed her hand on Ren Yaoqi’s head, stroking it gently as she asked softly, "What’s wrong?"
At that moment, the curtain was lifted, and Ren Yaohua and Nanny Zhou walked in.
Seeing Ren Yaoqi clinging to Madam Li and crying, Ren Yaohua’s anger immediately flared. She sneered, "What could be wrong with her? Isn’t she just complaining to you that I hit her again? I thought after a year in the mansion, under that wretched woman’s guidance, she’d have improved a lot. Who knew she’d still be so clueless, only capable of shooting arrows in the dark behind people’s backs!"
With that, she strode forward, grabbed Ren Yaoqi’s arm, and tried to pull her away.
Ren Yaoqi’s body had not fully recovered, and with this sudden, harsh tug, she accidentally fell to the ground. As her face lifted, the five finger marks on her left cheek were starkly revealed in Madam Li’s eyes.
Madam Li gasped in shock, trying to prop herself up to sit, but she lost strength and fell back down.
"Mother—" Ren Yaoqi shook off Ren Yaohua’s hand and rushed forward to check on Madam Li.
Ren Yaohua ignored Ren Yaoqi. She pushed her aside and stepped forward to support Madam Li herself. Seeing that Madam Li wanted to sit up, she helped her lean against the head of the bed, placing a soft pillow from inside the bed behind her back. "Mother, you just took your medicine. Why are you getting up?"
But Madam Li pulled Ren Yaoqi over, cupped her face, and examined it carefully before turning a reproachful gaze toward Ren Yaohua. "Hua'er, how could you hit your sister so hard!"
Ren Yaohua glanced at the five finger marks on Ren Yaoqi’s face and said coldly, "If Nanny Zhou hadn’t stopped me, I would’ve given her a few more slaps."
Ren Yaoqi’s left cheek was already somewhat swollen and red. Madam Li’s heart ached at the sight, and Ren Yaohua’s words made her a little angry. She frowned and said, "Hua'er! Come over here and apologize to your sister!"
Upon hearing this, Ren Yaohua slightly raised her chin and said disdainfully, "Me, apologize to her? Not in this lifetime!"
"Hua'er!" Madam Li scolded softly, helplessly.
Turning to look at Ren Yaoqi, who had already stopped crying and was still kneeling before her bed, Madam Li felt torn. "Qi'er, your sister didn’t mean it, you…"
But seeing the shocking redness and swelling on Ren Yaoqi’s face, Madam Li couldn’t finish her words. She could only turn back to negotiate with her eldest daughter. "Hua'er, for Mother’s sake, can’t you take a step back?"
Seeing the anxious expression on Madam Li’s weary face, Ren Yaohua bit her lip.
She didn’t want to upset her mother, but she couldn’t bring herself to swallow her pride and apologize to Ren Yaoqi, leaving her feeling stiff and conflicted.
"Forget it, Mother, it’s not necessary." Ren Yaoqi sighed softly and suddenly looked up at Madam Li.
Madam Li was taken aback, and Ren Yaohua also frowned and looked over, as if she couldn’t believe these words had come from Ren Yaoqi’s mouth.
Ren Yaoqi pushed herself up from the edge of Madam Li’s bed and stood.She remembered that in her previous life, after she recovered from her illness and saw Ren Yaohua, she had also been slapped by her.
Later, when they went before their mother, Madam Li also made Ren Yaohua apologize. Yet she felt that her mother was favoring Ren Yaohua—otherwise, she should have let her return those two slaps, not just offer a light, dismissive apology.
When she was young, there were always people whispering in her ear that it was because of her birth that Madam Li was disliked by her mother-in-law in the Ren Family. So not only did her grandmother dislike her, but her mother also despised her; otherwise, why would she always favor her elder sister and wrong her?
As such incidents happened repeatedly, Ren Yaoqi eventually believed it. Thus, there was always some distance between her and her mother, Madam Li.
Ren Yaohua called Madam Li "Mother," but Ren Yaoqi always addressed her as "Madam"—the same title used by the concubine-born Ninth Miss and Sixth Young Master.
Ren Yaohua looked up and saw Madam Li watching her with a cautious expression.
When Madam Li noticed her gaze, she hurriedly said, "Qi, Qier, you are the most well-behaved, much more sensible than your elder sister." Her tone was that of comforting a child.
Nanny Zhou, standing nearby, took the opportunity to smile and chime in, "This servant said earlier that something seemed different about Fifth Miss as soon as I saw her. So it turns out she has grown up and become more sensible. In the future, Madam, you can rest assured."
Madam Li nodded stiffly, "Yes." Remembering the injury on Ren Yaoqi's face, she quickly instructed Nanny Zhou, "Hurry and use a warm cloth to soothe Qier's face, then apply medicine. Otherwise, it will definitely hurt tonight."
Nanny Zhou glanced at Ren Yaohua, then at Ren Yaoqi, feeling uneasy about leaving the two sisters alone together. But Madam Li kept urging her, so Nanny Zhou had no choice but to hurry out.
Only the mother and two daughters remained in the room, and it fell silent. Finally, Madam Li broke the silence by pulling Ren Yaoqi to sit by her bedside and asking, "Qier, have you been well this past year in the mansion? Have you... have you been wronged?"
Ren Yaoqi shook her head, "I am well, I haven't been wronged."
"Oh, with your father by your side protecting you, she... she wouldn't dare to wrong you," Madam Li murmured, looking at her.
"Hmph!" Ren Yaohua sneered coldly from the side.
Ren Yaoqi lowered her gaze slightly, "Madam, have you just taken your medicine? You should rest for today. I will come to see you again tomorrow." As she spoke, she stepped forward to help Madam Li lie down.
Madam Li did not refuse her kindness but held onto Ren Yaoqi's hand after lying down, "Qier, let Nanny Zhou apply medicine for you before you leave, alright?"
Ren Yaoqi nodded and quietly sat by Madam Li's bedside.
Ren Yaohua stood to the side, her gaze cold and scrutinizing as it fell on Ren Yaoqi.
Madam Li, however, held Ren Yaoqi's hand and smiled at her, "Qier, you have truly grown up."
At that moment, Nanny Zhou, who had left earlier, returned.
"Didn't I ask you to fetch hot water?" Madam Li asked.
Nanny Zhou quickly approached, "Madam, I have already instructed someone to bring the hot water. Concubine Fang has come, saying she brought Sixth Young Master and Ninth Miss to pay their respects to you."
Madam Li frowned, looking weary, "I am tired. Let them go back."
Ren Yaohua, however, snorted coldly, "She hasn't shown her face since you returned, and now she comes? What does she want? Mother, you lie down. I will go out to see her!" With that, she turned and left.
"Hua'er—" Madam Li called out, but Ren Yaohua had already lifted the curtain and left the western side room. Madam Li could only let her go.Nanny Zhou said to Madam Li, "I'll go and take a look."
Madam Li nodded, and Nanny Zhou followed Ren Yaohua out.
Ren Yaoqi sat with Madam Li for a while, then thought for a moment and said, "Mother, I'll go find someone to apply medicine for me. You should rest first."
Thinking that Nanny Zhou might not return for some time, Madam Li quickly nodded. "Then go ahead."
Ren Yaoqi helped adjust Madam Li's blanket before also stepping out.
Just after leaving the western side room, Ren Yaoqi heard sounds coming from the eastern side room.
As she drew closer, she could hear a still somewhat childish voice crying and scolding, "What rules are you talking about? Grandmother never said anything about setting rules! Who do you think you are? And what gives you the right to scold my mother!"
Meinan's completed work: [bookid=2288861,bookname=《The Scheming Noble Ladies》]
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