Ren Yaoqi did not dwell too much on whether to attend the ice-skating competition.
In recent days, she had merely used the cold weather as an excuse to rarely leave Purple Magnolia Courtyard. Qiu Yun had mentioned her in front of everyone, so deliberately avoiding Yun Wenfang and Qiu Yun would only draw attention.
Ice-skating was a common winter activity for the people of Yanbei. Although Ren Yaoqi had never participated herself, she had watched it a few times.
The young ladies typically sat in temporary heated pavilions set up along the riverbank to watch. The men would form several teams, wearing ice skates to compete on the river, where the ice was about a foot thick.
Of course, the spectators would also place small bets on which team would win, but these were merely small amounts of silver. Even if someone guessed correctly, the money was used to reward the servants and attendants who participated, not for serious gambling. Otherwise, it would not be considered refined but rather vulgar.
Before leaving that day, Ren Yaoqi first went to Madam Li. She had originally planned to pay her respects together with Ren Yaohua and then take the carriage, but Ren Yaohua had already gone ahead to Glory and Splendor Courtyard.
Madam Li had Nanny Zhou bring out an embroidered purse and handed it to Ren Yaoqi, saying, "This contains some small silver pieces for you to use as bets and rewards. Give it to your maid to keep safe."
Ren Yaoqi took it and looked up at Madam Li with a smile. "Understood, Mother."
However, upon leaving, Ren Yaoqi returned the purse to Nanny Zhou. "My monthly allowance has been untouched in my chest, and with the New Year's rewards, I have at least two hundred taels. A few days ago, Father also gave me two hundred-tael silver notes to buy books and writing materials I like. Please keep this silver, Nanny."
Nanny Zhou quickly replied, "This was prepared by the Madam for you, Miss. Third Miss also received one. You should still take it."
Ren Yaoqi gently handed the purse back. "I know Mother doesn’t want Third Sister and me to feel deprived, and I don’t want to disappoint her, which is why I accepted it in front of her earlier. But Nanny, you’ve always managed Mother’s accounts, so you understand the situation in Purple Magnolia Courtyard better than I do. Mother still has many expenses to cover."
When Madam Li married into the Ren Family, she brought almost no dowry and only received a monthly allowance of thirty taels from the family.
Fortunately, after Madam Li returned to the residence, Ren Shimin’s monthly allowance of thirty taels was also given to her. Ren Shimin did not care about this money and had never asked Madam Li for it.
The Ren Family was not short of money. The masters of the family could withdraw up to two thousand taels per year from the outer courtyard’s accounts for social expenses. The eldest young master, Ren Yiyan, who was already married, could also withdraw one thousand taels per year.
However, amounts exceeding two thousand taels required a stamped approval slip from Old Master Ren. Aside from the second branch’s Old Master and Fourth Master Ren in the capital, the other masters rarely needed Old Master Ren’s approval, as two thousand taels was no small sum.
With only sixty taels per month, Madam Li had to reward servants and occasionally support her maternal family, often finding herself in financial straits.
"Fifth Miss..." Nanny Zhou stared blankly at Ren Yaoqi, her eyes turning slightly red.
Ren Yaoqi’s behavior since her return had been completely unexpected. Ren Yaoqi smiled and turned to leave.
After leaving the main quarters, Ren Yaoqi passed by the western side courtyard and, after some thought, decided to visit the study.Ren Shimin was sitting behind his large desk, sipping tea while admiring several inkstones he had recently purchased.
Seeing Ren Yaoqi push the door open and enter, he set down his teacup and beckoned with a smile, "Yao Yao, come take a look. These Chengni inkstones are newly acquired by your father, all crafted by renowned masters."
Ren Shimin's smile carried a childlike, unadulterated joy. Whenever he obtained something precious, he never concealed his delight.
In the past, Ren Yaoqi would privately criticize her father for being too carefree and detached, lacking worldly savvy. But now, she no longer felt that way.
After approaching and carefully admiring the inkstones with Ren Shimin, Ren Yaoqi asked, "There’s an ice-skating competition at our estate today. Aren’t you going, Father?"
Ren Shimin showed little interest. "What’s so interesting about ice-skating? Just a bunch of rough men pushing and shoving each other! It’s uncouth! Are you going?"
Ren Yaoqi nodded. "It’s been a while since I’ve gone out, and all my sisters are attending."
Ren Shimin rummaged through a drawer under his desk and pulled out a sandalwood box. From it, he took two banknotes worth one hundred taels each and handed them to Ren Yaoqi. "Go ask your mother to exchange these for silver ingots to use as prizes. And pick a team for me while you’re at it."
Ren Yaoqi accepted them with a grin, tucking them into her own purse. "How about I bet on the team with the red belts?"
Ren Shimin tilted his head thoughtfully. "Red is rather vulgar. Better choose the white team."
Ren Yaoqi scoffed. "It’s almost New Year’s. Who wears white belts? Isn’t that inauspicious?"
"What about the blue team, then?"
Ren Yaoqi made a playful face. "I insist on betting on the red team! I just like red!" With that, she stood up triumphantly and left.
"Children are so willful. She’ll cry again if she loses," Ren Shimin shook his head, sighing with a helpless expression.
When it was time to leave, Ren Yaoqi shared a carriage with Fourth Miss Ren Yaoyin.
Several carriages ahead and behind carried the other young ladies of the Ren Family. Ren Yaoqi could faintly hear Ren Yaoyu’s chattering voice from the carriage behind, along with a nanny’s hushed attempts to persuade her to lower the curtain.
In contrast, Ren Yaoqi’s carriage was much quieter.
Ren Yaoyin sat behind a small table in the carriage, brewing tea with practiced elegance. Her movements were steady, and her smile was serene, unaffected by the swaying of the carriage.
Ren Yaoqi rested her chin on her hand, sitting opposite her and admiring her graceful motions.
"Earlier, Cousin specifically asked whether Fifth Sister would be attending," Ren Yaoyin said, pouring a small cup of tea from a purple clay teapot and handing it to Ren Yaoqi with a gentle smile.
Ren Yaoqi took it steadily, smiling as she thanked her.
Ren Yaoyin’s expression remained as mild and unchanged as usual, and Ren Yaoqi detected no hint of displeasure in her words.
Ren Yaoqi didn’t know whether Ren Yaoyin was aware that the Ren Family had considered her as a candidate for a marriage alliance with the Qiu Family, nor did she know Ren Yaoyin’s attitude toward the matter.
In her previous life, Ren Yaoqi hadn’t been particularly close to any of her sisters. Ren Yaoyin was easier to get along with compared to the other Ren sisters. Although she was favored by Old Madam Ren, she never put on airs in front of her sisters and maintained a pleasant demeanor toward everyone. For this reason, Ren Yaoqi was relatively closer to her.
However, this also meant Ren Yaoyin didn’t have any particularly close sisters within the Ren Family.
"Oh? That’s quite rare. I feel rather flattered," Ren Yaoqi teased, blinking playfully at Ren Yaoyin.Ren Yaoyin chuckled and chided, "You're always so mischievous. Cousin probably rarely sees you out and about, so he asked out of concern, thinking you might be unwell. He meant it kindly. You should thank him when you see him later."
Ren Yaoqi pouted, "I know."
Ren Yaoyin shook her head, her expression turning serious as she lowered her voice. "Fifth Sister, not only is Third Cousin highly esteemed in the Qiu Family, but even in our Ren Family, he is greatly valued by the elders. Grandmother treats him like her own grandson. If you get along well with him and he is friendly toward you, in the future, should any issues arise, a single good word from him in front of Grandmother would be worth ten from anyone else."
Ren Yaoqi smiled sheepishly. "Thank you for the advice, Fourth Sister. I understand."
Ren Yaoyin nodded with a smile, took the teacup in front of Ren Yaoqi, poured the lukewarm water into a small jar, and replaced it with a fresh, hot cup.
Ren Yaoqi took a sip of the tea, her mind turning over Ren Yaoyin's words.
Was Ren Yaoyin encouraging her to interact more with Qiu Yun to gain favor with Old Madam Ren or the Ren Family?
In her previous life, at this age, she had indeed spent every day thinking about how to make Old Madam Ren like her as a granddaughter, just like the other members of the Ren Family, trying to build a good relationship with Qiu Yun.
Ren Yaoyin's words had struck a chord.
But why was Ren Yaoyin saying this to her now...
Was it out of genuine concern for her younger sister, or did she have other motives?
Thank you to Xideliesi, Chou Chou de Nuandong, and Zhiyan Zhiyu for the rewards!
Thanks to A Liuna for the detailed review!
And thank you to the lovely readers who helped catch typos!
I noticed some readers complaining about too many characters and confusion about who's who. When I have time tomorrow, I'll compile a character relationship chart for the Ren Family and post it in the book review section.
^^~
Mei Nan's completed works:
[bookid=2288861,bookname=《The Scheming Daughter of a Noble House》]
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