As for whom it was given to, Ren Yaohua did not say in front of the steward. Liu Gui glanced at Ren Yaohua's expression and did not ask further.
"You may go and rest now," Lei Ting nodded to Liu Gui. Liu Gui immediately bowed and withdrew.
After Liu Gui left, Lei Ting said, "Tomorrow morning, I will have someone send her to live at the estate." Clearly, Lei Ting also knew exactly who was behind the mischief.
Ren Yaohua remained silent for a moment, then nodded frankly, "That’s fine too, so as not to exhaust what little affection remains between relatives. I will ensure her food, clothing, and expenses match what she had in the mansion."
It was never quite appropriate for Madam Xiao Qiao to stay here. It was only because Lei Pan'er, having lost her mother at a young age, felt a certain fondness for Madam Xiao Qiao, who closely resembled her birth mother. Additionally, Lei Ting was somewhat suspicious of Madam Xiao Qiao’s sudden appearance in Yunyang City, so he kept her under close watch.
Seeing the weariness in Ren Yaohua’s eyes, Lei Ting stepped forward, took her hand, and led her toward the inner chamber. "Tomorrow’s matters can be dealt with tomorrow. It’s late now, let’s rest."
Ren Yaohua, who had been thinking about how to confront Madam Xiao Qiao the next day, blushed when she saw the bed in the inner chamber spread with mandarin duck brocade quilts and felt Lei Ting’s hand holding hers.
Lei Ting glanced back at her, a hint of amusement in his eyes, but said nothing. When the couple had removed their outer garments and lay in bed, Ren Yaohua obediently moved forward as she usually did during their intimate moments to undo Lei Ting’s collar, but he caught her hand and pulled her into his embrace.
Lei Ting closed his eyes and said, "Be good, your husband is tired. We’ll talk tomorrow."
Ren Yaohua: "..."
Realizing she had been teased, Ren Yaohua couldn’t contain her frustration and gave Lei Ting a hard kick, eliciting a low, pleased chuckle from him.
Ren Yaohua’s previously troubled mood gradually lifted, and she drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep in Lei Ting’s embrace.
The next day, Ren Yaohua went to Madam Xiao Qiao’s courtyard with her maids, elderly servants, and steward Liu Gui.
Madam Xiao Qiao was having breakfast. On the kang table were four types of staple foods, four cold dishes, four refreshing side dishes, and a bowl of bird’s nest stewed with rock sugar. Her food, clothing, and expenses were matched to the standards of Lei Ting and Ren Yaohua in the main residence.
Madam Xiao Qiao reluctantly rose to greet Ren Yaohua, who walked emotionlessly to the main seat and sat down. "Finish your meal first."
With Ren Yaohua sitting there and a crowd of maids and elderly servants waiting outside, Madam Xiao Qiao felt uneasy and could hardly eat. She hastily took a few sips of bird’s nest before having the meal cleared away.
"Are you accustomed to the food in Yanbei?" Ren Yaohua had tea served and asked casually, as if making small talk.
Madam Xiao Qiao glanced at her. "Yes, thank you for your concern, Madam."
Ren Yaohua smiled. "The cook currently employed in the mansion is from the south. If you like her, she can accompany you to the estate to serve you."
Madam Xiao Qiao looked up sharply. "What estate?"
Ren Yaohua continued as if speaking to herself. "I heard you enjoy having bird’s nest in the morning? The bird’s nest in the mansion is specially sourced by my fifth uncle from the south. It’s not available elsewhere. I will have some sent to you every ten days from now on."
Madam Xiao Qiao looked at Ren Yaohua coldly. "Are you trying to drive me away?"Ren Yaohua glanced at Madam Xiao Qiao and, for some reason, suddenly thought of Concubine Fang. It occurred to her that if Madam Fang back then had possessed Madam Xiao Qiao’s temperament and methods, she and her mother and sister wouldn’t have been pushed to such extremes. So, there are differences between people, and even between enemies.
Ren Yaohua didn’t dwell on it, but Concubine Fang had actually played a significant role in her upbringing. Without such a formidable enemy watching her closely all these years, she wouldn’t have been forced by Ren Yaoqi to become who she is today.
If it had been the old Ren Yaohua—straightforward and unrestrained—her interactions with Madam Xiao Qiao, who deliberately provoked and challenged her, would never have reached this point. The current Ren Yaohua was still direct, but only with those close to her. When facing someone like Madam Xiao Qiao, she always remembered her position as the mistress of the Lei Family and wouldn’t foolishly lower herself by reacting to provocations like a reckless youth.
So, if Madam Xiao Qiao had indeed been brought into the Lei Family by someone, that person must have had some understanding of Ren Yaohua’s temperament. Unfortunately, they hadn’t anticipated that Ren Yaohua had changed.
“How could that be? You are an honored guest of our Lei Family. As long as you wish to stay, my husband and I welcome you,” Ren Yaohua said calmly. “It’s just that some strange incidents have occurred in the residence lately—rumors of hauntings. Moving you to the estate is for your own good.”
Madam Xiao Qiao showed no gratitude. “Even if there are hauntings, the ghosts would seek revenge on those they despise. I’ve done nothing wrong, so why should I fear?” She looked at Ren Yaohua with a mocking expression.
Ren Yaohua remained unperturbed by her insinuations and simply instructed Wujing, who stood behind her.
Wujing acknowledged and left, returning shortly with a servant carrying the paper figure from the previous night. They placed it before Madam Xiao Qiao.
Madam Xiao Qiao instinctively took a step back. “Ren Yaohua, what is the meaning of this?”
Ren Yaohua said nothing, but Xiangqin, standing behind her, grinned. “Madam, don’t you understand? Please take a closer look at the clothing on this paper figure. Do you know what kind of fabric this is?”
The jacket on the paper figure was crudely made, hastily sewn into the shape of a garment.
“Isn’t it just ordinary fine cloth?” Madam Xiao Qiao glanced down dismissively. Though she came from a wealthy family, she couldn’t compare to the Lei or Ren Families. Ordinary households wouldn’t use this kind of cloud-patterned brocade, which looked like ordinary fine cloth but cost dozens of times more.
When sewing the jacket, she had only thought about concealing her stitching and had chosen the most common fine cloth. She had seen many maids and servants in the Lei Family using similar fabric for undergarments, so she hadn’t given it much thought.
Xiangqin’s disdain was unmistakable as she muttered, just loud enough to be heard, “That’s why they say daughters should be raised in wealth, lest they leave home with shallow judgment and become a laughingstock.”
Before Madam Xiao Qiao could flare up, Ren Yaohua shot a cold glance at Xiangqin, silencing the smug little maid’s arrogance.Wujing quickly spoke up to help Xiangqin out of the predicament: "Madam, this is brocade, not ordinary fine cotton cloth. One bolt of such fabric can be exchanged for about twenty bolts of silk. Our mistress received four bolts of brocade and sent two to you, while the other two are still stored in the warehouse."
Upon hearing this, Madam Xiao Qiao’s expression changed, and she was momentarily speechless. She knew Ren Yaohua wouldn’t lie about such a matter. In the end, she could only stubbornly deny it: "Even if this fabric is valuable, does that mean it can’t be found elsewhere? Are you trying to say I’m pretending to be haunted?"
Xiangqin couldn’t help but secretly roll her eyes: "Whether it can be found elsewhere, we don’t know, but you certainly only have the two bolts our mistress gave you. Why don’t you bring out those two bolts of brocade and let everyone see if they’re still there?"
Naturally, Madam Xiao Qiao couldn’t produce them, and her face flushed red and pale in turns.
Ren Yaohua suddenly smiled: "You’ve misunderstood, Madam. I don’t believe you would do such a thing either. So I think it might be that you and the Lei Family’s residence are incompatible, attracting some spirits to give a warning. Otherwise, how could the fabric originally given to you end up on it? That’s why I suggested you stay at the estate for a while. It’s better for you and everyone else, don’t you agree?"
Madam Xiao Qiao was filled with hatred but couldn’t find any words to refute her for the moment. She had heard that Ren Yaohua was impulsive, quick-tempered, and reckless when she was a young lady. But now, she felt that this woman was far too cunning.
If Ren Yaohua hadn’t pretended to be ill a few days ago, acting as if she feared ghosts and spirits, Madam Xiao Qiao wouldn’t have thought to frighten her further, hoping she would fall gravely ill. In the end, it was all Ren Yaohua’s trap—she didn’t have the slightest fear of ghosts and spirits!
Madam Xiao Qiao didn’t want to leave, but she couldn’t find a reason to stay. Ren Yaohua, however, didn’t give her time to think it over. Seeing that everything that needed to be said had been said, she had no intention of lingering with Madam Xiao Qiao. She directly called in the steward Liu Gui and his wife, who were waiting outside, and instructed them: "Take advantage of the good weather today and help Madam move earlier. As for the furnishings and servants in this courtyard, as long as Madam finds them useful, let her take them along. If anything else is needed, come and tell me. If it’s not available in the mansion, buy it outside. Make sure Madam is satisfied."
Liu Gui and his wife quickly agreed.
Ren Yaohua nodded politely to Madam Xiao Qiao: "I have matters to attend to today, so I won’t see you off later. I hope you don’t mind." After saying this, Ren Yaohua walked out.
"Wait, I’d like to see Pan’er," Madam Xiao Qiao suddenly softened her voice and pleaded.
Ren Yaohua paused her steps and asked Liu Gui’s wife: "You’ve studied some feng shui. Tell me, if Madam is tainted by evil spirits, can she see the young lady?"
Liu Gui’s wife lowered her head respectfully and replied: "Children are delicate. It’s better to avoid such things."
Ren Yaohua nodded, her calm voice tinged with a hint of apology: "Then there’s nothing to be done." With that, she left without looking back.
While everyone was busy and no one was paying attention, Xiangqin sneered at Madam Xiao Qiao in a low voice: "Someone like you, who can’t even recognize brocade... This servant only wants to say, being ignorant isn’t a crime, but trying to corrupt a child is your fault! I beg you, please spare our young lady!"After finishing her verbal assault, Xiangqin strutted away with her nose in the air, perfectly embodying the image of a smug, snobbish, and worldly maid.
Madam Xiao Qiao had already suffered at Xiangqin’s hands before. Though she was seething with rage this time, wishing she could tear Xiangqin’s mouth apart, she ultimately held back and didn’t act, even though her face was contorted with suppressed fury.
The clever author has scheduled today’s update… finally early for once.
Some readers have been asking how to vote for the "Character Carnival" on the mobile app. It seems voting isn’t available on the mobile client—I tried, and uploading character illustrations is also temporarily unavailable… 〒_〒
Still asking for votes for male god Xiao～
Voting method: In the row next to "Synopsis," "Author Info," and "Work Info," there’s a red-font "Work Characters." Click on "Xiao Jingxi" to vote. Readers with membership or above have three free votes.
Additionally, after using up the free votes, every 200 starting points spent on tipping will earn another vote, with no upper limit. If you’ve already used your free votes and have tipped before, go check if you’ve mysteriously gained more votes (^o^).
OpenNovel