Ren Yaoqi followed Madam Li towards the study of Ren Shimin in the western courtyard.
The door of the study was tightly shut, and the maids and matrons waiting outside all wore expressions of unease and uncertainty. They seemed to be trying to listen for any commotion inside but dared not approach, as Master Ren had explicitly ordered that maids and matrons must wait under the eaves and were not allowed to approach without permission, otherwise they would face severe punishment.
Thus, even though there had just been a commotion in the study, no one dared to barge in. They could only go to the main room to fetch Madam Li and Ren Yaoqi.
By the time Ren Yaoqi and Madam Li reached the study door, the sounds of argument inside had already ceased. Madam Li even cautiously leaned close to the door to listen carefully, then frowned and shook her head gently at Ren Yaoqi.
Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment, gestured to Pingguo, and walked over to knock directly on the door: "Father? I’ve brought you some hot tea. May I come in?"
After a moment, Master Ren’s voice sounded from inside the study through the door: "Come in." His tone gave no indication of his mood.
Almost as soon as Master Ren finished speaking, Pingguo seemed to produce a tea tray out of nowhere, with two teacups on it that appeared to be warm.
Ren Yaoqi took the teacup from Pingguo and pushed open the study door. As soon as the door opened, she saw a shattered celadon brush washer on the floor. This brush washer had originally been placed on the desk in the study, part of a set with the brush holder, and was one of Master Ren’s cherished possessions.
Ren Yaoqi’s eyelids twitched involuntarily.
Madam Li, who had initially thought Master Ren sounded fine and intended to leave after Ren Yaoqi entered—since Master Ren disliked unrelated people entering his study—was startled upon seeing the shattered brush washer on the floor and followed Ren Yaoqi inside.
As soon as Ren Yaoqi stepped inside, Xiao Jingxi’s voice came from the inner room: "Be careful of the fragments on the floor, don’t hurt yourself." Second Young Master Xiao’s voice remained as gentle and pleasant as ever, completely unlike someone who had just argued with his father-in-law.
Ren Yaoqi and Madam Li exchanged glances, both somewhat puzzled.
From the sound of it, Xiao Jingxi and Ren Shimin were in the room to the right. Ren Yaoqi walked over without hesitation, but when she lifted the beaded curtain and saw the scene inside, she froze.
Ren Shimin was sitting cross-legged by a low table, painting, while Xiao Jingxi sat beside him, leaning over to watch. This scene, compared to what Chunlan had described earlier, seemed entirely at odds with what should have happened in the same room.
Xiao Jingxi even looked up and smiled at Ren Yaoqi and Madam Li, then stood up.
Ren Shimin also took a moment to glance up. Seeing that Madam Li had come as well, he couldn’t help but frown: "Why are you here too? Is something the matter?"
Madam Li carefully studied Ren Shimin’s expression for a moment, but could find no trace of anger on his face. She smiled awkwardly: "Oh, I just wanted to ask what wine you and our son-in-law would like to drink at noon today. I remember you still have a few jars of fine Nü’er Hong stored here."Madam Li's words actually carried a hint of testing. When Ren Yaoqi was young, Ren Shimin had joked that the few jars of daughter red wine he had buried would be drunk with his son-in-law only after his youngest daughter was married. Naturally, the "youngest daughter" Ren Shimin referred to was Ren Yaoqi. However, when Xiao Jingxi arrived today, Ren Shimin had not given Madam Li any such instructions. Perhaps he harbored some dissatisfaction with Xiao Jingxi as a son-in-law.
Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Ren Shimin waved his hand dismissively at Madam Li, "They're just a few jars of wine. Take some people and dig them up. They're buried under the tree in front of the study—it's not like you don't know where."
Madam Li was taken aback for a moment, then finally breathed a sigh of relief. Since Ren Shimin was willing to let his son-in-law drink the precious daughter red wine he had stored for over a decade and specially brought from White Crane Town to Yunyang City, it meant he did not hold any major grievances against Xiao Jingxi.
Moreover, both Master Ren and Xiao Jingxi's clothes were neat and tidy, and there were no signs of injury on either of them. So, although Madam Li was still curious about what had just happened here, she responded to Master Ren's words and withdrew first. Even the shattered brush washer on the floor was left untouched, as she did not take it upon herself to have it cleaned up without Master Ren's explicit order.
Compared to her daughter, Madam Li was not exceptionally clever, but she excelled in understanding Ren Shimin's temperament better than anyone else. Over the years, despite enduring much hardship from the elders of the Ren Family, she had never once been harshly reprimanded by Ren Shimin. Even Concubine Fang had been scolded by Master Ren.
Ren Yaoqi placed the tea tray on a nearby table, personally handed a bowl to Master Ren, and then offered another to Xiao Jingxi.
After Master Ren took a sip of tea and casually handed the bowl back to her, Ren Yaoqi asked with a seemingly casual smile, "It seems a bit messy outside. Should I have someone come and tidy up?"
Master Ren nodded indifferently, "Go ahead and tidy up."
The brush washer was one of Master Ren's cherished possessions. Seeing that he did not lose his temper when she mentioned it, Ren Yaoqi knew the incident likely had nothing to do with Xiao Jingxi. She couldn't help but smile and say, "I remember this brush washer and that brush rest were Father's favorites, and you even brought them specially from White Crane Town. How did they accidentally break today?" As she spoke, Ren Yaoqi glanced inquiringly at Xiao Jingxi.
Xiao Jingxi replied apologetically, "This is my fault. If not for me, the brush washer wouldn't have broken. I remember having one similar to this in my study. I'll have it sent over to Father as soon as I return."
Upon hearing this, Master Ren did not politely refuse but nodded instead, "You are thoughtful. I did indeed like that brush washer quite a bit and felt rather sorry when it broke."
Ren Yaoqi blinked, looking at Master Ren, then at Xiao Jingxi, and finally letting her gaze linger on Xiao Jingxi. She was quite surprised by the change in Master Ren's attitude. What had Xiao Jingxi done this time?
While Master Ren was lowering his head to paint, Xiao Jingxi quietly winked at Ren Yaoqi, his smile carrying a rare hint of playfulness. Ren Yaoqi silently averted her eyes.Just as she was about to inquire further about what had just happened here, Master Ren examined his painting for a few moments, then set down his brush and asked Xiao Jingxi, "What do you think of this one?"
Xiao Jingxi then began to seriously critique Master Ren's painting. Although he was not an expert in painting, his eye and artistic cultivation were excellent, so when facing his father-in-law, Xiao Jingxi actually managed to offer some insightful comments. In other families, a father-in-law would certainly not tolerate his son-in-law pointing fingers and offering critiques of his paintings, but Master Ren was different—he enjoyed hearing others offer opinions on his work.
Before Ren Yaoqi married, she had always played this role, which was why Ren Shimin grew increasingly displeased with Xiao Jingxi when this daughter married. After all, Xiao Jingxi had taken away not only his most beloved daughter but also his personal connoisseur and confidant.
However, Master Ren admired truly talented individuals, so when he learned that Xiao Jingxi's level of appreciation was no lower than his daughter's, he was quite pleased.
He pointed to the painting on the table, its ink still wet, and said, "Then this painting is for you."
Ren Yaoqi asked in surprise, "Father, why are you giving him a painting?" And one freshly painted at that.
Xiao Jingxi's treatment was a bit too favorable, and Ren Yaoqi found it hard to believe. Hadn't her father been somewhat resistant to Xiao Jingxi earlier in the main hall?
Unexpectedly, Master Ren replied matter-of-factly, "I lost a game of chess to Tingzhen and owed him a painting, so I painted one for him. What's so strange about that?"
Only then did Ren Yaoqi understand what had happened, but she was surprised that her father would address Xiao Jingxi by his courtesy name?
She gave Xiao Jingxi a meaningful look and deliberately chided him, "How could you win against my father!"
Hearing this, Ren Shimin was displeased and glared at his daughter, accusingly saying, "What? He's not incapable of winning, but rather shouldn't win? Are you so certain your father would lose?"
Ren Yaoqi thought to herself, You can't even beat me, and I can't beat him, so who else would lose but you?
However, she didn't dare say this aloud, because while Ren Shimin didn't mind losing to Xiao Jingxi, he was very sensitive to the idea that his daughter believed he couldn't possibly win against her husband.
Moreover, Xiao Jingxi, this cunning sesame bun, was clearly scheming against her father! Fortunately, his motives were good.
Xiao Jingxi smiled at Ren Yaoqi and seized the moment to flatter his father-in-law, saying, "Father is a man of integrity and would certainly not approve of me resorting to deceit."
The third watch has arrived～o(∩_∩)o
But this chapter is only 2500+ words.
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