Ren Yaoqi said, "I heard Old Master Ren is critically ill, and the Ren Family has sent someone to ask Father to return. My sister and I came back to see."
Ren Shimin nodded, sighed as if thinking of something, then held the teacup Madam Li handed him, lost in thought.
Seeing Ren Shimin like this, no one spoke.
To be honest, among those present, Madam Li and Ren Yaohua held no affection for Old Master Ren, let alone Ren Yaoqi. For Ren Shimin, however, Old Master Ren was ultimately his father. Now that Old Master Ren seemed unlikely to pull through, Ren Shimin’s mood was certainly far from good.
Ren Yaohua had always been straightforward. Seeing Ren Shimin like this, she couldn’t help but ask, "Father, do you plan to return to the Ren Family? I mean, to the Ren clan."
Hearing this, Ren Shimin frowned and glanced at Ren Yaohua.
Ren Yaoqi quickly interjected, "My sister, Mother, and I were just discussing this matter. We believe such important decisions should be made by Father, and we will follow whatever Father decides."
Ren Yaohua frowned and looked at Ren Yaoqi, who shook her head slightly at her before asking Ren Shimin, "What is Father’s opinion?"
Ren Shimin remained silent for a moment, then said, "Words once spoken are like water spilled—they cannot be taken back. I have already left the Ren clan and will not return."
Madam Li and Nanny Zhou both breathed a sigh of relief.
Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment, then said to Ren Shimin, "Father makes a valid point. However, when you and Mother return to the Ren Family this time, the Ren Family will surely try every means to make you compromise, especially from Old Master Ren’s side, along with Old Madam Ren… There will likely be many people trying to persuade you. At this time, it’s not suitable to confront the Ren Family head-on. Father only needs to give an ambiguous answer and must not refuse too outright. It’s better to wait until after the New Year to settle everything."
Ren Yaoqi feared that Ren Shimin’s stubbornness might lead him to refuse outright from the start, which would only force the Ren Family to resort to every possible method to pressure him into submission. With Old Master Ren on his deathbed, the timing was unfavorable for Ren Shimin, and the Ren Family had always been adept at seizing and exploiting opportunities.
Ren Shimin glanced at Ren Yaoqi, thought for a moment, and nodded, "Mm, I understand."
Having advised her father and mother, Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but feel relieved. Regardless of what the future held, it was important to let Old Master Ren pass away peacefully first.
Seeing Ren Shimin in low spirits, Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua didn’t stay long at their parents’ home. After chatting a while longer, they left together. Ren Shimin and Madam Li still had to prepare for their return to White Crane Town.
As the two sisters left their parents’ home, Ren Yaohua seemed somewhat worried. "I always feel this matter will be troublesome. After all, the Ren Family raised me for many years, so in principle, I shouldn’t be so indifferent. But after experiencing so much, I’ve gradually come to understand many things I couldn’t see before. The Ren Family… it’s better not to return if possible."
Ren Yaoqi smiled and asked Ren Yaohua, "Sister, do you hate the Ren Family?"
Ren Yaohua thought seriously, then shook her head. "As I said earlier, no matter what, the Ren Family raised me for many years. I don’t hate them. It’s just… our paths are different, and we cannot walk together."
Ren Yaoqi sighed softly and whispered, "I once hated them, hated them deeply."Upon hearing this, Ren Yaohua was taken aback, looking at Ren Yaoqi unsure how to respond, for she could tell that the hatred in Ren Yaoqi's words was not spoken lightly—Ren Yaoqi truly hated the Ren Family.
Ren Yaoqi, however, smiled again. "But now I no longer hate them. As you said, no matter what, the Ren Family raised me all these years. By my reckoning, that should offset their wrongs. Moreover, the surname Ren itself is not at fault—the fault lies with those who bear it. Even so, I still have no desire to return to the Ren Family or to be a daughter of the Ren Family again."
Ren Yaohua frowned, lost in thought.
After leaving, the two boarded their respective carriages. They traveled together for a stretch before parting ways to return to their own homes.
Ren Shimin and Madam Li returned to White Crane Town the following day.
Ren Yaoqi received the news of Old Master Ren's passing on New Year's Eve. In the end, Old Master Ren had not managed to survive the turn of the year.
During this period, although Ren Yaoqi had not returned to White Crane Town, she was kept informed of every detail of what happened there, as she had sent her personal maid Leshui to accompany Madam Li back to the Ren Family.
Thus, Ren Yaoqi learned that Old Master Ren, indeed, in his final moments of lucidity before death, had brought up the old matter again, urging Ren Shimin to return to the Ren Family. Ren Shimin stood silently by Old Master Ren's sickbed for a long time, neither refusing nor agreeing.
Without a definite answer, Old Master Ren glared, unwilling to close his eyes. Seeing this, Old Madam Ren took the lead, preparing to kneel before Ren Shimin and beg him to grant Old Master Ren this final request on his deathbed.
Ren Shimin felt as if he had been pushed to the edge of a cliff. Though unwilling to jump, there was no other path before him. Old Madam Ren wept bitterly, her tears streaming down her aged face, insisting on kneeling before Ren Shimin. Eldest Young Madam and Third Young Madam, each holding one of her arms, could barely restrain her.
Just as Ren Shimin was about to hastily agree, Nanny Zhou, who had been standing behind Madam Li, suddenly narrowed her eyes, gritted her teeth in secret, and exchanged a glance with Leshui, who was supporting Madam Li.
Leshui subtly retreated half a step, using Madam Li's body to conceal most of her own. Then, with a flick of her wrist, an emerald gemstone appeared in her palm. She lightly flicked her finger, and with a soft "snap," Old Madam Ren's knees suddenly gave way. Her feet slipped, and she stumbled forward. Third Young Madam Qi, who had been tightly holding her, either due to tired arms or some other reason, happened to release her grip at that very moment. Eldest Young Madam alone could not hold back Old Madam Ren's falling body...
Thus, everyone watched helplessly as Old Madam Ren, who had been wailing and lamenting just moments before, fell face-first, rigidly to the ground. Her nose struck the bed railing with a crisp sound of bone meeting hard wood, sending a shiver down the spines of all present.
For a moment, there was silence in the room, until Third Young Madam Qi was the first to react. She threw herself forward with a heart-wrenching cry, helping Old Madam Ren up. Her piercing wails surpassed even Old Madam Ren's earlier lamentations: "Old Madam! Old Madam! What's happened to you? What's wrong? Wake up! Wake up! Please wake up! Don't leave us! Don't abandon us!"
Unfortunately, by then, Old Madam Ren had already fainted from the pain.Eldest Young Madam hurried forward to assist, only to see Old Madam Ren's face below the nose smeared with blood from her nostrils. The bridge of her nose was swollen and red, a sight too painful to behold—the nasal bone was likely broken.
First Madam and the others had not expected Old Madam Ren to fall so heavily. They swarmed around her in a flurry—some pinching her philtrum, others wiping away the nosebleed, and still others calling for a physician. For a moment, chaos reigned, while Old Master Ren, who had been lying on the bed with barely a breath left in him, was completely forgotten.
It was sharp-eyed Third Young Madam who first noticed something amiss. Wide-eyed, she cried out in alarm, "Old Master! Old Master! Old Master, what's wrong with you? Oh no, Old Master has been frightened to death by Old Madam!"
Startled by her words, everyone turned to look at Old Master Ren on the bed, only to find that he had already breathed his last at some unknown moment. Yet his eyes remained wide open—truly, he had died with grievances unredressed.
Nanny Zhou watched this farce coldly. While everyone rushed to Old Master Ren's bedside and no one paid her any attention, she curved the corners of her mouth slightly. Then, using her sleeve to wipe her eyes, she joined Madam Li in shedding tears.
Leshui glanced at Old Madam Ren, who was being carried away by many hands, and wept with genuine sincerity and piety.
Because of this sudden turn of events, the Ren Family was thrown into disarray. Meanwhile, Ren Shimin, who had been pushed to the brink of suffocation, finally found himself free from scrutiny. He stared blankly at Old Master Ren, who had already passed away and whose eyes were being gently closed by Master Ren the Elder, and his own eyes reddened.
Master Ren the Elder and First Madam Ren began handling Old Master Ren's funeral arrangements, while Eldest Young Madam and Third Young Madam went together to help care for Old Madam Ren.
In private, Eldest Young Madam said gratefully to Third Young Madam, "Thank you so much for earlier. If you hadn't pulled me back at the last moment, I would have fallen too, and I might have fainted by now."
Third Young Madam, whose eyes were also red from crying, replied cheerfully to Eldest Young Madam, "There's no need to thank me. I just grabbed at random—I thought I had caught Old Madam. I'm glad you didn't fall."
Eldest Young Madam gave Third Young Madam a sincere smile. "I still want to thank you."
Old Madam Ren's fall meant that Old Master Ren's final act of coercion—using death as a threat—ultimately failed. Old Madam Ren, having lost too much blood and with her nasal bone shattered, was also rendered immobile. Thus, Ren Shimin found temporary peace. With the two elders who had relied on their seniority to bully others out of the picture, the remaining members of the Ren Family did not dare to offend Ren Shimin.
It was unclear exactly whom Old Master Ren's unredressed grievances were directed toward in the end. However, because of Third Young Madam's loud wail, the maids and elderly servants outside truly believed that Old Master Ren had been frightened to death by Old Madam Ren's tragic state, which actually saved Ren Shimin a great deal of trouble.
Old Master Ren died on New Year's Eve. According to Yanbei customs, it is inauspicious to hold a funeral on New Year's Day, as doing so would bring three years of bad luck to the household. Therefore, Old Master Ren's funeral was postponed until the fourth day of the new year.
Ren Shimin remained in White Crane Town for the time being, intending to leave only after Old Master Ren's funeral was concluded. However, he refused to stay in the Ren Family mansion and instead found separate accommodations outside. Old Madam Ren's injury was on her face, with her nose swollen so badly that she could not be seen in public, so she had no time to bother with him.From the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, people began to visit the Ren Family to offer condolences.
Although Ren Yaoqi had spent the New Year at the Yanbei Prince's Mansion, she had not been entirely at ease. On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, she went with Ren Yaohua to White Crane Town to bid Old Master Ren a final farewell.
Xiao Jingxi and others from the Yanbei Prince's Mansion did not make an appearance.
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