Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua rode in the same carriage.
When leaving the mansion, besides several accompanying maidservants waiting at the Inner Gate, there was also an unfamiliar middle-aged woman. Her attire was somewhat better than that of ordinary maidservants, and her features were quite delicate.
Ren Yaohua glanced at her a few more times: “Where do you serve? How come I haven’t seen you before?”
One of the accompanying maidservants sent by the Ren Family quickly replied with a smile: “This is Sister-in-law Yuan, the steward in charge of food at our Ren Family’s Western Hill coal mine. She came to the mansion today to report to the steward. When she came out, she happened to see the young ladies about to leave, so she waited here to pay her respects.”
“Sister-in-law Yuan?” Ren Yaoqi paused in her steps, turned to look at the woman, and asked with a smile, “What relation is Steward Yuan from the outer courtyard’s Affairs Reporting Office to you?”
The woman lowered her head and replied respectfully, “He is my husband.”
Ren Yaoqi nodded and asked her, “You usually manage affairs at the Western Hill coal mine?”
“Yes, Fifth Miss.”
“I find riding in carriages most tedious; the journey is so dull. Come up and tell me about the Western Hill coal mine to pass the time.” Ren Yaoqi beckoned to her with a smile. Then, remembering she was sharing the carriage with Ren Yaohua, she turned and asked ingratiatingly, “Third Sister, our carriage is quite spacious anyway, so one more person shouldn’t matter, right?”
Ren Yaohua glanced at Sister-in-law Yuan. Seeing her clothes neat and her hands and face clean, she said nothing.
Ren Yaoqi chuckled, “What are you looking at, Third Sister? Did you think someone working at a coal mine would be covered in black?” The surrounding maidservants and maids all laughed.
Ren Yaohua shot Ren Yaoqi a glare and turned to board the carriage.
Ren Yaoqi gestured to Sister-in-law Yuan and followed Ren Yaohua into the carriage.
Sister-in-law Yuan carefully knelt and sat with the two maids. She glanced at Ren Yaohua, then looked at Ren Yaoqi: “What would Fifth Miss like to hear?”
Ren Yaoqi pretended to think for a moment, waiting until the carriage started moving before saying with a smile, “Sister-in-law Yuan, say whatever you like. Were you deliberately waiting for me at the Inner Gate just now?”
Upon hearing this, Ren Yaohua immediately looked over, her gaze scrutinizing Sister-in-law Yuan.
“Well… I…”
Sister-in-law Yuan felt somewhat uneasy under Ren Yaohua’s stare. Although she didn’t serve in the Ren Family’s inner household, she had heard about this Third Miss’s temperament. Earlier, when she learned that Fifth Miss was coming out with Third Miss and heard that the two sisters didn’t get along well, she had almost backed out.
Ren Yaoqi smiled at her, “It’s fine. She’s my Third Sister. If you have something to say, just say it.”
Hearing this, Ren Yaohua glanced at Ren Yaoqi and turned her head away.
Only then did Sister-in-law Yuan tentatively ask, “I wonder if Fifth Miss still remembers the Zhu family.” She thought to herself that if Fifth Miss showed any sign of displeasure, she would quickly stop talking.
Unexpectedly, Ren Yaoqi nodded without hesitation, “I remember. Is Zhu Ruomei working at your Western Hill coal mine? Has his mother recovered from her illness?”
Sister-in-law Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and spoke more freely, “Thank you for your concern, Fifth Miss. Thanks to the reward money you gave for medical treatment and medicine, and with her daughter by her side to care for her, Mrs. Zhu is doing better than before.”
It seemed the Yuan family also knew about her giving money to Zhu Ruomei.
“That’s good. Did you come to see me today because the Zhu family doesn’t have enough money for medical treatment?”"No, no, no, the money is enough. It's just..." Sister-in-law Yuan hesitated, unsure whether she should speak up.
"Sister-in-law Yuan, please speak freely," Ren Yaoqi said gently.
"It's just that the prescription the town doctor gave to Sister Zhu only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. Ruomei and my Dayong found out that there's an old doctor in Yunyang City who is very skilled in treating Sister Zhu's condition. So Ruomei wants to take his mother to Yunyang City to seek treatment."
"Yunyang City..." Ren Yaoqi tilted her head thoughtfully.
"Yes, that doctor is in Yunyang City. Dayong went to see him once and told him about Sister Zhu's condition. The doctor said he's confident he can treat her, but she needs daily consultations and acupuncture. However, the doctor can't travel back and forth between White Crane Town and Yunyang City every day, so Ruomei has to take his mother to Yunyang City for treatment. Ruomei has a younger sister who could take care of their mother, but the girl is only ten years old and still a child. Ruomei isn't comfortable leaving them alone and wants to go along to care for them. But he previously signed a lifelong contract with the mine to raise money for his mother's treatment, and he can't leave the coal mine without the master's permission."
Ren Yaoqi pondered and said, "Zhu Ruomei wants to leave the coal mine?"
"No, no, he doesn't want to leave," Sister-in-law Yuan quickly waved her hands. Miners who sign lifelong contracts with their masters cannot leave at will; they must live and die in the mines. Those who dare to escape can be beaten to death if caught.
"He just wants to cure his mother's illness first, and he will definitely return afterward. But he'll be gone for at least a few months. The mine's chief steward is afraid he won't come back and will have to find someone else to replace him, so he doesn't want to take responsibility. We have no choice but to come to you for help."
"What can she do? Why don't you go ask our grandmother and First Madam?" Ren Yaohua interrupted with a frown.
"I'm just a minor steward from the outer coal mines. Old Madam Ren and First Madam aren't people I can see whenever I want," Sister-in-law Yuan said with a bitter smile.
Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment and said to Sister-in-law Yuan, "Alright, go back for now and come see me again in a couple of days. When you do, tell the gatekeeper you're looking for... Xiangqin." Ren Yaoqi pointed to Xiangqin, who was serving nearby. "I'll give you an answer then."
Xiangqin, Ren Yaohua's personal maid who was named, glanced at her actual mistress and silently complained in her heart: Getting paid for one person's work but serving as a maid for two—being a maid really isn't an easy job.
Hearing that Ren Yaoqi was truly willing to help, Sister-in-law Yuan immediately replied with joy: "I thank Fifth Miss on behalf of Sister Zhu, Ruomei, and Ruju."
Seeing the sincere happiness on Sister-in-law Yuan's face, Ren Yaoqi smiled and said, "You have no relation to them, yet you're willing to go to such lengths for them. They should thank you properly."
Sister-in-law Yuan sighed, "Both children are good kids—obedient and sensible. Ruomei often helps me with work... We just do what we can, helping where we can."
The carriage stopped, and Sister-in-law Yuan bowed and stepped down.
As soon as she left, Ren Yaohua glared at her and said, "Are you really going to meddle in these trivial matters?"
Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment and said seriously to Ren Yaohua, "Isn't it said that good people receive good rewards? I want to accumulate some blessings for myself and my loved ones."
"Do as you please, but don't get people's hopes up for nothing," Ren Yaohua said after a moment of silence, turning her head away.Ren Yaoqi smiled without speaking.
The temple fair in White Crane Town was held near the Guan Gong Temple in the west of the town. When the carriage arrived at the temple, the entire street outside was brightly lit.
Both sides of the street were lined with all kinds of lanterns and filled with various small stalls.
Many young men and women strolled through the temple fair in groups, with laughter and chatter everywhere. The Lantern Festival fair was a rare occasion when they could step out of their homes without strictly adhering to the usual rules and restrictions.
The young ladies of the Ren Family, along with Han You, alighted from the carriage. Ren Yaoting and Han You had already gathered together, pointing at the various small stalls on the street and chattering nonstop.
Han You seemed to have never visited a temple fair before, finding everything novel and fascinating. For a moment, she shed her usual restraint and quiet demeanor, her face brimming with excitement.
"Yaoting, I really must thank you. If you hadn’t gone to my home to plead with my grandmother, I definitely wouldn’t have been able to come out. Ah—what is that? Such a long lantern!"
"Pfft—that’s a street performance, a fire-breathing snake, not a lantern! Have you really never seen something like this before?" Ren Yaoyu laughed.
Han You blushed slightly in embarrassment. Ren Yaoting squeezed her hand and said to Ren Yaoyu, "Do you think everyone is like you, with no sense of propriety as a young lady, always running around and acting wild? Plenty of people have never seen street performances!"
Ren Yaoyu looked somewhat displeased at this, but Han You smoothed things over by saying, "Actually, it’s just that I’m ignorant. I really don’t go out much and have never seen a street performance before."
Surrounded by their maids, the group walked to a stall selling revolving lanterns and palace lanterns. Seeing that Han You particularly liked a revolving lantern painted with the story of Chang’e flying to the moon, Ren Yaoting bought it and gave it to her.
Han You thanked Ren Yaoting and carefully examined the lantern in her hand. Smiling at the others, she said, "I just think the story painted on it is interesting, but the painting technique isn’t really that good. My brother paints much better." At this point, she turned to Ren Yaoting with a slightly apologetic expression. "I’m not saying the lantern is bad, I just..."
Ren Yaoting waved it off with a smile. "I know. The person who painted this lantern is just a craftsman—how could they compare to... to them? It’s just for the festive atmosphere and a bit of fun."
Han You nodded, then turned to Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua. "Third Uncle Ren paints even better than my brother. I once saw one of his paintings in my brother’s study."
Ren Yaoqi remembered that Ren Shimin had once given one of his own paintings to Han Yunqian as a token of gratitude and smiled. "My father usually enjoys painting."
Han You nodded. "I heard from my brother that Uncle has many of his own excellent works. The one he gave to my brother was a painting of autumn chrysanthemums..."
Ren Yaoqi’s smile suddenly froze, and she stared blankly at Han You. "Father gave your brother a painting of ‘Autumn Chrysanthemums’?"
Seeing Ren Yaoqi’s strange expression, Han You replied, puzzled, "Yes, it’s ‘Autumn Chrysanthemums.’ I heard it depicts the chrysanthemum festival near the Yi River in the capital at dusk. Third Uncle’s use of color is quite bold—the entire Xun River is rendered in red, yet it looks so natural, not jarring at all."
As Ren Yaoqi listened to Han You’s words, her heart gradually sank, and the smile completely vanished from her face.
When Ren Yaoqi wasn’t smiling, she carried an indescribable, chilling air.Thank you for subscribing, dear readers～.
(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to Qidian () to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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