The two of them walked out from the western courtyard and were about to go their separate ways when they saw Ren Yaohua emerging from the main house.
Her gaze lingered on Ren Yaoqi and Han Yunqian for a moment, her brows slightly furrowed.
Han Yunqian gave a distant bow toward Ren Yaohua, then turned and left. Ren Yaoqi casually beckoned a maid from the western courtyard and instructed her to follow Han Yunqian to retrieve the painting.
By the time Ren Yaoqi turned back to look, Ren Yaohua had already crossed the courtyard and returned to her own room.
About an hour later, the maid sent to the Han Family brought the painting to Ren Yaoqi.
"Miss, on my way back, I ran into Dujuan, who serves the Seventh Young Miss of the eastern mansion. She pestered me with all sorts of strange questions and even asked what I was doing at the Han residence."
Ren Yaoqi took the painting and raised an eyebrow as she glanced at the maid. "And how did you answer?"
The maid replied, "I told her the truth—that Third Master had ordered me to fetch a painting from the Han residence. Seeing that she kept asking endless questions and I was in a hurry to return and report, I gave a few vague responses and left."
Ren Yaoqi nodded. "You’ve worked hard. Go to Xueli to collect your reward."
The maid happily agreed, then paused thoughtfully before smiling and adding, "Fifth Young Miss, I also encountered something strange while I was at the Han Family."
Ren Yaoqi’s interest was piqued. "Oh? What strange thing?"
The maid explained, "Young Master Han went to the study to retrieve the painting, and I waited at the Inner Gate. But he took a long time, and I needed to use the restroom, so I stopped a Han Family maid and asked her to take me to the nearest one. Since it was close to a restroom in the inner courtyard, she led me there. When I came out, I happened to see Young Master Han and an elderly man around fifty years old walking past a fork in the path ahead of me. The old man seemed to be scolding Young Master Han, but he spoke with our Youzhou accent. I was about to ask the maid who the old man was when she panicked and quickly pulled me away down another small path, saying the Han Family had strict rules and it wouldn’t be good if I were seen. After the maid left, not long after, Young Master Han and the old man came out again, but this time I heard the old man speaking with a Jizhou accent. That’s when I realized the old man was Young Master Han’s grandfather. Miss, don’t you think that’s strange? Isn’t it said that the Han Family are natives of Jizhou? How could Young Master Han’s grandfather speak the dialect of our White Crane Town?"
Ren Yaoqi smiled. "Perhaps Elder Han visited White Crane Town when he was younger."
"But I heard that Elder Han fled famine from the south to Jizhou and was favored by the previous head of the Han Family, who brought him into the family as a son-in-law."
Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment and instructed the maid, "For now, don’t mention this to anyone else. After all, you entered their inner courtyard without permission and inadvertently overheard their conversation, which is highly inappropriate."
The maid quickly nodded. "I understand. I’ve only told you, Fifth Young Miss."
Ren Yaoqi nodded and dismissed the maid.
Sitting down on the kang, Ren Yaoqi unrolled the scroll of the painting on the kang table. It was indeed the autumn chrysanthemum painting as described by Han You, complete with Ren Shimin’s personal seal. After carefully examining it, Ren Yaoqi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Then her thoughts turned to what the maid had just told her.The maid wondered whether she had misheard Old Master Han speaking with the local dialect of White Crane Town, or if Old Master Han had adapted too quickly. Or perhaps there was some other trivial reason?
What was Old Master Han scolding Han Yunqian about? Did it have anything to do with the painting in her hand?
Ren Yaoqi thought and thought until her head ached.
This Han Family was truly baffling.
Before long, spring arrived with blooming flowers, and Yun Wenfang came to the Ren Family again. It was said that the man he had beaten half to death had fallen seriously ill during the winter and died.
The man’s father was a sixth-rank official who went to the Yanbei Prince’s Mansion to demand justice, urging the Prince of Yanbei to severely punish Yun Wenfang.
Yun Wenfang was ordered by his grandmother to stay obediently at the Ren Family until the matter was resolved and was not allowed to go anywhere else.
Thus, Yun Wenfang began studying with the Ren Family’s younger generation in the outer courtyard.
One day, while Ren Yaoqi was reading in her room, the newly arrived maid Pingguo came in to report that the young mistress had returned and had already gone to Glory and Splendor Courtyard.
It took Ren Yaoqi a moment to realize that the maid was referring to her aunt, Ren Shijia, who had married into the second branch of the Lin Family in Yunyang City.
But she remembered that Ren Shijia was still pregnant, with about three months left until her due date. Why would she return at such a time?
"Did Aunt come back alone?" Ren Yaoqi asked.
Pingguo nodded. "The young master did not come. Only the young mistress returned."
After some thought, Ren Yaoqi got up and went to Madam Li’s main room.
Nanny Zhou happened to be reporting to Madam Li about Ren Shijia’s situation.
"...I heard she had a quarrel with Second Master Lin and came back to her maiden home to give birth. On the way, the old madam from the main branch sent two groups of people to persuade the young mistress to return, but she insisted on coming back."
Madam Li couldn’t help but express surprise. "Haven’t the young mistress and the young master always had a harmonious relationship? Why would they quarrel now, especially when she’s pregnant? What happened?"
Nanny Zhou lowered her voice. "I heard that Second Master Lin took in a maid from the young mistress’s side while she was pregnant and physically inconvenienced, without telling her. When the young mistress found out, she flew into a rage, packed her things, and left."
Madam Li was stunned. "Second Master Lin hasn’t had a single concubine all these years, only the young mistress as his lawful wife. How could this happen now..."
Nanny Zhou shook her head. "I don’t know. But what cat doesn’t love to steal a taste? Second Master Lin..." It was only then that Nanny Zhou noticed Ren Yaoqi had entered at some point and was standing to the side, listening with great interest.
Nanny Zhou promptly stopped speaking, stood up with a smile, and bowed to Ren Yaoqi.
Ren Yaoqi showed no embarrassment at being caught eavesdropping and said with a smile, "I heard Aunt has returned. I was wondering if Mother plans to go over."
Just then, Ren Yaohua also lifted the curtain and entered. She had also come upon hearing that Ren Shijia had returned.
Madam Li nodded. "It’s good that you’re both here. I was just about to go to Glory and Splendor Courtyard. Come with me to see your aunt."
Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua followed Madam Li to Glory and Splendor Courtyard.
Even before entering, they could hear the laughter of Fifth Madam Lin from inside.After the maid went in to announce them, Madam Li and her two daughters entered the main room. Ren Yaoqi saw a pregnant woman sitting next to Old Madam Ren’s right hand—that was her aunt, Ren Shijia.
Ren Shijia was Old Madam Ren’s only daughter and also the youngest among the Ren Family’s children of her generation. Her appearance most closely resembled that of Fifth Master Ren Shimiao, though her face was slightly more delicate than his. It was said that before she married, the relationship between these two siblings had been the closest.
Ren Yaoqi had little impression of this aunt. In her previous life, there seemed to have been no incident of Ren Shijia returning to her maternal home to await childbirth.
"Third Sister-in-law," Ren Shijia attempted to rise and pay respects to Madam Li but was gently pressed back down by Madam Lin, who was sitting beside her.
"Why bother with such formalities among family? Third Sister-in-law won’t mind, right?" Madam Lin said with a sweet smile.
Madam Li quickly replied, "Please don’t get up. You’re carrying two lives now, so you must be careful."
Old Madam Ren motioned for Madam Li to take a seat on a chair.
Ren Shijia then looked at Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua, exclaiming in surprise, "It’s been over a year since I last saw you both, and you’ve grown so much taller."
Madam Lin chuckled, "You probably haven’t seen Yaohua for more than a year, right? She spent a year at the manor... recuperating and only returned before the New Year. When you came back to pay New Year’s respects the year before last, she hadn’t returned yet."
Ren Shijia thought carefully for a moment, then nodded with a smile, "Look at my poor memory."
As she spoke, she beckoned warmly to Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua.
The two sisters walked over to Ren Shijia, who removed a pair of agate bracelets from her wrists and gave one to each of them, saying kindly, "Good children, wear these for fun."
Madam Lin glanced at the bracelets and remarked, "Oh, Madam, you’re truly generous. Have you prepared enough gifts for today? You have more than just these two nieces."
Ren Shijia shot a playful glare at Madam Lin, "Of course I have. When have I ever favored one over the other?"
Hearing this, Madam Lin replied with a hint of envy, "Mother dotes on you the most, giving you all the best dowry items."
Old Madam Ren frowned and scolded Madam Lin, "What family’s married daughter uses her dowry to reward her nieces? Only a fool like you would say such a thing! Stop embarrassing me."
Madam Lin, however, laughed off the scolding and quickly said, "I was just joking with Shijia, Mother-in-law. If it’s not from the maternal family, then it must be from the marital family. Since we’re both in the Lin Family, my grandmother and mother were never this generous to me when I was a girl. It’s clear how much they truly cherish our Madam."
Old Madam Ren paused briefly before replying calmly, "Before you married, you were a daughter of the eldest branch, while Shijia is a daughter-in-law of the second branch. Why compare across branches? If you must compare, do so with the daughters and daughters-in-law of the Lin Family’s eldest branch. Once the Lin Family divides households in the future, there will be even less basis for comparison."
Hearing this, Madam Lin was taken aback, "Divide households? Why would they divide households?" She looked at Ren Shijia in confusion, "Didn’t Grandmother say, ‘A single tree cannot make a forest’—that the Lin Family would never divide households?"
Ren Shijia fell silent for a moment before looking up and brushing off Madam Lin’s question, "Mother was just speaking casually. How could such a thing be decided so easily?"
Madam Lin glanced at Old Madam Ren again, who had slightly closed her eyes and leaned against the Arhat Bed as if she hadn’t been listening to their conversation.
Ren Yaoqi, observing the expressions of the three women before her, couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.Thank you to Fox Beibei77 for the six pink tickets~ ^^
Thanks to hougenn88 for the sachet~
(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to Qidian () to cast recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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