Madam Lin was so frightened that she froze, even forgetting to cry out in pain.
It was Fifth Master Lin Shimao who reacted first, hurriedly stepping in front of Madam Lin and asking anxiously, "Were you scalded anywhere?" He then turned to Old Madam Ren and said, "Mother, Huijun meant well—she just didn’t want to see her sister and brother-in-law at odds. How could you splash hot tea on her?"
Old Madam Lin, enraged, pointed at his nose and scolded, "You ungrateful wretch! Eating from the inside while serving the outside—all these years I’ve raised you for nothing! Get out! All of you, get out!"
As the youngest son, Fifth Master had been pampered growing up and had never been subjected to such harsh words from his mother. He was immediately stunned and at a loss.
The other children and grandchildren were also shocked by Old Madam Ren’s sudden outburst, unsure how to react.
Ren Yaoqi stood far behind her parents, quietly observing the varied expressions of those present.
It wasn’t until Ren Shijia stepped forward and softly persuaded Old Madam Ren, "Mother, Fifth Sister-in-law and Fifth Brother meant well for me. It’s not their fault," that the tension eased slightly.
Old Madam Ren glanced around at everyone and, ultimately giving face to her pregnant daughter, took a deep breath and said wearily, "All of you, leave now."
Everyone bowed to Old Madam Ren, and Madam Lin, finally snapping back to reality, covered her face and ran out sobbing.
Fifth Master wanted to chase after her, but seeing his mother’s icy expression, he feared that chasing after her without regard for decorum would only make things harder for his wife. He could only follow the others slowly out of the room. Once outside, he grabbed a servant woman to ask about Madam Lin’s whereabouts, then lifted the hem of his robe and ran off.
His flustered appearance amused several of the Ren Family children, who laughed. Eldest Master Ren Shizhong cleared his throat and glanced at his sons and nephews, silencing them.
Everyone returned to their respective courtyards.
By the next day, the incident of Madam Lin being reprimanded by Old Madam Ren had spread throughout the Ren Family, though no one knew who had publicized it.
In early spring, though the mornings and evenings in Yanbei were still cold, signs of spring were everywhere. Green buds began to sprout on the branches and in the corners of walls, full of vitality.
Sister-in-law Yuan came to the mansion again, bringing two pairs of spring shoes, saying they were made for Ren Yaoqi by the Zhu family’s younger sister.
Two days after the Lantern Festival, Sister-in-law Yuan had come to the mansion as instructed by Ren Yaoqi. Ren Yaoqi had her maid relay that she had already asked Third Master to put in a word at the mine, and in a few days, Zhu Ruomei would be released. Sister-in-law Yuan was overjoyed.
Sure enough, the day after Sister-in-law Yuan returned, the mine’s manager returned Zhu Ruomei’s deed of sale to him and even gave him an extra portion of his wages, saying it was a favor from Third Master and Fifth Young Miss.
The Zhu family was immensely grateful. That same day, Zhu Ruomei took his mother and sister to Yunyang City to seek medical treatment.
During this period, every time Sister-in-law Yuan came to the Ren mansion, she would bring something from the Zhu family—sometimes fresh game, furs, or even pickled vegetables made by the Zhu family themselves.
Ren Yaoqi accepted them all, sometimes giving gifts in return and inquiring about Sister-in-law Zhu’s health.
Although the material of the two embroidered shoes made by the Zhu family’s younger sister was ordinary, great care had been taken in the craftsmanship. The stitching was fine and meticulous. Ren Yaoqi tried them on and found they fit perfectly and were very comfortable to walk in. Last time Sister-in-law Yuan had visited, she had asked Xiangqin for Ren Yaoqi’s shoe size.After instructing the maid Pingguo to store the two pairs of shoes away to be worn when the weather warmed up, Ren Yaoqi called for the maid Xueli to help her change clothes, as she intended to visit Ren Shijia’s Warm Fragrance Pavilion that day.
Unexpectedly, just as she finished changing and stepped out, she heard Pingguo’s soft sobbing and Qingmei’s scolding.
Ren Yaoqi summoned both of them over.
Qingmei spoke first, “Miss, this new maid has no sense of propriety. You entrusted her with managing your seasonal clothes, but she stored silk garments together with fur ones. Just now, when I fetched a few of your spring outfits, I found them all covered in fur lint.”
“It wasn’t me. When I took over, they were already stored that way,” Pingguo sobbed.
“How dare you argue back!” Qingmei snapped.
After the Spring Festival, four new maids had arrived in Ren Yaoqi’s quarters, replacing the few young maids originally arranged by Concubine Fang. After observing them for a while, Ren Yaoqi had Nanny Zhou promote two of them, Pingguo and Sangshen, to second-rank maids.
Currently, only Xueli and Qingmei remained in Ren Yaoqi’s quarters as the ones originally left by Concubine Fang.
Faced with this change, Xueli, being relatively steady in temperament, had simply become more respectful toward Ren Yaoqi and worked more diligently. Qingmei, however, was extremely unsettled and had been finding fault with the new maids these past days to highlight her own competence. The newly promoted second-rank maid Pingguo, being honest and simple by nature, had often been the target of her nitpicking.
Ren Yaoqi noticed this but did not deliberately intervene. She lacked capable people around her, which was inconvenient for her future plans. As for who could be entrusted with greater responsibilities, she needed to observe further before deciding.
She kept Xueli because she felt this maid understood the situation well and was clever enough. As long as she could keep her under control, she could still be of use.
As for Qingmei, keeping her was actually to temper the new maids. Moreover, Ren Yaoqi had other plans for Qingmei.
Finding someone both loyal and highly capable was a rare opportunity. If she could secure either usefulness or loyalty, that would already be quite good.
“Xueli,” Ren Yaoqi called.
“Yes, Miss.”
“Nanny Zhou is still searching for a housekeeper for me. Until the housekeeper is found, you will temporarily take charge of matters in the room, including resolving disputes among the maids,” Ren Yaoqi said with a wave of her hand.
Xueli lowered her head in acknowledgment and looked at Qingmei and Pingguo.
“Who was in charge of Miss’s seasonal clothes before Pingguo arrived?” Although she phrased it as a question, Xueli’s eyes were fixed on Qingmei.
Qingmei gritted her teeth.
Ren Yaoqi’s approach to the two maids originally sent by Concubine Fang was to suppress one and elevate the other. As a result, the once harmonious relationship between the two had become fraught with conflict.
“Qingmei?” Seeing Qingmei remain silent, Xueli called her name again.
Glancing at Ren Yaoqi, Qingmei gritted out each word, “It—was—me!”
“I recall that the newly made spring outfits from the embroidery workshop haven’t been delivered yet, so the spring clothes in the chest should still be last year’s old ones. You only handed the chest keys to Pingguo not long ago, and I was present during the inventory check. She hasn’t touched these old clothes yet.”
Qingmei glared at Xueli, then angrily turned her head away, her lips moving silently as if muttering curses under her breath.Xueli pretended not to see and continued, “Qingmei ruined the young lady’s clothes and tried to shift the blame. She will be fined half a month’s allowance. If she offends again, she will be handed over to Nanny Zhou for punishment. Do you accept this?”
Qingmei naturally did not accept it, but she was afraid that Xueli would really hand her over to Nanny Zhou. Nanny Zhou’s strictness was well-known in Purple Magnolia Courtyard, so she could only grit her teeth and endure it.
Only then did Ren Yaoqi stand up and ask, “Is it settled?”
Xueli bowed her head and replied, “Yes, young lady, it is settled.”
Ren Yaoqi nodded and walked out, saying, “I’m going to my aunt’s courtyard. Prepare yourselves. I’ll first go to my mother’s place.”
The maids responded in unison.
Ren Yaoqi went to Madam Li’s room and had just sat down when a nanny from outside came to report that the young masters Qiu and Wen had arrived.
Madam Li was quite surprised. The young master Qiu referred to Old Madam Ren’s grandnephew Qiu Yun. When he came to the Ren Family, he never paid respects at Purple Magnolia Courtyard, so she didn’t know why he had come today. As for Young Master Wen, Yun Wenfang was an even rarer guest.
“Please invite them in quickly,” Madam Li said hurriedly.
Ren Yaoqi frowned inwardly. What were these two here for today?
Qiu Yun and Yun Wenfang had come to pay their respects.
Listening to Qiu Yun’s polite words: “...I often come to the Ren Family to impose, yet I rarely come to pay respects to Third Uncle and Third Aunt. Please forgive my rudeness.”
Yun Wenfang also spoke very politely in front of Madam Li, but when no one was paying attention, he cast his gaze toward Ren Yaoqi.
Ren Yaoqi kept her head down, eyes fixed on her nose, pretending not to notice anything.
She heard Qiu Yun say, “...The spring scenery is lovely. I’d like to invite my cousins to go for an outing in the suburbs and have vegetarian dishes at White Dragon Temple outside the city. If Third Aunt has time, it would be even better if you could join us.”
Although Madam Li was somewhat surprised, she still smiled and said, “You young ones go ahead. Third Aunt won’t join.”
Qiu Yun looked up cheerfully and said, “Then does Third Aunt agree to let Fifth Sister and Third Sister go?”
Madam Li looked at Ren Yaoqi with a loving smile and said, “Since everyone is going, why don’t you and your Third Sister go as well?”
Madam Li naturally hoped that Ren Yaoqi and her sister could get along well with Qiu Yun and this future successor of the Yun Family. The two sisters had no brothers of their own, so it would be wonderful if they could receive care from their cousin Qiu Yun in the future.
Ren Yaoqi, however, looked at Qiu Yun and asked, “Will my Third Brother, Fourth Sister, Seventh Sister, and Eighth Sister also go?”
Qiu Yun nodded with a smile. “Naturally, they will all go. I’ve already spoken with them.”
Ren Yaoqi fell silent. Madam Li had already agreed on her behalf, so what else could she do?
Having achieved his goal, Qiu Yun politely stood up to take his leave.
Madam Li said to Ren Yaoqi, “Didn’t you say earlier that you wanted to visit your aunt? You may leave with them. I won’t be going to Warm Fragrance Pavilion today.”
Ren Yaoqi also stood up to take her leave.
After leaving Madam Li’s main room, Ren Yaoqi smiled at Qiu Yun and Yun Wenfang and said, “Cousin and Young Master Wen, take care. I need to return to my room to prepare.”
Yun Wenfang, however, raised an eyebrow and said, “Jinyuan and I were also planning to pay respects to Aunt Ren. Shall we go together?”
Ren Yaoqi felt that Yun Wenfang was acting strangely today. Knowing his relentless nature, she could only reluctantly nod and return to her room to prepare, saying nothing more.
Starting today, each pink vote counts as two votes.Want to climb the rankings on the new book list~ T-T
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