Yun Chu Ling

Chapter 96: Their Resemblance

Yun Chu rested with her eyes closed.

After Ting Yu finished pouring out her grievances through tears, Yun Chu finally spoke: "Ping Jie'er, what do you think?"

Xie Ping hadn't expected Yun Chu to ask for her opinion.

She thought to herself that it was probably because her status was different now—as the future Princess Anjing, her words should carry some weight.

She replied: "Father forbidding Yu Yiniang from raising Yun Ge'er is also for Yun Ge'er's own good. Yu Yiniang shouldn't delay Yun Ge'er's future just because she's afraid of losing her child. I believe it would be better for Yun Ge'er to remain with He Yiniang."

He Shi smiled.

Although she had no patience for raising Xie Shiyun, Xie Shiyun had to stay by her side.

If Xie Shiyun was raised to be useless, then all the Xie family's resources would flow to An Ge'er. The entire Xie family should belong completely to An Ge'er.

Only when An Ge'er had a better future could he protect someone as useless as Xie Shiyun.

Ting Yu knew that no matter what she said now, the mistress would never soften her heart.

She had betrayed the mistress twice, and the mistress had given up on her, thus venting her anger on Yun Ge'er by deliberately sending him to He Shi.

She knew she was completely in the wrong, but what fault was it of Yun Ge'er?

"Everyone may withdraw now."

Yun Chu waved her hand.

Ting Yu glanced at He Shi, who wore a faint smile at the corner of her mouth, bit her lip, and withdrew.

Tao Yiniang, her belly swollen with pregnancy, leaned on her maid's arm as she slowly walked out. She looked at Ting Yu, who was walking out of Sheng Residence with her head lowered, then turned to Jiang Yiniang and said: "That one climbed into the master's bed behind the mistress's back to become a concubine. Instead of staying in her place, she stirred trouble between the master and mistress. Who else would the mistress punish if not her?"

Jiang Yiniang didn't wish to gossip about others and said concernedly: "You're due in just over a month, you should be extra careful."

"Of course." Just as Tao Yiniang was about to complain about how difficult the third trimester was, she noticed He Shi and Xie Ping walking under a tree not far away, speaking in low voices. She narrowed her eyes: "I say, Jiang Yiniang, haven't you noticed that the eldest young miss looks somewhat like He Yiniang."

Jiang Yiniang was a woman of few words, and reserved people tend to be more observant. She had noticed this long ago but had never mentioned it to anyone.

She nodded: "There are so many identical leaves in the world, it's not unusual for two people to look alike. Perhaps this is the fate between He Yiniang and the eldest young miss, which is why they've always been closer."

"Not only is the eldest young miss close to He Yiniang, the eldest young master and second young master are also particularly close to He Yiniang." Tao Yiniang tapped her chin with her finger. "Thinking carefully, the eldest young master's eyes are exactly like He Yiniang's. The second young master's mouth looks like it was carved from the same mold as He Yiniang's. And the eldest young miss also resembles He Yiniang so much..."

Jiang Yiniang couldn't help covering her mouth: "They say daughters grow up to resemble their birth mothers..."

"Oh heavens!" Tao Yiniang's eyes widened. "It couldn't be... it couldn't be... That seems unlikely, too unbelievable."

"What are you two discussing?"

Suddenly, a voice came from behind them.

Tao Yiniang and Jiang Yiniang both jumped in surprise. They turned around to see He Shi and Xie Ping standing there. Being caught gossiping about others was somewhat embarrassing.

"Nothing, nothing." Jiang Yiniang tightened her grip on Xie Xian's hand. "I'm taking Xian Jie'er to school now."

With that, she quickly walked away.Concubine Tao touched her pregnant belly, her gaze sweeping over He Shi and Xie Ping's faces. "I must say, Concubine He and the Eldest Young Miss do bear some resemblance to biological mother and daughter."

He Shi drew a sharp breath.

She hadn't misheard—Concubine Tao and Concubine Jiang were indeed discussing her and Ping Jie'er's appearances.

Xie Ping, remembering Granny Fu's teachings that she must never reveal her emotions no matter what she heard, steadied herself and said coldly, "What ridiculous words are you speaking, Concubine Tao? My mother is the Yun Eldest Young Miss of the General's Manor, and I am the Xie Family's Eldest Young Miss. How could I possibly resemble someone like He Shi, who serves others? Don't insult me!"

She turned and walked away.

Concubine Tao frowned. The Eldest Young Miss's words were filled with nothing but disdain and contempt for Concubine He. Had she guessed wrong?

He Shi lowered her head, clenched her fingers, and quickly walked away.

Yun Chu found herself completely unable to focus on anything.

It would take Ting Shuang at least three days to investigate the matter from that day and produce any results.

She simply had a carriage prepared and went to check on the hot spring manor in the northern part of the city. After so many days, she thought the manor should have undergone significant changes.

The carriage traveled for about half an hour before arriving at the manor's entrance.

During her last visit, weeds as tall as a person were everywhere, but now they had been cleared away, revealing the manor's original appearance.

This was the former site of the Wu Family Ancestral Hall. The buildings here were constructed with great effort, so even after more than twenty years of disuse, they hadn't fallen into complete disrepair.

Of course, some repairs were still needed, especially for the courtyard walls, building corners, corridor eaves, rooftops, and the like...

"Madam truly has foresight!" Chen Defu's face was full of admiration. "It turns out there's a massive hot spring on the hill behind this manor. How large it is exactly will only be known after it's fully excavated."

Buying this manor for three thousand taels, carrying out all the repairs, excavating the hot spring, and building the hot spring pools would cost roughly seven to eight thousand taels in total.

But with this hot spring, they could earn tens of thousands of taels in just one winter—and that was a conservative estimate.

Yun Chu followed Chen Defu toward the hill behind the manor. As soon as they arrived, they saw Jiu'er, dressed in blue, distributing heat-relieving tea to the workers.

She paused and asked, "What do you think of Jiu'er, Chen Bo?"

"She's a sincere girl," Chen Defu replied. "Though she's physically weak, she never slacks off or rests. She starts working whenever the workers begin their shifts. When she first arrived, she was quite fair-skinned, but these past few days she's gotten noticeably tanned."

Hearing their conversation, Jiu'er turned around and, seeing Yun Chu had arrived, quickly put down the tea to come and pay her respects.

Yun Chu said, "Part of the hot spring has been excavated. You should start soaking in it. The physician said you need at least half an hour each day."

Jiu'er lowered her head. "Madam, Jiu'er's life is humble. It would be better not to sully the spring pools."

"It's not for free," Yun Chu said calmly. "No one has ever soaked in this hot spring before, so we don't know what effects it might have. You'll need to record everything—how you feel after soaking for a quarter of an hour, how you feel after half an hour. Each pool has a different temperature, so the experience will vary. You must try them all. I'll ask you again in a month."

Jiu'er was deeply moved. "Yes, Madam."

She knew Madam had assigned her this task so she could soak in the hot spring without feeling burdened.From that day on, her worthless life belonged entirely to the lady. Even if the lady ordered her to climb a mountain of blades, she wouldn't so much as blink.

As they were speaking, Wu Furen emerged from the thatched cottage in the rear woods, leaning on her walking stick. The moment she saw Yun Chu, tears streamed down her face: "Lady Xie, you are my son's savior, the great benefactor of our Wu family. Even if I were to serve as your ox or horse, I could never repay your kindness..."

Three days earlier, her son had followed Divine Doctor Si to Qingzhou for medical treatment. Had it not been Lady Xie acting as intermediary, they would never have encountered Divine Doctor Si in their lifetime.

With Divine Doctor Si's care, her son was certain to recover his life. She could now rest content in her grave and inform the ancestors of the Wu family that their lineage would not be broken!

Yun Chu helped Wu Furen to her feet: "Since I purchased the ancestral estate of the Wu family, assisting Young Master Wu with his treatment was merely incidental. Please don't stand on ceremony, Madam Wu - you honor me too greatly."

Just as Wu Furen was about to say more, they noticed a servant whispering something into Chen Defu's ear nearby. Chen Defu's expression abruptly changed: "My lady, we've uncovered Concubine He's identity!"