She placed the teapot on the kang table, then helped Ren Yaoqi sit up, supporting her back with one hand and bringing the teapot to her lips to feed her with the other.
But she leaned in a hurry, and Ren Yaoqi tilted her head, and the water in the teapot dripped onto the quilt she was covering herself with, and the pine green satin was immediately wet.
“Ahem…”
Nanny Zhu quickly put down the teapot and patted her back gently: "Sister, are you okay?"
Ren Yaoqi was completely awake. She pushed away Nanny Zhu's hand and glanced at her sideways: "The water is cold..."
Nanny Zhu quickly smiled and said, "Oh, those two maids on duty must have been lazy and forgot to change the hot tea. I will go and teach them a lesson later."
Nanny Zhu then took a padded jacket from the side and draped it over Ren Yaoqi's shoulders, saying, "Sister, I just received news that the Third Madam and Third Sister are on their way back home. Although the heavy snow came suddenly and several roads outside the city were blocked overnight, with the cavalry from the Yanbei Palace clearing the way, the carriage will be able to enter the city by this evening at the latest."
Ren Yaoqi paused: "Mother and Third Sister are back?"
She lowered her eyes, making it impossible to see her emotions, but her fingers, which were clasped at her collar, could not help but tremble.
Nanny Zhu's tone finally revealed her anxiety. "Yes, I heard that they were escorted back by the old princess' carriage from the Yanbei Palace. They left the manor yesterday morning, and the palace only received the news early this morning. Sister, what should we do now?"
Ren Yaoqi blinked quickly to hide the tears in her eyes. She took off her jacket and tried to put it on. Nanny Zhu immediately came up to help, whispering in Ren Yaoqi's ear, "I don't know what tricks Third Sister used to get hold of the old Princess of Yanbei. Fifth Sister, when Third Sister comes back, where will you find a place in Ziwei Courtyard?"
Upon hearing this, Ren Yaoqi glanced indifferently at Nanny Zhu who was hurriedly buttoning her collar with her head down, but she couldn't help but sneer in her heart. There were indeed many evildoers in the Ren family more than ten years ago.
She has been watching coldly for the past two days, wanting to carefully see the filth behind these colorful painted faces.
Nanny Zhu didn't notice anything unusual about Ren Yaoqi. She buttoned her collar and raised her head to continue, "The old lady has always liked Third Sister more than you, and Third Madam always listens to her. She has the final say on most matters in our courtyard. But she also dislikes you and makes things difficult for you. This has led Third Madam to stop caring about you as her daughter and only believe her instigation..."
At this point, Nanny Zhu glanced at Ren Yaoqi secretly. To her surprise, Ren Yaoqi was just leaning on the red backrest with square patterns at the head of the kang, looking at her quietly. His clear eyes were like the finest glass, quiet and translucent.
Ren Yaoqi remembered that her third sister Ren Yaohua pushed her sixth brother Ren Yihong and fell into the lotus pond in the autumn of the 16th year of Chengqian, and was punished by the old lady to go to the farm to reflect on her mistakes.
Their mother, the third wife of the Ren family, went to the old lady to plead for mercy but was refused entry. In the end, she accompanied her third sister to the farm, and the nine-year-old girl was left at the Ren family.
My mother, Mrs. Li, was a timid woman.
Li's cowardice does not only come from her experience of wandering in her childhood.
She married into the Ren family in the 47th year of the Qinglong reign. She had no children in the first two years. In the third year, she gave birth to a daughter, but the daughter died within a hundred days. In the fifth year, she gave birth to another daughter.
At this time, the old lady of the Ren family was very dissatisfied with Li. Fortunately, Li became pregnant again the second year after giving birth to her second daughter.