Chapter 153 Let me borrow your jade pendant to play with.
Yu Qingying fiddled with the jade pendant in her hand, then glanced at Qiao Ning, who looked nervous beside her. Her mischievous thoughts intensified, and she said disdainfully:
“What kind of treasures doesn’t our Nanping Marquis’s Mansion have? Why would I care about your broken piece of jade? Only my cousin would be interested in something of this caliber. I certainly wouldn’t be interested in it.”
I was just looking at it for fun; I'll return it to you when I'm done playing with it."
After saying that, he ignored Qiao Ning and said to Yu Qingyan:
"Second sister, Grandmother just said that my eldest uncle's family is coming back soon. I suppose my eldest aunt has been tidying up the courtyard of my younger aunt and several cousins these past few days. I wonder if it's done to their liking."
"Why don't we go take a look and offer some advice, so that our cousins won't be uncomfortable when they come back?"
The two walked slowly toward the backyard as they talked.
As Yu Qingyan walked, she laughed and said, "You're really talking nonsense. Your aunt is always very capable. Knowing that your uncle's family is coming back, she will definitely tidy up the yard carefully. Don't worry about it."
Yu Qingying glanced at Qiao Ning, who was silently following behind: "That's not necessarily true. It's hard for my aunt to manage the entire Minister's mansion all by herself. If she makes a mistake or doesn't arrange things properly, my uncle will be unhappy when he comes back, and my aunt will be the one who suffers."
Let's go see if she's helping my aunt, or if it's my cousin Ning'er.
Seeing that Qiao Ning remained silent, Yu Qingying continued:
“Once my eldest uncle returns with his family, this mansion will truly come alive. It’s so quiet now, there’s hardly anyone around, it’s so boring.”
Yu Qingying knew very well what words could hurt the other person's feelings. Qiao Ning lowered her head and silently swallowed the bitterness at the corner of her mouth.
They're a family? If they are a family, then what are my mother and myself in this family?
From the time she was old enough to understand, she knew that her grandmother only cared about her aunt Yuexiu, who stayed with her father outside, and her children. Her grandmother never looked down on her mother, who stayed by her side to fulfill her filial duties, or herself.
Now that her father is coming back with Aunt Yuexiu and her older brothers and sisters, Qiao Ning has no expectations at all. On the contrary, just thinking about it makes her chest feel uncomfortable, as if a stone is stuck in it.
Although she is young, her past experiences have taught her a lot about human relationships and social customs.
In this family, the grandmother is the absolute supreme being, and her words must never be disobeyed, otherwise the mother and daughter can forget about having a good life.
The sisters walked to the Reed Courtyard while they were talking.
Jianjia Courtyard was a courtyard specially designated by Madam Wen for her niece Yuexiu. It was larger and more luxurious than Qiuluoting, where her daughter-in-law Ruan lived. Several of her grandchildren also had their own courtyards prepared, all of which were carefully selected and tidied up.
Even though Yuexiu and her children are often away from the mansion, these courtyards are regularly looked after and cleaned, and no one dares to neglect them.
Therefore, cleaning up Jianjia Courtyard right now doesn't require much effort. All you need to do is take out the sample furniture and valuable antique decorations that were previously stored away in the storeroom and put them away properly, and then select the best bedding and blankets to replace them on the bed.
But since Wen had given the order, Ruan had no choice but to come and check again.
Just as I finished watching and was about to leave, I ran into a few girls coming towards me.
Madam Ruan hurriedly said, "Oh, Qingyan, Qingying, what brings you here?"
Yu Qingyan stepped forward and said, "Aunt, my sister and I were bored, so we came to help you see if there's anything else you need to buy."
Madam Ruan smiled and said, "I'm sorry to have troubled you. I've already had my servants clean this place several times, and the bedding and furnishings are exactly what they liked back then. But since you're here, please take another look."
The two sisters walked around the yard and couldn't find anything wrong with it, so they left.
Ruan said, “It’s almost lunchtime. Let’s hurry to your grandmother’s courtyard so she won’t have to wait too long.”
After saying that, he was taken aback when he saw the hibiscus jade pendant tied around Yu Qingying's waist. Then he looked at his daughter and saw that the jade pendant that was originally tied around his daughter's waist was indeed gone.
The Yu sisters exchanged a glance, and Yu Qingying spoke:
“Aunt, I just saw my cousin’s jade pendant and thought it was really interesting, so I borrowed it to play with for a few days. I will send someone to return it to my cousin in a few days. I wonder if Aunt would agree?”
Upon hearing "a few days," Qiao Ning's heart tightened, and she looked at her mother with a worried expression, hoping that her mother could put in a good word for her.
This jade pendant was a birthday gift from her maternal grandmother, Ruan's mother. Qiao Ning liked it very much and had always been reluctant to wear it. She only wore it when she went out to meet guests during the Chinese New Year.
To my surprise, my cousin took a liking to it and snatched it away.
Ruan was also taken aback, but after a moment she came to her senses and forced a smile, saying:
"It's rare to find something good that Qingying likes. This jade isn't a particularly valuable treasure, but since Qingying likes it, I'll give it to you as a New Year's gift from your aunt."
Madam Ruan knew her daughter was reluctant to part with her daughter, but she still gave her a meaningful look.
Qiao Ning was still young, and she almost burst into tears when she heard her mother's words, but she knew she couldn't cry, so she could only lower her head and clench her little fists tightly in her sleeves.
Yu Qingying glanced at Qiao Ning triumphantly and said, "Then thank you, Aunt."
Yu Qingyan looked at her younger sister reproachfully: "You really have no manners. How could you covet your cousin's good things? If Grandmother and Mother find out, they will definitely not forgive you."
Madam Ruan smiled and said, "It's just a little trinket. If Qingying likes it, she can take it. Your grandmother and mother won't say anything if they find out."
With the dust settled, Yu Qingyan stepped forward and took Qiao Ning's hand, saying, "But as her older sister, I feel bad about it. How about this, I'll give you this pearl bracelet to play with."
As she spoke, she took off the pair of lustrous white pearl bracelets she had worn that morning from her wrist and put them on Qiao Ning's wrist.
The pearls on that bracelet were no bigger than soybeans, but they were wrapped around three times. Their color was warm and lustrous, making it a fine piece of jewelry. However, it was still far inferior to Qiao Ning's hibiscus jade pendant.
Seeing this, Madam Ruan quickly stepped forward to stop her: "This is unacceptable. It's just a jade pendant, how can we accept something so precious from you? Ning'er, quickly take it off and return it to your cousin."
Yu Qingyan held Qiao Ning's hands, preventing them from taking them off, her expression gentle and kind, displaying the demeanor of a true older sister.
"I can't just accept my cousin Ning'er's nice things for nothing. This bracelet of mine is just a worthless little trinket. It's perfect for my cousin to play with, so Aunt, please don't refuse."
Yu Qingyan insisted on seeing them off, and Madam Ruan could not refuse, so she had no choice but to stop talking. Then the group walked towards the main courtyard.
The two Yu sisters walked ahead, while Ruan Shi quietly held her daughter's hand from behind, trying to comfort her. Qiao Ning remained expressionless, biting her lip tightly and not saying a word.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com