Chapter 193 The Wei Family Comes to the Door
Yu Qingci felt something was off as she watched the two figures walk away. Could it be that her second aunt had suddenly sent her daughter to the general's mansion for some reason?
She knew about Yunli's broken engagement, and she also heard that Madam Wei was asking someone to find her daughter a new husband. So, she had her daughter move in now—
Since I can't figure it out, I'll stop thinking about it for now. Fortunately, Yun Li is a good person, and she has a good relationship with Yun Chu. Let's see how things go.
Now that the person had moved in, Yu Qingci instructed Pei Mama to prepare a few changes of clothes for Yun Li and send them over. She also picked out a few pieces of jewelry from her dressing box that looked exquisite but were not very expensive, and had them sent to Yun Chu's courtyard.
Fearing that Yun Li might be embarrassed to accept the gift, Yu Qingci instructed:
"Just say that these pieces of jewelry are new styles bought a few days ago and aren't worth much money. They're just for the two girls to wear for fun."
Pei Mama agreed and walked out, but couldn't help but think to herself: What is the Second Madam up to? She invited her young lady to stay for a while, but didn't even bring a change of clothes.
Originally, it was thought that Yun Li would stay here for at least ten days or half a month, but to everyone's surprise, Wei Shi came to take her home after only three days.
Inside Songbai Hall, Madam Wei sat on a chair at the lower end of the room, chatting intimately with Old Madam Ning, when Yu Qingci brought Yun Chu and Yun Li in.
Yun Li stepped forward and curtsied to Madam Ning and Madam Wei: "Greetings, Aunt and Mother."
Madam Wei chuckled, looked at her daughter, beckoned her to stand beside her, and said to Yu Qingci:
“Yunli often tells me how good Yun Chu was to her back in the General’s Mansion, so I knew she missed Yun Chu. That day at her fourth uncle’s house, I saw the two girls huddled together, reluctant to part, so I decided to let Yunli come and stay with Yun Chu for a while. Hehehe, has this girl caused you any trouble lately?”
Yu Qingci said softly, "Yun Li is very sensible and gets along well with Yun Chu. How could she cause any trouble?"
Madam Wei patted her chest with relief and said repeatedly, "That's good, that's good. This child is shy and doesn't like to talk. I was afraid she would cause you trouble, so I came here today to take her back."
Yu Qingci: "Actually, there's no need for Second Aunt to make a special trip. I will send someone to take Yunli back home when she misses home."
Yun Chu felt a pang of reluctance upon seeing that her second aunt had come to take her cousin home, so she said to Wei Shi:
"Second Aunt, my cousin has only been staying at my house for a few days and we haven't had enough time together yet. We agreed that she would accompany me to go shopping in a couple of days, and we also made an appointment with Lin Wu, the younger sister of the Lin family. How about Second Aunt comes to pick her up in a few days?"
Madam Wei laughed even more heartily: "It's so kind of you two sisters to have such a good relationship. If I had known that your cousin Yunbo had gotten into trouble last time, I would have asked Yunli to come to your door to borrow money."
Everyone: ...
Hearing this, Yunli felt both ashamed and angry, and stepped forward, saying, "Mother—"
Only then did Madam Wei realize she had misspoke, and she quickly covered her mouth with her hand and forced a laugh:
"I was just joking, don't mind me. Since you girls are getting along so well, I'm relieved. I'll have Yunli stay here for a few more days to keep you company and also let her go out and see the world with you."
However, I must take Hong'er back with me.
Madam Wei pointed to Hong'er, the maid following behind Yun Li, and then turned to explain to Old Madam Ning:
“The family is not as well off as before. Last time, Yunbo’s incident forced us to sell our house and land to pay off our debts. We were already struggling financially, and now we are even more strapped for cash. We have no choice but to reduce the number of servants we have. With only a few servants, we can’t keep up with all the work. There’s no need for Hong’er, a mere maid, to come and enjoy herself here. Let her go back and serve us.”
After saying that, he turned to Hong'er and said, "What are you dawdling for? Hurry up and pack your clothes and come back with me."
After saying this, she secretly gave Hong'er a look. Hong'er understood, bowed, and said yes. She was about to leave when Granny Pei seemed to speak up unintentionally:
"However, this old servant does not recall that Miss Yunli brought any change of clothes when she came that day, let alone Hong'er. Since she came empty-handed, what are she carrying now?"
One sentence made Hong'er stand still, too afraid to move.
Wei Shi also realized what was happening and smiled awkwardly, saying, "It's all my fault. I was in such a hurry that day that I forgot to pack some clothes for them to change into. But I remember that Hong'er wasn't wearing these clothes when she came. My niece-in-law must be kind enough to have prepared clothes for Yun Li and even for Hong'er. I just blurted it out."
"If I take her back now, my niece-in-law won't make her take it off, will she?"
Yu Qingci: "That's not necessary. If it's given to her, it's hers."
Madam Wei was just waiting for these words: "That's good, Hong'er, you go and get ready."
Upon receiving Wei's hint, Hong'er's expression tightened and she hurriedly left.
Pei Mama and Yu Qingci exchanged a glance but remained silent. Pei Mama quietly gestured for Lian Qiao to follow them out.
Madam Wei held Yunli's hand and looked her up and down with satisfaction: "Sister-in-law's family is becoming more and more wealthy. Look at the new clothes you made for Yunli, and the hairpins on her head. Tsk tsk tsk, these are things that our family can't afford to buy for our children. As the saying goes, clothes make the man. My Yunli looks so much more elegant now that she's dressed up like this. She's definitely a lady from a prominent family. Hehehe, my niece-in-law, you've put a lot of thought into this."
Before Yu Qingci and the others could speak, Madam Wei instructed Yun Li, "Since you're going to stay for a while longer, remember to take good care of Yun Chu. Don't be as oblivious as you are at home, always keeping quiet like a silent gourd."
"Also, Yun Chu mentioned that she'll be taking you out to make some new friends in a few days. That's great! Yun Chu is befriending daughters of officials and noble families. You should make good use of your time with them; who knows, you might just find a good match in the future."
Yunli felt both ashamed and embarrassed by her mother's words, and lowered her head to quietly persuade her mother to stop talking.
Madam Wei smiled and said to the group, "Look at this girl, she gets shy after I say just a few words."
As Wei was speaking at length, a noise came from the doorway.
Everyone looked outside and saw Lian Qiao leading several people in, with two burly old women supporting a woman as they walked inside.
When they got closer, they realized that the woman being supported was none other than Hong'er, who had just left.
Everyone was stunned, and even the usually talkative Madam Wei fell silent as if she had been choked.
Lian Qiao stepped forward and bowed respectfully, saying, "Young Madam, it's windy outside. Granny Pei just told me to go back and get you a cloak. I thought the two young ladies might need cloaks when they go back later, so I went to the young ladies' courtyard to bring them some. But I unexpectedly found this maid sneaking out of Miss Yun Chu's room."
She seemed startled when she saw the maid and tried to run away.
I just checked, and there's no one in Miss's room. Hong'er should have gone directly to the side room where the maids live when she went back to pack her things. Why did she go into Miss's room?
Out of curiosity, I asked her a few questions, but she stammered and couldn't answer. So I had someone stop her and bring her here.
After Lianqiao finished speaking, everyone looked at Hong'er.
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