Chapter 9 The Slow Return (Part 8) She was indeed too abrupt. ...
Song Qiyu and Wei Yuanzhan did not stop communicating from the beginning.
Two years ago, on a spring afternoon, Lady Hou, accompanied by her two children, came to the Song residence to pay her respects. Upon hearing of his arrival, Song Qiyu suddenly stopped wielding his spear, tossed it to a servant beside him, and strode towards the front hall.
The Wei family's spear technique was very famous. He studied under Old Master Wei for two years, who was also Wei Yuanzhan's grandfather.
The two had practiced martial arts and studied together since childhood. Although they were not exactly like brothers, his relationship with Wei Yuanzhan was much closer than his relationship with Song Qizhang of the eldest branch.
That day, Wei Yuanzhan was in a bad mood. He tried to comfort him, but to no avail. Wei Yuanzhan suddenly suggested that he compete with him in marksmanship.
It was called a competition, but it was really just a way to vent.
Wei Mingying was a restless person. Seeing that the two men weren't keeping her company, she got bored and called out to them a few times. Receiving no response, she angrily grabbed her skirt and strode aimlessly toward the inner courtyard.
When they saw Wei Mingying again, she and Song Hanjin got into a fight.
Wei Mingying pushed Song Hanjin into the pond, and then hit her head on a bridge pillar. Bright red blood slowly flowed down her forehead, which was extremely gruesome.
Seeing this, Wei Yuanzhan immediately ran to her side, tore off his sleeve, and pressed the wound to stop the bleeding. Song Qiyu naturally plunged into the water and rescued her sister, who was hitting her arm repeatedly.
Their relationship began to grow increasingly distant on this day, this afternoon.
That night, when they returned to Jueyan, Song Hanjin had a persistent high fever. Song Qiyu was worried and stayed with her in her room all night.
When Song Hanjin woke up the next day, she told him the whole story. It turned out that the two of them had accidentally witnessed their mother and the Lady Hou having an argument, which brought up some old stories.
Song Qiyu listened without saying anything. He thought to himself that Wei Mingying had probably told Wei Yuanzhan these things as well.
In May of the same year, Lord Wei passed away.
That was the last time Song Qiyu set foot in the Yining Marquis's residence.
After that, whenever the two met at the Song residence, they would exchange greetings but say nothing else.
Upon hearing that Wei Yuanzhan had brought Song Zhirou back, the young man raised a sharp eyebrow.
His cousin, the heir apparent, has always been arrogant, and because of his mother, he has never liked to associate too closely with the Song family. Why would he now take the initiative to provoke a daughter of the Song family?
The attendant beside him replied, "The person on duty last night said that the young master came with a fierce-looking man. The fourth young lady seems to be ill, but it's unclear..."
Song Qiyu paid no attention to yesterday's trivial matters, only finding Wei Yuanzhan's actions truly puzzling.
Not long after, he chuckled and stepped into the family school.
In Xixiang Garden, Zhirou squatted under a tree with a bamboo skewer in her hand, looking quite depressed.
She was physically strong and had only caught a cold. After taking the medicine, she was almost fully recovered, but Lin He was cautious and forbade her from causing trouble everywhere.
Having been trapped for too long, Zhi Rou's thoughts were in turmoil, wandering between different ideas.
Xing Hui stood quietly by her side, watching over her. Seeing her brushing aside the withered leaves, her hair blowing in the wind and covering half her face, she couldn't help but say, "Fourth Miss, you should go back inside. The wind is too strong, and you're not fully recovered yet."
After he said that, she remained silent for a long time.
Just as Xinghui was about to pull her up, she suddenly looked up, one eyebrow raised high: "Sister Xinghui, is what they said true? Was it that Prince Wei who brought me back yesterday?"
She met that man three times in total, but Zhi Rou's impression of him was not good.
He was as aloof as a lion, speaking little to her, as if afraid of contracting some disease from being tainted by her aura.
They even wronged her.
Why would a prince who looked down on her suddenly take pity on her and send her back to his residence?
"I don't know." Xinghui met Zhirou after she had been sent to Xixiang Garden.
"But since that's what everyone's saying, it's probably true."
She was also puzzled. When the young master visited the Song residence last time, he clearly had some past connection with the fourth young lady, but not in a typical way. Could it be that their meeting yesterday meant they had reconciled?
Zhi Rou received the reply, and although she was puzzled, she didn't think about it any further. Instead, she asked, "What about Song Peiyu? How is he?"
These words startled Xinghui: "Why are you still concerned about him!"
“I’ve caught a cold, he can’t be fine,” Zhi Rou said firmly.
Upon reflection, she couldn't help but pout: "Actually, I kicked him quite hard yesterday, which should have made him hurt for three to five days."
Xinghui chuckled, but before she could speak, Zhirou threw away the bamboo skewer and stood up, her dark eyes filled with regret: "I should have cursed back first, then hit him!"
Zhi Rou was still bothered by the fact that she had only kicked Song Peiyu once. Xing Hui, being two years older than her, calmed down after laughing, but worry returned to her brow.
“The Tenth Young Master is very unreasonable, but you…” He paused, then lowered his head and said to Zhi Rou, “You must be careful when you go to school in the future. The Tenth Young Master is not a kind person.”
After yesterday's incident, Xinghui developed different feelings for her and wholeheartedly accepted her as his master, only hoping that she would have a smooth life.
I almost forgot that the young mistress in front of me was different from others from the moment she entered the door; she had a rather arrogant air about her.
"I'm not afraid of him." Zhi Rou said nonchalantly, her thoughts drifting back to the chestnut shop under Lingzhen Bridge.
For several days in a row, medicinal meals were continuously delivered to Xixiang Garden. Fearing that Zhirou would be lonely, Song Congzhao personally selected two items to amuse her.
One is a little turtle, and the other is a cloth-made spirit lion.
Zhi Rou played with the Bu Ling Ni for a while, then for no reason thought of Wei Yuanzhan. As if avoiding evil spirits, she immediately let go of it and ran off to tease the turtle.
Before Lin He could react, Zhi Rou sneaked out with her new pet. Reaching the small garden behind the mountain, she lay back on a bench in a corner of the pavilion, holding the tortoise up and examining it closely.
"You... aren't very good-looking." After a while, Zhi Rou gave her verdict.
As if it could understand, the tortoise flexibly retracted its neck, leaving her with only its rough, dry shell, and then remained motionless.
Zhi Rou swept her legs up and sat up straight, tapping its shell: "Even if you're not pretty, I'll still take good care of you. Come out?"
Song Hanjin was strolling with her mother, Xu, in the small garden when they encountered this scene.
With no one around to serve her, it's no surprise that she must have "escaped" again.
I had long heard that she was unruly, always impeccably polite in public but a mischievous and unruly person in private. My father, however, valued her highly and sent a whole courtyard of servants to her house and bought her new clothes; fearing that her cold might not heal, he ordered the kitchen to prepare medicinal meals for her every day.
In Song Hanjin's heart, Zhirou will always be an outsider. If Zhirou doesn't come and attract her attention, they can live in peace.
The problem is that Madam Zheng was sent out of the mansion because of Lin He.
She was about to turn back, but then she stopped and glanced at Zhi Rou silently: "Mother, tomorrow is Grandmother's birthday, why don't you let her go too?"
Xu Yueyuan glanced sideways and saw the figure in the pavilion. Her lips pursed, and she said to her daughter, "Don't you know what kind of temper your grandmother has? Don't make her unhappy."
Song Hanjin said, "Everyone will be going tomorrow, and she will be the only one left in the mansion. I'm afraid people will gossip about it."
These words touched a nerve with Xu Yueyuan, and her expression immediately turned cold: "What gossip? She's someone of unknown origin. We've already let her in and given her a surname. What more do you want from me?"
She and Song Congzhao had already argued several times over this lowly maid. The old lady, who was indifferent to everything, clearly disliked the fourth girl, yet she made her play the villain.
Is her reputation really that insignificant?
Her voice was sharp and shrill, and as soon as she finished speaking, she realized she had lost her composure and quickly composed herself.
After a moment's thought, she said calmly, "Fine, what you said makes sense. Let's go then."
With a slight gesture, the old nanny behind her stepped forward and instructed, "Invite Doctor Wang to the mansion and have him examine the Fourth Miss. If she is well, have the Fourth Miss move back to Longyue Pavilion and go to the Xu mansion to offer birthday greetings early tomorrow morning."
This is roughly what is meant by an unexpected disaster.
What business is it of her, a complete stranger, that her relatives from the Xu family went to offer their birthday wishes?
But her feelings as a young girl were not important.
The next day, before dawn, Zhi Rou was awakened by an unfamiliar old woman. After washing and dressing, she boarded a carriage and arrived at the residence of Xu Xiumin, the Right Councilor of the Provincial Treasurer.
Even before the hour of Si (9-11 AM), the number of pedestrians on the streets was gradually increasing.
Both branches of the Song family visited together, and with the servants who served them, the long queue blocked half of the back of the line.
Inside the Marquis's carriage, the young girl's gentle voice rang out.
"Didn't my uncle say two years ago that he was going to move back to Jingzhou? It's been two years, and he's still in the capital."
Xu Xiumin is now in charge of the Xu family. Old Madam Xu only has one son, and she follows his wishes in everything.
"Are you really looking forward to them leaving?" Wei Yuanzhan asked.
Wei Mingying remained silent for a moment, her brows furrowing slightly, but her tone remained calm: "I don't like my maternal grandmother, you know that."
Their maternal grandmother, Madam Xu, was a biased, selfish, and especially mean-spirited person.
Whether it's a big or small matter, they entrust their mother with whatever they can, as if they've forgotten they have another daughter. When they meet during festivals, she acts like a kind elder, with endless things to say, but not a single word is pleasant to hear; every word is grating.
In a child's world, black and white can be very distinct. When Wei Mingying was still young, she judged a person's feelings by how that person treated her.
Her relationship with her maternal grandmother was extremely thin.
Wei Yuanzhan turned to look at her expression and advised, "It's your grandmother's birthday, sister, please bear with it for another day."
"Easy for you to say." Wei Mingying scoffed, impatiently lifting the carriage curtain. "Why aren't we leaving yet?"
The driver outside replied, "The Song family members are getting off their carriages ahead. Miss, young master, please wait a while."
Wei Mingying could only sit back down with her hands behind her back, leaning against the car wall and pursing her lips.
Seeing her agitated look, Wei Yuanzhan couldn't help but chuckle: "What's the rush now?"
"You're the one who didn't want to come, yet you're also the one who's eager to enter the manor. Sister, why are you so contradictory?" He seemed puzzled, yet also seemed to be joking with her, speaking slowly and leisurely.
Wei Mingying was furious and, without saying a word, was about to beat him up.
But instead of hitting him, her slender wrist was grabbed by him. He held it tightly, and no matter how hard she struggled, it was like an ant trying to shake a tree; she couldn't break free at all.
Wei Mingying was somewhat taken aback.
She had never realized that her younger brother could control her so easily. The unfamiliar sense of defeat made her a little flustered, and her voice trembled: "Let go!"
Wei Yuanzhan relaxed.
Wei Mingying took the opportunity to move to the opposite side and found a seat in the carriage furthest from him, looking over in disbelief.
When he looked back, Wei Mingying felt as if she had been stabbed, and she quickly turned her head away to cut off his gaze.
The girl, who was loved and cared for since childhood, always got whatever she wanted, and everyone had to cater to her.
After suffering a setback, Wei Mingying felt extremely resentful.
After a brief moment of disappointment, she grabbed something and threw it at Wei Yuanzhan. He tried to block it, but his elbow was still forcefully grazed.
Even with his good temper, Wei Yuanzhan was somewhat angered at this moment. He clenched his fists tightly, but still did not fight back.
The bustling figures outside floated on the window screen, the boy's face was slightly turned to the side, making it impossible to see his expression.
Wei Mingying also regretted it a little: "Does it hurt...?"
"What do you think?" he said coldly, not glancing at her again until he got out of the car.
Upon entering the Xu residence, Xu's younger siblings saw him and swarmed forward to greet him as their cousin. He nodded in response, a slight, bright smile playing on his lips.
Perhaps the children's noise was too loud, so the Song family turned their attention to the Marquis and his wife, and then one by one they got up and stepped out of the flower hall.
The polite formalities had to be done, and Wei Yuanzhan couldn't avoid them.
He just didn't expect that there would be an unexpected figure at today's banquet.
Compared to everyone else present, she certainly stood out.
A note from the author:
①Suanni: A mythical beast in ancient Chinese mythology, resembling a lion.
Lady Wei and Lady Song were sisters, so their children shared the same maternal grandparents: the Xu family.
I'm not sure if this explanation is clearer (regarding the relationships between the characters)~
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
