Lord Xiao didn't stay in the east courtyard for long; he came out after only a few words. The boy, who had been eagerly waiting, rushed to greet him: "Father—"
She called out but then stopped abruptly. Her small body bowed, and her voice lowered: "Madam. Yi'er greets Madam."
Madam Xiao stepped out from behind Marquis Xiao and responded with a faint expression.
Besides the servants, there was a very young woman following on Madam Xiao's left. She was demure and her skirt swayed only slightly as she walked, almost silently.
The boy, Xiao Yi, obediently bowed to her again, saying, "Sister-in-law."
Chang Shuyin smiled and nodded slightly: "Fourth brother."
Her gaze lingered for only a moment before she casually looked up and glanced outside—only to meet Xu Rong's eyes directly.
Chang Shuyin's pupils contracted involuntarily.
Xu Rong calmly looked her over before looking away.
She's quite pretty, with a bit of a lady-in-waiting look. You wouldn't guess from her face that she'd be seducing someone else's fiancé.
The exchange lasted only a moment before the maid's announcement rang out: "Second Master, Second Madam, Eldest Miss, Second Miss, Third Young Master has arrived."
With so many people arriving at once, along with their servants, the spacious courtyard became crowded and lively. The second wife of the second branch, Madam Xiao, was a plump woman with a round, auspicious face. As soon as she entered, she smiled and said, "My master and I are a little late, and we've kept the newlyweds waiting!"
After saying that, he looked around in the crowd and found Xu Rong, then smiled at her.
Xu Rong didn't seem embarrassed by the teasing and smiled back at her.
Madam Xiao was taken aback by the laughter, and then she clicked her tongue in praise, "Look at how generous and elegant my nephew's wife is." Her eyes then shifted to include Chang Shuyin, "Our eldest mistress is even better. I really envy my sister-in-law. Every woman she welcomes into the house is a fine lady."
Chang Shuyin curtsied to her on the steps: "Second Madam is too kind."
Madam Xiao did not respond to Second Madam Xiao's words. She glanced around the courtyard and said, "Alright, everyone's here. Let's go in."
She was about to turn and walk towards the main hall when Lord Xiao seemed to remember something and said, "Wait. Where's Lun'er? Why hasn't he come over yet?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the courtyard fell silent for a moment.
Xiao Yi was walking towards a girl wearing a light green cross-collar jacket and a primrose-colored horse-face skirt when he was startled by the silence and paused in his tracks.
The girl reached out and pulled him to her side.
"My eldest son has something to attend to at the yamen and has already left," Madam Xiao finally spoke, her voice a little cold. "It's the same whether my eldest son's wife is here or not."
Judging from Lord Xiao's expression, he realized his slip of the tongue—the awkward relationship between Xiao Lun and Xu Rong was common knowledge. It would be fine if they met slowly in the future, but to acknowledge each other and exchange greetings in front of everyone was just asking for trouble.
Xu Rong blinked. It seemed that her father was not only a jerk to Xiao Xin, but also not so good to Xiao Lun.
If you truly cared, you wouldn't have failed to realize that Xiao Lun was intentionally avoiding the issue, and you wouldn't have asked such a question. Didn't you see that even Mrs. Xiao was quite tactful, praising Chang Shuyin but not mentioning Xiao Lun at all?
"Is that so?" Lord Xiao coughed, uttered two dry words, and walked into the main room.
After everyone followed them inside, the atmosphere gradually came alive. Madam Xiao played a significant role in this; she was very good at managing the situation, chatting away with a beaming smile, and after a few sentences, she finally brought the atmosphere back to normal.
The main room was already set up, and the tea ceremony was nothing out of the ordinary. Cups of tea were served, and in return, Madam Xiao received a pair of pearl hairpins, Marquis Xiao received a purse, and the usually silent Second Master Xiao and his ever-talkative Second Madam Xiao also received a purse. Then there was Chang Shuyin, who was of the same generation as Xu Rong, so she did not need to be served tea, but only received a curtsy. Chang Shuyin stood up and returned half a curtsy, and then presented a pair of jade bracelets.
The jade bracelet was presented by the maid behind Chang Shuyin. The box containing the conch shell was half-open, its surface splendid, and the jade inside was clear and lustrous, complementing each other perfectly. It was clear at a glance that it was of great value.
Bai Fu hesitated for a moment before taking the jade bracelets. It wasn't that she was ignorant; on the contrary, she was quite knowledgeable. These jade bracelets were slightly inferior to Madam Xiao's hairpins, but they were clearly much more valuable than the purse given by Second Madam Xiao—which contained a pair of earrings that could be easily felt upon handling.
Between peers, such elaborate formalities are unnecessary.
All eyes were drawn to her, and Madam Xiao the Second smiled and said, "It's clear that Madam is the eldest sister-in-law; she really knows how to take care of people."
Chang Shuyin smiled, appearing reserved and dignified, and then introduced the girl sitting to her right: "This is the eldest daughter of the manor, Shan'er."
Xiao Shan stood up gracefully. She had a small face, delicate eyebrows and eyes, and thin, slender lips. When she bent over, she had a charming and touching appearance: "Hello, Second Sister-in-law."
Xu Rong had already guessed her identity—it was she who had put her arm around Xiao Yi in the courtyard, nodded with a smile, and Bai Fu handed her a purse behind her. Xiao Shan accepted it, thanked her, and sat down.
Across from Xiao Shan sat a young girl dressed similarly to Xiao Shan, but whose appearance resembled that of Xiao Er's wife. She had a round face and fair skin. Although she was not as beautiful as Xiao Shan, she was still cute and endearing. Before Chang Shuyin could speak, Xiao Er's wife smiled and said, "This is my girl, Qi'er. She is the most mischievous."
"mother!"
Xiao Qi gave a coquettish laugh, stood up and curtsied: "Greetings, Second Sister-in-law."
Bai Fu presented a second gift.
Next to Xiao Qi was a boy, a little older than Xiao Yi, about twelve or thirteen years old, with a chubby face. He was young and not very good at hiding his true feelings. When Chang Shuyin walked over to introduce him, he looked up and back and forth between Chang Shuyin and Xu Rong. Chang Shuyin said, "This is my third brother, Jian Ge'er from my second aunt's family."
Xiao Jian blurted out, "Hello, sister-in-law."
This sound was uttered while looking at Xu Rong.
Awkward.
The deathly silence in the courtyard was repeated.
This time, even Madam Xiao didn't know how to smooth things over. She lowered her face and was about to scold him when Xiao Jian realized what was happening and stammered, "Hello, Second Sister-in-law."
Xu Rong smiled and nodded, took the third purse from Bai Fu's hand, and handed it to him personally.
This was a friendly way of saying it, and Xiao Jian breathed a sigh of relief, quickly saying loudly, "Thank you, Second Sister-in-law!"
Then he sat down and secretly looked at Mrs. Xiao, who glared at him angrily.
Finally, circling back to Xiao Shan's side, Xiao Yi got down from his seat and took the initiative to greet her with a cupped-hand salute. He seemed to be more courteous than Xiao Jian. Bai Fu handed the last purse to his small hand, and the main task for the day was considered completed.
Logically, there should also be a procedure of opening the ancestral hall to worship ancestors and adding Xu Rong's name to the family genealogy. However, since it is too close to the end of the year and we just worshipped the ancestors before the new year, it is not convenient to disturb the ancestors frequently. Therefore, we will do it together at the next ancestral worship.
Lord Xiao stood up, said he had something to do, and walked over to Xiao Shan and Xiao Yi. The two siblings quickly stood up. Lord Xiao first said kindly to Xiao Shan, "Shan'er is weak, go back and rest."
Then he reached out and took Xiao Yi away.
Xu Rong knew what they were up to, and couldn't help but glance at Xiao Xin. This time, Xiao Xin didn't react much, his expression remained normal. Xiao Jian secretly opened his purse to look at it, and he even glanced at it.
He didn't see it, because as soon as Xiao Jian opened the purse and reached in with his chubby little hand, Madam Xiao Er came over and grabbed him. Probably afraid that her son would say something that would embarrass the eldest son's family, Madam Xiao Er took her leave before Xiao Shan could: "Sister-in-law is busy here, so we won't disturb you any longer. We'll go back first."
With the second wife gone in a flash, the main room suddenly became empty. Madam Xiao sat alone at the head of the table, her face sullen. Having encountered two mishaps in a row, she was clearly not in a good mood. Xiao Shan glanced at her expression and hesitated before curtsying and taking her leave.
Xu Rong remained unaffected, while Madam Xiao remained silent for a moment, leisurely observing the graceful Xiao Shan standing there.
From the deep fatherly love that Xiao Yi enjoyed, it is clear that the reputation of Concubine Ruan, whom Bai Fu had mentioned once, as a favored concubine was well-deserved.
Judging from Xiao Shan's appearance, it can be inferred that Aunt Ruan was also of a similar pitiful type. Furthermore, considering that Xiao Xin's birth mother, Lady Wei, was a top-tier beauty, it's clear that Lord Xiao had a particular fondness for this type of woman, regardless of whether she had fallen out of favor or not.
When Xu Rong looked back at Madam Xiao, she was clearly not like that anymore. She came from a noble family and had a strong and domineering temperament. Over time, regardless of her appearance, she only gave people the feeling of being arrogant and domineering.
Even the facade of harmony between him and Lord Xiao was barely maintained.
Xu Rong's discovery ended there, because Madam Xiao finally spoke up, but she didn't address her first, but Xiao Shan: "Young lady, since the Marquis said you are weak, you shouldn't go out recently, just stay at home and rest."
As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Shan's face turned pale.
Her features were already rather delicate, and this pale complexion only added to her pitiful air: "Madam, I—"
Before she could explain, Madam Xiao interrupted her condescendingly: "Is it wrong for the Marquis to say he cares about you? Alright, go!"
A mist rose in Xiao Shan's eyes. Xu Rong took in her expression and suddenly wondered why Xiao Shan was feeling wronged. What Marquis Xiao had said was actually a favoritism towards her, but in Madam Xiao's mouth, it had become a house arrest order.
What Xu Rong found strange was that Xiao Shan's aggrieved expression looked familiar.
The feeling came without her noticing, yet she was certain of it, much like how familiar Lord Xiao and Xiao Lun had seemed before. But she was certain she had never met Aunt Ruan before.
Xiao Shan reluctantly bowed and took her leave, unable to resist. Madam Xiao vented her anger on her first, but it wasn't as intense when it came to Xu Rong and Xiao Xin—probably because they hadn't found anything wrong with her. They were given a few words of admonishment, nothing more than to be obedient, and that was it.
**
On the way back to the North Courtyard, Bai Fu could no longer hold back. Holding the gift she had received, she was also full of questions: "Miss, what does she mean by giving me this kind of gift?"
There was no nomination, nor was it said what kind of gift it was, but Xu Rong certainly knew who was being referred to, and absentmindedly replied, "Showing off wealth."
Bai Fu was stunned: "Ah? Miss, that's the Duke of Chang's mansion after all—"
Despite the enmity, their titles of hereditary nobles cannot be denied; frankly, their roots run even deeper than those of the Marquis of Ji'an's family.
Xu Rong smiled casually: "The same."
Do nobles not like to flaunt their wealth?
No, I love it the most. How can you show off your wealth if you don't flaunt it?
That was too direct, so Xu Rong explained it to her more subtly: "Listen to the Second Madam. Now that she's the eldest sister-in-law, she should act like one. How should she act? First of all, she can't be stingy with her gifts."
Bai Fu understood now, and her face fell. In front of Xiao Xin, she couldn't say anything more, and she was afraid that Xiao Xin would misunderstand her complaints, so she could only walk away in a sullen mood.
Xin Cheng wasn't so composed, and she spoke quickly, adding from the other side, "What grandeur! The night the young lady married into the family, I overheard people talking about it while I was waiting for dinner in the kitchen. Her dowry wasn't even as much as the young lady's."
Xu Rong was unaware of this and was somewhat surprised: "Really?"
Xin Cheng nodded vigorously: "Yeah! She can't compete with the girl in terms of style. I think she's just putting on a show."
Xu Rong immediately shook her head: "I won't compete either."
She doesn't have a lot of money—no matter how much money you have, it's never enough. Why would she compare herself to others in spending money? That's just being greedy.
Xin Cheng opened her eyes wide in confusion: "Girl, we're not afraid of her."
“I’m not afraid,” Xu Rong said leisurely. “However, my style doesn’t lie in who is more generous, but in the Second Young Master.”
Xiao Xin, who had been walking silently without joining their chatter, thought: "...?"
He turned his head and asked Xu Rong for an explanation with his expression.
Xu Rong remained expressionless as she instructed the maids: "One day, when the Second Young Master soars to great heights, and I wear simple clothes and a plain hairpin, people will still praise my frugality. That's true style. Only with strength can you have a voice, understand?"
What a dignified and refined way of putting it! It sounds much more elegant than Chang Shuyin's. Bai Fu and Xin Cheng nodded in unison, "Yes, we understand."
After Xu Rong had covered up her stinginess, she remembered to check the gifts she had received. She roughly knew about the others, but only the one for Marquis Xiao was in his purse. She couldn't touch it in front of Marquis Xiao, so she took it from Bai Fu's hand, shook it, and understood—it was some gold and silver ingots.
It's the least thoughtful, but also the most practical.
Xu Rong then handed this to Xiao Xin: "Second Young Master, this is for you."
Xiao Xin glanced down at him, barely paying attention: "I don't want it. You can keep it. It's yours."
Xu Rong said, "We toasted together, so it's only right that we share the gifts. Consider this a gift for you."
Xiao Xin refused to reach out, and even became aloof: "No. Who's going to share with you? That's for the new bride, not me."
She's not really a "new bride" after all.
Xu Rong felt he should understand, and not knowing what he was being stubborn about, she could only laugh and slightly expose him: "Second Young Master, then let me be frank, you've used all your money to treat us to dinner, and you only have four copper coins left. What if something unexpected happens?"
She was joking when she told Bai Fu that being poor makes one more resolute; she didn't really intend to be so harsh on Xiao Xin. She knew all too well what it felt like to be poor and insecure.
Xiao Xin remained silent.
Xu Rong thought he had come to his senses, so she moved closer to give him the purse. She hadn't chosen to give him the money directly before because she thought he wouldn't accept it. Now that she had this opportunity, he could finally accept his father's money in a more convenient way.
She left it blank.
Xiao Xin strode away, not only avoiding her, but also becoming even more resolute in his tone: "I don't want his."
The atmosphere suddenly became tense, and the girls were all frightened, standing there speechless.
Xin Chengxin was especially grumbling. She had overheard Xiao Xin's gossip in the kitchen. Everyone said that the second young master had a strange temper and didn't get along with others. He was really hard to please.
The girl meant no harm; she was trying to coax him, yet he still gave her a hard time.
Xu Rong lowered his head and untied his purse from his waist.
In this era, purses were both decorative and practical items. Xu Rong carried two: one contained scented tea leaves, and the other contained some loose silver for emergencies.
She took off the container of loose silver and tentatively handed it to Xiao Xin again.
She realized that Xiao Xin wasn't talking to her.
He repeatedly emphasized that he didn't want "his," and this "him" referred to Lord Xiao.
The boy was not only stubborn but also arrogant. He didn't really not care when Lord Xiao ignored him. He was injured but had nowhere to talk about it and disdained to talk about it. He kept all the bloodstains in his heart, which made him into this awkward person.
After a while, her hands were free.
Xiao Xin lowered his head, his gaze fixed on his toes. The exquisite embroidery of the purse dug into his palm. He couldn't discern the feeling in his heart—warm, surging—that made him want to try explaining for the first time, yet he didn't know how to say it: "I—"
Xu Rong interrupted him with a smile: "I know. Second Young Master, let's go back."
**
As the North Courtyard gradually came into view, Xu Rong saw a woman pacing back and forth in front of the gate, seemingly both evasive and waiting.
Xu Rong squinted to make out the details.
“She’s my aunt,” Xiao Xin said, walking beside her.
Xu Rong nodded: "Is your aunt coming to see you?"
Before long, Madam Wei saw them and hurried over to greet them.
Xu Rong stopped in his tracks.
Her eyes widened in surprise, something she rarely did.
Upon seeing Mr. Wei in person, her previous questions were immediately answered.
She knew who Xiao Shan resembled.
They're not just of the same type; they even have similar facial features!
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