Xu Rong asked, "Is Aunt Ruan still inside?"
Qingzao nodded.
Xu Rong and Xiao Xin exchanged a glance. The courtyard gate was open, so they went straight in.
Xu Rong had been here once and ate a bowl of noodles made by Wei Shi. At the time, he did not expect to have any further interaction and did not pay much attention. Now, after taking a quick look, he noticed that the style of the courtyard was somewhat similar to Xiao Xin's study, but even more spacious. The only thing that could be considered as decoration was a plum tree planted in the corner of the wall, which was probably the origin of the name "Plum Courtyard".
Besides, there was no one else around, not even a bird in sight. It seemed that, as Hongliu had said, the maids had all been frightened away and hadn't returned yet.
It wasn't until they climbed the steps and reached the eaves that they heard voices coming from the west window.
"...Sister, this is not what I meant, please don't misunderstand."
A strange yet pleasant voice.
After a moment of silence, Mrs. Wei responded timidly, "Mm."
"Don't take what the Marquis said to heart. I know that the Second Young Master is not a brotherly person. It's just that his connection with Mr. Su is deeper than that with Yi-ge'er. Speaking of which, if the Second Young Master becomes successful in the future, it will be a blessing for you, sister."
"I dare not think about whether it's a blessing or not," Madam Wei said softly, her cautiousness palpable even through the window. "As long as Erlang lives peacefully, I'll be at ease."
“That’s natural.” Aunt Ruan chuckled. “Now that the second young master is married, he has become much more mature, which shows that he has grown up.”
"Yes, Second Madam is very kind," Madam Wei said, clearly a little happier. "She treats Erlang very well. Erlang may not say it, but he is happy in his heart. I can tell."
Is Xiao Xin happy?
Xu Rong subconsciously glanced at the boy standing silently beside her, eavesdropping along with her. How come she didn't notice?
However, Madam Wei was too honest. Xu Rong overheard her talking behind his back twice, and both times she praised him. He felt a little embarrassed for the first time in a long time.
For a time, even the Virgin Mary of the Wei family felt it was no big deal.
A beautiful woman is kind.
Inside, Aunt Ruan's voice rang out again: "Sister, you're all better now. You can just wait to enjoy your life from now on. Sigh, my two nemesis, Yi-ge'er is spoiled by the Marquis. He can't get over anything that doesn't suit his taste. He was so worried about his illness the other day that I didn't dare to close my eyes for two days. He's finally feeling a bit better today."
When Wei heard her bring this up again, she became restless: "I... Erlang—"
"Sister, don't worry, I told you I don't blame the second young master." Aunt Ruan smiled understandingly first, then her voice changed and became melancholy, "Although Yi-ge'er is naughty, he is still young. There's still time to find a good teacher later. It's Shan-jie'er who really worries me."
"..."
Ms. Wei did not respond; she seemed bewildered and unsure how to respond.
Aunt Ruan continued, "After the New Year, Shan'er will be sixteen. Not to mention families like ours, even in those humble households, a girl's marriage should be on the horizon. But Shan'er—alas."
Lady Wei suddenly realized and comforted her, "There's the Marquis. I heard that the Marquis has been helping Shan'er find a partner."
"The Marquis is also anxious, but he can't do anything about it." Aunt Ruan said with a bitter smile, "Last year, the Marquis also found two or three good families, but we know that the young masters of these families are good, but they don't know what kind of girl Shan is. The matter was dragged on and on, and then it was left unresolved. The Madam always said that Shan is weak and didn't want to take her out. Although a young lady should be chaste and self-disciplined, she should still see the world. Otherwise, when she goes to someone else's house, she will be completely clueless and won't know anything about social etiquette. What will she do then?"
“You’re right.” Madam Wei sounded very understanding. She even offered a suggestion, “Shan’er’s health is weak, which is a problem. Why don’t we invite a good doctor to help Shan’er get better so she can go out?”
Aunt Ruan: "..."
Xu Rong looked up through the window and almost laughed.
Ms. Wei spoke so sincerely that even she couldn't tell whether she genuinely believed it or was just pretending.
After a moment of silence, Aunt Ruan finally spoke: "Sister, Shan'er is in good health; she's just rather delicate-looking."
Lady Wei asked doubtfully, "Really? I remember that Shan'er often asked for leave from the madam, and the Marquis said the same thing."
Lord Xiao couldn't bear to see his daughter suffer so much.
However, this gave Madam Xiao something to talk about. In the realm of domestic power struggles, Marquis Xiao had a natural disadvantage and was truly no match for Madam Xiao.
However, Lord Xiao was, after all, the husband, and he also had the advantage of being born in the sex. So he favored Concubine Ruan, and Madam Xiao could do nothing about it.
After Xu Rong finished thinking about all this, he finally heard Aunt Ruan speak again: "...Shan'er used to be a little weak, but she is well now."
Madam Wei, without a doubt, breathed a sigh of relief: "Really? That's good. Erlang was weak when he was little too. I gave birth to him a month early. He was like a little kitten. The midwife patted him, but he didn't even cry. I panicked and had someone bring him over. I patted him several times myself before he finally cried softly. Sigh, I was so afraid he wouldn't survive—"
Do newborns cry with a "whimpering" sound?
Xu Rong didn't know. She turned to look at Xiao Xin and couldn't quite imagine him crying like that.
Xiao Xin glared at her.
When he glares at someone, his eyes don't widen, but the whites of his eyes become more noticeable, giving him a cold and somewhat murderous look.
Xu Rong felt that he shouldn't know what she was thinking, but she still wisely put on a stern face.
Inside the window, Madam Wei finally stopped her rambling. Aunt Ruan's voice showed restraint. She didn't respond to Madam Wei's words and continued, "Shan'er is so old, yet she's always cooped up at home. I'm so anxious for her. Sister, only you can help me with this now."
Ms. Wei looked puzzled: "Huh? How can I help? I'm just a useless person."
Ignoring her confession, Aunt Ruan earnestly said, "You can't help, but Second Mistress can. Second Mistress comes from a noble family. Please help me persuade her. If she's willing to help Shan'er, I will definitely repay her!"
I see.
Xu Rong raised an eyebrow. She wasn't too surprised; Xiao Shan's several advances had been inexplicable and strange, but the answer lay here.
She didn't get her wish, so it was Aunt Ruan's turn to step in.
They are different after all; the favors were shown before and after, and only in the middle were conditions included.
Xiao Xin's face darkened, and he turned to rush in, but Xu Rong pulled him back in time and winked at him.
She was somewhat eager to hear Weiss's response.
For some reason, she felt that things might turn out unexpectedly.
"What?" Madam Wei exclaimed in surprise. She was clearly unprepared, her usually soft voice suddenly becoming loud, and her words were blunt and even startling. "I wouldn't dare! I'm not Second Mistress's proper mother-in-law, how could I possibly order her around? Besides, you don't know how fierce her temper is. She even talked back to the Marquis this morning, so he was angry and just now he even brought up my behalf for Second Brother's sake. But what's the use of talking to me? She's not even afraid of the Marquis, why would she be afraid of me? I'm just afraid that if she gets upset, she'll take it out on Second Brother too. Second Brother was only happy for a few days—"
Xu Rong couldn't hold back any longer, so she raised her hand and knocked on the window, laughing, "Auntie, I didn't upset the Second Young Master."
...
The room seemed to have been cleared out; it became so quiet that even the sound of breathing ceased.
Xu Rong turned around leisurely and went inside through the door, with Xiao Xin following behind silently.
There were three people in the room: a maid standing in the corner, presumably brought by Aunt Ruan, and Aunt Ruan and Madam Wei sitting opposite each other.
It wasn't as similar as she thought.
Life itself leaves its mark on people. Aunt Ruan, who called herself "Sparrow," exuded an air of pampered wealth. She showed neither the aloofness of a scholar's daughter nor the fear of falling into the abyss from the near-abduction into the brothel. She sat there wearing a silver-red floral patterned long jacket, holding an octagonal purple copper hand warmer with magpies and plum blossoms in her hands. Her hair was styled in a slanted bun, and her eyebrows and eyes exuded a charming and serene air, perfectly embodying the description of a noble concubine from a noble family.
Lady Wei, who was forced to become the "poisoner," was different. She was neither seductive nor poisonous. Even though her son was so grown up, she still had the demeanor of a young girl, as if she had been frozen in time. After so many years in the mansion, she still seemed to have not yet come to her senses or accepted all of this.
Xiao Shan resembles her, probably because Xiao Shan is indeed a young girl, so the two are actually closer in temperament.
"Auntie, Auntie Ruan."
After Xu Rong finished comparing them, she smiled and called out to each person. Her words finally enlivened the atmosphere in the room.
"Erlang, what brings you here? Second Madam, please sit here." Madam Wei blushed and tried to get up to offer her a seat.
"No need, Auntie, you're too kind. I'm just a junior, I can sit here." Xu Rong said, dragging a round stool from the table to next to Madam Wei. At Madam Ruan's prompting, the maidservant in the corner tried to help, but Xu Rong had already sat down, so she had to retreat.
Xiao Xin did not sit down, but stood by the curtain with his arms crossed.
“I understand what you mean, Auntie,” Xu Rong said directly to Auntie Ruan.
Aunt Ruan couldn't hide her surprise, but she also breathed a sigh of relief—this person was much easier to deal with than that soft clay, Madam Wei.
“Second Madam, I’ll skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point.” Aunt Ruan sat up straight and put on a smile. “I have a favor to ask of you, Second Madam. Given your situation, you’ll need my help sooner or later. As long as Shan’er’s problem is resolved, I will do my best to help you.”
Her promise sounded substantial and undeniably tempting. Xu Rong smiled and asked, "Oh? How can you help me, Auntie?"
“I can put in a good word for the Second Young Master with the Marquis.” Aunt Ruan was not afraid of her asking for conditions, and spoke calmly and confidently.
"No need." Xiao Xin gave a cold reply first.
His words were hardly polite, and Madam Ruan's face involuntarily stiffened: "That's just how the Second Young Master is; he always causes the Marquis and everyone else to misunderstand. Second Madam is a sensible person; she should advise him—"
“The Second Young Master is innocent and straightforward, I think that’s great,” Xu Rong said with a smile. She didn’t notice that Xiao Xin suddenly glanced at her. She just felt a little regretful. Xiao Xin was like a conversation killer, shutting down Aunt Ruan’s mouth in one go.
But you can't blame him. He must have received a lot of so-called "good words" from Aunt Ruan in the past, so it's difficult for him to pretend to be polite here.
She said, “I can help with the favor you asked for, Aunt, but I dare not. If I help the eldest young lady, how will I explain it to Madam? I am not afraid of Madam causing trouble for me, but it would be bad if she caused trouble for the second young master. The second young master has just become a student and is studying hard. He cannot be distracted.”
Mr. Wei nodded in agreement.
Aunt Ruan's face turned cold uncontrollably. From the moment Xiao Xin started speaking, any room for negotiation and atmosphere had been destroyed. Forcing it would not yield any results.
She knew, but she was still disappointed.
“However,” Xu Rong changed the subject, “why would you think of asking me, Aunt? Even if I could help, it would be limited. You should know what my family’s situation is like. There are clearly people in this mansion who have more influence, better backgrounds, and are more useful to you than I do. You should ask them for help.”
Aunt Ruan asked suspiciously, "—There's no such person in the manor. Who are you talking about?"
If she had that, she wouldn't need to set her sights on Xu Rong.
Xu Rong uttered three words: "Grandma".
Aunt Ruan almost sneered instantly: "You! If Second Madam doesn't want to help, fine, but why play tricks on me!"
Chang Shuyin's staunch supporters of Madam Xiao's faction would never risk offending their mother-in-law to help her! They'd be lucky if they didn't kick her while she was down.
Xu Rong smiled and said, "Don't worry, Aunt. The eldest mistress is also considering the madam's feelings, so she is probably unwilling. But doesn't the eldest mistress care about the Marquis? Aunt, you keep your word to the Marquis. Why don't you ask the Marquis to ask the eldest mistress for help?"
Aunt Ruan: "..."
She was stunned and struck by the idea; her mind raced.
Xu Rong analyzed for her: "If the Marquis cannot speak directly to the eldest mistress, then he can instruct the heir to relay the message. This would be more legitimate. When a father asks his son to do something, can the son say 'no'?"
Aunt Ruan instinctively looked at Xiao Xin first.
Xu Rong shook her head and said, "Auntie, don't think about it. The Second Young Master can't handle Madam's side, but the Heir Apparent isn't afraid. What can Madam do to her own son? The Heir Apparent will at most suffer from being caught in the middle."
Aunt Ruan was speechless.
But everyone could see that she had been moved.
“Grandma won’t really help Shan-jie—” she finally couldn’t help but say.
"What does it matter? She wouldn't dare to harm Shan'er. As long as she's willing to take Shan'er out, half the battle is won. With Shan'er's looks and character, when the ladies of the various families see her, do you think Auntie is afraid she won't be popular?"
Of course I'm not afraid.
Aunt Ruan was absolutely confident about this.
"In short, I've given you the idea, Aunt. How you actually do it is up to you."
Aunt Ruan understood.
It depends on her influence over Lord Xiao. Xiao Lun would not disobey Madam Xiao for no reason. Only when Lord Xiao puts enough pressure on him will he have no choice but to be caught in the middle and suffer the wrath of his parents.
She needs to think about it carefully.
Aunt Ruan couldn't sit still any longer, so she stood up, said goodbye, and left in a hurry.
Mrs. Wei sat there dumbfounded. She hadn't quite come to her senses yet.
Xu Rong smiled and bid her farewell, then left with Xiao Xin.
"You and your elder brother," Xiao Xin suddenly blurted out after leaving the courtyard, then stopped, seemingly unsure how to ask, or perhaps regretting his impetuous question.
Xu Rong understood and readily said, "You know he owes me, and now that I have the chance, I'll collect my debt."
Xiao Xin gave a muffled "hmm," seemingly unsure of what he wanted to ask, but also unsure of what it was, and inexplicably hesitant to speak.
A strange emotion churned within him, compelling him to find an outlet to question Xu Rong: "You're the one who said I was naive?"
here we go again.
After it happened a few times, Xu Rong got used to it and quickly shifted the blame: "Your mother also said you're like a kitten."
Xiao Xin said irritably, "...Don't listen to her!"
Still feeling it wasn't enough, he asked her, "Do you think I'm different from my older brother?"
“Of course—it’s different, isn’t it?” Xu Rong asked hesitantly.
Xiao Xin's attitude made her a little uneasy. She could have easily praised him a lot, but now she didn't know whether she should say anything or not.
Xiao Xin didn't ask her what was "different" about her. He walked for a while, and seemed to have slowly recovered. Without turning his head, he looked ahead and said to her, "I wasn't angry just now. I just thought of something and asked casually."
Xu Rong nodded quickly: "Yes, I know."
She didn't actually know, but it would be foolish to press her for an answer now, so she might as well just let it go.
Xiao Xin didn't say anything more, and he seemed to have really recovered.
He went back to his studies and rested until night. When he got up early for a new day, it was time to see Mr. Su. He didn't disturb anyone and got ready on his own.
Mr. Su yawned as he came out of the main room to greet him: "Why are you up so early? Have you done all the homework I assigned you?"
Xiao Xin bowed and said, "Yes."
"Then go and sit down for a while. Your husband hasn't had breakfast yet."
Xiao Xin didn't go. Mr. Su was brushing his teeth, and Xiao Xin watched from the side. Suddenly, he asked, "Sir, if I study very hard, can I try out this year?"
"puff!"
Mr. Su spat out a mouthful of water in a spectacular fashion.
He opened his eyes wide, all traces of sleepiness vanishing: "Second Young Master, you are indeed from a prestigious family, you have quite the ambition!"
"..." Xiao Xin remained expressionless, the hem of his clothes completely soaked. "Sir, I understand."
"What do you know?" Mr. Su chuckled. "It's not that you can't have this ambition. But as my student, now that I've taken the exam, if I can't even get a Xiucai degree, you can afford to lose face, but I can't, understand?"
Xiao Xin's eyes lit up, and he bowed: "Yes. I will follow your instructions, sir."
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