Chapter 30 This daughter-in-law is really what she wants.
The weekend is almost here.
Ruan Yao had put a lot of thought into this visit.
She chose a simple beige dress and wore light makeup, looking both refreshing and polite.
The gift was also perfectly chosen; it was a box of top-grade pre-Qingming Longjing tea that she had specially asked someone to bring from the south of the city.
This not only reflects the characteristics of her hometown, but also shows her thoughtfulness.
Most importantly, this was the tea that Ye Mei loved the most, as she knew from her past life.
The car stopped outside the ornate iron gate of the Huo family's main residence. Ruan Yao looked at the familiar building in front of her, her feelings complicated.
In her previous life, as Mrs. Huo, she had received countless guests here and was extremely familiar with every plant and tree.
At that time, she was a down-on-her-luck heiress who was forced to marry into a wealthy family. She harbored fear of Huo Yanzhi and guilt towards Shen Yu. Every time she welcomed or saw off someone, it was like a performance she couldn't control.
She got here step by step on her own.
My feelings were completely different; I was nervous yet full of anticipation.
As soon as she got out of the car, Ye Mei came out of the villa to greet her with a big smile.
"Yaoyao, you've finally arrived! Auntie has been waiting for you for so long."
Ye Mei warmly took her hand, as if she were seeing a younger member of her family.
"Hello, Auntie." Ruan Yao handed over the gift box with a slight smile. "This is my first time visiting, so I don't know what you like. This is tea that I brought from my hometown, Nancheng. Please try it."
"Oh dear, you child, you've come all this way, why did you bring a gift?"
Ye Mei scolded playfully, but her smile deepened. She handed the gift box to the maid beside her and pulled Ruan Yao inside.
"Come in and sit down."
The living room is decorated in a dignified and elegant style, with every detail reflecting the owner's extraordinary taste.
Ye Mei pulled Ruan Yao to sit down on the sofa, and a maid brought out the brewed tea.
Ruan Yao handled the situation with ease, chatting with Ye Mei with poise and grace.
In her previous life as Mrs. Huo, Ruan Yao had welcomed and received countless celebrities and socialites, and was adept at all kinds of social etiquette and occasions. At this moment, she did not feel cautious and awkward as if she were visiting for the first time, but rather felt as if she had returned to a familiar place.
Ye Mei was secretly amazed by his relaxed and natural demeanor.
She is beautiful, speaks sweetly, and exudes a refined and graceful demeanor in every gesture, without the slightest hint of pettiness or awkwardness.
Looking at her poised and graceful demeanor, Ye Mei could hardly hide the admiration in her eyes.
This girl is even better than she imagined.
"Oh dear, I was so busy chatting with you that I forgot to ask the kitchen to prepare some snacks." Ye Mei stood up with a smile and patted Ruan Yao's hand affectionately. "Sit down for a while, I'll go check and be right back."
Ye Mei got up and left, leaving Ruan Yao alone in the living room.
She said she was going to look at the snacks, but she actually had some ulterior motives.
Her public persona was always a bit of a facade; she wanted to see what this girl was like when she was alone.
No sooner had she left than a woman in her fifties, dressed in a maid's uniform, came over with fresh tea and snacks.
The woman moved swiftly, but as she placed the tray on the coffee table, her wrist flicked almost imperceptibly, nearly spilling the hot water.
It was this subtle movement that instantly drew Ruan Yao's attention away from the painting on the wall.
Aunt Zhang.
It's her.
In her past life, Aunt Zhang was an elderly woman in the main residence of the Huo family and the person who mainly took care of her daily life. She treated her kindly and warmly.
She remembered that Aunt Zhang had accidentally twisted her waist and didn't pay attention to it, which later led to a serious lumbar spine problem. She would be in so much pain that she couldn't straighten up when the weather changed.
If you calculate the time, could it be something that happened recently?
Aunt Zhang finished tidying up the empty teacups and was about to turn and leave when Ruan Yao suddenly called out to her softly.
"Aunt."
Aunt Zhang paused for a moment, then stopped in her tracks.
"Miss Ruan, what can I do for you?"
"Is your back a little uncomfortable?" Ruan Yao's voice was gentle and concerned. "I noticed that your movements seemed a little stiff when you were carrying things earlier."
Aunt Zhang was surprised by her keen observation and smiled sheepishly.
"It's an old problem. I twisted it a couple of days ago, but it's nothing serious."
“You should still go to the hospital to get it checked out.” Ruan Yao’s tone was very serious. “I know a very skilled orthopedic surgeon, Director Li from the Third Municipal Hospital. He’s an expert in this field, and it’s very difficult to get an appointment with him. If you need, I can ask him to help arrange it.”
Ruan Yao's tone was filled with sincere concern, without a trace of condescension.
Aunt Zhang was completely stunned.
She had worked for the Huo family for over a decade and had seen countless guests come and go, but never before had anyone lowered themselves to care about the health of a servant like her.
A warm feeling welled up from the bottom of her heart, and Aunt Zhang's eyes even became a little hot.
She waved her hands repeatedly.
"I can't accept this, it's too much trouble for you."
“It’s no trouble at all.” Ruan Yao insisted on giving her her phone number. “Your health is your own responsibility; it wouldn’t be good if you developed health problems later.”
This scene was witnessed by Ye Mei, who was hiding at the corner of the corridor not far away.
She had only wanted to see what the girl was like when she was alone, but she never expected to see such a scene.
Ruan Yao's actions were natural and considerate, without the slightest pretense or deliberate act.
That genuine kindness and good manners cannot be faked.
Ye Mei's smile deepened little by little, finally transforming into an expression of immense satisfaction and contentment.
A person's character is often reflected in these details of how they treat others.
Poor social etiquette can be taught, and poor taste in clothing can be cultivated, but a kind and insightful heart is priceless.
Ye Mei had already given Ruan Yao a perfect score in her mind.
She walked back to the living room, seemingly unaware of what had just happened, and warmly greeted Ruan Yao.
"Yaoyao, come and try this. It's freshly made osmanthus cake from the kitchen."
The conversation that followed became more relaxed and casual.
Ye Mei stopped subtly probing and began to genuinely share her life, treating Ruan Yao as a close junior, wanting her to understand the Huo family and herself better.
"I don't have any other hobbies, I just like to experiment with spices on my own."
Ye Mei smiled and opened an exquisite incense burner on the small table next to her. "Just something I make for myself, nothing fancy."
A wisp of smoke rose faintly from the incense burner, and a delicate and ethereal fragrance slowly spread out.
Ruan Yao took a soft breath, a faint smile appearing on her face.
In her past life, Ye Mei knew that she didn't like socializing, so she often dragged her along to study incense appreciation to pass the time.
Over time, she gradually became familiar with the subject and became a semi-expert herself.
“Auntie, you’re too modest,” Ruan Yao said softly. “This incense is about the enjoyment of burning it and the state of mind you experience when you smell it; it has nothing to do with whether it’s considered elegant or not.”
Ye Mei's eyes lit up.
"You know about this too?"
"I wouldn't say I understand it, I've only read about it in books before," Ruan Yao said with a slight smile, modestly. "This fragrance, agarwood is the king, pure and not frivolous. Fragrance is the minister, steady and supportive. And a very small amount of frankincense is added to enhance its sweetness. This formula is very special."
Ye Mei was genuinely pleasantly surprised.
The combination of these spices is a niche fragrance recipe that she recently figured out, and she has only shared it with a few close friends in a very small circle.
How could Ruan Yao, a young woman in her early twenties, immediately recognize her formula?
Ruan Yao, seemingly oblivious to her astonishment, continued softly, "The essence of this fragrance is the cool tranquility of a mountain forest after the rain, but..."
She frowned slightly, as if she was considering her options.
"But what?" Ye Mei asked instinctively.
"I always felt that the slight sweetness of the frankincense made the coolness less pure."
Ruan Yao raised her eyes and looked at Ye Mei, her gaze clear and bright. "Auntie, do you think that if we remove the frankincense and replace it with a very faint cypress seed, using its slightly bitter woody aroma to highlight the agarwood's ethereal and tranquil feel, wouldn't that better reflect that sense of etherealness and serenity?"
With a loud bang.
Ye Mei felt as if something had exploded in her mind.
This is precisely the bottleneck she has been struggling with these past few days.
She tried many times, but always felt something was missing, yet she could never find a breakthrough.
But after Ruan Yao pointed it out, he suddenly understood.
"That's right, how come I didn't think of that? Bai Ziren! That's it!"
Ye Mei excitedly grabbed Ruan Yao's hand, her eyes overflowing with affection and admiration.
Looking at the smiling, soft-spoken girl in front of her, she felt as if she had met a long-lost friend.
This is no ordinary junior visiting; this is someone who can truly understand her heart.
She is beautiful, kind, well-mannered, and shares similar interests and a deep connection with me.
A daughter-in-law like this is hard to find even with a lantern!
Seeing Ye Mei happy, Ruan Yao's eyes also curved into a smile.
She knew Ye Mei would react this way because in their past life, they had come up with this method together.
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