Mrs. Ren was a little unhappy when she heard this: "No need. I don't want to see guests now." Mrs. Ren had no intention of meeting a relative of her concubine.
The old woman looked a little uneasy. She looked up at Old Madam Ren and said hesitantly, "Madam Kang's sister-in-law didn't come alone. She... brought a family surnamed Liu with her. They want to see you about something."
Just a moment later, the old woman guarding the gate entered the courtyard. Ren Yaoqi was sitting under the south window when he heard the woman outside say, "Help me go in and report. There's a commotion outside."
Old Madam Ren had sharp ears and heard what was going on outside. She shouted, "Who's outside? Come in and answer!"
The person who came was the old woman guarding the second gate. She hurried in after hearing what Old Lady Ren said.
"What's going on? Why are you making so much noise? Are there any rules?" The old lady sitting at the head of the table was intimidating without even getting angry.
The old woman wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and said, "Please forgive me, old lady. Those people outside insisted on coming to see you. Without your order, we dared not bring them here. But they refused to listen and tried to force their way in. We couldn't stop them."
"What?" Mrs. Ren was stunned when she heard that.
The old woman who came in earlier was also a little surprised: "Everything was fine before, right? Why did it suddenly become a commotion?"
It turned out that the people brought by Kang Saozi were silent outside the house, but they didn't say anything. After entering the house, the maid was about to take them to Kang Niang's place. But Kang Saozi came to see the old lady.
The old woman saw something was wrong and hurried to Ronghuayuan to report it. Unexpectedly, not long after she left, a commotion broke out outside.
Old Madam Ren said with a cold face, "How many people?"
The maid at the second gate replied, "Including Kang's sister-in-law, there are three women and four men. The men can't enter the inner courtyard. They've been arranged to serve tea in the outer courtyard. Only the three women entered the second gate. The eldest wife just rushed over after hearing about it."
After hearing that the eldest wife had gone over to deal with it, Mrs. Ren looked better.
"Who are the Liu family members who came with Mrs. Kang?" Old Mrs. Ren was no pushover and soon discovered something was wrong.
The maid she sent out to receive them said, "Sister Kang is only a relative from Aunt Kang's mother's side."
Mrs. Ren thought for a moment and then ordered, "Go and invite Mrs. Kang over. The rest of the Liu family should go to the outer courtyard for tea first."
The old woman agreed and was about to leave when the old lady stopped her and said, "Find a secluded courtyard in the outer courtyard and have someone watch over them. Don't let them wander around."
The maids all left. Old Madam Ren lowered her eyes and thought for a moment. Then she saw Ren Yaoqi, Ren Yaohua, and Ren Yaoyin still sitting by the side. Old Madam Ren hesitated for a moment before saying to them, "Grandma wants to meet a guest. You can go to the inner room for now. The rest of you can leave first."
Old Madam Ren did not let her granddaughters go out, but sent away all the servants, leaving only Aunt Gui and a few maids.
Ren Yaoqi retreated to the inner room with her two sisters.
During this period, Old Lady Ren's approach to her granddaughters' upbringing had changed significantly. When they came to pay their respects in the morning, she would leave them a meal and then let them spend the morning at Ronghua Courtyard. She usually hired skilled embroiderers to teach them sewing and embroidery. She also had them sit by and listen when she discussed matters with the eldest wife and handled household chores, making sure they were present for most matters. She would sometimes ask for their opinions, and while she didn't necessarily adopt them, she still let them participate.
The visitors from the Kang family today were obviously suspicious, so Old Madam Ren only let the three sisters into the inner room and did not send them away.
Not long after Ren Yaoqi and his companions sat down in the east side room, they heard someone outside report that Kang Jia's sister-in-law had arrived.
After a burst of small, fragmented sounds, a young woman's voice rang out from the next room: "Mrs. Kang pays her respects to the old lady. May the old lady be well." (To be continued.) This chapter has been read (please click on the next chapter to continue reading!)
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