Chapter 5: Wanting the Gold Hairpin, Seizing the Yard, and Sister-in-Law Provoking
"Madam, our second young lady is back and came to see you first." Aunt Sun said.
Old Madam Xie looked at Xie Zhi, who was sitting below her, and then at Xie Yao, and scolded her:
"After all, our Xie family is of earl origin, and has been a family of scholars for generations. You come to see me dressed like this, you don't look like a girl from the boudoir at all, you're even worse than a country woman!"
Xie Mingan and Old Madam Xie are indeed mother and son, they say almost the same things.
"Everyone in the Healthy Women's Camp is dressed like this. Grandmother, do you look down on the Healthy Women's Camp under the command of the eldest princess?" she asked again.
Just as Mrs. Xie was about to scold, the nanny beside her whispered to her what had just happened at the door.
Her face turned pale, she turned her head away angrily and stopped talking.
This girl actually borrowed the Healthy Women Camp to seek support from the eldest princess. She is really too powerful.
Xie Yao had already sat down on her own. She was injured and needed to rest more.
The commotion at the door in the previous life delayed a lot of time, so Mrs. Xie said that she was late and disturbed the old man's lunch break.
Now that she came straight to her, Mrs. Xie said that her clothes were shabby.
No matter what, Madam Xie felt that there was something wrong with her. It seemed that the problem was with Madam Xie.
This grandmother has never liked her since she was a child.
Xie Yao picked up the cup of hot tea and saw a gilded red phoenix hairpin on her grandmother's head.
She had seen it in her mother's dressing table when she was young.
Madam Xie asked, "Now that the second girl is back, where is she staying?"
Aunt Sun spoke immediately, "The Second Young Miss is still married and should have lived with the mistress in Jingzhuxuan, but that place is a bit out of the way and there are no rooms available, so I arranged for her to live in Zhizhi's room in Wanxiangyuan."
"Wanxiang Courtyard is spacious and close to the old lady's conservatory. I wonder what the second young lady thinks of having you come here every day to pay your respects and show your filial piety?"
It would have been fine if Aunt Sun hadn't mentioned that it was close to the greenhouse. Upon hearing this, Mrs. Xie's brows were twisted into a knot.
"This girl lives in Zhizhi's room, what should Zhizhi do?"
"Zhizhi, please be patient and live in my room first. Are you willing?" Aunt Sun said.
Aunt Sun had discussed this with Xie Zhi in advance, and Xie Zhi said obediently, "Second sister, you've lived in the bitter cold of the border for a long time. It's just a room, and my daughter can trade it for sharing a bed with you. It's like returning to childhood, so naturally she's willing."
Mrs. Xie said with relief: "Good boy."
Xie Yao imitated Xie Zhi's words: "Big sister, it feels like I've returned to my childhood, but I've lived in the cold and bitter borderland for a long time, and I also want to live in Wanxiang Courtyard with my mother. Auntie won't be reluctant, right?"
Xie Zhi continued with his true feelings: "If you want to live with your mother, then go to Jingzhu——"
"The Second Miss wants to sleep with the Mistress, so why not?"
Aunt Sun interrupted with a smile, "Madame Liu, go to Jingzhuxuan and ask the mistress to come to Wanxiangyuan and stay in my upper room."
Xie Zhi: "Auntie, what about you?"
"I will stay with you in the west attic for some time," said Aunt Sun.
Xie Yao is a sharp-tongued person and is not easy to win over. Even if Wanxiangyuan is given to her and Xu, she won't be able to live there for long. She will come back one day and get the bad reputation of snatching someone else's courtyard.
As for Mrs. Xu, she is so sick that it doesn't matter where she lives.
Xie Yao smiled and looked at Aunt Liu deeply: "Okay, then I'll trouble you, Aunt."
Madam Xie chose to speak for her illegitimate granddaughter or remain silent, and waved her hand impatiently: "I'm tired, let's go."
She seems to love Xie Zhi, but in fact, she is indifferent to everything that happens.
Xie Zhi gritted his teeth and left quickly, seeming to feel aggrieved.
Xie Yao did not leave, but stared at Old Madam Xie without saying a word.
Until Mrs. Xie felt uncomfortable under her stare: "Why are you staring at me, girl? Why don't you leave?"
Xie Yao asked, "Grandma and I haven't seen each other for nine years. Why don't you give me a gift?"
"How dare you! You unruly girl, you're talking about gifts right away," Old Lady Xie said in disgust. "You're just like your mother, the daughter of a wealthy businessman who's stinking of money!"
Xie Yao: "Grandmother thinks mother is full of money, why are you still wearing her things? The phoenix hairpin on your head is mother's dowry."
Madam Xie subconsciously covered her head with her hands, her face turning pale.
She added, "If grandma doesn't want to give it to me, then forget it. I'll ask my father for it. He should have all my mother's dowry, so how did it suddenly appear on grandma's head?"
Old Madam Xie remembered the phoenix hairpin. She had picked it up when her son asked her to count Xu's dowry some time ago.
Afraid that her son would become suspicious of her, she had no choice but to pull out her phoenix hairpin and glared at Xie Yao fiercely.
"Hurry up and don't disturb my rest."
A moment later, Aunt Sun brought Xie Yao to Wanxiangyuan.
The sky is high and the air is fresh in autumn. The afternoon sun is not glaring at all. It feels furry and warm when it falls on the body.
The yard is spacious and bright, and the crabapple trees in the yard are full of fruits, with a pleasing rosy color. If it is the season when the crabapples are in full bloom, the evening breeze will surely fill the yard with the fragrance of flowers.
Wanxiangyuan was originally where my mother lived, but after giving birth to Xie Yan, her health deteriorated, so she moved to Jingzhuxuan, a secluded and deserted place.
Now, she has taken back Wanxiangyuan for her mother.
From now on, my mother will continue to live here.
"Clean up the upper room and invite the mistress to stay there tonight." Aunt Sun's every move was extremely dignified, and she seemed to have no dissatisfaction with giving away her room.
In the Wenchang Marquis's Mansion, she has been in charge of household affairs for many years.
Although she was a concubine, she had a good reputation among the servants and was a famous virtuous concubine in the capital.
"I still have some accounts to settle. Take the second young lady to change clothes." She ordered again.
"Second Miss, please take a look around the house to see if there's anything missing. We'll have dinner with Master later to welcome you home."
Xie Yao was led by her maid, washed up briefly, and changed into the new dress prepared for her by Aunt Sun.
Several maids kept saying that the dress was made of expensive silk and was of a new style, and that it fit her beautifully when she put it on.
"What is this?" Xie Yao asked, picking up the lotus-colored embroidered sachet around her waist.
The maid said, "Wearing sachets is very popular in the capital. The sachets and clothes were personally selected for you by the young lady a few days ago."
Honeysuckle sniffed it calmly and nodded slightly, indicating that Xie Yao's sachet was non-toxic.
However, after being placed together for a long time, the clothes and the sachet have also been imbued with a unique and refreshing scent.
Xie Yao wrapped her fingertips around the sachet and said nothing.
Along the way, the maids and servants she met were all amazed when they saw her.
"Is that the second young lady? The second young lady is so beautiful, even more beautiful than the eldest young lady."
"Keep your voice down. If the young lady hears you, you're done."
Before Xie Yao entered, she saw Xie Zhi in the room silently shedding tears.
Her younger brother Xie Yan stood beside her, holding a chicken with black feathers in his arms.
"How could this be possible? Why didn't she see mother or me when she came back, but occupied my elder sister's room?" Xie Yan frowned.
Xie Zhi said, "Second sister is the legitimate daughter, and I am just a concubine's daughter. If the legitimate daughter asks for something, I will naturally give up my room. Since second sister likes the spacious courtyard, let her live there."
"I'll go find her. At worst, I'll let her live in my yard!" Xie Yan said, and Xie Yao's cold face with a half-smile flashed through his mind.
Even if Xie Yao wanted to live, she would live with her mother or him. Why would she live in Xie Zhi's house?
Xie Zhi: "It's okay for me to suffer some grievances. I'm just worried about my aunt. My aunt is not in good health. It's freezing cold, but she has to move to the west attic..."
"She even drove my aunt to the west attic? I'll be standing here waiting for Xie Yao to come and see how she dares to take my aunt and big sister's yard!"
"I'm here, what do you want?"
Xie Yao walked into the room, picked up the long knife wrapped in cloth from Rendong's arms, and smiled.
"you--"
Xie Yan was stunned when he suddenly saw Xie Yao in a new dress.
This is the sister in his memory, with an indescribable sharpness in her eyes and eyebrows, which makes him admire her and feel intimidated at the same time.
After a moment of hesitation, he stiffened his neck and stretched out his arms to protect Xie Zhi behind him: "Stop pretending here. You just came back and you took over my elder sister's yard. Why are you pretending to be a gentle and noble lady?"
This action made the smile on Xie Yao's face fade away.
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