Chapter 9 No Return Until Sober
Ruan Bifang finally relaxed after walking all the way back to Liaoyuan.
Hanxing and Xiaoju sat on the rocky shore making knots, then stood up with smiles and announced inside, "The young lady is back."
Xiuzhi came out of the house to greet her, saying, "Why did you take so long? Fourth Miss has been looking for you."
"Oh? What does Fourth Sister want with me?"
"They said they had something to discuss and asked you to come over as soon as you got back."
"I'll go take a look. It's so close, you don't need to come with me." Ruan Bi quietly walked to the main room. The window of the embroidery room was open, and the Fourth Miss had already stretched out the fine linen and was sitting in front of the embroidery frame, lost in thought, her brows furrowed.
"What's wrong with my sister?"
“Sister, you’re back?” The Fourth Sister turned to look at her, raised her hand and said, “Come in and sit down, I have something to ask you.” Ruan Bi walked around the hall, and the Fourth Sister pulled her to sit down, pointing to the fine linen and saying, “I’ve been thinking about it for a while now. If it were the Peach Banquet, there would be too many people and too little time. I’m afraid we wouldn’t have enough time.”
"Then there's no need for the Peach Banquet; how about the 'Queen Mother of the West and Auspicious Clouds' painting?"
"It seems too simple."
"What if we embroider the Queen Mother of the West as the Empress Dowager?" The Fourth Sister was taken aback, her eyes widening as she hesitated before asking, "That's quite ingenious, but... but is it appropriate?" Ruan Bi frowned. This Fourth Sister had enough ambition, but lacked the courage and was too conventional. After thinking for a moment, she said, "I'm just making a suggestion. It's up to you, Sister, to decide. If it's not appropriate, then forget it."
The clever and intelligent fourth sister naturally noticed the aloofness in her voice and said uneasily, "Sister, please don't mind, this matter is of utmost importance, let me think about it."
"I understand. Everything will be based on your opinion, sister." Ruan Bi said, then lowered her eyes to look at the loose texture of the linen. She decided not to push things along anymore. If the fourth young lady wanted to, she would naturally seize every opportunity.
The Fourth Sister stared blankly at the fine linen. She wasn't stupid, but she had been bound by rules for so many years. After a moment's thought, she realized that Ruan Bi's suggestion was clever and could achieve twice the result with half the effort, but she couldn't understand Ruan Bi's intentions. It was Ruan Bi who first proposed presenting an embroidery for the Empress Dowager's birthday, it was Ruan Bi who suggested that she embroider it, and it was Ruan Bi who suggested embroidering the Queen Mother of the West in the Empress Dowager's likeness... If this embroidery was presented and pleased the Empress Dowager, she would be the one to benefit, but what would Ruan Bi gain? She would gain nothing, which was clearly against human nature.
The two were silent for a while, then heard Qiu Yan whisper outside, "Miss, the food has been brought back. Shall we eat?" "Yes, set it out in the side hall."
Ruan Bi stood up and said, "Sister, let's eat. I'm going back." "No," Fourth Sister pulled her back. "Let's eat together. I specially asked the kitchen to make your favorite spicy chicken and shrimp noodles today."
This was probably something the original owner used to love to eat, but it sounded good, and Ruan Bi was tempted.
The two sat down in the side hall. The fourth sister sent Qiuyan to the east wing to inform her, and then said to Qiulan, "Go and bring out the flower dew. My fifth sister and I will have a cup."
Qiu Lan had previously given Ruan Bi a hard time and had been feeling uneasy ever since. Upon hearing this, she quickly fetched a bulging, short-necked wine pot, and eagerly filled Ruan Bi's cup, saying, "Please try this, young lady. This wine is a famous product from Zhenzhou, not commonly seen in the capital. It was brought here from your uncle's hometown in Zhenzhou."
Upon hearing the words "Uncle," the Fourth Miss frowned, coughed lightly, and said, "You may leave. You are no longer needed to serve here." Qiu Lan was startled, realizing that she had spoken the young lady's private words aloud. Fearing that the Fourth Miss would be offended, she put down the wine pot and quickly withdrew from the official residence.
The fourth sister said nervously, "Her mouth... Sister, you know, don't listen to her nonsense."
"Don't worry, sister. Some things go in one ear and out the other." Ruan Bi knew that the uncle Qiu Lan mentioned was Lin Yiniang's brother. This was something that could only be addressed in private; if the First Madam heard it, she would surely get a slap. Marriage was a union of two families, serving the ancestral temple above and benefiting future generations below. Only the wife's family were true relatives. As for concubines, they were brought in and were not formal members of the family, so their families were naturally not relatives either.
Fourth Sister let out a long sigh, then realized that what she had just said clearly showed a lack of trust in Ruan Bi. She smiled and said, "I was overthinking it. My sister is the most upright and honest person. Otherwise, she would have pushed me away from Mother instead of helping me out." As she spoke, she raised her wine cup, "Come on, Fifth Sister, let's have a drink."
Ruan Bi used to enjoy a little wine, and though she wasn't much of a talker, she immediately raised her glass. The wine wasn't strong, but it was very fragrant, and she couldn't help but exclaim, "It smells so good!"
"It's fragrant, and its name is elegant, Flower Dew, just hearing it makes my heart flutter."
Ruan Bi smiled faintly, thinking of the most famous floral water. Thinking of floral water inevitably brought back memories of the past, and a pang of sadness welled up in her heart. She then downed her drink in one gulp.
"Don't rush to drink, little sister. You'll get drunk easily if you drink too fast," Ruan Bi joked. "I've only had a few sips, how could I get drunk? Don't be reluctant to drink it, big sister."
The fourth sister chuckled, picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks and put it in Ruan Bi's bowl, saying, "You have a cold stomach, so you should eat some food first. You can drink the wine slowly."
If it's not enough, I buried a big jar under the pear tree in the garden; I'll just dig it up later.
"No, you can't drink too much. If you drink too much, you won't be able to get up tomorrow, and you'll get scolded by your mother."
Mentioning the First Madam, the Fourth Miss lowered her eyes, sighed, and said, "If Second Sister drinks too much and can't get up, she certainly won't scold her; she'll even rush to brew a hangover remedy. It's just a pity we weren't born in her womb. Sometimes... sometimes... I really feel resentful." She spoke sadly, tilted her head back, drank a cup, and then refilled it. "Come, sister, let me toast you." "Why toast me for no reason? There must be a reason." "No reason. If there has to be one, it's because I admire you, sister." The Fourth Miss paused and said, "Sister's situation was originally very difficult. This peace you enjoy now is something you've achieved through great effort. I'm also afraid to tell you, sister, that Mother originally wanted to arrange for you to marry her bedridden nephew..." Seeing that Ruan Bi showed no surprise, she said in astonishment, "So you already knew?" "I've heard a little."
The fourth sister felt increasingly that Ruan Bi was unfathomable. She silently took a sip of wine and hesitated before asking, "Sister, do you blame me for not telling you even though I knew?"
“Sister,” Ruan Bi said, taking her hand, “you’re overthinking it. I know perfectly well how you’re doing in this mansion. In a way, we’re in the same boat.”
Perhaps because of the wine, or perhaps because these words struck a chord, the fourth sister's eyes suddenly reddened, her lips trembling slightly. She said, "Things were alright before, but now Auntie... Father doesn't care either. Sometimes I really hate it, hate that I wasn't born a man. If I were a man, I would be like my third uncle, joining the army early, earning a title and then returning." After saying this, she tilted her head back and finished her cup of wine. "Sister, don't be discouraged. Although we can't fight on the battlefield and win fame, we can still marry a good husband." The fourth sister smiled sadly and said, "What good husbands can we marry? They're all the leftovers. If we marry into a wealthy family and become the mistress of the household, that's fine. But if we're unlucky and marry the second son or illegitimate son of a large family, we'll have to depend on others for food and clothing. If we're even more unfortunate and meet a lazy, dissolute playboy, our lives will be over."
Ruan Bi was startled; this was something she hadn't expected. Large families often didn't separate; marrying a legitimate son or grandson was somewhat better, but marrying a concubine's son or second son meant a lifetime of dependence on others. The second wife had a generous dowry and was quite independent, so she didn't have to be subservient to the first wife either. Ruan Bi couldn't help but feel a headache coming on; securing a good marriage was no easy feat.
"Does my sister know? We're going to the Grand Princess's residence the day after tomorrow."
Ruan Bi nodded.
"We're just playing supporting roles again. This is our fate." The fourth sister shed tears and took another sip.
"Fourth sister, you've had too much to drink."
The fourth sister wiped away her tears, shook her head, and said, "I wasn't drunk. I understand perfectly well. These words have been in my heart for a long time, but I've never found anyone to listen. My aunt is unwell and in a bad mood. If I tell her, she'll only worry more. Although my third sister is close to me, she's the legitimate daughter and doesn't need to worry about these things. She wouldn't understand even if I told her. Only my younger sister can understand what I'm saying and understand the pain in my heart. The other day, I heard that Mother was going to marry my younger sister to my eldest cousin who is paralyzed in bed. I was so scared that I didn't sleep a wink all night." Ruan Bi gently comforted her, "Fourth sister, I understand your pain. But there's always a way out. Look, I'm perfectly fine, aren't I?"
The fourth sister remained silent for a moment, carefully wiping away her tears with her handkerchief, then smiled and said, "I've made you laugh at me, sister." "What's so funny? What you said is exactly what I was thinking." Ruan Bi raised her wine cup, "Sister, let's drink until we drop to our hearts' content today."
"Alright, alright, I'll take the scolding tomorrow." The fourth young lady laughed heartily, though there were still faint tear stains at the corners of her eyes, it did not diminish her bright and beautiful appearance.
The two finished the whole pot of wine before parting ways.
Ruan Bi returned to the east wing, slightly tipsy, and slumped onto the bed. Xiu Zhi, knowing she had been drinking in the main room, had already gone to the kitchen to make a hangover soup and was now busy bringing it to her.
Ruan Bi didn't want to drink, pushing Xiu Zhi's hand away and saying, "I'm not drunk, why would I drink a hangover soup? Besides, how could such a small amount of alcohol knock me out? I can even drink half a jin of Red Star Erguotou." Xiu Zhi asked in surprise, "What Red Star Erguotou?" Ruan Bi realized she had let something slip and giggled. "I won't tell you, it's a secret."
Xiuzhi chuckled and said, "You only act like a child when you're drunk. Normally, you're the most proper little adult." Seeing that she was determined not to drink the hangover soup, she had no choice but to give up.
“What do you mean, ‘little adult’? I’m an adult.” “Yes, young lady, you are an adult.” Xiuzhi coaxed her, “Young lady, would you like to take a shower? After you’re done, go to bed early.” “No, Xiuzhi, let’s go look at the moon.” Xiuzhi glanced out the window and said, “Young lady, the moon is small and yellow tonight, there’s nothing to see.”
"It's about a feeling, you know?"
"I understand less and less what the girl is saying. Sure enough, she's drunk." Ruan Bi muttered softly, "I'm not drunk, I'm really not drunk. Before, before..."
She used to be a heavy drinker, but she forgot that this body was not the same one she used to be. After a few gulps, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
(By the way, several friends I hadn't contacted in a long time suddenly reached out to me yesterday. If I couldn't update the second time, you can all come after me, haha. Be careful about the YaYa Little Bunny Cat issue; let me explain here. Initially, my plan was for them to brush past each other, each leaving a faint fragrance, but then I thought, who is Prince Jin? A superior, born into a superior position. Superiors usually think about "what I want" and "what I want to do." He has a masculine personality and is very proactive. You De and Ruan Chi are his subordinates, which is why he spoke to Ruan Bi in front of them. He did send people to investigate Ruan Bi, but at most, they investigated something...) Identity. He didn't kill her because of the "Ruan Family Mansion in Jingxi," fearing it would cause greater trouble, definitely not because he liked her. He was interested in her, but it hadn't developed into love. So when he tested her, Ruan Bi quickly retreated. Poor Prince Jin, riding his green steed and wielding his precious sword, was about to attack when he discovered that his "enemy" was already thousands of miles away, and he looked around in bewilderment. However, he was a man with a strong desire to conquer, so he would attack again, and Ruan Bi would retreat again. Until one day, he learned to think about "what she wants" and "give her what she wants"... This is a contest between the representative of ancient patriarchal ideology and modern independent women. (Um, I bet on Ruan Bi to win.)
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