Volume One: Spring Locks in the Liao Garden, Chapter Two: The Girl from the Ruan Family Mansion
Ruan Bi lived in a courtyard called Liaoyuan, located in the northwest corner of the Vice Minister's residence. Originally, it was just a row of greenhouses for displaying flowers and ornaments. The previous generation's matriarch contracted an epidemic, and her son, the deceased patriarch of this generation, was unwilling to move his mother to another courtyard. So he ordered craftsmen to carefully repair Liaoyuan and added a wall, turning it into a courtyard for his mother to live in, so that he could pay his respects to her morning and evening. He thus earned a reputation for filial piety, and upon his death, the emperor bestowed upon him the posthumous title "Wenxiao" (文孝).
The main house of Liaoyuan is now occupied by Lin's fourth daughter, who was ill and bedridden for a month. She only visited once, suggesting their relationship wasn't good. However, none of the other mistresses of the Ruan household came at all. This shows how unpopular the original owner of this body was.
As the weather warmed up, Ruan Bi's health improved, and she spent her days reading and writing indoors.
One afternoon, I had a sudden urge to take a stroll in the garden.
Dongxue looked at her in surprise and said, "Miss, have you forgotten? The old lady said you are not allowed to leave this courtyard."
Ruan Bi was taken aback. She'd spent most of the month since transmigrating in bed; how would she know about being confined to her quarters? But Dong Xue's mention of it brought back memories. When she was sick and half-asleep, she'd overheard Dong Qin and Dong Mei talking about her confinement. Apparently, she'd stood in the snow all afternoon for a man named Mingyue, caught a cold, and the old lady and the first lady, in their fury, scolded her and confined her to her quarters. Thinking about it, it was quite embarrassing; the original owner was only thirteen, yet she'd already fallen in love.
Seeing that she was deep in thought, Dongxue assumed she was reluctant and said, "Miss, how about I ask Granny Zheng another day to put in a good word for you with the old lady and have your confinement lifted?"
No sooner had she finished speaking than an unfamiliar voice came from the outer room. A moment later, Dongmei came in and said, "Miss, Xiuzhi from the old lady's courtyard has come to deliver a message. She says that the second master's third and seventh daughters have returned from Yangzhou, and the old lady wants you and the fourth daughter to go over and have a chat."
Dongxue beamed with joy and said, "That's great! The old lady is finally willing to see you. She'll probably lift your ban." As she spoke, she pushed Ruanbi down to sit in front of the dressing table, untied her double buns, and re-tied them. She then took out two small jeweled flowers and inserted them into her buns. Looking at Ruanbi, who had been carefully combed in the mirror, she said sincerely, "Young lady, you are so beautiful. Everyone says that the second young lady is pretty, but I don't think she can compare to you."
Ruan Bi looked up at the mirror. The body she was in was not bad-looking, and it resembled her former self by about seven or eight points. However, her skin was too pale, and her expression was listless. Moreover, she was still young and had not yet fully grown up.
After getting ready, the two went out together.
Just as they stepped out of the moon gate, the Fourth Sister's voice came from behind: "Fifth Sister, let's go together."
Ruan Bi nodded, letting out a sigh of relief; she had been worried about not being able to find her way.
During her illness, the Fourth Sister visited once. At that time, Ruan Bi was exhausted, lying in bed without saying a word, and her appearance was not even clearly seen. Now, upon closer inspection, it is discovered that the Fourth Sister is extremely beautiful, but her attire is very plain, dignified yet lacking in elegance.
Seeing that Ruan Bi was staring intently at her, the fourth sister smiled slightly and said, "What's wrong, little sister? Don't you recognize your older sister?"
Ruan Bi smiled politely but remained silent.
Little did she know that her smile possessed an unprecedented refinement. Miss Ruan paused, then couldn't help but scrutinize her as well. "Sister, your illness seems to have changed you a little?"
Ruan Bi thought to herself, "Of course it's different, the chip has been changed," but she said aloud, "How is it different?"
Miss Ruan looked closely, but couldn't find anything special. She tilted her head and thought for a moment. "I guess it's because my sister has grown up. She looks different now."
As they spoke, they arrived at the old lady's courtyard. The two entered through the moon gate and walked along the covered corridor to the main house. A maidservant standing outside the door went in to report, and came out a moment later, lifting the curtain to invite them to the side hall.
Ruan Bi followed Fourth Miss Ruan into the side hall, bowing as she did. When she saw Ruan Si greet her as "Grandmother," "Mother," "Second Aunt," "Second Sister," "Third Sister," "Sixth Sister," and "Seventh Sister," she followed suit. When Ruan Si sat down, she sat down to her left. Seizing a moment, she quickly glanced at the three generations of women of the Ruan family sitting in the room.
The elderly lady, seated at the head of the table, appeared to be in her early fifties, with half-white hair, a square jaw, and piercing eyes. The first wife, Madam Wang, seated in the guest seat, looked to be in her early thirties, of average appearance but with a dignified bearing. The second wife, Madam Guo, seated at the head of the chair on the left, was plump, with a full, round face and a smiling mouth, seemingly of a pleasant character. As for the second daughter, Ruan Qi, whom Ruan Bi had long admired, she sat leaning against the elderly lady. Indeed, she was beautiful, with delicate eyebrows and bright eyes, her gaze captivating. In truth, in terms of looks alone, the fourth daughter, Ruan Jiang, was slightly more beautiful, but Ruan Qi, being the legitimate daughter, possessed a refined air cultivated from childhood, which the fourth daughter could not match. The third daughter sat below the second wife, resembling her in appearance, also with a full, round face. Below the third daughter sat the seventh daughter, also born to Madam Guo, only nine years old, still quite young. The sixth daughter, also born to a concubine, sat below Ruan Bi, with willow-leaf eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes, her features strikingly beautiful, though she subtly exuded an air of arrogance.
After the maidservant served tea, the old lady finally spoke, addressing the first wife: "The maids are all here, you may speak now."
"Yes, Mother," the First Madam replied, her eyes sweeping over Ruan Bi's face as she said sternly, "Fifth Girl, regarding what happened this spring, the Old Madam is merciful and, considering your youth and ignorance, has spared you this time. But you must remember this well and never do anything wrong again, lest you disgrace our Ruan family, understand?"
The other girls looked at Ruan Bi with disdain.
Does this mean the stay-at-home order has been lifted? Ruan Bi thought to herself as she bowed her head and replied, "Yes, Mother."
The First Madam nodded and said, "The other young ladies should also learn from this and not do anything that would damage the reputation of young ladies. If such a thing happens again, we will not let them off lightly."
The other girls readily agreed.
The Earth Man nodded in satisfaction and asked the old lady, "Mother, is there anything else you need?"
The old lady shook her head and said, "That's all. Let the three of us talk. The maids can all go outside and talk."
The six young ladies stood up, bowed, and filed out of the side hall into the flower hall. Maids came over, some moving stools, others pouring tea, and still others adding fruit platters. Once seated, Ruan Bi discovered she was in the lowest position; even the younger sixth and seventh young ladies sat in front of her. Judging from everyone's expressions, there wasn't the slightest hint of discomfort; it seemed this seating arrangement was long-standing. Ruan Bi sighed inwardly: "Original owner, oh original owner, could you be any more pathetic?"
"Third sister, what interesting or wonderful things will happen on your trip to Yangzhou?" The second sister, Ruan Qi, was the first to speak.
The third sister shook her head and said, "The timing of our return is wrong. The students in Yangzhou are causing trouble, and my grandmother forbids us from going out. We spend our days playing with my uncle's sisters in the courtyard, which is really boring. Even the gift for my second sister was chosen by the servants; I don't know if it will suit her taste." She waved her hand, and the head maid standing behind her handed her a lacquered wooden box, placing it in front of her. The third sister took out a pair of blue earrings with red flowers painted on them and handed them to her second sister. "If you like them, keep them; if you don't, just throw them away."
The second young lady took a look. "It looks quite exquisite, but I've never seen this material before."
The third girl said, "They say it's a type of frankincense brought from the Kingdom of Fudan, and it also has another name, Falan."
The second sister said, "Falan, what an elegant name, and the blue color is also pleasing. Thank you, third sister." She summoned a maid to bring over a mirror case, and immediately put the earrings on in front of the mirror. The red and blue were extremely vibrant and perfect, and they suited her very well. Everyone said they looked beautiful.
The third sister also brought gifts for the fourth sister, Ruan Bi, and the sixth sister.
The fourth young lady received a set of rusty needles, which, judging from her expression, she clearly liked very much. Ruan Bi and the sixth young lady both received silver earrings with intertwined agate patterns; the silver was of decent quality, but the craftsmanship was average. It seemed the fourth young lady had put thought into her gift, catering to her tastes. Ruan Bi and the sixth young lady, on the other hand, probably hadn't put any thought into it at all. The sixth young lady's expression was unpleasant, and her thanks were quite reluctant.
As for Ruan Bi, she had long since given up hope of gaining a position in this body. She simply said thank you, which made the Third Miss look at her with surprise and say, "Little Fifth seems to be different from before."
The second young lady glanced at Ruan Bi and said meaningfully, "Of course it's different."
The seventh sister asked innocently, "Fifth sister, is Xie Mingyue really that beautiful? Is he worth you standing in the snow for a whole afternoon?"
Everyone looked at Ruan Bi, their expressions ranging from mockery and disdain to curiosity.
The third sister glared at the seventh sister and said, "Don't take advantage of your youth to say such inappropriate things. If your grandmother and mother hear this, they will punish you according to family rules."
The seventh sister stuck out her tongue and said, "I was just asking casually, sister, you're overthinking it." She then pestered Ruan Bi, "Fifth sister, please tell me."
The sixth sister chimed in, "Yes, fifth sister, tell me, I'm curious too."
How could Ruan Bi know whether Xie Mingyue was square or round? She vaguely said, "She's just like that, one nose and two eyes."
The seventh girl pouted unhappily. "Even if you don't want to tell me, there's no need to fool me like this." After saying that, she turned her head away and didn't even look at Ruan Bi.
The second young lady said, "If Seventh Sister wants to know, I'll take you with me when I go to the Marquis of Yanping's residence another day, and you can sneak a peek."
The third sister frowned slightly and said, "Second sister, Xiao Qi is very playful. We mustn't let her take it seriously. If Grandmother finds out, she'll give us all a good scolding."
The second sister smiled and said, "Third sister, don't worry, it was just to tease Xiao Qi. By the way, third sister, what are the students in Yangzhou up to?"
"I don't know either, it seems to be related to the hereditary system (preferential treatment for the children of high-ranking officials to enter officialdom)."
No one was interested in this topic, so they didn't delve into it further. They chatted for a while about the scenery of Yangzhou, and other local gossip. Ruan Bi listened attentively, taking the opportunity to clarify the personnel matters of the Ruan family.
The Ruan family had three branches. The eldest son, Ruan Hong, held the official rank of Vice Minister of Rites. His wife, Wang, came from a prominent family in Zhuojun, but had grown up in the capital. They had one son and two daughters: their eldest daughter, Ruan Rong, was already married; their eldest son, Ruan Jiaxuan, was seventeen; and their second daughter, Ruan Qi. They also had two concubines: Lin, who bore them the fourth daughter, Ruan Jiang, and the third son, Ruan Jiayao; and Sun, who bore them the fourth son, Ruan Jiake.
The second master, Ruan Tao, held the fifth-rank position of Supervisor of Education in Yangzhou, overseeing educational affairs. His wife, Guo, came from a prominent family in Yangzhou and had two daughters, the third daughter Ruan Fen and the seventh daughter Ruan Di. He had only one concubine, Sun, who bore him the second son Ruan Jiazhen and the sixth daughter Ruan Hui. Currently, Concubine Sun and Ruan Jiazhen were both in Yangzhou, while Guo remained in the capital.
The third master, Ruan Chi, is the late son of the deceased patriarch, born to a concubine. He is just over twenty years old and currently works in a military camp in the Northwest. He is not yet married.
After clarifying the situation, Ruan Bi was puzzled: who gave birth to her?
...
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