She thought that Madam Wei must have something to say now, so surely she would say it.
Just now, they asked her age and her birthday, making her wonder if they wanted to introduce her to a husband or something.
As a result, Old Madam Wei blurted out, "Do you look like your mother?"
“W-what?!” Shen Qiyin was stunned once again.
"Ah, no," Madam Wei explained, "I met your father once and thought you didn't look much like him, so I thought you probably took after your mother?"
Shen Qiyin thought for a moment, then said, "I don't seem to resemble my mother very much."
But that's not surprising.
Her master once said that there is a saying about procreation: "things will turn into their opposites when they reach an extreme." This means that the child born to two equally beautiful people may not be very beautiful.
Similarly, two people of average appearance may have an ordinary child.
But Old Madam Wei didn't think that way.
She looked conflicted and hesitated, then said, "Have you heard your parents talk about what happened when you were born...?"
"Grandma!"
Old Madam Wei was interrupted halfway through her sentence by Jiang Jiyao's sudden appearance.
She lifted her skirt and rushed into the house like a butterfly, her bright and cheerful smile vanishing the moment she saw Shen Qiyin.
"What are you doing here?!"
No sooner had she asked than she noticed that Shen Qiyin was holding a pastry.
Thinking that the pastries she had specially bought from Dongyuelou to honor Madam Wei had all ended up in Shen Qiyin's stomach, Jiang Jiyao was furious. She rushed to Shen Qiyin and slapped the pastry that Shen Qiyin had just taken a bite of to the ground.
"Who gave you permission to eat it?"
"Spreading rumors!" The old lady's face was ashen. "How can you be so rude?"
“Grandma…” Jiang Jiyao said, sounding aggrieved: “Those snacks were specially bought for you by Yao’er. Not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry is allowed to have a taste.”
"This is getting more and more absurd!"
Now Madam Wei understood why Shen Xi refused to eat the snacks she gave her; it turned out that Ji Yao and she were not on good terms!
"Those pastries were brought by the girl from the Shen family herself. The ones you bought for me are all here."
"Besides, they're just two pastries. What's the harm in eating them?"
"I just hate her!" Jiang Jiyao made no attempt to hide her disgust for Shen Qiyin, saying sarcastically, "Grandma, don't you even look at the reputation of the Shen family now? I don't believe she can remain untainted by such a filthy environment."
"She only went to Qiying Pavilion for a few medical consultations, yet she shamelessly hooked up with Prince Xiao!"
"At the chrysanthemum appreciation banquet last time, she was exchanging glances with Prince Xiao right in front of so many people. If they were behind closed doors, who knows how many seductive tricks she would use."
"Young Master Xiao is a dragon among men, a chosen one of heaven. How could a brat like her, who doesn't know her place, be worthy of even dreaming of him!"
Even Fang, the old lady's maid, couldn't stand what she was saying.
Old Madam Wei's gaze darkened, revealing her displeasure: "Who taught you such nonsense! Shut up right now!"
Seeing that the old lady was truly angry, Jiang Jiyao stopped talking.
Since she entered the Marquis's mansion, this was the first time that Old Madam Wei had reprimanded her so harshly, and it was for the sake of someone she hated the most.
Thinking about it this way, Jiang Jiyao felt even more wronged. She pouted and tears welled up in her eyes.
The old lady felt sorry for her, but Shen Xiyin did not.
She had already given Old Madam Wei enough face by silently letting her make up about her.
Therefore, before leaving, Shen Qiyin said something to Jiang Jiyao.
Not much, just one sentence.
She said, "The snacks were bought by Lord Xiao."
At first, Jiang Jiyao didn't react. It wasn't until Shen Qiyinren had reached the door that she heard Jiang Jiyao screaming like a madwoman behind her.
Hearing this, she felt a little more at ease.
As they boarded the carriage to head to Qiying Pavilion, they couldn't help but recall what Old Madam Wei had said when Jiang Jiyao interrupted her.
What is she trying to say?
Even after she finished changing Qianxing's dressing and was about to go find Xiao Yan, she was still thinking about this matter.
Unfortunately, her arrival was ill-timed, as Xiao Yan received an imperial decree and went to the palace.
Feng Liu moved a chair for her and laid out some fruits, snacks, and tea on Xiao Yan's desk where she handled official business. He smiled and said to her, "These are all what our master instructed us to do before he left."
He said to ask the young lady to wait here for a moment, and he would be back soon.
Shen Xiyin nodded: "Okay."
It seems there's no way to avoid it.
Chen Bao had official business to attend to, and Shen Qiyin sat alone for a while, but then felt a little sleepy.
Knowing she would be busy when she returned to Guangrentang, she decided to rest while Xiao Yan was away, so she propped her hand on her forehead and closed her eyes to rest.
In a hazy state, I seemed to hear the pattering of rain outside.
The dripping sound further lulled me into a dream.
She didn't even know when she fell asleep.
When Xiao Yan returned, he saw her lying face down on the table, her cheek resting on her crossed forearms, breathing lightly, fast asleep.
He recalled that when he returned, he overheard Ren Dong and Xiong Lu chatting, saying that Shen Qiyin hadn't rested well yesterday and hadn't even eaten much breakfast this morning.
Was it because of what he said?
"My lord! My lord..." Xiong Lu rushed in, shouting in his hoarse voice.
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