The last time she knelt here as punishment, she saw the plaque of "Ancestral Virtue and Immortality" still there. She quietly looked at the strange yet familiar ranking of Mrs. Luo. A person who once lived by her side was now just a cold name on the ranking.
Yining felt uncomfortable when she thought of this.
With the arrival of winter, the sun no longer felt hot. The last rays of sunset shone on the grounds of the ancestral hall. Lin Hairu came over, took Yining's hand, called her "Mei Jie'er," and said, "The main hall will be unoccupied for now. Your aunt wanted to move in, but your uncle didn't agree..." As she spoke, she led her out of the ancestral hall. Like the main hall where Old Lady Luo lived, she would probably rarely come here from now on.
Yining finally saw Fu Zhengqing, the son of Dingbei Marquis and her elder brother-in-law.
He was tall and handsome, with a warm and friendly smile. When he first arrived, due to his high status, he was frequently invited to speak with people like Mr. Luo and Luo Huaiyuan. He was very kind to Luo Yihui, and perhaps because he loved her, he was also surprisingly kind to Yining. When they ate together, he always placed Yining's favorite dishes in front of her, and even bought her some candy figurines, which children often like.
He also once said to Luo Yihui: "I always feel that Mei Jie'er looks familiar when I see her, but I can't remember where I have seen her. Maybe she was really my sister in her previous life, so I married you, and Mei Jie'er became my sister again..."
Luo Yihui glared at him in feigned anger: "Then did you marry me just to find a girl?"
The room was filled with laughter. Fu Zhengqing held Luo Yihui's hand to comfort her. Yi Ning watched with a smile. She had heard of Fu Zhengqing in her past life. He was a rare and kind person in a family with generations of nobles.
Luo Chengzhang called Fu Zhengqing over again. After Fu Zhengqing left, Madam Xu said to Luo Yihui, "I see that the young master treats the eldest lady very well. Because he treats you well, he also treats me well. Is there anyone else in the room now?"
As Luo Yihui drank the medicine for the pregnancy, she said, "He has a very good temper, so he's good to me too. There are two maids serving in the room, but they always make sure I take the medicine after each visit." Luo Yihui lowered her eyes to look at her round belly, laughed, and said, "If it's a boy, it won't be a problem for them. If it's a girl, I'm afraid the medicine will have to be stopped."
Mother Xu understood that these large and prosperous families had stricter requirements for their offspring.
It was not easy to marry a noble, and he only hoped that the eldest daughter would give birth to a boy, so that her position in the Dingbei Marquis would be more secure. Fortunately, it was the eldest daughter who married, even if it was any other daughter of the Luo family, I am afraid that the means would not be enough.
Luo Yihui continued slowly, "Don't worry, Madam Xu. Life is pretty good now. The Dingbei Marquis's family is small, so I can handle it."
Yi Ning looked at her elder sister's plain face and said, "Don't worry, elder sister. You are so kind, who wouldn't like you? Anyway, I like you."
Luo Yihui touched her sister's hair and felt that she was more innocent and lovely.
Fu Zhengqing came this time not only to pay his respects to Old Mrs. Luo, but also to bring Luo Yihui back home, as she was not very mobile after all.
Before leaving, Luo Yihui had a long conversation with her father, recounting the consequences of favoring a concubine over the wife, and urging him to visit Lin Hairu often. She also personally went to Lin Hairu and said, "I've always had an idea. It doesn't matter if you don't like me, father. If there's someone loyal to you in the room, it's not a bad idea to get rid of the concubine. There are many ways to deal with a concubine, so there's no need to do it yourself."
Lin Hairu felt a little embarrassed when she heard this. She checked the people in the room several times and found that there were indeed two or three second-class maids who were as pretty as Aunt Qiao.
She began to seriously consider whether to listen to her eldest daughter's advice.
When Luo Yihui left, she held Yining tightly for a long time, wanting to put her sister in the bag and take her away with her. She whispered to Yining, "If you have any urgent matters, you can ask your third brother for help. You can also write to me. Remember, Meimei?"
Seeing that she was reluctant to leave, as if entrusting an orphan to someone else, Lin Hairu pulled Yining to her side and said, "Don't worry! Even if I'm not very capable, I can still take good care of Yining."
Yi Ning was worried that her worrying too much would be bad for the child, so she comforted Luo Yihui and said, "Meimei remembers everything."
Fu Zhengqing then helped Luo Yihui onto the carriage and gradually drove away.
Not long after the eldest sister left, it snowed heavily in Baoding. The first snow of the winter was so heavy that Yining got up early in the morning and found that the yard was all white. The old woman was sweeping the snow on the bluestone road. The water in the rockery pond was frozen, and the two turtles were frozen in it.
She was so embarrassed that she asked the maid to bring some hot water. The two turtles swam in the water for a while and then came back to life. She fiddled with the turtles for a while, and then the maid dressed her in a fur-trimmed jacket. She went to Lin Hairu's place, looking plump.
After her grandmother's death, Yining's appetite had been poor, but with Lin Hairu and her elder sister watching over her, she couldn't afford to eat less. Instead, she developed a double chin and became rounder. The jacket was a bit tight. Mother Xu said with a smile, "Mei Jie'er has grown up. If the old lady saw this, I wonder how happy she would be!"
Yining felt she had grown taller, and her jacket seemed a little too short. She had just turned eight, and was now nine, though still in mourning. Mother Xu had the kitchen make her a bowl of longevity noodles with a poached egg, a simple birthday celebration.
Lin Hairu mysteriously gave her a box. When Yi Ning took it back, she discovered it was filled with unpolished gemstones of all sizes. She was at a loss for words! Who would give a child a whole box of gemstones for their birthday?
She ran over to threaten Lin Hairu, saying, "If anyone else knew about this, my house would be targeted by thieves."
Lin Hairu then took back the box of gems and replaced it with an exquisite longevity lock.
She hadn't seen her third brother for quite a while. After the last family division, Luo Shenyuan didn't come here often.
As Yi Ning walked out of the alley, he happened to see a tall figure wearing a black robe and a cloak passing through the corridor. It seemed to be Luo Shenyuan, and he was about to leave.
She took a few steps forward, trying to catch up with him. Afraid that he would leave, she shouted, "Third brother, wait for me!"
Luo Shenyuan stopped and turned around, and saw an exquisite fat ball rolling towards him.
What's wrong with her?
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