Chapter 11
In Madam Qian’s courtyard, Song Jiyun helped her mother wash her face and comb her hair again.
She also helped her change into a fresh outfit, but Madam Qian was still fuming as she kept muttering about how shameless Song Sanliang was.
“I really didn’t expect him to be such a person!”
Song Jiyun chuckled.
Madam Qian scolded her, “You silly child, earlier you were so angry, but now you’re acting as if nothing happened. If we weren’t lucky this time, we would’ve been tricked!”
In this world, how many times can one rely on luck?
Song Jiyun replied, “There are many things you haven’t expected yet!”
She then told Madam Qian about sending Madam Zheng to meet Madam Wang.
Madam Qian listened, her heart trembling with fear, and she couldn’t help but lightly slap Song Jiyun twice. “How dare you take such a bold risk! What if your third uncle found out what you were doing and turned things around against you?”
Madam Zheng walked in with a tray of chilled lily seed and lotus soup, smiling as she said,
“Our young miss is so clever! Third Master had someone keep an eye on us, but we also had someone keep an eye on Third Master. How could he possibly find out?
“This time, we were able to expose Third Master all thanks to our young miss.”
Madam Qian smiled, nodding repeatedly, and then asked Madam Zheng,
“How much money did you spend to grease the palms of Madam Wang’s people? I’ll make up for it!”
Everyone burst into laughter.
As Song Jiyun stirred the sweet soup in her small, gold-rimmed bowl, she called out, “Mother,” and said,
“Doesn’t this mean you should trust me more? If anything happens in the future, shouldn’t you consult me first to avoid giving others a chance to take advantage of you?”
Madam Qian, feeling a bit embarrassed, said, “From now on, whatever I do, I’ll discuss it with you first.”
Satisfied, Song Jiyun smiled warmly.
She then told Madam Qian about the matter involving Mr. Han and said, “Later, I even went through the account books and found that two bolts of silk for gifts were clearly recorded.”
Madam Qian was stunned.
She subconsciously touched her slightly rounded belly and said, feeling low, “If only I could give you a younger brother.”
Song Jiyun sighed internally and replied, “Do you think having a younger brother would solve everything?”
Madam Qian looked at her in surprise.
Song Jiyun carefully explained,
“Even if I had a younger brother, he’ll still be so young. It’s impossible for him to manage the family estate. If Uncle and Third Uncle have ill intentions, I’m afraid… they might do something even worse than what they’ve already done.”
Madam Qian immediately thought of those children who died young or were ruined because their uncles and older brothers controlled the family estate.
Her face turned pale, and she stood up abruptly, shouting angrily, “How dare they?!”
Song Jiyun didn’t expect her mother to react so strongly.
She quickly got up to steady her and said,
“Mother, I’m just being cautious. Please be careful and don’t upset yourself for the baby’s sake.”
Yet Madam Qian didn’t relax at all.
Instead, she pulled Song Jiyun into her arms and tearfully said,
“If they dare to harm a single hair on you or your sisters, I… I’ll fight them to the death!”
“There’s no rush. We’re not in a rush,” Song Jiyun said softly, gently patting her mother’s back to comfort her.
“As long as we’re together, no one can bully us. You saw today—I even flipped the table, and Grandmother didn’t say anything.”
“Right!” Madam Qian’s eyes lit up.
Song Jiyun sighed deeply in her heart.
It was good that her mother was now more alert.
After talking privately with her mother for a long time, Song Jiyun noticed Madam Qian was looking tired.
Using the baby as an excuse, she persuaded her mother to rest before returning to her own courtyard.
By now, it was already late afternoon.
She had only eaten a small bowl of buckwheat noodles and a small bowl of lily seed and lotus soup all day and was famished.
She raised her chin towards the silk cabinet and asked Xiang Zan, “Have you eaten?”
“Yes!” Xiang Zan replied softly.
“Brother Liuzi brought the food. We had bean curd pancakes and loofah egg soup for lunch. Dinner will be plain congee with pickled vegetables, the same as yours.”
Oh, he’s already gotten the hang of giving orders to her servant.
Song Jiyun entered the silk cabinet.
The man was reclining on the small couch, his knees slightly bent, leisurely flipping through a painting book on his lap.
When he saw her enter, he glanced at her briefly before returning his gaze to the book.
Song Jiyun noticed that it wasn’t the same book as before. It was one she had left in the living room.
She asked Liuzi, “Where’s the previous book?”
Liuzi gestured and explained for a long time, indicating that the man had grown bored of the old book and asked him to find another one.
Not daring to leave the man unattended, he had Xiang Zan pick out a random one for him.
Song Jiyun didn’t pursue the matter further. She went to take a bath, changed her clothes, and then went to the hall to have dinner.
Xiang Zan excitedly brought in the meal. As Song Jiyun ate, Xiang Zan stood nearby, grinning “hee-hee.”
Song Jiyun asked Madam Zheng, “What’s wrong with this child?”
Madam Zheng had no idea either.
Xiang Zan eagerly explained, “Miss, Miss, did you defeat the Third Master?”
Song Jiyun was puzzled.
Xiang Zan happily continued, “The whole household is talking about it. They say the Third Master shamelessly tried to cheat us out of our money but ended up losing a famous painting instead. Serves him right!”
She even asked, “Miss, should we find some people to spread the word in the streets so everyone knows what he did?”
Song Jiyun smiled and patted her head. “This isn’t something you should concern yourself with. Now, quickly clean up the dishes for me!”
Embarrassed, Xiang Zan giggled and skipped away.
Madam Zheng, influenced by Xiang Zan’s excitement, couldn’t help but say, “You have to admit, today was truly satisfying! This will teach them not to mess with us again!”
Song Jiyun, however, smiled faintly and said to Madam Zheng, “Do you really think this matter is over?”
Looking towards Madam Zeng’s courtyard, she muttered to herself, “This is just the beginning.”
***
At night, Song Jiyun stayed in the mourning hall to keep vigil for her father.
According to custom, the mourning hall must have filial sons and daughters keeping vigil day and night without rest.
Since there were no sons in their family, the responsibility fell to Madam Qian and Song Jiyun, along with her sisters.
Madam Qian was pregnant, and her youngest sister was only ten years old.
Song Jiyun initially planned for herself and her older sister to watch during the night, while her mother and youngest sister took turns during the earlier hours.
However, her youngest sister insisted on taking shifts like her two older sisters to keep vigil for their father.
When their father was alive, he cherished his three daughters as if they were priceless treasures.
Now that he was gone, each of them wanted to express their devotion in their own way.
Song Jiyun didn’t argue. Excluding Madam Qian, the three sisters took turns keeping vigil through the night.
She knelt before her father’s memorial tablet.
The red flames consumed the yellow spirit money, quickly turning it into ash.
Her tears flowed uncontrollably.
The next morning, Song Jiyun’s eyes were swollen like peach pits, her vision blurred.
Returning to her courtyard, she unexpectedly found her grandmother, Madam Zeng, seated on the master’s chair beneath the hall’s desk.
Madam Zeng had two of her personal attendants with her, accompanied by Madam Zheng.
Song Jiyun raised her eyebrows slightly.
Was this the other shoe about to drop?
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