Chapter 134: Wanting to See Aunt

  Ru Yi said, Madam, apart from Fang Wanru, no one else comes to mind.

  Qin Dai Xin had never been very concerned about this person's affairs and wasn't curious about what had happened, fortunately she didn't ask, anyway there was Yan Shi present.

  Yan Shi seemed to know Qin Dai's heart and hurriedly asked: "What's wrong?"

  Ru Yi said: "Last night Master was drunk and had the Haitang servant from Madame's quarters attend to him." Her tone was somewhat unnatural, but she still spoke the truth.

  "Waiting on" two words, meaning is quite profound.

  Fang Wanru has always regarded the other women around Qin Congwen as venomous snakes and ferocious tigers, and would never proactively send someone to his room unless absolutely necessary. Over the years, it was only when she had Qin Zichen that she gave one of her own dowry maids, now known as Madame Feng, to Qin Congwen. Apart from this, she has never done anything so "virtuous" again.

  Nowadays, although Su's family is pregnant, they are no longer young and vying for favor, there is no need to use such means. If it wasn't someone she sent, then it must be Qin Zongwen's own idea? This cheap old man is really a unique product, even daring to move people in the madam's room.

  Qin Dai Xin put down her rice bowl, having heard such a thing in the morning, it was really disgusting.

  Madam Yan said: "Can you give her a proper name?" Meaning can she be given the title of wife, or just raised to concubine.

  Ru Yi shook her head, "I just heard that Haitang combed the woman's hair and knelt in the madam's room!"

  I don't know what this woman is thinking, if she doesn't want to, a drunk old man can't do anything to her. In the past, she was the favored one in front of Fang Wanru, but instead of being a dignified and virtuous wife, she wanted to be a concubine for someone who could be her father. However, her clever plan has backfired, as she didn't anticipate that Qin Zongwen is a henpecked husband, and if Fang Wanru doesn't give the order, Qin Zongwen wouldn't dare to give her any official status even temporarily.

  In this way, she is not even as good as a little maid who serves in a brothel.

  "It seems that the morning greetings can be skipped today. Mother Yan, instruct everyone in our courtyard to mind their own tongues. If I find out that someone is gossiping about this behind my back, or if others hear it, they will be dealt with according to the family rules, regardless of life or death."

  When Yan heard "life and death are not considered", she was also slightly surprised, and then thought it through. Her wife's face is bigger than the sky, how can a concubine in the house be laughed at? The servant made a mistake, it's the master's business. If someone really spoke out of turn and was known to the lady, I'm afraid it wouldn't just be Miss who would be affected, even Su Niang would be implicated, and everyone's life would not be easy afterwards.

  Having understood the sinister relationship here, Yan Shi hastily said: "Miss, don't worry, I understand what to do."

  Qin Dai Xin nodded and asked: "The sixth day of the first month is big brother's birthday, what gift should I give to congratulate him?"

  Yan thought for a moment, then stepped forward and said: "How about making some clothes? Sending gold, silver, and jade is too common. Although the young master has everything he needs, if it's something made by Miss herself, it's extraordinary in meaning. After all, it means something."

  Ru Yi's eyebrows jumped up when she heard this, previously the young lady was not good at needlework, to put it bluntly, she couldn't even hold a needle and thread. Letting her make clothes, isn't that poking at the young lady's weak spot? She took a sneak peek at Qin Dai Xin, seeing that the latter's eyebrows were indeed furrowed together, and hastily said: "This idea is good, but every year the young master's clothes are all made by the second wife herself, this idea will inevitably steal the second wife's thunder. How about... personally embroidering a handkerchief instead?"

  Before, Qin Dai Xin said she couldn't sew clothes, but she could still do small tasks like embroidering a purse. The stitches might not be very even and dense, but it was passable. However, since Qin Dai Xin's incident, she seemed to have lost the mood to even embroider a wild flower. Now, Ruyi is saying this completely to give Yan Shi a way out, having been by Qin Dai Xin's side for only a few days, there must be some things that can't be anticipated.

  Make clothes? Embroider a purse?

  Qin Dai Xin's eyebrows were almost twisted into a "chuan" character, it's easier to kill someone than this, right?

  Yan saw that her own idea was not welcome, so she didn't say anything more. She had never understood Qin Dai's heart, and this idea naturally wouldn't be to her liking either. On the other hand, Ruyi's approach made her somewhat surprised - this little maid was actually helping her save face! Having served by Miss' side for so long, did she not know that she was someone who didn't even like embroidering pouches? Ruyi said as much only to help herself find an excuse, but it was rare for someone of her young age to be so considerate. Not bad, not bad at all.

  Ruyi thought for a moment, and suddenly her eyes lit up. "Miss, why not write a couplet? I've seen you practice calligraphy every day, and your writing is getting better and better. You must have some outstanding works. Why don't you write a couplet for the young master? It's meaningful, it's written by your own hand, and it's not tacky. It's a win-win situation, isn't it?"

  Writing?

  This is good.

  Qin Dai's eyebrows relaxed, she had never done anything like sending gifts in her past life or this one, but now that Ruo Yu had come up with this idea, it really solved her urgent problem. Writing the letter wasn't difficult, as long as she found some auspicious and pleasant poems to use.

  "This idea is good, on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, I will give big brother a couplet."

  As expected, the little maidservants cleared away a table full of bowls, chopsticks, plates and dishes.

  In the morning, Qindai didn't bother with greetings and instead spent a lot of time on other things. She rarely went to Fangshi's place and couldn't understand why someone like Fangshi would stay in the Buddhist hall every day, except for the first and fifteenth days when the whole family had vegetarian banquets together. Other than that, she was hardly seen anywhere else, so greetings were simply omitted.

  How strange!

  As before, Yu Yi sent over some clear tea. Seeing Qin Dai's heart seemed to have wandered off again, he knew it wasn't convenient to disturb her and quietly retreated back.

  Qin Dai Xin suddenly spoke up: "Ruyi, how about we go out for a walk?"

  The weather is fine, but I'm wasting it by staying indoors.

  Yi stood with her hands down by her side and listened to Qin Dai's words, then said: "If Miss wants to go out, I'll accompany you."

  Qin Dai Xin is a man of action, once he has made up his mind, he will act on it immediately.

  The master and servant made some preparations and went to the gatehouse to register, without dressing up as men, and then left the Qin mansion's main gate, heading towards the bustling market.

  At the corner of the street, a young man with an ordinary appearance, wearing a green outer garment, followed Qin Dai Xin and Ruyi closely. He had been lurking here for a long time, waiting for Qin Dai Xin to appear. Now that he saw her taking the maid out onto the street, he turned around and went into the alley. After walking a dozen steps, he stopped in front of an unremarkable civilian house, pushed open a slightly ajar courtyard door, and stepped inside with big strides.

  This is an ordinary small courtyard, with a main house of three rooms and a wing room of three rooms. In the yard are placed some common household items, and on the wellhead is also placed a large basin for washing clothes, under the eaves hang wind-dried chili peppers, mushrooms, and garlic strung together in strings.

  This should be a well-off family.

  The young man in a blue gown rushed into the courtyard and went straight to the main house, but did not enter the room. He just lightly tapped on the window frame.

  A young man wearing a plain white robe with a crimson sash, who had been keeping his eyes tightly closed, suddenly opened them. His handsome and resolute face seemed to flash with a long-awaited excitement. He controlled his emotions and gently asked the woman opposite him, who was dressed in ordinary clothes and looked about forty years old but still wore her hair in a maiden's style: "Ying'er, do you remember what I told you?"

  The woman called Ying'er, though not particularly good-looking, still had a faintly discernible youthful beauty, but her face was haggard and the few strands of white hair at her temples spoke to her difficult life and many hardships. Although she was neatly dressed, there was something unusual in her movements, and her eyes would involuntarily dart back and forth as if she were afraid of something.

  "I know." Ying Er nodded, but her hands were tightly clutching a doll in her arms.

  The man's eyes were filled with unbearable emotion, and he asked: "What should I do?"

  The young servant looked at him and forced out an unnatural smile, placing his index finger on his lips and whispering: "Keep your voice down, don't wake up the young master."

  The young man almost shed tears, softly cooing, "Alright, let's keep our voices down, don't disturb the young master. Tell me, do you remember what to do?"

  Ying Er was taken aback, her eyes blankly staring at Tie Wei Yang, nodding, "The madam gave birth to a young master, white and chubby, only three days old, the mistress sent someone over..." She paused for a moment, suddenly becoming flustered, "It started raining, I held the young master and ran, desperately running, I met a monk..."

  The man couldn't help it, and tears fell down instantly. This crazy woman in front of him, if not for protecting himself, how could she have ended up like this today?

  This young and handsome man was none other than Tie Wu Yang, the adopted son of Iron Duke.

  That day was the Lantern Festival, and suddenly Tie Wenyang thought of the four sentences spoken by You Fang and the monk. He hastily returned to the capital, and as soon as he entered the city, he rushed back to the Hou Mansion. Since Master Hou was not there, he asked Mistress Hou, whom he had called "mother" for over twenty years, where she had been brought from.

  The lady mentioned the past, and couldn't help but sigh. She knew that he had been suffering in his heart all these years, and didn't intend to hide it from him. So she said that it was a wandering monk who came to the Hou Mansion to beg for alms, and the servants saw that he was holding a baby in his arms, feeling that something was fishy, so they reported this matter to her.

  "Your elder brother was already six years old at that time, and your second brother was already four years old. I had not been able to have any more children, which had always been a regret of mine. When I saw you, I only felt that you were snowy white and lovely, exceptionally likable, and so I had the idea of adopting you. Coincidentally, at this time Master Hou returned, learned about this matter, and summoned that monk to ask him questions. The monk merely said that your life experience was pitiful, that you were a person without any support, and we adopted you. However, as for what your actual life experience was like, where your family was, we did not know."

  Tie Yun thought back to what his adoptive mother had said at the time, and a surge of indescribable disappointment welled up in his heart.

  He had always been eager to learn about his own life's mystery.

  At this moment, a rhythmic knocking sound came from the window again. Ti Wei Yang wiped away his tears and said softly, "I know." Then he turned to Ying Er and said, "Ying Er, we're going to see Auntie! Are you happy or not?"

  Ying Er had been in a daze all along, but upon hearing this, she suddenly became excited, "Go go, hurry up, I want to see Auntie."