When Old Madam and Lin Shi entered the manor entrance, it was already dusk. Yu Xiang had prepared the meals earlier and was waiting in the side hall. Yu Pin Yan had also come back and was fondling his younger sister's hand with a rather imperceptible tenderness revealing in his penetrating eyes.
"Let's have a meal together." Old Madam looked at Lin Shi.
"Thanks Mother, but I will go back and eat alone. Catching sight of Yu Xiang, Lin Shi felt upset and lost her appetite. Fortunately, her daughter would be back soon and she would have someone to accompany her in whatever she does in the future.
Old Madam was just being courteous. If Lin Shi truly agreed, she would also feel compelled. Thus she didn't persuade her to stay, merely waved her hand and allowed her to retreat.
"Grandmother, where did you go with Mother today? She seems to be very happy. I haven't seen her smile in fourteen years." Yu Xiang flashed Old Madam a bright smile. The sharp contrast of the black and white of her feline-like eyes were twinkling with fragmentary radiance.
As soon as Old Madam saw her granddaughter's delicate face like a beautiful spring day, her heart was filled with a bucket of honey; so sweet and affectionate. She walked over and patted the top of her head as she bantered with her, "Haven't seen in fourteen years? Could this little yatou[1] began to remember things at birth? That's truly the reincarnation of a spirit child."
"Perhaps I really am. Come and eat, Grandmother, before the dishes get cold and the flavors are off." Yu Xiang repeatedly beckoned her hand for someone to start serving.
With her granddaughter's agile nature, Old Madam would actually have believed her words and inevitably laughed even more happily.
The atmosphere was different when the grandmother and grandchildren got together, that even the air suffused with the scent of joy. With eager attentiveness, Ma Momo laid out the table before retreating with a genial smile. After looking at the crying faces of Lin Shi and Miss Miao Qi for a long time, her heart had felt suffocated that she had to look at Miss Xiang'er to cleanse her eyes.
Old Madam picked a piece of roast goose for her granddaughter and spoke gently, "Xiang'er, Grandmother has something to tell you."
Here it comes. Yu Xiang took a small sip of wine in Yu Pin Yan's cup. Her feline-like eyes were opened roundly as she looked over, appearing ignorant and cute.
Before she spoke, Old Madam laughed and stroked her delicate cheeks, "Xiang'er, you actually have a twin sister."
Putting down his chopsticks, Yu Pin Yan took the wine cup from his younger sister's hand. He filled the cup up and emptied it in one gulp before pouring a small amount then shoved it back into her hand. His expression was indifferent as if what Old Madam had announced was just a trivial matter.
Yu Xiang's already round feline-like eyes instantly opened even wider, with a gleam of curiosity and astonishment, "I actually have a sister? But why hasn't she lived at home for the past fourteen years? Where is she now? How come you never told me?"
Old Madam patted her back as she continued, "Due to her weak bazi and possibility of dying at any time, Grandmother has no choice but to entrust her under the care of a nunnery. Not only you don't know, everyone in the entire manor doesn't know about her too except your Mother and Elder Brother. This is to avoid the supernatural beings from listening and taking your elder sister to the underworld. Look, these fourteen years have passed and her death calamity has been resolved, so....."
"So, my elder sister will be coming back?" A joyous expression was revealed on Yu Xiang's face but in her heart she was actually not happy. Just the thought of the rightful owner vying for her elder brother's attention and favor, filled her heart with the little worms called jealousy which were eating away her reasoning one bite at a time.
Fortunately, the Marquis manor had no intention letting the Shen family to take her back, but rather concealed the rightful owner's past. Although it was still for the sake of the rightful owner's future, she did somewhat feel relaxed. It wasn't that she couldn't let go of the Marquis manor, she just hated to part with her elder brother.
Thinking of this, she unconsciously snuggled over and hugged Yu Pin Yan's arm tightly, rubbing her cheek against him with affection.
Yu Pin Yan narrowed his eyes and smiled. He held up her hand that was holding the wine cup and took a sip himself.
Old Madam was already accustomed to the intimacy of these two and nodded, "Yes, the end of the month is the auspicious day by the perpetual calendar. I'll bring her back then."
"I'll have someone to clean up the courtyard immediately." Yu Xiang looked over at Liu Lu, but was stopped by Old Madam, "There's no need to prepare anything. Just let her stay with your mother." If it wasn't for the fact that bringing the person back would stop Lin Shi, Old Madam would have still remained indecisive at this point.
Yu Xiang didn't say much. She shook her elder brother's arm and asked, "Elder Brother, have you seen elder sister? How's her temperament? Is she easy to get along with?"
Yu Pin Yan fed her a sip of wine, his gaze stayed a moment too long on that lustrously full and delicately alluring lips before he replied in a somewhat husky tone, "I've only met her twice. She has a cold-hearted temperament that only bears grudges but not gratitude, so you should stay away from her in the future, lest you will be schemed against."
Yu Xiang couldn't help revealing a surprised expression. After only two meetings, Yu Pin Yan had given her such a low opinion. Wondering what that rightful owner had done to deserve it, but what does that have to do with her? It was enough that her elder brother only loved herself and not her. Yu Xiang squinted and smirked, then lovingly rubbed against her elder brother's arm, and promised obediently, "I know."
Old Madam merely picked up the dishes for herself seemingly unaware of her grandson's blunt words but in actuality, she nodded inwardly: cold-hearted temperament that only bears grudges but not gratitude. The nine words summation was truly accurate, wasn't she precisely that way? Anyway, she was still the lineage of Yu family. Just bringing her home to enjoy several years of good life and then find someone with the same strong fate to marry her off, endowed with a generous dowry to ensure her a safe and smooth life ahead which is already a worthy treatment to her.
After dinner, Old Madam beckoned Lin Shi, Yu Si Yu and all the stewards to announce the news about a Di young miss of Yu family who had been placed in foster care outside.
Everyone was very surprised, and there was an uproar after looking at each other. Yu Si Yu also followed the trend and made a stunned look, but in actual fact, her eyes kept pursuing Yu Xiang's face, appearing somewhat gloating.
Pinching her fingers in calculation, Lin Shi realized there were still more than ten days before the end of the month and immediately expressed her objection, "Mother, why must it be the end of the month to bring her home? Can't we go tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow is not an auspicious day by the perpetual calendar, which should avoid travel and marriage. If you want your daughter to hit bad luck, then just go and pick her up." Old Madam closed her eyes and waved her hand, not waiting to see Lin Shi's sullen face.
Lin Shi was very concerned about her daughter's safety, thus she dared not rush against even such an obscure thing, merely pursed her lips and stopped talking.
Yu Pin Yan looked askance at her with a sneer.
Old Madam also instructed all the stewards to bring forth this news to their subordinates to avoid making a mountain out of a molehill at the end of the month then waved her hand and let everyone leave.
Seeing Yu Pin Yan bending over and about to carry Yu Xiang away with an indescribable gentleness in his actions, Lin Shi's unpleasant mood became more gloomier that she loudly said, "Yan'er, you stay. Mother has something to discuss with you."
Yu Pin Yan took no notice of her. He carried his younger sister and weighed her within his arms. Listening to her chuckles, it invoked a twitch at the corners of his lips as he walked out.
"Yan'er, you don't listen to Mother's words anymore? How can you be so disobedient and unfilial!" Lin Shi was trembling with anger. It was as if she had awakened at once and opened her eyes to observe the world around her once her daughter returned. Her son's attitude towards her could no longer be described with the words 'cold and distance', but rather chilling sightlessness. There was no existence of her or his biological younger sister. He could only see Old Madam and Yu Xiang. It was fine with Old Madam as she was his own paternal grandmother after all, but what was Yu Xiang? How could a bastard and a jinx, have the right to share her daughter's spoils?
Lin Shi desperately wanted her son to know who he should really care about.
"Elder Brother, you stay and listen to what she wants to say." Attaching herself to Yu Pin Yan's ear, Yu Xiang whispered.
Yu Pin Yan took two more steps until his younger sister poked his chest lightly before he smiled and placed her in the wheelchair, then instructed Tao Hong and Liu Lu to serve her carefully.
Once everyone exited the main hall, Yu Pin Yan sat next to the closed-eye Old Madam and asked, "What do you want to say?"
Lin Shi poured herself a cup of hot tea and slowly sipped it before she spoke, "Since Qi'er has been found, shouldn't Yu Xiang be sent away?"
Seeing Old Madam open her eyes sharply towards her, she quickly added, "Not expelling her from Yu family, merely claimed she is sick and placed her in the village. Her remaining in the manor is eventually an eyesore."
Without waiting for Old Madam to speak, Yu Pin Yan crushed the armrests of the chair and sneered, "If you think Xiang'er is an eyesore, then pack up and move to Shui Yue Nunnery to accompany Shen Miao Qi. There's no need to come back for the rest of your life"
"You, how can you talk to me like that?" Lin Shi looked at him incredulously.
"Why can't I talk to you like this? I am Marquis Yongle and this is the Marquis Yongle manor. Whoever I want to stay, must stay and whoever I want to let go, must leave immediately."
"I am your mother! You're such an ingrate!" Lin Shi stood up and hissed at him.
"My mother had already died the day my father died, and now you are just a ghost." Yu Pin Yan shook off the wood chips on his palm as he spoke coldly, "You said that yourself, or have you forgotten instead? Since you are just a lone ghost, stay in your open grave in peace and don't go around stirring up trouble, otherwise you will inevitably end with a scattered soul."
Old Madam placed down the rosary beads and a mockery smile also appeared on her face. Dead, she had accepted that this daughter-in-law died fourteen years ago, but shouldn't you die a clean death so why did you suddenly swindle the body? One would have affections for a child that one raised even without any blood ties, so how could you say abandon and truly just forsaken? Lin Shi was indeed heartless, thus it was not surprising the way Shen Miao Qi treated the Shen family as she was indeed like her.
Lin Shi was speechless as she watched her son strode away helplessly, and then spat out words that chilled her to the bone, "If you dare to mention this matter again in the future, you will leave the Marquis manor along with Shen Miao Qi. I, Yu Pin Yan, have always disowned my relatives, so don't attempt to challenge my patience."
Gasping heavily, Lin Shi turned to Old Madam for help.
"If you dare reveal her identity in front of Xiang'er or send her away privately, then you can go home with the bill of divorcement." Old Madam hinted at Ma Momo who immediately stepped forward to drag the greatly shaken Lin Shi away.
In the garden, Yu Si Yu stood in front of a rockery waiting for Yu Xiang to pass by.
"Mother's beloved is coming back and there will be no more place for you in this Yu manor, aren't you afraid?" She leaned over slightly, her smile incomparably sweet, but like a layer of poison wrapped in honey.
Yu Xiang raised her chin and spoke casually, "Elder Brother is Marquis Yongle and this is Marquis Yongle manor. As long as Elder Brother is here, there will always be a place for me. Don't forget, I am also Elder Brother's beloved. It's hard to say who doesn't have a place yet, however I can precisely tell you, there is definitely none for you!"
She winked, her smile hundred times sweeter than the other party with enough hidden spiciness to choke people.
The beautiful face of Yu Si Yu was twisted beyond recognition. When she was about to launch an attack, she saw Yu Pin Yan standing a short distance away, a meaningful smile at the corner of his mouth.
The same words were always said to different people in different locations, and this tacit understanding seemed to have long carved into their souls, which made him feel extremely happy whenever he thought about it. But Xiang'er was wrong about one thing....
Yu Pin Yan strode over and nudged the tip of her nose as he laughingly said, "Silly girl, you are not my beloved."
Seeing the sad and weeping expression on his younger sister's face, he laughed out loud. Carrying her into the crook of his arms, he walked away and added with extreme tenderness, "You are not my beloved but my lifeblood. As long as I am still Marquis Yongle, this Yongle manor will always be your home."
Yu Xiang hugged his neck and buried her cheek into his shoulder socket with a contented smile.
Looking at the intimate backs of the two people, Yu Si Yu snapped off her fingernails. Qiu Shi who was standing behind her, shook her head helplessly.