When Ruan-shi left Old Madam Cheng’s courtyard, her face was pale. Cheng Yujin sighed. But her fingers on the lacquered box became more relaxed. Cheng Yujin stayed with the Old Madam for a while, and finally left after listening to a few more empty words.
After Cheng Yujin went out, she secretly sighed in relief. She has solved the most pressing problem and got expensive jade bracelets for free. However, she still couldn’t relax. Cheng Yujin walked on the roofed corridor with her personal servant girls. When passing the moon gate, someone suddenly stopped her.
“Eldest girl.”
Cheng Yujin paused. A gloom flashed through her eyes. But in an instant, she adjusted her expression, turned around in surprise, and smiled softly at Ruan-shi: “Second aunt, you are still here.”
Ruan-shi came over. Her mouth twitched without a smile. Her eyes first fell on the lacquer box in Cheng Yujin’s arms. After staring for a while, her gaze slowly moved to Cheng Yujin’s face: “The Old Madam truly loves eldest girl. Even the jade bracelet she originally wanted to take into the coffin, can be given to you without batting an eye.”
Cheng Yujin smiled, “Nothing. I just temporarily keep it for grandmother. Besides, grandmother’s dowry is thick, but I only get a pair of bracelets. Isn’t it because the rest is left for younger brothers?”
In the beginning, hearing Cheng Yujin said that she was going to cut her hair and become a nun, Ruan-shi’s heart was twisted in pain. But now that she has calmed down, Ruan-shi began to think more. The more she thought, the more she noticed the peculiarities. After today’s turmoil, Cheng Yujin would be able to stay at home and observe the mourning without worries, and even got the same honor as the eldest grandson, which added another advantageous point to her reputation. However, the matter didn’t end there. Cheng Yujin actually took advantage of the Old Madam’s sympathy and guilt to take away a pair of jade bracelets worth thousands of taels from the Old Madam. On the other hand, except for reprimand, Ruan-shi got nothing.
The benefits gotten by the other side was too obvious that Ruan-shi couldn’t help but think: is this Cheng Yujin’s trap? Cheng Yujin cried and showed her weak side, even clamoring for death, was it all for this? And even she, Ruan-shi, has become a tool used by Cheng Yujin.
Ruan-shi didn’t conceal her suspicion. Cheng Yujin sighed in her heart, but she had to resolve this crisis quickly. She smiled slightly. Her face was full of a young girl’s innocent belief: “Grandmother took a pity on me and wanted to help me a lot. However, even my marriage is still uncertain now, and no one knows what the future will bring me. It’s only because of grandmother and younger brothers that I can maintain today’s me.”
Afterward, Cheng Yujin spoke again almost unconsciously: “After all, I am just granddaughter. Even if the elder is pitying me, at most only one box can be given for me. How can the grandsons be skipped away? Grandmother is the most fair person. The things she has must be divided equally. Second aunt has two sons, which already accounts for more shares. Besides, second aunt shouldn’t forget that second sister is going to be a Marchioness. Marquis Jingyong is blessed by the Emperor’s grace. His future is limitless. Second sister is going to marry to enjoy the future of happiness. Aunt has a good fate. You will enjoy many grandchildren in the future. How can you still look at this bit of mosquito meat that fell into my hands?”
Ruan-shi’s heart was touched by these words. Yes, Old Madam Cheng felt sorry for Cheng Yujin’s bleak future, so she wanted to give Cheng Yujin more money. But to put it bluntly, it was just a dead object. Cheng Yujin couldn’t sell it. If she couldn’t get a husband who earned a decent income, that pair of expensive bracelets would only become a useless burden.
Cheng Yujin’s total wealth only amounted to three or four thousand taels. This amount of money wasn’t even enough for one month of Jingyong Marquis manor’s expenditure. Ruan-shi secretly laughed at her own hasty thought. How could she even compete with Cheng Yujin? Cheng Yumo would become Marchioness right after married, and in the future, she would be in charge of a vast amount of properties. These few thousands of tales wouldn’t worth even a splash in Cheng Yumo’s eyes. Using just one pair of bracelets, Cheng Yumo could get married off smoothly and would give birth to the Jingyong Marquis manor’s heir as soon as possible. Obviously, it was a very profitable exchange.
Although Cheng Yujin smiled casually, her eyes carefully observed every subtle change in Ruan-shi’s expression. Seeing that Ruan-shi finally was convinced and temporarily let go of her suspicion, Cheng Yujin’s shoulders relaxed slightly, and she secretly sighed in relief.
Making money in secret was a long-term battle. Cheng Yujin’s wings were still not hardened yet. She really didn’t want others to pay close attention to her and affected her future plan to make money. Fortunately, Ruan-shi was not difficult to deal with.
Cheng Yujin also secretly warned herself: in the future, she must keep a low profile. She knew that the day when she could no longer conceal the truth would come sooner or later. But as long as this day could be postponed one day, then it should be postponed.
Ruan-shi’s mood finally relaxed. Her expression was no longer so aggressive. Now that the suspicion has passed, Ruan-shi realized that she had come to question her own daughter, and even with an implicit threat. Ruan-shi suddenly felt a little ashamed. To hid her guilt, she deliberately leaned forward and said: “Eldest girl, it’s because I care that I lost my composure. I’m anxious is also for your own good. You will not misunderstand me, right?”
Cheng Yujin secretly sneered. Look, this was her biological mother. She put on a gentle smile and said: “No.”
Ruan-shi was relieved, but didn’t dare to look into Cheng Yujin’s clear eyes. Her gaze wandered for a while, but she ultimately chose to deceive herself. Ruan-shi asked again: “Then, do you still acknowledge me as your real mother? You should know who your biological mother is.”
Ruan-shi eagerly looked at Cheng Yujin: “Poor child. You are separated from your mother just a few days after you were born. You were so small when you were taken away. In a blink of an eye, you are already grown up. When you were taken away, I cried for many days, almost blinded my eyes. This matter has become my lifelong heart knot. My chest hurt whenever I think about it. Yujin, can you call me mother?”
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