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Chapter 104: Making a Ruckus
“Why didn’t you speak with the family earlier? Now it’s good, those people are coming to the door.” Old Madam Ren pointed at Ren Shimao’s head and said with some hatred.
Naturally, she wasn’t blaming her son for his drunkenness. But rather she was blaming him for not letting the family intervene earlier to settle this matter and losing the first opportunity.
Ren Shimao’s red face had not receded, “She woke up bent on killing herself. I was afraid that she would die, so I promised to make it up to her. Seeing her calm down gradually, I thought she was moved by the money I promised. Unexpectedly, she found scissors and try to do suicide as soon as I left the room. Fortunately, I heard something wrong after I went out, so I turned around in time and stopped it.”
Old Madam Ren heard her son say so, and sighed, “Such a strong nature.”
“Later on, her father fainted after knowing about this matter, and his condition got worse and worse. The doctor was invited by me and confirmed that her father’s illness was not feigned. That’s when I believed it was really my fault and not a setup. When her father woke up, I promised to buy them a mansion in Qizhou and give them fifty taels of silver a month. Only then did her father admit the loss and persuade her.”
Old Madam Ren nodded her head and rightfully said, “Their family is nothing more than an ordinary farming family, such a family may not be able to save fifty taels of silver in their lifetime. You promised to give them fifty taels a month, so they naturally had nothing to say. Your sister-in-law went to meet that woman and learned from her that when you handed them the house deed and the money, you instructed them not to look for the Ren Family. She later became pregnant, and her older brother and sister-in-law at home were terrified of bothering you and prompting you to stop providing money. As a result, they intended to coerce her into quietly giving up the kid. Fortunately she discovered the truth, she seized the family’s money, and fled with the servant you gave her.”
“How can that be? Her brother and sister-in-law are too deceitful!” Ren Shimao exclaimed in a daze.
Seeing him say this, Old Madam Ren knew that he didn’t have any ill feelings towards that woman and that give her confidence, “You’re a man, you don’t understand these trivial matters of the family. It’s also because her family members don’t have much insight and are short-sighted. Even if my Ren Family’s descendant is a bastard, it’s impossible to let them raised outside.”
Ren Shimao sniffed and immediately stuttered, “Mother, you, do you really want to let her in?”
Old Madam Ren snorted coldly, “Do you want to send her back again to fend for herself?”
“I… that…” Ren Shimao was struggling and looked back at the curtain behind her. He whispered, “Can we not let her into the house, but just buy a mansion outside? And send more people to serve her? As you can see, Huijun, she… won’t agree!”
Old Madam Ren became angry as soon as she heard this, and pointed at her son’s nose and scolded, “You all men love to say these kinds of despond words, but let our Ren Family’s face be cut off! Is it possible that you married a tigress? You can’t even keep your own flesh and blood? I know Huijun’s temperament, it’s just a child’s temper. She’ll be reasonable when she calm down!”
Ren Shimao felt that his mother’s words weren’t quite right, but right now he was in a confused state, and Old Madam Ren was showing an unprecedentedly strong attitude, making him unable to say anything to refute it.
Old Madam Ren glanced at her son and slightly slowed down her tone: ”No matter what, first wait for the child to be born. In the future, if you really don’t like her, you can send her out again.”
Ren Shimao then sighed in relief, “In that case, good.”
“Huijun is angry. For the time being, don’t get tough with her. I’ll have your sister-in-law persuade her, you first come with me to Ronghua Courtyard, and treat the injury on your face.”
Old Madam Ren heard Lin still crying outside while her son’s facial injury was also not light. It made her became more and more irritated and wanted to send Ren Shimao away first, to avoid him being bullied by Lin again.
Ren Shimao was still a bit distressed for his wife. However, he thought that Lin was definitely unwilling to listen to him at this moment, and letting his sister-in-law persuade her might make her feel better, so he nodded and agreed.
Old Madam Ren was satisfied and led Ren Shimao out of the house. She didn’t bother with Lin over there.
However, after coming out, Ren Shimao remembered that his appearance at this time was a bit wretched, and couldn’t help but feel a bit hesitant. Fortunately, Old Madam Ren was also worried about her son’s reputation being damaged, so she first sent someone to clear the way. When everyone was gone, only then she brought Ren Shimao to her Ronghua Courtyard.
Lin cried until she lost her strength, before realizing that her good husband had already left with her mother-in-law and didn’t even come to see her. So in anger, she smashed everything in the room.
The Eldest Madam dutifully persuade her for half a day, but when she saw that Lin still wanted to be unreasonable, she stayed away and let Lin smash the things in the room to pieces.
After Lin lost strength and sat down on a chair that hadn’t been overturned, the Eldest Madam then looked across the mess and said gently, “You are tired, just take a good rest. Don’t worry, Mother won’t let you suffer. I’ll come over to see you later.”
After saying that, not caring if Lin had listened to her or not, the Eldest Madam turned around and indifferently left.
“All of you, go help the Fifth Madam in to rest.” The Eldest Madam calmly and kindly instructed the maidservants around the Fifth Madam. They all tremblingly obliged and went. Then she instructed to Matron Cao beside her, “Order someone clean up the house. Later, go to the mansion’s warehouse and pick out a better set of decorations for Fifth Madam’s courtyard.”
“Yes, madam.”
This afternoon, Ren Yaoqi honestly practiced calligraphy in the study in the west courtyard, not caring about those messy things outside.
In the evening, the Old Madam sent someone to say that today’s greeting is exempted. Ren Yaoqi then went to the main room of the Ziwei Courtyard when she heard Ren Yaohua’s maid, Xiangqin, said that the Old Madam had already decided to let that outside mistress enter the house. She didn’t arrange for her to go to the Fifth Branch’s Liuli Courtyard, but to the more remote and quiet Wenya Pavillion, and sent more maids to serve her.
Only then did the people in the mansion know that the woman’s surname was Kang, and she was really the Fifth Master’s outside mistress. The reason why the Old Madam let her enter the mansion without saying anything and arranged servants for her was because of that Kang was pregnant with the Fifth Master’s flesh and blood.
She heard that the Kang Family was only born into an ordinary peasant family, but it can be regarded as a clean family background. Now that she bore the flesh and blood of the Ren Family, her future was bound to be bright. Some of the restless maids in the mansion were getting red-eyed.
Everyone in the mansion knew the Fifth Madam’s temper. They also knew that the Fifth Madam Lin was very favored in front of the Old Madam, and she was very close to the Fifth Master, so even though Ren Shimao was young and good-looking, not many maids dare to have other thoughts. Now, an outsider who appeared out of nowhere came and snatched the fruit.
Ren Yaoqi met this Kang on her second day in the house.
The Han Family sent someone to send back a thank-you gift to the Ren Family. Han You incidentally let someone bring some novelty fans over to the Ren Sisters, so Ren Yaohua sent Xiangqin back to tell Ren Yaoqi to go over and pick one.
Just as Ren Yaoqi was about to come out with the fan, Kang came in with the help of Matron Gui of Old Madam’s Courtyard.
This Kang, who caused a lot of trouble in the Fifth Branch, looked about sixteen or seventeen years old, with a fair complexion and a well-behaved appearance. Her look wasn’t amazing, but it could make people feel comfortable.
She was wearing a clean and plain moon-white small Ao with a light blue long skirt. Her hair was simply pulled up with only a silver-encased plum-blossom-shaped copper hairpin inserted. It’s just that there are some water stains on the hem of her skirt now, stained with a few slices of soaked tea leaves, so she looked embarrassed.
>> Small Ao
Matron Gui came up and whispered that when she was ordered to go there, Kang had been kneeling outside the Liuli Courtyard for more than a quarter of an hour. The tea on her body was poured by Eighth Miss, Ren Yaoyu. Only because it was blocked by her servants that it just wet the hem of her skirt.
Old Madam Ren sighed and said, “Didn’t I tell you not to go to the Liuli Courtyard to pay respects now?” Although the tone was not very kind, it was still gentle.
Kang saluted Old Madam Ren in a deferential manner before bowing her head and said, “Since the Old Madam has allowed me to enter the door, it is my duty to greet Madam. Liniang understands her identity. Since she has already taken this path, taking a few beatings when the master is unhappy is nothing.”
“What? Did she get someone to beat you?” Old Madam Ren frowned.
Kang shook her head, her eyes still fixed on the floor, and refused to say any more.
Because her granddaughter was still present, Old Madam Ren didn’t ask too many questions, and only instructed Matron Gui, “Help her go back to change her clothes, then rest properly in the courtyard. Don’t go over to the Liuli Courtyard for now.”
Kang didn’t argue any further and obediently obliged. Old Madam Ren asked Matron Gui to take her out.
Not long after Kang walked out the door, Ren Yaoqi and the others heard cries of alarm from outside. After that, there was the sound of Matron Gui’s dissuasion and Ren Yaoyu’s curses.
“You shameless vixen, you robbed my father, caused my mother to cry all night, and now you’re going to chase me and my brother to go back to my mother’s house. I’ll beat you to death!”
It turned out to be Ren Yaoyu who chased her again and even dared to hit someone in public right in Old Madam Ren’s courtyard. Old Madam Ren’s face instantly turned ugly. This pair of mother and daughter were all grown proud of being favored, so now they took her words to deaf ears.
Old Madam Ren stood up and walked out, with maids there to help her lift the curtain.
Ren Yaohua was sitting under the south window, and when Old Madam Ren went out, she gently opened the window.
Ren Yaoqi, who was sitting next to her, also saw the situation in the courtyard. Ren Yaoyu, now held by Matron Gui, cursed and kicked Kang, and each time she aimed it at her lower belly.
“Quickly drag her down! You are so vicious at such a young age, who instigated this!” Old Madam Ren was even getting angrier when she went out and saw this situation, pointing at Ren Yaoyu and ordering the maid behind her.
The maid in Old Madam Ren’s room hurriedly came forward to hold Ren Yaoyu back, leaving Matron Gui free.
Matron Gui stretched out her hand to protect the belly of slightly pale Kang and managed to help her avoid the attack.
Ren Yaoyu saw Old Madam Ren come out to help Kang, she was so angry she almost cried, “Grandmother, how could you do this! My mother wants to vent her anger, and you still help her to bully us!’