chapter 47.1

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.