Chapter 8

Sister, Forgive Me

Yang Shuwan led her children to greet Old Madam Yu, and ordered her people to place the tonics on the table.

Old Madam Yu nodded her head indifferently. Her gaze landed on six-year-old Yu Shansi, who was standing beside Yang Shuwan. After all, he was her grandson. How could she not dote on him?

Unexpectedly, Yu Shansi hid behind Yang Shuwan when he saw that she was looking at him. He looked at her with dark eyes that were full of unfamiliarity and wariness.

Seeing this, Old Madam Yu instantly felt sick of him, and gave up the thought of getting close to her own grandson. She also became even more displeased with Madam Yang.

However, Yang Shuwan did not notice any of this. She took off a pair of jadeite bracelets on her wrist and stuffed them into Yu Youyao’s hands. “I heard Yao Yao’s jade pendant is missing. Although this pair of jadeite bracelets isn’t worth that much, you can have it to play with if you’d like!”

But she was just being modest.

Jadeite was originally inspired by a type of bird that lived in the south, which had extremely beautiful red or green feathers.

Males were red while females were green, and although it was not too difficult to catch a sighting of this bird when it was alone, it was extremely rare to see them in pairs.

Just like this pair of jadeite bracelets. The red jadeite bracelet was of a pure and premium “Pigeon Blood” red—rich and bright. The green jadeite bracelet was also of a rare emerald tone, which was most expensive among green jades.

In terms of quality, these were much more expensive than the child Buddha jade pendant.

They were Madam Yang’s prized possessions. Her heart bled as she gave them to Yu Youyao. But, what else could she do?

Because of the incident over the child Buddha jade pendant, she and Jia Jia had angered Old Madam. Now that the pendant was lost, Old Madam would surely blame it on them, so she had to do something.

After all, Old Madam was the matriarch, and had the final say in this family.

Yu Youyao handed the jadeite bracelets to Chun Xiao. “Thank you, Mother.”

Yang Shuwan’s heart was dripping blood. She resisted the urge to stare after her bracelets.

Just then, a servant girl informed them that Concubine He had come to visit with Fourth Miss.

Soon, they watched Concubine He walk in, wearing a pink robe that cinched at her narrow waist and a violet blue dress inside. She looked gentle and lovely, like a seventeen-year-old young lady—no one would have guessed that she was a married woman who was already a mother with just one look.

Behind her was a delicate and charming young girl. She was none other than the Fourth Miss, Yu Qingning.

After bowing to Old Madam Yu, Concubine He looked at Yang Shuwan and smiled. “Madam, you don’t look too good. Did you not sleep well last night?”

At the sight of Concubine He’s rosy cheeks and the coquettish look on her face, Yang Shuwan clenched her teeth in anger, her expression immediately turning cold and hard.

“Jia Jia and Yao Yao are still sick. How can I, as a mother, sleep well?” Just yesterday, she was implicated in front of Old Madam, and her authority as the head of household matters was even cut in half. How could she have fallen asleep?

Such a question was a direct stab to her heart.

Concubine He paused for a moment and gave a soft smile. “Madam, you’re a kind and n.o.ble mother. I feel ashamed.”

Her polite and gentle reply almost made Yang Shuwan lose her composure.

Seeing that, Yu Jianjia covered her mouth with the handkerchief and coughed lightly. Instantly, Yang Shuwan discarded the idea of arguing with the concubine. Instead, she raised a teacup and touched it lightly. Seeing that the temperature was not too hot, she quickly handed it to Yu Jianjia.

Old Madam Yu looked at Yu JianJia and asked with concern, “Are you feeling better?”

Yu Jianjia didn’t have time to drink the tea. She hurriedly stood and walked up with small steps. “Thank you for your concern, Grandmother. I feel much better now. I’m fine.”

Although she was frail and weak, she was slimmer than Yu Youyao, and was well aware of many social etiquette rules. The way she moved and sat exuded a demure, delicate aura, and she looked especially elegant.

Old Madam Yu did not like this granddaughter of hers as she was too scheming, and she often had a solemn look that seemed inauspicious. But ultimately, she was not a hard-hearted person. “The weather is so cold, and your body is not well. In the future, you don’t have to come over to my place all the time. Just stay in the house and rest well!”

“Thank you for your understanding, Grandmother.” Yu Jianjia heaved a sigh of relief. Her smile was pale and weak. “Big Sister suffered because of me this time, and I feel bad about it. I want to apologize to her.”

Old Madam Yu did not speak.

She knew that her granddaughter was not simple, but she was still much more forthright than her mother. At the very least, she didn’t use all sorts of excuses to try to fool others. Knowing that she could openly admit her mistakes, she immediately thought highly of her at that moment.

Even if an eight-year-old child was really in the wrong, the adults would not hold a grudge against the child.

Yu Jianjia knew that she had made the right move. She bowed deeply to Yu Youyao. “Big Sister, I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”

That day, when she saw the child Buddha jade pendant on Yu Youyao’s chest, an inexplicably intense desire arose in her heart. There was a mysterious voice telling her that she had to get the jade pendant.

She thought that since Yu Youyao had many treasures in her house and had always been generous, she might not even care too much about the jade pendant. So, she directly proposed an exchange, but she really hadn’t expected that she would be rejected.

There had been such a huge commotion in the north courtyard yesterday, and the Old Madam had even sent someone to question her. The jade pendant was probably lost for real.

At this thought, Yu Jianjia felt a heavy wave of disappointment.

Yu Youyao actually disliked Yu Jianjia very much. She always looked fragile and delicate, panting every two steps and coughing in between every few words. Her eyes would also well up with tears at every little thing, and she was always appearing pitiful as if she had suffered a great grievance.

As a result, her father paid a lot of attention to Yu Jianjia. He always compared the both of them, feeling that Yu Jianjia was obedient and sensible, while she was a troublemaker.

Occasionally, there would be certain trivial conflicts between them, and the matter would always reach her father’s ears. Then, her father always a.s.sumed that it was her who bullied Yu Jianjia and made her suffer. Every time, her father would give her a harsh lesson and treat Yu Jianjia better afterwards.

Since then, Grandmother had told her to keep a distance from the people in the main courtyard.

Yu Jianjia continued to maintain an apologetic posture for quite a while, but Yu Youyao merely stood there in a daze without saying anything. Hence, the others thought that this meant that she did not forgive Yu Jianjia.

The room fell so silent that even the drop of a pin could be heard.

Yu Jianjia’s little face turned a few shades paler and a thin sheen of sweat appeared on her forehead.

After maintaining the same posture for a long time, she felt her waist become sore and her legs numb. Her body was on the verge of collapse. She felt uncomfortable and dizzy.

This caused Yang Shuwan’s heart to ache terribly, and she cursed Yu Youyao in her heart.

Yu Jianjia felt aggrieved. Her eyes were teary as she looked at Yu Youyao, and her voice sounded choked. “Big Sister, are you unwilling to forgive me?”

Yu Youyao turned to look at Old Madam Yu. “Grandmother, why is Third Sister apologizing to me? Did she do something wrong?”

Old Madam Yu was stunned for a moment. Only then did she recall the twists and turns that had played out in the backyard yesterday. How would a nine-year-old child like Yao Yao understand?

Hence, the way that Yu Jianjia apologized so directly naturally made Yu Youyao feel dumbfounded.

Ps—

List of characters in the Main Mansion

Old Madam Yu

Master: Yu Zongzheng

First Wife: Xie Roujia from the Xie family of Quanzhou; deceased.

Wife: Yang Shuwan

Concubine: Concubine He

Eldest Miss: Yu Youyao

Third Miss: Yu Jianjia

Fourth Young Master: Yu Shansi

Fourth Miss: Yu Qingning