Chapter 8: sisters

The old lady was helped up by the maid beside her, looking at the orchid placed in the room. Her son's favorite was the orchid, the gentleman orchid.

The old lady was immersed in memories. Mrs. Zheng walked over and said to the old lady, "Madam, the third miss had a nightmare last night. She was terrified. Mrs. Gu said that after the nightmare, the third miss ignored her."

The old lady got angry, "Why didn't you call the doctor? The Mo family is not managing well. When the child is sick or has nightmares, they don't even think of calling a doctor to check on her."

Mrs. Zheng quickly said, "Madam, Muqiu said that the third miss has been daydreaming since she got up. Besides that, everything else seems normal." They spent most of the day in the courtyard, and if there was anything wrong, they would have noticed.

The old lady heard the word "nightmare" and felt that something was not right, "Although the child was not very close to the Mo family before, she wouldn't show such fear. Besides, the child's complexion has improved a lot today." Since everything has been normal these days, it means there shouldn't be much of a problem. But the old lady still felt something was off.

Mrs. Zheng pondered for a moment and said, "Madam, the third miss's improved complexion shows that she has relaxed. This is a good thing. Madam, you should be happy."

The old lady leaned on the silk pillow, "If the third miss could open up, I wouldn't worry. Others think that I, an old lady of this age, still cling to the power in the mansion. They think I love power so much. If we can live peacefully for a few days, I wouldn't be so troubled."

Mrs. Zheng said a few more comforting words and then said, "Madam, I think it's late autumn now, and the weather is gradually getting cooler. It's better for Madam to go out and take a walk, rather than staying in the house all the time."

The old lady didn't respond, but she didn't object either.

In the main room, the old lady's attendant, Liu, saw a group of people coming from a distance. She immediately stood up respectfully and bowed her head.

The old lady didn't even look at the attendant and went straight back to her courtyard, sat down, and had a bowl of chilled sour plum soup. She said to Liu, "What's wrong with the third miss? I feel something is strange."

Liu nodded, "The third miss is indeed acting strange. She was fine a few days ago, but after seeing the old lady, she became distant from her. I don't know if the old lady said something to her." Apart from this explanation, she really didn't know why the third miss had changed so much.

Mrs. Mo shook her head, "It's impossible. Although the old lady doesn't like me, she would never speak ill of me in front of the younger generation. There must be something else going on. You should have someone ask carefully." This girl is always thinking about copying scriptures and doesn't care about the affairs outside.

Suddenly, Mrs. Mo thought of the look the third miss gave her, a look of resentment and even hatred. Although it was just a moment, she did catch it. Thinking of this, Mrs. Mo shivered, "Have someone ask Mrs. Gu. What's wrong with the third miss? Why would she harbor such resentment towards me? Does she know something?"

After having lunch, Moon Yao went to the small Buddha hall to copy the scriptures. Now she also needed to copy the scriptures to calm her mind.

After finishing copying the scriptures, Moon Yao walked out of the small Buddha hall. Seeing that Yulei was hesitant, she asked, "Just say what you want to say." It seemed that she didn't manage things well before and didn't take Yulei's words to heart. Otherwise, she wouldn't have let Yulei look like this.

Yulei said cautiously, "I just heard the little maid say that she saw Mrs. Gu talking to the old lady's attendant, Hua, this morning. The miss was polite to the old lady in the morning, but in the afternoon, Hua went to find Mrs. Gu. I'm worried..."

Moon Yao nodded in her heart. Muqiu is straightforward, but Yulei is clever. Moon Yao thought about Yulei's words and felt a chill in her heart. It turned out that Mrs. Gu had already colluded with Mrs. Mo's people. "How long has this situation been going on?"

Seeing that Moon Yao didn't pursue her overstepping, Yulei said cautiously, "Not long after we came back, Mrs. Gu and Hua got together." Yulei had mentioned it before, but the miss didn't care. Now it seemed that the miss finally took it to heart.

Moon Yao was very satisfied. This girl indeed had a keen eye. In her previous life, she had reminded herself several times, but she was too naive at that time and thought that Yulei shouldn't speak ill of her elders, which would be very suspicious of sowing discord, so she reprimanded Yulei several times. Unexpectedly, Yulei had seen through it so early. "I know about this. Don't do anything for now. Just keep an eye on it." Mrs. Gu is her wet nurse, and it's not good to drive her away without any fault. Otherwise, it would damage her reputation.

Yulei looked at Moon Yao with surprise. She had reminded her many times before, but the miss never believed her. Now, the miss finally changed her mind.

After having dinner, Moon Yao continued to copy the scriptures. If she wanted to avoid suspicion, she had to do what she used to do and change gradually, step by step.

When Moon Yao came out again, it was already very late. Moon Yao said to Yulei beside her, "I want to take a walk." After speaking, Moon Yao walked slowly in her Orchid Garden.

The night was cool, and the bright moon hung high in the sky, surrounded by wispy clouds, shimmering and flowing like water in the courtyard.

Lanxi Courtyard is an independent courtyard within the Lian family estate. It was built by the late master Lian Chengrang for his retirement, so it is located in a relatively remote area, aiming for peace and quiet.

The courtyard is divided into a front and back section. The front section consists of three main rooms with attached wing rooms and side rooms. The back section consists of three main rooms with two attached side buildings. The so-called side buildings are small rooms attached to the main building, forming a "hug-like" structure. These buildings are warm in winter and cool in summer, making them ideal for women to live in. Currently, Yuexiao resides in the side building in the back courtyard.

Yuexiao looked at the courtyard and murmured, "It's been fifteen years." Sold off at the age of fifteen, now thirty. Those fifteen years, ten years of amnesia aside, the other five years were like hell. And now she's back, back to a place that only appeared in her dreams.

Alone, Yuexiao stood quietly under the moon, silently shedding tears for those five hellish years.

Hualai thought Yuexiao was thinking about the old master and madam again, and hurriedly comforted her, saying, "Miss, please don't be sad anymore. If the old master and madam see you like this, they will surely be very upset. Miss, please take care of yourself."

Yuexiao wiped her tears.

Seeing Yuexiao's emotions calm down, Hualai said softly, "Miss, there's something I'm not sure if I should say."

Yuexiao looked up, her expression indifferent, "Just say it if you have something to say, no need to hesitate. I'm listening."

Hualai then said, "Miss, I've overstepped. Your stay in Lanxi Courtyard always makes you miss someone, which is not good for you. When your mood is not good and you visit the old madam, it also upsets her and affects her health. It also hinders your reputation." Hualai was about to suggest that it would be best not to stay in Lanxi Courtyard.

Yuexiao was somewhat surprised. Hualai was indeed astute. She had thought of this matter. The scheming of the Mo family was truly ruthless. Indeed, as Hualai said, staying in Lanxi Courtyard, she was always thinking of her deceased parents. Visiting her grandmother with sadness would also cause her grandmother distress. Her grandmother's health was already not good, and how could her body recover from constant worry and sorrow? Once her grandmother was gone, the only person who could restrain the Mo family would be gone. By then, the Lian family would be under the control of the Mo family. The scheming of the Mo family was truly deep.

Dealing with such a deeply scheming person was truly not easy!

The next day, Yuexiao got up early. Following the usual practice, she went to the main house to pay her respects to the old madam. In her past life, she was immersed in copying scriptures, and this life, she would start to change from here.

In the main house, Yuexiao met her several cousins. The eldest, Lian Yueying, the second, Lian Yuebing, and the fourth, Lian Yuehuan.

Lian Yueying was dressed in a water-blue cross-collared jacket with a white and blue pleated skirt. She was only twelve years old. Yueying inherited the beauty of her mother, Lady Chen, and was as radiant as spring flowers, as bright as the autumn moon, with a slender and graceful figure that swayed gently in the wind.

Yueying's mother, Lady Chen, used to be the old madam's personal maid. Because the Mo family had a son as their first child, the old madam stopped taking her fertility medicine. Lady Chen was lucky and gave birth to Yueying in the second year after stopping the medicine, and to Lian Tingchao in the fourth year. Lady Chen died after the old madam passed away.

Yuebing, the second daughter, was born to the Mo family and was the only legitimate daughter of the main family. She was one year older than Yuexiao and was nine years old this year. She was wearing a long coat with golden silk begonia flowers and a goose-yellow pleated skirt. With a melon-seed face, long eyebrows, and fair and tender skin, she inherited all the advantages of the Mo family. When she grew up, she would definitely be a great beauty.

Thinking about the past, Yuexiao suddenly found it amusing. The Lian family, a scholarly family, had actually married into a merchant family. The marriage with the merchant family was not as prestigious as it seemed. The family's pride in scholarly heritage had been lost, and their foundation was weakened. The decline was only a matter of time. With this realization, the guilt in Yuexiao's heart disappeared.

Yuexiao looked at the three women, each with a different fate, all manipulated by the Mo family. To avoid being manipulated by the Mo family again, she had to seek outside help. As long as this support could intimidate the Mo family, they would no longer be able to control her, let alone sell her as a concubine.