Chapter 7: Return to the Door

In the early morning, the sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting a refreshing and pleasant atmosphere over the entire Qiongming Pavilion.

Granny Qiao was certain that Miss Ye Tangcai was unfamiliar with the servants, so she came early to help. With a bucket of water in her left hand and a basin of clean washing items in her right, she crossed the courtyard gate.

Seeing the situation, Qiu Jie hurried out to assist.

Ye Tangcai had already woken up and glanced outside, seeing a strange old lady busy at work. Rubbing her eyes, she asked, "Who is this?"

Huiran said, "That's Granny Qiao. She brought food and bedding for you last night. You were sound asleep at the time, so we didn't want to wake you."

Granny Qiao heard the noise and quickly walked to the front of the house, bowing, "Greetings, Miss."

"Granny, please don't be so formal," Ye Tangcai said as she walked out.

Granny Qiao looked up and was surprised.

She saw a stunning and beautiful young lady slowly emerging, dressed in a snow-white thin shirt that accentuated her graceful figure. Her rosy face still carried a hint of drowsiness and laziness, and her slender arms lightly rested on the door frame as she stood on the steps.

Even Granny Qiao, as a woman, couldn't help but be captivated by her beauty. My, where did this peerless beauty come from?

Granny Qiao was secretly amazed. She had thought that the bride-to-be would be so ugly as to scare away the groom, but unexpectedly, Miss Ye was of such extraordinary beauty! Could it be that Master Zhang is blind?

In terms of appearance, she was indeed a match for Third Master. But she was only here to seek temporary shelter and wouldn't stay long. It was a pity.

Just then, Ye Tangcai spoke softly, "Thanks to the help from the Chu family and Granny yesterday, I wonder where Master Chu is. I should go and thank him."

Upon hearing this, Granny Qiao was even more astonished. This Miss Ye unexpectedly fell into such a situation and had to marry a commoner, yet she remained so calm! She even said she would go and thank him without any airs.

Regardless of her character, at least she seemed grateful and courteous.

Granny Qiao couldn't help but feel a sense of respect for her. "Miss, there's no need to be polite. Third Master left early this morning. Madam, Master, and the young ladies went to Minzhou for a wedding banquet yesterday and haven't returned yet. Miss can make herself at home."

Ye Tangcai smiled. The marriage came too suddenly, and coincidentally, the mistress and other masters were not at home, so Chu Yunpan chose to avoid them, making it convenient for her to handle her own affairs.

"Miss, your family's carriage has arrived to take you back!" Qiu Jie walked in excitedly.

Hearing this, Huiran also looked happy and relieved.

However, Ye Tangcai felt a bit embarrassed. These two maids didn't understand the customs, but she did. In her previous life, she had been married once and naturally knew that the husband's family should provide the carriage for the bride to return, and there was no reason for the bride's family to come and pick her up. But the situation was special now, so she didn't insist on it.

Granny Qiao just smiled and quietly withdrew.

After a simple grooming, the three of them hurried out of the house.

The carriage didn't stop at the main gate but at the west corner gate, not far from the Qiongming Pavilion.

As they exited the side gate, they saw a green-covered carriage parked in the quiet alley. A maid dressed in dark green attire, with a square face and a dark blue headband, was anxiously looking around.

When she saw Ye Tangcai and the others coming out, she walked up excitedly, "Miss!"

"Granny Cai!" Ye Tangcai walked up, and the person was Cai, the companion maid of the Wen family.

Qiu Jie and Huiran saw their own people finding a sense of reliance and breathed a sigh of relief, finally feeling at ease.

"Are you alright, Miss? Were you in any trouble?" Cai, with red eyes, held Ye Tangcai's hand and looked her up and down.

Qiu Jie said, "Granny, rest assured, the Miss is unharmed."

Cai finally breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Qiu Jie and Huiran with admiration. "I knew with you two here, the Miss would be safe and sound. Miss, get on the carriage. We can talk about everything on the way."

Cai placed a small stool behind the carriage, and Qiu Jie climbed up first, then helped Ye Tangcai onto the carriage.

Once all four were seated, the coachman lightly flicked the reins, and the carriage slowly moved forward, leaving the alley and reaching the main street.

Ye Tangcai asked, "How is my mother?"

"Madam was already suffering from a cold, and after worrying about your marriage for a few days and getting angry, she fainted yesterday and had a fever all night. She only woke up early this morning, and the first thing she did was to send me to bring you back home," Cai said.

Hearing that her mother had woken up, Ye Tangcai breathed a sigh of relief. "What did the doctor say?"

"He said it's not serious, but she needs to rest and avoid getting angry, otherwise it will harm her health."

Upon hearing this, Ye Tangcai felt a pang of anxiety. Her mother had always had a fiery temper. Otherwise, in her previous life, she wouldn't have been angered to death by some gossip.

Speaking of which, she had inherited her mother's bad temper. She was sensitive about her reputation, had a fiery temper, and was stubborn. Otherwise, she wouldn't have fallen ill and died because of some rumors.

"Yesterday, we were worried about you. You left in a hurry, and there was no time to bring your dowry and belongings. I thought we should send someone capable to take care of things over there, but the old master said that since you had married into the Chu family, you were now a member of the Chu family, so why bother about anything else? He ordered the gate to be locked, and no one was allowed in or out without his permission," Cai said with a look of anger.

Qiuju and Huiran listened to the chilling words with a heavy heart. Qiuju bit her lip and said, "How could the old master not care at all about the girl's life? And as for the young master... sigh!"

Yetang Cai let out a cold laugh. If he really cared about her life, he should have canceled the wedding yesterday instead of hastily marrying her off for the sake of saving face! In her grandfather's eyes, nothing was more important than his own reputation. As for her father, he had long been estranged from her and her mother because of an affair with another woman.

"What about the second miss? Have they found her?" Qiuju asked anxiously.

"Not yet," Cai Momo gritted her teeth. "After the miss got into the bridal sedan yesterday, the guests dispersed. The old master was afraid that the guests would go to the Zhang family and be left out, so he immediately closed the gates and sent Liu Er and others to look for the second miss outside. Even when I left this morning, I still hadn't received any news."

Qiuju was angry, but seeing Yetang Cai's calm face, she was afraid of upsetting the girl, so she held back her anger and didn't speak out.

The surroundings fell silent for a moment, and no one spoke.

The carriage continued to move quietly, almost for about two quarters of an hour, before finally slowing down and turning a corner. Qiuju lifted the curtain to take a look, only to find that the carriage had entered the east gate of the Jing'an Marquis's mansion. It continued for a while before stopping in front of the drooping flower gate.