Chapter 6: Old Love

Ronghua had no choice but to turn and walk away with Chun Yao

The emotional bond has long been severed

Madam scrutinized Ronghua for a long time before speaking, "How are you serving her? How much distress has the Eighth Miss endured?"

Zhao Xuanhuan smiled, "No need, it's just for the sake of novelty"

Later, whenever she saw him, he would always send a smile from afar. She did not dare to respond, but deep down, she felt sweet.

Ronghua respectfully paid her respects to the young lady.

Chun Yao glanced at the Eighth Miss and did not dare to take credit, saying, "That plate of dim sum was not originally my idea; it was the Eighth Miss who taught me how to make it"

Ronghua's eyes suddenly twitched; there was evidently a special meaning in the young lady's words. Could it be that shortly after she entered the residence, they had already made some arrangements for her?

Rui'er hurriedly apologized, "I was just about to help the Eighth Miss change her clothes, but upon hearing that she was being searched for all over the garden, I didn't dare to delay..."

In the future, when the eighth younger sister becomes successful, she should remember the good things of the household

Madam Chen nodded, slowly walked out, instructed the maids to go in and attend to the eldest madam as she went to sleep, and then arranged for Scholar Jin to leave.

Such a question is exactly the same as before, especially his voice, which suddenly becomes soft, with a gentle and ethereal tone. Ronghua smiles and says, "No, I heard it from someone else."

At that time, she was copying the catalog in her father's library and inadvertently encountered him

Ronghua and Chunyang had not walked far when the young lady called out to Ronghua from behind

The young lady was unusually cheerful, having long since cast aside her worries. "I was just about to ask Chun Yao how the filling for those pastries is made, so that the cooks in the residence can learn from it"

Tomorrow, the other young ladies in the garden will be formally introduced to Ronghua, which will signify her acknowledgment of Ronghua's status as a young lady

The lively mansion has returned to tranquility

The young lady said, "We are sisters, there is no need for such formality." She paused and then continued with a slight smile, "They all say that the eighth sister is unfortunate, having spent over ten years outside. But I believe that the eighth sister is the most fortunate of all. Who doesn't know that Chun Yao is the top maid in front of our mother? Even if I wanted her, our mother would not agree. Yet now she has been assigned to you to support you, isn't that a tremendous blessing?"

Those who consider her timid, weak, and superficial will surely be taken aback

Mother Chen quietly asked, "What about that girl Jinxiu?"

Madam Chen nodded, saying, "What the lady said is true." In this household, there is no one who does not have their own interests at heart; over the years, she has encountered many who are sweet on the surface but harbor ulterior motives.

Madam Chen said, "Yes, do you think it might have something to do with Miss Eight?" It seems that the eldest madam is still worried that someone in the residence might stir up trouble using the incident involving Miss Five from years ago, but not many people are aware of what happened with Miss Five...

Madam turned to Ronghua and said, "Quickly have the maids assist with the washing and grooming." She paused, "It's also my fault for not informing you about the master in advance. Who would have thought that you would meet the master so soon."

Madam was taken aback for a moment; how could Shuhua have come back? Could it be that someone informed her about the situation here?

Miss Ba hurriedly explained, "No, it's because I walked too far away, and Jinxiu couldn't find me."

Rui'er knelt down, "The maidservants do not dare."

Shuhua said: "Let Chun Yao teach the cook. If you like it, she will often make it for you"

The lamp was extinguished, and after the darkness, the moonlight gradually became visible through the window frame

Did Ango not make things difficult for you

Madam stretched out her hand to grasp Ronghua's hand, and Ronghua's fingers involuntarily trembled slightly. Madam immediately broke into a loving smile, "Look at you, your hands are icy cold; you must have been frightened, right? It's all Jin Xiu's fault for not handling things properly."

Ronghua gently lowered her head and bowed slightly, "Hello, brother-in-law"

His smile is always gentle, like pear blossoms adorned with colorful light, cascading down at an angle. Time flows like water; in just three years, he has changed in appearance, yet remains as gentle as ever. However, the smile he once had seems to have been obscured by something, leaving only a faint expression at the corners of his mouth

Chun Yao led her towards her residence while asking, "How did you come to meet the master?"

At this point in the conversation, a maid entered to report, "The young lady has arrived"

The eighth younger sister is merely a superficial figure, fit only to be a plaything of wealthy families, enjoying transient favor at best

The young lady seems to want to say something more, when a maid hurriedly ran over, "Miss, the young master has arrived"

In front of everyone, if she does not present something to compensate for this pitiable beauty, it will appear that she is excessively harsh

Madam nodded slightly, "That's good. Jin Xiu is not feeling well, so I will have Chun Yao accompany you. After a while, I will send the maid to you, and there won't be any issues like today."

Zhao Xuanhuan's smile was somewhat faint, lacking warmth, "Eighth sister."

So it turns out to be the eighth younger sister. The young lady was somewhat surprised

Rong Hua stood still in place, merely waiting for Zhao Xuanhuan and Shuhua to gradually walk away from her.

A smile of happiness involuntarily appeared on the young lady's face. The noble lineage of her husband and the family of books had already brought her endless glory, and her husband himself was gentle and refined, attracting the envy of countless people.

Ronghua closed her eyes and smiled quietly, the smile slowly blossoming at the corners of her mouth, radiant and resplendent

Madam looked at Mother Chen through the dressing mirror on the table and said, "How many times have I told you not to hastily judge a person"

Ronghua paid a visit to the young lady, while Shuhua responded casually. Just then, Chun Yao returned from a task with the second young lady. The eldest madam instructed Chun Yao to take good care of the eighth young lady. Once Ronghua left, Shuhua exchanged a few words with her mother and also departed.

A newly arrived maid would not know about that matter, nor would she have any reason to go to that room

Ronghua returned to her residence, and the previously quiet house had become lively. Four mothers and four rough servant girls stood in a row, and upon seeing her, they hurriedly bowed in greeting

The room was instantly cleared out completely.

Madam instructed the maids to withdraw, and she walked into the green gauze wardrobe, with Mama Chen understanding and following her.

In the reserved gaze of the eighth younger sister, there flickered a hint of a smile, which momentarily stunned Zhao Xuanhuan. In the blink of an eye, he returned to his faint smile, saying, "The name of this pastry is well chosen."

Madam gently rubbed her brow, deciding to give that girl a little sweetness for the time being. If the girl is well-behaved, then it is fine, but if not, let her enjoy herself for a while. When a person becomes too pleased with themselves, they are bound to forget their manners.

Madam laughed again, "This child, from now on this will be your home, no need to be so reserved. Tomorrow will be nice, I just happen to want to stroll in the garden with your second sister, you should come along, and I will introduce you to the sisters in the mansion."

The young lady said: "This is my eighth younger sister, you have not met her yet"

The night has grown late, and the maidservants are attending to Ronghua as she prepares for bed, while Chun Yao is serving in the outer room

Miss Ba was covered in dust, her hair disheveled, and she appeared quite disheveled overall. Especially with her timid demeanor, she did not resemble a lady of high society, but rather seemed like a modest young woman from an ordinary family.

Ronghua raised her head

How many times has this scene appeared in her dreams, yet that person has become increasingly distant and blurred; now, however, they stand right before her, within reach

Madam rubbed her shoulders a few times, and Mama Chen hurriedly took over to massage them, "Madam, regarding tonight's matter..."

Not far away, someone is holding a lantern to guide, while a tall figure slowly follows behind.

She will no longer be defeated by the fate of being a commoner; she intends to take control of her own destiny

Ronghua did not speak, and the first day in the mansion was much more tumultuous than she had imagined. If it weren't for the thought of the master, she probably would not have passed so easily, but it ended up causing Jinxiu to fall ill.

Miss Eight lowered her head and said, "Yes."

She is no longer the radiant Fifth Miss; no, she has learned to conceal her brilliance, restraining herself in order to shine even more brightly one day

Miss Eight nodded again

The lady sighed, "For now, let's find a place in the residence to keep it. If it improves, we will keep it; if not..."

The madam treats her illegitimate daughter, raised outside the household, quite well, and the servants assigned to her are indeed the same as when she was the fifth young lady.

The young lady's gaze lingered on Ronghua's face for a moment, her fiery stare making Ronghua feel as if she were being appraised for sale.

One can only be taken outside the residence to recuperate; it would be difficult to re-enter. If one does not recover and dies, it would merely amount to a few dozen taels of silver to settle the matter

Madam said lightly: "You go check if anyone else besides Jin Xiu has visited Miss Wu's room at https://m.hetushu.com."

Mother Chen smiled, "Indeed, looking at Miss Ba's demeanor, she does not seem like someone with ulterior motives; she should have no connection to this matter."

At this thought, a faint smile gradually appeared on Shuhua's tense face

The young lady glanced at Ronghua and immediately smiled. Although both are named Ronghua, this eighth younger sister, raised outside the mansion, pales in comparison to the fifth younger sister. At first glance, this eighth younger sister appears rather plain, lacking any captivating charm. In contrast, the fifth younger sister possesses a serene beauty, her bright eyes resembling a radiant crescent moon, exuding a rare wisdom found in women.

Madam scolded Rui'er, saying, "You have been in the residence for quite some time, and you have been competent in front of the master. How can you be so muddled? If you know, it is because you did not think things through; if you do not know, others will think you are deliberately deceiving the master"

"Human hearts are inscrutable." The madam smiled coldly, "But there will always be a time when the truth is revealed." She originally intended to keep this beauty at a distance for a while, but who would have thought that such an incident would occur today

As soon as the young lady entered, her gaze was fixed on the face of the eighth younger sister. Had she not heard it from the second younger sister, she would have been unaware that this eighth younger sister actually shared the same name as the fifth younger sister, both being called Ronghua.

Everyone sees it and contemplates; after all, it was raised outside and cannot take the main stage. On the very first day of entering the residence, it has already turned out this way

No," Miss Eight answered honestly

Now, everything has changed beyond recognition. She has been shattered to pieces, while he is already a married man

Zhao Xuanhuan, who was sitting nearby, suddenly spoke, "Did you come up with the name for the pastry as well?" Under the light, Ba Mei lowered her head, revealing a graceful neck, which gave him a sense of familiar tranquility. Upon hearing his words, Ba Mei raised her head and met his gaze directly.