Chapter 3, Siblings

Fourth Young Master

At that moment, Yun'er, who had been leading, finally raised her head and explained with a rather poor expression: "Miss, it was Mother Zhu who called us all out and gave us a scolding. If it weren't for Sister Qinfang saying that there was still Su Mu and Hu Jiao guarding the room, I wouldn't have bothered to listen to her reprimand. It took a lot of effort for me to hold back and not argue with her"

Although she is completely in the dark about the history of this era, the days without parents are the same whether in modern times or ancient times. Moreover, the people and circumstances here are more complex and difficult than her original environment. However, living means hope. Since she has been reborn, she will definitely live well in place of this poor girl who has lost her parents but is devoted to protecting her younger brother, and she will also take good care of Chen Yan

At this moment, Chen Yan, who had been silent with a stern face, could no longer contain himself and immediately scolded, "What do you mean by 'Aunt Zhu'? When did it become her place as an outsider to interfere in the matters of this courtyard? Previously, my sister was ill, so I tolerated her meddling, but now that my sister has woken up, there is no longer any room for her to intervene in the affairs of this courtyard"

Although she had decided to accept reality, that familiar face was indeed endearing. However, Chen Lan still felt somewhat awkward and puzzled about suddenly having an additional younger brother. Yet, at that moment, she couldn't help but be amused by his self-talking behavior. She immediately scolded him in a half-hearted manner: "This is an external injury, not a fever. What good does it do to check your forehead? Also, you must have run all the way back, look at you, drenched in sweat. The wind will cool you down naturally. And look at you, your sleeves are all stained with ink; you'll have to send them for washing later..."

Alright, alright, Fourth Brother, do not speak all at once

Chen Yan's eyes widened in anger: "Where has everyone gone? There is no one at the door, and no one is guarding the house. If you are unwilling to stay, then I..."

Yun'er immediately smiled brightly, nodding repeatedly as she said, "What the Fourth Young Master said is correct; I will definitely remember it in the future"

Chen Lan observed that Chen Yan was in a fit of rage, yet the maidservants below were all smiling cheerfully, thinking to herself that these maidservants must have grown accustomed to it. Seeing that Chen Yan was still seething with anger, she lightly cleared her throat and said: "Since Mother Zhu has called for you all, then so be it"

In the past three days, although Chen Lan has been unable to get out of bed, she has become familiar with all the various items on the bed, including the assortment of needles and threads in the bedside box. There are pouches, fan tassels, sweat towels, shoe uppers, and so on. In short, there is a wide variety of everything one could need. Even though she used to save money by being quite skilled with needlework, comparable to that in books, and could even tailor clothes, back then she had a sewing machine. Now, however, this is genuine embroidery, and her limited sewing skills are truly insufficient. If it weren't for the original owner leaving behind so many items, and the fact that her injuries have not yet healed serving as an excuse, how could she manage when it comes time to give gifts during the New Year?

Oh, why is it still warmer than what I'm touching on my head

After Chen Yan sat for a while, Chen Lan ultimately did not bring up what Mother Zheng had said, but merely instructed him to take care of himself and not to cause any trouble. Once he left in high spirits, Chen Lan took a deep breath, pressing against his chest.

Fourth Brother!" Chen Lan listened as he spoke more and more nonsensically, and could only interrupt him, then asked lightly, "What exactly is going on?"

"Is this... made by my sister herself? The stitching is just as good!" Chen Yan happily tucked the pouch into his bosom, then grinned, "The New Year is approaching, and I was just thinking of pestering my sister to make one. I didn't expect you to have prepared it already."

At this point, Chen Lan truly had no desire to continue questioning. Firstly, her injury had not yet healed; secondly, the situation was still unclear, and she was unaware if there were other hidden dangers among the people in the courtyard; thirdly, the matter of the monthly payment was not something that could be clarified in a short time. Therefore, after lazily giving a few instructions, she sent the person away, even rejecting Qinfang's suggestion to have the young girls come and bow to apologize.

Seeing the ingratiating smile on Chen Yan's face, Chen Lan sighed inwardly, propped herself up in bed, adjusted the pillow, and then took out a cloth from beneath it, gesturing for him to wipe himself. Chen Yan awkwardly took it and wiped a couple of times, then glanced around, suddenly losing his smile: "Sister, where are the servants in the house? You're still unwell, and have they all gone off to play? This is simply unacceptable! When I just entered the courtyard, I didn't see a single one of them; those lazy girls..."

In addition to recovering from her injuries, she must seriously consider the matter that Mother Zheng had previously mentioned about having Chen Yan move to the outer courtyard. Chen Yan is only eleven years old, and without his parents to care for him, living alone in the outer courtyard, who knows what might happen? This is not only for his sake but also for her own, as she must realize that her greatest support in this household at present is this younger brother.

As she spoke, she suddenly froze. Unknowingly, how had she habitually adopted the tone of an older sister scolding her younger brother? Just as she felt something was amiss in her heart, she heard a voice filled with grievance: "Sister, isn't it because I was eager to see you?"

As she was speaking, the curtain moved again, and it was Qinfang who entered the room. Her eyes were still somewhat red and swollen, and it seemed she had applied some makeup, which made her look relatively well. Upon seeing the three maids standing in front of the bed, she was momentarily taken aback.

The eleven-year-old child was already preoccupied with these thoughts, and Chen Lan couldn't help but sigh inwardly. She then gently patted his hand and shook her head to signal him to stop talking. However, seeing Chen Yan's gaze, which seemed to express a sense of "disappointment in not being able to achieve greatness," she did not take it to heart. Instead, she smiled and gave him another round of advice, and then took out a small pouch from the box by her pillow and handed it to him

Qinfang saw Chen Lan looking at her, and she hurriedly stepped forward to explain awkwardly: "Today happens to be the day for distributing the monthly allowance. Due to discrepancies in the amount, Sumu and Hu Jiao led a few young maids to confront Aunt Zhao. I could only try my best to stop them, but in the end, I couldn't hold them back at all, so I had no choice but to go with them. I am to blame for forgetting that someone should have stayed in the house."

Although she knew that she was not the real Chen Lan, her words and actions were inevitably subject to some deviations. However, since she had previously been gravely injured and had been in a coma for more than half a month, and would still need some time to recover, she also understood that this was not the time to feign ignorance. Seeing the three girls exchanging glances without saying a word, she could not help but frown and said with a heavier tone: "Are you really unable to say even a single word?"

This time, mhetushucomcom was the first to ask, "Where have you been!"

Chen Yan, being inherently hot-tempered, suddenly stood up while speaking, and with a fierce stomp of his foot declared: "From now on, she is not allowed to enter, do you understand?"

Before the words were finished, several voices could be heard from outside, and soon the green flower-patterned curtain was lifted high by someone. The first person to enter glanced around the room and was immediately taken aback, quickly calling out to the others behind. In an instant, three people hurriedly entered the room, with the leader, Yun'er, taking the lead as all three knelt and paid their respects.

As soon as the person left, Chen Yan said indignantly: "Sister, you are too weak and easily bullied. The Zhu family has ill intentions! If it weren't for the old lady still being around, the second aunt would have long been unable to tolerate the two of us. Isn't it just because she thinks she is the wife of a marquis? It's all because our father was unable to inherit the title back then; otherwise, these servants wouldn't dare to be so snobbish! Sister, once I become an official in the future, we will move out to live on our own!"

Chen Lan turned over to look outside, and before she could respond, the door curtain moved, and Chen Yan barged in directly. Perhaps he had just returned from school, as there were still a few ink stains on his sleeves, but his face was full of joy. Seeing that there was no one in the room, he moved a brocade stool to sit down in front of the bed, then reached out to touch her forehead, and immediately tested his own.