Qi Yi had always been very obedient to Qi Zhenzhen and nodded, "I understand, Eldest Sister."
The mother and son parted ways at the垂花门. Qi Yi led his people towards the front courtyard, while Qi Zhenzhen and Yun Shi returned to Tinglan Yuan.
"Zhenzhen, did Mother do something wrong? If Mother had taken you further away back then, we wouldn't have returned to this cage?" Yun Shi sighed and said, "But Mother is just a concubine, without even household registration. Your registrations are all in the Changping Marquis Manor. If we didn't come back, the three of us would forever be people without household registration."
Qi Zhenzhen linked her arm with Yun Shi's, "Mother, since we're back, don't overthink it. We can live comfortably outside, and it's the same here. This manor isn't entirely controlled by the Marquis Madam; Father and Grandmother are also here. Brother Yi is favored by Father, which is also our reliance. We won't even mention if Father will have other sons in the future. Even if he does, by then Brother Yi will be well-established and will hold the advantage of being the eldest. He will surely have a place in this manor."
Yun Shi thought about it, but this manor was not like the outside world; hidden arrows were hard to guard against.
"When you have a chance, you must properly caution Brother Yi and tell him to protect himself well," Yun Shi said. "Although he seems mature now, he is still a child after all. The inner chambers have many schemes..."
"Mother, please rest assured, Brother Yi is not someone without discretion."
The mother and daughter spoke in low voices and soon arrived at Tinglan Yuan.
It was already dark when they came last night, so they hadn't looked around. With nothing else to do, they strolled around the courtyard.
"This place is the same as before, it doesn't seem to have changed much," Yun Shi said as she looked around. "What do you think, Zhenzhen?"
"It's been a long time, I don't remember. But it seems to be tidied up quite cleanly, so let's just live here," Qi Zhenzhen replied.
"You'll likely be assigned a courtyard in a few days. Both the eldest and third young ladies live in their own courtyards," Yun Shi said. "You are the second young lady, so you'll also have your own courtyard."
"I've always wanted to be with Mother," Qi Zhenzhen said coquettishly. "Mother, you have such a good nature, and if I'm not by your side to protect you, I'm afraid you'll suffer."
"Suffer what? I'm well-behaved and follow all the rules. Even if Madam wants to find fault, she won't be able to," Yun Shi smiled. "Besides, with Qing Shui accompanying me, what could possibly happen?"
Qi Zhenzhen secretly sighed in her heart. Yun Shi was still too naive. Once you enter the Marquis's mansion, it's like entering a deep sea; there are so many dirty dealings here. It's not that if you don't make mistakes, you won't be blamed. If they want to blame you, they can easily do so. No, she had to think of a way.
At noon, Qing Shui returned from the main kitchen with the midday meal.
She carried two three-tiered food boxes.
There were two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes, one porridge, one soup, and two bowls of rice.
The vegetable dishes were cold mixed greens and stir-fried bean sprouts with shredded pork. The meat dishes were crystal pork knuckle and four happiness meatballs. The soup was mushroom chicken soup, and the porridge was simple white congee.
Yun Shi was a little apprehensive, "The portion sizes of these dishes seem a bit excessive."
"We've just returned to the manor, and the Old Madam also gave instructions, so the main kitchen naturally wouldn't neglect us," Qi Zhenzhen said with a smile as she sat down at the table, inviting Qing Shui and Lian Bei to join them.
"Second Young Lady, servants cannot eat with their masters," Lian Bei said earnestly. "If others see this, they will say that the Second Young Lady and the concubine are ill-mannered."
Lu Qing Shui also said, "We have our own meals. Lian Bei and I went to pick them up just now. We two will serve the Second Young Lady and the concubine, and then we'll go back to eat."
When they were in Xinghua Village, no matter how many people there were, they all ate at the same table. For a moment, they felt a little unaccustomed to this.
"You two don't need to serve here anymore, hurry back and eat, otherwise, it will get cold and won't taste good. Lian Bei, go get a bowl and plate. Take half of this pork knuckle and the four happiness meatballs with you. My mother and I can't finish them all."
Lu Qing Shui and Qi Zhenzhen had been together for quite some time and knew Qi Zhenzhen's personality, so she nodded, "Then we'll listen to the Second Young Lady."
Lian Bei happily returned to the room to get a plate. Qi Zhenzhen gave them two four happiness meatballs and cut half of the pork knuckle for them.
After the meal, Qing Shui and Lian Bei came to clear the bowls and chopsticks, which were to be sent back to the main kitchen.
The two of them went together to deliver the bowls and chopsticks, while Qi Zhenzhen brewed tea. She and Yun Shi each held a cup, sipping it slowly.
"Concubine, Second Young Lady, Ru Yan Concubine from Lingbo Courtyard has arrived," the gatekeeper Hua Pozi reported from the doorway.
Yun Shi and Qi Zhenzhen exchanged a glance. This Ru Yan Concubine was not in the manor when Yun Shi was there, so Yun Shi didn't recognize her. Fortunately, Granny Fang had mentioned them beforehand, so they had some impression, but neither of them expected this Ru Yan Concubine to visit their courtyard.
"Quickly invite her in," Yun Shi ordered.
A moment later, Ru Yan, with her seductive figure and flamboyant attire, walked in with a sway of her slender waist, followed by two senior maids.
"Ru Yan pays her respects to Sister and Second Young Lady," Ru Yan said as soon as she entered the room, bowing respectfully.
"My sister and I are the same, how can I accept your bow?" Yun Shi dodged to the side.
As for Qi Zhenzhen, she returned a half bow, "Greetings, Concubine."
Ru Yan subtly sized up Yun Shi. Her appearance was quite good, but not particularly outstanding. At most, her demeanor was somewhat unique. Such a person, why would the Marquis Madam be so wary of her? Could it be just because she gave birth to the Marquis's only son?
Yun Shi invited Ru Yan to sit down, and Qi Zhenzhen personally served Ru Yan tea, which surprised Ru Yan so much that she suddenly stood up.
"How can I trouble the Second Young Lady to do this? You're really demeaning this humble servant," Ru Yan said hurriedly. She was just a concubine, barely considered half a master, while this Second Young Lady, though a庶女 (daughter of a concubine), was a proper master. "Where are the servants waiting in the room? How could you let the Second Young Lady do this herself?"
The maid who came with Ru Yan spoke up, "Concubine, there seem to be no servants in this room. Since we entered, apart from the two mistresses, there are only the two sweeping mothers in the courtyard."
"Concubine, would you like to taste my tea-making skills? I'm used to doing these things, so I'm rather unaccustomed to others serving me," Qi Zhenzhen said with a faint smile.
Unaccustomed to being served? It's likely that the main household didn't arrange anyone to come, right?
Ru Yan sat down again and accepted Qi Zhenzhen's tea. She took a small sip, and a faint astringency spread in her mouth. After the tea went down, the astringency completely disappeared, leaving behind a subtle sweet fragrance.
Ru Yan didn't know much about tea, but she felt it was delicious at this moment.
"I wonder what kind of tea is in Concubine's room?" Ru Yan asked.
"This tea was concocted by the Second Young Lady when she had nothing to do. We really haven't named it yet," Yun Shi said with a smile.
It was said that tea making was a very meticulous matter, and only skilled people could make it. She didn't expect this Second Young Lady to have such a talent.
"Second Young Lady, you are truly amazing. This tea is no worse than the famous teas I've drunk," Ru Yan said. "I heard before that the tea-making process is complicated, and because the tea leaves are delicate, any slight mistake can ruin them. It's said that people who can make tea are either experienced artisans or have inherited the skill."