Chapter 455: Chapter 456, The Truth Lingers
Master Xin was no fool.
Seeing Mrs. Liu dressed so luxuriously, her hair adorned with exquisite ornaments, and her figure far from emaciated—even if she was crying now, it seemed mostly for show.
These days, he had thought a lot.
He wasn’t particularly handsome nor was he exceptionally talented, just a second-generation master in the family who relied on his elder brother; how then had he caught her eye?
He loved her deeply, always listened to her in everything.
Upon reflection, there were indeed flaws in her behavior.
On the first and fifteenth of each month, she insisted on going to offer incense, a trip that lasted two days, and she returned with a particular glow about her. He thought it was the spiritual renewal, but it turned out it wasn’t...
And those idle gossips from before, now they seemed to be making sense!
"Tell me, is it you and Xiu Bingsheng who colluded to let the bandits into the Xin Family!" Master Xin’s voice was heavy.
Mrs. Liu momentarily forgot to cry, stammering, "Second Master, what are you talking about, I don’t understand, I..."
"Slap!"
Master Xin was truly furious and angry.
He slapped her hard, leaving Mrs. Liu unable to utter a word and forgetting even to cry.
"Get out!" Master Xin shouted.
For such a woman, to lose his home and ruin the people—no, it truly wasn’t worth it...
Stunned, Mrs. Liu left the room, only then realizing she had nowhere to go.
Initially, it was Xiu Bingsheng’s order that she get close to Master Xin, but over the years, she had indeed developed feelings for him. However, on the first and fifteenth of each month, she still had to secretly indulge with Xiu Bingsheng for two days.
At first, she was afraid, but since she was never caught, she became used to it and shamelessly so.
With such a significant hold over her, did she dare refute Xiu Bingsheng when he asked her to open the back door?
She did not dare.
Since she did not dare, she could only comply.
But she had not expected the second master who loved her so much to treat her like this.
To hate her, resent her, be angry with her, to hit her, and also to tell her to leave.
But once she left, where could she go?
Chu Yu felt annoyed, so he returned to his room, threw himself onto the bed, and as he thought about Yun Jinnian’s partiality towards Han Tianci and his own cold treatment, he just couldn’t fall asleep.
Thinking about Yun Jinnian almost drove him mad.
Yun Jinnian sat on the side, flipping through a book, but really not taking any of it in. After waiting for quite a while without hearing Han Tianci make a sound, she heard the faint sound of his snoring instead. She smiled indulgently, then took the pouch she had made for Chu Yu and left the room.
Shi Jiayu immediately stepped forward to greet her, "Miss, are you going out?"
"Mm, is there any Snow Lotus porridge left?"
"Yes!"
"Then ladle a bowl for me—make it a slightly larger bowl. I’m taking it to Big Brother Chu!"
Shi Jiayu hurriedly smiled, "Then I’ll go get it from the kitchen. Please wait a moment, Miss. I’ll bring the porridge over in a moment!"
"You go ahead, I’ll wait here for you!"
Shi Jiayu clattered away, while Yun Jinnian stayed where she was.
Her room was flanked by the quarters of Shi Jiayu, Hemei, Henuan, and then the older female servants such as the nannies, creating a separation between her and all the men.
With Shi Jiayu gone, Hemei and Henuan approached her, "Miss!"
"You haven’t gone to sleep yet?"
"Hehe!"
The two maids had become more cheerful during this trip, frequently bursting into silly laughter, and their demeanor had softened, showing the innocence of eleven-year-olds.
But this was only in front of her. Once away from her side or when strangers appeared, they immediately put on faces as cold as ice and unapproachable.
"Later, lay out a blanket and pillow on the couch, I’ll sleep there tonight!"
Although Tianci was still young, he was eight years old and taller than her; it wouldn’t be appropriate to share a bed anymore. Letting Tianci sleep on the couch wasn’t good for his health either.
Hemei seemed to want to say something but ultimately remained silent, simply assuring that it would be arranged soon.
Shi Jiayu also brought over the food container. Yun Jinnian took the container, and without anyone accompanying her, she walked slowly toward Chu Yu’s room.