"Eldest Miss, you were too impulsive just now!" Granny Fang sighed.
Earlier, in Madam Hou's room, after the Eldest Miss said those words, Madam Hou's eyes were filled with venom. After all, she was the mistress of this Hou Residence, and their Eldest Miss still had to live under her authority.
Moreover, she still had to marry into the Hou Residence and would be under Madam Hou's care for many years to come. A mother-in-law always had countless ways to discipline her daughter-in-law, and by then, the young lady would have nowhere to reason.
Lin Yan, supported by her maidservant, sat down on a round stool in the room.
Because she had to maintain a persona of frailty, she had not yet begun to take the spiritual spring water to nourish her body. Her current body was already struggling to cope.
The feigned weakness she displayed in front of Madam Hou earlier was not entirely an act. She had already been standing for a long time, and now, after walking all the way back, her body was close to its limit.
"Granny Fang, please have a seat." Lin Yan slowly adjusted her breathing to steady it.
"Granny Fang, if I hadn't been impulsive today, would things have been better? My aunt has openly shown she dislikes me, and no amount of fawning over her will make a difference.
Furthermore, she used my mother to make her point. Granny Fang, I cannot tolerate this."
After Lin Yan finished speaking, her eyes, like clear water, closed, and two lines of tears slid down from the corners of her eyes. Lin Yan did not wipe them away. She opened her eyes and looked at Granny Fang.
"What sin did my mother commit, to have no peace even after death, just because she had an unworthy daughter like me!"
"But, but Madam has already betrothed you to the Heir of Marquis Huaiyin. If you offend Madam Hou like this, what will your future be like? I believe Madam would also advise you to tolerate it if she were alive." Granny Fang wanted to explain the advantages and disadvantages to Lin Yan.
Lin Yan was young and didn't understand the difficulties of a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship. Wasn't Madam bringing her here precisely to teach her these things!
"Granny, do you really think this is a good marriage?" Lin Yan murmured.
"Miss, what did you say?" Granny Fang hadn't heard Lin Yan clearly.
"It's nothing," Lin Yan didn't want to say more. "Granny, do you know why my aunt dislikes me so much? So much that she can't even be bothered to conceal it?"
"This servant will inquire later. The steward said there is your mother's dowry at the manor, so perhaps that will shed some light on the situation."
"Then I'll trouble you, Granny Fang." Lin Yan wiped the tears from her face.
What a strange constitution. Tears flowed down her face, yet her skin didn't feel dry. And after crying so much, her eyes weren't even swollen. This truly defied the medicine Lin Yan had studied.
However, she had already experienced things that defied physics, like Qinggong. This strange constitution was not that unusual.
According to the system, there were also protagonists of Mary Sue novels whose hair was rainbow-colored, and their tears would turn into diamonds when they fell on the ground. Some would even cause rain when they cried and scatter flowers when they were happy.
Thinking of it this way, her constitution was still within reason.
"It's no trouble at all. But Miss, you said today that you wanted to go to the manor to observe mourning for your parents?" Granny Fang asked hesitantly.
"It's true. I am in deep mourning, and it's not appropriate to stay in someone else's house. It's better to go to the manor. Given my aunt's attitude, she certainly wouldn't allow me to set up mourning halls for my father and mother."
Although Lin Yan was not the original owner, her parents had doted on her so much and had even considered her future before their deaths. She felt she should fulfill her filial duty and observe mourning for them.
This was also the original owner's wish. Lin Yan felt that the original owner would not have wanted to come to the capital. If it weren't for her mother's request, she would have built a hut by her parents' graves to mourn.
"But Uncle probably won't agree, will he?" If Lin Yan were truly sent to the manor to mourn, the Marquis's residence wouldn't even have a place to hold the memorial service.
"I will make Uncle agree!" Lin Yan said with certainty.
Although Granny Fang didn't quite believe Lin Yan's words, she didn't want to dampen Lin Yan's spirits. After all, since her parents' death, Lin Yan seemed to have lost interest in everything, and her health had been declining.
Originally, Lin Yan's health had improved considerably under Granny Fang's care. However, the successive deaths of the master and madam had caused her recovering body to deteriorate further.
Therefore, Lin Yan had been confined to bed for most of the journey, and only when they were nearing the capital did she slightly recover. Lin Yan's health wasn't as poor as it seemed, but due to observing mourning and her lack of appetite, she would start panting after only a few steps.
Now that Lin Yan had regained some spirit, Granny Fang was somewhat relieved. When people have spirit, their bodies will not decline.
After Marquis Huaiyin returned from his duties in the afternoon, Lin Yan met her uncle for the first time. Although she had seen him in her memories, he looked very different in person.
This Marquis Huaiyin was a very heroic man, yet he also possessed the scholarly aura of someone who had read extensively. To summarize, he was a "scholar-general."
His gaze towards Lin Yan was very gentle, but it seemed as if he were searching for traces of someone on her.
"You look very much like your mother," he finally spoke.
"My aunt said the same thing," Lin Yan replied indifferently.
This was the second time Lin Yan had heard this sentence today. She felt she needed to find a bright bronze mirror to see just how much she resembled the mother of this body.
"Your aunt... You can stay here with peace of mind. Treat this place as your own home, don't be constrained. If you need anything, just tell your... tell the steward."
He seemed to know his wife's temperament well, so he didn't force Lin Yan to see her.
"Your aunt just hasn't thought things through for a moment, but she's a good person, not scheming. You'll understand later."
"Uncle, I wish to go to the manor to observe mourning for my parents. I am my parents' only child, and I must fulfill my filial duty." Lin Yan looked up at her uncle, her eyes, identical to her mother's, fixed on him.
Marquis Huaiyin frowned deeply. He didn't understand why Lin Yan would want to do this. The environment at the manor was too poor, and his niece had always been in poor health. If anything were to happen there, even a doctor would be difficult to summon.
"Stay here with peace of mind. You can also observe mourning for your parents peacefully within the residence."
"How can one observe mourning in someone else's home? Uncle may not fear ill fortune, but I cannot be so presumptuous. Therefore, Uncle, please grant my request," Lin Yan pleaded.
"We'll see. We'll have dinner together tonight, and you can meet your rather unimpressive cousin." Although he called him unimpressive, a look of satisfaction crossed his face when he mentioned his son.
His niece looked exactly like his sister. How beautiful! She would be a perfect match for his son. His brother-in-law had married his sister away, so now he had to send his precious daughter back.
Everyone assumed it was Lin's mother who proposed the marriage, but in reality, Lin's mother only wanted her brother to take care of her daughter after her death and find her a suitable match.
She knew her sister-in-law disliked her and was proud. Therefore, she never considered marrying her daughter back into her maiden family.
However, Marquis Huaiyin felt that no one else could be entrusted with her care. Who could be more suitable than his own son? Thus, he wrote to his sister and arranged this marriage.