Lady’s eyes were filled with tension: "You must be more careful." Tong Xiyan replied, "There aren’t any flowers in Sister’s courtyard, and I brought a mask, so mother, you needn’t worry."
Xiao Yanzheng gave Tong Xiyan a surprised look, and Lady explained to Xiao Yanzheng, "Second Miss is not an outsider; Fourth Girl has a bit of hay fever."
"So that’s the case." Xiao Yanzheng nodded and said, "If that’s so, then why don’t the young ladies come to my courtyard? I’m usually quite lazy, and there’s nothing in my courtyard, so Fourth Miss can feel at ease there."
Tong Xihua gave Xiao Yanzheng a rather peculiar look and nodded, "Then, many thanks to Second Sister." She then pointed to a large maidservant nearby and said, "Carry the fruits and pastries prepared for the young ladies to Second Miss’s room."
Tong Xiyu hesitated a bit before standing up, looked at Tong Xihua, and said, "Why don’t Fourth Sister and Sixth Sister go ahead; I would like to stay here and accompany Eldest Sister."
Tong Xihua gave Tong Xiyu a surprised look, then laughed, "Eighth Sister is still the closest to me." Then she pointed to Tong Xiyan and Xiqiu, "These two have no conscience."
Tong Xiyan furrowed her brow slightly, then smiled at Tong Xiyu, "Eighth Sister, if you care about Eldest Sister, you can wait a moment; Second Miss is still waiting for us here."
"Go then!" Lady said to Tong Xiyu, "Come back later and talk to your Eldest Sister."
Tong Xiyu glanced awkwardly at Tong Xihua, bowed her head and said, "Yes."
Xiqiu, Tong Xiyan, and Tong Xiyu, accompanied by Xiao Yanzheng and surrounded by maidservants, left Tong Xihua’s courtyard and returned to the path they had just walked on, heading back.
Once they left, Lady anxiously grabbed Tong Xihua’s hand, inspecting her up and down, her demeanor tense: "Did the Imperial Physician prescribe some medicine to stabilize the pregnancy since he said it’s still early? Do you feel any discomfort? I remember when I was carrying you, it was especially troublesome; no matter what I ate, I vomited it up completely. My stomach was in turmoil the whole day, and it was truly unpleasant. I’m afraid you’ll be like me, with a difficult pregnancy!"
Tong Xihua touched her still-flat belly and smiled at Lady, "As you said, Mother, I don’t feel anything, just that I’m sleepier than before. Everyday, after lunch and dinner, I lose all energy. Before Nanny Fang came, I was already thinking of asking the Imperial Physician to check on me, but I didn’t expect Nanny Fang to suggest it herself." She paused and covered her sleeve with a smile, "These past few days, I’ve been worrying in my heart, thinking I had some illness."
Lady, relieved, held Tong Xihua’s hand, her eyes reddened with tears, and said, "No matter what, this is a pregnancy at last!" Tong Xihua smiled and nodded.
"I have something to ask you." Lady’s expression suddenly turned serious, and she looked at Tong Xihua, "What’s going on with Fifth Madam?"
"Her?" Tong Xihua’s lips curled into disdain, and her expression hardened, "Did she say anything to you?" Lady shook her head in negation, and recounted to Tong Xihua the events at the Grand Dowager’s place, adding, "A few days ago, she seemed quite friendly, so how come she seems like a different person today."
"Hmph!" Tong Xihua’s eyes narrowed, resembling Lady’s sarcastic smile, "I wondered what grand skills she had; it turns out she only uses such petty tricks." She looked at Lady, "Mother, don’t worry, I want to see if she, a concubine’s daughter-in-law, can surpass me."
"What exactly happened?" Seeing her reaction, Lady knew the matter wasn’t simple.
Tong Xihua lowered her voice to speak to Lady, "She wanted to take advantage of Marquis’ absence from the residence to incite me into proposing the matter of splitting the family to my mother-in-law. Hmph... using me as her pawn; how could I fulfill her wishes? A few days ago, while having a meal with my mother-in-law, I brought it up, and my mother-in-law called her over that very night. I don’t know what was said, but she hasn’t been seen around the residence for several days, claiming her pregnancy was disturbed, and she’s been lying in bed. She’s even invited her mother from her natal family, bringing with her a thirteen or fourteen-year-old little maidservant." She paused, then squinted her eyes, "Roaming around the residence all day, my chambermaid Qiuluo has run into her several times in Second Young Master’s study. I may not know what she’s up to, but I haven’t caught her yet. If I caught her, we’d tear this facade aside, and I want to see what skill she truly has!"
Lady raised her eyebrows, surprised that there was such an affair, and asked, "What about that little maid? Have you seen her?" She sensed that today, when Fifth Madam was speaking with Madam Qian, there was a veiled hint.
"I’ve seen her!" Tong Xihua’s face revealed a mocking smile, she looked at Lady and said, "She’s about the same age as Third Girl, with a very similar personality; she wants to stand out in everything but lacks any means!" She leaned closer to Lady and said, "She’s also a concubine’s child, brought by her family’s matron, probably with the idea of offering her as a concubine to someone."
Amusement passed through Lady’s eyes; with such status, she had nothing to fear. She said with a smile, "Don’t quarrel with her. Now that you carry a child, you are not as delicate as she is. If anything happens, not even ten of her would make up for it." She frowned slightly, looking at Tong Xihua, "Keep an eye on your husband too. While your husband is decent enough, men can be unpredictable. If he gets drunk or if the maidservant uses some tricks, and something indeed happens, no matter what, your mother-in-law, respecting her kin, can’t do much about it. Although one more person in the house doesn’t really matter, keeping such a person would inevitably be troubling."
Tong Xihua nodded thoughtfully.
Lady originally wanted to discuss Young Master Zhou with Tong Xihua, but she held back; better to have some interaction with Madam Qian first, to avoid public complications if things don’t work out—after all, Tong Xiyan’s reputation is important!
"Didn’t see your husband—he’s in the outer courtyard?" Lady then subtly shifted the topic, asking about Xiao Yanyi.
Tong Xihua replied, "He mentioned that a few old friends came, they’re gathering in the outer courtyard. Though no one in the house talks about the Marquis’ matter, everyone is concerned in their hearts. He’s also quite anxious, losing sleep every night." Lady sighed, "May Heaven bless and keep the Marquis safe and sound!"
"Come in and sit." Xiao Yanzheng invited Xiqiu and others into the courtyard. As Xiqiu stepped in, she understood what Xiao Yanzheng meant by having nothing—
the entire courtyard was spotless, not even a single blade of grass. The smooth, square cobblestones paved in a cross design led the way to the main rooms of the five-room courtyard. She smiled at Xiao Yanzheng, then turned back to Tong Xiyan and said, "Fourth Sister, did you see this? Someone is even more meticulous than you."
Tong Xiyan’s courtyard, apart from a few wintergreen bushes, also had nothing else.
Tong Xiyan smiled back to Xinzhu and said, "Tomorrow, we’ll pull out those few wintergreens too." As if she found this idea quite appealing: "It will look much cleaner and emptier." ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ NoveI-Fire.ɴet
Xinzhu covered her mouth with her hand, laughing and nodding repeatedly.