Chapter 241: Chapter 223, Change_1
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Shuangxin Courtyard.
Looking at the pale and haggard Madam Lin lying on the bed, Yan Zhigao felt a throbbing pain and rubbed his forehead.
“Master…”
Madam Lin’s eyes, brimming with tears, looked at Yan Zhigao with an expression of unspeakable misery and grievance.
Yan Zhigao sighed, “I had your servants confined to the house, only wishing that you would rest and recover, but look at what you’ve caused…”
Tears spilled from Madam Lin’s eyes as she sobbed, “I thought… I thought the master had grown tired of me, I was so afraid.”
Yan Zhigao sat by the bed and patted Madam Lin’s hand, “You’re overthinking it. Now, stop crying. Didn’t the doctor also say that you should recuperate well?” Saying so, he reached out to wipe away the tears on Madam Lin’s face.
Afterward, Yan Zhigao personally fed Madam Lin a bowl of chicken soup and chatted with her for a while before preparing to leave.
As he stood up, Madam Lin grabbed his sleeve.
“There’s a matter in the front yard that needs my attention; I’ll come to see you again in the evening,” Yan Zhigao said soothingly.
Madam Lin did not let go, her face showing hesitation and difficulty, yet it seemed she had no other choice, “Master, my health is ruined. I get terribly tired even sitting up for a little while, and I’m afraid I no longer have the energy to take care of our fifth daughter…”
Yan Zhigao’s brow immediately furrowed. If it weren’t for the fact that Madam Lin was injured, he would have wanted to shrug her off and leave, “Haven’t I told you? The old lady is advanced in age and doesn’t have the strength to take care of a newborn.”
Seeing the displeasure on Yan Zhigao’s face, Madam Lin hurriedly said, “I dare not trouble the old lady. Before, I was simply too out of line, only thinking that she might feel lonely and bored by herself, without thinking things through.”
Yan Zhigao frowned, “Then why are you holding on to me?”
Madam Lin’s eyes filled with tears again, “If it weren’t for my body failing me, I would take care of the fifth daughter no matter what.”
Had this been said in the past, Yan Zhigao might have believed her. But since the incident where Madam Lin wanted to send her newly born daughter to the old lady’s courtyard, his attitude had grown doubtful.
Seeing Yan Zhigao not responding, Madam Lin had no choice but to press on, “Properly speaking, the lady of the house is the rightful mother, and she should educate all the children. She’s kind-hearted, and that’s the only reason Wenbin and Yishuang can stay by my side. But now my health fails me, so I can only entrust the fifth daughter to her.”
Yan Zhigao twisted his brow but did not immediately respond.
“Master.” Seeing that Yan Zhigao remained silent, Madam Lin tugged at his sleeve again.
Yan Zhigao removed Madam Lin’s hand, simply said, “I know,” and left.
As soon as he departed, Yan Wenbin and Yan Yishuang came in, looking puzzled at Madam Lin.
“Mother, why do you wish to send our sister away?”
Madam Lin, impatiently glancing at the swaddled infant, gestured to Xiyun to take the child out, then began to speak, “Raising children is the duty of the legitimate mother.”
Yan Yishuang, “But the fifth sister is your daughter. If she’s sent to the madam, she won’t be close to us. Mother, please don’t send her away, alright?”
Madam Lin waved off her daughter’s hand impatiently, “Enough, children shouldn’t meddle in adult matters. I have my reasons for sending the fifth daughter to the madam. Now go out, I need to rest.”
Yan Yishuang still wanted to speak, but Yan Wenbin pulled her away.
Once her children had left, Madam Lin stared blankly at the canopy above her bed.
What she always wanted was a son, but she had borne a daughter instead. Raising another daughter provided no benefit to her; it was better to send her to the main courtyard to mollify the madam instead.
The madam prides herself on being virtuous and good, so let everyone see how she treats the daughter she bore.
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Being kind to one’s daughter might earn the praise of outsiders, but surely Madam would feel as uncomfortable as if she had swallowed a fly; whereas if she were unkind to her daughter, all those years she cultivated her image of virtuousness would be in vain.
That evening, Yan Zhigao returned to the main courtyard somewhat distracted.
Seeing that he seemed preoccupied, Lady Li immediately said with a smile, “What’s the matter, my lord? Has there been another difficulty at the Prefectural Governor’s Office?”
Looking into his wife’s concerned eyes, Yan Zhigao felt even more uneasy.
Although the education of the children was the responsibility of Madam, over the years, there had been some discord between Madam and the Lin Family. Asking Madam to take care of the Lin Family’s child would likely be met with reluctance.
Seeing his reaction, Lady Li’s eyes flickered. Thinking of her husband’s visit to the Lin Family that day, she said with a smile, “Has Aunt Lin gotten into some kind of trouble again?”
Yan Zhigao hesitated before replying, “She’s been injured and doesn’t have the energy to take care of the fifth young miss…”
Upon hearing this, Lady Li immediately interrupted with a laugh, “And here I was wondering what it was. You seem so worried, my lord. After the doctor gave an update on Aunt Lin’s condition, I arranged for two nurses specialized in childcare to come to our residence.”
“Let’s send them over tomorrow. With their care, the fifth young miss will need nothing more than a little playtime upon waking each day. Aunt Lin won’t need to worry about anything else.”
Yan Zhigao stared blankly at Lady Li, who was beaming as she had already settled the matter, unsure of what to say.
Lady Li, noticing that Yan Zhigao hadn’t responded, inquired with a smile, “Is there anything my lord disagrees with in my arrangements?”
Yan Zhigao quickly shook his head: “No, Madam’s arrangements are appropriate.”
Lady Li smiled, “I am your wife, my lord; these are my duties, after all.”
Yan Zhigao: “…”
The next day, when Aunt Lin saw the two nurses who had specifically come to take care of her child, she flew into a rage and smashed many things around her. Ping Xiao, who had come to deliver the nurses, saw this and said with a cold laugh.
“Aunt Lin seems to have quite a temper, acting as if the Yan Family’s property requires no expense on your part. Madam mentioned that the Yan Family values frugality. Since the items in your rooms were intentionally broken by you, you’ll have to replace them yourself. If you cannot replace them, then let them remain empty.”
Seeing Aunt Lin’s eyes blazing with fury, Ping Xiao was not afraid.
“It looks like Aunt Lin strongly disagrees. You’re free to take your complaints to the lord; let’s see if he’ll continue to indulge your tantrums!”
After saying that, she scoffed and turned to leave.
…
Aunt Lin’s scheming to not send her newborn daughter to the old lady’s courtyard, and instead setting her sights on Lady Li, was something Daohua only learned about after the fact.
“The change in environment really does have a great impact on people,” Daohua said somewhat wistfully.
Back then, her mother was indeed kind, but to be frank, perhaps too gentle.
After arriving in Xingzhou and dealing more with the ladies of the back courtyard, her approach gradually became sharp and decisive.
Look at this efficiency, even if ‘Cheap Dad’ continued to be biased towards Shuangxin Courtyard, he couldn’t utter a word against it.
Wang Manman didn’t quite understand the implication of her lady’s words, but knowing that Aunt Lin hadn’t gotten her way made her happy: “Miss, the young master and fourth master will be back tomorrow. Have you finished your purse?”
Guyu brought over the embroidery frame, “The embroidery on the surface is done; all that’s left is to finish it off.”
Wang Manman picked up the embroidery frame and looked puzzled, “Miss, why did you embroider a panda on one side and a tiger on the other?”
Daohua smiled, “Of course, it’s because fourth brother has a side that’s both adorably clumsy and a side that’s brave and fierce.”