Chapter 158.2
Yao shi hadn"t seen her daughter and son for several days, and she was very worried. However, Concubine Ling was recently stripped of the authority to manage the household, and the matter of arranging the New Year’s celebration had fallen to her.
She was so busy that her feet were almost unable to touch the ground; she simply couldn"t find time to go out.
"Madame, people from the Yao Family have come to visit!" Grannie Fang came into the room and reported.
Yao shi put down the halfway done list in her hand and asked oddly, "Who"s here?"
"First Master and Xin girl."
It was Yao Yuan and Yao Xin.
Yao Yuan was Yao shi"s blood older brother, and Yao Xin was his daughter.
Yao shi hadn"t seen any of the Yao Family for ten years since she moved to the Hot Spring Villa.
Yao Yuan had changed a lot, seemingly having experienced many vicissitudes. He was obviously a few years younger than Marquis Gu, but he looked older than Marquis Gu.
Yao Xin, on the other hand, was slim and graceful, and her brows and eyes bore a slight resemblance to Yao shi. You could say she was a budding beauty.
In contrast to her older brother, Yao shi hadn’t changed much in appearance. She was still as beautiful as ever, it was just that her temperament became a bit more capable, experienced, and steady.
"Yao’er..." Yao Yuan was too excited to speak.
"Eldest brother, come in and have a seat first." Yao shi took her older brother and Yao Xin to the heating room and served them tea and snacks. Then she instructed, "You all step down, Grannie Fang stays."
"Yes." All the servant girls withdrew.
Grannie Fang wiped the tears in her eyes, which were obviously tears of joy.
She was Yao shi"s dowry maid and also came from the Yao residence.
"Older Sister Fang hasn"t changed either." Yao Yuan said with a smile.
"This old servant has aged!" Grannie Fang choked with sobs.
Yao shi"s eyes fell on the slightly embarra.s.sed young girl behind Yao Yuan. She said in a warm voice, "Xin girl is so big now. I remember when I left, you were still a small girl. Is it your coming-of-age soon?"
Yao Xin was afraid to speak.
Yao Yuan turned around and pulled her to the front, "Your aunt asked you something!"
Only then did Yao Xin answer shyly, "In early spring, it will be my coming-of-age."
Yao shi beckoned to her, "Come closer, have a seat and eat."
Yao Xin looked back at her father and saw Yao Yuan nodding, so she walked up to Yao shi slowly, sat down and picked up a snack handed by Yao shi, eating it carefully.
This was Yao Xin’s first return to the Marquis Estate upon growing up.
During the ten years that Yao shi was away from the estate, the Yao Family had never come to visit here, only sending gifts to Gu Jinyu during the New Year, and then Marquis Gu would have someone send a gift back to the Yao Family.
Yao Xin thought the Marquis Estate was really huge, and her aunt"s courtyard was really magnificent!
The snacks were also exquisite in taste and appearance, it wasn’t something the cooks in the Yao Family could make!
"Aunt, is big sister Jinyu here?" Yao Xin asked.
Yao shi replied, "She’s gone to the women’s academy and not at home."
"Oh." Yao Xin was envious.
She also wanted to go to school, but her grandmother and parents only allowed her older brother to attend school.
Yao shi looked at Grannie Fang and said,“Grannie Fang, take Xin girl to the garden."
In the entire capital, the Marquis Ding"an Estate was also famous for its great landscapes.
Besides, she also knew that this eldest brother of hers had something to say to her.
"Yes, Madame! Please come with me, biao young miss. " Grannie Fang took Yao Xin out of the courtyard.
With no third person in the room, Yao shi stopped putting up a hospitable act and asked lightly, "What"s the matter that eldest brother came to see me all of a sudden?"
Yao Yuan opened his mouth and said, "I just came to see you. After returning to the capital, you’ve never gone back to your parental home. Even during Jinyu"s coming-of-age ceremony, you never sent us a message or invitation. They all say that you are too ashamed of the Yao Family, but I know that"s not the case. Sister, are you still blaming us for what happened back then?"
Yao shi took a sip of tea and responded, "Let’s not mention the past, eldest brother. As to why I don"t go back to the Yao residence or let the Yao Family attend Jinyu"s coming-of-age ceremony, eldest brother should know the reason better than anyone else. Let’s just say I despise the Yao Family."
Yao Yuan said bitterly, "It was our fault at that time. We shouldn’t have broken up your original engagement and marry you into the Marquis Estate."
Yao shi actually had an engagement before marrying Marquis Gu, but the other party"s family wasn’t as good as the Marquis Ding"an Estate. Therefore, when Marquis Gu came to ask the family for Yao shi’s hand in marriage, the Yao Family quickly withdrew the engagement with that family without saying anything.
They didn"t dare to tell Marquis Gu or Yao shi about this matter at the time.
Yao Yuan knew that his sister almost eloped with that man that year, and he brought her back with his own hands. He also had the man"s leg broken.
Yao Yuan: "Our parents also did it for the Yao Family..."
Yao shi: "A pity you didn"t expect that I wouldn"t help the Yao Family at all, marrying a daughter for nothing."
Yao Yuan choked up.
That"s right.
After getting married, his sister immediately drew a clear line with her parental family. Even his father never got to see his sister again for the last time before he pa.s.sed away.
However, he couldn’t blame his sister either. Who made his sister choose to stay in the countryside villa, so that she was unable to rush back to the capital?
Yao Yuan said, a trace of self-blame in his tone, "Sister, everything that happened in those days was all the fault of this eldest brother. I didn"t protect you and didn’t take your side against our parents. If you want to blame someone, blame me!"
If there was anyone in the Yao Family whom Yao shi was still willing to talk to, that would be Yao Yuan.
Yao Yuan was very fond of this sister. The reason why he broke up the affectionate couple was not to extract any benefits from Yao shi, but he simply thought that the man wasn’t worthy of his sister.
He thought that once his sister married into the Marquis Estate, she could become a person of high status and live the best life from then on.
What he didn’t know was that he personally pushed his sister into the fire pit.
He continued sadly, "Dad regretted it before he died. He told me if I see my sister again one day, I must apologize to sister on his behalf. Mother, too. She also knows that she did something wrong, and she has already changed. Can you forgive her? She"s not very well nowadays, and I fear her time is running out... "
……
Grannie Fang took Yao Xin around the Marquis Estate, which greatly widened her horizon. She knew her aunt had been married to a prominent family, but she still didn"t expect their residence to be this big!
When Yao Xin returned to Yao shi"s courtyard, Yao Yuan got up to leave.
Yao shi had people prepare a gift for them. Yao Xin was given a set of head ornaments embedded with rubies.
Yao Xin liked it very much.
However, Yao Yuan refused.
He didn"t come here to ask for anything; he visited to genuinely ask for his sister"s forgiveness.
After the two people left, Yao shi sat by the window and sighed, "Grannie Fang, do you think I should visit back?"
Grannie Fang comforted, "Is there any enmity between mother and daughter that is forever irreconcilable? The Old Madame must also want to see her two grandchildren before she pa.s.ses. Madame might as well take the eldest young miss and the young master to see her for the last time. She isn’t only Madame’s own mother, but also the grandmother of the eldest young miss and young master. "
Thereupon, Yao shi first went to the medical hall to ask Gu Jiao, "...I"m not trying to force you to recognize your grandmother, but I heard that she is dying, and I thought you are skilled in medicine, so I hope you can go and check on her."
Gu Jiao was fine with it.
Gu Yan had no cla.s.ses tomorrow as well, so he could go there too.
Yao shi waited until cla.s.ses in the women’s academy were over to ask Gu Jinyu. She knew that Gu Jinyu would have no cla.s.ses tomorrow.
However, Gu Jinyu said apologetically, "Mom, I promised Imperial Concubine Shu that I would go to the palace tomorrow to see her. Can I see my grandmother another day?"
This another day might be after the New Year.
Yao shi wanted to say that she visited Imperial Concubine Shu every two or three days, and it didn’t matter if she missed a day once.
Before she could speak, however, she heard Gu Jinyu say in a spoiled voice, "How about mother go on ahead? I"ll follow after I enter the palace and pay my respects to aunt."