Chapter 38: The Visitor from the Clan (Part 2)

  Ma's counterattack was a perfect hit. Mao couldn't help but grit her teeth and gave her a quick, fierce stare.

  "It's rare to have a fourth brother and sister as virtuous as you, truly rare! As for others, I don't know, but when the time comes, I will definitely come! Jia'er, you sisters must not forget your mother, in the future you must be good and filial to her!" Madam Gu said with a smile.

  "Filial piety to parents is a must, Jia Er sisters dare not forget!" Yao Cun Jia and Yao Cun Hui heard this and stood up laughing in response.

  "Big sister, you don't know that Jia'er and Hui'er are both filial and good children! Unfortunately, Jia'er is about to get married and can't help me with my worries anymore. Fortunately, there's still Hui'er, with her around, I can occasionally take a break and enjoy some leisure time!" Ma Shi covered her mouth with her handkerchief and chuckled, her eyes glanced at Yao Shizan.

  "Is it? My fourth younger brother and sister are really blessed!"

  Yao Cun Jia and Yao Cun Hui exchanged a glance, their faces pale with shock. Even Mao Shi was taken aback for a moment. She had seen shameless people before, but never anyone as shameless as this. No wonder Ma Shi had been able to hold onto the position of Zhong Yu for so many years, not letting Mao Shi get even a small benefit. With just one sentence, she had cleverly turned Yao Cun Hui's attempt to take care of Yao Shi Zan into an explanation that she was helping her share her worries, and Yao Cun Hui was left speechless.

  "Yes, Jia's husband said it was Jiangnan —" asked Mrs. Gu with a smile.

  "The eldest son of the Jiangnan Weaving Bureau, Xie family, is a perfect match for our Jia'er! This marriage was decided by Jia'er's paternal grandmother, Yun Lao Taijun, when her elder sister-in-law was still alive. Unfortunately, my elder sister didn't live to see Jia'er get married!" Mrs. Mao became flustered and lost her composure, intentionally trying to stir up trouble for Mrs. Ma, and hastily replied with a sigh, deliberately bringing up the deceased mother of the Yao sisters.

  Ma's eyes widened, her face turned slightly pale, she bit her lip and endured the silence, feeling extremely wronged; Gu's face also showed some embarrassment, and she couldn't help but secretly resent Mao for a moment.

  Yao Cunhui secretly sighed, thinking that Mao Shi was also a clever and resourceful person, but unfortunately, she fell far short of Ma Shi in terms of endurance. Her self-cultivation was not enough, no wonder all these years, no matter how much she made a fuss, she was always quietly cleaned up by Ma Shi!

  Whenever the deceased mother is mentioned, Yao Cun Jia and Yao Cun Hui sisters are not convenient to say anything, only bowing their heads in silence; Yao Cun Mei, Yao Cun Yun, Ma Qun Fang and others will not say anything. The hall was silent, and the atmosphere was a bit awkward for a while.

  Yao Cunhui thought for a moment, and finally forced a smile, saying softly: "The marriage arranged by Mother through her mother for my sister was perfectly completed in Mother's hands, this is also a rare good story! I think that Mother's spirit in heaven will see my sister happy and must be smiling, and will also be grateful to Mother!"

  "Hui'er said it well, indeed a beautiful story!" It's not quite suitable for me to say this as Yao Cun Hui, but at this time, who wouldn't take the opportunity to step down and instead go find fault? That would be foolish! Gu heard it first and praised with a smile, everyone else also smiled and agreed, and the atmosphere suddenly became lively again.

  Ma's face was also smiling, but her eyes flashed with a deep warning glance at Yao Cunhui. The implicit warning was clear to Ma, and she couldn't help but feel a little nervous and puzzled in her heart. As for the marriage between Yao Cun and herself, on the surface, there was nothing wrong with it, but she didn't know how Yao Cun had figured it out and used Yun's death as an excuse to attack her! Unfortunately, she didn't believe in ghosts or divine retribution, otherwise Yun would have become a vengeful spirit to settle accounts with her!

  Gu's family couldn't help but take a few more glances at Yao Cunhui, who was calm and reserved, gentle and elegant. The subtle yet resilient temperament that emanated from within her was unmatched. Her refined and leisurely demeanor was exceptionally impressive. No wonder Old Man Yao had entrusted his only son to her care!

  "Mother, Second Aunt, what's the fun in just sitting around on such a fine day? The scenery in the garden is quite good, why not invite Eldest Maternal Aunt and Cousin Xian to go play in the garden?" Yao Cunhui suggested with a smile as she stood up.

  "Hui'er is right, looking at the scenery in the garden can clear one's mind and make one feel more relaxed. I wonder what Big Sister Yao thinks about this?" As for Yao Cun Hui's suggestion, Mao Shi was the first to raise both hands in agreement. She wasn't sure about other things, but she was very clear that Yao Cun Hui wasn't someone who spoke or acted carelessly. Since she had brought it up, she must have her reasons.

  Mr. Gu's enthusiasm was hard to resist, and he also wanted to see what the gardens of the wealthy families in Beijing were like, so he agreed with a smile; Miss Yao, a young lady from a good family, was eager to go out for a walk. Mrs. Ma was also afraid that if they stayed here for too long, who knows what Mrs. Mao would shout out next? Going to the garden to enjoy the scenery was just right, and besides, it was rare for relatives to come together, so she naturally wanted to show off her family's wealth!

  Yao Cunhui's proposal can be said to have pleased everyone, and they all smiled in agreement as they stood up.

  Only Yao Xian remained to return and embroider the dowry, smiling and retreating; Yao Shi Zan and Yao Shi Li, the two brothers, also retreated to go to the outer courtyard to read books in seclusion. The rest all accompanied him on his side, going to the garden in a grand manner.

  The garden of the Yao Fu is very large, with artificial mountains and rocks, vast flowers and trees, water features and lakes, willows and peach blossoms planted everywhere, pavilions and towers dotting the landscape among the lush vegetation, every step revealing a new view, beauty that cannot be exhausted. In the pool are raised many precious goldfish and brocade carp, on the lake shore in the shallow grass and reeds are raised mandarin ducks and colored-headed ducks, in the bamboo forest is the elegant crane's gentle call, adding to the garden's scenery an extra touch of vitality and spirit.

  The mother and daughter of the Gu family had never been to such a beautiful and exquisite garden. Along the way, they couldn't help but praise it. The purple wisteria, rose, wisteria, and peony were in full bloom, with vibrant colors everywhere, competing for attention, fragrant scents wafting through the air, bees buzzing around, and butterflies fluttering about, what a lively scene!

  The Gu family walked along the way, praising and admiring the scenery. The Ma and Mao families chatted with them from time to time, pointing out the beautiful views in the garden, and the host and guests had a great conversation.

  Yao Cunhui naturally came to Yao Cunxian's side, smiling and taking the initiative to talk to her. Yao Cunxian is of the same age as Yao Cunhui, a few months younger, making her Yao Cunhui's cousin.

  Yao Cunxian was a guest in someone's home, and it was rare for the host to smile so warmly and kindly, taking the initiative to talk to her. Yao Cunhui was humble and gentle, with elegant speech and a talent for understanding people's intentions. Yao Cunxian quickly developed a good impression of her, and before they knew it, the two slowed down their pace and fell behind the crowd, walking hand in hand and chatting intimately like a pair of close sisters.

  As they passed by the peony garden beside Huanhua Lake, Ma Shi suddenly realized. Ma Shi was unhappy in her heart and thought that this stinky girl really knew how to take advantage of an opportunity, and along the way, she had actually won over Yao Cunxian!

  Gu's had three sons and one daughter, Yao Cunxian was the only youngest daughter, and she was also the Gu couple's darling. How could Ma allow Yao Cunhui to take Yao Cunxian away alone? She secretly gave a glance to Ma Qunfang and Yao Cunmei.

  Ma Qunfang and Yao Cunmei only then noticed the small movements of Yao Cunhui and Yao Cunxian.

  Seeing Yao Cunxian and Yao Cunhui chatting and laughing intimately, Yao Cunmei's heart suddenly felt unhappy. She was the real daughter of the Yao family, so why did Yao Cunhui always have to suppress her? Even when relatives came to their home, they would rush to fawn over Yao Cunhui? It was unbearable!

  "What are Second Sister and Eldest Sister saying that's making them so happy!" Yao Cunmei smiled mischievously as she stepped forward, intentionally or unintentionally positioning herself between Yao Cunhui and Yao Cunxian, her body slightly tilted to nudge Yao Cunhui aside.

  Yao Cunhui and Yao Cunxian exchanged a smile, Yao Cunhui didn't respond to Yao Cunmei's words, but instead slightly raised her voice and laughed: "After walking this far, I'm sure you're tired too, aren't you, Xian sister? Third sister, since we're close to your Qinglin Garden, shouldn't we invite ourselves over for a visit and have a cup of tea? I'm sure Eldest Aunt is also tired!"

  Yao Cun smiled slightly and nodded along with Yao Cun Hui, saying: "I'm actually a bit thirsty, I wonder if my cousin welcomes me or not!"

  "As long as my elder sister doesn't mind, what's the big deal!" Yao Cunmei slightly raised her chin with a proud smile and said that several sisters came forward to inform Gu Shi, Ma Shi, and Mao Shi. Ma Shi then smiled apologetically at Gu Shi: "It was my oversight, since it's like this, let's go sit in the Qiong Lin Garden for a bit, have some tea, and we'll take another stroll!"

  Then a group of people turned north, passing through a bamboo forest, heading towards Qionglin Garden.

  Qiong Lin Garden is situated on a small hill piled up with earth, the terrain is higher than other parts of the garden, surrounded by white plum blossoms, when in full bloom, it looks like a snowflake, like a jade forest and crystal palace, exceptionally beautiful.

  Standing in front of the courtyard gate, you can see a vast expanse of green water on Xihu Lake. In spring when peach blossoms are in full bloom, you can also see the beautiful scenery of one tree with green willows and another with peach blossoms. The view is very broad. And climbing up to Yao Cun's Embroidered Building, you can see almost half of the garden's scenery at a glance.

  Along the cobblestone path winding up, both sides of the path are filled with various peonies, red, purple, pink, white and yellow flowers, thousands of petals, bright colors, like fire, fragrant, almost blooming all year round. At the end of the path is a courtyard with a powder wall, gray tiles and bluestone, with a plaque hanging above the gate, inscribed with three large characters "Qiong Lin Garden".

  At the gate of the courtyard, there are two osmanthus trees with trunks as thick as a washbasin, one on each side, with dense branches and lush leaves, resembling a canopy.

  Gu's family was full of praise and admiration, their eyes filled with astonishment. Yao Cunxian also stared, her face filled with envy. As a young lady from the same Yao family, the place they lived in was like heaven and earth compared to hers.

  Yao Cunmei's mouth was humble, but her face was proud and extraordinary. Her small face was full of bright smiles, and she smiled as she let Gu Shi and Yao Cunxian in. At the same time, she loudly instructed the maids to serve fruit, pastries, tea, and water, showing unusual enthusiasm.

  Just looking at the outside is already so exquisite and particular, let alone the interior decoration, everything is exquisite and precious, making Gu's family and Yao Cunxian dazzled and unable to decide which one to look at!

  Light is a daughter's boudoir, and it's so exquisite. I wonder what kind of luxury the bedroom of Madam Ma will be like! No wonder people say that the second branch of the Yao family is unmatched in wealth and nobility among all the wealthy families. Now that I've seen it, it's indeed true, leaving me speechless!

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