Chapter 70: The Xie Estate Receives Guests (Three)

  Mr. Yao couldn't help but feel a little sympathetic towards Fourth Aunt, as she had been so considerate and gentle, willing to work hard and endure hardships, with a warm and obedient demeanor, during this period of time. He had also thought that she was just pretending, and every time he tried to probe her with words, he would secretly observe her expression, but he couldn't detect any abnormality, everything she did was genuine.

  At the moment when he was most concerned about her, their feelings for each other were deep and strong. He had always been unable to help but feel a few parts of tenderness and love for her, and with what she had done recently, if Master Yao still had suspicions, then Fourth Madam would be too much of a failure as a person.

  "This standing on ceremony isn't necessary all day, just do it in moderation, like you're doing now. How can your body take it? I'm still waiting for you to give me a grandson!" Old Master Yao chuckled and playfully pinched her snowy white cheek.

  Fourth Aunt's face turned red with shame and she shyly avoided him: "Master!"

  Mr. Yao burst into joyful laughter and gently patted her back, saying with a smile: "Alright, alright! I'll mention this to the madam! You can rest assured!"

  Compared to the misfortunes and troubles that Mr. Ma has encountered, Old Master Yao feels that his luck this year is truly good: his son's old illness has been cured, his relationship with his former mother-in-law's family has become closer and more intimate, his eldest daughter's marriage will soon be settled, his second daughter turns out to be so intelligent and capable, the court's war efforts have made the grain business increasingly prosperous, and he has also obtained this exceptional beauty, Ruyi, who is superior in both appearance and temperament. If he were to have another son, that would truly be the ultimate fulfillment of his life, and he would have no more desires for this lifetime!

  "Master, now the young lady's marriage is the most important thing, let's just forget about this for now." Fourth Aunt's eyes sparkled with water as she gazed at Master Yao, her red lips slightly opening with a smile: "Master, if you say so again, if I refuse once more, it would be me being ungrateful! But this matter, the young lady's marriage is the most important thing, I don't want to affect Madame's mood because of my own affairs. How about we talk about everything after the young lady gets married? Is that okay, Master?"

  Old Master Yao was taken aback, facing such a pair of gentle and intelligent eyes, a kind and considerate face. In his heart, Old Master Yao had a hundred different emotions swirling around. He hadn't expected that she would be thinking of him like this, thinking of the household like this. Truly, she knew how to handle big matters!

  "Alright, Xia'er is right, I'll listen to you then!" Old Master Yao let out a soft sigh, couldn't help but feel that he was fortunate to have such a lovely and charming concubine at his age, wondering why he hadn't discovered her good qualities earlier.

  "Yu Lantang's jewelry has new goods again these two days, shall I buy you another two sets tomorrow? What do you like, pearls? Gemstones? Jadeite? Or red gold with jade inlay? And rouge, powder, clothing fabrics, food and daily necessities, what do you like, tell me and I'll have someone buy it for you." Old Master Yao couldn't help but want to give all the good things to Fourth Aunt to express his affection, and smiled: "Unfortunately, it's not convenient to take you out on the street now, wait until you're pregnant, then everything will be proper!"

  Fourth Aunt smiled slightly and sighed softly: "Master is so good to me, I'm already content. I have jewelry, clothes, cosmetics, and everything else. Some are regular gifts, some were given by Master and Madam. I don't need any more. What kind of person am I to wear those precious pearls, gems, gold, and jade? Not to mention that if Madam saw it, she would be unhappy in her heart. If it got out, wouldn't people say that Master is favoring his concubine over his wife? It's not good for Master's reputation either!"

  Mr. Yao's body stiffened slightly, his eyes flickered, and he stared at Fourth Madam's eyes without blinking for a moment before asking, "Xia'er, do you really think so? Have you ever thought about enjoying wealth and nobility since following me?"

  Fourth Aunt was shocked in her heart, and a cold sweat broke out behind her back. She calmly realized that her attitude had been a bit too much! After all, she was a maid who rose to a higher position, not seeking wealth and glory, what else could it be? Could it be true love?

  Even if you have been with Mr. Ma for a long time, and don't know how many times you've seen Old Master Yao, if you admire him so much, why did you seduce him when the engagement was first settled? Although the engagement with the Wen family has not been officially announced, Old Master Yao is a suspicious person, after taking me in, he will definitely send someone to investigate my past behavior, so he must also know about this matter. He hasn't mentioned a single word in front of me, and I don't know what his intentions are, whether he doesn't care or is just not showing it.

  Fourth Aunt's heart trembled for a moment, Second Miss had told her more than once not to underestimate the old master, she had listened, but hadn't really taken it to heart. After all, she remembered her place as a concubine, and stayed out of the circle of vying for favor, he was more and more fond of her every day, even Madam Ma had relaxed her guard against her.

  Between the bed and the couch, he was just an ordinary man at that intimate moment. She gradually relaxed her vigilance and forgot that he was first the master of the Yao family, and then her husband!

  Fourth Aunt was taken aback, her eyes gradually filled with mist, and her face also looked somewhat sorrowful. She slowly lowered her eyelids. Old Master Yao didn't comfort her, still staring at her with an unblinking gaze.

  "I was just a maid serving others before, do you believe I didn't think about wealth and glory, or being served by others on good days? Even I don't believe it myself! But I'm afraid in my heart. My only reliance is the master, he has been too good to me, I'm just afraid I won't be able to enjoy this blessing. I just want to keep what's rightfully mine, that's enough. I only wish for heaven to have mercy and let me live a peaceful life, grow old peacefully, nothing more. It's not like I can think about anything else! After all, compared to my previous life as a slave, my current life is already a world apart, isn't it? What more could I ask for? I'm not that foolish! To say something presumptuous, even if I used every trick in the book and managed to bring down the mistress, what then? The Yao family's vast estate can't possibly be without a matriarch, eventually the master will have to remarry. Can someone of my slave background really take the place of the mistress? Even if the master wants to promote me out of pity, the Yao family would lose face! I've always been clear about this in my heart. Besides, even though the current mistress doesn't like me, she still has a master-servant relationship with me, as long as I behave and keep my place, she won't do anything to me. But if a new mistress comes, I'm afraid I'll be the first one to get hurt! Am I that stupid?"

  The fourth aunt held back her tears, and in a low, gentle tone, she spoke these words, with emotions of sorrow, helplessness, resignation, and calmness half-hidden and half-revealed. Her powdered neck was bent down, and on her face, a faint glimmer of tears could be seen.

  "Xia'er is indeed clever," Old Master Yao sighed, saying with a hint of a smile: "After all, the madam knows how to train people. Xia'er's words are reasonable, and it's a bit of a waste for someone with such thoughts to be a concubine!"

  Fourth Auntie's heart was greatly shocked, her body involuntarily shook, and she raised her tear-stained face to face Old Master Yao, sobbing: "Master, what do you mean by this? Ah, I see, you are a high-ranking master who cannot understand the thoughts of a lowly servant like me. We servants must recognize reality, or else we will be on a path to death! I don't want to die, I want to cherish my humble life! To be honest with Master, Madame had previously wanted to marry me off to Warm Mother's youngest son, Sixth Son. When I heard this, I was stunned and didn't know what to do, my heart felt like it had been cut open and I couldn't bear the thought of marrying him! Originally, I didn't know why, but that day when I bumped into Master, I suddenly understood - I had unknowingly admired Master in my heart, I...

  Fourth Aunt's voice choked with sobs, and she couldn't help but weep quietly. She suddenly got up and walked to the dresser, rummaging through the drawers for scissors while tearfully saying to Old Master Yao: "Today, I've told you everything, whether you believe me or not, I don't care! At worst, I'll shave my head and become a nun, at least that way I won't have to suffer from this heartache every day. I'm of low birth, and now I'm just a shameless, good-for-nothing woman who's seduced the master. Who would still look up to me? Just consider it my own doing, Master! There are plenty of good women from respectable families, as long as you speak up, wouldn't you be able to find one that suits your taste? What am I worth? I'm just a fool!"

  The fourth aunt became more and more heartbroken as she spoke, and actually stirred up a few strands of desolate and helpless feelings. With one hand, she scattered her hair bun and raised the scissors to cut it off.

  "Xia'er! Xia'er, what are you doing!" Old Master Yao was shocked and quickly stepped forward to forcibly take the scissors from her hand, exclaiming: "Whatever it is, just say it, what's going on here?!"

  His aunt's words couldn't help but move him, and never before had a woman been so open and honest with him, laying her heart bare in front of him! Her helplessness, her bitterness, her pain, her heart suddenly gave him a shocking feeling, he couldn't tell what it was, it was like a mix of sweet and bitter and pity and love, he was momentarily stunned, unsure what to make of it.

  "Why must you stop me, Master? If you never intend to let go of your suspicions about me, then don't give me any more hope. Letting me leave would be cleaner!" The fourth madam covered her face and sobbed weakly, her frail shoulders trembling lightly.

  "Alright, alright, don't cry," Mr. Yao sighed and tightly hugged the fourth aunt in his arms, surprisingly taking out a handkerchief to gently wipe away her tears one by one, smiling: "I didn't expect you to be so hot-tempered!"

  "Is the old master making fun of me?" Fourth Aunt's face was slightly angry, she struggled free from Old Master Yao's embrace, pushed away his hands and glared at him angrily.

  Mr. Yao was taken aback, couldn't help but laugh, and still reached out to hold her in his arms, gently patting her shoulder: "Don't be angry, don't be angry! Alas, it's my fault, I shouldn't have said that! But you said so much at once, isn't that enough?"

  "Concubines are also human beings, Master treats me like this and doesn't even allow me to distinguish myself?" Fourth Aunt's temper flared up, her nature was indeed stubborn, she didn't hesitate to pry open Old Master Yao's hands and break free from his embrace.