Chapter 80 Another Eldest Brother

  The green lotus also reacted at this time, and couldn't help but secretly laugh. The young lady of the house was usually gentle and obedient, but that didn't mean she could be bullied by anyone. This was what the madam deserved!

  "Mother is busy, daughter will take them back first!" Yao Cun Jia smiled and stood up elegantly, politely bowing to Madam Ma.

  "Go!" Mrs. Ma was choked by her words, and her heart was beating rapidly, her hands were slightly trembling.

  Yao Cun Jia led the four maids, each with their own unique beauty, back to Yaofangyuan, secretly calculating in his heart.

  Yao Cunhui went to Yaofangyuan the next day and saw it, stunned for a moment, but didn't show any disgust. She was calm and smiled politely when they came up to greet her, ordering Xiao Xing to go back and get the gift for meeting.

  Behind his back, Yao Cunhui couldn't help but feel anxious and asked Yao Cunjia what he planned to do with these four girls.

  These four are indeed beautiful, and their demeanor and temperament all reveal a hint of restlessness, as if they had written on their foreheads "I'm here to be a mistress"!

  Yao Cun Jia was calm and composed, smiling leisurely: "Hui'er, don't worry, we'll talk about everything when we get to the Xie household! After all, they're just my dowry maidservants. If I can't even handle them, then I won't want to live in the Xie household anymore!"

  Yao Cunhui was relieved and smiled: "So, it seems that the four of them are indeed good whetstones? As long as sister has a plan in mind, that's all that matters! When we get there, sister should also make some noise and not let them become too arrogant and do something outrageous, which would be embarrassing for sister too!"

  Yao Cun's heart skipped a beat, and he nodded with a smile: "This is indeed something that cannot be prevented!"

  In mid-February, the steward from Xie's family sent a letter, and the wedding date was set for April 8th. That is to say, Yao Cun Jia should leave Beijing by the end of March at the latest, after all, no one knows if there will be any delays on the road, and having some buffer time is always good.

  Mr. Yao agreed, and then rented a boat, hired laborers, arranged for people to follow the boat, and was busy with all the preparations for the dowry. Mrs. Yun also sent someone to ask if there was anything else she could help with, and also gave Yunjin Zhong to be given to Yao Cun as a wedding gift.

  Every day, Yao Cun Hui also helped with packing and sorting, watching as the dowry was packed into boxes one by one. She felt a mix of emotions in her heart, both happy and reluctant, unsure what to feel.

  If it were in modern times, she would have to get on the boat at least once and accompany her sister south for a lively trip. However, in this era, unless she was a sister-in-law, there was no reason for her to go with her, so she could only watch as her sister left.

  By lunchtime, Yao Cunhui came out of the warehouse, feeling tired and a bit dizzy, so she went to the garden for a walk and to refresh her spirit.

  Unexpectedly, not far away, he bumped into a young man, seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing a lake blue cross-collared brocade robe with water-colored bright edges, of medium height and decent looks, but with a pair of eyes that were slightly triangular, looking at things and people with a rolling gaze and a hint of inquiry, making one feel uncomfortable.

  Yao Cunhui was stunned for a moment, looking at him with some confusion, but didn't avoid him either.

  This is Yao's garden, with red apricot and small apricot trees nearby. It's broad daylight, what does she have to hide?

  The man was stunned too, then burst out laughing and walked towards her with a slight bow, saying: "Is this Second Cousin? Cousin, good!"

  Cousin? What's going on? Yao Cunhui racked her brains but couldn't recall which cousin this person in front of her was, slightly puzzled, she raised an eyebrow and glanced at Hong Lian and Xiao Xing.

  "Second Miss, this is the third cousin of Madame's natal family!" Xiao Xing stepped forward and whispered to Yao Cun Hui.

  It was actually someone from the Ma family! Yao Cunhui suddenly realized, no wonder she didn't recognize her, no wonder they called her "cousin"!

  Yao Cunhui couldn't help but shoot Ma Huai'an a sideways glance, suddenly filled with disgust: What kind of cousin was he!

  "Third Brother San." Yao Cunhui didn't care what he thought in his heart, but on the surface, he could only show a polite and faint smile, nodding slightly towards Ma Huai'an.

  Ma Huai'an was stunned, gazing at her with a flash of brightness and confusion in his eyes, and awkwardly chuckled "heh heh" as he raised his hand to smile: "Second sister-in-law doesn't need to be so polite! We're all family!" He paused for a moment before adding another sentence: "It's been ages since we last met, I didn't expect second sister-in-law would grow up to be so beautiful! Heh heh!"

  Hong Lian and Xiao Xing heard this and changed color, slightly glaring at Ma Huai An with displeasure.

  Yao Cunhui smiled and said lightly, "Third Brother is also elegant! Third Brother, please go ahead, I have something to do, so I'll take my leave first!"

  Ma Huai'an was praised by her with the phrase "wind and elegance" and his eyes shone brightly, his gaze was even more unrestrainedly stuck on Yao Cunhui, blinking without blinking, foolishly smiling: "Sister-in-law please go ahead."

  Yao Cunhui gave him a glance and nodded, then walked past him without another word.

  Ma Huai'an turned around, staring at her back for half a moment without moving, thinking to himself: She said I'm elegant and refined! She said I'm elegant and refined! Suddenly feeling great, the corner of his mouth twitched, and he burst out laughing.

  "Oh, Third Master, you're here! The mistress is calling for you!"

  Ma Huai'an suddenly came back to his senses, furrowed his brow slightly uncomfortably, and glared at Qiao Mama: "Oh, I'm coming!"

  Qiao's mother was stared at by him in a bewildered manner, stunned for a moment, then hastily followed up.

  Ma Huai'an was the youngest son of Ma's elder brother, who came to deliver gifts to the Yao family on his father's orders and took the opportunity to visit his aunt and ask if there was anything he could help with.

  Ma's heart was not pleased with Yao Cun Jia's marriage, and seeing the maternal family also rushing to join in the excitement made her even more displeased. She accepted the gift but only said it was nothing, letting Ma Huai An return with a message.

  Ma Huai'an saw that Madam Ma's complexion wasn't very good and couldn't help but ask with concern: "Auntie, you've been working so hard lately, I'm afraid you're exhausted? Auntie should also worry less and take more care of yourself, after all, one's body is what matters most!"

  "Huh," Ma raised his head and stared at Mahua An, teasingly laughing: "Is the sun rising from the west? You also know how to care about people?"

  Ma Huai'an was the youngest son of his elder brother and had been spoiled since childhood. This kind of talk was still heard from his mouth for the first time by the Ma family.

  Ma Huai'an's face was slightly warm, and he looked down with a hint of embarrassment. He coughed lightly and smiled: "Auntie is also underestimating me! I may not be very sensible, but I do understand the word 'filial piety'. How can I not care about Auntie? Honestly, Auntie, you're not having an easy time either. With so many things to take care of in the Yao family, it's all on your shoulders, and only you can handle everything perfectly and thoroughly. If someone slightly less capable were in charge, who knows what a mess it would be? I really admire you!"

  Everyone loves to hear pleasant flattery, especially when it hits the spot. What Mrs. Ma most yearned for was recognition from others that she was a capable mistress of the house. Upon hearing Ma Huai'an's words, she couldn't help but feel elated and a smile spread across her face as she playfully scolded him: "You haven't been seen for days, yet this little oily mouth of yours has become even more glib! You even dare to flatter your aunt!"

  "Heaven and earth, clear conscience!" Ma Huai'an hastily called out: "Nephew's words are all true and sincere, every sentence is from the heart, nephew isn't afraid of being struck by lightning to dare frame his aunt!"

  Ma shook her head with a "heh" and said, "Alright, alright, just consider it a joke! I'm busy here, you can go back if you have nothing else to do!"

  Ma Huai'an accompanied by a smile, his face straightened up, looking at Ma Shi, wanting to speak but hesitating, and not seeing him get up to bid farewell.

  "Is there anything else?" Mr. Ma saw something strange and suddenly became alert.

  "Aunt," Ma Huai'an smiled and said with a sincere tone, "The Yao family has been busy these days, why not let your nephew come over to help you every day? It's not like only the Yun family can do things well! In what way are we from the Ma family inferior to others?"

  Ma's eyes flashed, and she gave Ma Huai'an a deep glance, her expression unreadable, yet somehow stirred.

  It's not bad, Ma's family is her real natal family after all. Yao Cun Jia is her daughter, and the Yun family has interfered too much. If the Ma family doesn't send someone to show their face, people who don't know would think that the Ma family has no one left!

  "Are you okay?" Ma looked at Ma Huai'an.

  Ma Huai'an's spirit was lifted, and his face also lit up. He hurriedly smiled and said: "What's wrong with that? The manual labor will be done by the servants, I'm just here to give some advice, supervise from the side, and grasp the overall situation. The major decisions are still made by my aunt, and I'm just acting as her eyes and mouth!"

  Ma's heart was greatly moved, and he thought it would be very good, so he nodded and smiled: "Actually, you should also experience some hardships, otherwise you will not have a decent life! This way, you go back home today and tell your parents about it. If they agree, then come over tomorrow!"

  "Yes, thank you, Auntie!" Ma Huai was overjoyed and stood up to bow deeply to Madam Ma.

  "You silly child!" Mrs. Ma couldn't help but chuckle and said to Qiao's mother, "What kind of thanks is this? If anyone should be thanked, it's Auntie for helping you!"

  Ma Huai'an was taken aback, knowing he had misspoken, and hastily smiled: "How can nephew thank auntie? Nephew is thanking auntie for giving nephew a chance to learn and gain experience!"

  "Shameless! You're always talking nonsense!" Mrs. Ma said with a smile, giving him a sideways glance.

  Ma Huai smiled and said, "Nephew, you haven't seen your cousins today, shouldn't you go greet them before leaving?"

  Ma thought for a moment and shook his head: "Never mind, you go back first! Anyway, it will be here tomorrow!"

  "Yes, nephew is leaving." Mah Huai'an felt a little disappointed in his heart. After thinking that there would be plenty of time in the future, he cheered up again and respectfully bid farewell with a bow, and happily returned home.

  Hong Lian and Xiao Xing scolded Ma Huai, especially Hong Lian, who was furious and scolded the young master of the Ma family for being rude and daring to speak to the second miss in such a manner!

  Yao Cunhui instead had a calm attitude, and smiled lightly: "Why get angry for that kind of boring person? It's not worth it, just ignore him. You guys shouldn't be angry either, look at this little face all green!"

  "This is unfair for the young lady!" Hong Lian glared at Yao Cun Hui, who was teasing her, and this only made Yao Cun Hui laugh even harder.

  But on the second day, Yao Cunhui was no longer happy. She had not expected that Ma Shi would actually leave Ma Huai'an in the mansion to help out.