Madam Zhang, The Aunt

Bam! Madam Zhang put the scissors down on the table.

The sound wasn’t really loud, but it was alarming in the small, quiet room.

Guan Rongrong’s eyelashes trembled in shock, and she shut her mouth immediately.

Madam Zhang held a hand out, and the maid serving her quickly placed a warm, damp handkerchief in her mistress’ hand.

“It’s fine for a lady to speak and act boldly and fiercely. As long as it’s done at the appropriate time and to an appropriate degree, people will still like you. But if you have a bad temper, you lose patience easily, or you don’t control your behavior, then that’s not right.”

She looked down and wiped her fingers one by one in a slow and elegant manner. Even the sound made by the handkerchief over her fingers carried a similar rhythm. It was at a speed that was neither fast nor slow, and it was not anxious or temperamental.

Guan Rongrong pursed her lips. Her tense little face looked rather indignant, “But that woman suddenly snapped out of her daze and made trouble. Mother, you…”

Madam Zhang narrowed her eyes at her daughter, and her gaze suddenly looked murderous.

Guan Rongrong did not dare to argue with her mother, so she bowed her head once more and kept her mouth shut.

But it was clear from her expression that she didn’t think she was in the wrong.

Madam Zhang ignored her and continued to make her wait.

After she passed the used handkerchief back to the maid, she rotated the vase with plum blossom decorations a few times and took a closer look at the flowers inside as though she were reviewing her art piece of the day.

Guan Rongrong watched as her mother’s fingers moved the vase, leaving slim and elegant shadows on the table. The atmosphere was slow and peaceful…

After some time, the anxiousness in her heart seemed to disappear. She started to calm down.

Madam Zhang continued to adjust the positions of the almond blossoms in order to get the perfect angle. The ones in full bloom were juxtaposed with the buds, the shape of the stalks bending beautifully. She finally stopped after she found the position that looked the most interesting.

“Place this on the windowsill.”

The maid next to her bowed, then carefully transferred the vase to the window.

Madam Zhang finally turned back to look at her daughter.

“You need to remember. Your mother can protect you for a little more than ten years, but she can’t protect you for the rest of your life.”

“You’re already turning 16 this year, so you’re going to get married, have children, manage the household, run the family. All of this takes a lot of knowledge and training. I always make sure you’re by my side, but whether you learn anything or how much you learn will still depend on you. If you don’t know how to keep your heart calm, or you don’t learn how to stop and think, then don’t come crying to me when you find life difficult in the future.”

Guan Rongrong stared at the floor and felt a little deflated now, “Mother…I’m sorry.”

Madam Zhang left her there for a while as she poured herself a cup of tea and took a few sips, “So, tell me, what happened today?”

The moment Guan Rongrong opened her mouth, Madam Zhang glared straight at her. Guan Rongrong felt her heart tremble as she bit her lip and stopped to think instead of just speaking her mind.

Once she had quietened down, she was able to think properly.

After a short pause, she gave it a shot, “My cousin, Song Caitang…has quite the temper and is not very pleasant to deal with.”

Madam Zhang continued drinking her tea and didn’t react.

Guan Rongrong tilted her head to the side to think, then continued, “She has a skill of…being able to analyze dead bodies? Since First Madam Wu’s reaction was so violent, Song Caitang must have found out about something that First Madam Wu has been trying to hide. That’s why she said that she doesn’t dare to let this arranged marriage happen. These must be connected to one another.”

This time, Madam Zhang had some response. A quiet grunt.

Guan Rongrong seemed to feel more encouraged by this reaction. She clutched her handkerchief and continued to put the pieces together.

“But when Song Caitang arrived at our house, she was an idiot. Her entire family had died, and nobody knows about this. Could it be that…after she had a brush with death, she really got pointers from the lord of Hades?”

Madam Zhang only glanced indifferently at Guan Rongrong this time.

Guan Rongrong shuddered a little. Once she got over her fear, she furrowed her brows slightly. The sharp corners of her eyes reflected how deep in thought she was, “Even if the lord of Hades gave her pointers, she needs to have some intelligence to understand it. This Song Caitang…could it be that before she knocked her head, she knew a thing or two about such matters? Like from following her father…”

Madam Zhang grunted quietly again and took a sip of tea.

Guan Rongrong knew she was going in the right direction, “Being associated with the dead is considered lowly work, so no matter how capable she is, this skill cannot compare to those well-versed in music, literature, or art. She won’t be considered someone of high social status. Plus, her father has already passed on…”

Madam Zhang had a pleased look in her eyes for once.

But Guan Rongrong didn’t notice it because she was too absorbed in her own thoughts, “Song Caitang’s temper and capabilities don’t matter. She no longer has any living family, and she’s just a cousin who has no choice but to depend on us. Without the Guan family and without your support, she’s nothing at all!”

“Even if she hates her situation, she wouldn’t dare to make any trouble for you. She can’t!”

Madam Zhang put her cup down and finally gave her first opinion on the matter.

“Since time immemorial, handsome men were paired with beautiful women. A lousy wok is paired with a lousy cover, an idiot is paired with an idiot. Even if the public finds out about this marriage, they would also have called it a perfect match. As her aunt, I have not done her any injustice.”

Guan Rongrong’s eyes lit up as though she had been splashed with a basin of water. She immediately understood the situation.

That’s right! When her mother agreed to this marriage, Song Caitang was an idiot. Pairing an idiot with another idiot was indeed a perfect match. Her mother thought that she was very pitiful and was just hoping to find someone who could take care of her. Who would have known that she would suddenly regain her senses? Her mother didn’t know that would happen either. So, if Song Caitang blamed her mother for it, then Song Caitang would be the immature one!

Madam Zhang’s eyebrows moved slightly, and her lips curled upwards a little, “She’s regained her senses, so as her aunt, I won’t pair her with someone who is not a good match for her. Even if the First Madam of the Wu family kneels down and begs me to let Song Caitang marry her idiot son, I will not agree to it.”

The admiration that Guan Rongrong had for her mother welled up in her heart. That’s right! That’s right!

Judging from the situation, First Madam Wu was probably not going to kneel down and beg. But her mother had definitely done the right thing and was not in the wrong at all!

Madam Zhang reached out to comb her daughter’s hair when she saw that her obedient daughter had finally understood the logic behind the matter. Her voice was filled with motherly love as she said, “Remember, we didn’t do anything wrong, so we don’t have to feel guilty, and we don’t have to be afraid that someone might argue with us or make things difficult for us.”

“Got it, Mother!” Guan Rongrong leaned her head against Madam Zhang’s shoulder, her voice sweet and cutesy now.

After the two of them had enjoyed a little quality time as mother and daughter, Guan Rongrong secretly glanced at her mother and decided to say what she really thought inside, “I just feel a little indignant about the whole thing. This was such a good chance, and everything should have gone well…Grandmother is severely ill, while Eldest Sister has gone to Tianhua Temple to pray. Nobody would have noticed that woman…”

There was a flicker in Madam Zhang’s eyes, “We’ve already missed the opportunity, and there’s no point in thinking about it now. The more important part is what happens now.”

“My poor Mother has done so much for the family, but none of them seem to understand. Grandmother is too ill to think, and I don’t know what Eldest Sister is thinking about. She’s given up the chance to marry a fine man and insists on staying at home to be a spinster. And then number three is so stupid, and she only listens to Eldest Sister…”

Guan Rongrong felt bad for her own mother.

“Well, there’s nothing anyone can do about that. That’s what you call family.” Madam Zhang patted her daughter’s hand gently, and her voice faded as she looked out of the window, “That’s why it’s hard to be the mistress of the house…”

Guan Rongrong played with the handkerchief in her hands and was quiet for a while. Then she asked, “Mother, what are we going to do next? Do we continue with our plans about Song Caitang?” Her expression darkened, “Actually, the one who needs to get married the most is Eldest Sister, but she simply refuses, and Grandmother…”

At this juncture, a good idea suddenly struck her, “Mother! Since Grandmother is ill and can’t do much, why don’t you decide on Eldest Sister’s marriage?”

“Your grandmother is still going to be ill for a while more, so we can talk about this later. No hurry.”

“How do you know that Grandmother is going to be sick for a while more?”

Madam Zhang’s eye twitched as she realized she had said the wrong thing. But she remained calm and just smiled as she patted her daughter’s back, “Silly girl, the doctor said so, of course.”

“Oh,” Guan Rongrong immediately gave up on that topic. Talking about her eldest sister reminded her of the expression she had when she returned the day before. Guan Rongronog looked left and right, then whispered, “Mother, Eldest Sister was so pale when she came home. Is what happened at Tianhua Temple true? She saw it?”

This time, Madam Zhang spoke very sternly, “A young girl like yourself should stay out of the business of aristocrats!”

An aristocrat from the capital city was staying in Tianhua Temple. Supposedly a beautiful young woman who was pregnant. But in the morning the day before, the authorities suddenly sealed off the mountain, and anyone at the temple had to leave. It was already nighttime by the time Guan Qing returned, and apparently, the young woman had died.

Matters in the aristocratic circles were complicated, especially among those from the capital. A beautiful pregnant young woman, no less…

Madam Zhang’s first reaction was to stop her daughter from talking about this matter.

“We can look into Guan Qing later. But Song Caitang…she’s coming back, and her mind is fully alert now. As an older sister to her, you’ve got to see how she is.”

Guan Rongrong immediately stood up with a clever glint in her eyes, “You’re right. I’m going to help you to test and see if she’s really smart or if she’s just pretending!”

She bowed, bid farewell to her mother, then ran out in a hurry.

Madam Zhang shook her head and sighed as she watched her daughter run off.

She looked back at the almond blossoms by the window. Then, she closed her eyes slightly and began touching the jade bangle on her wrist.

Song Caitang managed to get away from First Madam Wu unscathed and even made her so furious…

This woman was definitely not stupid. But more planning was needed to make good use of her…

Song Caitang and Qingqiao took a lovely walk, listening to Qingqiao’s stories while enjoying the scenery around them.

They finally arrived at the Guan family home.

The Guan family were merchants, and their home was especially large. There were five standalone houses and corresponding yards and annexes, forming a complex estate. From the outside, it looked a bit messy, but once inside, one would realize that the design was very intricately done. The design of the pavilions, the low buildings, the placement of the flowers and trees, the layout of the gardens – everything was used to its maximum. Each step you took came with a scenic view. It exuded such elegance and such fine detail.

“The house is really pretty.”

“Right??? I think so too!” Qingqiao nodded vigorously with a twinkle in her round eyes, “You’ve just gotten well, so you’d need another two days of rest. Once you’re really well, I’ll bring you around the estate!”

Song Caitang nodded, “Sure.”

When they arrived at the second gate, Song Caitang spotted a young lady.

She looked about 16 or 17 years old, slim, with almond-shaped eyes, even brows, and pink cheeks. She looked very pretty and youthful, but all that was canceled out by how stern and stiff she was. Her clothing was worn in an extremely proper fashion, her back was as straight as a rod. Her pretty brows and eyes should have looked a little whimsical and helpless, which would have made others around her feel the urge to take care of her. But her stiffened expression made her seem very unfriendly, so anyone who saw her would immediately dispel any intention to get closer to her.

Qingqiao tugged at Song Caitang’s clothes and whispered, “That’s Eldest Young Mistress.”

This was the oldest granddaughter of the Guan family, Guan Qing. She was already 17 but not married and not even engaged. In that era, she was considered a spinster already, even though this area did not marry their daughters especially early.

But…

The thing that stuck out to Song Caitang was that this eldest granddaughter of the family was standing in front of the door to her own courtyard, which divided the inner estate and outer estate, and also a place that she had to go past in order to get to her own residence.

What did this mean?