As the two were leaving the west courtyard and about to part ways, they saw Ren Yaohua emerging from the main hall.

Her gaze lingered for a moment on Ren Yaoqi and Han Yunqian, her brows slightly furrowed.

Han Yunqian bowed to Ren Yaohua from a distance, then turned and left. Ren Yaoqi casually called over a maid from the west courtyard and had her follow Han Yunqian to fetch the painting. When Ren Yaoqi turned around again, Ren Yaohua had already crossed the courtyard and gone to her room.

An hour later, the maid sent to the Han residence brought the painting to Ren Yaoqi.

“Miss, when this servant was returning, I encountered Dujuan beside the Seventh Miss of the eastern residence. She pestered this servant with many strange questions and even asked what this servant went to the Han residence for.”

Ren Yaoqi took the painting and raised an eyebrow at the maid: “How did you answer?”

The maid replied: “This servant told the truth, saying Third Master instructed this servant to fetch a painting from the Han residence. Seeing that she kept asking endlessly and this servant was eager to return and report, I gave her a few perfunctory answers and left.”

Ren Yaoqi nodded: “You worked hard. Go to Xueli and collect your reward money.”

The maid responded joyfully, thought for a moment, then smiled and said: “Fifth Miss, this servant encountered something strange at the Han residence.”

Upon hearing this, Ren Yaoqi’s heart stirred: “Oh? What strange thing?”

The maid said, “Young Master Han went to the study to fetch the painting, and this servant waited at the second gate. But Young Master Han was gone for a long time and didn’t return. This servant had urgent needs, so I called over a Han family maid to lead this servant to the privy. Since it was close to a privy in the inner courtyard, that maid took this servant to the inner courtyard. When this servant came out of the privy, I happened to see Young Master Han and an elder of about fifty walking past the branching path in front of this servant. That elder seemed to be scolding Young Master Han, but he spoke with our Youzhou accent. Just as this servant was about to ask that maid who the elder was, she got startled and quickly pulled me away via another small path, saying the Han family had strict rules and it wouldn’t be good if we were seen. After that maid left. Before long, Young Master Han and that elder came out again, but this time, the servant heard the elder speaking with a Jizhou accent. Only then did this servant realize that the elder was Young Master Han’s grandfather. Miss, don’t you think this is strange? Isn’t it said that the Han family is native-born Jizhou people? How could Young Master Han’s grandfather speak our Baihezhen dialect?”

Ren Yaoqi smiled: “Perhaps Master Han visited Baihezhen when he was young.”

“But this servant heard that Old Master Han fled from the south to Jizhou due to famine, and was taken in as a son-in-law by the previous Han family head because he gained their favor.”

Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment and said to the maid, “Don’t mention this matter to others first. After all, you inappropriately entered someone else’s inner courtyard and accidentally overheard their conversation, which is quite improper.”

The maid quickly nodded: “This servant understands. This servant will only tell Fifth Miss about this matter.”

Ren Yaoqi nodded and dismissed the maid.

Sitting down on the kang, she unrolled the painting scroll in her hands on the kang table. It was indeed the autumn chrysanthemum painting as Hanyou had described. It even bore Ren Shimin’s private seal. After carefully examining it, Ren Yaoqi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Then she thought about what the maid had just told her.

Was the maid mishearing Old Master Han speaking with Baihezhen’s local dialect, or was Old Master Han’s adaptability too quick? Or was there some other trivial reason?

The maid heard Old Master Han scolding Han Yunqian—what was he scolding him for? Did it have any connection to the painting in her hands?

The more Ren Yaoqi thought about it, the more her head ached.

This Han family was truly unfathomable.

In the blink of an eye, spring had arrived with warm weather and blooming flowers, and Yun Wenfang came to the Ren residence again. It was said that the person he had beaten half to death had fallen seriously ill during winter and died.

That person’s father was a sixth-rank official who went to the Yan Bei Prince’s residence to cry for justice, demanding that the Yan Bei Prince severely punish Yun Wenfang.

Yun Wenfang was ordered by his grandmother to stay obediently at the Ren residence until the matter was resolved, forbidden to go anywhere else.

So Yun Wenfang began studying with the Ren family’s children in the outer courtyard.

On this day, Ren Yaoqi was reading in her room when the newly arrived maid Pingguo came in saying that the aunt had returned and had already gone to Ronghua Garden.

Ren Yaoqi was stunned for a while before realizing that the aunt the maid mentioned was her paternal aunt, Ren Shijia, who had married into the second branch of the Lin family in Yunyang City.

But she remembered that Ren Shijia was still pregnant, with three more months until her due date. Why would she return at this time?

“Did Aunt come back alone?” Ren Yaoqi asked.

Pingguo nodded: “Uncle didn’t come, only aunt returned.”

Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment, got up, and went to Li Shi’s main room.

Nanny Zhou was just reporting to Li Shi about Ren Shijia’s situation.

“I heard she had some quarrel with Second Master Lin and came back to her maternal home to await childbirth. On the way, the old lady from the main branch sent two groups of people to persuade Aunt to return, but Aunt still insisted on coming back.”

Li Shi couldn’t help but be surprised: “Hasn’t aunt always been harmonious with uncle? How did they quarrel this time when the aunt is pregnant? What happened?”

Nanny Zhou said quietly: “I heard that Second Master Lin took one of Aunt’s maids as a concubine while Aunt was pregnant and inconveniently mobile, and didn’t tell Aunt about it. When Aunt found out, she flew into a rage, packed up, and left.”

Li Shi was startled: “Second Master Lin hasn’t even had a personal maid all these years, only his aunt as his legitimate wife. How could he now—”

Nanny Zhou shook her head: “That’s unknown. But what tomcat in the world doesn’t love to steal fish? Second Master Lin—” Only then did Nanny Zhou notice that Ren Yaoqi had somehow entered and was standing aside, listening to their conversation with great interest.

Nanny Zhou stopped talking in time and smiled as she stood up to bow to Ren Yaoqi.

Ren Yaoqi showed no embarrassment at being caught eavesdropping and smiled: “I heard Aunt has returned. I was wondering whether Mother should go over.”

At this moment, Ren Yaohua also lifted the curtain and entered. She had also come after hearing that Ren Shijia had returned.

Li Shi nodded: “Since you’re both here, perfect. I was just about to go to Ronghua Garden. Come with me to see your aunt.”

Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua followed Li Shi to Ronghua Garden.

Even from outside, they could hear Fifth Madam Lin Shi’s laughter from within.

After a maid went in to announce them, Li Shi and her two daughters entered the main room. Ren Yaoqi saw a pregnant woman sitting beside Old Madam Ren’s right side—that was her aunt, Ren Shijia.

Ren Shijia was Old Madam Ren’s only daughter and the youngest among her children. She most resembled Fifth Master Ren Shimao in appearance, though she was somewhat more delicate than Ren Shimao. It was said that before her marriage, the relationship between these siblings was the closest.

Ren Yaoqi had no impression of this aunt anymore. In her previous life, there seemed to be no incident of Ren Shijia returning to her maternal home to await childbirth.

“Third Sister-in-law.” Ren Shijia wanted to stand up to bow, but was pressed down again by Lin Shi sitting beside her.

“We’re family—why all these formalities? Third Sister-in-law won’t mind, right?” Lin Shi said with a sweet smile.

Li Shi quickly said, “Don’t get up. You’re carrying a child—you need to be careful.”

Old Madam Ren told Li Shi to sit down.

Ren Shijia looked at Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua again, surprised: “It’s been over a year since I’ve seen you, you’ve grown quite a bit taller.”

Lin Shi smiled: “You probably haven’t seen Yaohua for more than a year, have you? She went to the estate for a year… to recuperate. She only returned before the New Year.”

Ren Shijia thought carefully, smiled, and nodded: “Look at my memory.” She beckoned to Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua.

The two sisters walked to Ren Shijia’s side. Ren Shijia removed a pair of agate bracelets from her hands and gave one each to Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua, saying kindly: “Good children, wear these to play with.”

Lin Shi glanced at the bracelets: “Oh my, aunt, you’re generous. Are all the gifts prepared today? You have more than just these two nieces.”

Ren Shijia smiled and glared at Lin Shi: “Need you ask? When have I ever shown favoritism?”

Upon hearing this, Lin Shi spoke with some sourness: “Mother loves you most and gave you all the good things as dowry.”

Old Madam Ren frowned: “Which family’s aunt uses her dowry to reward her nieces? Only a fool like you would say such things! Stop embarrassing me!”

Lin Shi was amused by the scolding and quickly said: “Daughter-in-law was just joking with Shijia. Since it’s not from the maternal family, it’s naturally from the in-laws. It’s all from the Lin family. When I was a girl, my grandmother and mother were never so generous with me. This shows that my grandmother and mother truly cherish our aunt.”

Old Madam Ren paused and said flatly, “Before you married, you were a girl from the main branch, and Shijia is a daughter-in-law of the second branch. With different branches, what are you comparing with her? If you want to compare, compare with the girls and daughters-in-law of the Lin family’s main branch. Once the residence is divided in the future, there will be even less basis for comparison.”

Lin Shi was startled: “Divide the residence? Why divide the residence?” Lin Shi looked at Ren Shijia in confusion. “Didn’t grandmother say ‘a single tree cannot make a forest’—that the Lin family would not divide?”

Ren Shijia was silent for a moment, then looked up and smiled at Lin Shi: “Mother was just saying that. How could we divide just like that?”

Lin Shi glanced at Old Madam Ren, who was slightly squinting and leaning against the arhat bed, seemingly not paying attention to their conversation.

Ren Yaoqi observed the expressions of the three women from the side and couldn’t help but become thoughtful.