Thinking of this, Qin Shuying asked Xiangchun who was serving nearby: “Where is First Madam today? I haven’t seen her around.”
“First Madam has been having headaches these past few days and is low in spirits, so she’s resting in her courtyard.”
Since that was the case, she should go visit the patient.
According to custom, Qin Shuying had to eat lunch at the Qin family before returning home.
Once Qin Yunyun left, the Qin mansion relaxed somewhat. Old Madam Qin had risen before dawn to arrange matters and was now tired, going to rest before getting up for lunch later.
There was still half an hour before lunch time, so Qin Shuying went to Yanfei Pavilion. Qin Lulu wanted to speak with Zou Shi, so the two parted ways.
Yanfei Pavilion was quiet. After Qin Shuying entered, an unfamiliar maid didn’t recognize her and asked several questions. It was Nanny Ruan who heard the voices and came out, seeing it was Qin Shuying, and quickly welcomed her in.
“Seventh Young Madam, please come in.”
Qin Shuying was followed by Baiyun. She had sent Lu Ye to Rongfu Courtyard to look after Qu Linglong.
Given Qin Wei’s temperament, Qin Shuying didn’t know what she might do or say. Though Ziteng was certainly capable, Lu Ye had a somewhat reckless disposition.
If Qin Wei did anything to Qu Linglong, with Ziteng and Lu Ye nearby, they certainly wouldn’t let Qu Linglong suffer any losses.
Moreover, Qu Linglong would need to navigate the capital in the future. Qin Shuying couldn’t protect her in everything—that wouldn’t be good for developing Qu Linglong’s character. Letting Qin Wei give her some practice today wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
The weather had been overcast these past days, sometimes with a few snowflakes drifting down, but no real heavy snow had fallen.
It was very cold, and all the women’s rooms had braziers burning.
Pingxi Earl’s mansion was wealthy and powerful—the female masters’ rooms all had underfloor heating systems. The Qin family’s foundation was thinner, so they burned charcoal fires. Earlier, Old Madam Qin’s room had been burning the finest silver frost charcoal.
However, upon stepping into Xu Shi’s bedroom, there wasn’t a trace of warmth—it remained as cold as outside.
Xu Shi sat on the kang, staring blankly at the window frost patterns.
When Qin Shuying entered the room, she didn’t even notice.
Nanny Ruan reminded her: “First Madam, Seventh Young Madam heard you weren’t feeling well and has come to see you.”
Not feeling well? Who wasn’t feeling well? Wasn’t this all because she wasn’t allowed to show her face and was deliberately pretending?
Xu Shi was startled, then turned to look at Qin Shuying.
Qin Shuying wore a deep blue sable fur cloak, with a madder red silk-padded jacket with twining branch patterns underneath, and a matching jacket and skirt. Below the skirt, the small toe tips of deep blue deerskin boots were visible—they must be furry inside and very warm.
On Qin Shuying’s head was a complete set of madder red jade ornaments, crystal clear and exquisitely crafted.
This entire outfit appeared elegant and serene, yet utterly noble. Combined with Qin Shuying’s current light makeup, it made her appear like a secluded plum blossom, charming beyond compare.
Xu Shi knew quality goods—Qin Shuying’s entire outfit was worth a thousand gold.
Just that seamless sable fur cloak alone would require countless skilled craftsmen to sew, not to mention how rare that blue sable fur was.
And her deerskin boots—only the privileged could wear such things. Walking in snow, they were not only warm but also waterproof.
You must know, Xu Shi had never owned such boots in her lifetime. In deep winter she always wore thick cotton shoes with high soles added underneath. But if you walked through snow, even high soles wouldn’t help—the cotton shoe bottoms would still get wet.
Xu Shi’s gaze grew profound. Qin Shuying met her complex gaze with indifference, sitting down casually nearby and saying: “First Madam, your complexion indeed doesn’t look too good. I brought some tonics in my carriage—I’ll have them sent to you shortly. I hope First Madam recovers quickly—this is also your niece’s filial intention.”
Xu Shi stared unblinkingly at Qin Shuying, who was chatting and laughing casually before her.
On September 10th, when Qin Shuying returned home after marriage, they had met once. From that time until now, November 26th—two and a half months—this was their second meeting.
That time, Xu Shi had wanted to speak more with Qin Shuying, wanting to please her.
Qin Shuying had refused.
Today, she had actually come to visit her on her own initiative. What did this mean?
Facing Xu Shi’s direct stare, Qin Shuying frowned slightly: “First Madam, what’s wrong with you? You need to get better quickly—Second Brother’s wedding is still waiting for you.”
Qin Yunyun was a married daughter, so there really wasn’t much for her natal family to handle—having Dong Shi take care of everything was sufficient.
Although Xu Shi’s house arrest had been lifted, Qin Yongtao still wouldn’t let her show her face. Xu Shi felt miserable inside, and the maids and matrons in her courtyard didn’t take her seriously either, which was why her room was so cold.
But for Qin Kaiyu’s marriage, the Qin family had many things to do. As Qin Kaiyu’s mother, even though Qin Yongtao had stripped her of authority, there were still many things she needed to do.
After all, she wasn’t truly sick to the point of being bedridden—when the time came, she would still need to appear for many matters.
Qin Shuying spoke calmly, but Xu Shi, hearing her words, felt no warmth—only a wave of mockery hitting her face.
But she dared not say anything.
During this period, to secure more dowry for Qin Yunyun, Xu Shi and Qin Yongtao had quarreled quite unpleasantly. Though she had endured repeatedly, Qin Yongtao’s actions were still unacceptable to her.
When Qin Shuying married, she had eighty-eight sedan chairs of dowry and hundreds of thousands of taels of silver for her trousseau.
When Qin Yunyun married, she only had thirty-six sedan chairs of dowry and three thousand taels for her trousseau.
Of course, Qin Shuying’s parents had left her more, and Qin Shuying had also earned more herself, so Qin Yunyun couldn’t compare to Qin Shuying. But Qin Yunyun couldn’t be treated the same as Qin Lulu either.
When Qin Lulu married, it was also thirty-six sedan chairs of dowry and three thousand taels for her trousseau.
Qin Yunyun was a legitimate daughter of the main branch—when had she become equal to a concubine’s daughter?
Since the family hadn’t divided property yet, Qin Lulu and Qin Yunyun’s things all came from the common funds. One was a legitimate son’s daughter, the other a concubine’s daughter—logically there should be a distinction.
But Qin Yongtao said that regardless of their status, the men they were marrying weren’t much different, so if Xu Shi was dissatisfied, she could supplement Qin Yunyun privately. Xu Shi naturally did supplement her, but that was her personal matter, while the dowry and trousseau money were common family matters—how could they be the same?
When she argued too much, Qin Yongtao told her to pretend to be sick and not come out on Qin Yunyun’s wedding day either.
Though Xu Shi feared Qin Yongtao, she was ultimately holding in her anger, constantly gloomy. Lying on the kang too much had made her somewhat mentally confused and slow to react.
After Qin Shuying spoke two sentences, Xu Shi still hadn’t made a sound, so Nanny Ruan glanced at her.
Only then did Xu Shi force out a smile uglier than crying and say: “Seventh Girl, it’s hard on you to still remember to come see me. Nanny Ruan, bring tea for Seventh Miss.”
Nanny Ruan looked at Xu Shi meaningfully, agreeing to go prepare tea.
Qin Shuying said: “Nanny needn’t trouble herself—I’m just looking in on First Madam before leaving. Besides, this room is too cold, and I can’t stay long either. Nanny, please go about your business. First Madam and I haven’t seen each other in a long time—we mother and daughter will have a chat.”