“Have someone set up another table in the adjoining side room. Let the eldest take the boys back first, while the eldest daughter-in-law, the fifth daughter-in-law, and the girls stay for now.”

This meant Old Madam wanted them to stay for the meal.

Old Master Ren usually didn’t concern himself with such trivial matters. So, hearing Old Madam’s instructions, Eldest Master Ren Shizhong led his sons and nephews away. Eldest Madam bowed in acknowledgment and was about to lead the maids in setting up the table.

Lin Shi quickly stopped Eldest Madam, laughing: “Eldest sister-in-law, don’t trouble yourself – let me go instead.”

Eldest Madam glanced at Old Madam, and seeing no reaction from her, nodded and smiled at Lin Shi: “Thank you for the trouble, fifth sister-in-law.”

Lin Shi gave Eldest Madam a sideways look and said coquettishly: “What kind of words are those, sister-in-law? You make it sound like I never do any work normally. Today I’m being diligent for once and still have to thank you for it – are you embarrassing me in front of the younger generation?”

Her voice was crisp and her speech clever. Though the words seemed somewhat barbed, coming from her mouth they sounded like playful banter between close relations.

“Don’t pay attention to this mischievous monkey – she’s always been able to call black white. Just let her go,” Old Madam spoke up.

Eldest Madam smiled and returned to stand behind Old Madam.

Hearing this, Lin Shi acted as if she’d received praise, covering her mouth in laughter before turning to leave.

Ren Yaoqi followed Lin Shi and the others to the side room. After Old Master and Old Madam finished their breakfast and Eldest Madam joined them, they all ate together.

Eighth Miss Ren Yaoyu had little appetite, using her chopsticks to turn over a crystal steamed dumpling in her dish repeatedly without taking a bite, stealing glances at Fifth Madam several times.

Fifth Madam, however, ate leisurely and even complimented Eldest Madam on how delicious the precious winter bamboo shoots were.

If the most favored girls in the Ren family were Ren Yaohua and Ren Yaoyin, then the daughter-in-law who held the most face before Old Madam was Fifth Madam Lin Shi – even the head of household, Eldest Madam, had to step aside.

This wasn’t only because Lin Shi had married Old Madam’s youngest son, but also because Lin Shi’s legitimate grandmother was Old Madam’s aunt.

Old Madam’s aunt had married into the Lin family, Yan Bei’s largest grain merchants. After Old Master Lin passed away, the Lin family head was Old Madam’s aunt’s eldest son, Lin Shi’s father.

Lin Shi and Fifth Master Ren Shimao were childhood sweethearts, betrothed from youth. They had been married for over ten years and had one son and one daughter. Though Fifth Master spent three or four months each year with Second Branch’s master in the capital, the couple’s relationship had always been harmonious.

However, though Lin Shi held favor, Old Madam’s feelings toward Lin Shi’s daughter Ren Yaoyu were merely average. Ren Yaoyu was far less favored by Old Madam than Ren Yaohua and Ren Yaoyin.

Before Ren Yaohua went to the estate, Ronghua Garden’s East Warm Pavilion could be considered Ren Yaohua’s private chamber – even Fourth Miss Ren Yaoyin, born to Eldest Madam, didn’t live there.

After Ren Yaohua left, Ren Yaoyin and Ren Yaoyu successively moved in, taking Ren Yaohua’s place before Old Madam.

Ren Yaoqi vaguely remembered that shortly after Ren Yaohua returned, Ren Yaoyu was driven out of Ronghua Garden by Ren Yaohua’s schemes, but Ren Yaohua herself gained no advantage from it.

In the end, it was their ninth sister, Ren Yaoying, who moved in to replace Ren Yaoyu.

But through this incident, Ren Yaohua completely offended Fifth Madam Lin Shi, making Lin Shi, who already had some conflicts with their mother Li Shi, view the mother and daughter even more unfavorably. This contributed to Ren Yaohua’s eventual complete loss of Old Madam’s favor and her unfortunate marriage.

Ren Yaohua’s fate was inseparable from Lin Shi’s behind-the-scenes instigation and fanning of flames.

However, in her previous life, Ren Yaoqi was still ill at this time and hadn’t witnessed how Ren Yaohua schemed against Ren Yaoyu.

Ren Yaoqi thought of the two maids of Ren Yaoyu kneeling outside… Could it be that the incident was happening today?

With this thought, Ren Yaoqi glanced at Ren Yaohua.

Ren Yaohua was holding an exquisite famille rose bowl painted with longevity mountains and seas, sipping lotus seed and longan porridge in small mouthfuls. Since they sat directly across from each other, Ren Yaohua saw Ren Yaoqi looking over just as she raised her head.

Seeing Ren Yaoqi suddenly scrutinizing her, Ren Yaohua couldn’t help but frown and glare back.

Ren Yaoyin, besides Ren Yaoqi, noticed Ren Yaohua’s gaze and turned to glance at Ren Yaoqi.

Ren Yaoqi looked away and lowered her head to eat. Knowing these two sisters never got along, Ren Yaoyin assumed they were having another disagreement and smiled before dismissing it.

When Eldest Madam and Fifth Madam successively put down their chopsticks, everyone else followed suit.

At this time, Jin Lian, Old Madam’s senior maid, came to say that Old Madam wanted the madams and misses to go to the main hall after finishing breakfast.

Not daring to delay, everyone was served by maids to rinse their mouths and wash their hands before following Eldest Madam to the main hall.

Ronghua Garden’s main hall was very spacious. Old Madam sat on the large carved rosewood arhat bed on the north side, drinking tea. Old Master was nowhere to be seen – he had probably already gone out.

Now that the Ren family was large and prosperous, the family head naturally bore no light burden.

After paying respects, everyone took seats according to seniority.

Old Madam put down her tea bowl, swept her gaze over those below, and finally fixed it on Ren Yaoyu: “Jade’er, come here.”

Ren Yaoyu looked at Old Madam, but Old Madam’s face, which seemed to be smiling even when not, made it impossible for her to discern anything. She rose reluctantly, constantly glancing toward Lin Shi sitting across from her.

Though Lin Shi was still quietly chatting with Eldest Madam, she immediately caught her daughter’s plea for help and discreetly signaled her not to be afraid and to go quickly.

Ren Yaoyu felt somewhat reassured and slowly walked forward several steps, stopping before Old Madam.

Old Madam’s voice was relatively gentle: “Those two maids kneeling outside serve you?”

Ren Yaoyu glanced at her mother and nodded.

“Do you know why they’re being punished with kneeling?”

Ren Yaoyu instinctively wanted to look toward Lin Shi again, but Old Madam suddenly struck the sandalwood low table on the arhat bed hard and raised her voice: “I’m asking you! Where are you looking?”

Ren Yaoyu was so startled she nearly cried. Though normally lively by nature, she somehow became like a mouse seeing a cat when facing her grandparents and didn’t like speaking before Old Madam. Her mother, Lin Shi, had scolded her many times for this problem, but she could never change it.

“Mother, Yaoyu ran back to Jinjia Courtyard in secret precisely because she didn’t know what those two maids had done to deserve punishment kneeling, so she was afraid. She’s always been timid – don’t let her shameful problem anger you,” Lin Shi felt sorry for her daughter and quickly smoothed things over.

Old Madam’s expression darkened slightly: “She’s been spoiled by you!”

Lin Shi wasn’t afraid of being scolded herself and quickly smiled apologetically: “Your daughter-in-law knows she was wrong. Isn’t that why I brought her before you to help discipline her? You’re excellent at teaching children – who in Yunyang City doesn’t know about my cousin Shijia? Every time I return to my natal home, grandmother and mother compare me unfavorably to my cousin and lecture me.” By the end, Lin Shi even sounded aggrieved.

The cousin Lin Shi mentioned was Old Madam’s younger daughter, Ren Shijia, who had married the only son of Lin Shi’s cousin-uncle.

Old Madam’s expression softened slightly: “In that case, don’t feel sorry for her when I discipline her.”

Lin Shi quickly said, “How could your daughter-in-law feel sorry for this girl? I feel sorry for you, Mother!”

Old Madam gave a light snort and turned back to Ren Yaoyu: “Early this morning, someone saw your two maids sneakily wrapping up a package and leaving the courtyard.”

Ren Yaoyu was about to look toward Lin Shi but barely restrained herself, stammering: “Grandmother, I… I don’t know,” completely forgetting what her mother had taught her to say.

Lin Shi looked at Ren Yaoyu with frustration and had to step forward again: “Mother, who saw this? Could we call them to ask clearly? On such a dark winter morning, it would be normal to see things wrongly, or perhaps those two maids were just taking Jade’er’s clothes to be washed?”

Ren Yaoqi, who had been silently listening, suddenly remembered something. After she recovered and came out, though no one in Ronghua Garden or the entire Ren family dared discuss Ren Yaoyu being driven from Ronghua Garden, she had heard something from Nanny Zhu that should be directly related to Ren Yaoyu falling out of Old Madam’s favor.