Under the eaves was deathly silence, with only the soft sound of falling snow audible.

The maidservants and matrons standing nearby all held their breath, not daring to make a sound. Their careful glances at Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua carried some nervousness.

Ren Yaohua’s cold, stern gaze fixed deadly on Ren Yaoqi. Seeing that after receiving the slap, she only covered her cheek, pressed her lips tight, and looked at her without saying a word, not rushing forward to slap her back, though somewhat strange, the grievances she had suffered these days made the hatred in her heart prevail. Without another word, she raised her hand to slap again.

At this moment, the main hall’s door curtain moved again, and a nanny in her forties with a tall figure and slightly graying temples emerged.

Seeing the confrontation between the two in the corridor, her expression changed. Noticing Ren Yaohua about to strike again, she quickly stepped forward and embraced Ren Yaoqi protectively, saying seriously to Ren Yaohua: “Third Young Miss, we’ve only just returned to the residence today – what are you doing now? Don’t forget that Madam is still ill.” While secretly giving Ren Yaohua meaningful looks.

Seeing the anxiety and worry in the nanny’s eyes, Ren Yaohua thought of her mother’s illness, bit her teeth, and lowered her hand. But her gaze toward Ren Yaoqi remained cold and sharp.

Ren Yaoqi observed their interaction. On the surface, Nanny Zhou appeared to be protecting her from Ren Yaohua’s blows, but her tightly embracing arms also held Ren Yaoqi’s arms immobile, preventing her from moving – this was to guard against her rushing forward to seek revenge on Ren Yaohua.

“Fifth Young Miss, please don’t make trouble either. Madam is ill – go in and see her.” Nanny Zhou coaxed Ren Yaoqi with a stern face.

Ren Yaoqi nodded, indicating for Nanny Zhou to release her.

Nanny Zhou had originally thought it would take considerable persuasion to calm Ren Yaoqi, but unexpectedly, Ren Yaoqi seemed to easily accept this loss. She couldn’t help but freeze, then carefully examined Ren Yaoqi’s expression.

Ren Yaoqi covered her face with slightly lowered eyes, showing no excessive emotion.

Nanny Zhou tentatively and slowly released her hands. Ren Yaoqi indeed made no other moves, only stepping around Ren Yaohua to lift the curtain and enter the main hall.

Ziwei Courtyard’s overall layout was short in width but long in depth. Though it could be considered a large three-section courtyard, the main hall only had three rooms, but fortunately, they were all spacious.

The central main room was the formal hall, the east side room could be used for receiving guests, with a large kang by the window that served as the usual dining place when set with a kang table. The west side room was the bedroom, with a small washroom further inside. The washroom had a small door opening north, convenient for bringing hot water from the third section’s back courtyard.

Ren Yaoqi walked directly to the west side room. Against the north wall stood a thousand-work fully carved open hall bed, with newly changed red silk curtains hanging from brass hooks on the bed posts. On the bed lay a woman in her thirties.

The woman had an oval face, thick hair, and very beautiful features, but her complexion carried a sickly pallor, her lips also lacking color. Perhaps because she habitually frowned, there were faint “川” character lines between her brows, adding an aged appearance to her originally youthful face.

“Mother…” Ren Yaoqi gently walked to the bedside, looking at the woman who didn’t smooth her worried expression even with closed eyes, and called out chokingly in a soft voice.

Though her voice wasn’t loud, the woman on the bed seemed to sense something, her eyelashes moved, and she opened her eyes. She had a pair of charming almond eyes – Ren Yaohua’s eyes resembled hers perfectly.

She seemed very weary, but seeing Ren Yaoqi clearly before her, she smiled gently, beckoning her over: “Qi’er? Come, let mother see if you’ve grown taller.”

Ren Yaoqi quickly stepped forward, kneeling under the surrounding corridor outside the open hall bed, burying her face in Li Shi’s chest and crying “woo woo.”

Seeing Ren Yaoqi crying so miserably, Li Shi couldn’t help but freeze. She placed her hand on Ren Yaoqi’s head, stroking it while asking gently: “What’s wrong?”

At this moment, the curtain lifted, and Ren Yaohua and Nanny Zhou entered.

Seeing Ren Yaoqi collapse on Li Shi, crying, Ren Yaohua’s anger immediately flared. She sneered coldly: “What could be wrong with her? Isn’t she just complaining to you that I hit her again? I thought after staying in the residence for a year, receiving that wretch’s tutelage, she might have improved considerably. I didn’t expect she’d still be so senseless, only knowing how to shoot cold arrows from behind!”

Speaking thus, she strode forward, grabbing Ren Yaoqi’s arm to pull her away.

Ren Yaoqi’s body hadn’t fully recovered. Being suddenly yanked so forcefully, she accidentally fell to the ground. When her face lifted, the five finger marks on her left cheek were starkly visible to Li Shi.

Li Shi cried out in shock, supporting herself to sit up but lacking strength and falling back down.

“Mother—” Ren Yaoqi shook off Ren Yaohua’s hand and went forward to check on Li Shi.

Ren Yaohua no longer bothered with Ren Yaoqi. She pushed Ren Yaoqi aside, stepped forward to support Li Shi herself, and seeing her wanting to rise, helped her sit at the head of the bed, placing a soft pillow from inside the bed behind Li Shi’s back: “Mother, you just took medicine – why are you getting up?”

But Li Shi pulled Ren Yaoqi over, cupping her face to examine it carefully, then looked reproachfully at Ren Yaohua: “Hua’er, how could you strike your sister so heavily!”

Ren Yaohua glanced at the five finger marks on Ren Yaoqi’s face and said coldly: “If Nanny Zhou hadn’t stopped me, I would have given her several more slaps.”

Ren Yaoqi’s left cheek was already somewhat swollen. Li Shi’s heart ached seeing it, and Ren Yaohua’s words made her somewhat angry. She frowned: “Hua’er! Come quickly and apologize to your sister!”

Hearing this, Ren Yaohua slightly raised her chin, saying contemptuously: “Me apologize to her? In the next life!”

“Hua’er!” Li Shi helplessly scolded lightly.

Turning to look at Ren Yaoqi, who had stopped crying and still knelt before her bed, Li Shi said in difficulty: “Qi’er, your sister didn’t mean it, you…”

But seeing the shocking red swelling on Ren Yaoqi’s face, Li Shi couldn’t continue her words. She could only turn to negotiate with her eldest daughter: “Hua’er, for mother’s sake, can’t you take a step back?”

Seeing the anxious expression on Li Shi’s weary face, Ren Yaohua bit her lip.

She didn’t want to make mother sad, but asking her to put down her pride and apologize to Ren Yaoqi was something she couldn’t do, leaving her feeling somewhat rigid.

“Forget it, mother, it’s not necessary.” Ren Yaoqi sighed lightly, suddenly looking up at Li Shi.

Li Shi froze, and Ren Yaohua also frowned, looking over, as if not believing these words came from her mouth.

Ren Yaoqi supported herself on Li Shi’s bed edge to stand up.

She remembered that in her previous life, when she recovered from illness and met Ren Yaohua, she had also received her slaps.

Afterwards, when they came before mother, mother had also asked Ren Yaohua to apologize, but she felt mother was biased toward Ren Yaohua – otherwise, why wouldn’t she let her return those two slaps instead of a light “sorry”?

In childhood, there were always people whispering in her ear that because of her birth, her mother wasn’t liked by her mother-in-law in the Ren family, so not only did her grandmother dislike her, but her mother also felt disgust toward her. Otherwise, why would she always favor her elder sister and wrong her?

When such things happened frequently, Ren Yaoqi came to believe it, so there was always some estrangement between her and mother Li Shi.

Ren Yaohua called Li Shi “mother,” but Ren Yaoqi always addressed her as “mother” – the same title used by the concubine-born Ninth Sister and Sixth Brother.

Ren Yaohua looked up and saw Li Shi looking at her with careful caution.

Seeing her look over, Li Shi hurriedly said: “Qi’er, you’re the most well-behaved, much more sensible than your sister.” In a tone of comfort to a child.

Nanny Zhou at the side also smiled and spoke: “This servant was just thinking when I first saw Fifth Young Miss that something seemed different, so she’s grown up and become sensible. From now on, Madam, you can be at ease.”

Li Shi nodded dryly: “Yes.” Thinking of the injury on Ren Yaoqi’s face, she quickly instructed Nanny Zhou: “Quickly get a hot cloth to apply to Qi’er’s face and put medicine on it, or it will definitely hurt tonight.”

Nanny Zhou looked at Ren Yaohua, then at Ren Yaoqi, somewhat uneasy about leaving the sisters together. But Li Shi kept urging her, so Nanny Zhou could only hurry out.

Only the three mothers and daughters remained in the room, and it became quiet. Finally, Li Shi pulled Ren Yaoqi to sit beside her bed and broke the silence by asking: “Qi’er, have you been well this year in the residence? Have you, have you suffered any grievances?”

Ren Yaoqi shook her head: “I’m fine, I haven’t suffered any grievances.”

“Oh, with your father there to protect you, she, she wouldn’t dare wrong you.” Li Shi looked at her and spoke hesitantly.

“Hah!” Ren Yaohua snorted mockingly from the side.

Ren Yaoqi lowered her eyes: “Mother, did you just take medicine? You should rest today. I’ll come to see you again tomorrow.” Speaking thus, she stepped forward to help Li Shi lie down.

Li Shi didn’t refuse her kindness, but after lying down, she held Ren Yaoqi’s hand without letting go: “Qi’er, let Nanny Zhou apply medicine for you before leaving, alright?”

Ren Yaoqi nodded and sat quietly beside Li Shi’s bed.

Ren Yaohua stood to the side, her gaze coldly falling on Ren Yaoqi with scrutiny.

But Li Shi held Ren Yaoqi’s hand, looking at her and smiling: “Qi’er, you’ve truly grown up.”

At this moment, Nanny Zhou, who had gone out earlier, returned.

“Weren’t you told to get hot water?” Li Shi asked.

Nanny Zhou hurriedly approached: “Madam, this servant has already ordered the hot water. Concubine Fang has come, saying she’s brought Sixth Young Master and Ninth Young Miss to pay their respects to you.”

Li Shi frowned, saying wearily: “I’m tired. Tell them to go back.”

But Ren Yaohua snorted coldly: “You’ve been back so long and she hasn’t come to show her face until now – what’s she coming for? Mother, you lie down. I’ll go out to see her!” Speaking thus, she turned and left.

“Hua’er—” Li Shi called out, but Ren Yaoqi had already lifted the curtain and left the west side room. Li Shi could only let her go.

Nanny Zhou said to Li Shi, “This servant will go see too.”

Li Shi nodded, and Nanny Zhou followed Ren Yaohua out.

Ren Yaoqi sat with Li Shi for a while. After thinking, she finally said: “Mother, I’ll go out to find someone to apply medicine for me. You rest first.”

Thinking that Nanny Zhou probably wouldn’t return soon, Li Shi quickly nodded: “Then hurry and go.”

Ren Yaoqi helped Li Shi arrange her bedding and also withdrew.

Just leaving the west side room, Ren Yaoqi heard voices coming from the east side room.

Drawing closer, she heard a still somewhat childish voice crying and scolding: “What rules are you establishing? Grandmother never said anything about establishing rules! What are you? And what gives you the right to scold my concubine mother!”