Upon hearing this, Yun Wenfang’s steps slightly paused as he was walking out, then he revealed a smile: “I understand, grandmother.”
After leaving Old Madam Yun’s room, Yun Wenfang thought for a moment and still returned to his courtyard.
As soon as he stepped through the courtyard gate, he couldn’t help but stop in his tracks.
The pair of colorful glazed fish tanks that had originally been placed in the courtyard were gone, replaced by many flowers and plants. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he could smell a fragrance of flowers whose names he couldn’t identify.
Yun Wenfang’s original head maid, Yuzhu, had been waiting in the courtyard early on. Seeing him return, she quickly ran over with reddened eyes: “Young Master, you’ve returned?”
Seeing his maid, Yun Wenfang, showed a lazy smile. While walking toward the main house, he casually asked: “Where are those two fish tanks?”
Yuzhu said, “The two pairs of goldfish you originally kept died, Young Master. The Young Madam doesn’t like keeping fish, so she simply had those empty fish tanks moved away.”
Upon hearing this, Yun Wenfang raised his eyebrows.
Lady Meng had returned a step ahead of Yun Wenfang. Because of Yun Wenfang’s attitude, as soon as she returned, she hid in the eastern side room, crying.
When the maid reported that the Second Young Master had returned, Lady Meng hesitated for a moment but still sat on the southern kang wiping her tears, not going out to greet him. Several of her head maids were beside her, trying to console and comfort her.
When Yun Wenfang entered, he immediately noticed that the room he had lived in for over ten years looked somewhat unfamiliar. Lady Meng had replaced several pieces of furniture in his room with ornate and complex huanghuali wood pieces. The antiques displayed on the curio shelf also looked unfamiliar—they must have been part of Lady Meng’s dowry.
“Young Master, the Young Madam is over there,” Yuzhu whispered, giving Yun Wenfang meaningful looks.
Yun Wenfang curled his lips. He naturally knew Lady Meng was in the inner room—he had already heard her crying.
One maid deliberately raised her voice: “Miss, please don’t cry anymore. Be careful not to harm your health from crying—the master and madam would be heartbroken. Didn’t Madam say that if the Yun family can’t accommodate you, there’s still the Meng family? Besides, look—isn’t the young master back? This is cause for great joy! The young master knows right from wrong; he’ll surely understand the hardships you’ve endured these days…”
Yun Wenfang stood in place listening for a while, then went over and lifted the curtain to the eastern side room.
Lady Meng, whose eyes were swollen from crying, and the four maids surrounding her all looked over.
After crying for a while, Lady Meng still felt somewhat embarrassed when she saw Yun Wenfang enter. Finally, she stood up, sniffling as she curtsied.
Yun Wenfang’s voice was somewhat lazy: “Why were you crying? Who made our Young Madam angry?”
The sharp-tongued maid from before turned pale with anger upon hearing this and opened her mouth to say something, but Lady Meng gently tugged at her sleeve.
Only then did Yun Wenfang focus his gaze on Lady Meng, smiling: “I have some things to say to your miss. All of you may withdraw first.”
The several dowry maids all looked toward Lady Meng. Only after she nodded did they leave.
Yun Wenfang didn’t sit on the kang with Lady Meng but instead pulled over a stool from a distance and sat at a moderate distance from her.
“Is there anything you want to say to me?” Yun Wenfang looked at Lady Meng with a smile and asked.
This was Lady Meng’s first time sitting so close and speaking alone with Yun Wenfang. Since she still harbored some feelings in her heart, her speech became somewhat stuttered due to nervousness.