A rustling sound came from behind, and Jiang Si quickly closed the window.

Erniu’s nose pressed against the window screen, poking a hole in the gossamer-thin material, revealing its wet, black nose tip.

Jiang Si turned back to see Xie Qingyao had merely rolled over. She breathed a sigh of relief before turning around again.

The black nose twitched, still obediently staying in the hole it had made.

The dog’s silhouette was faintly visible through the window screen.

Jiang Si couldn’t help but twitch her lips before reopening the window.

The large dog looked up at Jiang Si innocently, seeming to understand the need for silence to avoid waking others, and remained perfectly quiet.

“I’ll get you something to eat later, then you need to leave quickly, understand?” Jiang Si whispered, feeling sorry for the hungry Erniu but fearful of it being discovered.

“Asi, who are you talking to?”

Jiang Si hurriedly turned around to see Xie Qingyao sitting up, her eyes swollen like walnuts, still hazy with sleep.

Erniu cleverly ducked back under the window.

Jiang Si walked back: “I was just talking to myself, noticing the nice weather.”

Xie Qingyao didn’t suspect anything. She called the maids in and went through her morning ablutions in a daze, then sat numbly at the table for breakfast.

Only a bowl of thin porridge was placed before her.

According to custom, with her parents having just passed away, she shouldn’t even have this bowl of porridge for the first three days, only being allowed to drink water. But rules are dead, while people are alive. Not just for a delicate young lady like Xie Qingyao, even a sturdy man would be in a terrible state after three days of drinking only water, crying during the day, and keeping vigil at night.

While meat was forbidden, no one would criticize having thin porridge to stave off hunger.

In front of Jiang Si, besides a bowl of porridge, there were also two vegetarian buns.

The buns were only slightly larger than a child’s fist. Two buns and a bowl of porridge would usually be enough, but thinking of Erniu waiting under the window, Jiang Si felt somewhat troubled.

Xie Qingyao had no appetite. After just two sips of porridge, she no longer wanted to eat, idly stirring the thin porridge with her spoon.

“Asi, don’t mind me. Eat while it’s hot. If it’s not enough, ask the maids to bring more.”

Jiang Si hesitated before saying sheepishly, “Then please bring ten more buns.”

The maid standing by exclaimed in surprise, “Ten?”

Xie Qingyao glared at the maid, “How impertinent! Go fetch them quickly.”

She hadn’t realized Asi’s appetite had grown so large. People do change as they grow up.

Soon, a plate of vegetarian buns was brought up. The buns were neatly pleated, with thin skin and generous filling, arranged tidily on a white porcelain plate.

The maid couldn’t help but glance curiously at Jiang Si.

Jiang Si frowned.

With the maid watching so closely, how could she feed Erniu?

“I can’t eat with unfamiliar people around. You may leave for now.”

Seeing that Xie Qingyao didn’t object, the maid quietly withdrew.

Xie Qingyao ate absent-mindedly, occasionally zoning out. Jiang Si took advantage of these moments to toss a bun out the window. By the time the plate was empty, she had worked up quite a sweat.

She knew Yu Qi was nothing but trouble!

“My maternal family should be arriving today,” Xie Qingyao said softly as they walked toward the mourning hall.

Jiang Si patted Xie Qingyao’s hand, offering silent support.

In the mourning hall, Xie Yinlou was kneeling, burning paper money.

As the flames licked at the paper, it turned to ash butterflies carried away by the wind. The young man’s expression was focused, his face as cold as ice and snow.

“Brother—” Xie Qingyao’s tears welled up at the sight of Xie Yinlou.

Xie Yinlou’s hand paused, and he looked up at Xie Qingyao, then nodded in acknowledgment to Jiang Si.

Xie Qingyao knelt beside Xie Yinlou, taking a stack of paper money from him and lighting it, murmuring.

“You and Miss Jiang should go sit inside first. Come out when the relatives arrive.”

“Brother, I want to stay with you.”

Xie Yinlou’s expression turned cold. “Be good and do as I say.”

With Xie Yinlou as her only close relative now, Xie Qingyao naturally wouldn’t contradict her brother. She silently got up and went inside.

Throughout the day, people came to pay their respects. Whenever female guests arrived, Xie Qingyao would come out to return their courtesies.

As noon approached, the announcer called out, “The Maternal Uncle and Aunt from the Zhang family of Hedong have arrived.”

The Zhang family of Hedong was the Marchioness of Yongchang’s natal family, a prominent local clan.

Soon, a group of people rushed in, filling the air with their cries.

Several women embraced Xie Qingyao, crying for a while before leading her into the inner hall.

One of the women wiped her tears and held Xie Qingyao tightly. “Child, you’ve suffered so much. Your eldest aunt has come too late.”

The group of women, both young and old, surrounded Xie Qingyao, expressing their sympathies one after another.

In this situation, Jiang Si could only quietly reduce her presence.

“Who’s managing the household affairs now?” the woman asked.

Xie Qingyao remained silent, only shedding tears.

The woman exchanged glances with the others, thinking to herself that after all, she was just a young girl who wouldn’t understand these worldly matters.

“Qingyao, when your maternal grandmother heard about your mother’s passing, she fainted on the spot. Even in her unconscious state, she was calling your name. The old lady is worried about you,” the woman said, wiping her tears. She then changed the subject, “Don’t be afraid. With your uncle and me here, we’ll make sure your parents’ affairs are handled properly. We won’t let anyone take advantage of your youth.”

“I don’t understand these things. Aunt, please discuss it with my brother,” Xie Qingyao said woodenly.

The woman faltered, then said gently, “Alright then. I’ll need to speak with your brother later. Your uncle also has some matters to discuss with him.”

Seeing Xie Qingyao’s dazed appearance, the woman said no more and continued to lament the misfortune of the Xie siblings.

At noon, Xie Yinlou urged Xie Qingyao to return to her room to rest, though he looked exhausted, his lips dry and chapped.

Xie Qingyao wanted to persuade her brother to rest, but she knew that the entire marquis’s household now depended solely on him. No matter how much she pleaded, it would be useless and would only trouble him more. So she kept quiet and obediently returned to her room.

She might not understand many things, but she knew that following her brother’s arrangements was the most sensible thing she could do right now.

Jiang Si quietly reminded her, “Qingyao, I think your aunt might have other intentions besides offering condolences. You should be careful.”

Xie Qingyao nodded slightly, leaving a maid to keep watch.

The two returned to their room, washed their faces and hands, and had just settled down when the maid hurriedly came back, looking grim. “Young Miss, the Maternal Aunt, and Eighth Madam are arguing.”

The “Eighth Madam” the maid referred to was the woman who had spoken with Xie Qingyao yesterday when Jiang Si arrived.

Xie Qingyao’s eyelids twitched, her voice cold, “What are they arguing about? Who gets to manage our household?”

Xie Qingyao’s apparent ignorance when her aunt had asked questions earlier was just an act. She understood more than she let on.

She was well aware, and it was precisely this awareness that made her feel the desolation of losing the support of her parents even more acutely.

Now, she truly only had her brother.

The maid’s expression turned strange. “No, it’s not that. The Maternal Aunt and Eighth Madam are arguing about arranging a marriage for the Young Master. They say the marquis’s household can’t be without a mistress, and they want to have the marriage take place during the mourning period so they don’t have to wait three years. They claim it would comfort the spirits of the Marquis and Marchioness in heaven.”

Upon hearing this, Xie Qingyao’s face immediately changed color.