The sudden inheritance of so much property after her grandmother’s death was unexpected for a seven-year-old child.
Yining was momentarily stunned but quickly regained her composure.
Old Lady Luo had worked hard for most of her life. Besides the family businesses she had set up for her two sons, she had amassed considerable wealth of her own. In Baoding alone, she owned four or five farms that grew sorghum and wheat, yielding substantial harvests. In Qingyuan County, she owned a rice shop and a spice store. Further away in Dingzhou, she had a pawnshop. Her private treasury had accumulated quite a sum over the years. Yining had seen the account books when Old Lady Luo reviewed them.
And now, all of this had been left to her.
The members of the First and Second Branches parted ways unhappily. Madam Chen led Luo Yujin and Luo Yixiu out of the main hall. Luo Yixiu glanced back at Yining, wanting to say something but hesitating. Finally, she let go of her mother’s hand and ran to Yining, saying, “Yining, don’t be sad anymore…”
Luo Yujin looked back at her sister and said coldly, “Luo Yixiu, what are you saying over there? Come here quickly.”
Yining stood beside Lin Hairu, watching Luo Yixiu gradually walk away with Madam Chen and Luo Yujin. In the future, Yixiu probably wouldn’t be as close to her anymore… Yining felt a twinge of melancholy. Suddenly, someone patted her head.
Luo Shenyuan had approached.
“Yining, come, I’ll help you pack your things,” he said, taking the lead. He was like a tall barrier, able to shield her from wind and rain.
Yining smiled slightly again.
Life has its joys and sorrows, unions and separations. She had seen much of this already.
If it weren’t for her third brother planning for her today, helping her handle Grandmother’s will, how could Madam Chen have let go so easily?
She caught up with him, taking Luo Shenyuan’s hand of her own accord. He paused, then gripped her hand in return, leading her forward.
Lin Hairu, watching the tall and small figures walking away, sighed, “The relationship between these siblings has indeed improved.”
“They’re both children without mothers,” Ruixiang, standing nearby, suddenly added.
She continued, “The third young master has grown up with only the former second madam and the seventh young miss being kind to him. It’s natural for him to reciprocate that kindness to the seventh young miss. Look at the third young master’s skillful handling of things today… You should be good to the third young master in the future too!”
Lin Hairu thought this was only natural while instructing the maids behind her to go help Yining pack her things.
The next day, Yining’s belongings filled seven or eight boxes, which were moved one by one to Lin Hairu’s place.
Yining stood in the room, taking one last look. It was now empty, with only the sandalwood curtains still hanging. The setting sun cast a pale golden light into the room, dust motes dancing in the air. Things remained, but people had changed.
Finally, she picked up the porcelain vat housing her turtles and said to Luo Shenyuan, “Third Brother, let’s go.”
Luo Shenyuan noticed the turtle in her vat flipping over, its four legs flailing in the air, but she held the vat without noticing. He smiled slightly. Holding Yining’s hand as they left the main hall, he silently thought to himself.
This was his sister. He would love her, guide her, and protect her under his wing.
With Old Lady Luo gone, he would ensure Yining would never be bullied by anyone.
Yining didn’t know what Luo Shenyuan was thinking, but his composed expression made her wonder what could trouble him.
Although they were still in the mourning period for Old Lady Luo, the maids and servants in Lin Hairu’s courtyard were excited. Lin Hairu had been married into the Luo family for five years without children. Although she had adopted Luo Shenyuan as her son, he was already grown and lived in the outer courtyard. This was the first time a child would be living in these rooms.
The servants who had come with Lin Hairu’s dowry even brought out cloth tigers and zodiac animal dolls to decorate Yining’s new room. When Yining asked where these came from, a servant smiled and said, “We always hoped the madam would have children, so we prepared these long ago.”
Seeing how happy they were, Yining didn’t have the heart to say anything, though she had outgrown her fondness for dolls long ago. The servants, aware of the household’s mourning, didn’t decorate too extravagantly. However, the maids brought out a golden-threaded nanmu wood bed that Lin Hairu had kept in storage for Yining to use.
Seeing the solid piece of golden-threaded nanmu, Yining quickly stood up, “This is for me to use?”
The servant nodded with a smile, “Don’t worry, the madam chose this long ago. More things will be brought in soon.”
Lin Hairu was still busy outside, and Yining couldn’t find her to say it wasn’t necessary. She watched helplessly as the maids brought in a gold-inlaid jade screen, whole pots of jade branch bonsai, and a multi-tiered shelf made of purple sandalwood. The cushions on the luohan bed, though made of blue silk, were woven with silver threads.
Xuezhi, holding a package, couldn’t help, as Lin Hairu’s maids and servants were working busily, not letting her interfere. She watched, feeling it was inappropriate: “…This won’t do! Young miss, you should talk to the second madam.”
Yining was also a bit troubled. She instructed the maids to put her things away first, then hurried outside to find Lin Hairu.
Seeing Yining approach, Lin Hairu put down what she was doing and asked the housekeeper to wait. She asked, “Yining, do you like your new room?”
Yining sighed and said, “Mother, Grandmother has just passed away. I’m in mourning and shouldn’t live too luxuriously…”
Lin Hairu slapped her forehead, realizing she had chosen those things long ago. Busy with the funeral arrangements these past few days, she had forgotten about this.
She said with some regret, “You’re right. I’ll have them put away for now, and we can use them after the mourning period.”
The newly moved-in furniture was moved out again. Xuezhi personally selected some simpler, more elegant pieces for Yining. However, Lin Hairu’s maids insisted on hanging the cloth tigers and zodiac animal dolls on her bed curtains. Yining placed the porcelain vat with her turtles on the multi-tiered shelf and looked around her new room, thinking that she had finally moved.
Lin Hairu’s courtyard was very large. The side rooms were all given to Yining, separated from Lin Hairu’s inner room by a passageway. Yining rarely came here before, so she went out to look around. Although smaller than her previous residence, the courtyard’s flowers and plants were more exquisite, with begonias planted and a rockery built. Under the rockery was a small pond.
She could keep her turtles here…
Yining decided to keep the pair of turtles. She hadn’t brought much from her grandmother’s place, so this would be a memento.
She had Xuezhi bring out the porcelain vat and personally poured the turtles into the pond. Suddenly having a vast new world, the two turtles paddled their short legs and swam several laps before resting on the rockery.
Yining stood up and handed the vat to Xuezhi. Looking up, she saw her third brother entering the courtyard, followed by several servants.
“I’ve come to make a study for you,” Luo Shenyuan told her, directing the servants into the adjacent room to create a study for her.
Yining was a bit confused: “Third Brother, what do I need a study for?”
Luo Shenyuan said calmly, “You need to read and write. When I have time, I’ll teach you. When I’m busy, you can read more on your own.”
The servants quickly got to work, bringing in a writing desk, bookshelves, and even an ancient zither, which they placed by the window.
Yining had never learned to play the zither in her previous life. Her grandmother had always thought music was vulgar, something only courtesans learned, and never let them touch such instruments. Yining plucked a few strings, and from the deep, ancient tone, she knew it wasn’t an ordinary instrument. Seeing the character “Dao Yan” carved on the tail of the zither, even with her limited knowledge, she knew this was a famous instrument made by Master Dao Yan in later generations.
Where did he get this from?
A zither made by a famous master was priceless.
Yining turned to look at Luo Shenyuan: “Third Brother, do I need to learn this too?”
Luo Shenyuan replied, “This is for you to play with.”
Seeing no particular expression on his face, Yining couldn’t help but say, “This zither must be quite valuable…”
Valuable? Luo Shenyuan thought for a moment. When Dao Yan had given it to him, he had just said it was something he made in his spare time, a gift for him to play with. He didn’t care for such things and had kept it in storage without much thought. Thinking Yining might like it, he had brought it over for her.
“How do you know it’s valuable?” Luo Shenyuan looked at her.
Yining thought to herself, how could she explain? Because of Lu Jiaxue, Dao Yan would later become famous throughout Zhejiang and Fujian, and his zithers would be rare and highly sought after. Her eldest sister-in-law had always dreamed of owning one but never had the chance.
But calculating the time, it would be several years before the Japanese pirates became rampant in Fujian. Dao Yan probably wasn’t famous yet.
Come to think of it, inviting Dao Yan out of seclusion was one of the few good things Lu Jiaxue had done. When the Japanese pirates were causing havoc, he sent a monk to Fujian, despite opposition from the court. He had insisted on employing this person. Later, Dao Yan indeed proved effective in dealing with the pirates, and the people who had suffered from their raids even erected a longevity stele for him. Afterward, Dao Yan seemed to have continued working for Lu Jiaxue…
Yining accepted the ancient zither, planning to display it in her room even if she didn’t learn to play it.
This object had a prestige-enhancing effect.
As for how to explain to her third brother, Yining simply said, “Would you ever give me something cheap?”
Luo Shenyuan was caught off guard by this little girl’s retort, but he smiled. Yining had been in low spirits these past few days. With Old Lady Luo gone, she seemed helpless and pitiful. Now that she had finally regained some spirit, he wouldn’t quibble with her.
After finishing setting up Yining’s study, he took her to see Lin Hairu.
Night had fallen. The Taoist priests in the mansion were still performing rituals, set to continue for seven weeks, forty-nine days of land and water rites. The sounds of the ceremonies could be heard from time to time. So much had changed in these few days that Yining almost felt a dreamlike daze. It was as if Grandmother hadn’t died at all and was still waiting for her in the main hall to have dinner together. But this was impossible.
Nanny Xu was already waiting with maids and servants at Lin Hairu’s place.
Nanny Xu held a box in her hands and asked Yining to sit across from her. She opened it for Yining to see.
“Seventh Young Miss, these are the documents for the land deeds, four in total. These are the indenture contracts for the people on the farms. These are property deeds, five in total, three of which are for shops. All were arranged by the Old Lady before her passing,” Nanny Xu showed her, then closed the box and placed it in her hands.
She then took out a key and gave it to her as well.
“This is the key to the Old Lady’s storeroom. When you have time, go take a look. The Old Lady left quite a few things,” Nanny Xu said, feeling emotional herself. She took a deep breath and continued, “I’ve inventoried everything. The inventory list is with the Third Young Master.”
She stood up and bowed, saying, “I’ve served the Old Lady for a lifetime and originally thought I would follow her. But I don’t know if the Seventh Young Miss needs someone to serve her…”
Yining understood her meaning and immediately took her hand, saying, “Of course I need you! Nanny Xu, please stay.”
It was the best outcome for Nanny Xu to stay. She had served Old Lady Luo and had seen and understood so much in her lifetime. If not for Yining, Nanny Xu could have retired to her hometown after Old Lady Luo’s death to enjoy her remaining years. How could Yining refuse her offer?
Nanny Xu was also worried about Yining, and it was perfect timing as Yining didn’t have a nanny to serve her. It was better for her to take on this role, as she couldn’t trust others.
Lin Hairu was naturally pleased to see Nanny Xu stay. With Nanny Xu around, the maids and servants around Yining wouldn’t make mistakes.
Moreover, with Madam Chen and Concubine Qiao and her daughter still in the Luo household, there were bound to be concerns.
She instructed the maids to put things away and prepare dinner. After eating, they would need to keep vigil.
Yining, however, was thinking about the things her grandmother had left her. Since they were left to her by her grandmother, she naturally wanted to manage them well. But she didn’t know who to entrust with their management, as her grandmother had always handled these matters personally.
She glanced at her third brother, who was eating quietly beside her.