As the twelfth lunar month began, Mrs. Wu visited the Second House as a guest, accompanied by Wu Xueya and Wu Xueqin.
When Sister Yue brought Wu Xueya inside, Lin Youning was leaning against a chair looking at the account books. Upon hearing the maid report from outside, she didn’t even have ti to put things away before Sister Yue and Wu Xueya walked in hand in hand, laughing.
On the pear wood square table by the soft couch, the account books piled high. Wu Xueya paused for a mont, then smiled and said, "Sister Ning, what are you working on?"
Sister Yue, being soone from the Marquis Mansion, knew what it was but a look of awkwardness flashed across her face.
After the eldest aunt of the main branch of the Gu House passed away, all the accounts were managed by the grandmother. When the little aunt was ten, Grandmother handed over the shops and estates from the main branch to her, managing them for the next five years.
Sister Yue had heard from her mother that Grandmother never concerned herself with the accounts, knowing that those would eventually belong to the little aunt anyway.
No one knew exactly how much property the main branch of Gu Mansion owned. It was said that only Grandmother and the eldest uncle on the Marquis’s side knew, not even Sister Yue’s own father.
As the sole daughter with such an inheritance, and not even a daughter by blood, Sister Yue felt jealousy even though she was only ten years old.
To think further, when the little aunt brought so many things over to the main branch, it wasn’t just the property that left, but also Sister Yue’s own father.
Sister Yue usually looked down on this little aunt, especially for winning over Grandmother’s affections and even sharing a man with her own mother, so how could she possibly like her?
Normally talkative, Sister Yue was unusually quiet today, which surprised Wu Xueya, but she quickly understood. Lin Youning was a child bride, so it was clear what was going on with these properties.
"They’re just so account books." While pondering, Lin Youning seed indifferent.
Shanmoi directed the maid to move the account books into the green gauze cabinet, clearing the space in the Warm Pavilion.
Once everyone was seated according to status, the maid served tea. As the host and an elder, Lin Youning courteously expressed her concern first.
Wu Xueya was particularly curious about Lin Youning’s residence, the Tingxue Hall. Although she frequently visited the Marquis Mansion to play with Sister Yue, she had never visited this courtyard.
Sotis she would accompany her mother to Shi’an Garden to pay respects to Mrs. Gu Sr., but she would only pass by here without entering.
She only knew that this was where the child bride raised by the Marquis Mansion lived.
Strangely enough, despite her many visits to the Marquis Mansion over the years, Wu Xueya had never encountered her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so startled by Lin Youning’s beauty when she first saw her.
"Sister Ning only started attending various mansion banquets this year. In a few days, there’s an event at our mansion as well. Sister Ning could join Sister Yue and the others." Wu Xueya earnestly invited Lin Youning, even calling a maid to fetch an invitation to place in front of Lin Youning. "Look, I even prepared the invitation in advance."
She ca prepared.
Declining now would be unreasonable.
Sotis avoiding situations isn’t always the best solution. Lin Youning wanted to see what Wu Xueya was up to.
With a smile, she accepted the invitation, "Thank you, sister."
She passed the invitation to Shanmoi, instructing her to keep it safe.
Sister Yue, uninterested in all this, sulked ever since entering and losing face in front of Wu Xueya, thus refrained from speaking. Rembering the Snow Fox ntioned earlier, she began looking around.
She found amusent in this.
Indeed, Sister Yue spotted sothing—a little tuft of white fur near the small screen between the Warm Pavilion and green gauze cabinet—and suddenly ran over.
Her movents were reckless and swift. Just as Lin Youning and Wu Xueya were conversing, they saw her dash off. Before Lin Youning could stop her, Sister Yue shrieked and stumbled backward. If not for Shanmoi and the others catching her promptly, she might have fallen.
"What happened?" Lin Youning quickly stood up and went over.
The person was in her place; if sothing happened there, she wouldn’t escape responsibility.
Sister Yue gripped Lin Youning’s hand tightly, her face pale, pointing towards the screen, unable to speak for a while.
Wu Xueya looked in the sa direction curiously, only to see nothing.
Her eyes narrowed, then turned confused towards Sister Yue.
She didn’t believe Sister Yue got scared for no reason; surely, she saw sothing?
Sister Yue was already ten, not a little child; what could possibly scare her? Could there be a man hiding there?
Was it Gu Er, Brother-in-law?
Though the two were engaged since childhood, they hadn’t yet married. Getting entangled like this would ruin Lin Youning’s reputation, despite the engagent.
If today indeed uncovered such a thing, wouldn’t it be exceedingly fortuitous?
Suppressing the excitent rising inside, Wu Xueya quickly stepped to Sister Yue’s side, gripping her arm tightly as she steadied her.
Sister Yue winced in pain and glanced at her.
Before she could voice her displeasure, Wu Xueya pressed on, "Sister Yue, what happened? You’re acting like this; could there be sothing hidden in Sister Ning’s room?"
While questioning her, she tightened her grip on Sister Yue’s arm.
Lin Youning’s gaze shifted slightly, noticing Wu Xueya’s intentions but choosing to watch quietly to see what these two intended.
Sister Yue didn’t cooperate, angrily shaking off her hand, "Aunt, you hurt ."
Seeing Sister Yue’s reaction, Wu Xueya understood. If Gu Er were inside, Sister Yue wouldn’t reveal it and would help conceal it instead of cooperating with her.
Given her current irritation, the situation made sense.
"See, I was just worried about you and forgot my strength," Wu Xueya swiftly covered, glancing inside, "What could be so frightening?"
"Just a little creature." Sister Yue realized she had misplaced her anger and worried her mother would bla her, so she shifted the bla onto Lin Youning. "Little aunt, why do you keep a large hawk? That thing is ferocious; it almost lunged at ."
Lin Youning’s previously anxious face turned puzzled, "A large hawk?"
"Yes, white and larger than the Pekingese at Xu Mansion. Earlier, I thought it was the little Snow Fox and went to see, but it turned out to be such a fierce creature," Sister Yue replied unhappily, then paused, "I recall hearing servants say that Uncle brought back a white hawk from the border. Could it be Uncle’s?"
As Sister Yue recovered from her fright, her thoughts beca clearer.
Lin Youning grew more confused, "You an big brother keeps a large hawk?"
Upon ntioning the hawk, Lin Youning’s mind went blank for a mont, triggering mories she had been trying hard to forget.
She no longer wondered about the origin of the large hawk; hearing Sister Yue’s words, Lin Youning felt ntally overwheld.
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