Guagua rolled its eyes at how quickly Song Yaoyao changed her tune:
Host, do you have even a shred of integrity left? A little money was all it took to buy you off!
What do you know? This is what it means to have class and principles, all right?
Taking someone's apology gift and then going around airing their business would be utterly immoral!
Don't you agree, Guagua?
As long as the money's right, everything's negotiable!
Fine, whatever you say, Host!
Having gotten the outcome he wanted, Yan Kuan left soon afterward.
After Yan Kuan left, Assistant Minister Song was just about to speak when Song Yaoyao warily clutched her sleeve pocket and backed away several steps.
"Dad, Lord Yan gave me these thousand taels as compensation. You can't snatch a child's money!"
Assistant Minister Song glared at Song Yaoyao.
"Is that the sort of person you think your father is?"
Song Yaoyao said nothing, but she still watched Assistant Minister Song warily.
Her silence was as good as an admission!
Seeing her look at him as though she were guarding against a wolf, Assistant Minister Song really wanted to smack her.
Assistant Minister Song took several deep breaths before he managed to suppress his anger and say:
"I wasn't trying to take your money."
"I was going to say that since Lord Yan gave you these two chests of things, you can decide what to do with them."
Only then did Song Yaoyao lower her guard.
"Oh, that was all? Dad, you should've said so sooner. You had me worrying for ages."
Assistant Minister Song grew even angrier. So now this was his fault?
Forget it. She's my own flesh and blood. I'll put up with it!
Assistant Minister Song waved a hand wearily.
"Take the chests and get out of here!"
"You got it!"
Song Yaoyao hurriedly had the servants pick up the chests and briskly made her way toward Song Qingling's courtyard.
"Big Sister, Big Sister! Your adorable little sister Yaoyao is here!"
Song Yaoyao made a racket like this every time she visited, and Song Qingling had long since grown used to it.
Song Qingling glanced out the window into the courtyard. Sure enough, she could hear Song Yaoyao, but there was no sign of her.
Once again, her voice had arrived before she did!
A moment later, Song Yaoyao finally appeared in Song Qingling's courtyard.
"Big Sister, look what lovely things I've brought you!"
Song Yaoyao had the servants carry the wooden chests into Song Qingling's bedchamber. Once they had set them down, she dismissed them.
Song Yaoyao opened the chests and declared generously:
"Big Sister, see if there's anything you like. Take your pick!"
Song Qingling looked over the contents of the chests. They were all things suitable for young ladies: hair ornaments, jewelry, rouge and powder, fabric, and so on. Every item was exquisite. She asked:
"Yaoyao, where did you get all these things?"
"Someone practically chased me down to give them to me."
The corners of Song Qingling's mouth twitched at that.
Noticing her elder sister's expression, Song Yaoyao said:
"Big Sister, don't look so doubtful. Someone really did insist on giving me all this. I couldn't have refused even if I'd wanted to."
"Let me tell you..."
Then Song Yaoyao recounted everything about her argument with Yan Kuan at the palace gates that morning.
"Big Sister, don't you think there's something wrong with Yan Kuan's head?"
"He'd only just argued with us this morning, yet by the afternoon, who knows what wire had crossed in his brain? He showed up at our door with gifts to apologize."
After hearing the whole story, Song Qingling had already guessed that Yaoyao must have exposed some juicy scandal about Lord Yan, leaving him no choice but to come and make peace.
Song Qingling's guess had hit the nail right on the head!
Then she heard Song Yaoyao say generously:
"Big Sister, take whatever you like. It was all free anyway."
Song Qingling picked out three items and said:
"These will do."
Feeling that Song Qingling had chosen too little, Song Yaoyao picked out another seven or eight items herself and pressed them into her hands.
"Big Sister, I think these suit you too. Keep them all."
"Since you say they suit me, Yaoyao, I'll keep them."
Song Yaoyao also rewarded each of her elder sister's two personal maids with a beaded floral hair ornament and said:
"Take good care of the eldest young lady."
"Yes. Thank you for your gifts, Second Young Lady."
Song Yaoyao picked out another beaded floral hair ornament for herself, intending to give it to Bi Tao later.
She then took the remaining things to Madam Song.
Madam Song had already heard about the matter from the servants, so she wasn't surprised to see Song Yaoyao arrive.
"Mother, you can decide what to do with the things in these two chests."
"We took a few things, and everything else is here."
"All right."
"Mother, I'll leave you to your work, then. I'm off."
"Wait."
Song Yaoyao turned around stiffly and asked:
"Mother, is there something else?"
Madam Song dispensed with the pleasantries and asked directly:
"I heard you also received a thousand taels in banknotes today."
Which blabbermouth told Mother so quickly?
Song Yaoyao clutched her sleeve pocket.
"That's all mine."
"What does a young girl like you need so much money for?"
"I have a use for it."
"What use?"
"I just have a use for it."
With that, Song Yaoyao took to her heels.
Madam Song called after her:
"Get back here!"
Song Yaoyao ignored Madam Song's calls entirely and ran even faster, her legs pumping so furiously they nearly struck sparks.
She ran all the way to her courtyard without stopping, then charged into her bedchamber. Only after immediately barring the door and shutting the windows did she start looking for somewhere to hide the banknotes.
As she searched, Song Yaoyao grumbled and cursed inwardly:
Guagua, you useless system! Other people's systems have storage spaces and inventory functions, but you have nothing.
Look at this! What am I supposed to do now? Where can I hide these banknotes?
Host, Guagua's level is too low right now. Once my level is higher, I'll have all those things.
Then when can you level up?
Guagua doesn't know that either.
You won't admit you're a useless system, but you don't have an answer to anything I ask.
Host, I'm very useful.
Enough. Help me figure out where to hide the banknotes first.
With Guagua's help, she finally hid the banknotes away.
It never occurred to Song Yaoyao that Madam Song hadn't actually intended to take those thousand taels in banknotes. Otherwise, she would already have ordered the maids and older serving women to catch her.
Madam Song had only wanted to ask Song Yaoyao what she intended to do with the money.
Song Yaoyao had simply overthought things.
In her previous life, she had often seen videos online around the New Year of parents using all sorts of excuses to take their children's red-envelope money.
Song Yaoyao felt that the thousand taels in banknotes she now held were just like the New Year's red envelopes from her previous life. Her parents might take them away too, which was why she had run.
Song Yaoyao had already made up her mind: she would guard her banknotes well and absolutely refuse to hand them over.
Only after hiding the banknotes did Song Yaoyao open the door and step outside.
Bi Tao stood at the doorway, her face full of worry.
"Miss, are you all right?"
"I'm fine. What could possibly be wrong?"
As she spoke, Song Yaoyao took out the beaded floral hair ornament she had set aside earlier and handed it to Bi Tao.
"Bi Tao, this is for you!"
Bi Tao accepted the ornament and couldn't bear to put it down. It was the latest style, and a single one cost several taels of silver. She hadn't expected the second young lady to give her one just like that. She hurriedly dropped to her knees.
"Thank you for your gift, Miss."