"Sister Mu Yao, this is for you to nourish your body. These medicines are for conditioning your body. I wrote the prescription myself, but I showed it to my master."
Mu Yao looked at the pile of things in front of her, including a hundred-year-old ginseng. She declined, saying, "The Marquis's mansion has already shown me great kindness and loyalty; how could I accept such a valuable gift?"
Tong Aning disagreed. "No matter how valuable something is, it's meant to be used by people."
Mu Yao knew that if she continued to get entangled with Tong Aning, she wouldn't give up on this idea. Mu Yao said, " Danqing, put these away."
"Yes, Miss."
Tong Aning rested her chin on her hand, her eyes crinkling with a smile, "That's more like it. Oh, and..."
Tong Aning took out a letter and handed it to Mu Yao. Mu Yao glanced at it and exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this a letter from Young Master Tong?"
Tong Aning said, "No, it's a letter from your third brother."
Ever since Su Zhouyue sent Tong Fengye a letter informing him that Mu Yao had arrived safely at the Marquis's residence, every letter Tong Fengye wrote inquired about Mu Yao's well-being.
Su Zhouyue, having reached her limit, told Tong Fengye not to use the guise of family letters to write to Mu Yao again, and to write them openly and honestly.
Su Zhouyue's words enlightened Tong Fengye. When he wrote back, he would usually write two letters: one to his family and one to Mu Yao.
Tong Aning exclaimed, "[Third Brother is quite caring.]"
Mu Yao's eyelids burned. She opened the letter shyly. Actually, it was nothing much; it was just a question asking if she was adjusting well and how her body was.
Holding the letter, Mu Yao thought to herself that she was already very lucky to have met the Tong family, so how could she expect them all to care about her so much?
Mu Yao's eyes welled up with tears.
Tong Aning asked, "Have you finished watching?"
"Um."
Tong Aning complained, "Third Brother is really something, why didn't he write several pages?"
Mu Yao smiled and said, " Aning, you're putting him in a bit of a difficult position."
Tong Aning snorted, then took Mu Yao's hand and said, "Sister Mu Yao, let's go out and play, and we can pick up Second Sister at the dock while we're at it."
Tong Siyan had gone to Jiangnan to buy goods these past few days. It was only after Tong Aning reminded her that Mu Yao remembered, "Yes, Sister Yan is back today."
"Yes, yes."
"Isn't Yi'an going?"
"She's been nowhere to be seen at the manor since early this morning; she's probably already gone to the docks."
Mu Yao laughed.
Seeing Mu Yao stand up, Tong Aning said, " Danqing, fetch a thick cloak."
Danqing smiled and said, "Yes, Miss Aning."
Mu Yao's cloak was newly made; its elegant purple color accentuated Mu Yao grace while also giving her a noble air.
As for Tong Aning, she wore a green cloak with a fur trim around the collar, which framed her delicate face, making her look like a fairy from nature, impossible to look away from.
The two went out to the street, and Tong Aning bought Mu Yao a lot of things.
"Isn't this Miss Mu?"
Tong Aning was selecting some suitable paints for Mu Yao when she heard the shopkeeper's eager voice. She blinked and asked, "Sister Mu Yao, do you know each other?"
Mu Yao nodded. "I copied a few paintings for this shopkeeper."
The shopkeeper said, "Miss Mu is too modest. You not only copied a few paintings, you practically saved my life. If Miss Mu wants these paints, please feel free to take them."
Mu Yao said seriously, "No, one thing is one thing."
Tong Aning also said, "Yes, Yingtao."
Yingtao handed the money to the shopkeeper, who was still in a daze when Mu Yao and Tong Aning had already left.
Tong Aning snuggled up to Mu Yao affectionately and asked, "What's going on, Sister Mu Yao?"
Mu Yao said gently, "The shopkeeper is exaggerating. It's just that the clerk didn't know the other party's background and rashly agreed to their request. Only then did he discover that the painting was exquisitely crafted, and the people in the shop simply couldn't copy it. I happened to be in the shop, so I thought I'd give it a try."
"Such an amazing thing, and you talk about it so calmly," Tong Aning said, her eyes darting around. "You must be a chivalrous person who would draw your sword to help those in need."
Mu Yao smiled.
Danqing asked curiously, "Miss Aning, how did you know that our young lady has always dreamed of being a chivalrous hero?"
The whimsical ideas she had had as a child, which Danqing had actually brought up, made Mu Yao blush and say, " Danqing!"
Tong Aning smiled and said, "Sister Mu Yao, don't be embarrassed. I had a similar dream when I was little."
"Um?"
"I'm a wandering swordsman, and my second sister is even cooperating with me. She's been kidnapped by bad guys, and I'm going to rescue her."
Mu Yao imagined a tiny glutinous rice ball holding a small wooden sword, looking majestic and heroic.
Mu Yao chuckled twice, then apologized, " Aning, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have laughed at you."
Tong Aning chuckled, "How is that a joke?"
She cupped Mu Yao's lips with both hands, making Mu Yao smile, and said, "You should smile more often."
Feeling the warmth of those hands, Mu Yao unconsciously grasped Tong Aning's hand.
Tong Aning grabbed Mu Yao's hand, and the four of them got into the carriage and went to the dock together.
When they arrived, Tong Siyan's boat had not yet returned, but there was a person wearing a cloak who was occasionally looking out at the water.
Tong Aning walked over and patted the person on the shoulder. Tong Yi'an turned around and exclaimed in surprise, "Fourth Sister, Sister Mu Yao!"
Tong Aning crossed her arms and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Wait for Second Sister to come back. How about it, Fourth Sister? I spent an hour carefully planning this for myself."
Tong Aning looked Tong Yi'an: the cloak fluttering in the wind, the exquisite dagger at her waist, and... the veil covering one eye.
Tong Aning: "... You're planning to go out to sea and rob people?"
Tong Yi'an's face immediately fell. "Fourth Sister, how could you say that? I was doing this to protect Second Sister."
Tong Aning nodded, but the smile on her face betrayed her.
Tong Yi'an pulled off her blindfold, stomped her foot, and cried out, "Fourth Sister!"
Tong Aning immediately changed the subject, "It seems Second Sister's boat has arrived."
Tong Yi'an stopped arguing with Tong Aning and turned around, saying, "Not at all."
A merchant ship came into view, and Tong Yi'an Tong Siyan excitedly.
Seeing her younger sisters, Tong Siyan smiled.
As soon as Tong Siyan stepped off the boat, she was surrounded by her three younger sisters. She asked, "What are you all doing here?"
Tong Yi'an and proud, "We came here especially to pick you up."
"Second sister," Tong Aning asked, "Was the journey smooth?"
Tong Siyan's smile faded slightly. She said, "It went smoothly."
Tong Aning and Mu Yao keenly sensed that Tong Siyan was in a bad mood. Had something unexpected happened along the way?
"You even claim to be the daughter of a marquis, capable of consuming any kind of goods? I'd like to see how you end up in trouble."
Tong Aning pulled Tong Siyan closer to her. She looked at the person who had spoken, a middle-aged man with a face full of scars.
[How can someone so old be so arrogant?]
Tong Siyan had long wanted to get rid of this person upon her return, but she hadn't given the order yet. Hearing Tong Aning's thoughts now, she felt like her younger sister was supporting her, and Tong Siyan straightened her back even more.
Tong Siyan, "It's none of your business."
"Could it be that you feel guilty?"
Tong Aning rolled her eyes. "Are you deaf? My second sister already said it's none of your business."
Wu Dazhuang scoffed, "Where did this little blonde girl come from?"
Tong Siyan's expression turned cold, and she said in a deep voice, "This is my sister. Please show her some respect."
Wu Dazhuang raised his hand and said casually, "Sisters, don't you have any men in your families?"
[How dare he provoke our family like this? He's really messed with us today. My sister and brother won't even know how he's going to die.]
"Dad, you're back."
They looked to be Wu Dazhuang's two eldest sons, and the two of them rushed to Wu Dazhuang's side.
Wu Dazhuang patted his two sons on the shoulders and gave Tong Siyan a provocative look.
Tong Yi'an. "Second sister, I'm going to bite him to death!"
Tong Siyan pulled Tong Yi'an and said softly, "Let's go home first."
There are plenty of people like Wu Dazhuang; Tong Siyan has ways to deal with him.
Tong Yi'an pouted and reluctantly followed Tong Siyan forward. They had only taken a few steps when laughter and curses came from behind them.
Wu Dazhuang's two sons were punching and kicking a man who was about the same age as Wu Dazhuang.
Is he really that pitiful?
[He and Wu Dazhuang were sworn brothers before. When Wu Dazhuang was starving, he always helped him out. But Wu Dazhuang not only seized his goods and money, but also took his wife and son away. And those two sons aren't stupid either; they actually treated their own father like that.]
The man who had been beaten wailed, "You beasts, Wu Dazhuang, you'll get your comeuppance!"
Wu Dazhuang: "Retribution? What retribution? I'm thriving now, while you're living worse than a dog."
Tong Aning frowned. " A Shu, go help him."
"Yes, miss."
A Shu stepped forward, grabbed his two sons by the collar, and slammed them hard to the ground.
A Shu helped the middle-aged man up, Tong Aning said, "Don't wait for retribution; it's all just empty talk."
The man was taken aback as he examined the still-youthful face before him.
"Father, what brings you here?"
Tong Aning: "...?"
[This dock is really bustling with families!]
It was Wu Dazhuang's father who arrived.
Even someone as arrogant as Wu Dazhuang actually respects his father.
But his father looked arrogant and said, "Don't call me father, I'm not your father."
"Father, decades have passed, why are you still holding a grudge?"
I did not force myself to marry another man's son.
[Did a bad bamboo shoot actually produce a good one?]
"How dare you say that to me? Let me tell you, I learned it all from you. Do you want me to bring up all those messy things you did when you were young? You even coveted your own sister-in-law."
[What?]
I take back what I just said; behind every bad bamboo shoot can only be a bad bamboo.