Xiao Jin felt Yingniang tighten her grip on his arm instantly, and his smug smile froze on his face.
Although she quickly adjusted her expression and forced a smile, her cultivation was ultimately insufficient, resulting in a stiff and unnatural "Yingniang, what are you going to do?"
Yingniang, however, remained calm and composed. Her innocent smile only made Yingniang feel more and more annoyed. "Eldest sister, you only care about second sister and have abandoned me?"
"Third Sister, what are you saying?" Yao Niang said through gritted teeth, enunciating each word clearly, "Jin Niang hasn't left the manor for a long time, I was just accompanying her for a stroll..."
After hearing Yao Niang's words, Xiao Jin shook her head inwardly. Although Yao Niang was already fourteen years old, her scheming was far inferior to that of eleven-year-old Ying Niang! She couldn't even handle Ying Niang's joking question just now.
However, being somewhat shrewd, she managed to restrain her anger.
"Yingniang is here?" Aunt Xu, who had lagged behind, arrived in front of the three sisters and immediately understood the situation. She looked at Yingniang with loving eyes, like a kind elder. "It's certainly good that the three of you sisters are going out together!"
"Auntie, that's a lovely thing to say!" Yingniang pouted and said coquettishly, "If I hadn't gone to deliver the flowers to Eldest Sister, I wouldn't have known she went out today!"
Yao Niang felt her anger rising rapidly. Seeing that Ying Niang had been prepared for everything, she had remained silent, feigning ignorance, only to embarrass herself at the last moment!
"That's strange." Aunt Xu's surprise was just right, without the slightest hint of insincerity. "Your eldest sister sent Lüxue to deliver a message to you, and Qingyun in your courtyard only said that you had something to do today... But that girl Lüxue was lazy and didn't go?"
"Don't worry, Yingniang, your aunt will give you an explanation!" Before Yingniang could speak, Aunt Xu immediately instructed her head maid, Qiaozhi, "Go and call Luxue here. I want to ask her who gave her the audacity to slight the Third Miss!"
They cleverly understood each other's meaning and readily agreed to go.
Yingniang knew when to stop, so she personally stopped Qiaozhi, saying, "Sister, don't go yet." Then she smiled at Aunt Xu and said, "It's nothing serious. Perhaps the maids just misspoke. If I anger you, Aunt, it would be my fault for being unfilial!"
"It's enough as long as my older sister remembers me as her younger sister."
"It's rare to see someone as sensible as Yingniang." Aunt Xu nodded approvingly. "It's good that the misunderstanding has been cleared up."
Yingniang's magnanimity only fueled Yaoniang's resentment. Receiving repeated signals from Aunt Xu, Yaoniang, however unwilling, couldn't show it. Yaoniang released Xiao Jin's arm, instead taking one arm in each of theirs, her face beaming with smiles. "You and Jinniang are both my sisters, so naturally I treat you equally."
Xiao Jin didn't miss the fleeting resentment in her eyes.
For a moment, it was a very pleasant and harmonious scene.
Xiao Jin chuckled inwardly. The conflict between Yingniang and Yaoniang had finally been brought to the forefront, and in this battle of wits... Yingniang had the upper hand in the end! If it weren't for Aunt Xu's timely appearance, Yaoniang would have really been caught off guard by Yingniang.
The three sisters boarded the carriage together affectionately. Xiao Jin lifted the curtain and glanced outside, carefully observing the people accompanying Aunt Xu. The eldest maid, Qiaozhi, and Linghua were both there, but Aunt Liu, her most capable maid, was not.
Aunt Xu's true intentions are crystal clear.
As the carriage moved slowly forward, Xiao Jin secretly made up her mind that she absolutely could not let Aunt Xu ascend to the position of mistress!
********************
Minguo Temple.
When Aunt Xu arrived at Minguo Temple with the three Yao sisters, there were already many noble ladies and young women on the back mountain of the temple.
Late March is the perfect time for spring outings. The slightly cool weather doesn't feel chilly, and the fragrance of flowers and the freshness of grass and trees invigorate the spirit.
After giving Yao Niang a few instructions, Aunt Xu led Qiao Zhi and Ling Hua towards the area where the noble ladies gathered. The noble ladies were mostly elegantly enjoying tea and chatting in the pavilions, while the young ladies were mostly playing in small groups by the lake and on the grass.
Although she was a noblewoman, she was still only about ten years old.
Originally, Aunt Xu was not a match for the noble ladies of the capital, but she was a very sociable person. Through Luo's funeral, she got to know several other ladies, so she was not left out.
Yao Niang had been holding back her anger, but she didn't want to show it. As soon as Aunt Xu left, she took Bi Zhan and Mei Xiang to her familiar circle of friends. As for why she didn't take Xiao Jin... it was simply because Xiao Jin's timid and submissive behavior along the way was infuriating, and during her confrontation with Ying Niang, she didn't even take her side!
Such a coward has taken the title of legitimate daughter for nothing, but that doesn't change the fact that she's a spineless coward!
Seeing Yao Niang leave angrily with her maid, Ying Niang looked at Xiao Jin, her eyes filled with unease. She asked hesitantly, "Second Sister, do you think Eldest Sister is angry with me?"
"This..." Xiao Jin looked troubled, her voice hesitant, "It shouldn't be like that."
She wouldn't interfere in their relationship! Besides, such indecisiveness was exactly in line with her timid nature!
Yingniang nodded and didn't ask any further questions.
"Second Sister, I think I see my aunt!" Yingniang's gaze fell into the distance, and she said, "Second Sister, would you like to come over together?"
Xiao Jin shook her head, seemingly quite timid and ashamed to be seen. "I won't go. Huan Yue and Zi Su will accompany me. Sister, go!"
Yingniang had only asked politely; she didn't want to carry Xiao Jin as a burden, so she didn't stand on ceremony and headed northwest with Hongxing and Shaoyao.
For a moment, only Xiao Jin, Huan Yue, and Zi Su remained.
"Miss, wouldn't it be better if we followed the eldest or third young lady?" Huanyue recalled Mama Lu's instructions from the previous night: to make sure her young lady made as many connections as possible with noble ladies. But her young lady knew almost no one. If she didn't follow Yao Niang or Ying Niang, wouldn't they have returned empty-handed?
"No need." Xiao Jin shook her head. She knew perfectly well that neither Yao Niang nor Ying Niang wanted to take her along, and besides, her purpose for this trip was only to have one person. What use was it to befriend more noble ladies? It was merely icing on the cake, and right now she had no one to add to that cake...
She might as well do something to help those in need!
"Then you..." Zisu's face showed anxiety. Miss couldn't have come out for nothing this time!
"I have my own considerations, which are a hundred times better than following them! Do you really think they'd genuinely care about me?" Xiao Jin smiled slightly. "Don't worry, we won't leave empty-handed this time." (For readers, you can search for "" to find this site immediately.)
Chapter 73
Since Third Sister left, Anran has had some free time.
She was no longer "forced" to look at the account books, and could play with the cat whenever she wanted, but her outings were still restricted. Perhaps it was Third Sister who had given the order, but she was only allowed to go out for an hour at a time, and she had to bring enough people with her, which was even stricter than when she was there.
Anran understood Third Sister's good intentions and obediently stayed in the courtyard, not wanting to cause trouble for others.
Anran's speculations about San Niang's departure never ceased. But no matter how much she thought about it, she felt something was still missing.
It definitely wasn't about the Marquis of Nan'an's residence. If something had happened there, she and Third Sister would definitely have gone back together. Could it really be something that happened at the Prince Yi's residence?