Chapter 47: Furtive Plan (1)
Xue Dongting learned from Song Yuming that her big sister, Wanqing, had come to the village manor, but she was not in a hurry to go visit. Something had been on her mind the past couple of days that made her uneasy. In her previous life, three years after she had left Cloudgem Lodge, Mama Qiao had suddenly fallen ill and died. But she knew that Mama Qiao had always been healthy so something must have happened within those three years to weaken her.
But what could it have been? Back then, Xue Dongting had been in the capital acting as Third Prince’s advisor and so could not communicate with outsiders without permission. So she rarely got in touch with Mama Qiao. She only remembered receiving a few letters from her that mentioned Wanqing and Yuansheng.
She vaguely remembered that Wanqing had become pregnant with Squire Zhang’s child, but had miscarried. Afterward she gave birth to a daughter who died before the age of two. And Yuansheng had met a sickly traveling scholar and had wanted to marry him, but Mama Qiao had forbidden it. In the end she simply ran off and eloped with him!
It was still a long time before Yuansheng’s elopement, but Wanqing’s miscarriage ought to be coming up soon. There was much scheming and fighting for position within wealthy families and Wanqing was a meticulous person. Xue Dongting didn’t believe her miscarriage had been an accident. She decided to visit Wanqing in the upcoming days and then come up with some furtive plan.
She got up early and carried a basket of eggs to the Zhang manor on the seafront. Wanqing was in Mother Zhang’s room transcribing a classical text when she heard a maidservant call out that a woman was here to visit and she knew it was Dongting. She was delighted, but since Mother Zhang and the principal wife, Lady Yu, were present, she didn’t dare go out to greet her immediately. She had to think about how to tell Mother Zhang.
But Lady Yu spoke first. “Is that your Second Sister?”
“Responding to Madame, yes, it’s my younger sister.”
“I heard your Second Sister is quite the beauty. And she married a fisherman named Song in the village? Yet is still a proud and haughty girl.”
How could Wanqing mistake the scathing tone of her words? She fell silent.
Mother Zhang was a kindhearted old lady. She heard this and hastened, “A fisherman named Song? You mean that young man Song Yuming?”
Lady Yu laughed. “Mother Zhang, that Song Yuming is already in his thirties, how can you call him a young man?”
Mother Zhang laughed. “In this old thing’s eyes, aren’t you all young people? I’ve seen this Song Yuming. He sent over a jar of whale oil. I used a spoonful at night and it’s better than those candles your lord buys. It’s bright and pleasant. I think when I run out I will ask Fisherman Song to get some more.”
Lady Yu looked at Wanqing, laughing. “Look, Mother Zhang is won over with a jar of whale oil!”
Mother Zhang laughed and shook her head. “What do you know. That Song Yuming is big and strong and speaks very properly. He’s a sensible person! Since that girl out there is Wanqing’s second sister, then she’s family, hurry and invite her in for a chat.”
Wanqing got up quickly. “Mother Zhang, I’ll go receive her.”
“Go, go.”
Wanqing withdrew from the room. She had been missing Dongting and hurried out to the front hall without even bringing a maidservant with her.
She saw a frail girl standing before the hall. Was that Dongting? This was th first time she had seen her younger sister since she had married. Her eyes welled up in spite of herself. Xue Dongting saw Wanqing. She had already been through ten years of trials and tribulations and was no longer the young girl who liked to bicker and squabble with her big sister. Her eyes welled up as well when she saw Wanqing, and she hurried forward and took her by the arm, holding back tears. “Big Sis, your so skinny!”
Tears streamed down Wanqing’s face. She quickly dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief, but she could not dry her tear-stricken face.
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