Chapter 144: A Grand Gift

Hearing these words, Xu Ruojin showed no reaction whatsoever.

Mo Rong had been staring at her intently. Seeing her expression remain so utterly bland and ordinary, Mo Rong grew slightly agitated. "Elder Sister Xu, do you think I am lying? I dare swear to the heavens that every word I said is true! If there is even a half-lie in this, may I, Mo Rong, be struck by lightning and meet a miserable end!"

"I believe you are telling the truth."

Xu Ruojin pulled down the hand Mo Rong had raised to swear to the heavens. "Yet what significance does this matter hold for me? If she ever harbored the desire to marry into the Zhang family, that was in the past. Now that Zhang Zhongheng has reaped what he sowed and been exiled to the Northwest as a military slave, would Yuan Huiling still be willing to marry him?"

"What she had her eyes on was merely the Zhang family, not Zhang Zhongheng himself."

Xu Ruojin looked at Mo Rong. "I will say it again: men may deceive, but heaven sees all. She has committed evil deeds, and one day retribution will fall upon her from above. Why should I trouble myself with her?"

Seeing the disappointment on Mo Rong's face, Xu Ruojin continued, "She once harmed you; it is completely natural for you to hate and resent her. Yet do you possess any means to make her repent with a sincere heart and come to apologize to you? If not, then either empower yourself to do so, or cast her aside and simply wait for heaven to punish her, treating her as nothing more than an absolute blank, entirely unworthy of your concern."

"She is the one who committed wrong, not I, nor you. She is the one who ought to feel guilty and terrified. We should wait with a smile, just waiting for the day she suffers her punishment."

Xu Ruojin patted Mo Rong's shoulder. "Perhaps you cannot quite see it this way yet, but to plunge yourself entirely into sorrow and resentment without any way out will only bring pain upon yourself."

Mo Rong's face flushed a deep crimson, and she said nothing more.

Suddenly, she felt herself to be utterly insignificant—as insignificant as dust or air, noticed by no one.

Xu Ruojin knew that her words might be hard for Mo Rong to accept, but this was genuinely how she felt.

Yuan Huiling was merely a trivial person; why should she care about her at all?

She instructed Chuncao to bring out some pastries for Mo Rong to taste, along with some embroidery patterns from the Yuanxiu Workshop. The longer Mo Rong stayed, the more like pins and needles she felt. The better Xu Ruojin treated her, the more overwhelming her guilt became, making her feel like a mere clown and driving her with the urge to depart as quickly as possible.

At last, Madam Mo sent a maid to announce that it was time to return to the manor.

Mo Rong stood up, took out the wedding gift she had prepared for Xu Ruojin, and gently placed it inside the dowry chest.

Xu Ruojin smiled her thanks and escorted her all the way to the second gate.

Madam Mo had been waiting with an anxious expression. Seeing Xu Ruojin accompany Mo Rong out, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Without any superfluous words, after a few polite pleasantries, Madam Mo led Mo Rong onto the carriage.

As the carriage started to move, Madam Mo hurriedly asked, "Did she scold you?"

"No," Mo Rong shook her head gently.

Madam Mo refused to believe it. "Then why is your face so red?"

"Mother, I feel deeply ashamed."

Mo Rong bit her lower lip hard. "She is a good person. It is only a pity that I am not worthy of her, so unworthy that I couldn't even bring myself to ask her to be my sworn elder sister. I fall far, far too short of her..."

Madam Mo sighed helplessly.

Having backed the wrong person, one's fortunes plummet overnight. Human relationships grow thin, and there is no longer any possibility of remedy...

After sending off the mother and daughter of the Mo family, Xu Ruojin was unable to return to her courtyard immediately.

"Word has just arrived that Young Master Yan has rushed here to attend your grand wedding and has already entered the city gates. Do not head back just yet; go inside and drink a couple of cups of tea, and he should be here shortly."

Xu Yaohui's brows were tightly knit, as though he had not expected Yan Hongwen, who had departed before the New Year, to rush back so quickly.

Tomorrow would be the auspicious fifteenth day of the first lunar month—the day of the great wedding.

Had he come to add to the joy, or to bring added worries?

Xu Ruojin was also quite astonished by this news.

Why had Yan Hongwen, who had previously left without a word, suddenly returned?

Moreover, the man she was marrying was no longer Zhang Zhongheng; why on earth was he running back here?

Toward this person, Xu Ruojin always harbored an indescribable, ambiguous feeling that she herself could not quite fully comprehend.

"It is indeed a good thing that Young Master Yan has come to attend the grand ceremony, but your daughter still has numerous trivial matters to attend to. Would it not be better for Father to receive him here? I cannot be of much help anyway, so I might as well head back first."

Xu Ruojin had no wish to see him and directly sought an excuse to leave.

"He wants to see you."

At these words, Xu Yaohui cast a very complicated look at Xu Ruojin. "You should stay a while longer, pay your respects, and then return."

"Very well."

Xu Ruojin had no choice but to agree, and she followed her father into the main reception hall.

The atmosphere suddenly turned awkward. Xu Ruojin simply lowered her gaze to watch a tiny ant crawling across the blue stone bricks, having no intention whatsoever of breaking the silence first.

"Ahem, ahem."

With two light coughs, Xu Yaohui took the lead in breaking the oppressive quiet. "You will be leaving the household very soon. For all these years, this father has indeed fallen short of you. Yet there are some matters you neither know nor understand, so I shall say no more about them."

"After you leave this household, should any difficulty arise, you may always return to seek help. But as for minor grievances... endure whatever can be endured. Though the Liang family is now a household of disgraced officials, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse, and it is certainly not something our family can compare with."

Xu Yaohui looked at her. "Whether your going to the Liang family will turn out well or poorly is impossible to judge; it will all depend upon yourself."

"Your daughter will keep it in mind."

Xu Ruojin had already made her own assessment of this situation.

During the previous meeting with the in-laws to discuss the marriage, Madam Xu had not even appeared. Once she married over, she would likely receive no pleasant countenance.

"I am leaving tomorrow, and your daughter wishes to see my mother."

Thinking of Madam Yang, Xu Ruojin continued, "Since the wedding is tomorrow, if Mother could show her face just once, at least our family would not become a laughingstock to outsiders."

"You need not go to see her. As for whether she will show her face tomorrow, I shall consider it further."

Xu Yaohui decisively refused the request. "You should simply rest easy and wait to be married off. I have my own judgment regarding the reputation of the Xu family; you need not worry yourself unduly over it."

Whether Madam Yang could show her face depended entirely on Young Master Yan's intentions later on...

Who told Madam Yang to anger him in the first place?

"But..."

"Say no more."

Xu Yaohui immediately turned to Chen Cai. "Send someone out once more to see how far Young Master Yan's carriage has reached, and ask where he intends to lodge tonight and where he wishes to dine, so that everything can be prepared in advance."

With a weary, heavy sigh, Xu Yaohui stood up and walked toward the outer doors. "I am going to wash my face first; wait here for a moment."

With those words, Xu Yaohui left the main hall.

Xu Ruojin bit her lip, her heart drumming with anxiety.

Why would he not let her see Madam Yang?

After all, she was the mistress of the Xu family...

Xu Ruojin was not so kind-hearted as to wish for Madam Yang to resume control of the household; she had merely asked out of a tentative impulse.

For so many days had passed, and her father had never once mentioned her mother again.

Previously, her mother had also committed many wrongdoings, yet her father had mostly let them slide without resorting to such strict confinement.

Yet now, things were rather different.

Even Xu Zimo had mentioned it to her several times.

What on earth was the reason?

Xu Ruojin could find no clues, and given her father's stern refusal, she dared not attempt to see her without permission.

While she was hesitating and feeling uncertain, a young pageboy rushed hurriedly into the hall. "Second Young Miss, Young Master Yan has arrived at the manor gates."

Xu Ruojin pushed Madam Yang to the back of her mind, focusing solely on how to deal with Yan Hongwen.

Standing at the entrance, Yan Hongwen caught sight of Xu Ruojin emerging, a brilliant smile spreading across his handsome face. "Come, get in the carriage quickly! I have brought a grand gift for you!"