Chapter 160: Benevolence and Righteousness

Xu Ruojin sat in contemplation for a long time. Knowing how much it pained her, she also understood that these items had to be returned anyway, so she finally forced herself to cast the thoughts aside and dwell on them no longer.

Having been left waiting by Madam Liang for quite a while that morning, followed by learning about the Liang family's affairs from her third sister, and then being thoroughly badgered by that little maid, Fengying, Xu Ruojin felt physically and mentally exhausted, her limbs entirely weak. After washing up, the moment her head touched the pillow, she fell fast asleep.

Not only did she fall asleep, but she even let out a soft, gentle snore.

Looking at her fast-asleep expression, Liang Xiu truly hadn't the heart to yank her awake and dally with her some more.

A soft rustle came from the doorway. Liang Xiu frowned and looked over to see Fengying holding a bowl of medicine.

"Fourth Master, your medicine for today hasn't been taken yet. This maid has brewed it for you..."

Liang Xiu frowned, turned to glance at Xu Ruojin, who was still fast asleep, pulled on his outer robe, and stepped out from the inner chamber.

Chuncao was the one on night watch. With Fengying coming to deliver medicine in the middle of the night, she had also been roused and was currently lighting a candle nearby.

"Just leave it there."

Liang Xiu pointed to a table close by. "From now on, let the Fourth Young Madam take charge of the medicine matters. You don't need to worry about it anymore."

Fengying froze on the spot, staring blankly at Liang Xiu in utter stupidity, and blurted out subconsciously:

"F-Fourth Master, Madam entrusted this matter to this maid. How can this maid wash her hands of it and abandon it? How could the Fourth Young Madam possibly—"

Liang Xiu's brows knitted together tightly. "What did you just call her?"

"This maid wouldn't dare; this maid didn't mean to."

Fengying immediately dropped to her knees to confess her fault. "Fourth Master, this maid holds not a shred of disrespect toward the Fourth Young Madam. It was merely that this maid spoke rashly out of sudden anxiety. This maid thought that since the Fourth Young Madam has just entered the manor, she is overwhelmed with numerous affairs and has yet to fully adapt. Therefore, this maid wished to shoulder some burdens for the Fourth Young Madam. No doubt Madam considered this as well, which is why she had me and Ningxiang exclusively manage this task. If this maid spoke improperly in her haste, please grant the Fourth Master's forgiveness!"

Liang Xiu stared at her for a long time without a word, picked up the bowl of medicine, drained it in one gulp, and turned to re-enter the room.

Hearing the door close, Fengying slowly crawled up from the floor.

Noticing Chuncao watching her from the doorway, Fengying's expression suddenly turned ice-cold.

She picked up the empty medicine bowl, walked over to Chuncao, and looked as though she had something to say. However, mindful of the person inside the room, she bit her lip and stepped out the door without uttering a word.

Chuncao remained completely expressionless in the face of Fengying's resentment.

She blew out the newly lit candle and lay back down to sleep.

The Fourth Young Madam rarely woke up during the night, so she would be able to sleep soundly...

Early the next morning, when Xu Ruojin awoke, she felt an unusual heaviness upon her body.

Opening her eyes to look, she found that Liang Xiu's arm was draped right across her waist...

With a gentle nudge, Liang Xiu's arm didn't budge.

She pushed with force, and still it didn't move.

Xu Ruojin turned her head to look at him, only to find Liang Xiu wide awake, gazing straight at her.

"You've been awake this whole time and you still won't move it? You're doing this on purpose to be mischievous!"

Liang Xiu remained entirely nonchalant. "I wanted to test how much strength you really have."

"You've tested enough, haven't you? Take it away." Xu Ruojin continued pushing with her hands. Liang Xiu frowned slightly and pulled her closer into his embrace. "It's still early, sleep a while longer."

Xu Ruojin curled her lips. "Sleep for what? We're supposed to return before daybreak; it's better to set out sooner."

Liang Xiu pierced straight through her excuse. "Since when have you grown so fond of the Xu family?"

"Ever since I married you!" Xu Ruojin turned her body around, shoved his arms away with both hands, and immediately flipped herself out of bed.

Fearing that Liang Xiu might yank her back, Xu Ruojin immediately called out toward the door, "Chuncao, I'm up! I need to wash up!"

The patter of footsteps sounded outside the door, and Liang Xiu finally pushed back the quilt and got out of bed.

Watching him head toward the washroom, Xu Ruojin immediately opened the inner door. Chuncao, Hongxing, and the others entered, closely followed by Fengying and Ningxiang.

Seeing the look of lingering resentment on Fengying's face, Xu Ruojin found it rather peculiar.

"Are you feeling unwell?"

Taken aback by the question, Fengying stammered, "This maid is feeling quite well."

Xu Ruojin nodded and asked again, "Is there something wrong at home?"

"My parents at home are both well; there's nothing wrong."

"If there is anything, feel free to speak up. It's no trouble to go back and handle it before returning to work. There aren't that many chores at the Xiuxuan anyway; it's not busy."

Yet Xu Ruojin's well-intentioned kindness only made Fengying's expression grow even uglier.

To her ears, this was clearly the Fourth Young Madam chasing her away...

When the Fourth Master had suddenly ordered her to hand over the medicine duties to the Fourth Young Madam last night, Fengying had spent the entire night mulling it over and had long since blamed the Fourth Young Madam as the sole culprit behind this misfortune.

If she hadn't requested it herself, why would the Fourth Master have ever spoken like that?

And now the Fourth Young Madam was driving her away on top of that. A fire of unvented rage burned within Fengying's chest, filling her eyes with unspeakable tears of grievance.

Yet Xu Ruojin failed to notice her grievance at all.

For at that moment, Liang Xiu emerged from the washroom, and she prepared to wash up.

Later, she intended to dress up meticulously before returning to her maiden home. Along the way, regardless of whom she might meet or encounter, she would greet them with a smiling face to seal the mouths of those gossips waiting to watch a spectacle.

Chuncao followed her in from outside. Seeing that the Fourth Young Madam had completely ignored Fengying's attitude, she couldn't help asking in a low voice, "Were you trying to chase Fengying away?"

"Not at all." Xu Ruojin wiped her face, her expression full of bewilderment. "Why would you ask that?"

Chuncao smiled helplessly and recounted the events of the previous night. "...The Fourth Master told her to hand the medicine matter over to you, and she fell to her knees and begged, but the Fourth Master ignored her. When you said first thing this morning that her family had matters or that she wasn't feeling well, she's bound to misunderstand."

Xu Ruojin widened her eyes. "I saw her gloomy face this morning and offered a heartfelt word of care. Could it be that my kindness has been taken for a donkey's lung and liver? I won't even get a good reward?"

"Most likely," Chuncao did not deny it.

"Then let her imagine whatever she pleases. I have no leisure to ponder her thoughts."

Xu Ruojin gave a slight flick of her lips. "Since she harbors those intentions, let her vent and expose them early on. The sooner we clear up these conflicts, the better and cleaner things will be. Just wait and see; in any case, I'm in no rush."

Chuncao gave a soft acknowledgment and proceeded to help Xu Ruojin change her clothes.

Nanny Huang entered to comb Xu Ruojin's hair, taking extraordinary care—falling not a whit short of the attention paid on her wedding day.

Sensing that Nanny Huang had words hovering on her lips that she was holding back, Xu Ruojin took the initiative to bring it up. "I will mention Mother's affair to Father. You don't need to harbor misgivings here and keep it to yourself."

Nanny Huang's hand loosened, and the wooden comb clattered to the floor.

Hastily picking it up, Nanny Huang looked back at her, biting her lip in speechlessness before finally choking out:

"As long as this old servant has breath in her body to move for a single day, I will serve you for a single day. If I harbor any disloyal intentions, may the heavens strike me down with thunder and lightning!"

"Alright, alright. I'm doing this for myself as well."

Xu Ruojin spoke almost to herself. "If the Xu family is treated as a laughingstock, I will forever remain a laughingstock as well. Otherwise, how could even a mere maid dare to put on airs and act haughty before me? There are some things one can let slide, but when it comes to a lifetime's matters, I will never back down."

Nanny Huang offered no reply, but her hands grew all the heavier as she continued combing the hair...

Having tidied up, Xu Ruojin departed the Liang residence alongside Liang Xiu and boarded the carriage.

Fengying instructed Ningxiang to keep watch in the courtyard, stating that she needed to step out for a moment.

"Where are you going?" Ningxiang asked, her face full of worry.

Fengying gritted her teeth, her expression filled with lingering resentment. "Madam must be dying to know what the Fourth Young Madam has been up to these past two days. She cannot blame me for this; since she shows no benevolence, she cannot blame me for showing no righteousness!"