Volume One, Chapter 12: You Go Touch Big Brother

Jiumu and the others went straight to Lixiang Garden. Although Yan Huaicheng was reluctant, he had no choice but to follow behind with a dark expression.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, Luo Yan exclaimed, “Sister-in-law, what are they doing?”

They saw the servants bustling about energetically, none of them noticing their arrival.

Some were vigorously chopping up tables and chairs with axes, others were crouched in the corner burning things, while a few were carrying beds out of the rooms.

Jiumu immediately recognized these items and naturally guessed who had ordered the servants to do this.

“I’m not sure either. I suppose Father knows,” she said, turning to Yan Huaicheng, who was just stepping forward, curious to see how he would respond.

“What are you all doing?” Yan Huaicheng shouted angrily after seeing the scene in the courtyard.

The servants were startled; the bed they were carrying fell heavily to the ground.

“Are you all mute? Can’t you hear me?” Yan Huaicheng vented his anger.

The old woman burning the clothes quickly stepped over respectfully. “Master, there were mice in the room, so the young lady instructed us to clean up.”

Seeing Jiumu, she dared not tell the truth. Yan Qingling had ordered them to burn everything Jiumu had touched.

“Clean up? This looks more like you’re tearing down the entire Yan household!” Yan Huaicheng ground his teeth, pointing at the broken tables and chairs.

“We wouldn’t dare…” the servants said, dropping what they had and kneeling on the ground in unison.

“But isn’t this Sister-in-law’s courtyard?” Before Yan Huaicheng could say anything, Luo Yan asked sharply.

Yan Huaicheng’s words caught in his throat. “Yes, yes it is!”

He had never considered Yan Jiumu part of the family and had forgotten she had stayed in this courtyard for a night before her marriage.

“Ah, so you planned this from the start, didn’t want Sister-in-law to come back,” Luo Yan suddenly understood and pointed at Yan Huaicheng in defense of his sister-in-law.

“No, no, Second Young Master, you’ve misunderstood,” Yan Huaicheng hastily explained, “They’re just clearing out the mice.”

Luo Yan was skeptical, “Really?”

“Yes, really. My memory isn’t good; I just didn’t think clearly before,” Yan Huaicheng forced a smile, his act growing more practiced.

Jiumu watched his performance with amusement, not intending to expose him. “Well then, thank you, Father. I was just thinking these old pieces of furniture should be replaced.”

She turned to Sang Lin. “You bring people to help tidy up and buy some new furniture.”

“Certainly,” Sang Lin replied, signaling to those behind him.

Yan Huaicheng wanted to stop them but, considering Luo Yan was present, said, “Second Young Master, please come with me to the main hall.”

“All right, Sister-in-law will come too,” Luo Yan reminded him of their purpose in coming here.

Jiumu didn’t refuse and followed them to the main hall, watching Yan Huaicheng awkwardly make small talk with the boy.

When the servants brought in tea and snacks, Jiumu took a cup and idly stirred the tea leaves, casually asking, “Where is your lady of the house?”

“Madam is unwell and resting in her room,” a servant replied.

Unwell?

Xu Shi was probably not physically ill but emotionally distressed. Yan Qingling hadn’t come to cause trouble all this time, likely stopped by Xu Shi.

Jiumu decided to test the limits of this mother and daughter, seeing how much they could tolerate.

Sang Lin worked quickly, and before lunchtime, summoned Jiumu, saying the rooms were all prepared.

“Good, thank you for your hard work,” Jiumu nodded in satisfaction at the newly arranged room.

“It’s no trouble. Master Yan cares for you deeply,” Sang Lin said obsequiously, pointing at the new furniture.

“Thank you, Father,” Jiumu said graciously.

Yan Huaicheng snorted coldly.

Remembering Sang Lin had just shown him a huge bill, his face twisted with anger, which made Jiumu chuckle.

She seemed to understand why someone like Sang Lin, so sharp-witted, was always around Luo Chen.

“Give it to me.”

Jiumu reached out and opened the wooden box Xia He had been holding, taking out a memorial tablet and placing it respectfully on the table.

“How can a memorial tablet be placed in the room? That’s not… proper,” Yan Huaicheng said, his voice faltering as he recognized the name on it.

“This is my room; my word is the rule,” Jiumu said calmly.

The tablet was for her late mother, He Shulan.

Luo Yan quietly read the name, recalling what he had heard before, his expression serious. He stepped beside Jiumu and bowed with her.

When Jiumu took out another memorial tablet, he couldn’t help but ask, “Sister-in-law, who is Yan Liruo?”

Could the Yan family have another daughter?

“She is my sworn sister. We grew up relying on each other. She fell off a cliff trying to save me,” Jiumu answered softly as she offered incense.

In the original owner’s memories, Yan Liruo had always wanted to bring her mother back to the Yan family, so she surely wouldn’t oppose Jiumu’s plans. They would stay here, watching those villains receive their due punishment.

Luo Yan bowed solemnly to the tablet again.

Jiumu glanced at the servants peeking outside the door. “Since this courtyard has been given to me, I will arrange the servants myself. Let Yan Qingling’s people leave.”

Yan Huaicheng hadn’t expected Jiumu to so confidently seize the courtyard.

If it were someone else’s courtyard, he might not mind, but this was the place where Yan Qingling, whom they had spoiled from childhood, had lived. The thought of pacifying her was already a headache.

“But Qingling…”

Before Yan Huaicheng could finish, Jiumu interrupted, “By the way, the wedding dress the Marquis’s mansion sent before was embroidered at great expense by my mother. I want to take it back.”

Such pettiness—asking for a dirty wedding dress like it was a treasure.

She kept calling her “mother” as if she had married into a prestigious family. Once that sickly heir died, she would go down with him.

Though Yan Huaicheng thought this, he still asked outside, “What about that dress?”

Today had already been chaotic enough; he just wanted to send them off quickly without further trouble.

“That dress was dirty. Madam had someone send it for washing,” the old woman who had been burning things earlier replied.

Yan Huaicheng snapped, “You heard her. Have someone send the dress later.”

“All right,” Jiumu agreed readily.

As the carriage left the Yan residence, Luo Yan smiled, “Sister-in-law, you wanted that wedding dress on purpose, didn’t you?”

He had seen a corner of it among the things the old woman was burning but blamed Yan Huaicheng’s poor eyesight for missing it.

“Our Yan Yan is really clever,” Jiumu was in a good mood and pinched Luo Yan’s chubby little face.

The little fellow quickly dodged to a corner of the carriage, warily looking at Jiumu. “Don’t touch me. Go touch big brother instead.”

One shouldn’t casually touch a man’s face. If this sister-in-law weren’t so likable, he’d have turned hostile long ago.

Touch Luo Chen?