YBTS - 2

After listening to Ding’s words, Su Hongmeng felt they made sense. His relaxed facial muscles tightened again, and he said coldly, “There’s no peace even back at the old family home!”

As he entered the old residence, Su Hongmeng noticed that the stone slabs in the courtyard seemed to have been newly repaved. They were all small, square stones, and the gaps between them were filled with protruding pebbles. Walking on them wasn’t smooth or comfortable.

Caijian, who was walking beside him, stumbled and couldn’t help but complain in a low voice, “When we came to worship our ancestors a few years ago, weren’t there fine bluestones in the courtyard? Why was it replaced with this?”

The steward smiled apologetically and said, “It was the eldest young lady who asked for the change. She hasn’t been very active for a long time, and the pebbles are good for stimulating the circulation in her feet...”

Second young master Su Jinguan curled his lips and laughed at Su Guiyan, “Among us younger ones, only our eldest sister is so generous. She’s holding onto the money our late mother left for you, and she doesn’t even need to use the family’s public funds to renovate the old house’s tiles... You should tell our eldest sister that some of that money was left for you by our mother. If she spends it all, what kind of a deal is that?”

The “mother” he mentioned was the deceased Hu Shi. Hu Shi was the eldest daughter of the Hu family, a spice merchant family in Suzhou. The Hu family’s spice business had been prosperous for a time, and they weren’t stingy with Hu Shi’s dowry.

However, when the Su family faced a financial crunch, half of Hu Shi’s dowry was used to bail them out.

Later, before her death, Hu Shi gave the remaining part of her dowry entirely to her young son and daughter. She even specifically had official documents drawn up as proof, inviting the elders of the Su family and her own relatives to count the bank notes and land deeds. She stated directly that after she was gone, with only her young daughter and infant son left, this dowry would be their support within the Su family. No one was allowed to touch this money; it was to be managed by her personal maid, Tian Shi, on behalf of her children.

The fertile lands were leased to familiar tenant farmers, providing a steady income regardless of floods or droughts. Although the money was not a huge fortune, it was enough to cover their daily expenses. She also stated that if her two children were to meet with any misfortune, she would ask the elders of both families to donate all the money and land to a temple as incense money, in the hope of accumulating good karma for her unfortunate children in their next life.

These words made Su Hongmeng feel extremely awkward and embarrassed at the time. Outsiders didn’t know that he had already started a relationship with Ding Shi, and it was this very fact that had left Hu Shi heartbroken, sickly, and on the verge of death.

Hu Shi’s words seemed like a final entrustment of her children, but they also hinted at a deep mistrust of the future mistress of the Su family, fearing that she might harm her children for their money. That was why she had uttered such absurd words about donating everything.

In death, one’s wishes are to be respected. With Hu Shi presenting such a serious arrangement, Master Su couldn’t argue. Furthermore, the Su family had long since recovered financially and was very wealthy. Why would he covet his wife’s small dowry? So, Master Su agreed to all of Hu Shi’s requests, giving his deceased wife’s dowry entirely to her children.

The money to renovate the courtyard’s ground was truly not a big deal for Su Luoyun.

However, after hearing the third son’s words, Su Hongmeng still frowned in disapproval.

Su Luoyun had been a strong-willed girl from a young age. At twelve, she took Tian Mama to the estate, reclaimed all the tenant ledgers Hu Shi had left behind, and took full control of the money and silver.

At the time, he felt it wasn’t a good thing for a young girl to take charge of money and property so early. He had even lectured Luoyun sternly about it.

But the girl used her late mother’s last words to counter him, saying that this was what Hu Shi had left for her and her brother, and how she chose to spend it was not her father’s concern.

How could Su Hongmeng tolerate such an unruly daughter? He immediately summoned the Su family’s elders and stated that while he didn’t need to manage Hu Shi’s dowry, if he also wasn’t needed to manage his children’s education, then they should be clear about it. He would allow Su Luoyun to take her brother and live on their own, and they would no longer bear the name of a Su family descendant.

At that time, her maternal grandfather’s family business was on the decline, and she couldn’t take her brother to rely on the Hu family.

Even if the siblings were to establish themselves independently, while Su Guiyan could pursue a career in business, his future in officialdom would be hopeless. The Wei dynasty did not prohibit sons of merchants from taking the imperial examinations, but a rebellious son who was cast out of the family would have a ruined reputation and would struggle to pass even the initial local exams.

For the sake of her brother’s future, Su Luoyun, who had always been unyielding, finally relented. Although Su Hongmeng did not manage her dowry, she had to get her father’s permission for every single expense she made from then on.

But ever since Su Luoyun lost her sight, Su Hongmeng had started turning a blind eye to her slightly larger expenditures. After all, Hu Shi had only left that small amount of money, which was just enough to serve as a decent dowry.

If Su Luoyun didn’t want to get married and didn’t want to leave anything for her brother, it was fine for her to spend it all.

After all, if the new ancestral head of the Su family could be appeased by simply spending money, he was happy to see the money go. Besides, Su Luoyun wasn’t spending the family’s public funds.

The other young masters and young ladies of the Su family were extremely envious of their eldest sister’s generous purse. The Su family’s ancestral rules were to never raise prodigal sons. Although the very wealthy Su Hongmeng was particular about his own daily life, he was usually stingy with his children, emulating the style of a gentry family. The monthly allowances for the young masters and young ladies were pitifully small.

Now, seeing their eldest sister living so comfortably at the old family home, how could they not feel a mix of envy and jealousy?

Su Caijian, who was pampered, found that the floor of the main hall was also embedded with pebbles. Her soft, delicate feet couldn’t bear it. After whispering a few words to Ding Pei, Ding Shi called for a servant to bring thick felt from the storeroom to cover the floor, which was used during sacrificial ceremonies.

With the thick felt on the floor, wearing thin-soled embroidered shoes was much more comfortable. Just then, Su Guiyan, who had been silent all along, couldn’t help but speak, “Sister probably used pebbles on the floor because she can’t see. They act as markers on the ground to prevent her from stumbling. Covering the floor now might...”

He and his sister exchanged letters and talked about daily life, so Su Guiyan knew the purpose of the pebbles.

Before he could finish, Su Jinguan said disdainfully, “She’s not without maids and servants. Even without her eye condition, someone would be there to help her. Could she possibly fall?”

Su Guiyan habitually fell silent. He knew his sister’s personality best—she was the most strong-willed person in the world. How could she bear to rely on someone to guide her every step of the way?

Thinking back to how heartbroken she was when she first lost her sight and refused to see anyone, the fifteen-year-old boy’s eyes slowly reddened. Without the guidance of the pebbles on the floor, his sister might make a fool of herself when she came to see their father later. She was the one who least wanted to show her vulnerability in front of others...

But his words clearly didn’t register with his father. Su Hongmeng was about to respond, but his stepmother interrupted and shifted the conversation to the trivial matters of visiting the old clan relatives.

Then, the family sat around a table, drinking tea and eating snacks. Ding Shi nonchalantly had a maid place a bronze basin for washing hands by the door, saying the room was too dry and needed some humidity.

Because the thick felt was laid out earlier, the tables, chairs, and cabinets were moved, and the hall was a bit messy. Old Feng wanted to call people to tidy up, but Ding Shi said there was no rush and that it could wait until the master took his noon nap.

As everyone was drinking tea, Ding Shi looked up and saw Tian Mama, who served Su Luoyun, standing at the doorway with the maid Xiangcao.

Ding Shi smiled and called out, “Tian Mama, why don’t you come into the hall and greet us?”

Tian Mama stood there silently, her wrinkled eyes carefully scanning the hall. Only when Ding Shi called her did she take a small step forward and bow respectfully, saying, “This old servant saw that the master and madam were in the middle of a lively chat and was afraid of interrupting. I was planning to wait for a pause in the conversation to pay my respects.”

Nanny Tian was an old servant left behind by Madam Hu and a loyal one entrusted with her children on her deathbed. She was always quiet and rarely left her young lady’s courtyard. Ding Pei had never been able to find fault with her.

Hearing Tian Mama’s explanation, Ding Pei smiled and said, “We’re all family. What’s there to interrupt? Since you’re back, that means Yun’er is also back. Where is she? The master is looking forward to seeing her!”

Tian Mama bowed her head and replied, “When the eldest young lady returned, her skirt was splashed with mud from the carriage wheels. She needs to wash up a bit before she can come and greet her elders. She was afraid the master and madam would be impatient, so she sent this old servant to let you know. I’ll go back and fetch the eldest young lady in a moment.”

Su Hongmeng waved his hand, “I understand. Tell her not to bother with too much dressing up. We’re all family, so it’s perfectly fine for her to come in simple clothes. The madam and I still have to rest a bit before going to a county banquet tonight, so she just needs to come and pay her respects.”

Tian Mama scanned the hall once more, bowed again, and then hurried away with the maid.

Su Caijian felt uncomfortable all over. She had hoped not to see her sister, but now she would have to face her as soon as she returned.

She wasn’t afraid of Su Luoyun, but she was worried about her sister’s sharp tongue, fearing it would lead to an unpleasant scene later. She was used to being pampered, with others handling her worries, but when it came to her older sister, she felt a sense of guilt that made her uneasy.

However, thinking of Su Luoyun’s disheveled and haggard appearance when she left home, she felt a little relieved.

Since she was a child, people had always compared her to her sister. Caijian was never as outstanding as Luoyun. But now, she thought, no one would ever compare her to a blind person again. Was this, in a way, her silver lining?

Just as she was thinking this, footsteps were heard again at the door, and a fleeting silhouette appeared at the entrance of the hall.

Su Caijian looked up and saw a slender woman stepping in. Her elegant, plain long robe with cloud-patterned sleeves made her look even more graceful and free-spirited. Her dark hair was styled into a cloud bun on top of her head, revealing a smooth, fair neck and a full, bright forehead. Her eyebrows were thick and pretty, but the ends of her brows slightly upturned, giving her less of a delicate feminine look and more of a masculine heroic air.

On her fair face, the most beautiful feature was actually her pair of eyes. The slightly upturned phoenix eyes held a faint glimmer, making one unable to help but stare closely.

But while the eyes were beautiful, they lacked spirit. They stared straight into a point in the void, with no movement.

The vacant gaze did not hinder the woman’s light and agile steps. She cast off the maid behind her, stepped over the threshold, walked around the basin of water on the floor, and, with light, graceful steps, stopped three paces from the table. She then bowed elegantly and said, “Father, Mother, your daughter is late in greeting you. Please punish me!”

Su Hongmeng was a little surprised. He couldn’t help but stand up and wave his hand in front of the woman, a little in disbelief. “Luoyun... have your eyes recovered?”