Chapter 43

The air still carried the scent of dust, and the surroundings remained empty and desolate. This night should have been extremely difficult to endure, but with this quilt and brazier of charcoal, it somehow became more bearable.
When he woke in the morning, the snow outside had stopped, and the brazier in the room had finally burned out after lasting through the night.
Wrapped in the quilt, Jiang Yi spent a rare moment in a daze.
He had known all along that returning here would subject him to such humiliation, yet he had come nonetheless. He hated the Jiang family for driving his mother to her death years ago, but Fifth Master Jiang had raised him as his own son, and on his deathbed, he had insisted that Jiang Yi come to the Jiang residence to fulfill his filial duties for ten years.
He had never liked this place. Standing in the snow for over an hour had already shown him the fickleness of human relationships within the Jiang household. But for ten years, he would still have to stay here.
Yan Yiming had been busy all night and woke much later than usual. However, due to her poor health, she didn't need to pay respects to Old Madam Jiang like the other young masters and misses in the household. Besides, Old Madam Jiang disliked seeing her sickly appearance.
After finishing her toilette, she sat at a small table having breakfast. Outside, it was noisy, and her maids pouted, complaining about how unlucky they were to have “that person” living next to them. Didn't everyone know their young mistress preferred quiet?
Yan Yiming slowly drank the medicine from her bowl and cast a cool glance at the maid. “If you know I prefer quiet, why are you chattering so much?”
The maid immediately fell silent. The young mistress had a difficult temperament due to her poor health, and her outbursts often came without reason. Not daring to talk back, she could only collect the medicine bowl and retreat quietly. She then stood at the courtyard entrance with the maids sweeping the yard, watching the servants and matrons carry belongings to the nearby courtyard.
But in the end, there wasn't much, just the simplest bed, table, chairs, and a few pieces of clothing.
Returning inside, the maid couldn't resist commenting in front of Yan Yiming that the mistress had allocated too little to this young master. Expecting another scolding, she was surprised when her usually aloof young mistress actually asked her to go next door and take a closer look before reporting back.
The maid didn't understand Yan Yiming's intention, but driven by curiosity, she hurried over to take a look. As soon as she entered, she saw the young master standing silently beside a withered tree in the courtyard. His figure was painfully thin, but his features, though not yet fully matured, were already quite handsome.
At first, I thought his background was too poor and looked down upon him, but now, seeing him standing there all alone, I couldn't help but feel a pang of pity.
After all, no matter what his mother was like, what does it have to do with a child?
“The courtyard has been mostly cleared out, and the room has a fire going now, but it's still a bit cold, and the charcoal smoke is quite heavy,” the maid chattered on to Yan Yiming. “The young master just changed his clothes and went to pay his respects to the old lady.”
Yan Yiming, worried that Old Madam Jiang might try to bully Jiang Yi again, had someone prepare ginger soup and got up to head to Old Madam Jiang's quarters as well.
“What about the ginger soup?” the maid asked, unsure of Yan Yiming's intentions.
Yan Yiming fastened her thick cloak and said, “Keep it simmering.”
The maids didn't understand why, but they obediently sliced the ginger and kept it simmering slowly on the small stove.
It was the dead of winter, and there was little activity in the mansion. Old Madam Jiang and her daughters-in-law and granddaughters-in-law had nothing to do, and with Jiang Yi's arrival over the past couple of days, they had all crowded into Old Madam Jiang's room, waiting to see him make a fool of himself.
Yesterday, before they could even see him, Lord Jiang had someone take him away. This morning, under the pretext of paying respects to Old Madam Jiang, the room was once again packed with people, young and old.
Old Madam Jiang was displeased that her son had abruptly taken Jiang Yi away yesterday. Hearing from the gatekeeper that the fifth young lady had come by but didn't enter, she suspected Yan Yiming had something to do with it. She glanced at Lady Jiang and asked if Yan Yiming had gone to see Lord Jiang yesterday.
Lady Jiang immediately understood that Old Madam Jiang was, as usual, looking for reasons to make trouble for her daughter. She knew it was her youngest daughter who had specifically begged Lord Jiang to take the child away yesterday, but to prevent Old Madam Jiang from using it as an excuse to punish Yan Yiming, she feigned ignorance and said, “A’Ming hasn't been feeling well and dislikes going out. With the heavy snow yesterday, she must have stayed in her room. How could she have gone out?”
Whether Lady Jiang was telling the truth or not, no one knew. Old Madam Jiang snorted coldly, scanned the faces of her grandchildren, and persisted in stirring up trouble. “It's one thing not to come on ordinary days, but today, with a guest here, she still doesn't know her manners.”
Just moments ago, she had called Jiang Yi a bastard, and now she referred to him as a guest, all just to find an excuse to pick on Yan Yiming. As soon as Old Madam Jiang spoke, the narrow-eyed Second Lady Jiang, sitting below, chimed in, saying Yan Yiming was too spoiled and lacked discipline.
Old Madam Jiang had long resented Yan Yiming's frail health. The Jiang family wasn't particularly wealthy, but bird's nests and other delicacies were constantly sent to Yan Yiming, treating her as more precious than the old lady herself. How could she be happy about that?
As for the second branch, Yan Yiming's beauty was simply too striking. Last autumn, when Yan Yiming went out just once, she attracted so many suitors from Luoyang that they came to the mansion to propose. How could the second branch be pleased? Because of this, they spread rumors everywhere that Yan Yiming was sick. Now, everyone in Luoyang knew she had a congenital heart condition, and all the suitors who had once come to propose were so frightened they never dared to return.
Lady Jiang had cried several times out of anger, and her two sons had stormed over to the second branch of the family in a fit of rage. Since then, the relationship between the main and second branches had grown increasingly strained. Now, Yan Yiming had already reached the age of fifteen and was about to turn sixteen. While other girls in the family were one by one getting engaged, A'Ming had become the one no one wanted.
By the time Jiang Yi entered, Lady Jiang and Lady Jiang of the second branch had been arguing for most of the day. The younger generation dared not intervene and could only watch helplessly. Old Madam Jiang, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying the spectacle, only putting away her smile when it was announced that the young master had arrived.
She spat out a disdainful “What kind of young master is he?” and, without hiding the mockery on her face, had him brought in.
It was the dead of winter, and everyone was bundled up in thick cotton coats, but Jiang Yi was still dressed lightly. He was young and not very tall, wearing a pale blue robe. His dark eyes showed neither fear nor resentment, only a quiet clarity. He stood before the crowd, bowed simply, and said nothing more.
Old Madam Jiang intended to humiliate him, and Second Lady Jiang looked down on this child who wasn't even recorded in the family register. However, Lady Jiang, reminded of her daughter's words from the day before about how small and frail he was, felt a pang of pity. Seeing him dressed so thinly and subjected to such cold treatment, she deliberately defied Old Madam Jiang and Second Lady Jiang by letting him sit like the other young masters of the household.
Perhaps because he was too quiet, or perhaps because Lady Jiang had diverted Old Madam Jiang's attention, the sharp remarks Old Madam Jiang had prepared were forgotten. She shot Lady Jiang a glare, and Second Lady Jiang sneered, unable to resist making a few sarcastic remarks about Lady Jiang.
Jiang Yi couldn't help but glance at Lady Jiang again.
This meeting was even more dramatic than Jiang Yi had imagined. The two ladies exchanged barbs, but Jiang Yi's face remained expressionless as he listened to Second Lady Jiang mock Lady Jiang for giving birth to a sickly child who no one wanted, blaming her for letting the secret slip.
None of the younger generation present dared to speak, but Jiang Yi was surprised to notice that, aside from the two married women seated near Lady Jiang, all the unmarried girls with their hair still down wore expressions of gleeful schadenfreude.
So, it seemed the Fifth Miss, whom Second Lady Jiang kept mentioning, was not well-liked by the others present. And, of course, she wasn't there.
Although Fifth Master Jiang had rarely returned to the Jiang family, he often spoke to Jiang Yi about its members, especially his elder brother, Lord Jiang. He described him as stern on the surface but soft-hearted, with two legitimate sons and one legitimate daughter. The two sons were not much younger than Fifth Master Jiang himself and were already married with children. The legitimate daughter, born to Lady Jiang later in life, was said to be exceptionally beautiful but had been frail since birth.
“Those two nephews are too much older than you; you wouldn't have much to say to them,” Fifth Master Jiang had once said with a laugh. “But my niece is only three years older than you. My brother and his wife treat her like a treasure. If you ever go to the Jiang residence, you could play with her.”
Suddenly reminded of Fifth Master Jiang, Jiang Yi felt a momentary daze. As he looked up, a young maid announced from outside that the Fifth Miss had arrived.
Lady Jiang and the Second Lady Jiang immediately fell silent, while all the young ladies who had been laughing heartily moments before turned their gazes toward the entrance.
The woman who entered had a slender figure, graceful as a swallow. Her strikingly pale hands removed her cloak and handed it to the maid beside her. Though her features were exquisitely delicate, her light-colored eyes and translucent fair skin lent her an air of coldness.
Having been in the Jiang household for just a day, Jiang Yi had already heard from the maids that the person living next to him was the Fifth Miss of the estate. They said she was aloof and devoid of warmth, standing like a block of ice that made others afraid to look directly at her.
Yet, it was this very person who had stayed by his side alone the night before, caring for him until midnight.
She had personally checked his forehead for fever, smiling as she remarked that if she had arrived any later, he would surely have burned up into a fool. She had repeatedly and patiently brought him blankets and a brazier, teasing and amusing him to make him laugh.
Jiang Yi stared at her familiar features, suddenly feeling that this place, which had seemed devoid of any human warmth, had instantly grown warmer.
Now, her frosty face showed no trace of a smile as she greeted Old Madam Jiang and the others. Only when her gaze fell upon Lady Jiang did a hint of warmth flicker across her expression. She then turned and coolly glanced at a young woman of similar age seated below Madam Jiang, bluntly instructing her to move to the back.
The young woman’s cheeks flushed crimson with anger, but she dared not retort and obediently moved to the back.
Everyone present seemed accustomed to such behavior and remained silent. Jiang Yi observed Yan Yiming, whose demeanor was so different from the day before, only to suddenly meet her eyes as she turned her head toward him.
She smiled at him.
It was as if all the frost had melted away in an instant.
That was the most beautiful smile he had seen in the year since the death of Fifth Master Jiang, after enduring too many cold and disdainful looks.
“I am your Fifth Sister,” Yan Yiming said to him with a smile. “From now on, I’m no longer the youngest.”