Astonished, Du Juan, who stood beside the Old Jiang Madame, stared at Jiang Ruan and the others as Cai Que quietly stated, “Old Madame, the eldest young miss has arrived.”
With her eyes remaining unopened, the Old Jiang Madame remained still and motionless. Lu Zhu was a little uneasy but Jiang Ruan stayed composed and continued standing where she was. In a similar fashion, both Cai Que and Du Juan silently waited off to the side. They neither spoke nor greeted Jiang Ruan, and clearly kept her waiting while giving her the cold shoulder.
Jiang Ruan’s gaze was dull and in the silence and absence of either movement or word, she had proceeded to take the measure of the Old Madame. Upon a closer look, there were some discrepancies between her memories of the Old Madame and the person herself. At the time when she first saw her, she had assumed that the Old Jiang Madame could only be an inflexible and severe zumu. However, now that she saw her once more, though she was draped in riches, glory and splendor from head to toe, she had a peaceful bearing. Furthermore, her brows were filled with an icy authoritative and severe demeanour that emanated from her very bones. It was evident that the heart of this furen, who had been praying to Buddha, was not as detached from the worldly desires as was preached in the scriptures in her hand. As for her astuteness and intelligence, perhaps only the person herself knew.
As the time slowly passed, the room remained completely quiet. It seemed that even the sound of a strand of hair dropping on the floor would be clearly heard. Then, after an unknown stretch of time, the old furen on the couch slowly opened her eyes and with a glance, she looked towards Jiang Ruan.
With a serene expression, Jiang Ruan returned her own glance as she stood ramrod straight, yet respectfully.
The Old Jiang Madame then narrowed her eyes and impassively spoke, “Why didn’t you greet me at once when you came in? What are you doing, standing there like an immovable stone.”
“When I first came in, I noticed that zumu was silently chanting. One has to pray intently and wholeheartedly, otherwise, it would be deemed as insincere. Jiang Ruan did not dare to disrupt zumu.” Jiang Ruan smiled, “Yet, it seems that I have still troubled you.”
The Old Jiang Madame leaned to the side as Du Juan hurriedly presented her with a cup of hot tea. After she received the tea and took a sip, the Old Madame swept a look over Jiang Ruan. She then spoke, “Contrary to what one might expect, you are one that can stand her ground.”
“In comparison to zumu, I still have a lot to learn.” Jiang Ruan modestly replied, “During the hurried return to the fu yesterday, I had yet to visit zumu; that is my mistake.”
The Old Jiang Madame indifferently countered, “The matter of your return to the fucaused the capital to become abuzz with a great ruckus. Surely yesterday, you had to deal with weariness and exhaustion – it was a right decision that you did not come here.”
While this was being said, her tone was rather ambiguous, therefore, one could not perceive the old furen’s intentions.
Jiang Ruan thought briefly and said, “Regardless, zumu is my paternal grandmother, the Old Madame of the Jiang fu and also, Jiang Ruan’s close family.
It was unexpected that Jiang Ruan would say this and upon hearing it, the Old Jiang Madame was slightly astonished. Slightly bending her head to take a few sips of tea, she spoke, “I have not seen you for a few years. Come forward and let me have a clearer look.”
In compliance, Jiang Ruan shifted closer. As they stood by the side, Cai Que and Du Juan’s gazes began to take the measure of Jiang Ruan. As the personal servants who served the Old Madame, the two were constantly by her side and were well-acquainted with the Old Madame’s temperament. They had predicted several possible scenarios that could have happened today, yet, they had not envisioned such a situation as the one at this present moment. There was neither hatred spoken nor uncouth actions; on the contrary, it was incomparably tranquil. The Eldest Young Miss’ bearing and disposition was unexpectedly magnanimous without the slightest bit of cowardice.
Looking once more at the girl who had moved a few steps forward, her figure was delicate with an upright posture. As the sunlight shone on her bright and unblemished face, it further delineated her alabaster and jade-like skin tone. Her facial features were filled with tenderness, and her pair of moist and charming eyes revealed an expression of smiling serenely, exuding a warm and resolute aura. But most importantly, though she was standing in the center of the room, she did not exhibit even the slightest bit of timidity or stiffness that came with the youthful inexperience of a young lady. What was present though, was a secure sort of steadiness and compounded with that fluttering, resplendent appearance of hers, she deeply radiated a sort of noble magnificence.
Du Juan and Cai Que exchanged glances; they each saw the surprise in the other’s eyes. This Eldest Miss had been at the countryside residence for several years. How had she transformed into someone so different, like a noble young lady who had been carefully nurtured in the palace?
It was not only Du Juan and Cai Que who were surprised, the Old Jiang Madame’s perceptive gaze also rested upon Jiang Ruan, piercing in its intensity. There was not a flicker of change in Jiang Ruan’s expression; she continued smiling slightly as she locked eyes with the Old Jiang Madame.
The Old Jiang Madame looked away and said without emotion, “You have grown older, and have somewhat matured.”
She affected a cold demeanour to suppress the trace of surprise she felt. She had already lived most of the years of her life and was quite accurate at reading people. The Jiang Ruan of the present was an entirely different person from the Jiang Ruan of the past. If one were to compare the two young ladies of the fu, just from this aspect of Jiang Ruan’s ability to remain unruffled, Jiang Su Su had lost greatly. However, the Old Jiang Madame could not understand what kind of opportunity Jiang Ruan could have had at the countryside residence in order to develop such an imposing and assertive manner at such a young age.
“Your visit today wasn’t just to come and pay respects to your zumu, was it? What else is there?” the Old Jiang Madame asked.
Long before Jiang Ruan arrived, a servant had already brought news of the earlier situation outside the entrance of Yan Hua Yuan. That Jiang Ruan would seek her out to settle this matter caused the Old Jiang Madame great astonishment. However, after the initial surprise came the clarity of understanding. This eldest girl was not in favour with Jiang Quan, and her stepmother was not the type to be benevolent. So, relying on zumu must be the only route open to her. However, if she intended to curry favour in order to help Zhou momo, she would find that the Old Jiang Madame would not be willing to help.
Jiang Ruan had yet to say anything, when the voice of a servant outside was heard announcing, “Furen has arrived.”
Immediately after that, a crisp and melodious voice said, “Zumu!”
Jiang Ruan did not turn around. She saw a white-clothed figure dash past her and climb onto the Old Jiang Madame’s bed with an air of familiarity. Like a cat, she curled up against the Old Jiang Madame’s side and joyfully said, “Zumu, look, I have brought your favourite almond cakes.” Then, she placed the woven straw basket in her hands carefully onto the table, as if it were a precious treasure.
Almond cookies
“Su niang[1], look at the way you are behaving. What should we do if you agitate zumu?” Xia Yan’s voice sounded from behind.
[1] Niáng ( 娘 ) – Young lady
Jiang Su Su curled her lips and said, “That’s of no concern. Zumu won’t blame me for anything.”
“Naughty child,” the Old Jiang Madame said in reprimand, but a smile appeared on her face. “You have such disregard for proper etiquette, that when you are married in the future, you will be a laughing stock.”
“What is zumu saying?” Jiang Su Su’s face reddened. With a turn of her head, she appeared to have just noticed Jiang Ruan, and exclaimed in surprise, “Da Jiejie[2] is also here.”
[2] Dà Jiějie ( 大 姐姐 ) Eldest sister
Jiang Ruan smiled and nodded.
Jiang Su Su looked at the Old Jiang Madame, then again at Jiang Ruan. Suddenly, she said, “Zumu, are you and Da Jiejie whispering secrets behind Su Su’s back? Su Su wants to hear them, too. Da Jiejie, what were you both doing just now?”
She blinked several times. Her eyes, as beautiful and luminous as misty clouds, were lively with intelligence and full of emotion. Her bright red, tear-shaped birthmark was like a little flower and her attitude was innocent and guileless. She seemed just like a fairy who had fallen into the mortal realm, causing humans to feel for her.
Old Jiang Madame did not say anything, and simply turned her indifferent gaze towards Jiang Ruan.
Cai Que looked at Jiang Ruan with some trepidation. This room was very lively and bustling with noise, but Eldest Miss seemed to be all alone in the midst of it; isolated, with nary a person to speak on her behalf.
Xia Yan smiled. “Su niang, don’t talk nonsense, your eldest sister . . .”
Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Ruan sighed gently, and spoke slowly, her voice soft and gentle. “Su niang is wrong. I am here today only to visit zumu. Su niang, you are also aware that I was in the other residence for five whole years, which means five years of not being able to meet zumu. The sacred Buddhist scriptures speak of striving for perfection. In this world, I think perfection is most closely achieved when families reunite. Unlike you, Su niang, I have not been able to enjoy this perfection at all times. For me, today’s meeting with zumu has been the most perfect moment in the past five years. Zumu and I have not been colluding. I . . . I only wanted to be close to my family.”
Translated by : irisu, shl, togekiss
Edited by : Anks & Ely
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