Chapter 176: Chapter 176: Grave Mistake (2)
This idea is like a fantasy; Xiqiu feared she would actually enact a young lady’s elopement with a gentleman in a private drama: "Don’t even mention whether you can leave or not, even if you see him, what can you do? If you are truly worried, let Nanny Duan go and take a look, and tell you what she sees, it’s the same."
Tong Xiyan didn’t say anything, just silently shed tears. Xiqiu knew that besides taking her out of the residence, nothing else would reach her now, so she held her hand, sat silently by the bed for a while, then patted Tong Xiyan’s hand and said: "I’ll go to Mother’s place, you take a good sleep today and don’t think about other things." Tong Xiyan lay still with her eyes closed. Xiqiu felt helpless and got up to leave. Nanny Duan was waiting outside the door, and when she saw her come out, she immediately asked, "Sixth Miss, how is Fourth Miss?"
Xiqiu shook her head and lowered her voice, saying, "Her emotions are unstable, you must be careful in watching over her."
Nanny Duan’s demeanor stiffened, secretly gnashing her teeth as she cursed Jiang Shilin. If it weren’t for him, the young lady wouldn’t have done something so outrageous. Now, she had to live in fear for him; if her health were to be ruined, she would risk her life to confront Jiang Shilin for an explanation. Such a good young lady, and it’s because of him she’s become like this.
"What a sin!" Nanny Duan’s tears streaked down her old face as she sighed, "Thank goodness for Sixth Miss’s steady hand, otherwise I, this old woman, really wouldn’t know what to do. Rest assured, Sixth Miss, these next two days, I will not leave the young lady for a second."
Xiqiu, feeling reassured, took Sixing and Chunyan to the main house.
The Lady merely assumed Tong Xiyan was still sulking over Young Master Zhou and therefore did not ask much!
In the evening after dinner, Sixing accompanied Xiqiu on the kang, embroidering. She observed Xiqiu’s expression with the corner of her eye and said, "Miss... Could it be that something has happened to Fourth Miss?" She vaguely sensed something was amiss but felt it was too shocking to believe.
Xiqiu lowered her head, focusing on her needlework, and without lifting her eyes, said, "It’s nothing!" With that, she cut off the thread with scissors, rethreaded the needle, and said to Sixing, "It’s getting cold, you don’t need to stay up at night, lest you catch a cold. Go rest early!"
Sixing, suppressing her thoughts, divided two more sets of thread for Xiqiu before tidying up and leaving.
By the next day, Xiqiu went again to Tong Xiyan’s side after breakfast. She was still lying in bed as the day before, but her complexion was much worse. Xiqiu sat by the bed with a bowl of porridge: "At least eat something. If Mother discovers you like this, what will you do? Even if Young Master Jiang wakes up, the two of you might never meet again."
Tong Xiyan’s vacant gaze suddenly turned to Xiqiu, a sudden light in her eyes. Unexpectedly, she nodded at Xiqiu and said, "Sixth Sister is right; no matter what, I must first take care of my own health." She then called for Xinzhu: "Help me up." She refused Xiqiu’s help in feeding her, and unexpectedly, she drank two bowls of porridge by herself. She then got up, changed her clothes, and went with Xiqiu to greet the Lady. The Lady saw Tong Xiyan with a face full of smiles and held her hand, asking, "Did you have breakfast?"
Tong Xiyan nodded obediently, saying, "I did!" Then, holding the Lady’s hand, she asked, "Will Father come home for the New Year this year?"
The Lady’s eyes dimmed, remembering what the First Master said in his letter: "Ever since Yongzhou entered winter, it has been incessantly snowing. He goes to the countryside every day for inspections and is negotiating with the court for relief grain and winter clothing. There are too many affairs, so he won’t be coming home for the New Year!"
In past years, the First Master often wouldn’t come home for the New Year, and she had no words about it. But she mentioned the Fourth Girl’s marriage in her last letter, hoping he would come back to decide, yet he said nothing about it, instead leaving it to her to handle... In the case of the Third Girl’s marriage, he had angrily blamed her for not fulfilling a proper wife’s duty. Now it concerns the Fourth Girl, and he is being completely indifferent!
With this in her thoughts, she asked, "Not coming back? Do you have something planned?"
Tong Xiyan shook her head, "No, just asking." She finished and smiled at the Lady, saying, "I haven’t seen my brother for some days, I’d like to go to the outer courtyard and see him."
The Lady was startled, raising an eyebrow, "Why suddenly mention Master and now your brother, what’s going on today?"
Xiqiu listening, was slightly taken aback.
Tong Xiyan, however, smiled, "There’s nothing going on, I just suddenly miss Brother." The Lady thought nothing more of it and nodded, "The path is slippery; bring more people with you." Then, looking over at Xiqiu, she advised, "You should accompany your Fourth Sister; I’m not at ease with her going alone!"
Xiqiu was about to nod in agreement when Tong Xiyan interrupted, laughing: "I have my maids, why are you so worried? Besides, I have something to say to Brother." She then smiled at Xiqiu, "With Sixth Sister around, how can I whisper to Brother in private!"
As she listened, Xiqiu furrowed her brows heavily, feeling Tong Xiyan’s actions were unusual, yet unable to pinpoint why.
The Lady’s eyes flashed, and she squinted at Xiqiu, questioning if the Sixth Girl and Fourth Girl had quarreled? Her gaze turned slightly cold, yet she smiled at Tong Xiyan, "Go then! Don’t stay too long; with the snow piled so deep, make sure to take a sedan chair."
Tong Xiyan nodded, smiling as she took Xinzhu, Nanny Duan, and some common maids out the door, sitting in a sedan chair out to the outer courtyard.
Xiqiu returned alone to her courtyard, pulling Sixing along: "Go and see at Fourth Miss’s courtyard, if she comes back, let me know immediately." Sixing, unsure of the reason, nodded as she assumed Xiqiu had something to discuss with Tong Xiyan: "Yes!"
By 7 a.m., the sky turned gloomy again, with heavy snow quickly blanketing the yard in silvery white. As Sixing hadn’t returned yet, Xiqiu grew worried and was just about to send Chunyan as well, when Sixing finally returned, her cheeks and nose red from the cold. Xiqiu handed her the hand warmer, asking, "Back?"
Sixing took off her coat, warming up with the hand warmer, replying: "No, but Nanny Duan and Xinmei came back, saying Fourth Miss is in Eldest Master’s room reading. The kang in Eldest Master’s room isn’t warm enough, so Fourth Miss sent Nanny Duan and Xinzhu back to fetch clothes."
Xiqiu frowned, feeling increasingly uneasy.
But by noon, Tong Xiyan returned safely, and only then did her anxious heart calm somewhat. Yet the next day, Tong Xiyan went again to the outer courtyard, this time to find Xu Tianqing. Xiqiu had Sixing follow from a distance, and she reported that Fourth Miss merely borrowed a book from Xu Tianqing and returned without lingering.
Xiqiu grew even more suspicious, feeling Tong Xiyan’s behavior was highly unusual, yet whenever she went to the outer courtyard, she returned without any issue. Could she be inquiring about Jiang Shilin from Tong Shen Zhi and Xu Tianqing?
Nanny Duan sat on the edge of Tong Xiyan’s bed, holding ginseng tea with a worried expression: "Miss, you hardly ate anything at noon; drink this ginseng tea, you mustn’t wear out your body."