NOVEL NEXT Chapter 3: Truly Laughable
Chapter 3: Truly Laughable
Qiao Nian’s former courtyard was named Falling Plum Courtyard.
The yard was filled with various plum trees. From the beginning of winter, the plum blossoms in Falling Plum Courtyard would bloom competitively, not withering until early spring.
Those plum trees were personally sought out by Marquis Lin from various parts of Jing country, just because young Qiao Nian had once said that plum blossoms were her favorite in this life.
The manor spent hundreds of taels of silver each year on maintaining those plum trees.
However, the year Lin Yuan returned, she merely said, “Sister’s courtyard’s plum blossoms are so beautiful,” and Falling Plum Courtyard became Lin Yuan’s.
Back then, Qiao Nian was full of resentment, but now, thinking about it, she felt nothing.
Lin Yuan was the true daughter of the Marquis’s family. Everything in this manor, be it objects or people, naturally belonged to Lin Yuan.
And she, Qiao Nian, was just an outsider who had usurped another’s place.
The maid leading the way was enthusiastic, “The maids who used to serve young miss have all married. Madam has assigned me to serve young miss from now on. My name is Ning Shuang, and young miss can order me around for anything in the future.”
Ning Shuang had a baby face with chubby cheeks. Qiao Nian found her familiar and asked, “Were you from the young master’s courtyard?”
Ning Shuang seemed somewhat delighted, “Young miss still remembers me?”
Qiao Nian nodded slightly. In the past, she often went to play in Lin Ye’s courtyard, so she naturally had an impression of the people there.
However, she didn’t understand why Lin Ye would arrange his own people around her.
Thinking of how Lin Ye had misunderstood her intentions towards Lin Yuan several times three years ago, Qiao Nian thought, he must have sent Ning Shuang to monitor her!
Fanghe Courtyard wasn’t large. Upon entering the gate, one could see a lotus pond. In summer, the lotus flowers in the pond would bloom competitively. Except for the abundance of mosquitoes, it was quite beautiful.
However, in this season, the lotus flowers had long since withered, leaving only some remaining dry branches swaying precariously on the frozen water surface. Such a desolate scene made Fanghe Courtyard look even colder than outside.
Fortunately, the room was warm.
A stove was lit inside, and the servants had already prepared hot water. Ning Shuang made to help Qiao Nian bathe, but Qiao Nian grabbed her wrist.
“No need, I can manage on my own.”
Ning Shuang looked surprised, “How can that be? How can we let young miss do it herself?”
“I’ll do it myself,” Qiao Nian repeated, her tone flat, showing little emotion, yet carrying an undeniable authority.
Ning Shuang had no choice but to put down the clothes in her hands, “Then, this servant will wait outside. If young miss needs anything, just call for me.”
“Alright,” Qiao Nian responded softly and said no more, until she watched Ning Shuang leave the room and close the door.
Only then did she move behind the screen and slowly remove her clothes…
An hour later, Qiao Nian finally arrived at the Old Madam’s courtyard.
But as soon as she entered, she was stopped by Lin Ye.
“Why haven’t you changed your clothes?” Lin Ye’s face was filled with anger and impatience, his gaze toward Qiao Nian carrying a hint of disgust. “Do you want grandmother to see you in these palace maid’s clothes and feel sorry for you?”
Qiao Nian opened her mouth to explain, but Lin Ye didn’t give her a chance. He pushed her out, saying, “I’m warning you, grandmother’s health is poor and can’t take any shocks. Put away those despicable thoughts of yours! If you upset grandmother, I won’t let you off!”
Qiao Nian was pushed out of the courtyard gate. Her ankle was already sprained today, and after being shoved several times like this, she felt a sharp pain in her ankle. She lost her balance and fell to the ground.
This scene was witnessed by Madam Lin, who was walking towards them.
“Ye’er, stop it!”
Madam Lin hurried over. Seeing that Qiao Nian couldn’t get up immediately, she asked the maids beside her to help.
Lin Ye watched coldly, “Mother, don’t blame me. It’s her malicious intent! You clearly bought her new clothes, yet she still wants to wear this to see grandmother. Isn’t this trying to torment grandmother to death?”
Hearing this, Madam Lin finally noticed that Qiao Nian was still wearing the palace maid’s clothes.
She sighed, but still said gently, “Nian Nian, your grandmother’s health has deteriorated even more in these three years you’ve been away. Your brother shouldn’t have laid hands on you, but he’s also worried about your grandmother’s condition. These clothes of yours, it’s better if you change them!”
Qiao Nian looked up at Madam Lin, then glanced at Lin Yuan beside her, before finally speaking, “The clothes are too small.”
The new clothes Madam Lin had prepared for her were probably based on Lin Yuan’s size.
But she was half a head taller than Lin Yuan, so those clothes simply didn’t fit her.
Madam Lin was immediately filled with guilt, “So that’s why. It’s mother’s oversight. I’ll have someone get new ones for you right away.”
However, Lin Ye’s anger only grew, “How ill-fitting can they be? You’re only a bit taller than Yuan’er, how can you not wear them? Three years as a palace maid, and you’ve become even more pretentious!”
Qiao Nian took a deep breath, thinking that Lin Ye was habitually wronging her. She finally, in front of everyone, lifted her sleeve.
“It’s not that I can’t wear them. It’s that they can’t cover.”
As she spoke, there was a collective gasp from those around.
They saw that Qiao Nian’s hands were bruised and swollen, with many chilblains. Some areas had even broken skin, looking extremely ugly.
But the ugliest were the wounds on her arms.
Whether from a leather whip or a bamboo cane, there were stripes, new wounds and old, red and black, intertwined like a broken net extending from her arm to the back of her hand.
Lin Ye finally understood what she meant by “can’t cover”.
If the clothes didn’t fit, the sleeves would be too short, and when she paid respects to grandmother, these wounds would be exposed. How distressed would grandmother be if she saw them?
Madam Lin understood too.
Tears immediately fell as she stepped forward and took Qiao Nian’s hands, heartbroken.
“Mother thought you were resentful and didn’t want me to touch you. I didn’t realize… Did mother hurt you?”
Qiao Nian didn’t speak, nor did she withdraw her hands, just letting Madam Lin hold them.
Beside them, Ning Shuang’s eyes were also red, “No wonder young miss wouldn’t let this servant attend to her. Young miss, are you covered in wounds all over?”
Covered in wounds all over?
Just the ones on her arms were shocking enough, if her entire body was like this…
Madam Lin’s breathing became erratic, “Quick, call for the doctor!”
A maid responded and left, while Lin Yuan beside them was also in tears, “How could they, how could they treat sister like this?”
Actually, it would have been better if Lin Yuan hadn’t spoken. Once she did, a wave of undisguisable malice surged in Qiao Nian’s heart.
She looked at Lin Yuan and said flatly, “Naturally, it was under the princess’s orders. Anyone who bullied me could go to the princess for a reward. The more cruelly they bullied me, the more money they got. After all… wasn’t it me who broke the princess’s crystal bowl?”
Hearing this, Lin Yuan’s body suddenly stiffened. Her eyes widened, staring at Qiao Nian, as large teardrops fell one after another.
It was as if she was the one who had been bullied for three years.
And the maid behind her lowered her head, saying nothing.
Three years. The maid who had wrongly accused her back then was still standing well behind Lin Yuan. So when Madam Lin kept expressing her heartache, Qiao Nian found it laughable.