After Father Yinxing and Widow Qiao had left, Yin Xing, who had been hiding behind the door, brought her two younger sisters into the room. The three sisters knelt on the ground together and began to kowtow to Lin Yuan.
The two girls had only managed to wash their faces and comb their hair. They had changed their clothes, but the clothes didn’t fit well, making the girls look even more frail.
While changing clothes in the backyard earlier, Yin Xing had already explained Lin Yuan’s intention to her sisters.
Although the two little girls were timid, they were not fools. They knew who treated them well and who did not.
"Miss above, please accept our three sisters’ bow!"
Yin Xing led the way, guiding her two sisters to kowtow to Lin Yuan.
Lin Yuan wanted them to get up, but seeing the expressions of the trio, she ultimately didn’t say anything.
For her, buying these two young girls was a re gesture, but for them, it was a change of destiny.
They were simple country folk, unsure of how to repay her. Perhaps kowtowing was their most sincere and profound way of expressing gratitude. Not allowing them to kowtow might only make them feel more uneasy.
Lin Yuan curled her lips slightly, accepting the three sisters’ gratitude.
Huaihua stood aside witnessing the trio kneeling on the ground, seeming to understand sothing.
Yet at that mont, her mind couldn’t focus on pondering whether this was all an act or not, because her eyes were drawn to the new clothes on the two young girls.
Look! How pretty their clothes were! Shiny and sleeker than the silk dress she was wearing!
A trace of greed flashed in her eyes; vile thoughts arose. Back at ho, weren’t all good things and garnts centered around her? Later, she would strip off the dresses from these two and wear them herself!
However, regrettably, Lin Yuan clearly would not grant her such an opportunity.
"Get up quickly!"
Once the three, Yin Xing included, had finished kowtowing, Lin Yuan quickly had Shui Xian help them stand up and gave the two young girls a quick glance.
The older girl was twelve, and the younger was ten. Standing beside the just fourteen-year-old Yin Xing, they were a head shorter and much skinnier.
Lin Yuan sighed inwardly and took the hands of the two little girls, asking softly in a gentle voice, "Are you Sanhua and Xiahua?"
She seed to recall Yin Xing calling them that, and Father Yinxing calling Yinxing, "Erhua."
The two girls timidly nodded their heads, their hands stiff when Lin Yuan held them, feeling the warmth and gentility of her grasp, and sowhat embarrassedly hung their heads.
Yin Xing explained from beside, "Miss, my mother had four daughters. Since my parents had no schooling, they simply nad us Dahu, Erhua, Sanhua, and Xiaohua."
So they had an older sister?
Seeing Lin Yuan inquire, Yin Xing nodded and said, "Yes, when my father wanted to sell , initially it was my older sister who was supposed to take my place. But she was already engaged young and to change that would have required a lot of silver, so they sold instead."
Originally, Father Yinxing, when he was young and without silver to marry, borrowed so from a family in the village. That family wasn’t well-off, but they had a son. In those days, the costs for a son’s wedding could devour the parents’ savings.
So, the family suggested treating the borrowed silver as a betrothal gift and set up a prearranged marriage with Father Yinxing.
The debt was settled without repaynt, and they gained a son-in-law, which Father Yinxing agreed to.
After Widow Qiao entered the family, even though she despised Dahu, she couldn’t sell her. However, she demanded a hefty sum of silver at the wedding.
The initial agreent was that the lent silver was a betrothal gift, but now they had collected a large amount of silver again, and the groom’s parents were unhappy. They cut off contact with Dahu’s natal family after the wedding.
Dahu and her husband, both kind-hearted, also secretly helped Sanhua and Xiaohua.
Their in-laws naturally knew but turned a blind eye.
Everyone was from the sa village, and they had nothing against Father Yinxing, just could not stand Widow Qiao’s misconduct.
Dahua’s in-laws were not well-off either, having been significantly exploited by Widow Qiao. Their own life was tough, and even though they wanted to help Sanhua and Xiaohua, they were incapable.
But now, they no longer needed to worry about their natal family. The young couple could simply enjoy their lives sweetly.
After hearing Yin Xing’s (Erhua’s) explanation, Lin Yuan’s disdain for Widow Qiao deepened, and she looked at Huaihua with more disapproval.
Regrettably, Huaihua was oblivious, her eyes darting occasionally over Sanhua and Xiaohua, then fixating on Yin Xing, and now and then sneaking looks at Xia Zheng, which made Xia Zheng almost want to gouge out her eyes.
Lin Yuan raised her eyebrows, ignoring her, and spoke to Sanhua and Xiaohua, "Sanhua, Xiaohua, I can arrange three places for you: one is to follow your second sister to Lin Mansion, second is to stay in Dong Tian to serve, and third is to learn the tea ceremony at Idle Tea House. Which one would you like to choose?"
The two sisters blinked; they didn’t quite understand the latter two options ntioned by Lin Yuan but understood the first one quite well - they could stay by their sister’s side.
Even though they hadn’t seen each other for many years, they knew that their escape from a life of hardship and being sold to a brothel was all because of their sister, on whom they greatly relied.
"Can we, can we follow our second sister?" the two little girls timidly asked Lin Yuan.
Lin Yuan wasn’t surprised by their decision, but she didn’t think that becoming servants at Lin Mansion was a good place for them.
"Yin Xing, you make the decision for them!"
Yin Xing, biting her lips in gratitude, pulled her two younger sisters aside and recounted to them the pros and cons of the three options.
At the end, she ca back and reported, "Miss, I would like my two sisters to go to Idle Tea House. I seek your approval, Miss."
Lin Yuan curved her lips in a nod, she too had intended for Idle Tea House, although she didn’t know whether these two young girls had any talent for the Tea Ceremony; but in such an environnt as Idle Tea House, they would definitely beco knowledgeable and gentle won in the future.
Moreover, with Madam Ming and Da Ye there, Lin Yuan was even more assured.
Actually, Yin Xing wished to have her two sisters stay by her side in the Lin Mansion, perhaps doing so nial tasks, and eventually get matched with young servants, but having them near every day, she would feel more at ease.
However...
Yin Xing glanced at Huai Hua and changed her mind. Her sisters could no longer stay in Lin Mansion, let alone this unrelated ’younger sister’ dreaming any dreams of beauty.
Seeing how Yin Xing arranged for her sisters, Huai Hua’s lips curled with a trace of ridicule, inwardly cursing Yin Xing’s selfishness, as she was able to beco Xia Zheng’s maid or Little Concubine, yet let her sisters suffer and work outside.
Rolling her eyes, Huai Hua eagerly awaited Lin Yuan to ask her intentions.
However, it seed Lin Yuan had forgotten about her, not sparing her even a glance.
She saw Lin Yuan smiling at San Hua and Xiao Hua, saying, "Don’t worry, your second sister will also co to help at Idle Tea House from ti to ti, and then you’ll be able to et each other."
The backyard of Idle Tea House had its compartnts where they could stay peacefully, and once the two girls grew up a bit more, finding them suitable families would put Yin Xing’s mind at ease.
"But, Idle Tea House is a tea house, everyone there is nad after tea. Would you like to change your nas?"
The ancients valued the body, hair, and skin received from their parents, and nas were not casually changed. Naturally, Lin Yuan wanted to ask.
The two young girls, not understanding this, all looked towards Yin Xing for a decision.
Yin Xing imdiately perford a curtsey and nodded, saying, "Thank you for the honor of assigning nas, Miss."
The two young girls, following Yin Xing’s example, also curtsied and chorused, "Thank you for the honor of assigning nas, Miss."
Lin Yuan smiled, her eyes twinkled, and she said, "There’s a type of tea called Qing Cheng Xue Ya; your sisterly nas shall be Qing Cheng and Xue Ya!"
Xia Zheng, who was drinking tea, raised an eyebrow. Qing Cheng Xue Ya, indeed an exquisite na.
Yin Xing, with her two sisters, imdiately bowed in thanks, "Thank you for the nas, Miss."
Lin Yuan smiled and allowed Yin Xing to take Qing Cheng and Xue Ya to the backyard to play, as the three sisters had not seen each other for a long ti and surely had much to discuss.
Yin Xing nodded, but before she left, she cast another glance at Huai Hua, sowhat worriedly looking at Lin Yuan.
Lin Yuan waved her hand, knowing what she wanted to say, and smilingly sent her on her way.
Yin Xing thought, her own Miss was definitely not soone to be trifled with, not even fearing those more formidable than Huai Hua; how could she be manipulated by soone as insignificant as Huai Hua?
After Yin Xing left with her sisters, Lin Yuan took the tea that Xia Zheng poured for her and sipped it contentedly.
Huai Hua rolled her eyes, seeing the two of them—one drinking tea, the other pouring tea—completely disregarding her.
The dresses on Qing Cheng and Xue Ya, along with their newly assigned lodious nas, deeply irritated Huai Hua’s nerves.
These two ugly girls who knew nothing still received such good treatnt; she, a beautiful girl, must absolutely have sothing better.
Yet, after waiting for quite a while and seeing Lin Yuan ignoring her, Huai Hua grew anxious.
Her eyes darted around. Seizing the right mont, when only a little tea was left in Lin Yuan’s cup, she swiftly moved forward, snatching the teapot before Xia Zheng could.
Xia Zheng was about to pour more tea for Lin Yuan when he suddenly saw a rough hand getting ahead of him, even trying to touch his hand!
Snap!
A crisp sound, and the teapot Huai Hua had snatched split in two halves. Huai Hua, who had been preparing a coy expression, instantly turned dumbfounded!
How, how did the teapot break?
After a mont of shock, the sudden pain radiating through the back of her hand was excruciating!
"Ow, my hand, my hand!"
Huai Hua clutched her hand tightly, no longer caring about the teapot split in two, her tears nearly falling.
"Commandery Princess, why did you hit ?"
Lifting her head, Huai Hua tearfully looked at Lin Yuan. Although she hadn’t seen clearly how the teapot cracked, she did see clearly that it was Lin Yuan who had tapped her hand back with chopsticks.
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