Chapter 37: Picking Plum Blossoms

When Wei-shi said she was returning to her parental home and planned to take her own son along, the old madam was displeased. She sternly objected, “You can go back alone—Xing ge’er (the child) cannot!”

The old master also became furious. “The New Year is just around the corner! Every family is reuniting—and you, heartless woman, want to split ours apart?”

Wei-shi, having already made up her mind to return to her family, had no interest in further argument. She simply carried Yao Yao and headed toward the door.

Granny Zhao followed behind to manage the aftermath, her eyes landing on the young heir.
Although Wei-shi hadn’t taken his hand, she knew her son well—if Yao Yao was being taken away, he would naturally follow.

The two elders of the Xie family wanted to chase after them to stop her, but suddenly Yao Wu, lying in bed, became agitated.

“Ah! My head hurts—so much pain!”

Yao Wu’s expression twisted in pain. He held his head and repeatedly banged it against the wall.

Everyone in the room was terrified. Especially Xin-shi, who began weeping uncontrollably like a spring had burst—unable to stop.

In the end, it was Xie Sanlang who grabbed his son tightly and hurried the family physician to take his pulse.

The old master kept sighing beside them. “Xing’er is just a child—what medical skills could he possibly have? He’s just fooling around!”

Yet after checking the pulse for quite a while, the physician couldn’t find anything wrong.

“The young lord’s pulse is stable. There shouldn’t be a problem.”

Even the physician found this odd. Normally, such a severe headache should reflect in the pulse. Although he wasn’t the most skilled doctor, he was confident in pulse diagnosis.

The old madam slapped her thigh and turned to Yun-shi, not realizing the Marquis of Chengming was also in the room. She blurted out, “Didn’t you say the medicine would only cause stomach pain? Why is it affecting his head?”

The marquis’s face darkened instantly.

He had suspected it, but now that it was confirmed, whatever hope he had was crushed.

The Marquis said nothing, just shot a cold glare around the room and left with a flick of his sleeve.

He rushed to Wei-shi’s room, only to learn that she had already taken the children and was on the way back to the Wei family residence.

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Wei Dalang (Wei-shi’s eldest brother) was thrilled when he heard his sister had returned, but his excitement quickly turned into concern.

He turned to the Wei family patriarch and said anxiously, “Minglan is always steady and responsible. With the New Year so close, she should be at the marquis estate managing household affairs and serving her in-laws. Why would she come back now?”

The old master furrowed his brows but reacted quicker than Wei Dalang. “The Xie family must have bullied our Lan girl!”

Wei Dalang’s face darkened. “If that’s true, then we’ll bring her back to our ancestral home.”

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Fifteen minutes later.

Wei Dalang personally waited at the main gate for Wei-shi and her party.

He looked around for a long time until a servant finally reported that Wei-shi had entered through the back gate, bringing the young heir of the marquis estate with her.

When he heard that the young heir had come as well, Wei Dalang trembled slightly.

He immediately ordered servants to prepare hot water, fresh cups, and cushions in the front hall.

Although Wei Dalang had not interacted much with his young nephew, he’d heard plenty of rumors from the capital.

At first, he didn’t believe them, thinking the capital folk were exaggerating.

But even his wife, Tian-shi, had said that this nephew of his had a dark and unpredictable temperament.

Still—blood is thicker than water. Wei Dalang’s heart ached for his nephew.

After all, he had only one sister—Wei-shi—who had grown up cherished by the whole family before being married off to the Marquis of Chengming.

As soon as Wei Dalang entered the room, he noticed it was colder inside than outside.

Casting a sidelong glance at the roaring brazier, he could see the coals burning hot.

He looked up again to see Wei-shi and, beside her, Xie Yixing. His eyes lit up—until he spotted Yao Yao sitting on Xie Yixing’s lap. He was instantly overjoyed.

Ever since he saw Yao Yao at the marquis estate, he had grown fond of her.

He talked about her daily to his concubine, raving about how adorable she was, even hoping his concubine might bear a daughter just as lovable.

Yao Yao was just as excited.

Since entering the marquis estate, her daily routine was limited to moving between Weirui Courtyard and Wei-shi’s quarters. She had long felt bored.

From the moment she stepped into the back gate of the Wei residence, she had been craning her little neck and looking around eagerly.

The Wei residence wasn’t as large as the marquis estate, but it had all the essential structures.

Especially since the patriarch of the Wei family was a scholar who loved flowers—he admired peonies in spring, lotuses in summer, chrysanthemums in autumn, and plum blossoms in winter. The rear courtyard was filled with flowers year-round.

A fresh layer of snow had just fallen, and the red plum blossoms were beginning to bloom.

Yao Yao stretched her arms, wanting to pick one and hold it in her hands, but her arms were too short to reach.

Xie Yixing noticed the anxious look in her eyes and immediately reached out to break off a branch and handed it to her.

The Wei family servants hadn’t had a chance to warn him that these plum blossoms were the patriarch’s treasure. Normally, even accidentally knocking off a petal would make him furious.

Even Wei Dalang and his wife avoided walking through the plum garden.

And yet, the young heir had snapped off an entire branch as soon as he arrived.

The servants were nervous, but none dared scold him.

Though Xie Yixing had never thrown a tantrum in front of them, they had relatives and friends who served in the marquis estate. Every time they mentioned the young heir, their faces would go stiff and silent.

Even without a word, it was clear that life serving in the marquis estate was tough.

The young heir was notoriously difficult.

Now that he was in the Wei household, everyone was on edge.

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As soon as Wei-shi stepped into the front hall, she heard a teacup smash.

“The Xie family has gone too far!” the patriarch shouted.

Wei-shi had only just arrived, but the patriarch had already sent someone to inquire about the situation at the marquis estate.

When he found out that the two elders of the Xie family had come and immediately tried to intimidate his daughter, the old master was furious. He almost grabbed his cane and stormed to the marquis estate to demand an explanation.

Wei-shi quickly tried to stop him. “It’s the New Year, Father. Please don’t waste your anger on people who don’t deserve it.”

Although Wei-shi was angry too, she didn’t want her father worrying about her.

Her mother had died early, and her father never remarried. He had single-handedly run the household, tirelessly and without complaint.

She had three older brothers. Her eldest brother had failed the imperial exams repeatedly and had to buy an official post with money. Her second brother joined the army and was stationed at the border, absent for many years. Her third brother became a merchant and was rarely home.

The only one who interacted with Wei-shi regularly was her eldest brother.

That was the reason the Marquis of Chengming didn’t stop Wei-shi from maintaining ties with her family.

Unfortunately, although Wei Dalang was kind-hearted and honest, his wife was notoriously difficult.

Thankfully, Tian-shi had already been sent to live in the countryside and would never return.

Wei-shi didn’t blame her family for that matter, and the household remained harmonious.

The old master was still fuming when the corner of his eye caught the plum blossom in Yao Yao’s hand. His sharp old eyes gleamed as he said, “That plum blossom looks very familiar.”

Yao Yao blinked her bright, glistening eyes and raised her fair, rosy little face. Her chubby fingers pointed toward the door. “I picked it from the courtyard out front.”

The old master’s brow furrowed sharply.

The front courtyard?

Wasn’t that his plum garden?

So the blossom was plucked from his plum garden?

The old master’s anger began to surge—but when he looked again at Yao Yao’s rosy little chubby face, his expression unconsciously softened, and even his tone turned kind.

“You must be Yao Yao?”