Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 345 A Slap in the Face
If Lu Ying still held some hope for the situation during the day, ever since Li Mama learned from the maid who brought tea that Yan Shu was helpless in the face of this predicament, she no longer thought so.

She had witnessed the Yan family's splendor since childhood and had never failed to envy it. Such splendor was something she had never seen anywhere else except for the emperor!
Whenever members of the imperial family from all over the country came to the capital, they had to find various ways to send tributes to the Yan family in order to receive their annual allowance. Those who were well-connected with the Yan family received their allowances smoothly, while those who were not well-connected were lucky to receive them in the first year. Many of them only received 20 or 30 percent of the allowance and had to wait until the following year!
Despite their powerful methods, they have now been captured and imprisoned by the Embroidered Uniform Guard!

Lu Ying also knew that as long as Yan Song remained the Grand Secretary, Yan Shu would definitely not die!

But someone did manage to send Yan Shujiu to prison, and could this be the beginning?

"Qu'er, what did Grandfather say?"

Lu Ying's mood was as gloomy as the rainy night when Madam Yan in front of her stood up. It turned out that Yan Qu had come out first.

The mother and son seemed not to have seen her; they had already left while talking to each other.

Lu Ying wanted to go too, but she couldn't get involved.

No one thought to wait for her.

She could only stay where she was, waiting for Yan Liang to come out later. Yan Liang asked, "Why are you still here?"

Lu Ying looked behind him and said, "I'm worried about my father and want to hear some news."

Yan Liang responded with an "oh".

Lu Ying said, "Are you on guard against me? Why did you tell me to leave just now?"

Yan Liang stuffed the letter in his hand into his pocket: "You're overthinking it."

"Really?" Lu Ying looked up. "Am I overthinking this, or are you being too obvious? Am I not a member of the Yan family and therefore not entitled to know the inside story?"

Yan Liang sighed, "It's just because this isn't something a woman like you should worry about," he looked at her, "It's raining, let's go back."

After saying that, he walked over and went down the veranda.

……

When Lu Ying returned to the third house, Granny Li greeted her in the rain, looking at her in shock as her hair was already soaked: "Why are you so wet? Why didn't you take shelter from the rain, Grandma?"

Lu Ying grabbed her hand as she reached for the water: "He's wary of me."

"……what?"

“I meant Yan Liang. Maybe it’s not him,” she murmured again. “Maybe the Yan family is wary of me.”

Granny Li straightened up: "Why?"

“I don’t know either.” Lu Ying frowned, turning to look at herself in the mirror. “What role can I play? I’m nothing in this family! Even if I replace Madam Jin, so what? In the end, I’m not the one who can stand alone. In the inner quarters, the one who makes the final decisions is ultimately Madam! Why are they wary of me?”

Granny Li sat down beside him and asked, "What should we do then? Should we go back to the Lu family and ask the master?"

"Father?"

Hearing this, Lu Ying's eyes narrowed: "That's it, could it be because of Father? Is it because they're wary of Father that they're wary of me?... But Father has always been their primary target for winning over... What are they up to?"

Granny Li was even more at a loss for words, so she could only stand up as well.

Lu Ying clenched her fists and walked to the window, looking at the solemn and vast mansion under the rain: "Jin Shi is gone, the master is in prison, and the autumn rain has fallen in this mansion. It is so desolate."

Granny Li draped a coat over her shoulders: "Grandma, go wash up first, don't catch a cold."

Lu Ying spoke up on her own: "Granny Li, have you noticed that even though I pride myself on being clear-headed and thus willingly entered into this situation, there are still many things I'm kept in the dark about?"

Granny Li remained silent. Lu Ying suddenly turned around: "Send a message to the Grand Commandant's residence! I need to see Lu Jia. I have some questions for her."

"...Right now?"

“Isn’t this time better?” Lu Ying looked at the quiet courtyard. “Yan Qu has gone out, and Madam has been busy all day before she received news from Master. They are all busy, so whether I am here or not won’t attract attention. On the contrary, it would be more noticeable in broad daylight.”

Granny Li nodded.

……

Grand Commandant Shen was so angry with his son that he didn't leave his main room all day. The son, on the other hand, didn't care at all. He discussed matters with Song En and the others at Bibo Pavilion for a while, and then went out to see Guo Yi. He hadn't returned by late at night.

Lu Jia personally prepared dinner for Grand Commandant Shen and had someone bring Madam Cheng over for tea. The mother and daughter chatted about Cheng Yi's upcoming marriage for a while, and then talked about the incident at the Yan residence and the reactions of other residences.

Hearing that Yan Shu had fallen into great trouble, Cheng Wenhui was extremely anxious and wanted to take the opportunity to add fuel to the fire, but Lu Jie stopped her. So she started scolding her brother-in-law at home, and Madam Cheng found him annoying and gave him a lecture.

At that moment, Qinghe brought in Granny Li.

“Our grandmother has also arrived; she’s right outside the door, requesting an audience with the young mistress.”

Lu Jia immediately stood up.

Lu Ying sat in the carriage. After a while, the side gate opened, and Changfu came out to welcome the carriage inside.

After getting off the carriage, she looked up at the imposing front courtyard and the high and wide eaves on the left and right, and followed Changfu inside.

"younger sister."

Lu Jia's voice rang out from the front. She quickly stepped out of the hanging flower gate, her voice still slightly panting.

"Why are you here now?"

Lu Ying's hand was grasped, and the taut thorn armor on her body inexplicably softened. She nodded: "Sister."

Lu Jia smiled and said, "Come in quickly!"

Tea was being brewed inside. The autumn weather wasn't too cold yet, but on this rainy night, the steam rising from the small stove made everyone feel completely relaxed.

Lu Jia helped her take off her cloak, then took the tea that Fu Xiao had brewed and handed it to her before sending them out.

Only the two of them remained in the room.

Lu Ying suddenly remembered that on a cold night, Lu Jia came to see her late at night, looking so lonely and vulnerable in the cold wind. Without saying a word, she pulled Lu Jia into the house, let her sleep on her pillow, and wanted to give her everything she could use.

In the blink of an eye, their situations had reversed.

"Is this where my sister lives?" she asked, looking around the house.

This is a comfortably furnished tea room, with chrysanthemums of different colors displayed on small tables of varying heights. A rosewood lantern with a hundred flowers hangs in the corner. Beside it is a small cabinet displaying many exquisite, brightly colored tea sets. Two paintings hang on the wall: one depicting tea drinking under banana trees, and the other of red plum blossoms reflected in snow; the scenes are equally lively and vibrant, just like Lu Jia herself.

“No.” Lu Jia shook her head. “It’s just that this place is close to the gate, so you don’t have to go too far. I usually sit here, so no one will bother you. It’s perfect for a chat.”

Lu Ying nodded and placed the teacup on the table: "Outsiders all say that my sister was forced into the Shen family. If they saw how free and comfortable my sister is in the Shen family, they would probably be ashamed of themselves."

Lu Jia smiled and said, "The fact that it was handed over is the cause, and how well it goes is the result. The two are not necessarily related."

Lu Ying turned her head: "But among those people whose faces are swollen from being slapped, there is also one of me."