Young widow in her boudoir

Shen Xiaoxiao was stunned when she saw her firm attitude.

Has Xie Rutang gone mad?

They promised to embroider a handkerchief for her, and then they just took it back like that?! What kind of logic is that?!

The girl's face flushed red and then turned pale, filled with shame and anger. Her fingertips trembled with rage. "It's nothing but a show, yet you dare to use the clan elders to intimidate me!"

Xie Rutang stood still, her figure still gentle and graceful, but her tone was unyielding, "I have the right to decide what's in my possessions. They are my life's work, so I have the right not to give them to me."

Xie Rutang was furious that Shen Xiaoxiao actually wanted to use her hard work to please Ye Wanyu!

She feeds a dog, and even the dog knows how to be grateful.

Only now did she understand that although Shen Xiaoxiao was related to her deceased husband by blood, so what? Her sister-in-law was arrogant and cold-blooded, unlike her brother at all. She did not inherit even a fraction of her brother's magnanimity.

She didn't even want to give Shen Xiaoxiao a handkerchief!

Yes, she is just that stingy. So what if the whole family gossips about her and says she mistreats her sister-in-law?

What's the point of such a hollow reputation?

She used to be very cautious in everything she did, but her repeated concessions did not earn her understanding; instead, others made increasingly unreasonable demands.

Sometimes, people live just to prove themselves.

Xie Rutang trembled with anger, but her eyes were firm and bright. From now on, she would never try to please anyone in the Shen family again and would just live her own life!

Shen Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth: "You'll regret this!"

After saying that, he slammed the door shut and left, his eyes red with anger.

Jin Yue approached with concern, "Madam, Miss just left in a huff; she's probably going to Shou'an Hall to complain to the Old Madam..."

Xie Rutang was washing a brush in the brush holder, her delicate profile revealing a coldness. "Let her complain. If she really makes a scene in front of the old lady, I will simply expose all of Ye Wanyu's schemes, including the fact that she secretly cut my food rations."

She took a deep breath.

Perhaps it was because he gained fame through selling his paintings that he suddenly felt more confident and stood up straight.

In the past, she would have remained confined to her inner quarters, only knowing how to suppress her emotions and shed tears. Faced with such difficulties, she would certainly have had no strength to resist at all.

It seems that since Shen Xiaoxiao went to tell Ye Wanyu about her "unexplained madness" today, Ye Wanyu probably wouldn't dare to do anything.

Ye Wanyu also knew the principle of "better to be broken than whole," and besides, she was a very vulnerable widow, so she dared not make a big fuss about it.

Xie Rutang glanced at Shen Yuan's memorial tablet in the room and sighed softly.

A wisp of incense wafted before the memorial tablet, its smoke curling gently in the air.

She whispered to herself.

Yuanlang, please don't blame me. It's your own sister who's unruly. I can't discipline her, and I don't want to worry about her anymore. The more I try to control her, the more counterproductive it will be, and I'll only end up with Shen Xiaoxiao harboring resentment.

Xie Rutang sat down in the chair, took a few deep breaths, and continued painting, trying not to think about those nauseating thoughts.

Just as she expected, Shen Xiaoxiao said she had lost her temper, but the Shen family was peaceful and quiet today, and nothing happened.

Shen Xiaoxiao must have been warned by Ye Wanyu after she returned.

Xie Rutang's mood was not affected at all. After she finished the painting, she asked Jin Yue to let it air dry in the shade. Once the ink on it was completely dry, Jin Yue carefully rolled it up and put it into a painting tube, waiting to take it to Chengxin Painting Shop next time.

Xie Rutang was still lying on the couch, taking a nap.

However, by evening she heard that the old lady was starting to feel unwell, so she had no choice but to get up, put on her clothes, and go to take care of her.

Upon arrival, it was discovered that the old lady's headache had flared up again.

Ye Wanyu stood to the side, gently offering a few comforting words. Then, she excused herself, saying that there were still some matters to attend to in the household, and took her leave, leaving Xie Rutang behind.

Xie Rutang extended her slightly cool fingertips and carefully massaged her mother-in-law's acupoints on her head with gentle and measured movements.

The old lady leaned against the embroidered pillow, her eyes closed and her breathing even. Xie Rutang originally thought she was asleep and was about to quietly back away.

The old lady suddenly spoke up: "Xiaoxiao told me that you were unwilling to teach her music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and instead asked me to find her another female tutor. What exactly is going on?"

Xie Rutang lowered her eyes and replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "I am currently busy managing the shops left by Yuanlang and have many mundane affairs to attend to. I really don't have enough time. Besides, my sister-in-law has always looked down on my meager skills. Even if I were to force myself to teach her, she would be unwilling to accept it, and it would be a waste of effort."

"The daughter-in-law thought it would be better to find a highly respected female teacher for her, so that her sister-in-law would be truly convinced."

The old lady's headache eased slightly, but her words were sharp as knives. "I know Xiaoxiao is spoiled and acts recklessly. But she's been carrying a heavy burden since losing her brother, so as her sister-in-law, you should be more understanding. In my opinion, a doctor hired from outside can never truly know a family member as well as anyone else!"

Xie Rutang remained silent, offering no immediate rebuttal. Her mother-in-law's words, though seemingly reasonable, were in reality an attempt to shift the burden onto her.

She stood by the tarpaulin, her appearance gentle, but she didn't seem like someone who would easily give in.

The standoff lasted for a moment.

"So, according to you, there's absolutely no room for maneuver?!" The old lady's voice turned somber.

Xie Rutang remained unyielding. "Mother-in-law, it's not that I'm deliberately trying to shirk responsibility, but I simply have no choice. If my sister-in-law is willing, I can occasionally offer her some guidance in my spare time. But if it's about formal instruction, I really can't bear the responsibility of being a teacher."

The old lady frowned, realizing that she was no longer willing to be manipulated at will. She waved her hand impatiently, "Alright, I'll find a female tutor for Xiaoxiao. You go back to the backyard. I have a terrible headache and it's annoying to look at you."

Xie Rutang didn't understand the sarcasm in her words, but pretended not to understand.

She got up from the brocade stool, and Jin Yue helped her up. They were about to leave the main hall of Shou'an Hall.

Outside the hall, the sunlight cast golden shadows, and a gentle breeze swept through the corridor. Inside, a few maids remained, standing with their hands at their sides.

Before she could even cross the threshold, she bumped into Pei Zhiheng, who had just returned to his residence.

Xie Rutang's heart pounded rapidly.

At this moment, a maid from the Shen family stepped forward to greet the Second Master and took the black gauze hat that he had casually taken off. Xie Rutang dared not go over. The man in the black brocade robe stood in the shadow of the flower branches. His bone structure was stunning. His thin white eyelids, overexposed by the sunlight, exuded a coldness.

Sunlight filters through the gaps in the flowers, and the willow branches in the courtyard droop low. A woman gracefully completes her curtsy, her soft, cloud-like skirt brushing against the stone steps.

It was just a fleeting encounter.

In a corner where no one could see, Pei Zhiheng's hand, hidden beneath the hem of his oversized coat, suddenly grasped her arm, right in front of the maids and servants.

His palm was burning hot, and it burned her skin. Strangely, Xie Rutang felt a strange sensation on her body. Her skin trembled, and she felt a comfortable, itchy, and tingling numbness.

"I'll come find you later."