A number of maidservants stood at the entrance to the main house of Anju Garden.
It seemed they were having a private conversation inside, as all the servants had been sent out.
As Ji Qingwu drew near, Chunhua hurried to greet her. "Fifth Missy, the Madam said that you and the young miss should come straight in when you arrive."
Chunhua knocked several times on the door, and after a short while, Mrs. Qiao's voice called out, "Come in."
On the daybed by the window, Mrs. Qiao sat across from a woman with her head bowed.
Ji Qingwu, holding Jiu Jiu's hand, said, "Mother."
The little girl followed her mother's lead, saying sweetly, "Grandmother."
The woman raised her head. She wore a gold-inlaid jade coronet and was dressed in a magnificent purple rose brocade. She had a very dignified air about her, but the tip of her nose and the corners of her eyes were red. She was the one who had been crying.
This was the eldest legitimate daughter of the main branch of the family, Ji Qingrong.
She had married Lu Juan, the Princely Heir of the Zhongwu Marquis Mansion, and had been wed for more than three years now.
Ji Qingrong looked at the mother-daughter pair before her, noticing their similar features. The little girl was the spitting image of her fifth sister as a child. Ironically, her fifth sister now looked less like her younger self than the child did.
"Fifth Sister." Her voice was laced with sorrow.
Ji Qingwu also felt a sense of familiarity upon seeing her eldest sister. After all, they were born of the same mother and had many similar features.
She sighed to herself. 'Ji Qingrong truly lives up to her name. Her beauty is captivating, her features even more glamorous than my own. Even looking a bit haggard, she is no less striking than the Fourth Miss from the second branch, and her bearing is far more elegant.'
She said softly, "Eldest Sister."
Ji Qingwu turned her head and squeezed the little girl's palm. "Jiu Jiu, call her Eldest Auntie."
Mrs. Qiao had already told Ji Qingrong that Xiao Wu had a daughter. At first, she'd had a hard time accepting that her little sister was already a married woman.
But upon seeing this mother and daughter, just like Mrs. Qiao, her heart melted into a puddle.
Although Ji Qingwu had borne a child, her eyes held none of the worldly air of a married woman; they were still clear and pure, radiating a charming innocence.
Seeing a face so similar to her mother's, Jiu Jiu scrambled with her short little legs, trying to climb onto the daybed. But she was still too small and didn't make it.
So, she raised her chubby, lotus-root-like arms, tilted her little head back, and blinked her big eyes.
"Eldest Auntie, hold me!"
Ji Qingrong let out a fond "Oh!", momentarily forgetting her gloomy mood. She quickly reached out, scooped the little girl up, and placed her on her lap.
Jiu Jiu leaned against her fragrant auntie, smiling so hard her eyes disappeared.
Witnessing this, Mrs. Qiao said in surprise, "Jiu Jiu, your eldest auntie never initiates physical contact with anyone. What's gotten into her today? It's a complete change in character."
"Jiu Jiu, come down now," Ji Qingwu beckoned. "Come over to Mommy."
The little girl looked at Ji Qingrong with a pitiful expression. "Eldest Auntie, don't you like Jiu Jiu?"
Watching Jiu Jiu clutch the hem of her dress, Ji Qingrong replied somewhat stiffly, "Of course I like you."
Mrs. Qiao, beaming at them from the side, couldn't stop smiling. "It looks like your eldest auntie really does like you. Qingrong is obsessed with cleanliness. Before she was married, her bed couldn't have a single speck of dust or strand of hair on it. She would even pout and throw a fit if her clothes got wrinkled."
Ji Qingwu pictured the scene, unable to reconcile the noble and elegant Heir's wife of the Zhongwu Marquis Mansion before her with the pouting, temperamental girl her mother described.
Ji Qingrong complained good-naturedly, "Mother, what are you saying in front of Fifth Sister and a child?"
The group had lunch in a pleasant atmosphere. Mrs. Qiao had specially instructed the small kitchen to prepare Three-Crisp Soup, braised shredded water bamboo, smoked pork, mushroom and shrimp crystal dumplings, and a creamy almond pudding just for Jiu Jiu.
Ji Qingrong kept smiling throughout the meal, prompting Ji Qingwu to glance at her repeatedly.
"Eldest Sister, what are you smiling about?" She put down her chopsticks and asked, puzzled.
Ji Qingrong covered her mouth with a silk handkerchief. "I'm smiling at you and Jiu Jiu. You may look alike, but your eating styles are completely different."
Ji Qingwu ate slowly and deliberately, taking only a few small bites of each dish, ensuring she sampled everything equally.
But the little girl zeroed in on her favorite dishes and ate with gusto, her head down and her little mouth stuffed full. If Nanny Li hadn't personally fed her the day before, Mrs. Qiao would have thought the child had been starved for three days straight.
Seeing Jiu Jiu eat with such a hearty appetite, Ji Qingwu smiled. "She's most focused when she's eating. No one can disturb her, or she'll get upset."
Her little daughter doesn't get grumpy when she wakes up, but she certainly gets grumpy at mealtimes. If anyone dares disturb her while she's eating, she's sure to get huffy.
Ji Qingrong said, "I've never seen such a well-behaved child. My second sister-in-law's son, Song, eats at the old madam's place every day, and it takes two maids coaxing and pleading just to get him to eat a tiny bit."
As she spoke, she sighed, and the light in her eyes dimmed once more.
After Jiu Jiu finished eating, Chunhua led a few maids to clear the hall, while Nanny Li took Jiu Jiu outside to play.
Once the three women were alone in the room, both Mrs. Qiao and Ji Qingrong looked at Ji Qingwu with expectant eyes.
Ji Qingwu had suspected something from the moment she walked in. 'For Ji Qingrong to come home in tears, she must have been wronged at the Marquis Mansion.'
'My sister looked at Jiu Jiu with such envy, and she still hasn't conceived after marrying into the Marquis Mansion.'
'Connecting the dots, I now understand why Ji Changlin went all the way to Nanchu to find me, the so-called miracle doctor.'
She took the initiative. "Mother, a few years ago I studied medicine to make a living. I can see Eldest Sister's complexion isn't very good. May I take her pulse for a routine check?"
Her words were both tactful and comforting.
Ji Qingrong marveled to herself, 'My fifth sister is truly clever.' She rolled up her sleeve, revealing her wrist.
As they were all women, there was nothing to be reserved about.
Ji Qingwu placed her fingers on the offered wrist, applying gentle pressure. She took the pulse for a while, her expression calm.
When she withdrew her hand, Mrs. Qiao asked urgently, "Xiao Wu, is there anything wrong with Qingrong's health?"
"Eldest Sister's body is fundamentally sound, but she has a bit of a yin deficiency with excessive internal heat. She needs to rest and recuperate more."
Ji Qingwu added meaningfully, "It would be best to retire earlier at night, to give your internal organs time to rest."
'Yin deficiency... retire earlier.'
Ji Qingrong's face instantly flushed crimson.
Mrs. Qiao understood the implication. Her tone turned serious, mixed with surprise. "Qingrong, does the Princely Heir spend every night in your room?"
Seeing Ji Qingrong nod, Mrs. Qiao frowned. "You've been married for over three years. It's important for a couple to be close, but you must look after your own body. I've told you before, you can't just let a man run wild in the bedroom."
Ji Qingrong had applied a thick layer of powder to her face specifically to cover the dark circles under her eyes.
Of course, she knew this. "Mother," she said, her voice full of grievance, "you don't know how much pressure I'm under in the Marquis Mansion. I've been married for so long and there's still no sign of a child. My sisters-in-law are all laughing at me."
"Over the past six months, my mother-in-law has grown dissatisfied with me, too. She's already sent a concubine and two chambermaids to the Princely Heir's side."
'If I push the Princely Heir away now…' Ji Qingrong's face was etched with worry.
Ji Qingwu frowned as well.
'Because my sister's condition is more than just a yin deficiency with excessive internal heat…'