How could the poor Commandery Princess Qingjiang and Song Yixiao know that Nie Wuying's sudden change in temperament was due to fear of punishment for running away from home?

That afternoon, Commandery Princess Qingjiang's son, Zhuo Ping'an, was crying again, and she had to comfort him. Song Yixiao stood alone in front of Nie Wuying's door for more than an hour, but still couldn't make her sister-in-law soften, and finally had to return. Of course, she did not return to her own room directly, but reported to Commandery Princess Qingjiang who had just returned from Jianliu Building.

“In the past, Wuying couldn't have been easier to talk to, but why does she change now?” Commandery Princess Qingjiang was sad and confused, “Although there's no situation where three brothers were all absent in her birthdays in the past, it's not that n.o.body else hasn't been absent. What's going on?”

Song Yixiao thought to herself that this sister-in-law was a delicate and thoughtful one. Probably she had been grieving for years and took this opportunity to let it out!

However, it was not suitable to let Commandery Princess Qingjiang know this. She just said, “Maybe she was unhappy at the incongruity of our questions today, how about calling her tomorrow when she was less angry?”

“Sorry, you were treated badly!” Commandery Princess Qingjiang said guiltily, “When this kid comes to her senses, I must let her make amends to you!”

Song Yixiao knew that Qingjiang's words were not so much to comfort her, as to afraid that she might hold a grudge against Nie Wuying. So she said squarely, “The reason is that we neglected Wuying before, and now it's the right thing to compensate her. How can we ask her to make amends?”

Commandery Princess Qingjiang said as expected, “It's not all your fault. The second and third younger brothers were also absent the day before yesterday, weren't they?”

After discussing how to comfort Nie Wuying, Song Yixiao took her leave and returned to her room.

After Yixiao entering the house, Yuedeng twist a hot towel, giving it to her to wipe her face, “Why did you stand there for so long, Madam? In my opinion, you are her elder sister-in-law and have reason to leave after a moment of standing if she still ignores it. Look at your hands, so cold!”

“Ugh, I didn't expect her to be so angry this time.” Song Yixiao took off the hot towel after placing it on her face for a moment and threw it into the basin, and then held out her wrist for Liyu to help her wash her hands, saying with all sorts of feelings, “I thought she'd let me in if I stood there a little longer!”

The two maids were a little indignant: “No matter how angry she is, it's not good to treat her sister-in-law this way! She is so cruel!”

“She's still young. How could she think like that when she's angry?” Song Yixiao shook her head, “Besides, it means nothing to me standing for just an hour today. She ran out on her birthday in a fit of anger, and it was unknown how long she had walked in the snow before she met the Su sisters!”

Knowing that she didn't want to blame Nie Wuying, Yuedeng and Liyu looked at each other and then stopped talking. They just couldn't help but feel that Lady Wuying put on such great airs.

The day just pa.s.sed. Song Yixiao got up the next day, went to Drawing Room to have breakfast with Commandery Princess Qingjiang, and discussed again on how to comfort Nie Wuying. Then they went to the house where Nie Wuying was living.

“Your Highness, Madam, Her Ladys.h.i.+p said she wants to stay alone for two days.” Probably Song Yixiao's standing for more than an hour yesterday had worked. This time, although Nie Wuying still refused to show up and didn't invite her eldest sister or sister-in-law into the house to talk, she sent out Wanxiang after all, “She is asking for your permission.”

Song Yixiao and Commandery Princess Qingjiang looked at each other with bitterness in their eyes. Being afraid of pus.h.i.+ng her too hard, they had to pull Wanxiang to the side and ask her carefully about the situation of her mistress in the room these two days.

How could Wanxiang dare to tell the truth?

She had to say vaguely that Her Ladys.h.i.+p was very sad these two days and therefore was afraid of meeting others. Commandery Princess Qingjiang considered carefully and said, “Then, we will wait for another two days.”

The decision made it convenient for Song Yixiao: That afternoon, the Yuan siblings arrived.

Commandery Princess Qingjiang met them in Buyue Villa. After exchanging a few pleasantries, they were invited to the nearby “Caixia Villa”.

Song Yixiao had nothing to do and was familiar with the Yuan siblings, so she told her eldest sister-in-law that she would follow them to help out.

“Why are you here?” In fact, Yixiao was just letting her two maids give a hand. She was sitting in a side room which was cleaned in advance, drinking tea and talking with Yuan Xue'e. As soon as they sat down, Yuan Xue'e asked in surprise, “Your husband is so busy recently, and how could he let you out?”

Song Yixiao pretended to be angry and hit her, then looked around before saying, “I'm here to accompany a guest, but the guest was locking herself up in the house and won't go out! I'm trying to comfort her! Otherwise I wouldn't have the time to come and greet you!”

“It was said that she ran out for the whole day on her birthday!” Yuan Xue'e knew who she was talking about and sipped her tea, feeling unexpected, “She hasn't cooled down yet after that?”

“It was looking fine, but yesterday Commandery Princess Qingjiang's concern seemed to have made her angry again!” Song Yixiao sighed, “I wonder how long it will take to appease her anger?”

Yuan Xue'e was surprised after asking some questions, “Then why it is only you and Commandery Princess Qingjiang who comfort her? Where are the others?”

“My two sisters-in-law either are busy taking care of themselves or have something else to do.” Song Yixiao stroked the hair at her temples, “As for the mother-in-law, Yourui's father pa.s.sed away, which devastated her after hearing the bad news. We all just want her to be well now, so how dare we ask her to worry anymore?”

Yuan Xue'e was taken aback, “Grand Secretariat Pei pa.s.sed away? How come?”

“I don't know exactly, but Yourui doesn't seem to be in a good situation.” Song Yixiao sighed, “My mother-in-law sent someone to Youzhou to pay her condolences and intended to bring her back. I don't know if she is willing to. If she doesn't come, she will have to stay at the place where her brother and sister-in-law are hard to get along with, which was said by a servant from the Pei family; if she does, how do you think she will be embarra.s.sed when she sees Jian Yiyou and his wife, who would usually visit mother-in-law? How will Yourui feel when she sees that they are together?”

“Grand Secretariat Pei used to be in good health, and pa.s.sed away just when he came back to Youzhou. I'm afraid it's not unrelated to what happened to Yourui!” Yuan Xue'e pursed her lips, “In this case, regardless of the embarra.s.sment after coming to Grand Princess's mansion, she will mostly refuse to come just for the sake of Grand Secretariat Pei.”

Song Yixiao thought so, “But her brother and sister-in-law were not virtuous, and Grand Secretariat Pei left a will to give her half of the family fortune as a dowry…”

“Hope that Jinguo Grand Princess will have a foolproof plan!” Yuan Xue'e rubbed her forehead in annoyance, “There's so much bad news this year!”

Song Yixiao knew that she must be thinking of Yuan Xuepei's injury, so she changed the subject immediately, “It's said that the hot springs here are very nice, but I haven't been here yet. How about enjoying together for a while when you're free?”

“I haven't gone to a hot spring either!” Yuan Xue'e nodded, “How about tomorrow?”

Later, the two talked about something trivial. Seeing that it was getting late, Song Yixiao took her leave.

She returned to Buyue Villa. Commandery Princess Qingjiang was sitting in the front of the hall, and when she saw her sister-in-law come in, she asked, “Is everything ok in Caixia Villa?”

“Everything was well arranged in where Xue'e lives. But I didn't go to check where Marquis Yuan lives.” Song Yixiao sat at the right-hand seat, received the tea handed over from the maid, and sipped it before asking, “Does Wuying change her mind this time?”

“I just went over and she still won't come out.” Commandery Princess Qingjiang sighed and mocked herself, “I was hoping that she would toss a little, and now I get my wish.”

Song Yixiao consoled her, “Wuying said she wanted to be alone for two days, and now it's only the first day, so maybe she'll figure it out tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.”

The two comforted with each other before it was time to have dinner. Commandery Princess ordered the meal. After eating, they went together to visit Nie Wuying. Then they went back to sleep separately.

When they woke up the next morning, they went to comfort her sister-in-law first as usual, but still failed. Then Song Yixiao informed Commandery Princess Qingjiang and told her maids to bring the necessities, going to Caixia Villa to find Yuan Xue'e.

“The servant recommended us to come here just now, and I thought that we are ladies, how can we undress in the open air?” The two of them soaked in the hot spring which upon a level with their b.r.e.a.s.t.s, sighing in comfort. Yuan Xue'e picked a dried plum from a silver plate handed to her from a maid on the sh.o.r.e, and handed another one to Song Yixiao. She felt cozy, “I forgot that this place is so hot all year round that there are few people in a short distance!”

The place where they were now was near the western hillside of Zhanchun Venue, where the snow-covered pine branches and the dark rocks peeped up. The mist above the hot springs that did not disappear all year round was like a cloud and fog. It looked like a fairyland in legends from a distance.

There was only a screen carved out of a green stone in each side of the hot spring pool, with no roof and door.

Winds from mountains occasionally leaked into the gap of screens, blowing the mist and making it clear. But soon more mist gushed in, like surging waves, looking so beautiful.

Yuan Xue'e held some mist again as she spoke, laughing, “Hasn't your little sister-in-law been successfully comforted yet?”

“You won't have anyone to keep you company this time if I did that successfully!” Song Yixiao asked Yuedeng for a silver platter, spat out the dried plum kernel, and said pleasantly, “You are really not good at choosing snacks. Why do we eat dried plum now? Tell them to make Majie Drinks with Ice Chips as well as Lactose in Snow. Those are snacks!”

“Now you have the icy and smooth skin that is as white as snow plus exquisite bones!” When Yuan Xue'e heard this, she suddenly reached out her hand and squeezed a part of Yixiao's body, smiling badly, “Do you want Ice Chips and Snow, huh?”

Song Yixiao was caught off guard and shrieked, then fought back, “As if you didn't have that!”

The two had fun and splashed around, which made the maids wet who were waiting around and they had to hide behind the screen. Until almost evening, they were reluctant to put on clothes.

However, both of the two had a shake just when they stood on the land, and almost fell back into the pool if without the maids' fast help, “I didn't expect that just being soaked for half a day, we lost so much energy. We even ate something during the time!”

“Tell them to bring a box of food, or I won't even have the strength to walk back!” Yuan Xue'e was helped to sit down on the soft couch beside her, saying weakly, “So tired!”

It was already dusk when they each returned to their houses.

Song Yixiao inquired as she stepped over to Buyue Villa, “How is Commandery Princess Qingjiang today? What about Wuying?”

The maid replied, “Commandery Princess Qingjiang went to visit Lady Wuying again, but Lady Wuying still ignored it.”

Song Yixiao nodded and went to find Commandery Princess Qingjiang, who were tilting on the couch and closing her eyes slightly, with two little maids kneeling by the couch and beating her legs. The lightly drawn brows were full of trouble. Seeing that, Yixiao walked a little bit heavily, and Commandery Princess Qingjiang immediately opened her eyes. Seeing her, Commandery Princess Qingjiang sat upright, waved to let the two little maids leave, and said gently, “Are you back? How do you feel in the hot spring?”

“Pretty comfortable,” Song Yixiao performed a family salute, sat at the lower seat, and said, “It's my first time to soak in the hot spring, and I'm inexperienced. After I get up, I felt like losing all the energy!”

Commandery Princess Qingjiang smiled slightly, “I've suffered this before, but I forgot to remind you today when I was so concerned about Wuying!” She asked her immediately if she was all right and whether needed a doctor.

“I'm just tired and hungry, so I ate something by the pool before going back.” Song Yixiao waved her hands. It seemed that she didn't care at all. When she was about to ask about Nie Wuying, Commandery Princess Qingjiang said, “It seems that both of us meet trouble today. You and Yuan Xue'e suffered some loss in the hot spring; I also met a difficulty although I have stayed inside the house for a whole day. Now that you're back, just right to give me some advice.”

Song Yixiao said unexpectedly, “May I ask what it is?”