Aunt Yu was a woman with a long, oval face. Unlike Mi Niang's grandmother, whose mouth had sunken early and whose skin had sagged long ago, Aunt Yu was forty-five this year, her whole person glossy and sleek, dressed in silks and satins. She looked less like the wife of a petty official and more like a lady of high rank.
The three-courtyard residence was quite large, with servants both inside and out. Mi Niang counted them—the Yu family actually had thirty to forty servants.
The person who brought them in was called Mama Ding. Though addressed as "Mama," she appeared to be just over thirty, wearing a rose-red embroidered jacket with snow plum blossoms and a silver hairpin in her hair. She treated them with great familiarity.
"Second Madam Ding, our Madam said that today, Second Master and you will stay overnight at our home. The other residence still needs tidying up. Tomorrow, whatever you need to purchase, feel free to go to the South Gate. Hiring a carriage is cheap, not expensive at all."
Second Madam Ding held Mi Niang's hand with one hand while chatting with Mama Ding about everyday matters.
Mi Niang looked around, genuinely a bit surprised. The residence of a petty official was actually this large—it was hard to believe there was no corruption. She had once stayed at Aunt Yu's home for about two years when she was young. At that time, she was still small and, due to her father's death, lacked energy. She had lived in a side wing of the Yu residence, never allowed to go out all day.
Later, if she hadn't been truly unable to bear it anymore, secretly communicating with an elder of the clan, and then with the marriage arrangement from the Li family, she would not have been able to return to the Ruan clan.
Of course, if Li Guan had not betrayed her later, and she had not been selected to enter the palace, that would be another story.
Therefore, Mi Niang did not believe in any of the so-called kindness from the Yu family.
Soon, they arrived at the main courtyard. Aunt Yu was very happy to see them. Before the formal greetings were even completed, she had Second Madam Ding rise and pulled Mi Niang to her side, saying, "Oh my, Mi Niang has truly grown into a young lady now."
Everyone likes to hear good words, and Second Madam Ding was no exception, especially when others praised Mi Niang—it pleased her even more than praise for herself.
She modestly replied, "What young lady? She just puts on a good front in front of others. She's still a wild girl at heart."
"In a few months, Jiading will take the academy examination. How confident is he?" Aunt Yu asked casually.
Second Madam Ding smiled and said, "I don't know the specifics, but I heard from my husband that the teachers at the academy all say he can give it a try. However, speaking of it, he still has much to learn from his cousin."
Aunt Yu's son was a xiucai. After failing the provincial examination twice, he married the year before last and had a son last year.
"Oh, really? Then it seems Jiading is truly about to prosper, hehe."
Aunt Yu laughed somewhat awkwardly, though Second Madam Ding didn't notice.
This time, Mi Niang's father had rented a one-courtyard house here. Out of loyalty, Mother had brought Granny Hao along as well. However, the place still needed cleaning and furnishing, so they first stayed at the Yu family for the night.
Late at night, Ruan Jiading and Second Madam Ding slept separately. It was said to be some custom—husband and wife could not share a room in the host's home. Although Mi Niang didn't know why such a custom existed, it made it convenient for her to whisper with Second Madam Ding.
"Mother, Aunt Yu's house is so big. It feels like no matter how much I walk, I can't see it all. That Mama Ding also said that Cousin and Uncle have bought houses in the provincial capital. How much money do you think their family has? Is it so much that their rooms can't even hold it all?" Mi Niang chatted casually.
Granny Hao slept on the couch beside the bed. Upon hearing Mi Niang’s question, before Second Madam Ding could answer, she pursed her lips and said, “Miss Mi, it’s far more than that. Their family also owns shops and land—these aren’t things ordinary people can afford.”
Second Madam Ding coughed lightly. “Alright, let’s not talk about such things while we’re in someone else’s home.” But she couldn’t help thinking a lot. After all, Aunt Yu hadn’t married into a particularly good family. Her husband’s family had six sons, and they hadn’t even been allotted separate houses.
A mansion this size in the prefectural city would cost at least a hundred taels, let alone in the provincial capital. It was hard to believe that Aunt Yu’s husband wasn’t greedy for money.
A little greed was nothing unusual, but greed to this extent made Second Madam Ding feel uneasy.
The Yu family’s dishes had one defining characteristic—they were greasy.
So much so that Mi Niang, who was used to eating boiled dishes all year round, found her stomach a bit unsettled. By the next day, she even had diarrhea.
Fortunately, by the afternoon, they had moved into the small house Ruan Jiading had rented. It was a house near the prefectural school, with a single courtyard and three rooms, and even had a well.
Everyone was delighted. Though simple, it was at least their own home.
Even Granny Hao was overjoyed. “Second Madam, it’s close to the street, so it’s convenient to buy groceries. This old woman has no other wishes—I’m just happy to see you all doing better and better.”
Mi Niang was thrilled that she finally had her own room and no longer had to squeeze into the same house with her parents. The couple was like dry wood meeting a fierce flame, burning so intensely every day that Mi Niang had nearly plucked all the cotton from her bedding to stuff her ears.
In the evening, Second Madam Ding personally cooked a dish of winter bamboo shoots with cured meat, a fish cake soup, and a plate of vinegar-braised cabbage. The rice was cooked with taro, making it soft and sticky.
“The cured meat and fish cakes were all given by Auntie. I said we didn’t need them, but she insisted,” Second Madam Ding said, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Ruan Jiading didn’t think much of it. “Auntie has treated me as her own. One day, I’ll repay her.”
Before, Second Madam Ding wouldn’t have found anything wrong with this. After all, Aunt Yu had been exceptionally kind to them. But today, she couldn’t help thinking more.
“Husband, back then, you passed the prefectural exam in just a year. Auntie’s family was so wealthy—why didn’t you borrow a little from them?” It would have only been three to five taels of silver, and once her husband became a xiucai, he could have easily repaid it.
Ruan Jiading frowned slightly. “At that time, to repay my father’s debts, Auntie sold land on my behalf and even had to make arrangements. She spent quite a bit of silver on our family’s behalf. How could I have had the nerve to ask her for a loan?”
Mi Niang pretended not to understand and asked, “Father, why did repaying debts require making arrangements? Uncle is an official—shouldn’t the people from the gambling houses have been afraid of him?”
“Children shouldn’t meddle in such matters,” Ruan Jiading said, glancing at Second Madam Ding and feeling that his daughter was talking too much.
Ever since his grandfather passed away, the family had relied heavily on Auntie’s care. He wouldn’t allow anyone in the family to speak ill of her.
Second Madam Ding gave Mi Niang a reassuring look and said, “Our Mi Niang is clever. You don’t realize that many adults might not think as clearly as she does.”
"Mi Niang has always been clever. Hmph, I also know that now a mu of prime farmland costs twelve taels per mu. Father's hundred mu would be over a thousand taels. Although Grandfather liked to gamble, I doubt he could lose over a thousand taels. Besides, Grandmother hid her dowry like treasures—how could she let Father sell the land alone? Fourth Aunt Shang said Father's prime farmland is something you can't even buy with money now. Currently, a mu has risen to sixteen taels of silver."
Ruan Jiading grew flustered and angry: "Children shouldn't interfere in adult matters." Then he said to Second Madam Ding: "Back then, it wasn't easy to find a buyer in a hurry. Six taels per mu was already a generous offer."
Second Madam Ding felt as if she could spit blood in frustration. Living under her uncle's roof, she often had to work in the fields herself. She knew all too well that prime farmland was priceless—even with money, it was hard to come by.
If someone were selling prime farmland, buyers would swarm like bees. How could it possibly be sold cheaply?
She said helplessly: "Husband, back then, even my uncle couldn't buy prime farmland no matter how hard he tried. How could prime farmland be hard to sell? The soil of prime farmland is as fine as sand—it's a rare treasure. How could you not find a buyer? I might believe you if you said saline or sandy land was hard to sell, but never prime farmland. Well, you were still young then, so it's understandable you didn't know these things."
Although Second Madam Ding usually spoke softly and gently, Ruan Jiading dared not ignore her words.
This was something Mi Niang found fascinating. After entering the palace, she was utterly submissive to the Emperor. Even when she showed a bit of temper, it was within the bounds of what the Emperor allowed. After all, to the Emperor, concubines—including the Empress—no matter how high their status, were merely high-ranking servants. Empress Ruan had been neglected for years precisely because she failed to recognize this.
But among commoner couples, things seemed different. There were those like her grandparents, who each managed their own affairs, hoarded their private savings, and cared little for others' well-being. And then there were her parents.
To outsiders, her parents appeared to follow the traditional hierarchy of male dominance and female submission. Her mother often seemed meek and weak. But upon closer observation, Mi Niang realized her mother wasn't actually afraid of her father. Though she appeared fragile, Ruan Jiading always listened to what she said.
This was why Mi Niang dared to speak up in front of her parents.
First, she made Second Madam Ding suspicious about the Yu family's source of wealth. Then, she deliberately brought up the land sale. Initially, Mi Niang was only testing the waters, but now it seemed clear that the Yu family had certainly profited from it. Even conservatively, they must have made at least five or six hundred taels from that hundred mu of land.
With five or six hundred taels, how could Ruan Jiading's life be so strained that he couldn't even afford books? All the books he read now were copies he transcribed himself at the academy, using the poorest quality straw paper.
Perhaps Ruan Jiading didn't want to suspect—or didn't dare suspect—Concubine Yu. But with Second Madam Ding aware of the situation, she would surely keep reminding him.
Ruan Jiading paid little attention to household affairs, but Second Madam Ding was undoubtedly shrewd.
Yet, Second Madam Ding believed her daughter was exceptionally clever. She privately said to Ruan Jiading: "Perhaps my womb is unproductive, and we may only have Mi Niang as our daughter in the future. You needn't scold her over every little thing. Though she's young, I see she's an incredibly intelligent child—she understands things better than you do. At such a tender age, she calculates without an abacus. I'm often amazed by her cleverness. Husband, haven't you ever considered that Aunt might have embezzled our money?"
Ruan Jiading shook his head, "It's not that I never thought about it, but back then, my father was in such a state. Everyone in the clan avoided us like the plague. Only my aunt treated us as she always had. You never saw how ferocious those debt collectors were back then…"
He forgot to mention that his father had almost been expelled from the clan registry.
"So, did your uncle and his family come while the debt collectors were still around, or after they left?" Second Madam Ding quickly grasped the key point.
Ruan Jiading thought for a moment, "At the time, my elder brother said the debt collectors were too fierce and didn’t let my aunt and her family come. Later, after my father was arrested, I had nowhere to turn and was running around like a headless fly. It was my elder brother who took me to find my uncle, since he worked in the yamen."
In other words, the Yu family never actually came. Second Madam Ding spread her hands, "Husband, do you know that besides the three-courtyard mansion in the prefectural city, my aunt’s family also owns shops, two more houses in the provincial capital, not to mention fifty or sixty mu of land in the countryside. I’ve calculated it—these assets would cost at least two thousand taels to acquire."
A man who had once been nothing more than a county-level assistant, and had only worked as a minor official for a few years—even if he took some advantage of public resources, he’d be lucky to earn twenty taels a year at most, and that’s before deducting daily expenses.
But two thousand taels? Even a county magistrate working for ten years might not be able to amass such wealth.
Who knows where this money came from? Perhaps some of it even came from Ruan Jiading’s contributions.
Seeing Ruan Jiading fall silent, Second Madam Ding knew he had taken her words to heart. She continued, "Actually, I don’t mean anything else. They helped you, and even if they made a little money as a fee for their efforts, I wouldn’t say anything. But refusing to lend even three or five taels of silver—isn’t that hindering your future?"
This last point was what Ruan Jiading cared about most. For a scholar, nothing mattered more than his future.
"Shujun…" Ruan Jiading murmured, "I will definitely pass the county-level examination this year."
Second Madam Ding curled her lips into a smile. She knew her husband had taken her words to heart.
She leaned in close to his ear and whispered seductively, "Husband, it would be even better if we had double happiness."
Next door to the couple, Mi Niang was sprawled out asleep, still basking in the joy of their new home. Hearing the creaking sounds, she buried her head under the covers and thought, "Father, Mother, please take it easy."