Yu Luo suddenly remembered that there was indeed a Biao Xiaojie living at the Yu Family Residence.
This Biao Xiaojie was the daughter of Madam Yu’s younger sister, named Liu Yanran.
Liu Yanran’s mother had passed away five years ago. Her relationship with the second wife at the Liu Family Residence was poor, so she had written to Madam Yu and voluntarily came to live at the Yu Family Residence.
Eldest Miss Yu had a bold and domineering temperament, while Biao Xiaojie Liu Yanran was gentle and virtuous by nature, so the two did not get along.
Yu Luo had an impression of Liu Yanran, but not because of this.
In male-oriented novels, the number of male villains far exceeded that of female villains, and Yu Luo had unfortunately been one of the female villains.
And Yu Luo’s second brother, Yu Che—the Second Young Master of the Marquis Manor—had been a male villain who constantly made things difficult for the male protagonist, only to be fiercely humiliated by him later.
Liu Yanran had married Yu Luo’s second brother, Yu Che. Later, after the male protagonist became Emperor, he had targeted the Yu family at every turn.
Seeing that the Yu family was no longer as prominent as before and had even come into conflict with the male protagonist, Liu Yanran had chosen righteousness over family. She handed over evidence of the Yu family colluding with other families to the male protagonist. After everyone in the Yu family was imprisoned, Liu Yanran smoothly became a member of the male protagonist’s imperial harem.
To be honest, when Yu Luo had read the book, she had not liked the character Liu Yanran at all. But in the comment section, the male readers had all been spamming praises like “She actively betrayed her husband to join Brother Xiao, 666.”
Head maid Hui Xiang had a very favorable impression of the gentle and lovely Biao Xiaojie Liu Yanran, while she very much disliked Yu Luo, who often beat and scolded the servants.
However, Yu Luo was still the Eldest Miss of the Yu family, the proper master of the household, so the maids more or less had to flatter her.
Hui Xiang smiled and said, “The color of this patterned brocade satin is quite bright. Eldest Miss usually does not care for such things. Biao Xiaojie has always been rather sensitive. If Eldest Miss receives it while she does not, who knows if Biao Xiaojie might start shedding tears again.”
Madam Yu had a gentle temperament. After hearing this, she looked toward Yu Luo.
Yu Luo lightly shook Madam Yu’s arm. “Mother, I’ve recently started liking bright colors.”
Madam Yu was somewhat surprised that her daughter had actually taken the initiative to act spoiled toward her. She smiled and said, “Alright, Mother will have them make a few more clothes for you.”
After that, Madam Yu looked toward Hui Xiang. “Yanran only said she liked it; I never promised the item to her. This is our own household—Luo’er comes first.”
Yu Luo’s eyes turned red again.
The feeling of being favored like this had actually been something Yu Luo had not experienced for a long time.
After her mother had died in a car accident, her father had brought a new wife home the very next year.
Her stepmother had appeared very kind to Yu Luo on the surface, but privately she had constantly caused trouble for her.
Yu Luo stayed with the Marchioness for a while before preparing to return.
After she walked out of the gate of Qingyun Courtyard, she saw several people approaching.
Two men stood tall and elegant. One wore a blue robe, with sharp brows, bright eyes, and handsome features. The other wore a white robe, with fair skin and delicate good looks.
Standing between them was a woman dressed in pink. She looked charming and gentle, with a soft appearance. Behind her followed a clever-looking little maid.
The three of them had been chatting and laughing as they walked over, but the moment the woman saw Yu Luo, the smile on her face instantly faded.
“Cousin Luo.”
Yu Luo guessed that the two men were Eldest Miss Yu’s elder brother Yu Yuan and second brother Yu Che.
As for the woman in the middle, she was Biao Xiaojie Liu Yanran.
Yu Yuan and Yu Che had both treated Yu Luo quite well as their younger sister. However, after Liu Yanran arrived, she had treated everyone in the Yu Family Residence with warmth and consideration.
In addition, Liu Yanran had a pitiful background. Compared to the willful and unruly Eldest Miss Yu, people naturally favored this Biao Xiaojie who was living under someone else’s roof.
Yu Luo glanced lightly at Liu Yanran and gave a slight smile.
“Cousin, are you and my brothers also going to greet Mother?”
Liu Yanran rarely saw Yu Luo speaking to others in such a normal tone, so she paused in surprise.
Yu Che nodded. “We happened to run into Yanran on the way, so we came together.”
Yu Luo was still thinking about the injuries on the male protagonist’s body, so she did not speak with them much. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she left.
After she departed, Liu Yanran said, “Cousin Luo seemed a little strange today. Could it be that she’s still angry about that bottle of osmanthus nectar?”
A few days earlier, Yu Che had obtained several bottles of osmanthus nectar and had originally intended to send them to Yu Luo.
But Liu Yanran had suddenly fallen ill, saying that her appetite had been poor recently and she could not eat much.
The osmanthus nectar was fragrant, sweet, and appetizing, so Yu Che had given all the bottles to Liu Yanran.
After Yu Luo had learned about it, she had thrown quite a temper.
The maids serving at Yu Luo’s side had basically all been punished by her.
Yu Che said indifferently, “They’re only a few bottles of floral nectar. Luo’er isn’t a petty person—she probably forgot about it long ago.”
“Is that so? I hope so as well.” Liu Yanran sighed faintly. “Yesterday I heard that Cousin Luo punished the servants again. With such heavy rain at night, she beat a guard until he was covered in wounds and then made him kneel for the entire night.”
While speaking, the three of them entered the Marchioness’s courtyard.
As soon as she entered, Liu Yanran saw Madam Yu’s head maid Hui Xiang carrying out a bolt of patterned brocade satin.
This bolt of pink patterned brocade satin was extremely luxurious. The woven patterns on it were dense and intricate—an inch of patterned weaving was worth an inch of gold. Under normal circumstances, such fabric was supplied only to the palace consorts.
Liu Yanran had coveted it for a long time. A few days earlier, when she had heard that Madam Yu possessed patterned brocade satin, she had occasionally mentioned that she liked it.
Now, seeing Hui Xiang bringing out the bolt of satin, Liu Yanran stared at it for several moments and subconsciously assumed it was meant for her.
Madam Yu had always been amiable toward others. She asked Yu Yuan and Yu Che to sit down and then held Liu Yanran’s hand while chatting with her for a while.
After some time, Liu Yanran prepared to leave. The little maid beside her was called Cai Die.
When Cai Die saw the patterned brocade satin placed nearby, she smiled and said, “Is this for our Miss? Our Miss likes this very much.”
Liu Yanran quickly stopped her. “Cai Die, do not speak nonsense.”
Madam Yu said, “Luo’er came by earlier. I saw that her skirt had been soaked by rainwater, so I asked the household embroiderers to make two sets of clothes for her.”
Liu Yanran felt somewhat disappointed, but she said nothing and returned with her maid.
On the way back, Cai Die was dissatisfied. “How is she worthy of such fine satin? She has neither talent nor virtue. All day she bullies the servants of the residence. Giving it to her is simply a waste.”
Liu Yanran said calmly, “In front of the Yu family, do not speak like that again. Don’t forget—we are guests here, living under someone else’s roof.”
Cai Die sighed. “This servant just feels wronged for you. In every way you are better than Eldest Miss Yu, yet you always have to accommodate her.”
After walking for a while, Cai Die suddenly spotted a familiar figure, and her eyes lit up.
“Isn’t that Eldest Miss Yu? What is she looking at over there?”