Lin Yi brought the tea and pastries to the kitchen where Yin Xing packed them into two food boxes. She handed one to a young servant to deliver to Lao Fan and carried the other herself to Sister Chang's courtyard to find Lin Yuan.
Sister Chang didn't like having many people around, so other than her own Qiaoer and Miamiao, her courtyard was sparsely populated with Lin family servants, only two old women guarding the gate.
When Lin Yuan arrived at Sister Chang's courtyard with the pastries, the old women had not yet locked up, so she went straight into the courtyard.
Lin Yuan felt very desolate upon entering the courtyard, perhaps because there were so few people, or maybe because the courtyard was so remote. Moreover, with only two lamps lit in the main house, it appeared even more desolate.
The old women entered their quarters upon opening the doors, and none of them, nor Qiaoer and Miamiao, came out to welcome Lin Yuan and her companions as they approached the main house.
