"The plum blossoms in the garden are blooming beautifully, I picked a few to put in a vase for Grandmother!" Yun Jinnian said without a hint of submissiveness or arrogance.
In the past, she had been very afraid of Xu Xinmo.
But for some reason, after having those dreams, she wasn't afraid at all anymore.
"Grandmother likes plum blossoms, so it's up to me to pick them. There is no need for your insincerity. Take these plum blossoms, and get out. Return to your Niannian Garden. Cixin Academy does not welcome you, and furthermore, you are not permitted to set foot in Cixin Academy ever again!"
Yun Jinnian looked at Xu Xinmo and asked calmly and coldly, "Is this what you want, or is it Grandmother's wish?"
"Of course it's…" Xu Xinmo opened her mouth to speak.
The voice of the elderly Lady came from the room, "Wanwan, come inside, it's cold outside. You come in too!"
Wanwan was her granddaughter.
You are the granddaughter!
"Humph!" Xu Xinmo snorted coldly and turned to go into the room.
Yun Jinnian's eyes darkened.
Did she really fall into the Lotus Pond by accident that day, or was she pushed?
No matter who this person was, she would root them out.
Feeling Mrs. Yuan's worried gaze, Yun Jinnian nodded slightly at her before stepping into the room.
A dragon heater was burning inside the room, which was much warmer than the one in Niannian Garden.
The elderly matriarch of the Yun Family was sitting upright on the Arhat bed, with Xu Xinmo cuddling in her arms, putting on an obsequious smile.
The Lady glanced at Yun Jinnian, and a flicker of disgust flashed in her eyes.
Yun Jinnian saw it, but pretended not to have seen anything and bowed slightly, "Granddaughter pays respects to Grandmother!"
"Grandmother, look at her. She comes to pay her respects and doesn't even kneel. There's no sincerity at all!" Xu Xinmo exclaimed loudly.
The Lady pinched Xu Xinmo's nose, her affection unmistakable, "You, you!" But when she turned to Yun Jinnian, her voice was cold, "Since Xinmo has said so, you should perform the proper rites!"
Performing the proper rites meant kowtowing.
Yun Jinnian lowered her gaze.
She stood straight, then knelt down gently with the plum blossoms in hand, "Granddaughter pays respects to Grandmother!"
Though her knees were on bluestone slabs, they were much warmer due to the dragon heater than those in Niannian Garden.
The Lady didn't speak up to tell Yun Jinnian to rise.
So Yun Jinnian could not get up.
Xu Xinmo kept trying to make the Lady happy.
When Mrs. He, the Lady, came to pay her respects and saw Yun Jinnian kneeling on the ground, a look of pity flashed in her eyes, but she said nothing.
When Yun Muyou, the eldest Miss, came to pay her respects and saw Yun Jinnian on her knees, she too showed a flash of pity and yet said nothing.
Yun Zihan, the second Miss, came to pay her respects. Seeing Yun Jinnian on her knees, a look of heartache crossed her face. Her thoughts quickly shifted, and she knelt down beside Yun Jinnian, "Granddaughter pays respects to Grandmother!"
The sight made Xu Xinmo's complexion change subtly.
The Lady looked at Zihan with immense affection, "Mm, Zihan is so filial. Go back to your room and transcribe the filial piety scriptures three hundred times. You may not leave the room until you're finished."
Zihan's face turned pale, and she looked at Yun Jinnian apologetically before rising and stepping back.
The other half-sisters pretended not to see, and everyone in the room was trying to amuse the elderly Lady, forgetting about Yun Jinnian who was still kneeling there.
Yun Jinnian remained kneeling, keeping her back straight.
Her head hung low.
There was no hurry. Now that she was kneeling, her uncle would feel even more distressed for her when he learned of this, and she could gain more from it.
She didn't want to live as miserably as she had in those dreams. She desired the life of a boudoir lady, so what did all these amount to?
Half an hour later, Mrs. He left.
Yun Muyou also left with Xu Xinmo and the other half-sisters for kneeling study. Yun Jinnian was still kneeling.
The Lady was then assisted into her room to rest by Ming Liu.
Two hours later, Yun Jinnian was nearly at her limit.
After two and a half hours, Yun Jinnian's body began to sway unsteadily.
At the end of two hours, Yun Jinnian completely fainted…