Old Madam was still very worried that Lady Mo might, for the sake of profit, end up selling her own granddaughter. The Mo Family, being upstarts, could do such a thing and at most be ridiculed. But the Lian family could not. A scholarly family marrying their daughter to a merchant would face public scorn and could potentially affect the futures of several young masters.
Nanny Zheng no longer spoke of Lady Mo, but reassured with a smile, "Old Madam, even if the Eldest Madam disregards decency and brings Third Young Lady along, don't we still have the Great Master? Old Madam should relax and focus on her recovery without worrying about these matters. Everything will turn out all right."
After Old Madam had taken her medicine and lain down, she said, "I hope I am overly concerned. However, we must still guard against this possibility." She still needed to plan more for these two children. Her eldest, solely focused on his career and not caring about the Inner Courtyard, and Lady Mo, oh, she had known she should have refused this marriage at all costs. There was no remedy for regret in this world. Now she only hoped to do a little more for these children, not wishing them great wealth, but simply hoping that they grow up safe and secure. That they marry well and have their own families so that when she meets her son in the hereafter, she could do so without shame.
Yueyao had no idea that Old Madam was already considering her future. At this moment, all her thoughts were on Brother Zheng.
Brother Zheng's head was infested with lice, full of them. Hua Lei initially worried Yueyao would find Brother Zheng repulsive, yet unexpectedly, Yueyao even helped him pick out the lice!
The maids fussed for a good while before they managed decently. At this time, someone sent over clothes from Lady Mo, delivering two sets, one dark cyan and one bright blue.
Yueyao looked at the bright blue clothes with a frown. They were still in mourning; how could they wear such vivid clothes? She wondered what was Lady Mo's intent. Despite inwardly despising it, she could not show any outward difference, to avoid being accused of ingratitude.
Since the maids' clothes had not yet been tailored, Yueyao had no choice but to let Brother Zheng wear the dark cyan clothes to get by.
Although the clothes were said to be old, they were still relatively new. Brother Zheng, being thin, wore them slightly loose. Even so, he looked like a different person.
Seeing the transformed Brother Zheng, Yueyao was startled. Brother Zheng's skin was fair, and with his dewy, peach blossom eyes, he was sure to be a handsome youth when grown up.
Yueyao touched Brother Zheng's head, thinking what a waste it was for this child to be so good-looking; being handsome was not necessarily a good thing after all! Sigh, it meant having yet another layer of worries. However, she soon let go of these thoughts.
Brother Zheng, tugging Yueyao's sleeve, called out cautiously, "Sister." From the moment he met Yueyao, he felt as if he were dreaming. He feared that a blink might make everything disappear, returning him to the small courtyard where he'd be scolded by the old nanny and maternal auntie.
Knowing Brother Zheng was frightened, Yueyao spoke softly, "Sister promises you, Brother Zheng, I will never abandon you again. Don't be afraid, from now on Sister will be here for everything. Whatever happens, just tell Sister, okay?"
Brother Zheng obediently nodded.
Mu Qiu and Hua Lei brought over red bean cakes. Yueyao casually took a piece and handed it to Brother Zheng. He waved her hand away, saying, "Sister, you eat."
Yueyao, smiling, took another piece, "Let's eat together." Yet her eyes were filled with tears. Perhaps Brother Zheng was not shrewd, but his mind was pure. Such a good brother, yet in her past life, she had neglected him utterly, letting him die young. It was all her fault.
Brother Zheng, not understanding why Yueyao was crying again, wiped her tears, "Sister, don't cry. Sister, don't cry." He didn't know how to comfort Yueyao.
Hua Lei and Mu Qiu, unaware of why Yueyao was crying, assumed it was because of her previous neglect of Brother Zheng, thus regret and guilt: "Young lady, what's past is past. Just do better from now on."
It took a long time for Yueyao to calm down.