Chapter 4: Younger Brother

◎A future of great prosperity and unspoken nobility◎

Yu Lian suddenly remembered that she had a younger brother and asked her mother, "Where's my brother?"

Yu Niang replied, "He ran over to Second Branch to play with Chen-ge. He should be back for dinner soon."

No sooner had she spoken than a loud, clear voice of a child echoed at the entrance, calling out "Mother" and then "Sister" in succession.

Yu Lian turned around and saw a dark figure rushing in like a gust of wind, diving straight into her mother's arms.

Yu Niang patted her son's head and chided with a smile, "You're already eight years old, yet you still make such a racket. If your father sees this, he'll surely scold you."

The mention of 'father' made the boy instantly tense up. He looked around nervously, relieved only when he didn't see his father.

Then he turned to his sister, "Sis..."

As he raised his head, the scars on his face became visible. There was a purple bruise on his forehead, as if from a collision, and a scratch on his left cheek.

Judging from the marks, they were freshly inflicted.

Noticing his sister's gaze fixed on his face, he quickly reacted by covering his face with both hands, preventing her from seeing him.

She hurriedly asked, "Did you get into a fight?"

Yu Niang's heart skipped a beat. She lifted her son's face to examine it closely, and upon doing so, she felt a mix of anger and anxiety. "Didn't you say you were going to play with Chen-ge? How did you end up like this?"

"You didn't even dare to let Mother see you when you came back. I wondered why you were so clingy today; turns out, you've landed yourself in trouble."

The young boy stepped back and stood straight, bowing his head without offering an explanation.

As his mother, she pulled him closer, insisting that he must not lie and must not keep silent about what had happened. She wanted him to tell her the whole story.

She also inquired, "Did Chen-ge or anyone else bully you?" Ever since her daughter's fiancé's incident, not only had outsiders treated her family differently, but even her own relatives had. Her two sisters-in-law, who had once envied and resented her, had been warmer to her, especially the older sister-in-law who was a countess, all because of her excellent son-in-law.

Now that the situation had changed, Yu Niang worried that her son might also become a target for bullying.

The young boy denied it.

Under his mother's persistent questioning, he glanced hesitantly at his sister, and Yu Lian knew that it must have something to do with her.

He pondered for a moment, fearing that his sister might be saddened, so he asked his mother to lean in close and whispered in her ear, "Fifth Brother and Sixth Brother were speaking ill of Sister. I couldn't bear to hear it, so I argued with them..."

Yu Niang, forgetting everything else, immediately asked, "What did they say about your sister? Who hit you?"

In the legitimate third branch of the Duke's household, there were ten male descendants of this generation. Her son was born late, ranking eighth. Apart from the fourth son, who was the eldest-born child in their own branch, the rest belonged to the first and second branches.

Her son mentioned that Sixth Brother and Seventh Brother were two to three years and half a year older than him, respectively. Sixth Brother, Hui-ge, was the eldest son of the first branch, while Seventh Brother was from the second. As for Chen-ge, he was also from the second branch, ranked ninth.

She exclaimed indignantly, "Chen-ge bullied you too?"

"No, he didn't." He then answered the previous question, fuming, "Sixth Brother said that Sister is an unlucky star who can't get married and stays in the household to harm others."

"Seventh Brother not only didn't refute him, but he also echoed those words. He even told me to stay away from Sister, saying she would harm us."

"I couldn't control my anger and confronted them. But instead of apologizing, they became even more outrageous. In a fit of rage, I pushed Sixth Brother, and both he and Seventh Brother shoved me back. It was Second Aunt who found us and had the maids send me back here."

The young boy huffed, "Second Aunt pretended to be kind. Seventh Brother said that his mother and his sister talked about it, and he overheard them."

Yu Niang was no fool; upon hearing this, she guessed that the lady in question must have been gossiping in her room, allowing the child to overhear and repeat it.

Frustration burned within her, and she yearned to confront the woman and argue with her. However, she quickly deflated, knowing that even if such incidents didn't occur before her eyes, she had always anticipated their behind-closed-doors whispers. What could she do? Could she really stop people from speaking?

If the matter were brought before the matriarch now, Yu Niang would lose face as well. All she wished for at present was for her daughter to stay quietly by her side for a while, until her father found a suitable marriage match, so she could avoid any potential strife.

But while she feared the household's gossip about her daughter, there was no harm in discussing her son's punishment.

Without eating, Yu Niang promptly took her youngest son to see the matriarch.

Yu Lian considered for a moment before deciding to follow along.

The young maid, concerned, said, "Miss, you've just returned from the mountains and haven't rested. Your feet must be blistered. Why not rest first? Lady will take care of Young Master's matter."

Listening to the advice, Yu Niang urged her daughter, "Then, let Mother handle the situation wisely and cautiously."

Smiling, Yu Niang gently stroked her daughter's face, teasing her for finally worrying about her mother now that she had grown up. With that, she hastily led her son out, eager to address the issue.

They returned to the courtyard as the sky was turning dark. Dinner had already been served in the third branch's quarters, but Yu Niang refrained from touching her food, waiting for the others to come back.

They arrived as a family of three: her father, her mother, and her younger brother.

The concubine-born children were all dining with their respective mothers in their rooms; Yu Niang preferred not to see them.

Her father had a stern expression. Without eating first, he began to lecture, "Regardless of the reason, you're not to engage in physical altercations with anyone, let alone your own brothers within the household."

Her brother, indignant, turned his head and retorted, "What brothers? Anyone who speaks ill of my sister isn't one. He's the jinx, not me, and his entire family is cursed."

Feeling a tender affection for her younger brother, Yu Lian offered him a large chicken leg.

The child's face immediately lit up with joy.

Yu Niang also pleaded, "My Lord, there's no need to scold him. It's commendable that he knows to stand up for his elder sister."

"After all... the First and Second Branches don't really treat us as true siblings either."

Though the Wei Duke's residence appeared bustling with family members living together harmoniously, it was only due to the old matriarch's lingering influence. She insisted on having all three of her sons by her side, believing that unity among them was necessary for the family's progress.

The eldest branch, despite their reluctance to support the two extended families of their younger brothers, had no choice but to reluctantly agree.

As for the second branch, always striving to compete with the eldest, they were constantly comparing themselves with their own kin, like chickens staring at each other with crossed eyes.

In the third branch, no one genuinely regarded the other as a blood relative; only their own master was sincere.

Yu Sanlang didn't say another word. He was a meticulous rule-follower and adhered to the principle of silence during meals. Once he started eating, he wouldn't speak until he was finished, and any conversation would wait until after the meal.

Yu Lian observed her parents and brother in silence.

After the meal, she concluded that while the entire Marquis household was large and intricate, her own family remained simple and warm, not much different from an ordinary family. None of them seemed to be bad people, which brought her a sense of relief.

Once they had finished eating, Yu Lian fetched a medicinal ointment to apply to her brother's wounds. Meanwhile, Yu Sanlang was already brewing tea, preparing to teach and reprimand his son once the ointment was applied.

On one hand, their son was young and in the early stages of education, so Yu Sanlang personally took on the task of teaching him. On the other hand, he needed to address the incident that had occurred earlier that day.

After the father and son left, Yu Lian pulled her mother aside to sit down and ask her some questions.

Yu Niang said, "What could the old lady say? Boys being mischievous and bickering is common. She scolded both sides equally and rewarded our Xuan-ge with a bag of gold beans to settle the matter."

Lowering her gaze, she hesitated to share certain things with her daughter. But considering that Jing Hao now seemed more sensible, Yu Niang decided to explain, "This world is pragmatic. Your incident isn't over yet, and the first and second branches of the family fear that you'll bring calamity upon the household. They wish to get rid of you. Mother can't stand up for you either. I just hope they won't think about you, allowing you to have some peace. When your father finds a suitable husband for you, you'll be married off, and surely, your fortunes will turn around, and you'll live a good life."

"Although my child has faced hardships, greater blessings lie ahead."

She lowered her voice and continued, "When you were little, you had a high fever that almost took your life. I sought the abbot at the temple, and he said your destiny is light at the beginning and heavy at the end. You would encounter a great challenge before marrying, one that could threaten your life. But if you survive it, you'll have immense fortune and prestige beyond measure."

It was unclear whether Yu Niang was genuinely sharing this or just trying to comfort her daughter; Yu Lian suspected the latter.

She asked playfully, "Then who is this master? Was it Master Jing Yuan from Tianyuan Temple?"

Yu Niang felt embarrassed and averted her eyes. "A master is a master, why does it matter?" In reality, the person who read her daughter's destiny was a fake monk rumored to scam food and drink. Yu Niang only later discovered that this imposter pretended to be the traveling Master Jing Hao, who eventually got exposed and expelled from the temple.

Master Jing Hao was Master Jing Yuan's senior, the former abbot of Tianyuan Temple. He had been away on a pilgrimage for years but had actually passed away outside. Thus, the fraudulent monk took advantage of his absence.

Due to this incident, no one in the household took their daughter's destiny reading seriously, as it came from a fake monk. Could it be genuine?

At this moment, Yu Niang mostly spoke to reassure her daughter, but a small part of her also wanted to comfort herself, reminding herself that her daughter would be fine, that she would have good fortune and lead a prosperous life.

Now, her adversity was but a hurdle in her destiny; she would endure and move on.

After their conversation, the mother and daughter retired to their respective chambers for slumber.

Yu Lian instructed her maid to change the bed linens and put away the ornate decorations of the previous owner, opting for a simpler, sky-blue canopy to create a serene atmosphere.

Surprisingly, despite expecting a sleepless night, she dozed off almost instantly.

When she awoke, a young maid was already holding a basin of warm water, awaiting her.

Observing the lady's awakening, the maid smiled and asked, "Shall Miss rest a while longer?"

"You usually can't be roused at this time, but today is quite unusual."

This was the first basin of warm water today; previously, it would take two or three changes of cold water before Miss would finally rise from bed.

Upon arising, Yu Lian changed her clothes, freshened up, and then accompanied her mother to Grandmama's quarters for breakfast and to pay morning respects.