“Old servant wouldn’t dare, wouldn’t dare,” Mo mo Li said repeatedly.Yun Shi led people to Tingsong Courtyard. Entering the yard, she came to the main room. Even standing outside the door, she could feel the warm air from inside.Without knocking, Yun Shi pushed the door open and went straight in. As expected, the room was heated by a glowing stove.The sudden intrusion startled Xiumei.Seeing it was Yun Shi, Xiumei rose to greet her. “This servant greets Madam.”“Where did this charcoal come from?” Yun Shi’s expression darkened.“It was sent by Madam Yuan,” Xiumei answered calmly.Hearing this, Mo mo Li, who followed Yun Shi, looked shocked.How could it be Madam Yuan? Madam Yuan was Princess Jingmin—how could someone of her status give just a sack of charcoal?Mo mo Li glanced at Madam Yun, hoping she wouldn’t so easily believe the girl’s words. That charcoal surely wasn’t from Madam Yuan!“Madam Yuan sent it? Why would she send charcoal to Ruo’er?” Yun Shi pressed.“Some days ago, Miss gave Madam Yuan two bottles of loquat syrup. Perhaps Madam Yuan wanted to thank her, so she specially ordered people to send over a sack of charcoal,” Xiumei explained.“Why would Madam Yuan choose charcoal as a gift for Ruo’er?” Yun Shi asked again.For a noblewoman like Madam Yuan, gifting charcoal was odd.Wei Ruo walked out from the inner room to clarify for her mother. “Ordinarily she wouldn’t, of course. But Mother also knows the current situation in Taizhou Prefecture—charcoal is hard to come by, and this silver-bone charcoal even more so. Madam Yuan must be aware of this, and so she deliberately shared some with me, despite the cost.”Silver-bone charcoal?Hearing Wei Ruo’s words, Yun Shi finally noticed the difference. The charcoal burning in Wei Ruo’s room wasn’t like ordinary charcoal: there was no black smoke, no odor, and even when half-burned it remained intact without crumbling. It seemed far more durable than common charcoal.Looking at it this way, it made perfect sense. Silver-bone charcoal was not like ordinary charcoal—giving it as a gift was indeed fitting.Mo mo Li also studied the charcoal burning in the stove and the pile of charcoal stacked in the basket beside it. She had wanted to find proof that this was just ordinary charcoal and not the rare silver-bone kind. But the more she looked, the less it seemed like regular charcoal—ordinary charcoal was never this neat and solid.If it truly was silver-bone charcoal, then the eldest young lady’s explanation would be entirely reasonable.After a moment of thought, Yun Shi asked Wei Ruo again, “How much did Madam Yuan give you?”Wei Ruo pointed to a small sack in the corner. “There, that’s all. It’ll probably be used up in two days.”That was only part of what she had received. Wei Ruo had asked Xiumei to put the rest away.Seeing that it amounted to just this little, Yun Shi naturally couldn’t bring herself to ask for any.Then she asked, “Since you received something from Madam Yuan, why didn’t you tell the family? Could it be you were afraid we’d take your charcoal?”Her daughter had received charcoal yet hadn’t mentioned it to her. Yun Shi couldn’t help feeling displeased. No matter how much or how little, she should have said something. It wasn’t as though Yun Shi didn’t know that the rest of the household was shivering with cold. How could it look right for her own room to be warm while others froze?Even if she had spoken up, no one would have taken her charcoal. But by staying silent, she only came across as cold-hearted.Wei Ruo replied unhurriedly, “Daughter was only afraid Mother would be upset. Madam Yuan sent the silver-bone charcoal as thanks for the loquat syrup. But over the matter of the syrup, I’ve already quarreled with Mother several times. I feared bringing it up again would lead to another argument. I know Mother has been troubled with so many matters lately, and I didn’t want to add to her worries.”
Help Choose My Birthday Double Release!🥳🥳
Hi everyone! To celebrate my birthday on December 22nd, I want to gift you all with two chapters that day! 🎉🥳
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