Jiang Lanzhi, followed closely by Jiang Yuyao, caught up with Jiang Zhao in just a few steps. "Zhao'er," he called out.
Jiang Zhao stopped in her tracks and turned around.
Jiang Yuyao stole a furtive glance at Jiang Zhao. Then, at Jiang Lanzhi's prompting, she obediently curtsied. "Yuyao greets eldest sister," she said.
Jiang Zhao lowered her eyes. Jiang Yuyao was chubby, with big, adorable eyes that were quite endearing.
However... Jiang Zhao leaned down and scrutinized the little girl's face, sensing something amiss.
There were dark circles under Jiang Yuyao's eyes. Jiang Zhao reached out and gently lifted the girl's eyelid, only to find a tinge of blue in the whites of her eyes.
Although Jiang Yuyao didn't understand what her eldest sister was doing, she remained obediently still.
"Hasn't Yuanyuan been sleeping well these days?"
Moreover, there was a faint, almost imperceptible aura of yin energy lingering around Jiang Yuyao. It seemed that she had been haunted by something.
Jiang Yuyao nodded pitifully. Her eldest sister was truly amazing; she could tell at a glance that she hadn't been sleeping well.
In recent nights, Jiang Yuyao had often been plagued by nightmares. There was always a dark figure on the roof, staring at her.
She was terribly frightened and told her mother about it, but her mother simply dismissed it as a bad dream.
Jiang Zhao rummaged through her clothes and took out a wooden amulet tied with a red string. "Yuanyuan, this is a little gift from your eldest sister. Will you keep it with you?"
Jiang Yuyao took the amulet. Although it was a bit ugly, it was a gift from her eldest sister, so she would surely treasure it. "Thank you, eldest sister," she said.
Jiang Zhao curved her red lips slightly, trying her best to put on a kind smile.
The wooden amulet she gave to Jiang Yuyao was made of peach wood mixed with cinnabar, which could ward off evil spirits.
With this amulet on her, Jiang Yuyao would be able to sleep soundly at night.
This scene was also witnessed by Jiang Yunxi and Jiang Qingrong as they emerged from the Pine and Crane Hall.
Although Jiang Qingrong was an illegitimate son of the eldest branch, he had a childlike disposition and was rather naive. He got along well with his elder brothers in the family, especially Jiang Yunxi.
People said that Jiang Yunxi was well - informed, and Jiang Qingrong always followed him around.
Jiang Yunxi and Jiang Qingrong walked towards them.
"Truly shabby. I can't believe Father even gave you a jade ring. It's such a waste," Jiang Yunxi sneered, his eyes fixed on the wooden amulet. "Yuanyuan, throw it away quickly. You might catch the stench of poverty."
Jiang Yuyao ignored him and stuffed the amulet into her bosom before running away.
Jiang Zhao turned her eerie eyes towards Jiang Yunxi. "The charity funeral home can barely make ends meet. Naturally, I can't afford anything nice."
"I can't compare to Fourth Brother, who has seen so much of the world and is so generous."
Jiang Yunxi proudly lifted his chin, completely oblivious to the hidden meaning in Jiang Zhao's words. "That's right. If you're obedient, maybe I'll be kind enough to give you some hand - outs."
These words gave Jiang Lanzhi a headache. Sometimes he wondered if his younger brother had left his brains in his aunt's womb when he was born.
He couldn't tell good from bad.
Then he looked at Jiang Qingrong and felt a pang in his head. Jiang Qingrong was tilting his head, his mouth slightly open, looking like a fool.
Jiang Zhao then changed the subject. "However, no matter how rich the family fortune left by our ancestors is, it can't withstand someone who squanders money like dirt every day."
"You're scolding me!" Jiang Yunxi finally caught on. This little brat Jiang Zhao was scolding him for being a prodigal who wasted the family fortune!
Although it was true, he just couldn't stand it.
To his surprise, instead of trying to cover it up, Jiang Zhao nodded matter - of - factly. "That's right. I'm scolding you, Fourth Brother."
Jiang Yunxi was stunned for a moment, then he flew into a rage and shouted that he was going to beat Jiang Zhao.
But before his hand could even touch Jiang Zhao, she plopped down on the ground and craned her neck to the side. "Hit me! Hit me! One slap costs a thousand taels of silver."
"Anyway, Fourth Brother is rich. He can afford it."
The servants in the Pine and Crane Hall heard the commotion and looked over. Now it was Jiang Yunxi's turn to be speechless. He stammered, "I didn't hit her!"
"She sat down on the ground herself! She's framing me! She's framing me!"
No matter how lowly Jiang Zhao was, she was still his younger sister. Their grandmother hated any strife among siblings the most, so he would never dare to lay a hand on Jiang Zhao.
At this moment, Jiang Qingrong spoke slowly. "Fourth Brother, you're lying. You just reached out your hand."
Jiang Yunxi whirled around. What's wrong with you, buddy?
Seeing Jiang Qingrong's sincere and innocent look, he felt as if he had swallowed a fly. "Whose side are you on?!"
Jiang Qingrong replied seriously, "I'm on the Jiang family's side."
Jiang Yunxi: ... That's a no - brainer!
If he didn't know Jiang Qingrong's personality, he would have thought that Jiang Qingrong was doing it on purpose.
Jiang Lanzhi clenched his fists, his temples throbbing with pain.
His sister was straightforward, and his two younger brothers were both so naive. He had a vague feeling that the family was going to be really lively in the future.
"Alright, Zhao'er. The ground is cold. Get up quickly," Jiang Lanzhi said.
Jiang Zhao knew when to stop. She quickly got up from the ground as if nothing had happened.
"Fourth Brother, your forehead looks dark. You're bound to have a bloody disaster today," Jiang Zhao suddenly said.
However, she wasn't just talking nonsense. Jiang Yunxi was indeed going to have a bloody disaster, but it wouldn't be life - threatening.
Jiang Yunxi exploded. "You're the one who's going to have a bloody disaster! Your whole family is going to have a bloody disaster!"
Jiang Qingrong said, "Fourth Brother, you're also part of eldest sister's family."
Jiang Yunxi gritted his teeth. "Jiang Qingrong, can you just shut up!"
Seeing that Jiang Yunxi was really getting angry, Jiang Qingrong quickly shut his mouth and pretended to be a timid quail.
Jiang Zhao was too lazy to continue arguing with him. She turned around and waved her hand. "Don't forget to come and give me the money."
"Second Brother, look at her! Look at her!" Jiang Yunxi said anxiously, tugging at Jiang Lanzhi's sleeve.
Jiang Lanzhi calmly pulled his sleeve out. "Zhao'er was just joking. Why are you arguing with a girl?"
"Our sister is just a bit naive. She doesn't have any bad intentions."
Naive? No bad intentions?
"Second Brother, you're being biased!" Jiang Yunxi felt a lump of anger stuck in his chest. He stomped his feet loudly and walked away.
After everyone had left, Jiang Lanzhi didn't stay in the Jiang family either. He went to the Marquis of Suguogong's mansion, his maternal grandfather's home.
The He family was a family of noble scholars with a long - standing and prominent lineage, a century - old aristocratic family.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that when Lady He married into the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion, it was a bit of a "step - down". Back then, the old Marquis of Suguogong agreed to the marriage because he valued Jiang Changlin, the brave and skilled general from the Jiang family.
However, in the old Marquis of Suguogong's generation, there were few descendants. Apart from Lady He, there was only the current Marquis of Suguogong, his son.
There was a difference of more than fifteen years between Lady He and the Marquis of Suguogong. Lady He was basically raised by the Marquis of Suguogong as if she were his own daughter.
Since the Marquis of Suguogong and his wife got married, they had never had any children.
So after Lady He gave birth to Jiang Lanzhi and Jiang Qinian, the He family took Jiang Lanzhi back to raise him.
...
Jiang Zhao returned to the charity funeral home. She packed up her daily necessities and the memorial tablets.
She then wiped the coffins in the funeral home and lit some incense. "I won't be living here anymore, but I'll come back to visit you often."
"You'd better behave yourselves. If I find out you're causing trouble, you'll be in for it."
By the time she finished tidying up, it was already getting dark.
Before leaving, Jiang Zhao took a long, lingering look at the locked funeral home. It was a bit hard to leave a place where she had lived for so many years.