Quick Travel to the Clouds

Chapter 813 The Life of an Orphan 2

Upon hearing this, Song Rong's smile deepened, and her gaze fell on Yun Chu with a hint of pity.

My cousin was slender and frail, with a hint of weariness in her eyes. Her clothes were old, with slightly frayed edges on the cuffs, and it was clear that she had suffered on the way.

Yet, he speaks and acts with great propriety, neither humble nor arrogant, which earns him respect.

While she was sizing up Yun Chu, Song Lian was looking down, seemingly lost in thought.

Jiang saw this but didn't point it out. She simply said, "Alright, you sisters can talk for a while. I'll go arrange dinner. Rong'er, take Yun Chu for a walk around the courtyard and let her get acquainted with the place."

"Yes," Song Rong replied crisply.

Jiang got up and walked out. When she passed Song Lian, she paused and glanced at her.

Song Lian kept her head down and didn't move.

After Jiang left, Song Rong pulled Yun Chu outside, pointing at various places as they walked: "That's the main house, where my mother lives."

"That's the study, where my father usually receives guests. That side door leads to the back quarters, where the maids and servants live."

"By the way, I have two crabapple trees in my yard. They bloom beautifully in spring, but unfortunately, it's not the right time for them now..."

Song Lian followed behind, walking at a distance that was neither too close nor too far, without saying a word.

When they reached the grape trellis, Song Rong suddenly stopped, turned around and looked at Song Lian, and smiled, "Sister Lian, why haven't you said anything? Are you feeling unwell?"

Song Lian raised her eyes and forced a smile: "No, I'm just a little tired."

"Then go back and rest early," Song Rong said, not insisting that she stay. "My cousin and I will walk around a bit more."

Song Lian nodded, her gaze sweeping across Yun Chu's face. Her expression was indifferent, yet it sent a chill down one's spine.

"Cousin, take a good rest." After saying this, she turned around and walked back, her steps neither fast nor slow, her back straight.

As Yun Chu watched her figure disappear behind the moon gate, she vaguely understood something.

This Song Lian was born out of wedlock.

My aunt is my legal mother, so I imagine she wouldn't treat her stepdaughter too harshly, but there's still a barrier between us.

Now that her own mother, a close relative, has come, and all her food, clothing, and daily necessities are provided by the public funds, Song Lian's already tight budget is likely to make her even more uncomfortable.

“That’s just how Sister Lian is,” Song Rong’s voice rang out from the side, tinged with a hint of helplessness. “She doesn’t like to talk, and it’s not directed at you. You’ll understand once you spend more time with her.”

Yun Chu looked away and nodded: "I know."

Song Rong looked at her and suddenly laughed: "You're quite composed. When I was your age, I would have panicked if someone didn't look at me."

Yun Chu didn't respond to that, but simply lowered her eyes slightly.

There's no need to cause trouble over trivial matters when you first arrive at the Song family.

Song Rong then led her around the courtyard, pointing out various places before letting her go back to her room to rest.

As evening fell, the lights came on in the main room of Qingheyuan.

Yun Chu followed the maid who led the way into the main room, where a warm feeling washed over her.

In the middle of the room was a black lacquered square table, which was already full of bowls and plates, steaming hot and emitting the aroma of food.

Jiang was sitting at the head of the table. When she saw Yun Chu come in, she smiled and waved, "Yun Chu is here. Come and sit down."

Yun Chu glanced around and saw that Song Rong was already sitting next to Jiang Shi, smiling at her. Song Lian sat to the left of Song Rong, her eyes still downcast, lost in thought.

On the other side of Jiang's house sat a middle-aged man.

He wore a slightly worn dark blue robe, had a thin face, a short beard on his chin, gentle eyes and a scholarly air.

However, there was a hint of weariness between his brows, as if he had been working hard all day and had not yet recovered.

This is my uncle, Song Pei.

Yun Chu stepped forward and gave a proper bow: "Yun Chu greets Uncle."

Song Pei quickly raised his hand to help him up, his voice gentle: "Get up, get up. We're family, no need for formalities."

As he spoke, he glanced at Yun Chu, his eyes filled with pity: "Was the journey smooth? The capital is different from other places; it gets really cold after winter sets in. Did you bring enough clothes?"

"Uncle Lao was worried, everything is fine," Yun Chu replied, her eyes lowered.

"That's good, that's good." Song Pei nodded, seemingly wanting to say something but unsure what to say, and simply smiled. "Sit down, sit down and let's talk."

Jiang watched from the side, a smile flashing in her eyes, and pointed to the seat next to Song Rong: "Yun Chu, sit there, next to your sister Rong."

Yun Chu sat down as instructed.

Song Rong leaned closer and whispered, "My dad doesn't talk much, so please don't take offense. He's actually happy; he even specifically asked the kitchen to prepare a couple more dishes today."

Yun Chu nodded slightly, understanding a bit of what was going on.

This uncle was a kind-hearted man who wasn't good with words.

The maids began serving the dishes. Jiang picked up a piece of fish with her chopsticks and put it into Yun Chu's bowl: "Try this, steamed perch. Your mother loved to eat fish when she was a child."

Yun Chu bowed her head to thank him and ate slowly.

The dinner table gradually became lively.

Song Rong chattered on about what happened at school that day: whose poem was praised by the teacher, and whose handwriting was crooked and who was punished to rewrite it.

Jiang would occasionally chime in with a few words, asking this or giving that advice.

Song Pei was a man of few words, only occasionally nodding or humming in response, but his gaze remained fixed on his wife and daughter, his eyes filled with a gentle light.

Song Lian remained mostly silent, focusing on eating her rice. Occasionally, she would glance up, her gaze sweeping across Yun Chu's face before quickly looking away.

Yun Chu saw it all, but didn't care.

After the meal, she finally saw her uncle clearly—a low-ranking official of the ninth rank, which was indeed nothing in the capital.

Although the Song family were officials, the fourth branch of the family were born out of wedlock and received a limited monthly allowance. In addition, Song Pei's salary was meager, so the family was probably struggling to make ends meet.

No wonder her aunt's eyes reddened when she saw her take out a few old clothes from her bundle—not because she felt sorry for her, but because she felt sorry for her sister's child, who had traveled a long way to seek refuge, only to be able to live in such a house and eat such food.

But perhaps there's a hint of guilt in that heartache.

Yun Chu lowered her eyes and slowly finished the soup in her bowl.

After the meal, Jiang kept her for a while longer, asking about her journey and telling her to rest early before letting her go home.

The night is dark.

When Yun Chu returned to her room, the little maid named Qing Xing was waiting for her. Upon seeing her return, she hurriedly went to help her wash up.

Qingxing was assigned to her by Jiang Shi. She was thirteen or fourteen years old, with a round face and two dimples when she smiled. She was also quick and nimble. However, Yun Chu was used to Hui Mama and was a little unaccustomed to her at first.

"Miss, I'll be on night duty in the outer room. Just call me if you need anything," Qingxing said with a smile as she spread out the blankets.

Yun Chu nodded: "Go ahead."

After Qingxing left and closed the door, Yun Chu sat by the bed for a while, listening to the sounds outside.

The night grew quiet. In the distance, the faint sound of a night watchman's drum could be heard, once, then twice.

She got up, walked to the door, and closed it. Then she walked to the window and sealed it shut.

Then, she raised her hand.

A slight warmth spread through his palm, and an invisible wave emanated from it—that was spatial ability.

The next moment, several boxes appeared out of thin air in the room, stacked neatly.

Yun Chu squatted down and opened the top box.

The moment the lid of the trunk was lifted, a warm luster came into view—it was the finest silk, neatly folded in bolts of indigo, lotus root, and autumn fragrance, all simple and elegant colors, just right for a girl her age to wear.

She reached out and parted the silk, revealing rows of small boxes underneath.

Open one of them, and inside are two pairs of jade bracelets of excellent quality, white and lustrous like mutton fat, warm to the touch.

Opening another one revealed several gold hairpins. Although the designs were not elaborate, they were substantial and finely crafted.

In another box, several strings of pearls were neatly arranged, each one round and with a soft luster.

The bottom layer contained a stack of silver notes.