Inside the bathroom, there was a washbasin, a toilet, and a shower area. The dry and wet zones were separated, and after being cleaned, it was quite tidy.
Ruan Jiaojiao first turned on the water and waited for it to gradually heat up before taking off her clothes to shower.
Warm water cascaded from the showerhead, soaking her hair and warming the body that had just been exposed to the air. Ruan Jiaojiao closed her eyes, tilted her head back slightly, and pushed her hair back from her forehead with both hands, revealing a smooth brow.
Her long hair reached down to her waist. On her lower back, there was a coin-sized tattoo, obscured by the steam and not clearly visible. Suddenly, the image of Second Uncle’s cold, aloof face surfaced in her mind; the scent of medicinal herbs that clung to his cold presence seemed to drift through her nostrils once again.
"Hoo..."
Ruan Jiaojiao opened her eyes, shaking the image from her mind, and began to wash.
When she finished and stepped out of the bathroom, her mother was still in the room, sitting on the edge of the bed. She was holding the coat Ruan Jiaojiao had brought back, examining it closely. Seeing Ruan Jiaojiao emerge, she asked, "Whose coat is this? The workmanship is truly exquisite."
Ruan Jiaojiao walked over, drying her hair as she explained, "Mom, someone lent this to me. I need to return it to them later."
Although Second Uncle had said she could keep it, Ruan Jiaojiao felt it was better to return it. Having studied fashion design with her mother, she naturally knew the coat was made of pure cashmere, crafted by hand, and likely a custom cut—it certainly wasn't cheap.
Ruan Qianlian caressed the coat, unable to put it down. "The fabric alone is incredibly expensive. You’ve only just arrived here—who would be willing to lend such a costly garment to you?"
Ruan Jiaojiao chuckled lightly. "I happened to run into an elder of the Fu family. Seeing that I was dressed too thinly, he lent it to me." She added, "Mom, I expect they’re almost finished with dinner. You should tidy up, and once I’ve dried my hair, we’ll head down."
Ruan Qianlian nodded. "All right."
***
Downstairs.
After Fu Dexin and Fu Jiaru finished their meal, Fu Jiaru stood up and gestured to the servants to clear away most of the dishes, leaving behind only some thin, watery soup.
When Ruan Jiaojiao and her mother arrived downstairs, they saw the scraps left on the table: a bowl of cold soup, a fish with only a quarter of its meat remaining, and a small dish of greens. Yet, when Ruan Jiaojiao had returned earlier, she had seen far more variety served, including abalone and seafood.
Fu Jiaru glanced over, her expression smug and disdainful. She gave a sharp "Hmph" before turning back to her phone on the sofa.
"Jiaojiao, this is too much. With only these leftovers, it's clear they don't want to provide us with a decent meal," Ruan Qianlian whispered, her voice tinged with anger.
Ruan Jiaojiao squeezed her mother’s hand and shook her head, signaling her to say no more.
As they moved to sit down, Fu Jiaru immediately shouted, "That's not your place! You sit at the very end!"
A servant stepped over and pointed to the far corner. Ruan Jiaojiao and her mother sat opposite each other at the very edge. It was the lowest-ranked position among the guests. Because they were in this corner, they couldn't reach the dishes and were the furthest from the main seats. Along the nearly ten-meter-long rectangular table, the sense of confinement was even more pronounced.
"Mom, let’s eat first."
Ruan Jiaojiao scooped a bowl of rice for her mother, picked the bones out of the remaining fish for her, and then divided the soup and greens before returning to her own seat to eat.
Ruan Qianlian looked at her daughter’s thin frame and pushed the fish meat back toward her. "Jiaojiao, you eat it."
Ruan Jiaojiao smiled, pushed the meat back to her mother, and comforted her, "I’m not very hungry; I had some pastries at that elder’s place earlier."
Hearing this, Ruan Qianlian felt relieved and began to eat. Ruan Jiaojiao chewed on the fish bones—there was little meat left, mostly thorns.
Seeing that they didn't show a hint of complaint and were eating with gusto, Fu Jiaru’s plan to suppress them had failed. Furious, she flung her remote control aside.
Fu Dexin was beside her, scrolling through short videos and "liking" videos of attractive women. Seeing his daughter so angry, he looked up and asked, "What’s wrong, my precious daughter? Why are you angry?"
Fu Jiaru scoffed. Suddenly remembering something, a glint of calculation flashed in her eyes. "Dad, I suspect Ruan Jiaojiao stole something."
Upon hearing this, Fu Dexin closed his app and frowned. "Jiaru, you can't just throw around accusations like that. You know that stealing is grounds for being kicked out."
*Exactly what I want!* Fu Jiaru thought. She described how Ruan Jiaojiao had returned wearing that expensive coat, embellishing the story for effect. "Dad, you have no idea. She was so guilty at the time; I hadn't even finished asking her about it before she rushed upstairs. If she didn't steal it, why would she be so guilty? Besides, that coat looks like a high-end designer piece. How could she possibly have the money to buy something so expensive?"
Fu Dexin glanced at Ruan Jiaojiao, who was still eating. His expression darkened. He stood up and headed upstairs, with Fu Jiaru trailing behind him.
They entered the attic. Fu Jiaru wrinkled her nose in disgust. She scanned the room and saw the black coat folded on the bed.
"Dad, that’s the coat."
Fu Dexin followed her gaze, walked to the bed, and picked up the garment. After a careful look, his face changed completely. "This—this is Fu Zhinian’s coat! It has his unique plum blossom insignia on the cuff!"
Fu Jiaru was also shocked. She hadn't expected Ruan Jiaojiao to be so brazen as to steal from Second Uncle! Who was Second Uncle? No one was allowed to touch his belongings; his sense of private domain was extreme. Not even his Xing Garden could be entered without permission.
Fu Jiaru smiled. *Ruan Jiaojiao, you are finished!*
Ruan Jiaojiao was still eating when she was startled by a roar.
"Ruan Jiaojiao! You have some nerve! How dare you steal!"
Fu Dexin and Fu Jiaru descended the stairs, holding the coat, and marched over to confront her. Before Ruan Jiaojiao could even swallow her last bite, Fu Dexin waved his hand at the servants and commanded, "Grab her!"
The servants stepped forward, seized Ruan Jiaojiao’s arms, twisted them behind her back, hauled her up from the chair, and dragged her before Fu Dexin.
"Jiaojiao! What are you doing?" Ruan Qianlian forgot her meal and rushed forward to stop them, but was blocked by another servant.
Ruan Jiaojiao’s arms ached from the grip. She frowned and looked at Fu Dexin. "What are you doing? What stealing?"
Fu Dexin scoffed and held up the coat. He started to throw it at her, but hesitated, not daring to toss it aside. "Do you recognize this coat? Tell me, where did you steal it from?"
Ruan Jiaojiao’s gaze fell on the coat, then shifted to Fu Jiaru. Seeing her triumphant, spectator-like expression, she understood exactly what was happening.
"This coat was a gift, not stolen," Ruan Jiaojiao said, looking Fu Dexin in the eye.
Fu Dexin interrogated her again, "Then tell me, who gave it to you?"
Ruan Jiaojiao remained silent.
Fu Dexin let out a cold laugh. "You won't say? Then I'll say it for you. This is Fu Zhinian’s coat. Do you really expect us to believe Fu Zhinian would give a coat to you?"
Ruan Jiaojiao hadn't expected Fu Dexin to guess it was from Second Uncle, so she had no choice but to admit it. "It really was a gift from Second Uncle. He saw I wasn't dressed warmly enough and gave me this coat."
Her explanation was met only with more mockery and sarcasm.
"Lies! How could Fu Zhinian possibly give you a coat!"
"Exactly! How could Second Uncle give you his things? You clearly stole it!"
"Dad, throw this thief out!"
Fu Dexin waved a hand at the servants and said coldly, "Throw her out!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, a cold voice rang out from the doorway—neither too loud nor too quiet, but perfectly audible to everyone in the living room.
"I gave it to her. Is there a problem with that?"