Seeing that several people acted as though they had not heard a word she said, Xiao Si was just about to step forward to support them when he heard those people crying and wailing, "Oh, my dear uncle, how could you leave us just like that, and Xiaochen is still so young..."
"Go in peace, for we will surely take care of Xiaochen..."
"With us here to look after the Xie Family, we will never let you down..."
Veins throbbed on Xiao Si's forehead, and just as he reached out to chase them away, he heard footsteps approaching from behind.
As the beaded curtain was lifted, Xie Nanyou stepped forward, and Xiao Si quickly made way to stand behind his Young Miss.
"I wasn't aware the Xie Residence needed outsiders to look after it. What is the meaning of this? Are you planning to make yourselves the masters of the Xie Family?" Xie Nanyou stared down from on high at the group kneeling together.
Those gathered outside the mourning hall looked at Xie Nanyou standing there, wondering who this woman was, walking out from the inner rooms and reprimanding others right in the middle of the Head of the Xie Family's mourning hall.
Just as the crowd began to whisper among themselves, a voice rang out from behind them: "Miss Nanyou, you only need to chase away these irrelevant people directly; why would you ever need to dirty your hands by coming out yourself?" With that, the speaker pushed through the cleared path and walked into the mourning hall, bowed in respect, and stood beside Nanyou, narrowing his eyes sharply as he looked at the disheveled group.
"Who are you..." "This is the Xie Residence, who do you think—" "Where on earth did you woman—" Just as several of them began shouting questions in turn, another voice rose from the crowd.
"Will all of you shut your traps?" With that, the speaker shoved aside the surrounding crowd and stepped into the mourning hall, swinging his cane in a wide arc to strike the man closest to him.
"You bunch of good-for-nothing scoundrels! This is the Head of the Family's younger sister! Not a single one of you even recognizes your own paternal aunt, and you're still standing here making a racket—what kind of behavior is this?" As he spoke, the cane swung around in another fierce arc.
Xie Nanyou looked at the elderly man. "Cousin, it has been decades, yet your health remains as robust as ever. Unfortunately, this is no time for catching up."
Leaning on his cane, the old man looked at his younger sister, whose appearance bore such a striking resemblance to his own granddaughter, and let out a soft sigh filled with sorrow. "Nanyou, don't be too grief-stricken over your brother's passing; who is there that escapes death? As for those good-for-nothing scoundrels, pay them no mind—I'll go back and give them a proper thrashing." As he spoke, he did not forget to glare fiercely at the group sprawled on the ground.
Xie Nanyou nodded. "Cousin should go to the front hall to rest; we have staff here to look after things."
The old man hurriedly acknowledged her words, and while continuing to hurl curses, he herded the group away.
Watching the old man's retreating figure, Xie Nanyou turned her head to glance at Zhang Rishan. "President Zhang arrived quite late and has surely not eaten yet. Will you accompany me for a bowl of plain porridge?" With that, she led the way back into the inner rooms and slipped away through a secret door.
Seeing that everyone had left, Xiao Si motioned for the nearby staff to clean up the area and continue ushering guests inside.
In the dining room, Xie Yuchen had already finished a small bowl of porridge, and Xiao Jiu was just preparing to carry the child back to his room to rest. Seeing Xie Nanyou approach with Zhang Rishan following behind, Xiao Jiu was about to hand Xie Yuchen over to someone nearby when Xie Nanyou waved her hand.
"Xiaohua, go back and get some sleep. Let Xiao Jiu stay with you." She then glanced at Xiao Jiu, signaling him to take Xie Yuchen back to rest.
Once they had gone, Xie Nanyou and Zhang Rishan sat down at the dining table. "President Zhang has seen it all," she said, picking up a spoon and stirring the freshly served bowl of porridge.
Zhang Rishan nodded to the person serving the porridge beside them, picked up his spoon, scooped up a portion, and gently blew on it. Only after taking a bite did he speak. "The Xie Family's collateral branches certainly boast flourishing numbers." Seeing that Xie Nanyou neither raised her head nor spoke, he added, "And they are a mixed bag."
Xie Nanyou gently skimmed the surface of her porridge with her spoon. "Indeed. The older generation has grown up and gone senile, indulging the younger generation in their lawlessness."
Had she not been there today, she would hardly dare to imagine how those people might have bullied Xie Yuchen.
Perhaps Zhang Rishan's late arrival today was an accident, but the fact that Er Yuehong had not arrived by this hour either left her with too many things to wonder about.
Before Zhang Rishan could reply, the dining room door was pushed open, and a man dressed in a grey long robe, with his hair neatly combed and a look of profound sorrow on his face, walked in.
Zhang Rishan stood up and looked at the newcomer. "Second Master."
Er Yuehong curved the corners of his mouth ever so slightly, his eyes misting over as he looked at Xie Nanyou. "Yaoyao." With that, he walked toward her, seeming as though he wanted to draw closer to take a good look at the neighbor's younger sister he had not seen in decades.
Nanyou stood up and pulled Er Yuehong down to sit on a nearby chair. "Second Brother has arrived late."
Er Yuehong took Xie Nanyou's hand in his. "My carriage broke down on the way. Just now, I heard people outside talking about how the Head of the Xie Family hasn't even been laid to rest yet before the collateral branches came to cause trouble. What on earth happened? They didn't hurt you, did they?"
His family and the Xie Family were old acquaintances of generations past. Back when she was a little girl with delicate features, Yatou had often been brought over by his parents, who would use good food to coax her into staying. Yet once she finished the pastries and snacks, the moment she heard she had to learn opera, she would bolt.
Every time he covered for her escape, he would be scolded by his parents, who insisted she had the makings of a brilliant prodigy and that it was a crime for her not to sing opera. But practicing was far too grueling, and he simply could not bear to let this girl suffer.