They arrived home in silence. Lin Ruoyan got out of the car first, circling around to Xu Jingyi's side before A Wu could.
She opened the car door and extended her arm to Xu Jingyi.
"Sister-in-law, take your time. I'll help you," she said politely, but without much warmth, a cool, gentlemanly demeanor.
Xu Jingyi didn't refuse and placed her hand on Lin Ruoyan's wrist, following her support to get out of the car.
Xu Jingyi's palm was cold. The significant temperature difference surprised both of them.
Lin Ruoyan placed her other hand on the back of Xu Jingyi's hand to warm it.
"Sister-in-law's hands are so cold. You should rest more."
She didn't realize her actions seemed somewhat ambiguous, but her expression showed a hint more concern than before.
As soon as she got out of the car, Xu Jingyi released her hand, pulling her hand away. Standing upright, her figure was graceful.
"Thank you, Ruoyan, for being so considerate. My cold hands and feet are an old problem. Ruofeng has found many Chinese medicine doctors to treat me, but it hasn't helped.
It's not a big deal." She paused, then continued, "Ruoyan, you're 25 this year, aren't you? I wonder who will be lucky enough to marry you in the future."
Lin Ruoyan's expression remained unchanged. She also retracted her arm, tidying her sleeve as she spoke, "It will be 26 in two months
. There's no rush to get married. My brother just passed away, and my parents have also passed away. There's still a lot to take care of."
The two calm sentences contained a lot of information. Both women understood the subtext: one wanted to marry off her sister-in-law; the other wanted to take over her brother's business.
The two paused their conversation. The drizzle, as if on cue, intensified, soaking their black suit jackets. The wind carried a slight chill.
A Wu stood to the side, listening to their exchange. He sensed the shift in atmosphere, from harmonious to tense.
"Madam, Miss," he said, breaking the silence. "The rain is heavy. Shouldn't we go inside?"
He had driven the car into the courtyard, intending to make their entry quicker, but they had ended up standing in the rain.
"Let's go," Lin Ruoyan said first. "Sister-in-law's health is delicate; we need to pay attention to these details." She then turned to A Wu, "A Wu, pay extra attention to Madam's warmth from now on
. Don't let there be any negligence, understood?"
"Yes, Miss," A Wu replied.
Her words carried the tone of a head of the household, as if she had naturally taken over Lin Ruofeng's authority and become the official mistress of the house.
Xu Jingyi pursed her lips and said, "Thank you for your concern, Ruoyan.
But I've been this way for years. The worst I have is cold hands and feet; otherwise, there's nothing much wrong."
After she finished speaking, she lifted her foot and walked into the house.
"It's raining today, and it's a bit chilly. Ruoyan, you should also pay attention to keeping warm."
Lin Ruoyan followed behind her, listening to her speak. Perhaps because of the recent loss of her husband, she didn't seem as flamboyant as before, and even her tone of voice had become much gentler.
"Oh, right." Xu Jingyi stopped at the door, waiting for A Wu to open it, as if she had just remembered something. "A Wu, you should stay with Ruoyan these days, and take care of her."
A Wu frowned. The mistress wanted him to take care of the madam, and the madam wanted him to follow the mistress. Who should he follow?
"Yes, Madam." No matter who he followed, he would agree for now and figure it out later.
The door opened, and Xu Jingyi stepped inside first, taking off her coat and casually throwing it on the sofa.
The black dress underneath clung to her curves, her graceful figure exposed in Lin Ruoyan's sight.
"Ruoyan, your room has been cleaned. You should rest well. I'm going to rest now too."
"Okay, sister-in-law, rest well."
She started up the stairs, her s-curved waist and perky hips accentuated by the dress, making her look especially sexy.
Each step up the stairs was a beautiful sight, like a blooming lotus.
Lin Ruoyan followed behind her, and after a few glances, deliberately fell back two steps, her eyes lowered, avoiding the view.