Scheme of the Official Descendant

Chapter 3 (Part 1): Elder Sister

She still remembered that when her Mother and Third Elder Sister came back in her previous lifetime, she could not go pay her respects to her Mother in time because her illness had worsened but a few days later when her Father returned to the residence, she wore the clothes and ornaments Father brought for her from the capital and went out to meet the guests.

Due to that, her Third Elder Sister, Ren Yaohua, found her even more unpleasant to the eye.

Ren Yaohua hated that she did not put her Mother’s matters to heart and was fickle and heartless.

She also complained that her Mother treated her Elder Sister better than her by hundreds and thousands of time as she was willing to accompany her Elder Sister to go to the village to bear hardships but left her alone in the residence for Concubine to look after. Even when she was seriously ill, she had also never sent people to look at her and even dispatched the physician who was here to see her to her Third Elder Sister who did not even have any ailments.

When Ren Yaoqi thought that she had already forgotten, the past gradually became more distinct instead. This time, when she looked back at those matters back then, she naturally saw the fishiness in it.

Someone was playing tricks in the dark and sowing discord between her relationship with Ren Yaohua in every aspect.

“Fifth Miss? If you’re still not going to drink, the medicine is going to be cold.” Jin Ju saw her looking at the bowl of medicine while knitting her eyebrows and hastily put on a smiling face to urge her.

While knitting her eyebrows, Ren Yaoqi took the bowl of medicine and moved it close to the side of her lips. When Jin Ju saw that she was willing to drink and was about to heave a sigh of relief, Ren Yaoqi instead moved the bowl away again with her eyebrows knitted even tighter. “Why do I feel that today’s medicine looks a little more bitter?”

Jin Ju’s heart leapt as her eyes swept across that bowl of medicine. She forced a smile as she said, “How can that be? Miss, you haven’t even drunk it…”

Ren Yaoqi cast a sidelong glance at her and said haughtily, “This Miss’ illness has been prologned that I have been made a doctor. As soon as I smelt it, I knew that today’s medicine is bitter!”

“This…”

Jin Ju held her temple in and squeezed out a smiling face. She was about to continue exhorting her when Ren Yaoqi said again, “You go find Concubine Fang to ask for a plate of smoked plum* shreds. It’s that kind which uses mint leaves and honey together to pickle. There is also snow sugar sprinkled on it.”

*T/n: A picture:

https://www.pingguolv.com/zy/wumei/

The corner of Jin Ju’s mouth twitched. So the reason it was so difficult to talk to her today was that she was gluttonous. She inwardly let out a sigh of relief instead and stood up to say, “This servant will go now.” As she said, she turned around and left.

After seeing that her figure has vanished from the inner chamber, Ren Yaoqi withdrew the proud expression on her countenance and draped the thick cotton quilt as she got out of bed. Carrying that bowl of medicine, she walked to behind the screen in the inner chamber and poured the medicine into the chamber pot*.

*T/n: A portable toilet

After that, she sat back properly while leaning on the bed. She contemplated, then moistened the corner of her lips with the few drops of medicine left in the bowl.

Jin Ju came back very quickly. When she entered and saw the bowl of medicine empty, she could not help but stare blankly for a moment. Ren Yaoqi was already saying a little impatiently, “How come you went for this long! You want to make me die from bitterness?!”

Jin Ju hastily handed over the plate of smoked plums in her hand. Ren Yaoqi used the silver pick beside the plate to take a piece and placed it in her mouth. After that, she half narrowed her eyes in satisfaction. “So sweet——”

However, Jin Ju’s eyes were covertly glancing at that bowl of medicine then looked at Ren Yaoqi. When she saw that the corner of her mouth still had remnants of the medicine, she was satisfied and her smile also became much more sincere. “These smoked plum shreds are what Concubine made using a secret technique from her maiden family. You can’t eat this anywhere else. There has been more rainfall this year so quite a few gardens in the north where top-notch green plum trees are planted have suffered from flood. Therefore, Concubine only picked just this jug. Concubine didn’t even give Ninth Miss when she said that she wanted last time, saying that she was leaving it for Fifth Miss. Due to this, Ninth Miss angry with our Concubine for quite a few days.”

Ren Yaoqi saw the curtains outside moved a little. Suddenly, she tilted her head to wink at Jin Ju. “Many thanks for telling me all these. So it turns out that Ninth Younger Sister is this petty. I wouldn’t even have known if you hadn’t told me. However, don’t you worry, I won’t let her know that you spoke ill of her to me.”

When Jin Ju heard what she said, her face turned pale. She did not have the intention of saying unpleasant things about Ninth Miss behind her back.

“Fifth Miss, I…”

Ren Yaoqi cut off her words and removed a lustrous and smooth white jade bracelet from her wrist and handed it before Jin Ju’s eyes. “I never mistreat my own people. This is to reward you.”

Jin Ju cast a glance at the bracelet as her heart leapt. The words that were going to exit her mouth to refute were forcefully swallowed back instead.
 

She looked left and right, then carefully kept the bracelet into her own sleeve and said a sentence softly, “This servant thanks Fifth Miss for rewarding.”

Ren Yaoqi covered her small mouth as she yawned. “I’m sleepy already and want to sleep for a while. You may withdraw.”

“Yes, Fifth Miss.” After Jin Ju waited upon Ren Yaoqi to lie down, she withdrew.
 

After waiting for a while, she called out softly, “Who’s outside?”