SES Chapter 173 Part 1

Chapter 173

Meihua Jiuniang smiled. “Well, if there’s no benefit to be gained, then there’s really nothing left to look at.”

She picked up her teacup and drank slowly, deliberately letting the awkward silence stretch. A breeze blew past, lifting the cloth draped over her lap. Cao Yanhua suddenly froze.

Below her knees—there was nothing.

Luo Ren had seen it too. His gaze quickly shifted away as if he hadn’t noticed. Mudaidai whispered under her breath, “Master, isn’t this… bullying people?”

She felt indignant on Luo Ren’s behalf, convinced her master was doing it on purpose.

And indeed, she was.

Meihua Jiuniang had already learned about Luo Ren earlier that morning from Zheng Mingshan.

At that time, she had asked him, “So, what do you think of the man?”

Zheng Mingshan thought for a moment before answering, “He’s someone worth noting. Hard to see through at first glance… but little junior sister likes him.”

Every word hit the mark. Luo Ren was someone who knew how to advance and retreat, understood rules, could keep his composure, and steady his heart. Just moments ago, when the cloth blew up and Cao Yanhua’s shock was written all over his face, Luo Ren remained perfectly unmoved.

Meihua Jiuniang asked him, “What’s so good about our Mudaidai?”

What’s good about her?

Luo Ren was briefly speechless. After a pause, he replied, “I can’t think of anything bad.”

Mudaidai lowered her head, trying her best to look indifferent—but the smile tugging at the corner of her lips betrayed her.

Meihua Jiuniang laughed, nudged Mudaidai, and said, “Go on, stand next to him. Let me take a look.”

Mudaidai obeyed, but even though she had been with Luo Ren for a while now, she still felt self-conscious about this kind of deliberate pairing—standing side-by-side while everyone stared up and down. What was the point of this ritual?

She fidgeted with the red silk at her waist, trying her best not to brush against Luo Ren.

Meihua Jiuniang observed them for a long moment, then said softly, “You look well-suited.”

That’s it? Little Brother Luo passed the test that easily?

Cao Yanhua could hardly believe it. Back inside the room, he practically hopped in outrage. “This can’t be it, Little Brother Luo! My grandmaster is from a martial lineage! Shouldn’t she at least make you go through some trial by fire? Three blades and six holes? Walk across a fire basin?”

What kind of nonsense was that? Luo Ren nearly laughed. “Do you even know what ‘three blades and six holes’ means?”

Wasn’t it just a way of intimidating someone?

Luo Ren explained: “Three blades and six holes” was an old gang ritual—when someone did something unforgivable and wanted forgiveness, they had to stab themselves through with a blade three times. As for the fire basin—that was an old wedding custom for brides entering their husband’s home, meant to burn away misfortune and ensure a prosperous future.

Meihua Jiuniang would have to be insane to make him go through something like that.

So that was the truth.

But Cao Yanhua still grumbled nonstop, convinced that Luo Ren had gotten off way too easily.

Luo Ren asked him, “You really think I’ve passed?”

Cao Yanhua blinked. “Didn’t you?”

Luo Ren just smiled.

Of course not. Otherwise, Meihua Jiuniang wouldn’t have kept Mudaidai behind.

Mudaidai rarely entered her master’s room. Even when she did, she never lingered. Normally, a main room should be bright and airy, yet for some reason, her master’s chamber always felt darker and colder than the rest of the residence. Mudaidai never liked staying there too long.

But this time, her master called her in with such seriousness—why? Did she not like Luo Ren?

Once inside, Meihua Jiuniang’s energy from earlier was gone. She closed her eyes, exhausted, frail—her tiny body curled in the wheelchair like a white candle about to burn out, ready to turn into a wisp of smoke at any moment.

Senior brother was right. Her master really had reached the end. Just meeting Luo Ren and Cao Yanhua that morning and speaking for a short while had drained her.

Mudaidai felt a painful tightness in her chest. She dragged a yellow brocade cushion to the side of the wheelchair, knelt, and whispered, “Master.”

Meihua Jiuniang extended a hand and gently stroked her hair.

“Your senior brother told me you brought home a boyfriend. At first, I didn’t believe it—eight years gone in a blink. My little girl’s grown up.”

Warm pressure filled Mudaidai’s eyes. She looked up. “Master… do you not like Luo Ren?”

Meihua Jiuniang replied, “He might be a good person. But I don’t have the time left to like him. And I don’t have the time to help you understand him.”

Small signs can outline a person’s shape—but to truly understand someone’s heart, you need years. She had a favorable impression of Luo Ren, but with her age and experiences, she knew such impressions could easily be overturned.

“Your senior brother told me that for the sake of your happiness, he had to help you keep your eyes open. But I thought… rather than pinning expectations on Luo Ren, I’d rather pin them on you.”

Expectations for me? For what? Mudaidai didn’t understand.

“In the old days, when a daughter got married, her mother would have so much to tell her. I’ve always thought I was too old—that I wouldn’t live long enough to see you wed. And your Aunt Hong… well, to be honest, she can barely manage her own life. I don’t think highly of her.”

Mudaidai let out a quiet laugh. “Aunt Hong is good to me.”

“Since you brought him back before my last breath, it’s good. There are things I can finally tell you.”

She took a long breath.

“I don’t know Luo Ren. I’m not overly fond of him either. Compared to you, his background and history are certainly more complicated. He’s calm in a crisis, steady in his actions, mindful of boundaries and propriety—far more than you. I worry that you like him more than he likes you, and that you’ll end up treating him too gently.”

Mudaidai opened her mouth, but Meihua Jiuniang motioned for her to listen quietly.

“Maybe I’m wrong. That’s fine. I’m not against you being with him. I just have a few things to tell you.”

Mudaidai nodded and sat upright.