Quick Transmigration: Survive to the End

"The housekeeper?" Zhan Huier's eyes showed a hint of envy.

"What's so important about the steward?" The second wife used to hold the reins of the household, so Zhan Shu'er naturally had plenty of opportunities to be taught, and therefore didn't think it was anything special or rare. In comparison, she was more angry about the second wife losing her power as steward. "The steward can be anytime, but this literary gathering is different every time. Once this opportunity is gone, it's gone forever."

"Since you two sisters are so interested, I will talk to Mother and arrange a carriage for you," Yin Yin said, avoiding her words as she served tea to see the guests off.

Perhaps not expecting Yin Yin to be so difficult, Zhan Shu'er could only get up in annoyance and said, "I was thinking of asking you after Hui'er and I went, but even after saying all this, you still refuse. It seems that Yin Yin is unwilling to associate with us."

Seeing Zhan Shu'er turn to leave, Zhan Hui'er also stood up: "Sister Yinyin, Sister Shu'er meant well, you... never mind."

Yinyin sat where she was, took a sip of tea, and asked Dongxin, "Is Mother free right now?"

Dongxin said, "Madam was just busy for a while. She originally wanted to ask why you hadn't gone over yet, but when she heard that the two Miss Zhans were there, she didn't mention it."

Yinyin nodded and got up to go to the main room.

"You're here," Yu Miaoqi gestured for her to sit down beside her. "I heard they wanted to invite you to come out with them?"

“I did have that plan, but I didn’t agree,” Yin Yin first had Dong Xin recount what had just happened before continuing, “It’s obvious there’s a scheme involved, so how could I dare to go with them?”

"I don't have any connections with them, and I don't have the patience to be with them, so I might as well save myself the trouble."

“You,” Yu Miaoqi sighed, “you never act according to your own whims when interacting with people.”

"I just don't want to be with them," Yin Yin whispered. "And I can't be bothered with their moral blackmail. Otherwise, if the two of them were together, they could make me do whatever they wanted. That's not fair."

Yu Miaoqi couldn't help but flick her forehead lightly before saying, "After all, your older brother and I are here. If you don't want to pay attention to it, then just ignore it."

"What's there to care about?" Zhan Zheng came in from outside, saw Yin Yin, and said, "What a coincidence! When I came back, I ran into my two cousins, and they were telling me that you don't like them and don't want to play with them."

"They're complaining now," Yin Yin said, making Dong Xin repeat what she had just said before asking, "Big brother, do you think I shouldn't accept this kind of trap?"

Zhan Zheng replied, "I can't agree, but I'm afraid they'll find a way to force you to go."

"They've run into me and come to me to complain. When they get back, don't they know to tell the other elders about it?"

"If it's just your second or third aunt, that's fine. But if they tell the old master and old lady that you don't get along with your sisters and insist that you come along, will you go or not?"

“I won’t go,” Yin Yin was not intimidated by his words. “As long as Mother and Big Brother are on my side, I will naturally dare to refuse to do things I don’t want to do in front of the Old Master and the Old Madam.”

Zhan Zheng was taken aback, but his expression softened: "That's right, my mother and I are your source of confidence."

Yu Miaoqi couldn't bear to say anything to Yinyin herself, and originally wanted to place her hopes on Zhanzheng. But now she saw that he also doted on Yinyin. She shook her head and said, "You don't know how to guide your sister. Instead, you agree with her in everything. What kind of brother is that?"

Zhan Zheng argued confidently: "Naturally, it's because Yin Yin is obedient and well-behaved. Back in Yingzhou, weren't Yin Yin very close to her cousin and Miss Xun? Other young ladies who had met her, even those who didn't play with her much, couldn't say anything bad about her. It's clear that Yin Yin has her own way of dealing with people."

"Now that she's in the capital, she refuses to play with her two cousins. I don't think this is Yin Yin's fault."

Yu Miaoqi agreed. Yinyin was perfectly fine in Yingzhou, with several close friends who often went out together, participating in literary gatherings and spring outings. Why would she suddenly become a different person after arriving in the capital, refusing even to attend literary gatherings?

Yinyin had figured out her thoughts over the years, and pressed on while the iron was hot, saying, "It's not impossible for me to get along with them, but first of all, they shouldn't approach me with any ulterior motives. Otherwise, I still won't want to talk to them in the future."

Neither Yu Miaoqi nor Zhan Zheng found anything wrong with what she said. People have different degrees of closeness or distance, and to them, Yinyin was their family. There was no reason to wrong their own family to please outsiders, especially when they knew that outsiders had ulterior motives.

“Then let’s ignore it,” Zhan Zheng said, then changed the subject. “Speaking of the literary gathering, do you all still remember the people who wrote ‘Chrysanthemum in the Cold’?”

Yin Yin spread her hands: "Of course I remember, after all, they used this person to lure me to the literary gathering today, so I can't forget it even if I want to."

“I think it’s better to forget about it completely,” Zhan Zheng said. “I had someone investigate him. His surname is Huang. He was originally a merchant who frequented various entertainment venues. He had read a few books, but he didn’t have any talent. He just lived off his family. A few months ago, he fell into the water while drunk. After being rescued, he suddenly became very talented in poetry. He didn’t know the tones and rhymes, but he could compose a poem in seven steps. Besides ‘Chrysanthemum in Winter,’ another poem that has been circulated is ‘Bamboo and Rock,’ which is also a rare masterpiece.”

"You don't understand tonal patterns but can still write such good poems?" Yin Yin blinked. "Big brother, did you find something else wrong?"

Zhan Zheng frowned, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "It is said that when Young Master Huang was rescued after falling into the water, he was not breathing. The people who helped rescue him sent someone to inform the Huang family, but before the Huang family arrived, Young Master Huang suddenly woke up again."

"Because this incident frightened many people, many people remember it. When he woke up, he asked the people around him what movie they were filming and what year it was. Later he said that he had fallen into the water and had amnesia and didn't remember anything."

Yinyin feigned surprise, covering her mouth, but inwardly thought, "This Young Master Huang is truly full of flaws."

If it were someone else, they might have actually believed that Young Master Huang had lost his memory after falling into the water and suddenly became sharp-minded. However, Zhan Zheng and Yu Miaoqi, who had "witnessed" Yin Yin learning to speak as a child, subconsciously began to suspect something even more mysterious.

"What is filming? Is this Young Master Huang... is he still Young Master Huang?"