“Are you saying that Fourth Sister has returned and is getting along quite well with the younger siblings?”

“More than just well. They act as though they grew up together. Especially your Fourth Brother—I’ve never seen him so close to anyone. These days, he barely even spends time alone reading.”

“Really?” Wenren Hui was surprised. She knew her Fourth Brother’s disposition all too well. “But after all, they are twins. Of course, aside from our mother, they would be the closest to each other.”

“That is true. But to be fair, Xuan’er has a good nature and is quite likeable.”

“Now that you’ve said this, I can’t wait to meet her. I must go and see her for myself.”

The courtyard where Xiao Cao resided was right next to the main yard, so it only took a few steps.

As they approached, they could already hear voices from inside. “Wenren Yang —” It seemed nobody knew what the bookworm had done to prompt such angry shouting from Wenren Ying, without a care for her image, accompanied by clear peals of laughter.

Han Shi lightly raised an eyebrow. “The two girls from the Second Household are here too.”

Han Shi led Wenren Hui inside. The adjoining rooms where books were kept and medicines were made were very lively.

“What was Ying’er shouting about? We could hear her from far away.”

“Mother, Eldest Sister is back!” Wenren Ying switched quickly from anger to joy and cheerfully ran toward her eldest sister.

Everyone else looked over and greeted her respectfully.

Xiao Cao was in the inner part of the room, her hands still preoccupied with something. “Mother, I’ll be done in just a moment. Could you wait for a bit?” They heard her voice but didn’t see her right away.

“No rush, Xuan’er. Take your time,” Han Shi responded, standing outside without entering further. She looked around at the others, smiling. “What are you all up to, being so loud? Don’t you realize you’re disturbing your Fourth Sister?”

Wenren Ying pouted. “Mother, Fourth Sister truly takes after Fourth Brother. Once she gets focused on something, we could probably tear this house down and she wouldn’t even blink.”

“So you’re just going to keep making a ruckus, aren’t you?” Han Shi jokingly tapped Wenren Ying on the forehead.

Wenren Ying didn’t mind, but her cousin Wenren Xi and her own younger sister seemed a bit embarrassed.

After bowing respectfully to his mother and eldest sister, Wenren Yang returned to his book, just as absorbed as ever, still looking like the bookworm he was.

Xiao Cao said she’d be quick, and sure enough, she was. When she came out, she was wiping her hands with a cloth, which she casually handed to the maid following behind her. Her movements were smooth, a habit she’d acquired during the years with Xue Tingyu. Now that it came back, it felt effortless.

“Mother.” Then her gaze turned to Wenren Hui. “Eldest Sister.”

Wenren Hui stepped forward, taking Xiao Cao’s hand. “So alike—our Fourth Sister looks so much like Mother. You can tell at once that she’s one of us.”

Xiao Cao smiled. “But Eldest Sister takes after Father more.”

“Really? But many people say I resemble our uncle more.” Wenren Hui chuckled.

“Oh, then I must take a good look when Uncle arrives.”

The atmosphere was warm. Though not overly intimate, it wasn’t awkward either.

In this way, being thick-skinned has its advantages. After all, in both her past and present lives, Xiao Cao had never been someone who feared social settings; no matter the situation, she handled herself comfortably.

This, of course, was exactly what Han Shi was most happy to see: composure, grace, without arrogance or fear. It filled her with pride.

But Han Shi’s mind was still occupied, and since no guests had yet arrived, the timing was perfect. “You all can stay here or go elsewhere, as you wish. I’d like to have a word with your Eldest Sister and Fourth Sister.”

The others didn’t notice anything strange, except for Wenren Ying, whose thoughts churned as she made a connection.

To be frank, the Fourth Sister had only been back for a few days, yet she’d already brought significant changes. The Old Madam’s spirit had visibly improved, and as for the Second Aunt, although the family feast hadn’t happened as it did in her previous life, Wenren Ying vividly remembered that about half a month later, her Second Aunt and Second Uncle had a fight in the previous timeline, which led to the loss of the baby. It was only then that everyone found out the Second Aunt had been pregnant again. But she hadn’t been able to save the baby, which made the Second Uncle furious. His wife, whose health was already poor, soon became bedridden and passed away in less than half a year. After her death, Wenren Xi had to observe three years of mourning, and her fiancé cruelly broke off the engagement.

Not long after that first year of mourning ended, a new Second Aunt entered the household, and by the time Wenren Xi’s mourning was over, the new Second Aunt’s son was already walking.

Wenren Zhongyong had achieved his goal, lavishing attention on his young wife and son, while harboring an increasing disdain for his first wife. He believed that had she not held him back, he would have had a legitimate heir much sooner. With her now gone, these feelings of resentment shifted to his two daughters.

When Wenren Xi’s mourning period was over, she was already nineteen, far too old to find a good marriage prospect.

Wenren Zhongyong, cold-hearted as ever, secretly arranged for her to be married off to become the concubine of Lord Xu. Of course, the Lord was no small figure, but he was a man in his sixties, a widower whose two previous wives had left him with several legitimate and many illegitimate children. The family was filled with ruthless competition.

In his desire to pave the way to success for his son, Wenren Zhongyong had pushed his daughter into a pit of fire.

And the outcome? Wenren Xi, in a fit of rage, strangled her young half-brother to death. Naturally, Wenren Zhongyong was furious. But before he could lay a hand on her, Wenren Xi laughed maniacally and smashed her head into a wall, ending her own life.

No one had expected such a tragedy.

The old madam was devastated, and the usually hands-off grandmother took decisive action. She adopted Wenren Zhongyong’s legitimate third daughter into the main house, where Han Shi treated her like her own daughter. Two years later, they managed to arrange a decent marriage for her, though due to her family’s tragic history, the girl had shut herself off emotionally. She became introverted and dull, and her marriage was less than ideal.

As for Wenren Zhongyong, he never succeeded in fathering another legitimate son, even up to his death.

And now? Though Wenren Ying hadn’t confirmed the current fate of her Second Aunt’s pregnancy, she feared the child had already been lost. After Wenren Xi visited the Second Household, her Second Aunt seemed like a completely different person. The once grim and forlorn look vanished from her face; her spirits lifted, and her complexion improved. It was like she had aged backward by at least ten years. If her health fully recovered, she would even be a match for Han Shi herself. There was not a trace of her past illness or any hint of an early death.

And all of this? It was because of this Fourth Sister.

Wenren Ying, having once been in the middle of it all, had wanted to change things but was powerless when it came to the Second Household. And this Fourth Sister, who hadn’t existed in her past life, had unknowingly turned the Second Household’s fate upside down.

Thus, Wenren Ying grew even more wary of her Fourth Sister.

It seemed Mother intended for Fourth Sister to see Eldest Sister. After all, Eldest Sister was already twenty-one. She’d been married for five years but had never conceived, despite numerous visits to temples and endless herbal remedies—all of which had been in vain. Although her husband treated her fairly well, her mother-in-law was undoubtedly displeased. In the previous life, Eldest Sister died childless, ultimately raising a concubine’s son in her place. Her life had not been happy.

Since Fourth Sister could change the fate of the Second Household, Wenren Ying hoped she could also change Eldest Sister’s fate.