231 Always With Cousin

Zhou Linghuai’s expression froze, and his grip on the armrest tightened.

Yu Youyao held her cousin’s hand. Her eyes were clear and bright. “Cousin, what do you think?”

At this moment, the innocent and ignorant young lady felt that her cousin was good and she wanted to be with him forever. She did not know that some promises could not be made easily.

Faced with the little girl’s sparkling, joyful, and expectant gaze, Zhou Linghuai had always had no resistance. Naturally, he couldn’t refuse, so he nodded. “Okay!”

historical

!!

—-

After Qi Sinian returned to the Qi family, she went to her mother’s room.

Eldest Madam Qi was talking to the nanny in front of her. When she saw her daughter coming over, she waved her hand. “You’re back a little late today. Did something happen at the Yu Residence?”

Qi Sinian shook his head. “We’re just playing together. I’m a little too happy.”

First Madam Qi was a little surprised. Her daughter seemed to be straightforward and generous, so she was not used to her being humble. In the past, she had only gone through the motions when she went to other families.

Qi Sinian smiled and said, “Yao Yao is a bright person. She’s different from the sisters I used to know.”

When First Madam Qi heard this, she understood that they were going to be close. She smiled. “She took after her dead mother. Back then, First Madam Xie was also an open person.”

Qi Sinian told her mother about what had happened at the small banquet today.

Eldest Madam Qi seemed to be deep in thought. “It’s fine for the first wife to be an ordinary person, but once her children grow up, she was not up to standard. She couldn’t even restrain the children in the family well. It’s obvious that the household manager isn’t much either. The daughter of a concubine is so good at causing trouble. It’s obvious that she has lost her upbringing, so she’s also being unkind to her mother. No wonder Old Madam Yu asked Eldest Miss Yu to help manage the household when she’s only half-grown. This eldest daughter of the first wife, who was raised in front of Grandmother, has been educated from a young age. Isn’t she better than this little mother?”

Eldest Madam Yang was in charge of the family, so she had asked her stepdaughter to come out and cause trouble. Whether it was on purpose or not, it showed that she was not well-mannered or good at managing the household.

These women from the inner residence were in charge of the family, filial to their elders, and raised their children. All of this was to stabilize the inner residence and be a good wife.

As the saying went, it was better to have a virtuous wife.

With less trouble from her husband and a stable family, the women of the inner residence were more presentable.

Qi Sining nodded. “Third Miss Yu Jianjia had the intention to befriend me. She found an opportunity to talk to me, so I said a few polite words. Yu Jianjia saw that Zhi Li was still kind-hearted, but with a mother that had many thoughts, she felt uncomfortable, so she decided not to proceed.”

First Madam Qi nodded. “When interacting with others, you have to look at fate.”

Qi Sinian continued, “Yao Yao has prepared a lot of gifts in return. She’s grown up and has learned a lot from the nanny in the palace. She can make medicinal tea, medicinal fragrance, and incense paste very well. Mother, haven’t you been sleeping badly recently? I specially asked Yao Yao for some medicinal fragrance. It’s different from the ones sold outside, so it should be useful.”

With that, she asked the maidservant in front of her to place the bags on the table.

Eldest Madam Qi’s interest was piqued when she heard this. “Nanny Xu, she’s a decent person. I’ve even seen her when I visited the Empress Dowager in the past. How can anything that comes out of her hands not be good? Eldest Miss Yu is really considerate.”

She looked at the bags on the table. There were a lot of them, and she must have taken a lot of effort to make them. Things made by hand were often more elaborate than some jewelry.

Eldest Madam Qi thought about it and said, “You should think carefully when you go back. Send back some things that you’re good at. Don’t let me pick and send them again. This relationship is all about you taking charge.”

Qi Sinian nodded. “I’m only good at paintings. When I draw a Water Lotus Painting later, I’ll draw the lotus pond scenery in the Yu Residence and give it to Yao Yao.”

—-

Ever since her daughter left the house, Eldest Madam Tang had been feeling uneasy all day. She was either worried that her daughter would be bullied by Tang Yunmeng, or that her daughter would be treated coldly in the Yu Residence because of her appearance and personality.

She sat there like a needle in a haystack for the entire day, constantly asking the maidservant in front of her to pay attention to the door. When she heard that her daughter had returned, First Madam Tang immediately tightened her grip on her handkerchief and went to the door.

Tang Yunmeng was the first to get out of the carriage. She had a dark expression on her face. When she saw her legitimate mother, she did not even bow. She snorted coldly and left.

Eldest Madam Tang was puzzled. Usually, no matter which house she went to, Tang Yunmeng would always go out with a radiant face and return home happily. It was obvious that she had been in the limelight outside.

What was going on today?

First Madam Tang’s heart tightened and she was about to walk towards the carriage.

She saw her daughter getting out of the carriage and running towards her with her dress. There was a smile on her round face and a glow in her eyes.

First Madam Tang looked around and held her daughter’s hand to prevent her from opening her mouth. She brought her daughter back to her room before asking, “What happened?”

Tang Yunxi couldn’t hide the excitement and joy on her face, so she explained what had happened in the Yu Residence today. “Yao Yao took good care of me at the small banquet. I like her very much.”

Eldest Madam Tang smiled and stroked her daughter’s head. “It can be seen that not everyone in this world only cares about their appearance and are shallow and ignorant. My Yunxi is gentle and polite, and her literary talent is stronger than that of ordinary young mistresses. It’s rare to see someone who’s skilled in Sichuan embroidery in the entire capital.”

No wonder Tang Yunmeng’s expression was so dark.

It turned out that she had been treated coldly by Eldest Miss Yu in the Yu Residence. The tables had turned.

First Madam Tang immediately felt proud, and the gloom on her face dissipated a lot.

She had encouraged her daughter to attend Eldest Miss Yu’s birthday banquet because Eldest Miss Yu was as chubby as her daughter. Perhaps she could get along with her daughter.

Tang Yunxi’s face turned red from the praise, and she quickly changed the topic. “Yao Yao even asked the nanny in front of me to take a look at my body. Nanny Xu said that if I use medicinal cuisine to slim down, I can still lose weight if I practice some body-building techniques. Nanny Xu even gave me a medicinal cuisine recipe and recommended a nanny who’s good at this. Mother, Nanny Xu used to serve in the Empress Dowager’s palace. She’s a very powerful person. What she said is definitely right. Hurry up and ask the Education Department to find someone like her..”

With that, she took out a stack of medicinal recipes from her sleeve and showed them to First Madam Tang.

Eldest Madam Tang had also heard of Nanny Xu in the past, so how could she not be happy? She pulled her daughter into her arms. “Alright, alright, alright. Leave this matter to Mother. You can’t let anyone know, lest that mother and daughter play tricks.”

She looked at the medicinal recipes one by one. Even though she didn’t understand them, she was still excited. When her daughter was young, she also looked exquisite.