The women of the He family surrounded Madam Cui, chattering incessantly. One anxiously suggested that since she was ill, she shouldn’t leave and they should call a doctor. Another worriedly asked where she felt unwell and offered to let her lie down and rest. A third helpfully suggested not to rush off and to notify Li Yuan’s father, in case something happened after she left. A fourth, feigning naivety, asked if she was angry, wondering how they would explain to Li Yuan and Li Xing if she left without eating…
The noise made Madam Cui’s temples throb with irritation. She knew she couldn’t leave now. No matter how the He women treated her, she had to sit and endure it! Otherwise, she’d be seen as disrespectful and deliberately causing trouble! Madam Cui felt unprecedentedly frustrated and heartbroken. How had it come to this? She had said she wouldn’t come, but the Nineteenth Lady had insisted, saying that for such an important matter, they needed the He and Jiang families’ full support.
They had to show sincerity as family members to completely resolve this issue for long-term relations. Who else could they rely on at crucial times if not relatives and friends? Coincidentally, Li Yuan had also agreed with the Nineteenth Lady and asked her to come along. Had she known it would be like this, she would never have come! She felt some resentment towards the Nineteenth Lady for causing unnecessary trouble and making her suffer this humiliation.
Seeing Madam Cui’s face looking as ill as she claimed, Madam Cen quickly stopped the others’ chatter. She smiled, pulling Madam Cui to sit beside her, and said gently, “Are you feeling unwell somewhere? After all, the friendship between our two families over so many years can’t be erased by just one or two incidents. You’ve raised a good son, and with Man Niang’s support, our family ties can’t be severed. You’ve always been thoughtful, taking things to heart. If the children have been inconsiderate, don’t take it to heart. If you’re feeling unwell anywhere, just say so. Don’t let it reach the men and cause them unnecessary worry. If it affects important matters, that wouldn’t be good.”
In Madam Cen’s words, she was an inconsiderate, unreasonable, and ignorant woman who couldn’t read the situation, being comforted like a child. They weren’t considering her feelings, but those of Li Xing and Li Man Niang… This made Madam Cen seem even more considerate and mature. Madam Cui felt so hurt she could vomit blood, but she forcefully swallowed it back. After this bout of anger, she finally became somewhat clear-headed. Things were indeed different from before. In the past, only the He family had to beg her, but now she was begging the He family! Wasn’t it just a matter of lowering her head and humbling herself? She had done this before, and quite often, but she never imagined she’d be begging the He family.
Never mind, never mind. She decided to pretend the He family wasn’t the He family. Wasn’t begging the same no matter who it was? With this thought, Madam Cui regrouped, her face filled with shame as she lowered her head and said, “It’s my fault. I’m ashamed to face you all… Feeling guilty, I inevitably became suspicious. Ah Cen, please don’t hold it against me…” Then, with a trembling hand, she reached out to take Madam Cen’s hand, her eyes reddening with tears as she continued, “My dear, I wronged you in the past. Your uncle and I are already halfway to the grave, it doesn’t matter what happens to us, but your cousin is pitiful. He’s still young, he hasn’t wronged you. You must help him…”
The He family members were ultimately inexperienced in such matters. Seeing her dramatic change, they exchanged glances. Mudan, whose hand was grasped by Madam Cui, felt uncomfortable with the clammy touch. Hearing Madam Cui bring up the topic of whether Li Xing had wronged her or not, she felt disgusted. Discreetly withdrawing her hand, she smiled and said, “Aunt, you’re being too serious. I’ve long decided to forget about the past. There’s no need to mention it. Chengfeng is an upright person. If he can help my cousin, he certainly won’t stand idly by. You can rest assured.”
Madam Cui wiped her tears and said, “Having your word, I’m at ease. Ah… I am…” She wanted to say some self-deprecating words but couldn’t bring herself to do so. Instead, she turned to look at Madam Cen, “Ah Cen, I’ve inadvertently acted childishly in front of you again. I’ve made a fool of myself in front of the children.”
As expected of an official’s wife, once she came to her senses and put aside her pride, her face became thick enough to adapt smoothly. Talking about acting childishly at nearly fifty years old – how ridiculous. Madam Cen exchanged a helpless glance with Mudan, sighed, and passed a cup of tea to Madam Cui, following her lead, “Drink some tea to soothe your throat. As we age, too much childish behavior invites mockery from the younger generation.”
Madam Cui nodded in agreement, “Your cousin often scolds me for this. Man Niang has also mentioned it, but I always fail to change. I’ll remember from now on. After all, I’m a grandmother now.”
Madam Cen was utterly speechless.
Earlier, when the women of the He family had taunted Madam Cui, it was merely because they saw her still putting on airs despite her current situation, not because they truly wanted to settle old scores. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been allowed to enter the house at all. As for Madam Cui, her continued arrogance stemmed from her belief in the long-standing relationship with the He family, thinking they wouldn’t abandon her. Moreover, she was accustomed to putting on airs and couldn’t bring herself to back down, stubbornly refusing to admit defeat. Now that she had softened where necessary and made the required promises, there was no need for further conflict. Thus, everyone ceased hostilities, quietly drinking tea or eating fruit, and the room suddenly fell silent.
The adults were lost in their thoughts, some worried, some frustrated. The only ones oblivious to the tension were Zheng’er and Xian’er, who were being doted on by their elder cousin, passed back and forth and tickled until they giggled incessantly, completely carefree. Watching them, Madam Cui couldn’t help but show a hint of envy in her eyes, while also worrying that the Nineteenth Lady’s current pregnancy must result in a son…
This strange atmosphere persisted until dinner time when it improved slightly. Dinner was served at two separate tables, with the women entertaining Madam Cui in the inner courtyard while the men hosted Li Yuan and Li Xing’s father outside. Given that this wasn’t a casual family visit but a meeting with important matters weighing on everyone’s minds, the situation differed from usual. No one was in the mood for casual conversation, and they quickly finished their meals and set down their chopsticks.
Madam Cui, preoccupied with the important matters at hand, barely ate half a bowl of rice before setting down her chopsticks. She then sat restlessly, straining her ears to catch any sounds from outside. Whenever she heard footsteps, she would look towards the door with a mixture of hope and anxiety. Madam Cen, noticing her anxious state, deliberately withheld any news from outside, intending to make her worry a bit longer. Instead, she engaged Madam Cui in idle chatter about various topics. Having just been taught a lesson, Madam Cui didn’t dare to slight Madam Cen and had to muster her energy to respond, all while her mind was fixated on what was happening outside. With her attention divided, she grew increasingly agitated, barely managing to keep up appearances.
Fortunately, the gathering outside soon dispersed. Jiang Changyang was coming to pay his respects to Madam Cen, while Li Yuan and Li Xing also needed to greet the women. So they all entered together in a grand procession. When Madam Cui saw the curtain being lifted, her entire body stiffened, her eyes fixed intently on the doorway. To her surprise, the first to enter was He Zhizhong, who maintained his usual smile and gave her a perfunctory nod before going to pick up Zheng’er and Xian’er, sitting aside to play with them.
Li Yuan followed, meeting her anxious gaze with an expressionless face before turning to Madam Cen politely, saying, “We’ve troubled you.” Madam Cui grew increasingly anxious… This man, couldn’t he at least give her a hint? What did his blank expression mean? So she turned her attention to Li Xing, who entered next. Li Xing’s face also showed no particular emotion, neither joy nor sorrow, as he went straight to greet Madam Cen respectfully.
This father and son, how could they be so inconsiderate? Frustrated, Madam Cui looked to Jiang Changyang. Jiang Changyang glanced at her and took the initiative to greet her with clasped hands, “You must be my aunt-in-law? I hope you’re well.”
This was Madam Cui’s first time meeting Jiang Changyang, and she couldn’t help but scrutinize him with a critical eye. She concluded that he was indeed of military background – tall, dark, and sturdy. In terms of fair complexion and refined demeanor, her Li Xing was still superior. Then, thinking about Jiang Changyang’s background – orphaned and abandoned by his birth father, his widowed mother surely suffered greatly – otherwise, how could a minister’s younger brother end up marrying Mudan, a previously married woman? Suddenly, she felt a sense of balance, and a smile appeared on her face, “I’m well, thank you.”
Jiang Changyang noticed her odd smile but didn’t bother to dwell on it, not wanting to waste energy on an ordinary woman’s peculiarities. He turned to greet Madam Cen, Madam Xue, and Madam Zhen respectfully.
Mudan stepped forward to greet Li Yuan. Li Yuan no longer had his former vigor; strands of grey had appeared at his temples. The once shrewd and ambitious Chief Historian of the Ning Wang’s mansion now seemed to have aged suddenly, appearing very kind and gentle, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, Mudan. I’ve been worried about you. Seeing that you’re doing well now puts my mind at ease.”
“Thank you for your concern, Uncle. I’ve been very well.” Mudan believed these words. Unlike Madam Cui, Li Yuan genuinely cared for his relatives and friends.
“Cousin, it’s been a while. How are your wife and Jinr?” Mudan turned to face Li Xing, her feelings complex. It had indeed been a long time since she’d seen him. The last time, during Jiang’s family’s end-of-mourning celebration, Li Xing had only hurriedly attended the men’s gathering for drinks and hadn’t come to the women’s area, so she hadn’t seen him. Now, she noticed Li Xing had become much thinner and darker, evidently having had a difficult time lately. She wondered how their discussion had gone tonight. These men’s faces revealed nothing!
“They’re both well. Your sister-in-law asked me to send her regards to you and the children.” Li Xing’s gaze quickly swept over Mudan’s face before settling on Zheng’er and Xian’er. His face broke into a big smile as he magically produced two dolls from his sleeve and offered them to the children, “Call me Uncle, and these are yours.”
Zheng’er and Xian’er, leaning in He Zhizhong’s arms, tilted their heads and just smiled at him, neither reaching for the toys nor calling him uncle. Li Xing sighed softly, gently patted the children’s heads, and handed over the toys, lamenting, “The children are doing well, it’s just a pity they don’t know me.”
Mudan sincerely replied, “When your wife gives birth, I’ll bring the children to see their little brother.” At that moment, she truly hoped Wu Shijiu Niang would have a son.
Li Xing smiled faintly, nodding slightly, but said nothing more.
After a short while, Li Yuan, seeing that all courtesies had been observed, stood up to take his leave, “We shouldn’t stay too long. Let’s part here.” He then led Madam Cui and Li Xing out quietly through the back door.