Afterwards, Zhao Wu and Xu Lanyin went to the back room of Xu's house and gave the craftsmen some suggestions on making furniture.

After walking around for a while, it was already midnight. The craftsmen had all left and the children were asleep. Zhao Wu felt embarrassed to stay any longer and had to return home. He had wanted to visit her at night, but thinking of Xu Lan's hardship on the road, he had to bear it.

Xu Lanyin went to Qin's bedroom, where she was waiting for her. The mother and daughter sat on the bed and started talking in private.

Qin muttered for a while. First, she asked about Xu Lanzhou's various circumstances. She smiled brightly when she heard that he was now a sophisticated man with academic progress. Then she asked about matters at the Princess's residence, specifically asking about Xiao Xingxing and even about Wang Sanni's family of three. Then she started discussing Xu Lanyin's dowry, surprisingly not even mentioning Xu Qingyan.

Now that Qin was happy, Xu Lanyin didn't mention all the "good things" about Xu Qingyan so as not to upset her.

Qin hadn't wanted to let Xu Lanyin down before, and now that she had so much dowry back, she didn't want to let her daughter down even more. Her intention was to give her 20,000 taels of silver as a dowry.

Xu Lanyin disagreed, as she wasn't short of money. After a long debate, they finally settled on ten thousand taels. Qin Shi still had plenty of money, and it would save her face.

Finally, Qin forced the two thousand taels of silver she had used to buy the medicine to be given to Xu Lanyin, saying that she owed her a favor and she should repay it.

The next day, Xu Lan didn't want to see Old Man Xu, so she used the excuse of being tired from traveling by boat to ask Ding Gu to deliver the letter and gifts from Xu Qingyan to the old couple, as well as the gifts she bought in the capital, to the Xu family in the east of the city.

At the Xu family in the east of the city, Mrs. Gu was scolding Mrs. Li for being a traitor and opening a dim sum shop to steal the Xu family's business.

Li cried and defended herself, "The provincial capital is so big, my shop is several blocks away from the Xu family's shop. To be honest, if we want to steal business, we should steal from other shops, not the Xu family."

Gu said angrily, "You greedy bitch, you even kidnapped my eldest son. If you want to open a shop, you should open it in the name of our Xu family. You only care about yourselves and don't care about your brothers."

Li cried even harder, saying, "God and God, my master and I work ourselves to death every day, all for this family. Isn't the grain shop opened by my master's sister Qiu Yin also public property?"

Gu was about to start scolding, but Old Lady Xu said, "Dashi and his wife did nothing wrong. Everyone has seen how hard they've worked over the past two years. She wants to open a dowry shop, and that's a legitimate consideration for her children." Then, with a double meaning, she added, "The Dashi couple are quite kind. You know how you only cared about yourself and not your brothers back then."

Gu had something to hide and didn't dare to say anything more.

Old Man Xu frowned and said, "The old woman is biased. We are all family, so we shouldn't hide anything. It was indeed Dashi's wife who was dishonest and didn't treat her uncle well."

Old Mrs. Xu sneered, "You're not biased. You used all the money given by the second son to buy land for the eldest son. The second son's family is so poor that they can't make ends meet. We can't afford to pay, but the eldest son's wife is so stingy with the money that she won't give a penny. Humph, it's the Gu family that treats my uncle badly..."

While they were arguing, Ding Gu came with a gift.

When they heard that Xu Lanyin had returned but did not come to visit them in person, the old couple were disappointed and angry.

Old Man Xu was furious and scolded Xu Lanyin for being unfilial. She didn't even bother to visit her grandparents when she returned, and it was all because of Qin's poor upbringing. He also said that a girl from a poor family couldn't compare to a maid from a wealthy family. He wished Zhou was still alive, so she could teach Qin the truth about righteousness and reason...

The old lady had noticed that Xu Lanyin was becoming increasingly indifferent to the old couple and the eldest couple, and Qin Shi was also unhappy with them. She was angry but had no choice; this was all caused by the old man looking for trouble.

After hearing the old man scold Xu Lanyin and then scold Qin, the old lady was furious and yelled, "Old X-dengzi is still stirring up trouble. You've been pushing the second branch further and further away. I told you not to use the dead to oppress the living. That will only make the living die of anger. If you don't want to enjoy a comfortable life in the provincial capital, take the eldest brother and his wife back to the countryside. You live in someone else's house, eat their food, and yet you scold them every day." She added, "I'll take Yuan Xiaozi and Xiao Man'er to visit the second branch."

She had to find a way to bring the estranged relationship closer. Since everyone in the second house liked the two children, she took them with her.

Old Man Xu said arrogantly, "I'm eating my second son's food, so he deserves it." He also stood up and said, "I'm going too. I wonder how my second son and Zhou are doing in the capital. I have to go and ask them."

Xu Qingming said, "Then let's all go and listen. Now that King Wu is the crown prince, my second brother's future will be even brighter."

His words made the old couple very happy.

The old lady warned the old man, "Don't talk nonsense when you get there. It's best not to say anything at all. Just listen to me." She pointed at Xu Dashi and Gu and said, "You guys should stop talking too. Let's have a good meal together and listen to my second son's story and what's happening in the capital. When my second son becomes a high-ranking official, I can also make a contribution to his imperial edict."

Those people didn't want to make the relationship with the second wife too bad, so they all nodded in agreement.

When Ding Gu came back, except for Xu Dashi who was busy in the shop, all the people from the Xu family at Dongmen came in mule carts.

Xu Lanyin frowned, but there was nothing she could do.

Ding Gu was extremely helpless. He didn't want to bring them here, but the old couple insisted on coming, and he couldn't stop them.

This time, Qin did not hide. She now had a family on her side, so the old man could not bring up her background anymore.

Ever since Qin Shi had met Qin Che, she'd been feeling relaxed. She was especially delighted to learn that Old Shen and Chai Zhengguan had been punished, and that her own status had been resolved. Not only had she gained weight, but her facial expression had also relaxed considerably, with a smile etched in the corners of her eyes and eyebrows. Born into a wealthy family, she'd always loved to dress up, having previously been unable to do so. Now, she could dress as she pleased, so naturally, she dressed glamorously.

Today she wore a rose purple jacquard brocade long jacket, a half-winged red gold filigree peacock hairpin inlaid with gemstones on her head, round pearl pendants on her ears, and light makeup, which made her look even more beautiful and dignified, with a noble temperament.

Especially the peacock hairpin, which is as big as half an adult's palm. When the person moves, the golden thread trembles. The ruby ​​on the peacock's head is also large and bright, shining brightly in the sun.

The peacock hairpin and earrings were both pieces of jewelry her mother, Qin Huiniang, had once loved. Xu Lanyin had just brought them back yesterday, so she put them on today to commemorate her mother.

This was the first time that the Xu family saw Qin like this, and also the first time they saw such a gorgeous and dazzling lady. They were all stunned.

Gu exclaimed in admiration, "My God, that peacock hairpin must be worth at least a thousand taels of silver." Her eldest son had taken her to the Qilin Silver Shop, and she had seen jewelry worth thousands of taels of silver before, so she felt she had seen the world.

When Old Man Xu heard that the hairpin was worth several houses that his family currently lived in, he was so angry that he almost vomited blood and his body was shaking.