Seeing that the madam was happy, Li Mama was also pleased. "This servant will help the madam calculate the odds."

"No need, I'll calculate it myself!" Ding grabbed a miniature abacus from the side and started fiddling with it, "One round of being the dealer, one round of winning by myself..."

He clicked and clacked the abacus.

Hanrong looked at her aunt with a look of utter despair, her eyes filled with resentment, and said, "Aunt, is this what you meant by letting me study hard and earn money every month? Are you sure I can earn money?"

At this moment, only Auntie said that if she lost, it would be hers; otherwise, Hanrong would have run away long ago!

She has to use her money to pay off her family's debts; she can't let it all go to waste at the gambling table!

Chenmian gave Hanrong a reassuring look—"Good girl, fortunes change, don't underestimate a young girl's ability to win. We'll definitely win soon."

After the score was finally calculated, the three obediently handed over the copper coins.

But Ding's box was full of copper coins, while the other three people's boxes were almost empty.

Granny Li glanced at the window and whispered, "Madam, it's getting late. Let's have dinner first."

"..." Ding was clearly not happy; she hadn't gotten off the farm yet.

Shen Mianmian, a master of reading between the lines, could naturally tell that the madam was displeased, and hurriedly said, "Is Granny Li hungry? I'm not hungry yet, Hanrong, are you hungry?"

He winked at Hanrong.

Hanrong was clever and immediately replied crisply, "Auntie, this servant is not hungry either."

Chen Mianmian laughed and said, "Then let's play until the dealer changes. In the world of mahjong, it is said that this kind of consecutive dealer is a very auspicious sign, indicating that good fortune is coming. It is not very lucky to break it like this."

Ding was pleasantly surprised, "Is that so? Come on, let's keep fighting."

Granny Li glanced at Concubine Shen, both amused and exasperated, and could only continue beating her.

It's really strange.

The lady was incredibly lucky today, winning non-stop, especially on the banker's side. Each time she won, all three of them doubled their winnings. Eventually, they ran out of coins and started keeping accounts on paper.

Finally, Granny Li, unable to bear it any longer, made a ruthless move and won against the madam once before ending the game.

The lady was radiant and still full of energy, while Granny Li was starving and seeing stars. Han Rong was devastated, and even Chen Mianmian began to question the meaning of life.

Granny Li stood up and said weakly, "Madam, I'll go and tell the servants to prepare dinner."

"Alright, go ahead," Ding replied to Granny Li, then asked Chen Mianmian with great interest, "After dinner, shall we continue fighting?"

"..."

Chen Mianmian's eyes were vacant, and all she could see in her mind was the image of Luo Yonghao slapping himself in anger.

When Granny Li returned after preparing dinner, she saw that Consort Shen looked absent-minded. Helplessly, she advised, "Madam, let's call it a day. Let them go back and get some rest. We can continue fighting tomorrow, okay?"

Ms. Ding was reluctant to part, saying, "Then let's eat earlier tomorrow."

"..." The three of them.

Remembering her mission, Chen Mianmian forced a smile despite her disability, "Yes, Madam, we'll do as you say. We'll come over after breakfast tomorrow morning."

"That's wonderful!" Madam Ding brought over a box piled high with copper coins and handed it to Chen Mianmian. "These are all for you. You and your maid can share them."

"Thank you so much, Madam. You are so generous. I love playing with you."

As she spoke, she handed the box to Hanrong and whispered, "It's all yours now."

Hanrong was taken aback, but her tired eyes instantly became bright and energetic, as if injected with chicken blood. "Me too, I spent the whole afternoon playing with Madam, and I'm so happy! I'm even happier than during the New Year!"

The two young girls made Madam Ding beam with joy, and when Granny Li saw that her mistress was happy, she nodded with satisfaction, all her fatigue vanishing.

...

Shen Mianmian had heard that the lady loved to play, but she never expected that the lady loved to play this much.

Ever since the lady learned to play mahjong, she has been calling her and her servants to the main courtyard every day to play from morning till night.

Fortunately, the lady's luck wasn't as incredible as it was on the first day in the following days. All four of them had wins and losses, with the lady winning slightly more.

Every night after playing cards, the wife would distribute the winnings among the three of them, which was very kind of her.

Shen Mianmian also worried that the madam might become obsessed with frivolous pursuits and simply hand over the entire Marquis's mansion to Jiang Yinjin.

But the lady did not. Over the course of three days, she managed to resist her strong gambling addiction and set aside an afternoon to quickly manage the affairs of the Marquis's residence.

This day.

morning.

The four were playing mahjong when a maid came to report that the young mistress had arrived and brought five ledgers for her to review.

Shen Mianmian looked at the madam cautiously, thinking to herself—Oh no, will the madam realize that she has become obsessed with frivolous pursuits?

She didn't want to either. These past few days, she had tried to persuade her openly and secretly many times. Who would have thought that the lady who seemed so dignified before was actually an addicted old maid who was so easily addicted.

Looking at the mahjong tiles on the table, Ding hesitated for a moment before saying, "Wait a moment, I'm going out for a bit and will be back soon."

"Yes, madam."

Just as Ding was about to leave, she suddenly thought—what if they secretly watched her play cards after she left?

On a sudden inspiration, he said, "You all come with me to the main hall. You've been sitting for so long, it's good for you to stretch your legs."

"……yes."

And so, the group left the room and went to the hall.

It's worth mentioning that the lady specifically instructed that the mahjong table not be placed in the main hall, otherwise it would be very awkward if someone came over.

Moving the table hastily resulted in a chaotic and unserious situation, losing all serenity.

It wouldn't be appropriate to just leave the mahjong table there in public, so they asked Granny Li to prepare a special room just for playing mahjong.

Inside the hall.

When Jiang Yinjin saw that the madam had arrived, she stood up and greeted her.

When she saw Aunt Shen and Hanrong following behind the lady, her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and displeasure flashed in her eyes.

This displeasure was fleeting, and no one noticed.

"The daughter-in-law greets her mother and pays her respects."

Mrs. Ding smiled kindly and said, "No need for formalities."

After seeing that the young mistress had finished paying her respects, it was Shen Mianmian's turn to pay her respects as well. "This servant greets the young mistress."

Jiang Yinjin also gave a friendly smile, but there was no smile in her eyes.

Ding said, "Please sit down."

Everyone sat down.

Jiang Yinjin said, "It's like this, Mother, do you still remember the rice shop and cloth shop that I gave to my daughter-in-law last time? The accounts of the two shops have more or less problems. These days, I have reviewed the old accounts from the past three years."

Ms. Ding asked in surprise, "Is there a problem?"

Jiang Yinjin said softly with a smile, "Mother, don't worry, it's just a minor issue, nothing wrong with the shopkeeper."

Mrs. Ding breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "I've been following these shops all along, and I didn't find anything wrong. Yin Jin, you're really capable!"

Jiang Yinjin lowered her eyes, a polite smile on her virtuous face, and replied softly, "Mother is too kind."

A cold glint flashed in his eyes—Ha, so what if you're capable? Aren't you just like that skinny girl? Just like your son, who's addicted to wine and women, a whole family of good-for-nothings!